Yan Cai was anxious. She had no idea why her daughter had suddenly appeared here, or what had happened in between.
But Consort Yan understood one thing: if her daughter answered even slightly wrongly, it would expose their scheming against Princess Luoyang in front of everyone, tearing away their facade.
The emperor wouldn't mind sweeping them all into the abyss!
In this cold-blooded man's eyes, the Second Prince and Jing Ning were probably not even worth a finger of Luo Yang.
Even if they manage to escape this predicament by a hair's breadth, the emperor will secretly whittle them down bit by bit until they are utterly defeated.
It preserved that fig leaf on their faces; at least, at least they could save their lives.
Princess Jingning knelt on the cold floor, bewildered and helpless. Yan Xun beside her seemed like a dead man, unresponsive to the outside world.
She didn't know what to say, and hurriedly looked at the others. Everyone avoided Princess Jingning's gaze, even her maternal grandparents lowered their heads and didn't look at her.
The emperor pressed, "Jingning, why aren't you saying anything?"
Princess Jingning's mind was in turmoil. She had been woken up unexpectedly and found herself doing something indecent with her two personal maids.
Before he could even get angry, he heard his father scolding his cousin outside. Realizing that Luoyang was behind it, he ran out in a fit of rage.
Princess Jingning was completely at a loss as to how to respond in a way that would convince her father and others.
She mustered her strength and managed to concoct two flawed lies, which the emperor immediately saw through.
In the end, Princess Jingning was covered in cold sweat and couldn't say a word; she could only bite her lip and shed tears.
The emperor's smile grew increasingly chilling as he stared intently at his once-beloved daughter.
An unprecedented silence.
"Therefore, when facing an emperor, especially a powerful, suspicious, and paranoid one, the worst thing you can do is to be presumptuous and not tell the truth."
Ling Xiao mentally explains a few things about the emperor's psychology:
"The emperor would not allow his concubines and children to conspire to harm his favorites in the palace, as he would consider it a challenge to his authority."
"I'm still alive, and you dare to disobey my will? Do you want to be the emperor?"
"Of course, if you were capable of handling things flawlessly, the emperor might forgive you, but the problem is, he isn't."
Another unexpected event occurred: what news did the people from the side hall where Princess Jingning had come out tell the emperor?
Princess Jingning looked terrified, clutching her clothes tightly, and pleaded, "Father..."
Over here, the Emperor watched as Princess Jingning's smile grew increasingly chilling, and raised an eyebrow:
"I'm giving you one more chance. Tell me everything."
Princess Jingning opened her mouth and, while crying, told the whole story, only embellishing it a bit.
It is said that the Yan family wanted to marry Princess Luoyang, but they were afraid that some misunderstanding would cause Princess Luoyang to refuse, so they resorted to this desperate measure to force the issue.
Oh, now I understand. Those present finally figured things out.
They make it sound so nice, but they're just after Princess Luoyang's favor with the emperor. Since they can't succeed openly, they resort to these despicable acts in secret.
As a result, Yan Xun and Princess Jingning suffered a great loss.
Princess Luoyang was exceptionally resourceful and ruthless.
Ling Xiao, no longer playing the innocent innocent girl, smiled and spoke to the emperor:
"Father, because of me, my second brother was deposed as crown prince. Consort Yan and the others probably hate me to the core. Why are they trying to force me to marry them?"
The emperor sneered:
"You treacherous wolf, your heart is filthy. I need you, Miaoying, to whisper in my ear and put the Yan family's good grandson back on the throne of Crown Prince. Second Prince, am I right?"
From the moment he entered the small hall, the second prince was restless. As things became increasingly unfavorable to him, he grew more and more desperate.
Just in case.
What if my cousin and mother manage to cover it up, or what if my father, considering that I am his biological son, lets me off the hook?
Now that the emperor had finally called upon him, the second prince knew he couldn't escape. He crawled on his knees before the emperor, kowtowing repeatedly and weeping bitterly.
"It was wishful thinking on my part, I am guilty, but I only wanted Sister Luoyang to say a few good words for me, I had absolutely no intention of reinstating the crown prince."
After saying that, he turned to Ling Xiao and said, "Sister Luoyang, Yan Xun is the most outstanding member of the Yan family. He is skilled in both literature and martial arts and is also very upright."
My brother did scheme against you a bit, but he genuinely wanted to bring us closer.
"Host, he's so shameless!" The system was furious.
Ling Xiao reassured him, "He's just desperate; who would believe such nonsense?"
The emperor refused to believe it and became even angrier. At this point, the second prince still dared to deceive and mislead the emperor, which was a heinous crime.
Therefore, the emperor didn't even want to say another word to him. His sharp, hawk-like gaze fixed on the Grand Secretary, and he gave the order:
"The proclamation has been issued throughout the land: the Second Prince is rebellious and immoral; I hereby disown him as father and son."
The Grand Secretary nodded vigorously, agreeing repeatedly.
The emperor issued several more decrees, demoting Consort Yan to commoner status and banishing her to the cold palace.
Princess Jingning was stripped of her title and all her fiefdoms, retaining only the privileges of a member of the imperial clan. She was ordered to select a husband and marry far away within half a month.
The Yan family was stripped of their titles, and all Yan family members who held official positions without significant achievements were dismissed from their posts.
Before the second prince could even beg for mercy, he, along with his mother and sister, were dragged out by the eunuch who was aware of the emperor's wishes.
The palace banquet was held with everyone on edge. The emperor utterly destroyed the Duke of Yan's mansion, ensuring that the second prince would never recover, and that Consort Yan and Princess Jingning met tragic ends.
The fate of these people was enough to chill the hearts of everyone present.
Even the Duke of Cheng, a confidant of the emperor, dared not utter a single word.
Ling Xiao took the emperor's arm and shook it, saying:
"The Second Prince and his brothers have committed a grave error due to their wicked intentions. As the saying goes, 'A stupid mother breeds a whole litter,' meaning there's something wrong with Consort Yan's offspring. Just look at how filial your other brothers and sisters are to Father Emperor, especially me. Aren't you happy?"
The other princes and princesses who were mentioned all looked on with adoration.
The emperor patted Ling Xiao's hand and laughed, "You're full of twisted logic. Alright, what are you all kneeling for? Get up."
The atmosphere finally eased a bit, and everyone followed the emperor back to the banquet, pretending that nothing had happened, and continued singing and dancing as before.
They are all masters of feigning deafness and dumbness.
The palace banquet eventually lasted until late at night before everyone dispersed.
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