Chapter 18: We'll Spend the New Year with Her
When Seventeen saw the situation clearly, her cheeks turned bright red. Chen An also reacted quickly. Being older, he was slightly taken aback but immediately pushed Seventeen away.
"Go and summon His Majesty."
He nodded at seventeen, hurriedly let go of her hand, and awkwardly crawled out of the bushes, running towards Emperor Jing and his entourage.
The two men who had been restrained turned ashen-faced upon seeing Chen An and Seventeen, and collapsed to the ground.
"Why are you running? Why is your face so red?"
Emperor Jing frowned as he looked at the seventeenth prince running towards him, and asked, seemingly puzzled.
Seventeen steadied himself and stood firmly in front of Emperor Jing. Yuanfu, the eunuch beside him, stepped forward and scolded, "Be more composed."
"Excuse me, Your Majesty, there's something inside... uh."
Seventeen stammered, pointing behind him, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.
Upon seeing this, not only Emperor Jing, but also the ministers behind him, all showed expressions of doubt.
"What exactly happened to this Seventeenth Guard?"
Some ministers even stood on tiptoe to look over there, but could only see Chen An pressing down on someone in the darkness.
"Well, perhaps Your Majesty should go and take a look first."
Seventeen scratched his chin; the heat on his face had not yet subsided, and his already handsome and delicate features were made even more alluring. Some of the younger ministers stared at him, their eyes wide with amazement.
Emperor Jing, without changing his expression, shielded the Seventeenth Prince beside him and said in a deep voice, "I will go and take a look."
He then followed Seventeen to the edge of the woods. As they parted the tall grass, the assembled officials heard Emperor Jing let out an angry shout.
"Get out here!"
The ministers looked at each other, bewildered, not knowing what had happened or why His Majesty was so angry.
Chen An led one person out, while Seventeen, at Emperor Jing's signal, led another person out.
Only then did everyone realize that it was actually a man and a woman!
The woman had a pretty face, and her emerald green outer robe was draped over her shoulders, but it was clear that her inner clothes were already disheveled. She was shivering from the cold weather. Seventeen was holding her down seriously, but... the scene was so gruesome, no wonder the child was so frightened.
The man Chen An was holding captive was dressed in eunuch's robes, but judging from his appearance, he didn't seem to be short of those kinds of goods.
What surprised everyone even more was that no one recognized the man, but everyone recognized the woman.
It's clearly Consort Ling!
Consort Ling is only in her early thirties, a time of mature charm. At this moment, she was caught in the act and looked like she was about to cry, which made many people envious.
But the prevailing thought is that the Empress Dowager is finished.
No matter what, she was a concubine of the previous dynasty, yet she actually had an affair with a man from another family! If this gets out, the late emperor will lose all face!
Yuanfu reacted quickly, immediately stepping aside to block the view of the ministers in front of him, and with a flick of his whisk, he laughed, "Gentlemen, why don't we go have a few more drinks? I'm afraid we won't be able to see the fireworks today."
Wang Qiao, who was in charge, reacted quickly and immediately called his colleagues to walk back.
Those who could become officials in the capital were all very perceptive, so they all pretended not to have seen anything and walked back, awkwardly chatting about everyday things.
"If you gentlemen would do me the honor, please come to the palace again tomorrow to watch the fireworks."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Eunuch Yuanfu."
"What are you saying, sir? It's just my duty."
As the group walked away, Emperor Jing stared at the adulterous couple before him with a grim face, his voice barely audible: "Take them away!"
Seventeen and Chen An accepted the order and turned to escort the two towards the prison. At this moment, Eunuch Yuanfu jogged back to Emperor Jing's side and asked in a low voice, "Your Majesty, what's next?"
"Go back and rest first, we'll talk about it tomorrow."
Yuanfu nodded and accompanied Emperor Jing back to his palace.
This great show has officially begun.
When Seventeen returned to the palace, he saw that the light in Emperor Jing's room was still on, and Eunuch Yuanfu was guarding outside the door. He slipped in and said, "Eunuch Yuanfu, everyone is locked up."
"Go and report to His Majesty."
Seventeen nodded, pushed open the door, walked to Emperor Jing and bowed: "Your Majesty, those two have been locked up."
"Okay, go and rest first, we'll continue the trial tomorrow."
Emperor Jing sat at the table fully clothed, seemingly suffering from a headache. Seventeen said cautiously, "Your Majesty should also rest early. I will take my leave."
......
The next day was New Year's Eve, and even the emperor needed to rest, so there was no morning court session.
When Seventeen woke up, it was almost noon. He quickly got up, changed his clothes, and rushed outside, only to bump into someone's arms.
"Hmm!"
Seventeen rubbed her nose and looked up, only to find it was the bright moon.
The other person, dressed in all black, stood at the door, clearly stunned by the collision.
"Brother Yue? What brings you here?"
Mingyue rubbed her chest and laughed, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Your Majesty last night... uh..."
"His Majesty summoned me to interrogate those two people. It wasn't anything too complicated, so he didn't call you."
Mingyue entered the room, making sure to pull Seventeen in as well.
"Let's go out for dinner together later."
Upon hearing that the interrogation was over, Seventeen felt a strange sense of loss. In the past, His Majesty would always assign him this kind of task...
"Oh, Yue-ge, why did you suddenly decide to go out for dinner?"
"Silly boy, have you forgotten what day it is today?"
Seventeen slapped his forehead: "Oh! Today is the 30th! Are there still any shops open outside?"
"Yes, don't worry, I've arranged everything."
"Hehe, thanks a lot, Brother Yue."
Mingyue looked at Seventeen and laughed, making Seventeen feel a little uneasy. He quickly changed the subject: "Brother Yue, those two people last night, the woman seemed to be a concubine in the palace, right?"
"Yes, Consort Ling, the former Crown Prince's birth mother."
Seventeen's eyes widened: "Then why...why did she want to?"
"Their affair has lasted for a long time. They were in private contact when the late emperor was still alive. His Majesty suspects that... the former crown prince is not the late emperor's biological son."
This sudden bombshell news left Seventeen stunned for a moment.
The former crown prince was not His Majesty's son?
"This...this is an earth-shattering secret..."
"However, the Dowager Consort Ling does not admit it. The former Crown Prince has been dead for many years, so there is no way to seek help from him."
Seventeen, resting her chin on her hand, asked curiously, "Then how will His Majesty deal with them?"
"The Empress Dowager will naturally be expelled from the palace, and as for that man, I reckon he'll be executed."
"Oh dear... who is this man? How dare he be so bold as to have a secret rendezvous with the Imperial Concubine in the palace?"
Mingyue poured herself a cup of hot tea and said, "It is said that the palace guards and the Empress Dowager had feelings for each other before the Empress Dowager entered the palace, and this man also followed the Empress Dowager into the palace."
Seventeen clicked his tongue in amazement. These royal secrets were far more interesting than the theatrical performances outside.
"It seems the late emperor was the one who separated the lovers."
After saying that, Seventeen immediately covered his mouth, looking at Mingyue pitifully with his eyes, as if afraid that he would tell Emperor Jing about it.
"What's there to be afraid of? You're not wrong."
Mingyue chuckled. The late emperor's philandering nature was only due to his imperial status; otherwise, everyone would despise him.
"Heh heh, that former crown prince?"
"His Majesty didn't tell you about this?"
Seventeen scratched his head, not understanding what Mingyue was talking about, and then heard the other party explain: "Do you know that our Emperor has a bad reputation among the people?"
"ah?"
The seventeenth prince truly didn't know about the rumors surrounding His Majesty. And it wasn't good? Why? He felt that everything His Majesty did was beneficial to the people.
"To be precise, it was a few years ago." Mingyue took a sip of tea and slowly said, "When His Majesty first ascended the throne, there were rumors that the former crown prince was his doing, and some even said that he killed the late emperor, all for the throne."
"Brother Yue... is this something I can say?"
Seventeen was a little scared. Why was Brother Yue starting to say these things? If His Majesty heard them, would he have them both beheaded?
"Don't worry, His Majesty doesn't care about these things anymore, and... it was His Majesty who asked me to explain this to you."
Mingyue lowered her head and chuckled softly, finding it quite amusing to watch Seventeen's alarmed expression.
"But we all know that the former crown prince died of illness, as did the late emperor. There was no improper conduct involved. So where did these rumors come from?"
After a moment's thought, Seventeen said decisively, "The former Crown Prince's old faction."
"Yes, they rallied around the former crown prince, but when their hopes were dashed, His Majesty took advantage of the situation, so naturally they were dissatisfied. However, His Majesty ascended the throne legitimately, so they had nothing to say and resorted to this underhanded method."
Mingyue was clearly disdainful, her eyes filled with mockery.
"It is only because His Majesty has accomplished a great deal in recent years that he has been able to turn around the public's opinion of him."
Seventeen frowned slightly: "Your Majesty has actually suffered such criticism. Who exactly are those people? Even if they are supporting the former crown prince, Your Majesty's ascension to the throne does not mean you will not care about the people."
"Then we'll have to go and ask them what they think in person."
Soon, Seventeen's mind also caught on: "So this whole 'catching someone in the act' drama was also arranged by His Majesty?"
"His Majesty has long known that Consort Ling often holds secret meetings here. This time, he is merely using the eyes of the court officials to make a big fuss about it."
"I get that! It's called an eye for an eye!"
Seventeen raised his hand excitedly and said, "Those bad people used to attack His Majesty for his illegitimate accession to the throne. Now His Majesty is going to tell everyone that the former Crown Prince was not the late Emperor's biological son at all. Perhaps the late Emperor actually favored His Majesty more in the first place!"
"Seventeen is indeed clever."
Mingyue curled her fingers and gently flicked Seventeen's forehead, saying with a smile, "These things are none of our Seventeen's concern. Let's go out for dinner."
Seventeen's stomach growled twice in response, which made Mingyue laugh, but she was punched and kicked by Seventeen.
There weren't many people on the streets; after all, it was a rare good day, and everyone was resting at home.
Seventeen followed behind Mingyue, curious about where she would take her to eat.
After walking for a while, Mingyue led him into an alley and finally stopped in front of a house.
"Huh?"
Seventeen looked up at the courtyard wall. Wasn't this someone else's house?
"Oh my, young master, please come in. The food is all ready."
An old woman wiped the water droplets from her hands as she walked out, her deeply lined face beaming with a smile.
"Thank you for your hard work, Grandma Yi."
"Young master, what are you saying? Your presence brings life to my little courtyard."
The old woman greeted Seventeen with a smile, then turned and went back into the kitchen.
"Brother Yue, who is this?"
"Her daughter was humiliated by Wei Lifeng and couldn't bear it, so she jumped into the river. Her husband was so devastated that he died. When His Majesty found her, she was about to go with them, but His Majesty saved her."
Seventeen frowned, feeling a pang of heartache: "This Wei Lifeng has truly committed countless evil deeds..."
"He also received the punishment he deserved."
"So we're here to spend the New Year with Grandma Yi, right?"
Seventeen looked up at Mingyue, and the clear black and white emotions in her eyes made Mingyue a little stunned. Then she chuckled and said, "Yes, we're here to spend the New Year with her."
A note from the author:
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