Chapter 449: Complaint
The emperor's face was slightly pale. He slowly raised his head, his deep eyes piercing through the magnificent hall, looking straight at An Yuesheng who was standing upright, and An Yueya who was beside him, pursing her lips and with tears in her eyes.
For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall became solemn. When the emperor's eyes fell on the deep wound on An Yuesheng's hand, his brows unconsciously locked, and his tone was filled with some worry and doubt.
"My dear, how is the wound on your hand?"
As soon as the emperor finished speaking, Anyueya, who had been holding back tears, finally cried out, her voice filled with endless grievance and anger.
"Your Majesty, my elder brother was invited to attend a banquet at the Jinnan Palace. He thought it was a happy gathering, but he was assassinated at the banquet! This is not only an attack on my elder brother, but also a provocation and insult to our entire An family! My father is far away in the frontier, fighting for the country, but there are people in the capital who dare to do this..."
An Yueya burst into tears when she said this, but a trace of imperceptible chill flashed across her lowered eyes, as if there were deeper thoughts hidden under this grief.
When the emperor heard the four words "Jinnan Palace", the anger that was originally ignited by An Yuesheng's injury gradually subsided, and was replaced by hesitation and complexity on his face.
Jinnan Palace, the ally that had given him great support and help at the beginning of his accession to the throne, was now involved in such a storm.
He hesitated for a moment and spoke slowly.
"Jinnan Palace..."
The emperor's heart was full of entanglements. He knew very well that if he attacked Jinnan Palace, which had been kind to him, because of this matter, it would not only be difficult to decide, but it might also trigger a series of political storms.
Anyuesheng noticed the subtle changes on the emperor's face, and he quickly poked Anyueya beside him with his elbow, signaling her to pay attention to the emperor's reaction.
Anyueya was originally immersed in her own thoughts, and turned her head away impatiently after being poked by Anyuesheng.
However, she still quickly caught the subtle changes in the emperor's expression, so she suddenly raised her head and looked directly at the emperor, with a hint in her eyes.
The emperor did not seem to notice Anyueya's sudden action directly, but his expression seemed to have changed a little. The hesitation on his face gradually faded, replaced by a numb and resolute expression.
At this moment, he seemed to have made an important decision.
"Jinnan Palace?" The emperor spoke slowly, revealing an unquestionable majesty in his tone, "Zhao Zemo...it's time to deal with it."
Hearing this, Anyuesheng was delighted, and he quickly knelt on the ground and thanked him loudly.
"Your Majesty is wise!" His voice echoed in the hall, and it seemed unusually firm.
Seeing this, Anyueya flashed a smug smile on her face, but it quickly disappeared, as if everything was under her control, and yet she acted so naturally, as if she had done nothing.
The eunuch standing by lowered his head even lower, almost burying it in his chest, not daring to look up at all. This strange and tense atmosphere was obviously not the first time he had experienced it.
He knew very well that in this palace full of power struggles, sometimes the less you know, the safer you are.
After a brief period of confusion and contemplation, the emperor seemed to have regained some clarity and determination. He took a deep breath, and his eyes became firm, as if he had already made a decision.
"Come here!" the emperor ordered loudly, "Summon Zhao Zemo to the emperor!"
An Yueya heard this and a smug smile appeared on her lips. She took the opportunity to add fuel to the fire and further incited the emperor's emotions.
"Your Majesty, Zhao Zemo has committed many evil deeds. He has raped women and disregarded ethics and morality. There are even rumors that he has tortured innocent women to death. Among the people, everyone knows his evil deeds and the people hate him deeply. Even if my elder brother was not assassinated in the Jinnan Palace this time, shouldn't a scum like Zhao Zemo receive the punishment he deserves?"
The emperor was really enraged after hearing An Yueya's words. He slammed the table and shouted angrily.
"The Jinnan King and his wife actually raised such a rotten child. It is simply a disgrace to the entire palace! I will never tolerate such evil deeds to continue to harm the people."
The emperor decisively issued an order.
"Pass on my order, immediately put Zhao Zemo in prison and keep him under strict supervision. No one is allowed to release him without my personal order!"
The eunuch beside him heard the emperor's order and quickly responded with a "yes", then hurriedly retreated, ready to execute the emperor's order.
Although this result did not fully achieve Anyueya's original intention, it was still a good start for her. She was secretly proud in her heart, but on the surface she pretended to be respectful and bowed to the emperor.
"Your Majesty is wise! Eliminating harm for the people is a blessing for the people of the world."
At the same time, Pei Xuanyi suddenly woke up from a deep sleep. His consciousness was still a little fuzzy. The transition from dream to reality made him feel unreal.
He recalled the dream with a frown. In the dream, Xixi had grown from a naive little girl to a graceful young lady, and he seemed to be placed by Xixi's side and taken care of carefully...
Pei Xuanyi rubbed his eyebrows hard, trying to get rid of this absurd dream from his mind. He chuckled at himself and muttered in a low voice.
"It's really amazing that even such a ridiculous dream can happen."
He shook his head, with a self-deprecating smile on the corner of his mouth, as if he was laughing at himself for having such an unrealistic dream.
Just as Pei Xuanyi was about to get up and intend to continue to deal with the unfinished government affairs, the panicked voice of the servant suddenly came from the door, breaking the brief silence.
"Your Highness, it's not good!" The servant shouted breathlessly, "His Majesty is furious in the study, and has already put Prince Ze in jail!"
This news was like a cold water on his head, and it instantly sobered Pei Xuanyi up.
He frowned slightly, and felt more and more that something was wrong with this matter.
Pei Xuanyi knew the emperor's feelings towards the Jinnan Prince and his wife. He knew that Concubine An was getting more and more favored these days. Let's just assume that Concubine An was very good at pleasing the emperor.
But even if Concubine An was favored, how could the emperor be biased towards the An family when it came to the issue of the Jinnan Prince's Mansion!
Pei Xuanyi frowned, unable to figure it out.
Now Zhao Zemo was imprisoned in prison, and no one was allowed to visit him. What happened at the banquet tonight that made the emperor so angry?