"Your Majesty, your Majesty is wronged! Your Majesty is wronged!"
Prince Consort Chen cried out that he was wronged.
Prince Ning was shocked and confused. He looked at Princess Huyang.
Seeing Princess Huyang's wandering eyes, she was obviously feeling guilty.
He cursed in his heart, calling the Huyang couple good-for-nothings.
It turns out that for the sake of money, this couple not only dared to privately mint coins, but also dared to organize people to rob tombs.
How come he didn't know that this bastard Chen Yuan also had the ability to divide gold and point out blood?
Seeing that Huyang was about to stand up to speak for Chen Yuan, King Ning was not at ease.
Any big mouth in Huyang might be tricked by the old man into telling the story of the private minting of coins.
So, Prince Ning suddenly jumped out, raised his foot, and kicked Prince Consort Chen over.
"You're worse than pigs and dogs, and you dare to rob a tomb? Tomb robbing is a capital crime, punishable by immediate execution, don't you know?"
Prince Ning's story of kicking Prince Consort Chen was half true and half false. As a result, he grew angrier and angrier. The falsehood also became true.
King Ning beat Chen Yuan with his fists and feet, cursing at him and greeting the Chen family's eight generations of ancestors.
Princess Huyang loves her husband deeply. Even though she knows that Prince Ning is saving her husband Chen, she cannot bear to watch her husband Chen being beaten.
She suddenly rushed out and threw herself on Prince Consort Chen.
"If you want to fight, brother Wang, then fight me."
Prince Ning pointed at Princess Huyang and was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
He pointed at Hu Yang and said, "You, you are so stupid. You are protecting a tomb robber."
Princess Huyang cried bitterly, and her exquisite makeup was ruined, but she didn't care.
She cried and said, "No matter what he did, he is still my consort. Father, the consort was wronged, really wronged."
The emperor watched the whole show indifferently with a cold look in his eyes.
"Let the Jinwu Guards investigate and we'll know for sure whether he's been wronged or not." King Zhao jumped out and said.
Princess Huyang was furious, "Brother Zhao Wang, please don't kick someone when he's down."
The King of Zhao gloated over the misfortune, "Huyang, are you trying to shield the criminal? According to the law, anyone who robs a tomb to ward off evil will be executed. Don't treat the law as a joke."
Hu Yang roared, "Who is treating the law as a joke?"
King Zhao pointed at Huyang and said, "Of course it's you."
Hu Yang was filled with anger, regret, fear, and panic. "Father, the Prince Consort has truly been wronged. I dare not lie to you."
The emperor had a stern face and was naturally majestic.
"Huyang, step back!" the emperor scolded Huyang.
Huyang refused, so King Ning called Liu Zhao and forcibly dragged Huyang away.
Prince Consort Chen's nose and face were bruised and swollen, all because of the beating by Prince Ning.
He was trembling with fear, his whole body shaking like a sieve, and he knelt on the ground to apologize.
The emperor asked, "You deny the tomb robbery?"
"Your Majesty, I have truly been wronged."
Prince Consort Chen was still hoping for a lucky break, thinking that with the help of Consort Shu, Prince Ning, and Huyang, he might be able to escape unscathed. Therefore, he absolutely could not plead guilty.
The emperor was too lazy to waste time talking to Prince Consort Chen and immediately ordered, "Throw Chen Yuan into the Imperial Prison and have the Jinwu Guard conduct a thorough trial."
Upon hearing this, Prince Consort Chen collapsed to the ground, limp as a puddle of mud. Several guards entered the palace, dragged him away, and took him to the imperial prison.
Princess Huyang cried out, "Father, spare my life! My husband is in prison. Is there any hope for his life?"
"How dare you!" Seeing that the emperor was furious, he even wanted to punish Huyang.
Concubine Shu was anxious. "Huyang, shut up. If Chen Yuan didn't do this, the Jinwu Guards will clear his name. You should leave immediately."
Prince Ning acted decisively and covered Huyang's mouth, preventing her from speaking.
The emperor lost all interest and left with a flick of his sleeves.
Today's family dinner ended in a bad mood.
Prince Consort Chen was dragged away and Princess Huyang fainted.
The Chen family's two siblings, Chen Min burst into tears, and Chen Lu was in a panic.
Prince Zhao gloated, "Brother Prince Ning, please discipline Huyang properly. This is too unreasonable."
Prince Ning was the elder brother, not the crown prince, so he wouldn't be polite to Prince Zhao. He just kicked him and said, "Get out of the way."
King Zhao dodged in time and was not kicked, but he was furious.
"Brother Prince Ning has such a bad temper. I want to see what will happen to Hu Yang and Prince Consort Chen in the end."
After saying this, King Zhao flicked his sleeves and left.
Concubine Xue wiped the corner of her mouth and said to Concubine Shu: "Huyang has been willful since he was young. What a pity!"
Concubine Shu was so anxious at the moment that she had no time to engage in a verbal dispute with Concubine Xue. She simply stood up and walked towards Huyang.
Bang!
Concubine Shu slapped Hu Yang hard in the face while he was still crying.
Hu Yang was stunned. From childhood to adulthood, Brother Wang had been beaten many times, but she had never been beaten.
But I didn't expect that I would be beaten today.
After being stunned for a while, Hu Yang burst into tears, crying with sadness and grievance.
Concubine Shu's eyes widened in anger. "You still have the nerve to cry? Get out of here!"
At a command, several palace maids from Changchun Palace came forward and dragged Huyang out of Chenghui Palace and headed towards Changchun Palace.
Princess Fuming gloated over the misfortune and said, "Serves him right!"
It seems that she and Hu Yang are also not on good terms.
Inside the hall, everyone left one after another.
The emperor's eldest grandson helped the Crown Prince up, and the Donggong family prepared to leave.
Gu Jiu stood by, paying attention to the Crown Princess's movements.
The Crown Princess looked calm as usual. She took a few steps forward and supported the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, I will support you."
There was no joy on her face.
Gu Jiu even wondered if she had misjudged him. Perhaps this matter had nothing to do with the Crown Princess.
Gu Jiu returned to Changchun Palace with doubts in his mind.
Huyang was still crying.
Concubine Shu sighed and looked angry again.
Prince Ning had the urge to kill. If Huyang had not been his sister Qin, he would have killed her with his sword long ago.
"Okay, stop crying!"
Concubine Shu scolded Huyang.
Hu Yang's crying really subsided.
Concubine Shu asked with a stern face, "Huyang, tell me honestly, is it true that your husband was involved in the tomb robbery?"
Hu Yang shook his head repeatedly, "The Prince Consort was wrongly accused."
"Tell the truth!" Concubine Shu raised her voice, then lowered it again and said, "If you don't tell me the truth, your brother and I will not be able to rescue the prince consort from the imperial prison."
Huyang was horrified.
Prince Ning said directly: "Let Chen Yuan die, he is a disaster."
"Brother Wang, are you really going to watch someone die without helping?"
Prince Ning sneered, "You dare to rob tombs, what else would you two not dare to do? Are you crazy because of poverty?"
Hu Yang sobbed and sobbed quietly.
Concubine Shu closed her eyes slightly, obviously extremely disappointed with Hu Yang.
She said, "Huyang, if you refuse to tell the truth, then go back to your princess's residence. I will be unwell for the next month, so please don't come into the palace to disturb me.
"Mother, I know I was wrong. I'm telling the truth now. My husband, my husband, said there are many burial objects in the tomb, and if we only take a few, it will cover our expenses for a year."
"Stupid! Don't you know that tomb robbing is a capital crime? You actually agreed to the prince consort's proposal to rob the tomb. Do you have a pig brain?"
Hu Yang said aggrievedly, "The expenses of the mansion are extremely high. If I don't think of a way out, I can only ask the prince for money every month."
When Pei heard this, she was almost angry to death.
Huyang, this shameless guy, actually wants to take advantage of Yueyue.
Concubine Shu was also about to die of anger at Hu Yang, "So you condoned your husband's tomb robbery?"
Hu Yang nodded slightly and admitted it.
Concubine Shu gnashed her teeth. "You're a princess, your annual salary alone is tens of thousands of taels, and I've prepared a large dowry for you. Nearly a hundred thousand taels of income a year isn't enough for you and your wife's expenses, and yet you're still trying to rob tombs? Are you courting death? Don't you know your father hates this kind of thing the most?"
Tomb robbing is a great disrespect to the dead.
As an emperor, one should not only care about what happens during one's lifetime, but also what happens after one's death.
All emperors hate tomb robbers the most.
Throughout the dynasties, countless emperors' tombs have been robbed.
How could the emperor not be angry when he thought that the tomb robber was right next to him and in the royal family?
Not killing Chen Yuan on the spot was already a great act of restraint.
Concubine Shu then sighed and said to Princess Huyang, "The Imperial Prison is like purgatory. Your Majesty will definitely not be able to withstand the torture and will confess everything. Huyang, you should be prepared."
Hu Yang's face turned pale. "What preparations?"
Concubine Shu didn't want to say it, for fear of offending Huyang.
Prince Ning had no such concerns. "The Prince Consort is doomed this time. Whether the Chen family will be implicated depends on the severity of the case and whether the Chen family is involved. If the Chen family is involved, the Chen family is finished."
When Princess Huyang heard that her husband was dead, she immediately fell to the ground.
Then, she came to her senses and begged with tears, "Brother Wang, please save my husband. I can't live without him."
Prince Ning said coldly, "The Prince Consort brought this upon himself. I am powerless to save him. Just accept your fate, pack up, and quickly sever all ties with the Prince Consort."
Princess Huyang burst into tears.
Chen Lu and Chen Min, brother and sister, also started crying.
Concubine Shu sighed, "At this point, Huyang, you should prioritize the two children. If your father gets angry and implicates the Chen family, you will need to protect these two children."
Chen Lu and Chen Min were both terrified.
"Grandma!" The two children knelt down in front of Concubine Shu.
Concubine Shu felt distressed and said to Prince Ning, "Do your best to keep the two children."
King Ning nodded and agreed.
Princess Huyang cried until she was out of breath.
It just made matters worse.
The palace servant hurried into the hall to report, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, the Jinwu Guards have surrounded the Princess's residence and the Chen residence. The servants and maids who accompanied the Prince Consort have all been imprisoned. The eldest and second masters of the Chen family have also been imprisoned."
"ah!"
Princess Huyang screamed and fainted.
"Hurry up and take Huyang away. Call the imperial physician."
Concubine Shu was very worried.
The palace maids hurriedly carried Hu Yang away.
Concubine Shu was anxious and asked Prince Ning, "How could this happen? How could it happen so quickly?"
Prince Ning's expression was solemn. "Father is serious this time. Besides, the Prince Consort has a bad reputation, and the Chen family may not be clean. This matter will be difficult to handle."
Concubine Shu slumped in her chair.
Prince Ning thought for a moment, waved his hand, and signaled everyone to retreat to the side hall.
Then he leaned over to Consort Shu and said, "Mother, Huyang and the Prince Consort were also involved in the illegal minting of coins. The Prince Consort was caught in the act, but thankfully he didn't reveal his identity. I've already asked Zhao'er to take care of this matter. However, if the Prince Consort can't endure the torture and reveals this, Father will be furious, and his son might even be implicated."
"What? Hu Yang actually..."
"Hush! Mother, please speak softly. This matter is known only to my son, Zhao'er, and me. Please do not spread it."
Concubine Shu's expression changed constantly. She gritted her teeth and said, "The Prince Consort deserves death, Hu Yang deserves death. These two are simply absurd. They didn't commit tomb robbery, but they dared to do so... The Jinwu Guards have arrested the people around the Prince Consort. They will definitely not be able to withstand the punishment, and the illegal minting of coins will probably be revealed. You must be careful and don't let this matter implicate you."
Prince Ning frowned, "I'm afraid it's too late."
Concubine Shu gritted her teeth and steeled her heart, "If His Majesty really wants to punish me, you can put the entire blame on Liu Zhao. He is the emperor's grandson, His Majesty should show him some leniency."
Prince Ning frowned, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate to let Zhao'er bear the responsibility alone."
Concubine Shu was furious. "It's already this late, and you're still hesitating. Liu Zhao is your son, isn't he my grandson? Don't I love him dearly? But at this critical moment, my primary responsibility is to protect the palace. As long as the palace doesn't fall, Zhao'er will naturally be fine. But once the palace falls, where will the hair stay? This matter is settled."
Prince Ning hesitated for a moment, then nodded heavily, "Alright, if this matter really comes to that, we can only let Zhao'er step forward to deal with it."
Liu Zhao had no idea that disaster was about to happen.
Concubine Shu was feeling uneasy, her eyelids twitching. "How could this happen during Chinese New Year? Don't the Embroidered Uniform Guards celebrate Chinese New Year? Catching tomb robbers at this time is simply ridiculous."
"My son also feels that this matter is a bit strange."
Concubine Shu and Prince Ning exchanged a look, "Could it be that someone is plotting behind this?"
Prince Ning said, "I will immediately send someone to the Embroidered Uniform Guard to inquire, mother, please don't worry."
"Hurry up on this matter. If anyone really plots against my daughter, I will not forgive him."
Concubine Shu had a fierce look in her eyes.
In the side hall, Gu Jiu came to Liu Zhao and asked quietly, "Will this implicate the palace?"
Liu Zhao hesitated for a moment, then nodded slightly.
Gu Jiu narrowed his eyes, feeling a little nervous.
"Could it be that the palace knew about the tomb robbery in advance?"
Liu Zhao shook his head, "I don't know."
He was thinking about the illegal minting of coins. The Prince Consort and his associates would definitely not be able to withstand the punishment, and the illegal minting of coins would surely be revealed. Even if he helped to handle the matter, the Jinwu Guards would discover it.
Liu Zhao stared at the main hall. His father and Concubine Shu had been chatting privately for a cup of tea, and something was not going well.
Liu Zhao suddenly grabbed Gu Jiu's hand with such force that Gu Jiu felt pain.
She looked at Liu Zhao, "You..."
Liu Zhao whispered to Gu Jiu, "Leave the palace immediately and return home. Take my seal with you and have Qian Fu give you the sandalwood box from the study. Keep it for me."
Gu Jiu's heart skipped a beat. "What happened? Are you hiding something from me?"
Liu Zhao hesitated for a moment, then whispered in her ear, "The Princess's Mansion is minting coins privately. I will put an end to this matter."
Gu Jiu was horrified. She grabbed Liu Zhao's hand and cursed in a low voice, "Are you crazy? How dare you deal with such a thing?"
In the third year of Kaiyao, the emperor's foundation was unstable and some members of the royal family privately minted coins. After the incident was discovered, the emperor executed all three clans.
Gu Jiu read history and still remembers this passage clearly.
When she saw this part, she was still thinking, how dare someone rob the emperor's money? He was really willing to risk his life for money.
She thought that with the previous experience as a lesson, no one would dare to make the same mistake again.
However, no one expected that Huyang and his wife would commit such a heinous crime that they not only robbed tombs but also minted coins privately.
The crime is even more serious, and the prince consort must be put to death.
Gu Jiu was very worried about Liu Zhao, who was helping the prince consort to deal with the aftermath.
She didn't want to be a widow as soon as she got married.
Liu Zhao's face turned pale. "I didn't expect that the prince consort would dare to rob the tomb, and he was even caught by the Embroidered Uniform Guards."
Gu Jiu gritted his teeth, "Can you protect yourself?"
Liu Zhao said confidently, "Don't worry. You'll only suffer a little physical pain, but your life won't be in danger. Anyway, go back home and do as I tell you."
Gu Jiu said to Liu Zhao, "You'd better protect yourself. I will never be a widow."
Liu Zhao's face was gloomy. "Don't talk nonsense. This young master will never let you become a widow."
Gu Jiu said with a stern face, "You'd better keep your word. Also, the timing of the Prince Consort's case is a bit too coincidental. You'd better send someone to investigate, and don't let the East Palace off either."
Liu Zhao was suspicious, "Do you suspect the Eastern Palace?"
Gu Jiu snorted coldly, "I doubt anyone. I even suspect that someone from the Chen family reported this matter."
It is indeed possible.
The son-in-law was arrogant, extravagant, and licentious, and he must have offended many people.
It is possible that someone might bear a grudge and report him.
Time waits for no one. Gu Jiu no longer hesitated. He took his maid, Xiao Huangmen, quietly left the side hall, and hurried back to the palace.
By the time someone noticed that Gu Jiu was missing, Gu Jiu had already gotten into the carriage with his badge in hand.
"Zhao'er, where is your wife?" asked Concubine Shu.
Liu Zhao said calmly, "She's not feeling well, so I'll let her leave the palace and return home first."
Concubine Shu frowned, "Since you are not feeling well, why don't you stay in the palace and let the imperial physician treat you?"
Liu Zhao suddenly realized, "Grandmother reminded me of this, but I forgot it. It's just that she has been gone for a long time, and she may have arrived at the palace by now."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu snorted coldly, "There are no rules at all."
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