Chapter 616
As if to confirm Chen Qiang's words, a few days later, someone risked his life to enter the capital with a token, wanting to meet the emperor.
The man had clearly had a difficult journey; he was covered in blood and mud, his hair was disheveled, and his face was so dirty that his features were barely visible, with only a pair of bloodshot eyes showing, filled with a chilling hatred.
As expected, the man was stopped outside the palace gates.
But the man insisted on not leaving, and even knelt down at the palace gate, attracting many people to come and watch.
The imperial guards on duty at the palace gates tried to drive them away, but the people simply walked to a more distant spot to watch.
"The Crown Prince, driven by his own selfish desires, ordered the burning of the granary, causing my elderly mother and young children to starve to death! In the process of putting out the fire, most of the villagers were killed or injured! We beg Your Majesty to uphold justice for us!"
After the man shouted, everyone walked away.
This is a major family affair, something ordinary people like them shouldn't get involved in.
Even though they had gone far away, they were still secretly keeping an eye on what was happening here.
The imperial guards were anxious, but the man before them had clearly endured a long and arduous journey, his body pushed to its limit. They feared that a single push would send him sprawling at the palace gates, and then…
Speaking of which, the man's arrival was quite coincidental; he happened to run into Shen Rang, who was on his way to the palace to meet the emperor.
Upon hearing his words, Shen Rang immediately compiled a memorial, had the man affix his fingerprint to it, and then instructed Jing Yuan to take him to a place to stay, while he himself entered the palace.
When Shen Rang arrived, the eldest prince was also in the imperial study.
However, he did not come for political matters, but rather to present a rare stone he found in Taihu Lake a couple of days ago.
The father and son were originally very happy together.
But this rare good atmosphere vanished completely with Shen Rang's arrival.
Listen to Shen Rang recount the story of someone crying out for justice outside the palace gates.
As soon as he finished speaking, the emperor's face darkened.
The eldest prince immediately spoke up: "His Highness the Crown Prince is the heir apparent of the country. He has been personally taught by his father since childhood and is kind-hearted. How could he possibly commit such an heinous act! That scoundrel is clearly talking nonsense with his eyes closed. Shen Qing, how could you even submit such a memorial?!"
The emperor had never expected that the eldest prince would say such a thing.
Both of them came from the struggle for the throne. The emperor knew that now his son was in his former position, so naturally he would seize any opportunity to destroy him.
The emperor gave the eldest prince a deep look.
"Judging from that man's disheveled appearance, he must have suffered a lot on the way. Since he had such a difficult journey to Luoyang, he probably wouldn't be making things up."
The eldest prince was speechless for a moment and could only look at the emperor.
After a long pause, the emperor looked at Shen Rang and asked, "Shen Qing, what do you think?"
“Your Majesty, regardless of whether this person’s words are true or false, I think it would be best to invite His Highness the Crown Prince over,” Shen Rang said. “If it is a misunderstanding, we can all clarify it ourselves.”
The emperor nodded slightly and ordered someone to summon the crown prince.
At that time, the Crown Prince was in the Eastern Palace, accompanying the Crown Princess to admire the flowers.
As the eunuch recounted the situation in the palace, the crown prince frowned slightly.
He had his men do the burning of the granary very discreetly. Besides, that place was a thousand miles away from Luoyang. How could that person have possibly traveled all the way to Luoyang to file a complaint with the emperor?
In an instant, the crown prince thought of many questions he couldn't understand.
These problems, taken together, point to a very clear issue.
Someone is trying to harm him.
A soft voice sounded: "Your Highness, has something happened?"
The Crown Prince snapped out of his reverie and met the Crown Princess's concerned gaze.
He smiled slightly: "It's nothing serious, I'll be right back."
The Crown Princess frowned, her worry undiminished: "Really...it's nothing serious?"
The crown prince smiled and nodded: "Really, when have I ever lied to you?"
Seeing this, the Crown Princess had no choice but to believe it.
The crown prince summoned someone to accompany her before turning to leave.
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