The gossip spread far and wide, eventually attracting the attention of those in power.
...
The third prince stood before the emperor, his face flushed.
He did say that North Street was not as prosperous as South Street, and that there were more beggars on North Street, but as for the rest... he really didn't think that way!
Unfortunately, he didn't know how to explain it. The more he explained, the more guilty he seemed.
The Third Prince braced himself and knelt under Emperor Yuming's imposing gaze, his back straight: "Father, I know nothing of my crime. This is completely baseless."
The second prince stood aside, his tone worried, but his eyes were filled with schadenfreude: "Third brother, your second brother trusts you. But as the saying goes, flies don't land on eggs without cracks. If you really didn't say that, the people wouldn't have spread such rumors."
He seemed to be speaking up for the Third Prince, but his words were full of denigration. He even added hypocritically at the end, "Your Majesty naturally believes this is just a rumor. Third Prince, you should quickly explain to Father. Once you've made things clear, everything will be fine."
The third prince lowered his head, gritted his teeth, and remained silent.
Emperor Yuming frowned upon hearing this, his eyes showing obvious displeasure. Besides the Fifth Prince, this Third Prince was the one he disliked the most.
His birth mother, Consort Ruan, was beautiful, but too upright and could not bear to see people committing murder and arson.
Emperor Yuming was puzzled. How many emperors throughout history had not had rivers of blood flowing under their dragon thrones?
However, Consort Ruan refused to compromise her principles with him. After becoming pregnant with the emperor's child, she refused to even smile at him. In a fit of anger, Emperor Yuming banished her to the Cold Palace, and he also lost interest in the Third Prince.
However, listening to both sides leads to enlightenment, while believing only one side leads to darkness. After all, he was an emperor, and even if he liked the fourth prince, he couldn't show too much favoritism.
"Fourth Prince, what do you want to say?" He frowned as he looked at the Fourth Prince, his every move exuding an imperial aura.
This son was the one he placed the most hope in, and also the one who cared most about brotherly affection among his sons. Moreover, he was born to the Empress, and countless officials in the court wanted to make him the crown prince.
However, he is too indecisive and somewhat hesitant. To become the crown prince, he cannot be so indecisive; he must be ruthless and decisive.
The fourth prince hung his head, lost in thought. Hearing Emperor Yuming call him, he raised his eyes and said, "Your Majesty, I… Your Majesty…"
"Speak!" Emperor Yuming's eyes widened, and his imposing aura instantly rose.
What annoyed him most was his fourth brother's indecisive look!
The fourth prince was startled by his shout and hesitated for a moment before speaking: "Your subject believes that... it is not appropriate to make a hasty judgment on this matter. We should wait for the Dali Temple to investigate before making a decision."
The Third Prince clenched his fists inwardly, while the Second Prince sneered inwardly.
Once both of them have been rejected by the Emperor, leaving only him and the eldest prince to compete, wouldn't his chances of winning be great?
It must be said that he was right, even quite reasonable. But Emperor Yuming disliked his expression, waved his hand, and said impatiently, "I know."
Then, looking at the eldest prince who had been deep in thought, he asked, "Elder, in your opinion, what should be done about this matter?"
This son was the eldest, experienced, and composed. Among his brothers, he enjoyed the highest prestige, yet he always remained low-key, which is why Emperor Yuming was quite fond of him.
The eldest prince, who had just been called out, snapped out of his daze and bowed to Emperor Yuming: “Your Majesty, I think this matter is very strange. I’m afraid it was done by someone with ulterior motives. We need to wait for the Dali Temple to investigate before making a judgment.”
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
