The Emperor naturally heard Jing Le's thoughts. He calmed down a bit and his expression wasn't as stiff as before. After all, this was a child he had been teaching for over a decade.
It's still the one with the highest expectations.
He shouldn't have to bear the blame for the Empress's mistakes. Even if evidence against the Empress is eventually found, he won't execute the Second Prince.
At most, he would be demoted to a commoner, but if he were allowed to live a life of wealth, that would be a fitting end to the father-son relationship.
He is not the tyrant Jing Le described.
Those who deserve punishment will be executed immediately, and those who have not committed any wrongdoing will not be deliberately implicated; this has always been his principle.
"Very good, I like it very much."
The Emperor ordered the White Tiger to be taken away and given to Lele in a little while; the girl's eyes were practically glued to the White Tiger.
After the gift-giving ceremony, the banquet officially began.
As dish after dish of delicacies was served, Jing Le's eyes were immediately drawn to them. He was then summoned by the Emperor to dine with him, and the Ninth Prince was also brought along.
This was the first time the Ninth Prince had been so close to the Emperor, and his deep affection for the prince touched the hearts of the Emperor and his concubines.
She secretly cursed Consort Hui for being so cruel to her own child, noting how thin the Ninth Prince had become.
Those who didn't know better might think that the Great Yong Dynasty was so poor that it couldn't even afford to raise its own son.
"Father, Father Emperor."
"Okay, you eat with Lele, eat more."
The Emperor offered a few words of pity and then fell silent. After all, he wasn't good at being gentle, and the fact that he could say a few words of concern was only because Lele liked him.
"Ninth Brother, eat up. Father is very kind, don't be afraid."
Jing Le was very outgoing and friendly. Since he was going to take care of the Ninth Prince, he naturally had to make sure he was well taken care of, especially since the Ninth Prince was too thin.
[Ding! Successfully rescued the Ninth Prince. Reward: 30 merit points. Your strength has been restored to the Foundation Establishment stage. Please check your account.]
The familiar spiritual energy flowed into his body, only this time it was significantly stronger than before, and he successfully established his foundation.
Another wisp of spiritual energy, now imbued with golden merit points, has appeared, bringing the total to three wisps, a testament to the success of saving the three individuals.
"Okay, thank you, little sister."
The Ninth Prince felt that today was the happiest day of his life, like a dream, making one wonder if this happiness would disappear once he left the main hall.
His head trembled slightly as he looked down, and a hint of heat welled up in his eyes.
"Father, may Jiayue dine with her brother and sister?"
Seeing that Jing Le and the Ninth Prince both received the Emperor's favor, Jing Jiayue couldn't help but step forward and stare pitifully at the Emperor.
[Oh ho ho, the female lead's here to stir things up! Is she trying to eat with us or does she have ulterior motives? Come on, come on, I'm really looking forward to it!]
"Father, please let this lady come and eat with us. We would be very happy to have her."
Jing Le smiled and stared at Jing Jiayue with innocent eyes, which made the Emperor and others smile indulgently.
The Ninth Prince, who was initially unwilling, fell silent after hearing Jing Le's words. He had never spoken to Jing Jiayue, let alone had any feelings for her.
"Then you can go over there."
The Emperor's heart is now entirely focused on Jing Le; he's practically given her every word.
Upon seeing this, everyone in the audience lowered their heads and discussed it amongst themselves.
"Why does Princess Anle seem to be more favored than Princess Jiayue? Has the Emperor lost his mind? Why is he neglecting his own daughter and favoring a daughter he just adopted?"
"That's right, Princess Jiayue is so pitiful. I almost cried when I saw her envious expression just now."
The Second Prince, who had just arrived, was also completely bewildered. How could everything have changed after he had been gone for a while?
Jia Yue's favor has been stolen, and the Ninth Prince has suddenly gained the Emperor's attention.
Who exactly is this girl?
Why do others call her princess?
He had no recollection of having a younger sister who was the same age as Jia Yue.
He turned to the eunuch beside him and asked, "Go and find out who that girl is."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The eunuch stepped back and returned shortly afterward with the results:
"Your Highness, that girl is a disciple adopted by Master Liaowu and is staying in the palace. Today, His Majesty adopted Princess Jiayue to the Empress. To make amends to the Consort, he recognized that girl as his goddaughter, bestowed upon her the title of Princess Anle, and registered her under the Consort's name."
"What? Isn't this too frivolous? Father Emperor..."
The second prince was shocked, never expecting that he would miss this moment by being just a few steps too late.
"Your Highness, please be careful with your words."
The personal eunuch stopped the second prince from saying anything more. The matter was already settled, and there was no need to say anything more. It was not worth angering the emperor for no reason.
Just then, envoys from various countries raised their glasses one after another to congratulate Emperor Jing on his birthday.
One of the representatives stood up alone:
"Your Majesty, I have heard that the Dayong royal family has produced a child prodigy princess. I have brought some of the younger generation of noble children from our dynasty to learn from her. I wonder if Your Majesty would grant me permission?"
An envoy from another country chimed in, "Yes, Your Majesty, we have all come here because of your reputation, just to see the prodigy princess. Please grant our request."
Upon hearing this, Jing Le's ears perked up; there was more juicy gossip to come.
[These people are here to cause trouble for the female lead, aren't they? This is going to be interesting. I wonder if Jing Jiayue dares to accept it. This scene isn't part of the original plot. Could it be that my intervention has disrupted the storyline? That would be great, as it brings me one step closer to saving Dayong.]
The emperor immediately perked up upon hearing Jing Le's words.
This was a sudden plot development, uncontrollable, so of course I had to stay alert and ask Jing Jiayue, who was standing next to me.
What does Jia Yue think?
Whether you refuse or end it is up to you.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
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