Chapter 96 Punishment of the Crown Princess
As soon as Yun Qingqing opened her mouth, the emperor was put on the spot.
Neither up nor down.
That group of censors, as well as Prime Minister Su and others who had tried to take advantage of the situation, were all sweating profusely.
Prime Minister Su, in particular, was very depressed. Originally, he had nothing to do with it. If he hadn't thought that he could take the opportunity to suppress the Regent and stepped forward to get involved, he wouldn't have ended up in this situation now.
Imperial Censor Yao Shizhong looked at Chen Meng and gritted his teeth:
"Chen Meng, if you hadn't solemnly sworn to guarantee it with your integrity, how could we have been deceived by you and misunderstood the Regent Princess!"
Several other censors also glared at Chen Meng, denouncing him for spreading rumors and framing the princess.
Chen Meng fell to his knees and begged for mercy from the emperor:
"Your Majesty, I am guilty, but I did not do it on purpose. I was deceived by the people in the Prince's House! Please, Your Majesty, be lenient with me because I have worked hard for the country!"
As soon as the emperor hesitated, Yun Qingqing sneered:
"You didn't mean to do that? And you're still devoted to the country? How did a concubine's son like you deceive the world and become a secretary? Don't you know?"
Chen Meng took a breath and his face turned pale.
Yun Qingqing did not let him off and continued:
"Your family tradition is not upright, but you concealed your background and entered the court as an official under your father's arrangement. It's ridiculous that someone like you who abuses power for personal gain and deceives superiors and subordinates actually claims to be upright and dedicated to the country and became a censor!"
"Is there such a thing?" the emperor stared.
He was still wondering whether what Yun Qingqing said was true, but when he saw Chen Meng trembling with fear and unable to say a word, he already understood.
The other officials also looked at Chen Meng in shock. They didn't expect that he was an illegitimate child!
If it is any other official position, if you get it through your own ability, as long as you have the right abilities and no major stains in your life, it is not a big deal. But the Jieshi Zhong is a censor, so the most important thing to look at is family background and character!
The court would never allow an illegitimate child to serve as a censor, not to mention that he is hiding his background... Thinking of this, a question suddenly popped up in everyone's mind.
The princess said that Chen Meng became the Imperial Secretary under the arrangement of his father, so who is his father?
The emperor was already furious, and he slapped the armrest of the dragon chariot and shouted:
"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly! I want to see which parasites dare to do these deceiving acts under my nose... ahem..."
Perhaps because of his excessive emotions, the emperor started coughing violently and his face turned red.
The Queen worried:
"Your Majesty, calm down. Don't get yourself in trouble. You should go back to the palace and ask the imperial physician to come and see you!"
The emperor took a breath and nodded tiredly, but then said:
"The Princess Regent has been wronged today. If I don't give her an explanation, wouldn't it be like a joke to the people?"
"Regent!"
Xiao Changheng nodded: "Your brother is here."
The emperor coughed tiredly again:
"In your opinion, how should these people be dealt with?"
Xiao Changheng curled his lips coldly:
"All those who believed the rumors and participated in impeaching the princess will be punished with 20 strokes of the cane and fined for half a year as a warning."
The officials turned pale.
Twenty strokes of the cane! And a fine of half a year's salary! Is this a minor punishment?
But they dared not say a word under the Regent's sharp gaze.
The emperor nodded: "Let's do it."
He was about to send a message back to the palace, but he heard Xiao Changheng's indifferent voice again:
"But the Crown Princess took advantage of the situation and made up stories about my wife. That is another matter."
Yun Qingqing raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced at him.
She was just thinking about how to deal with Yun Bailian, but she didn't expect that he would get there first.
The emperor was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that it was the Crown Princess who came to plead for mercy first, saying that Yun Qingqing often went to brothels and did not return home overnight when she was in the Yun Mansion.
However, the truth is now out. Uncle Chen's accusation today is simply a false accusation, and the Crown Princess' words are self-defeating.
The emperor's face darkened again and he glared at Yun Bailian.
"Crown Princess, do you admit your guilt?"
Yun Bailian had been feeling uneasy for a long time. She had just breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the emperor was going back to the palace, thinking that she was fine, but now she was frightened again.
She fell to her knees with a plop, trembling with fear:
"I, I...I really didn't mean it. These are all misunderstandings..."
"Oh, misunderstanding?" Yun Qingqing interrupted her with a smile, "I came late today and don't know the cause and effect. Since the Crown Princess said it was a misunderstanding, why don't you repeat what you said to the Emperor before? Then I can judge whether my prince has misunderstood you and wrongly accused you of framing me."
Yun Bailian was speechless and couldn't speak.
The emperor also remembered what Yun Bailian had said before, and his expression became even gloomier.
Many of the onlookers suddenly spoke up:
"This Crown Princess is really good at talking. On one hand, she begged the Emperor to forgive the Princess, and on the other hand, she said that the Princess often stayed out all night before she got married!"
"That's right. She even said that she secretly followed the princess and saw her enter the brothel with her own eyes!"
"Yes, yes, yes. The Crown Princess also said that she had privately advised the Princess not to do this, and was scolded by the Princess!"
"These misunderstandings of the Crown Princess are really detailed. If the Princess hadn't come out of the dim sum shop today, she wouldn't have been able to explain them clearly."
Yun Qingqing listened to these familiar voices, which were quite sarcastic, and they were almost pointing at Yun Bailian and scolding her.
When she raised her eyes, she saw from afar Mu Hongling and a few girls from the building mingling in the crowd, talking excitedly. She couldn't help but smile.
"Enough!" The emperor attached great importance to the royal family's reputation. Now he felt that his face had been torn off by the Crown Princess.
He glanced at Yun Bailian gloomily and said in a cold voice:
"The Crown Princess spread rumors and caused trouble. This is a violation of moral conduct. She will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane and confined to her home for three months!"
Yun Bailian was shocked and begged for mercy:
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Please forgive me... Prince brother, Prince brother, please save me. I don't want to be beaten! They will beat me to death!"
She almost crawled to Xiao Zirui's feet, pulling at his robe and begging.
The leg that Xiao Zirui injured in the hunting ground had not healed yet, so he came out on crutches and was almost knocked off balance by her.
His face had already turned dark, and he didn't want to pay attention to her. Anyway, the punishment of the royal family members was measured and would not be beaten to death. It would only cause some physical pain.
But the queen coughed heavily and winked at him secretly.
Only then did Xiao Zirui remember what the Queen had said before.
Tianfeng has not helped him gain good fortune yet because he has not yet gained her true heart.
If Yun Bailian harbored resentment towards him, it might have the opposite effect and make his fortune even worse.
Thinking of this, Xiao Zirui gritted his teeth, endured the pain in his legs, knelt down and said loudly:
"Father, the Crown Princess is weak and may not be able to bear the punishment. I would like to take the punishment for her. Please grant me your permission!"
Yun Bailian looked at him with joy.
"Nonsense!" The emperor's face immediately turned cold.
Xiao Zirui felt a little relieved, thinking that he was just doing it for Yun Bailian.
As long as she doesn't resent me, I will coax her after the incident and accompany her to recover. With my looks and talents, it should be easy for me to win the heart of such a young girl.
Now all I have to do is wait for the emperor to scold me and reject my request.
However, at this moment, Yun Qingqing suddenly said in a calm voice:
"The Crown Prince was present the whole time. If he had stopped the Crown Princess out of consideration for the dignity of the royal family, he wouldn't have let her say those words in public. So it seems that you are not innocent either."
Xiao Zirui's face froze, and he glared at Yun Qingqing:
"Yun Qingqing, what do you mean?"
Yun Qingqing gave him a meaningful smile, then turned around and complained to the emperor:
"The Crown Prince has been displeased with me for a long time. Your Majesty has also seen it. With his attitude, maybe what the Crown Princess did today was instructed by him!"
Xiao Zirui was so angry that his teeth were about to break.
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