Chapter 148: Xie Prince Cockfighting
Yan Shixu was just about to give Wen Li'er a good beating when Yongtai's voice came from outside.
"Your Majesty... Prince Wu broke the legs of Xie Shishang, the son of Duke Rong's mansion. Now Duke Rong and his wife are carrying Xie Shishang to the Cining Palace to file a complaint. The Empress Dowager and the Empress have also gone..."
Prince Xie is the Queen's younger brother, so it's normal for her to go.
Yan Shixu was puzzled. He had never heard of any conflict between Uncle Wu and the Rongguo Mansion.
Why did they suddenly attack the people from Duke Rong's Mansion?
He raised his eyes and met Wen Li'er's gaze on the bed.
Wen Li'er blinked her big eyes, her face full of innocence.
Yan Shixu pinched her face and snorted, "Just wait for me, I'll come over and deal with you later."
Wen Li'er's face flushed and she urged weakly.
"Your Majesty, please go quickly and don't keep the Queen Mother waiting for too long."
Yan Shixu leaned over, bit her delicate lips hard, and then strode away.
"hiss……"
Wen Li'er stroked her lips and glared at his back.
…
After Yan Shi finished describing the Bixi Palace, Yongtai continued, "Your Majesty, Minister Wen and his son were also in the Cining Palace. I heard that this incident was caused by a fight between Wen Bianxiu and the Duke's son. Prince Wu happened to be passing by and, seeing that the Duke's son had more people than him, he came to Wen Bianxiu's aid. As soon as Prince Wu attacked... he beat everyone in the Duke's mansion to the point of paralysis..."
Wen Li'er's elder brother Wen Zhiyan passed the imperial examination and became a seventh-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy.
When Yan Shixu heard that it was the two of them who did it, his eyelids twitched.
He had a vague idea why one of them was the Queen's younger brother and the other was the Imperial Concubine's older brother.
Also, based on his understanding of his uncle.
He shouldn't be someone who stands for injustice.
Instead, after knowing that the person being beaten was Minister Wen's son, he deliberately helped.
So that Minister Wen would accept his favor and help him steal from the national treasury.
When Yan Shixu arrived at the Cining Palace, everyone knelt down to pay their respects.
Yan Shixu glanced at everyone and asked what happened.
The wife of Duke Rong was seen wiping her tears, and the queen was beside her, comforting her.
On the crossbeam in front of them lay a young man with his right leg bandaged.
This person is Xie Zhenrong's younger brother Xie Zhenbao.
Xie Zhenbao wailed and complained repeatedly.
"Brother-in-law, you must make the decision for me. The Wen family is going too far! King Wu is their accomplice!"
He was speaking with certainty when he met Yan Shixu's cold gaze.
Xie Zhenbao's breath was caught and he quickly changed his words.
"Your Majesty, please help me!"
He didn't dare to yell anymore, but just hugged his right leg and cried out in pain.
Duke Rong stood aside with a fierce look on his face, saying nothing, waiting for the Emperor and the Grand Empress Dowager to make the decision.
The Empress Dowager rubbed her aching brow and looked at Yan Shixu.
"Your Majesty, my headache has recurred. I will leave this matter to you. Your Majesty must investigate the truth and not be biased towards anyone."
"Don't worry, Grandmother."
Yan Shixu ordered someone to escort the Empress Dowager back to her bedroom, and the Empress Dowager followed.
He winked at Yongtai again, then turned his gaze to the Wen family father and son who stood upright, neither anxious nor impatient, neither humble nor arrogant.
"Editor Wen, please tell me the whole story."
Wen Zhiyan stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, the truth is somewhat different from what the Duke's son said."
"When I was leaving my post today, I happened to see Prince Xie and a few friends fighting cocks on my way home."
"He named his chicken 'Queen' and his opponent's chicken 'Concubine'."
"When the two chickens fight, the 'Queen' wins."
"Prince Xie immediately raised his voice and said: No matter how arrogant the imperial concubine is, she is only fit to lie at the feet of the queen and become her defeated opponent."
"I heard the implication in his words, and I said, 'Thank you, Your Highness, you are wrong. The Empress is virtuous and kind, a model for all women in the world. She treats the Imperial Concubine like a sister. How can such a beastly quarrel be compared to this? Moreover, you are openly gambling and fighting in the name of the Empress, which is a disgrace to the Imperial Family.'"
Upon hearing this, Prince Xie immediately flew into a rage and insulted me, saying I was a mere seventh-rank official, a lowly ant from a humble family, and unworthy of speaking to him. He then ordered his servants to attack me.
"King Wu happened to be passing by and could not bear to see Prince Xie bullying the minority with his superior numbers, being arrogant and domineering, and showing no respect for the law. That's why he came to your aid."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hall fell silent.
The Queen and the Lady of Rongguo's face suddenly changed.
Yan Shixu slammed the teacup in his hand heavily on the table.
"Ridiculous! How dare you do such a vulgar thing in the name of the Empress?"
The wife of Duke Rong turned pale and tried to explain herself hastily.
"Your Majesty is wise. No one knows a son better than his mother. I believe Zhen Bao never meant this. It must be Editor Wen who is exaggerating..."
"Shut up!" Duke Rong interrupted her harshly.
Ignorant woman!
At home, he asked if there was any other hidden secret.
His good wife refused to say anything, and now she has completely disgraced him!
Yan Shixu's gaze swept towards Xie Zhenbao like a knife: "Prince Xie, is what Editor Wen said true?"
Xie Zhenbao was sweating profusely and stammering in his defense.
"Your Majesty, he's talking nonsense! I didn't give the chicken that name."
Wen Zhiyan replied, "Your Majesty, if Prince Xie gave the fighting cock the title of 'Empress' or 'Noble Consort', you can send people to interrogate his companions. If they are willing to help Prince Xie conceal the truth, Your Majesty can send people to investigate in the market. There were many people watching at the time."
Xie Zhenbao became anxious and kept looking at his mother and sister.
Xie Zhenrong was so angry that he was shaking all over and wished he could chop off his own brother's head right now.
This bastard, how dare he...how dare he call a beast her!
But in this situation, she had to speak up to defend her brother.
"Your Majesty, no matter how absurd Zhen Bao is, he wouldn't dare to insult the royal family like this. This must be a misunderstanding, so why don't we just forget about it? He's tough, and a beating won't be a big deal."
"Sister!" Xie Zhenbao was dissatisfied.
Duke Rong and Xie Zhenrong glared at him at the same time.
Xie Zhenbao didn't dare to speak again.
At this moment, a huge imperial dog suddenly rushed into the Cining Palace and ran straight towards Xie Zhenbao.
Xie Zhenbao screamed in fright, suddenly got up from the ground and ran away at full speed.
The hall fell into silence. Duke Rong's face flushed red, and he felt that the air was filled with awkwardness.
King Wu was angry.
Just now he held back his temper and didn't say a word, thinking that he was really so brave that he could just throw a few punches and paralyze the man.
It seems like this bastard is the one who screwed him!
This is intolerable!
He flew forward and beat Xie Zhenbao violently.
"Click...click...click...click..."
“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh…”
In a flash, King Wu had detached both of Xie Zhenbao's arms and legs.
He said sinisterly, "You are the first one who dares to deceive me."
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