Upon hearing this, Concubine Xian quickly stood up and knelt before Emperor Xuande, "Your Majesty, I am innocent."
"I gave Princess Anping that hairpin because it belonged to the late queen. I treat Princess Anping like my own child, so I chose that hairpin specifically for her."
"As for Chan'er's foolish behavior, I was unaware of it. Your Majesty, please investigate."
His daughter was beaten to a bloody pulp, his sister had to kneel on the ground, and had to endure the emperor's wrath. Censor Leng was very angry.
"Your Majesty, I believe there's no smoke without fire. Shouldn't the rumors about the late queen be thoroughly investigated? If they are true, it could also help to restore the royal bloodline."
As soon as Censor Leng spoke, his voice was filled with the spirit of a censor who would risk his life to give advice.
The virtuous concubine's heart skipped a beat. If they were not in the main hall, she would have wanted to cover her brother's mouth.
Brother, do you still think this court is the same as it was three years ago? The Leng family has been away from the court for three years and no longer has much say.
Giving a last-ditch appeal to the Emperor at this time is truly courting death.
Moreover, she was the one who sent people to spread the rumors about the late queen. She had no intention of making a big deal out of it, she just wanted to spread some rumors so that those fence-sitters would not defect to the Song family so quickly.
If that was true, she would have brought the emperor to investigate long ago. Why would she wait until today?
She didn't know whether her brother had lost his judgment because he had been away from the court for too long, or because he had lost his mind because his daughter was beaten.
But for now, we can only try our best to deal with it and calm the emperor's anger.
The virtuous concubine prepared her words and was about to speak, but Song Hongshen did not give her a chance.
Song Hongshen laughed twice and said, "Father, I agree with Censor Leng. We should thoroughly investigate what happened back then."
"Or if Your Majesty still has doubts in his heart, it would be better to directly convict Your Majesty and me, and then see if I am willing to return to my roots in the War King's clan."
A fighting spirit surged in his heart. They all said he was the son of the War King? Then he would take back the kingdom for the War King.
Emperor Xuande naturally heard the sarcasm in Song Hongshen's words. Not only did he not feel the slightest bit displeased, he also looked at him with heartache.
This was his son who had been lost and found again. He himself was reluctant to say a harsh word to him. Why did these court officials bully him?
Because of this incident, all the dissatisfaction I had felt towards the Rong and Leng families during this period of time came to my mind.
Emperor Xuande snorted heavily, then said, "Leng Shuo, do you take me for a fool? Am I so incompetent that I can't even tell if this is my own son?"
"You seem to understand everything. Do you want me to give you the throne?"
Leng Shuo's face turned pale with fear, and he knelt on the ground, "Your Majesty, I dare not."
"Don't dare? You dare to spread rumors about the late queen, what else would you not dare to do?"
Leng Shuo didn't expect the emperor to be so angry, and he was trembling with fear and dared not say a word.
Emperor Xuande didn't look at him again and continued, "The Leng family has failed to educate their daughter properly. Leng Shuo, as the current imperial censor, openly disrespected the late empress. Leng Shuo is dismissed from his post and will never be employed again."
"Prince Rong's adopted daughter is undisciplined and will be punished with fifty strokes of the cane. Prince Rong is not young anymore. Please take off your armor and return home to teach your daughter well."
Prince Rong was stunned for a moment, then knelt on the ground and thanked him respectfully without any resentment.
He knew that any disrespect towards the late Queen was just a pretext. His Majesty was displeased with his close relationship with the Crown Prince and was taking the opportunity to weaken the Crown Prince's power.
Leng Shuo was also stunned there. After Prince Rong expressed his gratitude, he came to his senses and knelt on the ground to express his gratitude.
The court officials present were all clear-headed and had their own guesses when they saw the emperor attacking the Leng and Rong families in such a way.
The prince wanted to plead for his uncle, but as soon as he made a move, he was stopped by Concubine Xian with a look.
If the prince pleads for mercy at this time, it will only implicate himself.
The prince could only sit still, but he still subconsciously glanced at the second prince.
The Second Prince sat upright, not responding to the Crown Prince. However, his lowered eyes revealed a burning look.
After dealing with the Leng and Rong families, the palace banquet ended.
After the emperor left with his concubines, everyone stood up and walked out.
Song Wanwan walked over to Song Hongshen and whispered, "No wonder Third Brother asked me to beat them up directly. It turns out he wanted to make things worse. But how did Third Brother predict that this result would be in our favor?"
Song Hongshen looked at her lovingly, his face unfathomable, "The secret of heaven cannot be revealed."
In fact, he had noticed years ago that the Emperor was dissatisfied with the two families' close ties with the Crown Prince. Therefore, this was a good opportunity to weaken the power of the two families, and he naturally would not miss it.
When Song Wanwan saw that he refused to say anything, she knew that it involved something that could not be told, so she did not ask any further questions.
After everyone left the palace and went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Song Hongshen found an opportunity and walked together with Shen Zhixiu.
"Teacher, do you think the prince can still sit still?"
Shen Zhixiu was wearing a dark fox fur cloak, looking gentle and dignified.
"He's been restless for a long time. Wasn't that his plan to bring that thing into the capital?"
"I haven't taken action yet, probably because I'm unsure and afraid that it won't succeed. But today, the emperor has taken action against the Leng and Rong families, and I guess he will be completely unable to sit still."
Just as Shen Zhixiu expected, as soon as everyone left the palace, the prince quietly called the second prince to the East Palace.
The two discussed for a full hour before the second prince left through the corner gate of the East Palace.
After leaving the palace, the second prince looked at the towering gate of the imperial city and suddenly clenched his fists.
Instead of waiting for Song Hongshen to become powerful, it is better to unite with the prince to gain a future.
*
The Shen family kept a low profile this New Year. After the palace banquet on the first day of the New Year, Shen Zhixiu stayed in the mansion and did not go out.
Several families I know are having banquets and watching operas. I sent invitations to Shen Zhixiu, but he rejected them all.
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