One side said they would release the person, while the other side said they couldn't. Neither side would give in, and they were arguing like commoners in the marketplace. It was hard to believe they were all high-ranking officials of the imperial court.
Fourth Master remained silent, but his clenched fists in his sleeves and the bulging veins on his forehead revealed his anger.
Seeing that the situation was not good, Su Peisheng hurriedly shouted, "Dismiss the court!"
The Fourth Prince stood up and left quickly, ignoring the reactions of his ministers.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Please hear what your humble servant has to say, Your Majesty!" The ministers were still shouting from behind, trying to catch up with the Fourth Prince, but they were stopped by the chief eunuch.
After the court session, the Fourth Prince felt a surge of anger.
The Eighth Prince's wife's trick worked; she actually burned herself to death in order to force him to release the Eighth Prince.
The Fourth Prince instructed, "Go to Changchun Palace." He wanted to see Lanqin.
When the Fourth Prince arrived at Changchun Palace, Lanqin noticed that he looked unwell and quickly asked, "Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
The Fourth Prince sat down in a chair and said angrily, "Last night, the Eighth Prince's mansion caught fire, and the Eighth Princess was burned to death."
Lanqin opened her mouth wide in surprise, "How could this be!" Seeing that Fourth Master's expression was off, Lanqin knew that there must be another reason for this.
"Your Majesty, is this something that someone did on purpose?"
The Fourth Prince nodded and said, "The Eighth Prince's wife did this to get the ministers to plead for the Eighth Prince and ask me to release him. It's obvious that she has achieved her goal. This morning, the ministers were arguing fiercely about this matter at court."
Lanqin said, "I never expected that the Eighth Prince's wife would love him so much that she was willing to risk everything and burn herself to death in order to save him."
Lanqin listened for a moment, then seemed to remember something and said, "Your Majesty, there is something I don't understand. How did you determine that it was the Eighth Prince's wife who set the fire, and not that someone wanted to kill her?"
The Fourth Prince said, "The guards at the Prince's Mansion reported that the fire started suddenly, and that the Eighth Prince's Consort had sent away all the maids and servants beforehand."
The Fourth Prince continued, "Now that I think about it, it seems that Chen's request to take away the Eighth Prince's offspring was premeditated. The Eighth Prince's wife had planned all of this long ago. I never expected that I would be outmaneuvered by her."
Lanqin feared that the Fourth Master would punish Chen, so she pleaded for Chen's mother and her two children.
Lanqin knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, it is all my fault. I sympathized with them, which gave them an opportunity. Moreover, you only let them go because of me. I beg Your Majesty not to blame Chen Shi. She must have been used. If Your Majesty wants to blame someone, blame me."
The Fourth Prince helped Lanqin up: "How could I blame you? You were only thinking of me. They were the ones who used you. Don't worry, I won't blame Chen Shi."
Fourth Master didn't take his anger out on them, which put Lanqin at ease.
"Your Majesty, what do you plan to do now?" Lanqin asked.
Fourth Master sighed, "If there's really no other way, we'll just have to release Eighth Prince for now."
Lanqin said, "The Eighth Prince has ulterior motives. Releasing him would be like letting a tiger return to the mountains, which would only bring trouble. Besides, after this incident, he will definitely be more careful in the future, and it will be difficult to find evidence of his crimes again."
The Fourth Prince said, "How could I not know these things? But if we don't release him, there will definitely be a lot of talk both inside and outside the court, and it might even shake the people's hearts."
After hearing this, Lanqin blamed herself again: "Your Majesty, it's all my fault."
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