The emperor glanced at it briefly and asked, "Why did you come back? Doesn't the princess like it?"
Prince Yu pushed the jade pendant forward, bringing it closer to the emperor, and said:
"It is I who do not like it."
The emperor's eyes flickered, their expression unreadable, and his voice grew colder. "Why?"
"The princess is four months pregnant, and although the pregnancy is stable, it would be detrimental to her health if this item were to remain by her side. Therefore, Your Majesty is kindly requested to withdraw it."
The emperor remained silent for a long time, his smile fading completely.
When was it discovered?
"A chance encounter."
Prince Yu remained expressionless; he had only recently noticed the anomaly.
The princess wore the hairpin she had given her every day, clearly cherishing it. However, the jade pendant given by the emperor was kept hidden in a very secluded place in the cabinet, seemingly with great disdain.
He sensed something was wrong, so he took the jade pendant and went out to investigate.
Sure enough, something harmful to the fetus and pregnant woman was found in the jade pendant.
There is no other possibility but that it was done by the emperor.
Just as he expected, the emperor did not deny it. Even when he directly mentioned it to the emperor, the emperor still showed no sign of guilt.
"It was indeed made by the imperial physicians of the Imperial Hospital at my request. I didn't ask them in detail what kind of powder they used, but I know that if the princess wears this item close to her body, she will definitely miscarry within three months."
Prince Yu clenched his fist slightly beneath his sleeve. He didn't want to ask why, because he already knew the reason.
"It seems that in His Majesty's eyes, the three mines sent out are not enough to dispel His Majesty's suspicions about me."
“Prince Yu, you should know that when wealth reaches a certain level, it becomes more than just ‘wealth’.”
Prince Yu remained silent for a while.
How could he not understand?
Having too much money can be used to train an army, forge weapons, disrupt the market, and even win people's hearts.
He could do anything that threatened the emperor if he wanted to.
His every move was being monitored by the emperor, because in the emperor's eyes, the wealth he possessed both made him wary and coveted.
For the first time in history, he raised his head before the emperor and looked directly into the emperor's face.
He then changed the subject and mentioned Gu Jiangli.
"Your Majesty, you know the truth in your heart, don't you? That farce just now was orchestrated by the Princess Consort."
The emperor was slightly surprised: "What are you trying to say?"
"I want to say that there is a big loophole in the scheme designed by the princess."
The emperor's eyes flickered slightly, and he even seemed somewhat guilty. "I don't understand."
"Your Majesty, you were clearly staying in the next room, but after you fainted, you woke up here. You didn't say anything about it. Instead, you followed the Princess's arrangement and pretended that you had been staying in this room from the beginning. You then assumed that Xu Zhuo initially wanted to harm the Princess, but ended up accidentally harming you instead."
"In this way, you can go with the flow and make Lan Shuang the mastermind behind the plot to frame the princess, and punish her openly and justly."
"In this way, the Prince Yu's Mansion will have one less competitor to inherit the family property."
"Of course, all of this was done based on the assumption that you believed the princess was about to miscarry."
The emperor's eyes darkened, revealing a hint of anger at having his secrets exposed.
"Since you know that none of this was done by your sister, why do you do nothing and let me punish her?"
"Because she is not innocent; at the very least, it is possible that she was the one who contacted Xu Zhuo first."
“I promised the princess long ago that if Lan Shuang does anything to harm the princess or the children, I will not let her off lightly.”
"Oh? So I also used the jade pendant to almost harm the Princess and your child, and you won't let me off easily either?"
"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, so I would never do anything to harm you. However, I can threaten you."
The emperor paused for a second, then burst into laughter: "Ha, I'd like to hear what you're going to use to threaten me?"
Prince Yu looked down on everything with an air of arrogance and imposing presence, even more domineering than the emperor on his throne.
"There are many. For example, the fact that Your Majesty was lying in the same bed with Xu Zhuo today, I can find storytellers all over the capital to embellish it and make you the laughing stock of the people."
“I can give three more mines to your uncle, your nephew, or any prince. They can use this huge sum to recruit soldiers or manufacture weapons, and that’s none of my business.”
“I can also secretly arrange for someone to blow up that mine with the top-grade jade vein. All the enormous wealth you’ve been hoping for over the years will turn to dust in an instant.”
The emperor's teeth were grinding together.
Prince Yu's every word was carefully chosen to capture the very lifeline that Prince Yu cared about most.
Reputation, status, and wealth can crumble in an instant.
"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?!"
Prince Yu calmly replied, "Of course you can kill me, but what I said has already been written down in a letter and given to two other trusted confidants. If I die unexpectedly, everything I just said will immediately come true."
"Please believe me, my life or death does not affect the threat I pose to you."
If he wanted to, he could shake everything the emperor cared about.
"And you could have prevented these things from happening. All I ask for is this."
His tone was calm, yet every word he spoke was firm and resounding.
The emperor, no longer maintaining his nonchalant expression, retorted with a dark face, "Just to ensure the safe birth of your child?"
"Yes, all I want is for my child and the Queen to be born safely. I don't want you to harm my offspring for the third time."
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