In Changle Palace, several palace maids and eunuchs were kneeling before His Highness. They lay quietly with their faces pressed to the ground, their bodies trembling with fear.
The atmosphere was very tense. Sitting at the top was a middle-aged man in a bright yellow dragon robe. He was not very strong, but he exuded the aura of a superior who was intimidating without even getting angry.
Wen Yan sat on the chaise longue, her delicate hands supporting her forehead. She had a fair face and wore a light pink shirt. The thin shirt stuck to her thin back, which was slightly protruding. Her figure was exquisite, and from a distance she looked like a painting of a delicate beauty.
Emperor Chu Qiaokun had often seen her dressed in a spoiled and glamorous manner, but when he saw her delicate and beautiful appearance today, he was immediately mesmerized and could not see anyone else in his eyes.
He sat beside her, gently holding her tender hands, "My beloved, are you feeling unwell?"
"Your Majesty..." Wen Yan seemed to have just seen him, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, filled with deep sorrow. "I am only worried. If something like this happens again, I will be overwhelmed with worry."
"If I am gone, Your Majesty must not be troubled because of me. Otherwise, I will feel sorry for Your Majesty." Wen Yan's beautiful peach blossom eyes were filled with mist, which made Chu Qiaokun lose his mind. Every word she said was like a cat's claw, scratching his heart.
Chu Qiao Kun couldn't help but reach out and pull her into his arms. The woman in his arms exuded a faint fragrance.
With the warm and beautiful girl in his arms, his body and heart were a little restless. "Don't worry, my beloved concubine. I will help you clean up the mess today and find all those who have bad intentions in Changle Palace."
"Your Majesty..." Wen Yan was so moved by his words that she shed tears, which trembled and fell from her red eyes.
The tearful look on her face made the emperor feel pity for her. He wished he could rub her into his bones and blood and make the two of them become one.
When the two of them were being affectionate with each other, Chu Shaoyao arrived.
Chief Steward Qin entered the hall after having someone announce it, and walked up to the emperor. "Your Majesty, the eldest prince has arrived."
"Let him get in!" The emperor immediately came back to his senses from the land of beauties and said with a stern face.
Chief Steward Qin bowed and accepted the order, "Yes."
Chu Shaoyao entered the hall and glanced at his father on the stage. Just as he was about to salute, he was hit on the head by a lychee.
"Your son greets the emperor." His expression did not change after being hit, and he saluted respectfully and strictly.
Chu Qiaokun's eyes were filled with disgust, "Chu Shaoyao, do you admit your guilt?"
"Your son stays in the house every day, following the orders of your father to cultivate his character. I wonder if your son has done anything wrong?" Chu Shaoyao lowered his head, and in a place where no one could see, murderous intent flashed in his eyes.
Chu Shaohua walked in from the main entrance, saluted his father on the stage, then stood beside him, looked down at Chu Shaoyao, and said with a hint of sarcasm, "Brother Huang, now that things have come to this, just admit it."
"I stay in the house every day, so I really don't know what father and brother are talking about." Chu Shaoyao straightened his back and glanced at him with a good temper. "Second brother, do you know what happened?"
"If my royal brother doesn't know, how could I know?" Chu Shaohua ignored him and kicked the ball back with a smile.
Chu Qiao Kun didn't want to say more to him, so he waved his sleeves and said, "Bring the person up."
Not long after, a young man dressed in eunuch's clothes was forced to kneel on the ground. His body and face were covered with scars, and he looked like he had just been punished.
As soon as the person holding him loosened his grip, the young eunuch fell to his knees on the ground as if he had no bones, muttering, "Your Majesty, spare my life... spare my life..."
Chu Qiaokun held Wen Yan in his arms and glanced sideways at Steward Qin. Steward Qin immediately noticed his signal and stepped forward. "Little Huangzi, say what you just said again."
"It was...it was the eldest prince who ordered me to poison the dinner of Concubine Wen...Noble Concubine Wen." Little Huangzi finished speaking tremblingly. Because his voice was too soft, the person next to him had to repeat it again so that everyone could hear it clearly.
Chu Shaoyao pursed his lips and sighed, "I've never even met you, how could I have ordered you to poison me? And where did the poison come from?"
"I live alone in the cold palace, with no salary and no connections. I only wear the same clothes I've worn for two or three years. I have nothing. How did I get the poison?"
He knelt down directly in front of the emperor and said, "Father, everything I said is true. Please understand."
“………”
Chu Shaoyao's long speech turned into a fist, which stunned everyone.
Everyone in the hall looked at him, noticing that the clothes he was wearing were all washed and frayed, while Chu Shaohua standing next to him was dressed in brocade clothes. The strong contrast made everyone think differently.
"Enough." After hearing what he said, Chu Qiao Kun not only did not feel sorry for him having such a hard time, he did not feel a trace of guilt. Instead, he was furious, thinking that Chu Shaoyao said these things on purpose to slap the royal family and him in the face.
Just as he was about to lose his temper, Wen Yan hugged his arm and said, "Your Majesty, I think there's something else going on."
Her soft hands patted his back up and down, and she leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I think the person behind this is trying to put the blame on the eldest prince. If the emperor punishes the eldest prince, the culprit will get away with it, and maybe they'll attack me again in a few days..."
As she spoke, tears began to fall again. "I am fine, but I am worried. If the emperor... I will definitely not survive."
"My beloved concubine, please don't cry. Your crying hurts me." Chu Qiaokun was now distracted by her. "What my beloved concubine said just now makes sense."
"Come here, hand him over to the Ministry of Justice and let them find the real culprit within two days!"
"Yes." The captain of the guards at the foot of the stairs received the order and took the little yellow boy who kept begging for mercy and kowtowing away.
Chu Shaoyao and Chu Shaohua were also driven away by the emperor who wanted to be affectionate with his beloved concubine. The two bowed and left Changle Palace together.
"My royal brother is really lucky." Chu Shaohua narrowed his eyes slightly, holding a folding fan in his hand, "I wonder why Concubine Wen would speak up for my royal brother?"
"Second brother, you're joking. How would I know Concubine Wen?" Chu Shaoyao just wanted to go back to find his little carp spirit as soon as possible.
He left in such a hurry just now that he didn't even have time to tell her. He didn't know if the little carp spirit would be anxious if it didn't see him.
When he got rid of Chu Shaohua and returned to his residence, he couldn't see his little carp spirit anywhere.
"Xiao Yu?" Chu Shaoyao frowned and searched the room carefully.
There was no bucket, not inside the house, and not in the yard outside.
Where on earth did the little carp spirit go? !
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