Then he snorted coldly, "The heir of Marquis Wuyang has quite the audacity to ridicule the Crown Prince in front of all these civil and military officials? According to the laws of our Great Qi, what should be done? Xiao Dezi, tell this young master to broaden his horizons."
"Yes," Xiao Dezi bowed and said clearly, "According to the laws of our Great Qi, those who publicly insult imperial relatives shall be punished with thirty strokes of the military rod for minor offenses, and beheaded in the middle of the city for serious offenses, as a warning to others."
Yao Yao looked at Liu Zhan, whose face was pale, with a half-smile. "What? Young Master, you don't even know the laws of the Great Qi? Do you need the Ministry of Justice to show you clearly before you understand?"
Then, she leisurely glanced at the onlookers around her and said, "Or do you think that the power of your Marquis of Wuyang's mansion can cover up everything and disregard the law to humiliate the future crown prince?"
"presumptuous!"
Long live Your Majesty!
Just then, the Emperor of Qi walked over with his concubines from the side. Naturally, he heard the whole thing.
He glared at Liu Zhan with an unfriendly expression. "Your Highness, is this how your Marquis's mansion teaches you to treat the Crown Prince? Or do you truly respect me?"
When the emperor is angry, rivers of blood flow.
Marquis Wuyang knelt tremblingly before the Emperor of Qi, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! It is my fault for failing to properly discipline my son!"
"Hmph, guards! Liu Zhan, the heir apparent of the Marquis of Wuyang, has shown no respect for his superiors and publicly humiliated members of the imperial family. He shall be given thirty strokes of the cane! Take him away!"
Marquis Wuyang secretly wiped his forehead and said, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
Then the armored guards beside the emperor forcefully dragged Liu Zhan away.
The atmosphere in the room became tense for a moment, but Yao Yao broke the deadlock first, "Oh, Father, why are you here? Your subject wanted to hunt a deer for you as a tribute."
The Emperor of Qi looked at Yao Yao with a kind expression. "If I hadn't come sooner, would you have been bullied by that brat? Who would have stood up for you if I hadn't been there?"
Everyone understood that the previous rumors about His Majesty's extreme favor towards the Crown Prince were indeed true; otherwise, with so many people watching, they wouldn't see such intimacy.
Everyone has a different perspective on Yao Yao now.
After all, what's the use of all the mystical talk from the common people? What matters is actually sitting in that position in the end.
As a result, those young ladies who were originally rather reserved became extremely attentive to Yaoyao at the behest of their fathers.
King Wen's meticulous preparations for the autumn hunt went unnoticed.
Mo Yun looked at Yao Yao, who was surrounded by admirers, and felt extremely resentful.
But remembering what her mother had told her, she ultimately held back.
"Yun'er, I think your father is just using that good-for-nothing Mo Bai as a shield. You must be patient and establish your authority. After that, the throne will be yours. A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan."
Hmph, let you be smug for now.
As the drums of the autumn hunt sounded, a group of princes and nobles rode their horses into the depths of the forest.
Yao Yao was among them, after all, she had just boasted that she would hunt a deer for the emperor. The words were already spoken, and she couldn't take them back.
Yao Yao had no choice but to ride a horse into the forest to hunt.
Accompanying him were naturally a group of personal guards.
Fortunately, Yao Yao still knows how to use a bow and arrow, so it wasn't too awkward.
Half an hour passed and they still hadn't seen any deer, but they had managed to hunt quite a few pheasants and rabbits.
The young master of the Ministry of Rites said, "We've been in the forest for so long, and we haven't seen a single deer. Usually, we catch several during the autumn hunt. Why are they all gone this year?"
Then another young master added, "They must have known His Highness the Crown Prince was coming to hunt them, so they hid."
It was obviously flattery, something Yaoyao used to love hearing, but in this world, flattery can be deadly.
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