"Liu Fu? Eunuch Liu, Liu Fu?" Prince Duan couldn't believe it, his voice became distorted and sharp, and he said anxiously, "Ming Yu, tell father quickly, what is going on?"
How could his son fall into the hands of a eunuch like Liu Fu? He turned the capital upside down but couldn't find any clues. He was so anxious that he lost weight.
Ming Yu snorted lightly, looking down on his father: "I was knocked unconscious and sent away by your woman and the people outside. Father, during the time when I was away, didn't you make your concubine Yu your principal concubine?"
"Did Concubine Yu do it?"
"You haven't found out the truth yet, have you?" Ming Yu looked at his father with a "why are you so stupid" look. "Don't you think about the status of Concubine Yu? Without me as your legitimate son, which woman would you most likely make your wife? Didn't the imperial concubine in the palace ask His Majesty to put pressure on you? Whose man is Liu Fu? Haven't you let your father see the reason why the child fell into Liu Fu's hands?"
Why was his father so stupid? He had suffered for more than a year and almost didn't come back alive. The more Ming Yu thought about it, the more he disliked his father. Why did he have such a stupid father when he was so smart?
Yes, he definitely looks more like his mother than his father. He would never admit that he inherited any of his father's stupidity.
"Damn it!" Prince Duan was furious, and then looked at his son with shame. It was all because of such a foolish father like him that his son suffered so much, and he even kept his enemy by his side. Now the inner house of the prince's mansion is basically managed by Concubine Yu.
"No wonder all the other women are here, but Concubine Yu didn't show up. She must be feeling guilty. Someone, come, quickly keep an eye on Concubine Yu for me, and don't let her leave the palace." Prince Duan became smarter. Concubine Yu's biggest backer is the Imperial Concubine in the palace, so she must not be allowed to have the opportunity to enter the palace and plead with the Imperial Concubine. Based on his understanding of His Majesty, it is very likely that this matter will be handled lightly. Then, would the suffering his son had endured outside for more than a year be in vain?
Ming Yu felt a little better, but he still spared no effort to mock his father: "In addition to Concubine Yu, other women also reached out a lot, because as long as the child is alive, their sons will never be able to become the crown prince. The child is the biggest obstacle for their sons, so why did you bring them into the palace and let them have children?"
So all this was his father's fault. It was his father who gave them the opportunity to develop their ambitions.
Prince Duan felt extremely guilty after being scolded by his son. When his son went missing, he realized that it was the women in the mansion who were responsible, so he cleaned out a group of them after investigation. However, because his son could not be found, he was so sad that he gave up on himself. However, he did not think of letting any woman replace his princess consort, so he is still under pressure and has not made Concubine Yu his main concubine.
"Mingyu, father will definitely change. After I ask for the title of Crown Prince for you, I will send all those women away." Prince Duan looked at his son eagerly. The princess gave him a smart son, but unfortunately, his son was too young. Otherwise, he could have passed the throne to his son earlier and he wouldn't have to worry about anything.
It is rare for a father to reach this level.
Yuan Jing was stunned watching from the side.
Ming Yu stood up and said to Prince Duan with his hands behind his back, "Okay, but until you, my father, clean up the palace, I will still live with Madam Fan. I don't dare to live in this palace now."
Prince Duan immediately became sad. His son finally came back, but he wanted to live in someone else's house instead of his own palace. However, his son's accusation was damn right. Prince Duan could only call his confidants to tell them, "Mingyu will live with Madam Fan for the next few days. You take some people with you to take good care of Mingyu. Everything he eats, lives in, wears and uses must be excellent. If there is any mistake, I will hold you responsible."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will take good care of the young master myself." Then he hurriedly asked people to pack up the things that the young master would need, including food, clothing, shelter and transportation.
Ming Yu became proud and raised his chin to look at Yuan Jing and Mrs. Fan. Yuan Jing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. This kid turned around and then let him go back and even wanted to go back with them. He was so willful.
Fan didn't expect this either, but she also knew that the situation in Prince Duan's Mansion was not very good now. If Mingyu were to come back, they would have to clean it up. And Concubine Yu was a troublesome matter. After contacting Liu Fu, Fan also felt that the mastermind behind the scenes was Concubine Yu. Otherwise, who would have the power to ask Liu Fu to take action?
"Don't worry, Mingyu. Your father will be entering the palace soon. The crown prince of Prince Duan's Mansion can only be you, Mingyu. After your father has taken care of the mansion, he will go to Madam Fan in person to take you back to the palace." Prince Duan said, rubbing his hands, hoping that his son would give him a good look.
"Okay, then I'll go first, son." Ming Yu waved to Yuan Jing and decided to leave. He would leave the trouble to his father to solve first. Anyway, these troubles were caused by his father. Didn't he see that he had become so fat? It's time to let him move.
Yuan Jing had no choice but to walk over, take Ming Yu's hand, and say goodbye to Prince Duan together with Fan.
Someone immediately followed to serve the young master, but Mingyu was not willing to ride in the same carriage with them, and still stayed with Yuanjing Fan. Yuanjing looked at his smug look, pinched his nose and said, "Even if you stay a few more days this time, you still have to come back later. You are just making your father anxious."
Ming Yu snorted proudly. He had passed the current hurdle first. He would always find a way to see Yuan Jing more often.
Also, although the Prince Duan's Mansion can support Fan and Yuan Jing, it is far better for the future prince himself to live in the house.
When he was in Ningcheng, he had to rely on Yuan Jing for everything, otherwise he wouldn't even have a way to stutter. Now that he is back in the capital, he wants to let Yuan Jing know that the capital is his world.
Yuan Jing didn't know what was going on in his mind. He just thought that he was tough on the outside but soft on the inside, and was reluctant to leave him and Zhang Zhi.
When his son left his sight, Prince Duan's eyes became fierce when he thought of what his son had said. What a noble concubine, what a concubine Yu, how dare they touch his beloved. Even if he had the support of the noble concubine and His Majesty, did they really think that he, Prince Duan, would not dare to touch concubine Yu?
"Prepare to go to the palace to see His Majesty. Also, throw the woman surnamed Yu into the dungeon and pry her mouth open. She will refuse to say anything. Tell her that she can be sent to see Liu Fu." It's not that he didn't guard against Concubine Yu. All the other women had children, but Concubine Yu was still single. But he still couldn't guard against her ambition.
The news of Liu Fu's death had already spread back to the capital. Although he had not attended the court, he knew that His Majesty was furious, because Liu Fu, as a eunuch, went to Jiangnan and represented His Majesty. But someone had dared to kill Liu Fu. How could His Majesty not be angry? He ordered someone to quickly find out who killed Liu Fu.
Prince Duan was gloating at the time because he also couldn't stand eunuchs like Liu Fu who took advantage of their power to bully others. But he never expected that his son would be locked up in an underground dungeon by Liu Fu for more than a year. If he had known this earlier, he would never have let Liu Fu die so easily and would have skinned him alive.
The woman with the surname Yu was also sent to his backyard by the imperial concubine through His Majesty. He gave His Majesty face, so he gave her the position of concubine, but that was it. No matter what His Majesty said, he refused to make Concubine Yu his principal wife.
It's not that I didn't suspect Concubine Yu was behind it, but I didn't have any evidence. Now I think there must be someone helping her. However, Mr. Yu certainly didn't expect that his son would be blessed by heaven and come back safely now.
Even if His Majesty gave the order this time, he would not let the woman surnamed Yu live. She is in his own house. Isn't it up to him to decide whether she lives or dies?
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Let's go into the palace!"
Concubine Yu really didn't expect that Xiao Mingyu would come back alive one day. The damned Liu Fu didn't kill him, but let him come back! Because of her worry and guilt, Concubine Yu didn't rush to see Xiao Mingyu right away. This delay, when she was about to send someone to the palace to send a letter to the imperial concubine to ask for advice, her yard was surrounded by people, and no matter how she ordered people to break in, they couldn't get out.
Not long after, several eunuchs rushed in, pounced on her, tied her up, and blocked her mouth, so she couldn't even call for help. Concubine Yu was shocked and terrified. She had served the prince for such a long time, could it be that the prince had no feelings for her at all? Just based on a few words from Xiao Mingyu, he convicted her of a crime without even giving her a chance to refute?
Prince Duan entered the palace and requested to confer the title of Crown Prince to his legitimate son who had been missing for more than a year. This surprised many people. Xiao Mingyu from Prince Duan's mansion was actually found again?
They also heard that right after His Majesty conferred the title of Crown Prince on Xiao Mingyu, Prince Duan hugged His Majesty's legs and cried loudly, crying that he was incompetent and had allowed the women in his mansion to team up with outsiders to harm his only legitimate son. With tears and snot, he asked His Majesty to make the decision for him.
The emperor was also curious about how it was found after more than a year, how it was lost in the first place, and who captured it.
Prince Duan gnashed his teeth and said that Concubine Yu had colluded with Liu Fu to harm his legitimate son. Mingyu escaped alone after Liu Fu's death, and on the way he happened to meet Madam Fan who was looking for her biological son, so she took him all the way back to the capital.
Of course he would not reveal Yuan Jing's existence. Mingyu was rescued by Yuan Jing. Liu Fu was dead anyway, so it was his business anyway. He said that Mingyu escaped by himself, so he escaped by himself.
It is not normal for Mingyu and Mrs. Fan to know each other. When Mingyu was born, Mrs. Fan even held the child in her arms.
His Majesty was stunned: "Could it be a mistake?"
Prince Duan burst into tears, "Your Majesty, are you saying that my child Mingyu lied? Your Majesty, if Liu Fu had not died, I would also like to ask him why he had locked my child in his mansion for more than a year and tortured him. Mingyu has the blood of the Xiao family's royal family. How could he, a eunuch, have the courage to ignore the emperor? Otherwise, how dare he touch a member of the royal family? Your Majesty, just because Concubine Yu is still in the mansion, my child Mingyu has not yet refused to live in the palace, and would rather live outside with Madam Fan. Your Majesty, I am suffering."
Prince Duan cried so hard that he was almost hoarse, as if his parents had died, and his voice was not concealed at all. As a result, the matter quickly spread from the palace to outside the palace, causing an uproar among the powerful people in the capital.
Although the emperor loved the imperial concubine, he was also touched by Prince Duan's words. Yes, how dare Liu Fu, a eunuch, touch the legitimate son of Prince Duan's mansion? Who gave him such courage? Will he not even take the emperor seriously one day?
He used these eunuchs because he thought they had no one to rely on but him, the emperor, so it was impossible for them to be disloyal. But was Liu Fu loyal? Now His Majesty was not sure.
Moreover, Prince Duan was crying so miserably that although he wanted to kick the person who was hugging his legs away, he couldn't bear it: "Okay, okay, stop crying, isn't it okay for me to not care about your family's affairs? It was really Concubine Yu who did it, you can handle it yourself."
She was just a concubine, not his royal concubine. It was not worth it for him to let Prince Duan and his son suffer for this woman.
After receiving the emperor's will and expressing his loyalty, Prince Duan hurried back to his mansion to deal with the woman surnamed Yu. He wished he could cut her into pieces. As for how the imperial concubine would plead with the emperor when she learned about this, he didn't care at all. After all, he had heard the words from the emperor, and the emperor could not go back on his word.
Everyone in the capital knew that Xiao Mingyu was back. He was rescued and brought back by the wife of Marquis Huaiyuan who left the capital for Ningcheng in Jiangnan. The reason why he got lost was all because of Concubine Yu in Prince Duan's mansion who colluded with Liu Fu. Prince Duan shouted everything out loud in the palace.
The dignitaries in the capital thought about what happened in the mansion of Marquis Huaiyuan a while ago. The reason why the marquis' wife left the capital was to pick up her biological child who was taken away by mistake sixteen years ago. It was said that she had a falling out with Marquis Huaiyuan. Unexpectedly, she was so lucky that she went to Ningcheng and actually saved the young master's life.
But I heard that her child is gone. I don't know whether the marquis's wife has good luck or bad luck. But because of this, she has gotten into trouble with Prince Duan. Now, does Marquis Huaiyuan still dare to make trouble with his wife?
By the way, Prince Cheng’s Mansion is also involved in this. Her child was taken away by mistake. Doesn’t that mean that Zhao Hanshuang’er, who is about to marry into Prince Cheng’s Mansion, is not of the Marquis’s bloodline, but a merchant’s child?
In this way, Prince Cheng’s Mansion will continue with the previous marriage and marry Zhao Han as the prince’s concubine?
These events one after another really amazed the dignitaries and common people in the capital.
The powerful and wealthy were just there to watch the fun, but the Xiao clan members were not like that. They all went to Prince Duan's mansion to find out what was going on. Was the person really taken away by Concubine Yu and the eunuch Liu Fu?
Prince Duan was not happy when they asked about this matter. Would he lie and frame a dead person and the concubine in the palace? His son was locked up in the underground dungeon and tortured by the eunuch Liu Fu for more than a year, and he was still unwilling to forgive his father.
If Liu Fu had not been murdered, he would have brought Liu Fu back to the capital and tortured him until he was neither alive nor dead.
The royal family did not think that Prince Duan would lie about this matter, and after being tortured in the dungeon of the prince's mansion, Concubine Yu honestly confessed what happened. With the evidence presented, the royal family no longer had any doubts and broke into the palace again. They had two intentions. One was to remind Your Majesty that it was okay to use eunuchs, but not to give them too much power. Didn't they see that they did not take the royal family seriously? The second was why Concubine Yu was so bold. It was because of the courage given to her by a woman in the palace and Your Majesty. It was also to remind Your Majesty not to let a woman harm the entire royal family of Xiao.
The emperor was also fed up with these clan members coming into the palace to speak ill of the imperial concubine openly or secretly. The imperial concubine had already told him that it was Concubine Yu and Liu Fu who acted on their own and ruined her reputation. The improper entry of these clan members into the palace proved what the imperial concubine said.
So His Majesty only said one sentence, that is, my concubine is innocent, which made several old princes of the royal family so angry that they almost vomited blood on the spot.
Forget it, forget it. There is no point in persuading her. I'd better advise Your Majesty to quickly adopt a prince from the royal family. As long as the new emperor ascends the throne, that woman will have no support and she won't be able to do anything even if she wants to cause trouble.
***
Huaiyuan Marquis Mansion.
Marquis Huaiyuan was already mad at Fan for her impulsive behavior, and when he heard Zhao Qi come back and say that his mother refused to return home and lived outside, he became angry again. He asked Zhao Qi to go and pick up Fan personally?
There is no door. Not only is there no door, there is no window either. You can go back if you want!
"Father, I'm afraid I can't find my brother. It's inevitable that mother will be sad for a while. As long as you give mother some time, she will definitely figure it out." Zhao Qi was also tired, but he had to persuade her. That was his mother, and not returning to the Marquis' Mansion and living outside would also affect his reputation.
When he heard that the child really could not be found, Marquis Huaiyuan was not sad at all. Instead, he felt relieved. As long as the child could not be found, nothing in the Marquis' Mansion would change. Han'er was still Shuang'er in their Marquis' Mansion and would soon marry into Prince Cheng's Mansion.
So he said, "It's a good opportunity for your mother to calm down during this period of time, otherwise she will be displeased with Han'er when she returns home and cause a lot of trouble. If you are worried about your mother, go visit her more often, and persuade her to return home after she has figured things out."
When he said he wanted to divorce Fan that day, it was just an angry remark. After all, he was very satisfied with his son Zhao Qi and did not want to appoint another crown prince, so Fan had to be kept. Even Han'er was under Fan's name. If he divorced Fan, Han'er's status would become embarrassing. What would Prince Cheng's Mansion say?
Zhao Qi knew that his father had no room for maneuver, so he had to give up.
After returning to his own courtyard, he washed up, ate something and prepared to take a nap. He was very tired from the journey. Before he could fall asleep, someone around his father called him over and said that the Marquis had something important to discuss.
Zhao Qi hurried over again, and was asked by Huaiyuan Hou: "Did your mother save the young master of Prince Duan's Mansion in Ningcheng?"
"What?" Zhao Qi was confused.
Huaiyuan Hou said again: "Is there no eight-year-old boy around your mother? That's Xiao Mingyu, the young prince!"
"Is it that Shuang'er?" Zhao Qi was shocked. "Mother is accompanied by a girl who looks about seven or eight years old, so Shuang'er's identity is fake? Is he the young master of Prince Duan's mansion? Father, what's going on?"
Marquis Huaiyuan was resentful towards Fan, as she didn't even tell her own son about such a big thing. He told Zhao Qi the news from the palace. Zhao Qi felt extremely regretful and at the same time was dissatisfied with his mother. His mother didn't consider him at all. Wasn't he her biological son?
The reason why they valued Zhao Han was because Zhao Han could get in touch with Prince Cheng's Mansion. Maybe he would have a chance to make further progress in the future. It would also be good if he could get in touch with Prince Duan's Mansion. However, such a great opportunity slipped away.
"Let's go. I've asked someone to prepare a carriage. Let's go pick up your mother and take her back to the mansion. The young master is staying with your mother now."
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