The next morning, the court session began.
Ning Hong then submitted a memorial requesting to retire and return to his hometown. Of course, he also submitted a memorial apologizing, stating that he had struck the Seventh Prince in a fit of anger, which was disrespectful and an act of insubordination. He requested the Emperor to allow him to retire and return to his hometown, and at the same time revoke his title of Duke of Wei.
The moment this memorial was presented, the entire audience erupted in uproar, and all eyes turned to the Seventh Prince.
The Seventh Prince was completely taken aback by this incident and was momentarily stunned.
What exactly happened with the Duke of Wei? He didn't even submit a memorial impeaching him; instead, he took the initiative to submit one. Most importantly, he wanted the emperor to revoke his title.
The Duke of Wei had made outstanding contributions to the Tang Dynasty, but now he had been forced to lose his title. If this were to get out, how would he maintain his standing among the literati?
The Duke of Wei harmed him.
"No, the fault lies with me. It is my fault. It is only natural for the Duke of Wei to hit me. I beg Your Majesty to forgive the Duke of Wei and not punish him." He absolutely could not allow himself to bear such a crime.
He couldn't bear such a charge.
"Uncle, I heard that you and Ning Zixi have divorced."
Song Zhuo touched the ring on his finger and asked casually.
"yes."
When did this happen?
"In the next few days."
Song Zhi felt a little uneasy.
The emperor's expression seemed a little off.
Ning Hong was also puzzled. What exactly was going on?
Why is the Emperor not playing by the rules?
Shouldn't we just take back his title and force him to leave?
What are you hesitating about now?
What are you hesitating about?
"Your Majesty, what do you think of my proposal?" Hurry up and agree, hasn't the imperial edict already been taken back?
“Duke of Wei, you have made great contributions. This title was bestowed upon you by the late emperor, and I have no right to take it back.”
Song Zhuo suddenly said this.
Holy crap.
That brat, he actually went back on his word.
Ning Hong was taken aback.
"Your Majesty, your subject—"
"Alright, that's enough. No need for further discussion. Court is adjourned."
Song Zhuo stood up, glanced at Ning Hongze, and turned to leave.
Wait a minute, this isn't going in the right direction.
Does that mean a duke with so many merits can't replace a deposed queen?
"Host, you miscalculated." 0321's voice rang in his mind, tinged with a hint of mockery.
Ning Hong did not reply. He was still thinking about where things went wrong that made the young emperor change his mind.
"Duke of Wei, what you're doing is rather unkind."
The Seventh Prince walked over with a stern face. "I haven't even held it against you for hitting me, so how could you frame me like this?"
“You don’t need to worry about it. I’ve already done it for you. I’ll impeach myself.”
Ning Hong spoke as if it were perfectly reasonable.
"you--"
"Don't call me that. We're not in-laws anymore, we're enemies. Don't try to get close to me unless it's important." He was annoyed.
Seeing Ning Hong stride away from the main hall, the Seventh Prince gritted his teeth.
He had always known that the Duke of Wei was unforgiving when he was in the right, but he was always protective of his own. In the past, his sharp tongue was always directed at others to defend him, which he actually enjoyed. Now that it was directed at him, he finally understood how those people felt. No wonder so many people in the court wanted to beat him up.
As soon as Ning Hong returned home, the Emperor's decree was issued.
The Duke of Wei's imperial edict of pardon was also returned. The only thing the Emperor confiscated was the death-exemption token.
They returned the title to him, but took the gold medal away?
What does this mean?
"Duke of Wei, by imperial decree, the Empress is in low spirits and is to recuperate at the Duke of Wei's residence for a while until she is in better spirits before returning to the palace."
"What does Your Majesty mean by this?"
Going back on one's word?
Didn't we agree to exchange his dukedom for Changxi?
They agreed to it yesterday, but they changed their minds today?
"The Emperor's word is law; it's not appropriate to do this."
Ning Hong gritted her teeth and blurted out these words.
"Duke of Wei, His Majesty has another message for me to convey to you."
"What?"
"Ahem." The eunuch delivering the decree coughed lightly twice. "I know what the Duke is thinking. He's just imitating the Duke of Wei."
After all, he was personally trained by the Duke of Wei.
Ning Hongze: "..."
My fist suddenly feels a little itchy, what should I do?
After the eunuch left, the atmosphere in the Duke of Wei's mansion immediately turned cold.
He had already sent Zixi to the estate.
I was originally thinking that we could meet up today, but I didn't expect that the little emperor would suddenly change his mind.
It's really—
"Why did you suddenly change your mind?"
Ning Hong's mind raced, considering all possible factors.
Surely he won't realize that he actually can't bear to part with Changxi?
How could that be?
The young emperor's heart is filled with thoughts of Su Yuan.
Ning Hong felt extremely depressed.
"Father, what should we do next?"
"Go to the village."
The young emperor has already said that Changxi should stay at the Duke's mansion to recuperate. Since that's the case, we should make the most of this time, because who knows if he'll change his mind in a few days.
"Yes, I want to go see my aunt and her children."
Ning Changxi smiled and said, "Father, there's no need to be angry. I'm already very content." He had thought he would spend the rest of his life alone in the cold palace, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and he was able to return to the Duke of Wei's mansion.
Although life took a turn from what I expected, I finally made it out.
Even if I eventually have to return to the cold palace, I should at least make the most of these days.
"That's true, that's all we can do for now, take it one step at a time."
He still needs to go and talk to the young emperor again—
However, afterwards, it was unclear whether the young emperor was avoiding him, as he ignored him no matter how much the emperor pleaded to see him.
The Duke of Wei was originally a powerful figure in the court and deeply trusted by the emperor, but now he has returned the government to the emperor, including the military power.
Her sister, who had married the prince, divorced, and the empress's daughter was deposed. Those who had once surrounded the Duke of Wei scattered one by one.
The more you fawned over him then, the more you'll ignore him now.
The world is cold and indifferent.
However, Ning Hong didn't really care.
He's traveled through so many worlds; he's encountered this kind of thing many times before.
"Lord Duke, why are you so insistent on finding the Emperor?"
The speaker was Xie Jin, one of the few people who did not distance himself from Ning Hongze because of this incident.
He was the chief of the Imperial Guard, mainly responsible for the security of the inner palace, and held the official rank of third grade.
Lately, he has been seeing the Duke of Wei wanting to see the Emperor every day, but the Emperor just won't summon him.
"Still not going to see me?"
"Um."
This guy—
It's infuriating.
Why can't an emperor just talk things out properly instead of resorting to this kind of method?
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