Prince Yong was somewhat stunned. His daughter wasn't angry with him? She even stood up for him? Was he dreaming?
Recalling how everyone in the garden had been beaten to a pulp, he felt a secret satisfaction. He didn't care anymore; even if it was a dream, it was a beautiful dream.
"Father, when you see your royal uncle later, you must apologize. Whatever your royal uncle says goes, understand?"
Prince Yong nodded.
Zhao Shu had the privilege of entering the palace without an imperial edict, a privilege that Prince Yong originally also had, but it was taken away because too many people impeached him.
They successfully entered the palace with Prince Yong. After entering the palace, the father and daughter knelt before the gilded dragon throne.
The emperor was frowning and looking sullen, while Grand Secretary Li was still rambling on about the crown prince. Just then, a eunuch came to report, "Your Majesty, Prince Yong and Princess Jun are kneeling outside the hall."
Upon hearing this, the emperor breathed a sigh of relief. This younger brother of his always caused him trouble, but this time he had done something good. He was in a good mood, but his face was still gloomy as he said, "Summon the nineteenth brother and A-Jun to the palace."
Unless it's something serious, the Taihe Hall is not a place that princesses or even the Empress Dowager and Empress can easily enter. However, this was the third time Prince Yong had come to the Taihe Hall since he was old enough to understand things, and he even brought his daughter to kneel outside, so the Emperor was lenient with him.
Zhao Shu and her father entered the Taihe Hall. Although she had lived as a modern person for twenty years, she still remembered the etiquette of Dayong clearly. Naturally, she did not look around casually. She lowered her head and followed behind Prince Yong, kneeling respectfully in front of the hall.
Before his knees even touched the ground, the emperor immediately said, "Nineteenth brother, Ah Jun, please don't stand on ceremony. Please have a seat. Quickly summon the imperial physician. What's wrong with my brother?"
The emperor had many brothers and sisters, but his only full brother was this younger brother who was fifteen years younger than him. Unfortunately, this younger brother was born after the emperor was made crown prince, and this younger brother, relying on being the crown prince's brother, had caused a lot of absurd things.
She's a bully who relies on his power, but in recent years she's been bullied terribly by powerful families. Although she's angry, she also feels sorry for her younger brother and has no choice but to punish him to balance the situation.
Sigh, being an emperor isn't easy.
Catching sight of the small figure beside Prince Yong, the Emperor asked with concern, "Ah Jun, have you been wronged?"
Zhao Shu sniffed, raised her head, and knelt on the cool floor as if asking her parents to make the decision. "Please forgive your niece for overstepping her bounds, Your Majesty."
The emperor was taken aback. Ah Jun would never have spoken like this before. When it came to saving face, Ah Jun and his younger brother were no less spoiled than each other. Ah Jun had never taken the initiative to admit his mistakes. Why was he taking the initiative to apologize today?
"Get up, get up! Who wronged my Ah Jun? Tell me, and your imperial uncle will stand up for you!" The emperor was very enthusiastic about standing up for Zhao Shu, but Grand Secretary Li was so angry that he took advantage of the situation. He didn't care about the country's affairs and even brought his son's family matters to the court. This Prince Yong was becoming more and more absurd!
Zhao Shu stood up without ceremony, patted her knees, and said, “Father and the other young masters saw a commoner girl named Qingge. For the sake of the country and the king, the Fifth Young Master Jiang reprimanded Father on behalf of the royal uncle. I, your unfilial niece, could not bear to see the Fifth Young Master Jiang punished by the royal uncle for the sake of the country and the king, so I punished the disciples of the noble families and the other young masters on behalf of the royal uncle. One of the young masters said he wanted to remove Father’s crown. I beg the royal uncle to spare Father. He knows he was wrong and will never dare to look at him again. Please allow me to take the punishment in my place. I think if you remove my title of princess, I can still come to the palace with Father to see the royal uncle and the royal grandmother. If Father’s crown is removed, Father will not be able to see his brothers and will be even more sad.”
“I cannot bear to see my father sad, so I beg Your Majesty to grant me permission.”
After Zhao Shu finished speaking, she pulled Prince Yong down to kneel again. At this moment, the whole hall was quiet. Oh no, someone was going to be in trouble.
Some people gloated, while others secretly resented Zhao Shu and her father, thinking that instead of staying home and enjoying their concubines, they had to come out and embarrass themselves. They had already lost their dignity, but they had also dragged others down with them!
How could one casually utter such a thing as removing a prince's crown? Only the emperor could say such a thing; even the empress dowager was cautious in her speech!
"Nineteenth Brother, Ah Jun, you two get up! Lord Wei, go and investigate!" The emperor slammed his fist on the table in a rage, frightening all the officials into silence. Moreover, he had sent Lord Wei, the chief of the Imperial Guard, who was directly under the emperor's authority. Now, who knows how many people the emperor would use this as an excuse to make suffer.
Immediately, the entire court of officials felt an even greater hatred for Prince Yong and his daughter.
A short while later, Wei Tingsi walked into the main hall expressionlessly, glanced at Zhao Shu, and looked at her with an indescribable look of inquiry.
"how?"
"Your Majesty, it is indeed as the princess said." After saying this, he handed over a memorial. He had written a memorial so quickly; he was truly efficient. The chief eunuch beside the emperor hurriedly came over to take it and respectfully handed it to the emperor.
Zhao Shu secretly glanced at Wei Tingsi, but could only see the long sword at his waist. This man was no ordinary person to be able to bring weapons into the Taihe Hall. It was just a pity that he had his head down and she couldn't see his face.
In her past life, like many noble ladies, she greatly admired scholars and gentlemen, and often dismissed military men as mere "warriors."
Therefore, her only memory of Wei Tingsi was that this Lord Wei Tingsi was a person who inspired fear in everyone.
"Bang!" The emperor slammed the memorial onto the dragon desk. The civil and military officials would often witness this, and while they appeared startled, they were actually used to it. However, this time seemed different. Even Prince Yong felt the emperor's thunderous wrath, and his heart was pounding in his chest.
"Outrageous! Minister Xie, how about I give you the throne?"
This caused an uproar in the court; the words had been rather harsh.
No, it's too heavy.
Just as Zhao Shu was wondering where this Lord Xie was standing, an old man of about sixty years old rushed out from the crowd. He knelt down in the center, trembling, and said, "It is my fault for failing to educate my son properly. I beg Your Majesty to have mercy. I am loyal to Your Majesty and have no disloyal intentions. If Your Majesty does not believe me, I am willing to die to prove my innocence!"
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