Chapter 176: Already biased
"Brother Emperor, Ning'er's choice of Jiang Xun was indeed planned by my sister."
The eldest princess spoke softly and admitted it on the spot, but as a mother, she immediately defended Tuoba Ning.
"Royal brother, Ning'er is a filial child. She couldn't bear to disappoint me, so she agreed reluctantly. She definitely didn't intend to deceive you."
"I beg you not to blame Ning'er."
The eldest princess said this, kneeling again.
She is now the Khatun of Yue State and has a noble status. She really does not need to be so cautious in front of Emperor Sheng.
But after she returned to Yue, Concubine Rong and Tuoba Ning still stayed in Sheng. That was why the princess was so cautious and careful.
Emperor Sheng frowned, feeling impatient at this moment.
He knew Ning'er's character. Without the imperial sister's instruction, she would never joke about her own lifelong event.
"Ning'er is innocent and naive. I certainly don't blame her."
When the princess heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief, and then continued to speak frankly:
"I don't know why my brother mentioned the Imperial Master so many times today."
"I have indeed long admired the name of the Imperial Master and I respect him, but I have only met him a few times at banquets, and I cannot even say that we know each other."
"As for why my sister gave Ning'er such instructions..."
The eldest princess paused, and when she looked up again, her face showed sorrow.
"Brother, I have been married to the Kingdom of Yue for more than 20 years, and I miss my homeland day and night—"
Emperor Sheng thought that the princess was going to use her feelings to threaten him again, so he became impatient and waved his sleeves. Just as he was about to interrupt her, he suddenly froze.
The eldest princess said in a trembling voice, "When Ji'er was ten years old, he began to write for his brother and exchange family letters with me."
"There was no empty talk, no perfunctory talk. Ji'er has visited my mother and concubine, seen the scenery of the capital, and walked through the mountains and rivers outside the capital on my behalf. Every word came from the heart, and it made me feel as if I were there myself."
"Ten years..."
"My brother, you don't know the pain of leaving your hometown where everything is different. The familiar palaces and the smiling faces of your loved ones have become blurred. Every time when the night is quiet, the loneliness and longing that follow you will surge in waves like the tide."
"The hometown accent and appearance have become out of reach. It is a pain of leaving home that goes deep into my bones. Only Ji'er's letters can comfort me."
"Brother, do you know how important Ji'er is to me? These letters not only carry my longing for my homeland, but also my love for Ji'er, whom I regard as my own daughter."
"Three years ago, when I was far away in Yue State, the moment I received the news of the death, my sister was heartbroken, as if she had lost her own son."
"It's hard to go through mountains and rivers, and we are thousands of miles apart. I can't even see Ji'er for the last time."
At this point, the princess was already in tears, and was so grief-stricken that she was on the verge of collapse.
When Fushun saw this, he hurried forward to help. When he looked up, he saw that Emperor Sheng was in a trance with tears in his eyes.
The princess shook her head, pushed Fushun away, and cried, "Now that you have opened the conversation, I am no longer afraid."
"Royal brother, why? Ji'er is just a young man, he is still so young, why don't you take good care of him!"
"There are all the best doctors in the world in the palace, why can't you keep Ji'er here?"
The princess was really desperate. She leaned forward and grabbed the emperor's sleeves in grief, frightening Fu Shun so much that he quickly whispered:
"Your Highness, no!"
At this time, Elder Lin also stepped forward quickly and hurried to help Emperor Sheng.
But Emperor Sheng looked dazed and allowed the princess to pull him so hard that he staggered.
Perhaps it was because the noise in the hall was too loud, Wen Chengye, who was waiting outside, heard the noise and raised his voice to ask respectfully:
"Your Majesty, do you need me to come into the palace?"
This powerful remark brought the princess back to her senses.
She suddenly let go of his hand and took a few steps back dejectedly.
Fushun hurried to see Emperor Sheng, and when he saw that Emperor Sheng shook his head, he said loudly, "No need to come in."
The princess took a breath, looked at Emperor Sheng with red eyes, and said sadly:
"When I returned to the capital, I learned that the battle for the throne was already tense and tense. My sister is a married woman and should not have interfered in it. However, because I love the whole family, I have already been biased in my heart."
"So on the way back, I heard that Jiang Xun was the most capable person beside Ye'er, so I instructed Ning'er to choose him as her son-in-law."
"If Ning'er and Jiang Xun can be together, Jiang Xun is a minister and my sister has heard that he would be a good match for Ning'er. If not..."
"If that doesn't work, let me see how my two sons can go to any lengths to secure the position of crown prince."
Having said this, the princess suddenly lost her strength and shook her head helplessly.
"My sister is guilty of interfering in state affairs and intervening in the battle for the crown prince. From today on, I will leave my homeland and return to Yue."
"I only ask my royal brother to understand. I am willing to swear to heaven that my only wish in this life is for the peace of the royal family and the prosperity of the country. In all matters, I have no other thoughts except to favor Ji'er and Ye'er."
"If I tell you even a single lie, I will be punished by God."
As the princess spoke, she bowed deeply to Emperor Sheng.
The ancients respected ghosts and gods, so this statement is already quite serious.
Emperor Sheng's expression changed several times. Looking at the eldest princess who was kneeling down in worship, he felt mixed emotions.
Back then, it was indeed a spur of the moment idea that he asked Ji'er to write letters for him and his sister, in order to maintain their relationship and for the sake of friendly relations between the two countries.
Later, Ji'er was responsible for this matter. He also heard Ji'er mention that his aunt who was far away in Yue State missed her hometown very much and that life was not easy.
The letters sent back by the imperial sister are still kept in the inner treasury and can be accessed at any time.
At this point, Emperor Sheng already believed the eldest princess's words about 60%.
Before the eldest princess arrived, Emperor Sheng had already questioned Mr. Lin.
In stark contrast to the eldest princess' answer, Mr. Lin admitted his past affair with Concubine Rong, but he said he had no idea about Princess An Ning's selection of a son-in-law.
Both of their answers are reasonable. Could it be that all this is just Cui Daoyuan's groundless conjecture?
Thinking of this, Emperor Sheng breathed a sigh of relief.
The imperial sister mentioned Ji'er without any warning just now, which really made him confused.
In any case, the imperial sister was involved in the fight for the throne and added fuel to the flames. Even if she had no ulterior motives, it was something he, as the emperor, could not tolerate.
As for the Imperial Master...
Emperor Sheng turned his head to look at Mr. Lin who was still supporting him. The once elegant, knowledgeable and brilliant Confucian teacher now had white hair at the temples.
When his father was choosing teachers for the princes, he had admired Lin Xuetu for a long time, but he did not dare to have any extravagant hopes because he had his most favored younger brother ahead of him.
Unexpectedly, the emperor's younger brother chose a scholar who was related to the Concubine Chen, so he got the advantage and became the student of Lin Xuetu.
He was originally worried that his teacher had already favored his younger brother and looked down on him, the unpopular prince.
Who would have thought that the teacher had taught him meticulously for years, always guiding him step by step, and teaching him everything he knew.
Therefore, even though the teacher had never helped him in the dispute that year, he was always grateful and respectful to him.
It was also for this reason that when he learned from Cui Daoyuan that his teacher was very likely to have conspired with the imperial sister, he was so shocked and angry that he urgently summoned his teacher into the palace.
The imperial sister's status is different now. At the very least, she is interfering in the competition for the crown prince. At the most serious level, what if she is - stealing the country?
This is the caution and consideration he should have as an emperor.
Elder Lin seemed to be aware of Emperor Sheng's gaze and looked up.
Seeing Emperor Sheng staring at him, Elder Lin couldn't help but look terrified. He loosened his hand holding Emperor Sheng, took two steps back, bowed and said:
"Your Majesty, I have been with you for decades. We have known each other for a long time. Now that I am old, I have only a sincere heart left, and I am devoted to you."
"Every word I said just now is true. I hope Your Majesty will investigate it carefully."
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