Chapter 199 Siege
As soon as they left the palace, Meng Ting couldn't help but grab Su Fengzhang and asked in a low voice, "Brother Su, what happened?"
Given the emperor's personality, he would not let his ministers leave the palace banquet until they were completely drunk. Ending it so early was really not like the emperor's style.
Su Fengzhang's expression remained unchanged as he whispered, "I don't know either."
"Then just now..." Meng Ting had just said half of it when he realized something. He looked around and said, "You are not..."
Su Fengzhang pressed his shoulder and said calmly, "How could a minister like me know what's going on in the palace? Let's go. It's really getting late. Let's go back and get some rest."
Seeing this, Meng Ting did not ask any further questions. He turned around to look at the closed palace gate, feeling an indescribable feeling in his heart.
He turned around and was about to ask Su Fengzhang if he wanted to go back together, but he saw Prince Cheng's carriage approaching. The prince lifted the curtain and said with a smile on his face: "Master Su, let's go together."
"Brother Meng, I'll be leaving first." Su Fengzhang said hello to him and got directly into Prince Cheng's carriage.
"Hey, Brother Su..." Meng Ting was about to call out, but when he met Prince Cheng's gaze, he swallowed the rest of the sentence back, "Take care."
As the carriage slowly departed, Meng Ting frowned and muttered, "When did Brother Su become so close to Prince Cheng? Could it be that they really... No, no, Brother Su isn't that kind of person."
On the other side of the carriage, the atmosphere between Su Fengzhang and Prince Cheng was far from ambiguous. Prince Cheng was frowning and looked like he had a headache. She had indeed been forced to drink a lot of wine at the banquet just now.
Su Fengzhang waited until she felt better before asking, "Your Majesty, what happened in the palace?"
Prince Cheng chuckled softly, frowned, and said, "Unexpected."
"I didn't expect them to be so bold."
"I think it's because the Crown Prince has offended too many people, and they won't allow him to continue sitting on the throne."
Su Fengzhang's eyelids twitched slightly. There were not many things that could happen in the palace in an instant, especially those that could directly affect the position of the crown prince. After thinking about it, there were only a few things.
When Prince Cheng saw that he had figured it out, he immediately smiled and said, "Master Su, have you guessed it?"
Su Fengzhang didn't answer, but instead asked, "Your Majesty, His Majesty can even tolerate the unauthorized use of military supplies. Could it be that these petty personal matters will affect the Crown Prince?"
It was not that Su Fengzhang was suspicious, but the emperor did indulge the prince and even tried every means to cover up for him.
Upon hearing this, Prince Cheng suddenly burst into laughter, looking incredibly happy, tears welling up in the corners of his eyes. Finally, he looked at Su Fengzhang and said, "Sir Su, you don't understand His Majesty."
"What you consider life-threatening court affairs are but trifles in the eyes of His Majesty, not worth mentioning. No matter how much the Crown Prince has done, His Majesty will still protect him if he wants to."
"But what you consider to be trivial matters of personal morality is something that our Majesty cares deeply about, and he cannot tolerate it the most."
"Otherwise, why would Concubine Xu and her son go to such great lengths to frame the Crown Prince? Just wait and see, this blow will be fatal."
Looking at her somewhat crazy look, Su Fengzhang actually believed what she said. Some of the actions of the current emperor were indeed not like those of an emperor, or in other words, he was an emperor who did whatever he wanted, and even the Great Zhou did not have his own important emperor.
Just as Prince Cheng had guessed, the palace was in chaos at this moment. The emperor, who always looked kind in front of others, now had a furious look on his face, and looked like he was burning with anger.
The emperor's entire body was shaking with rage. He pointed at the disheveled prince lying on the ground and cursed with trembling fingers, "Evil son, how dare you defile the palace and do such a filthy thing that is beyond the reach of heaven!"
The drunken prince had sobered up. After realizing what he had done, he knew he had fallen into someone else's trap. He was panicked and angry at the moment, and argued, "Father, you have to believe me, Father. I was wronged. Someone framed me. It was her! She seduced me!"
The emperor's cold eyes fell on the woman next to him. She was extremely beautiful and gorgeous. At this moment, her thin clothes could not hide the traces of love. The emperor's eyes turned cold.
The one who had committed an affair with the prince was actually Huang Ying, the niece of the Huang family, who had just been betrothed by the emperor at the banquet.
Huang Ying knelt down, tears in her eyes, and cried out in a stern voice, "Your Majesty, although I am a woman and child, I also know propriety, righteousness, and honor. The Crown Prince coerced me, and I have lost my chastity. Only death can prove my innocence."
After saying this, Huang Ying actually rushed towards the pillar without hesitation.
"Stop her!" the emperor shouted!
The palace maids around tried to stop her, but they didn't expect Huang Ying to be so resolute and swift that she hit her head against a palace pillar, breaking it and bleeding. She died before the imperial physician arrived.
Huang Ying's death was quick and decisive, but the Crown Prince's face turned even paler. Huang Ying's death sealed his guilt of threatening a commoner woman and defiling the palace. He could only defend himself by saying, "Father, it was she who seduced me and framed me!"
The emperor felt like he couldn't breathe, especially the horrific death of Huang Ying, which shocked him deeply. "How could a delicate woman like her force you into submission?"
The prince shouted hurriedly, "Father, she is Concubine Yu's cousin. Why is she alone in the harem? Perhaps Concubine Yu is holding a grudge against me for what happened back then and is trying to frame me!"
Hearing this, the Emperor's expression shifted slightly, and the Crown Prince seized the opportunity to shout, "Father, I have all the women I want, so why would you choose Huang Ying? They are framing me and trying to alienate our father-son relationship!"
The emperor couldn't help but become suspicious. He had just arranged a marriage between Huang Ying and Fang Yu today, and then something like this happened between the prince and Huang Ying. Could it be that someone really framed them?
At this moment, Eunuch Li walked in with his head lowered and reported in a low voice: "Your Majesty, the Empress has come with Concubine Xu and Concubine Yu. I'm afraid they already know about this matter."
The emperor's face turned cold and he angrily said, "What is she doing here? As the queen, she can't even manage the harem properly, so why is she joining in the fun now? Send them back quickly."
Who knew that before Eunuch Li could leave, the Empress had already pushed open the door and came in. Upon hearing what the Emperor said, she simply said, "Your Majesty is right. It was because I failed to manage the harem that this chaos occurred."
Before she finished speaking, Yu Fei behind her screamed and threw herself on Huang Ying, shouting, "Ying'er, what's wrong with you, Ying'er..."
Concubine Xu stood at the back and said in a cold voice, "How could such a mess have happened in just a short time? How dare the Crown Prince? I know you like women, but you can't lay your hands on a minister's fiancée."
"Shut up!" the emperor shouted angrily.
Concubine Xu was also shocked. The emperor had a very good temper, especially towards the favored concubines in the harem. Concubine Xu had been favored for many years and had never seen the emperor speak in a harsh tone. She was also stunned at this moment.
But soon, she covered her face with her hands and said with tears in her eyes: "Yes, I will just shut up."
"Your Majesty, why must you do this? The facts are right before our eyes. Even if it's His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, can he humiliate me?" Concubine Yu shouted relentlessly, "Your Majesty, Ying'er is my future sister-in-law. This is a marriage you personally arranged!"
A trace of ugliness crossed the emperor's face. He stepped forward and kicked the prince, cursing, "It's all your fault, you beast. Now how can I explain this to Concubine Yu and the Fang family?"
The prince hugged his calf and cried, "Father, please believe me, I was really framed. Why did this woman appear alone in the deep palace, even wearing the love fragrance? She wants to kill me!"
Concubine Yu cried, "Ying'er has already died to prove her loyalty, yet His Royal Highness wants to destroy her reputation even after death!"
"Your Majesty, Ying'er was just at the palace banquet, sitting next to me. How could she have gotten into the Hehuan incense? Besides, Ying'er is so considerate that she even sent me back to Jinxiu Palace before leaving. I also sent someone to escort her to the front hall!"
"You are lying. This woman was clearly waiting alone on the road, just waiting to trip me up!" the prince roared.
"Prince, Huang Ying is a weak woman. Can she be forced upon you?" said Concubine Xu.
"Father, Concubine Xu holds a grudge against me because of my fourth brother. She wants to kill me. Her words cannot be trusted."
He even yelled without thinking, "Father, and Concubine Yu, Concubine Yu must be holding a grudge against the Fang family for what happened back then, so she wants to frame me..."
"Shut up!" the emperor roared!
Concubine Yu's expression also changed. She let go of Huang Ying's body, walked over, and knelt before the emperor, crying out, "Your Majesty, when I was young, I only knew that my elders made mistakes, so I was demoted and sent back home. I have absolutely no resentment towards this matter. It has been a great honor for me to be able to accompany you in these years. This life has been worth it."
"Your Highness, your words are heartbreaking. Not only do you accuse my deceased father of having treasonous intentions, you also slander my sincere feelings for Your Majesty. I refuse to endure this injustice. Today, I will die to prove my true feelings for Your Majesty..."
After saying this, Yu Fei actually rushed forward. Fortunately, Eunuch Li was prepared this time and stopped her. However, they both fell to the ground together, which shows how strong Yu Fei was.
The emperor was heartbroken when he heard this, and he quickly hugged Yu Fei to comfort her: "How could I not believe your heart, Yu Fei, you are trying to cut my heart!"
Concubine Yu threw herself into the emperor's arms, crying, "Your Majesty, it's all because I'm the daughter of a criminal and my status is lowly that I'm treated so badly. Your Majesty, please let me die. Death will bring me peace!"
Concubine Xu shouted at the right moment: "Concubine Yu, you must not do this. If you die, your enemies will be sad and your loved ones will be happy. There will be no one to judge for the deceased Miss Huang Ying anymore."
The Queen glanced at the whole room and stepped forward to say, "Since everyone has their own opinion, we only need to call the palace maids to find out the truth."
Before the emperor could react, several palace maids were pushed in. Seeing the man in the lead, Concubine Yu's face darkened and she angrily asked, "Chunxue, I just asked you to escort Miss Huang back, why is she alone?"
Chunxue knelt down, trembling all over. "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. It was Xiao Huizi, the Crown Prince's attendant, who came to find him and said that he was drunk and had passed out, and asked me to bring people over to help!"
"I didn't know it would be like this, otherwise I would never leave even if I died!"
"This slave deserves death!"
"She deserves to die! Drag her away! Where is Xiao Huizi?" the Queen shouted coldly.
At this time, several palace servants replied tremblingly: "Empress, Xiao Huizi, he jumped into the well!"
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