Chapter 169 Son Becomes Nephew
The Hall of Mental Cultivation is packed with people today.
The Emperor sat at the head of the table, with the Crown Prince standing beside him, and the Empress Dowager and Empress on either side. Below them was Prince Yi, and two other people were kneeling side by side in the hall.
One is Qingying, and the other is Hongli.
On the way here, Su Peisheng had already given the Empress and Empress Dowager a general account of the matter. Therefore, the person with the most unpleasant expression in the room was undoubtedly the Empress Dowager.
Below them were two people: one was her grandniece whom she had brought into the palace to raise by her side, and the other was the fourth prince whom she had just saved from the emperor's wrath a couple of days ago. This was truly a blatant slap in the face.
She was truly puzzled. In the years since she brought Qingying into the palace, she had subtly hinted countless times that Qingying would be the future Crown Princess and Empress of the Qing Dynasty! What did it matter to her whether the Fourth Prince was right or wrong, or whether he was punished or not? Why should she have to go to the Emperor to ask for forgiveness?
Perhaps because the Empress Dowager's questioning gaze was almost tangible, Qingying below seemed to sense something and raised her head to meet her gaze. Her eyes were full of stubbornness and arrogance, which made the Empress Dowager feel even more annoyed.
"There is a matter today that I have already decided on." Yinzhen rested his hands on his knees, his face cold and devoid of emotion, his gaze inadvertently glancing at the Empress Dowager beside him—"The princess of the Ulanara clan pleaded for the Fourth Prince Hongli, and her sincerity moved even me, so naturally I cannot refuse her request."
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager almost couldn't help but stand up. However, even though Yinzhen was very filial these days, he was not entirely without temper. How could he tolerate her interfering and interrupting again and again? If Hongzhao was growing up and relying on the emperor's favor to strengthen his wings, wasn't she herself also growing up with her youngest son by her side?
"Your Majesty, please sit down. I'd like to hear what they have to say." He didn't even turn his head to give them a second glance, pointing directly at the Fourth Prince—"Hongli, what do you think?"
Hongli was wondering why he was suddenly brought here again after only two days. Seeing the three of them interrogating him, he was already feeling uneasy. Hearing his father ask him this question, he raised his head even more nervously.
He already didn't know why Qingying was here today. Now, his father's words only made him more uneasy.
The rumors circulating in the palace all say that the Empress Dowager brought her grandniece into the palace to be raised in order to cultivate the next empress. Even the Emperor has tacitly approved of this. So why ask her this question today... is it a test or is it true? But looking at the people kneeling in the hall beside her, she doesn't seem to be favored by the Emperor.
He gritted his teeth, facing the choice of whether to stick his neck out or not. His expression was resolute. He moved slightly to Qingying's side, cupped his hands, and said, "Your subject thanks Your Majesty for your consideration and grace."
After he finished speaking, he deliberately looked up to find Hongzhao's gaze, just waiting to see the helpless, panicked, and betrayed expression on Hongzhao's face when his beloved father, the emperor, promised him the crown princess he had chosen. Just thinking about it made him feel incredibly happy.
Hongzhao, who had heard his thoughts the whole time, trembled slightly. He felt as if the Fourth Prince had lost his mind.
Qingying glanced at Hongli with a sweet look on her face. Thanks to her pleading, she had not only moved the emperor's heart to love his child, but also enabled the two of them to overcome many obstacles and finally become a couple.
Yinzhen couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, "I invited you here today to witness two things on my behalf."
"Firstly, since they have been secretly having an affair, my eldest princess cannot keep such a person as her companion. Therefore, I will make the decision today to bestow Qingying of the Ulanara clan upon the fourth prince, Hongli, as a princess."
These words surprised not only others, but even the Empress and Prince Yi. The Ulanara family was a prestigious family that had produced two Empresses and a relative of the Empress Dowager. Everyone thought that if the Emperor had offered a marriage, she would at least be a secondary consort, if not the primary consort. But they never expected that she would be the lowest-ranking princess.
"emperor!"
"Father..."
Hongli gasped in astonishment, realizing that something must have gone wrong. He felt he was about to lose his composure and was about to speak when a series of even more unacceptable news came crashing down on him.
“Your concubine, Ulanara Qingying, has been accused of framing the Crown Prince, disrespecting the imperial authority, defying the Empress Dowager, and disrupting the palace. She is hereby punished with two hours of kneeling, twenty slaps to the face, and twenty copies of the Daodejing. I will have people keep an eye on you every day.”
"Your Majesty, Qingying is still a child. No matter what she said, isn't this punishment too harsh?" The Empress Dowager clutched her sleeve tightly to her chest, her voice trembling noticeably. Below her, Qingying seemed frozen in fear, her head tilted back, her back straight and motionless.
In a secluded corner, where no one was paying attention, Hongli quietly shifted his body in the opposite direction, moving a little further away from Qingying.
Now he finally understood that this fool must have angered the Emperor, which was why he hastily summoned the Empress Dowager and implicated him. Regardless of whether the Emperor had truly intended to groom her as the future Crown Princess, after today, no one would have that thought anymore.
He clenched his teeth, feeling a surge of frustration, as if he was always just a little unlucky. If he had known this fool would talk nonsense, he would have tried his best to sever all ties between them, no matter what he said, and would never have revealed his trump card so quickly.
But it's too late to think about it now.
"The second matter is that the Fourth Prince Hongli expressed his resentment towards me at my sickbed. His arrogant behavior is no different from that of the Eighth and Ninth Princes before him. Since he does not want to be my son, then I will issue an edict to adopt you to Yinzhi. You will become his son."
Ignoring the astonished looks of those around him and the sound of Hongli kowtowing in apology, Yinzhen continued speaking to himself: "Eighth Prince made a mistake and was stripped of his yellow sash. Since you are his son, how can you still have a yellow sash? Immediately withdraw the lawsuit against Hongli for having a yellow sash. From this day forward, take your princess to the Imperial Clan Court."
Having been stripped of his yellow sash, he is no longer considered a legitimate descendant of the royal family. In the future, whether he is alive or not, no matter how capable he is, he will not be able to cause much trouble.
Even so, Yinzhen felt an unbearable sense of unease—"Princess Ulanara, you have caused trouble both inside and outside the palace, and have been disrespectful and disrespectful to your superiors. You shall be punished with the punishment of being beaten with a board."
The palace was deathly silent; the only sound was the Empress Dowager's unusually rapid breathing.
Qingying's eyes were filled with a terrifying blankness. She couldn't understand how things had come to this. Her voice trembled with obvious helplessness as she spoke, "Aunt... Your Majesty... the punishment of being forced to stand on the board is for palace maids, I..."
"alright!"
The Empress Dowager suddenly stood up and sternly rebuked, "I have raised you with great care, yet you are so disgraceful as to embarrass me. What more do you want to say!"
Her face was pale and her eyes were cloudy. With Zhu Xi's help, she took a few breaths and slowly turned around. "I am getting old and no longer have the energy to take care of these children. Everything is up to the Emperor. I am going back to Shou Kang Palace."
"Your son respectfully sees off the Empress Dowager."
Yinzhen did not try to stop him, but watched as the figure, who seemed to be more than ten years older, slowly passed by Qingying and walked out of the main hall.
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