Emperor Jingming looked down at Prince Jin who was kneeling on the ground, and asked unwillingly, "Third brother, what made you so crazy that you actually attacked a child like Chun'er?"
Prince Jin bowed his head to Emperor Jingming with his forehead on the ground, and said in a trembling voice: "My son was bewitched for a moment, and I accept any punishment you may give me. But my son's wife and children are innocent, please forgive them."
What is the crime of instigating someone to harm the prince of Jing? The prince of Jing is innocent, the crime can be serious or minor.
But Prince Jin knew that the punishment would not be light, not only because Chun Ge'er was the most beloved grandson of Emperor Jingming, but more importantly, he had clearly exposed his intention to compete for the throne.
And this is what the emperor is most wary of.
There is no father and son in heaven. Even if you think about it in your heart, once the person sitting in that seat is sure that you are eyeing his seat, how can it be good?
"Third brother, you really disappoint me. I'm not dead yet, but you've already started to attack my brothers and nephews?" Emperor Jingming patted the dragon chair with a sullen face. "If I really let you sit on this seat, will you kill everyone who can threaten you?"
Looking at Prince Jin kneeling on the ground, Emperor Jingming was very sad.
In his impression, this son is a man of few words, silent and low-key in many occasions. He even thinks he is the most well-behaved person besides the King of Qin. How could he become so scary in the blink of an eye?
Emperor Jingming thought of the voices of his ministers calling for the establishment of a crown prince.
He actually understood that the ministers' request was correct.
It is indeed unsettling to have the throne vacant.
Even though the pretext for deposing the crown prince was clearly that he instigated the murder of Prince An, many ministers still opposed deposing the crown prince because of this consideration.
If it weren't for the unforgivable affair between the deposed crown prince and Concubine Yang, he really wouldn't be willing to go to the step of deposing the crown prince.
It was because he understood this that he repeatedly endured the aggressiveness of his ministers.
He knew the harm of leaving the throne vacant, but having already experienced the disappointment of deposing the crown prince, he dared not easily appoint a new crown prince.
What if the new crown prince is worse than the deposed crown prince? We can't depose him again.
But why are these little beasts so impatient!
Emperor Jingming was heartbroken and stared coldly at Prince Jin.
The King of Jin, who buried his head deeply, was sneering in his heart: Disappointed in him? Haha, when did my father ever place any hope on him? He never even looked at him straight in the eye.
He was the oldest prince under the deposed crown prince. Why didn't he seize the opportunity when it came, instead letting a little kid take advantage of it?
He also wanted to feel proud, to see those who ignored him being respectful and fearful to him.
Now, it's just a matter of admitting defeat.
At this point, Prince Jin vaguely realized that he had fallen into a trap, otherwise the person who harmed Chun Ge'er would not have been found out so easily, and would not have betrayed him so quickly.
But in the end, he still said that he lost the argument and he admitted it.
"Pan Hai, pass on my order——"
Prince Jin shuddered as he listened to what Emperor Jingming said next.
Emperor Jingming closed his eyes slightly and said slowly: "Prince Jin plotted to harm his sons and nephews for his own selfish reasons. He is evil-minded. Now he is demoted to a prince. From now on, he will guard the imperial mausoleum with his wife and children and will never leave..."
Many people in the hall took a deep breath.
Prince Jin was punished to guard the imperial mausoleum, which was a miserable end.
Of course, if the Prince of Jin had murdered the Grandson or the Crown Prince, it would not be a common incident, but would rise to the level of treason, and in that case any punishment would not be excessive.
The fact that Prince Jin was punished so severely for murdering Prince Jing is enough to show the status of Prince Jing in the emperor's heart.
King Jin listened silently, his body swaying.
Emperor Jingming showed no sympathy at all. After a moment's thought, he added, "Prince Jin's birth mother, Concubine An, will leave the palace today and go to the imperial mausoleum with Prince Jin."
After the turmoil caused by Nanny Duo, he didn't want to leave any hidden dangers in the harem.
Concubine An had always been a quiet presence in the harem, so letting her reunite with her son might not be a bad thing.
After receiving the imperial edict, Concubine An felt sad for her son, but she did have some expectations for the future.
God knows how many years she has been looking forward to living with her children and grandchildren.
According to custom, these concubines could only wait until the emperor passed away. Those with children could be taken out of the palace by their children to reunite with their families, while those without children would almost always be buried in the family temple, isolated from the world and living a miserable life.
She thought she might not be able to survive the emperor, but unexpectedly the emperor showed mercy...
Concubine An did not meet Emperor Jingming, so she came to Kunning Palace and kowtowed to the empress several times in a proper manner.
The Queen looked at Concubine An who kowtowed obediently, sighed in her heart, and said in a gentle voice: "Get up, the Emperor allowed you to leave the palace and reunite with Prince Jin, which is a grace to you. I hope you don't let Prince Jin's punishment distract you from the truth and cause yourself trouble..."
Concubine An hurriedly said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I am not an ungrateful person. I have been in the palace for many years, and Your Majesty has always taken care of me. We will never meet again, so I wish Your Majesty a smooth life."
The queen nodded to the maid beside her.
The palace maid handed a small bundle to Concubine An.
The queen said gently, "There are some small and soft items inside. Whether you can use them or not, you can take them with you. It will be a good opportunity for you to get to know them."
"Thank you for your gift, Your Majesty." Anpin took the small bundle, wiped her tears, and kowtowed to the empress again, "I will take my leave now."
After Concubine An left, the Queen stood up and said to her trusted maid, "Go to Princess Fuqing."
Is there anything better in this world than a family reunion? I hope the Jin Wang family can think positively.
When the imperial edict reached Prince Jin's palace, the servants immediately became chaotic, and only calmed down after Princess Jin angrily rebuked a steward.
Prince Jin was filled with shame: "Wenjun, I am sorry for you..."
Princess Jin smiled and held the hand of the King of Jin: "Husband and wife are one body, please don't say that, Your Majesty."
"But you and the children will have to guard the cold imperial mausoleum from now on, far away from the prosperous capital—"
Princess Jin put her hand on the lips of the King of Jin and said softly, "What does it matter? It's enough for us to be together as a family. My Lord, I'll tell you the truth. Ever since you had that idea, I've thought about the consequences of failure more than once and had countless nightmares. Now we are all fine, I am already very satisfied..."
Princess Jin burst into tears as she spoke. The heart that had been weighing on her mind all day and all night finally settled down and began beating steadily again.
In her opinion, a simple life is the best. She is even glad that she was able to get away from the prince before he got too deeply involved.
If Prince Jing died this time, or if the prince quarreled more fiercely with others and made a bigger mistake later, he might even lose his life. That would be a devastating disaster for her and the child.
The Prince of Jin's Palace was soon vacant, and from then on the gates were locked tightly, which caused countless sighs, but of course, this is a story for later.
At this moment, the owner of Prince Qi's Mansion wanted to laugh out loud.
Prince Qi walked quickly into the main courtyard and brought the good news that Prince Jin was punished to Princess Qi.