Chapter 058 The eldest son
Li Tingting hinted several times that since Xia Xue had made arrangements, they should just do as Xia Xue had arranged and just tell the truth afterwards.
The two maids quickly agreed.
Li Tingting felt like she had discovered another shocking secret and was in a good mood.
Although in a big family, it is not a big deal for the mistress to kill a concubine or a servant, but if such a dirty thing is seen by the emperor...
Li Tingting felt happy when she thought of Xia Xue begging for mercy in panic.
When they returned to the door, Prince Lu had not come out yet. Li Tingting did not say much and just stayed there obediently this time.
About an incense stick of time passed, and Prince Lu, Chu Zhenxuan and Xia Xue came out together. Prince Lu kept saying it was a pity that he had a very pleasant chat with the Prime Minister and regretted not having stayed for dinner with him.
Chu Zhenxuan was also polite, saying that there would be plenty of opportunities in the future, but he did not say that Prince Lu could come anytime.
Li Tingting winked at him, and Prince Lu said nothing more and left.
Looking at the closed door, Chu Zhenxuan and Xia Xue smiled at each other.
Li Tingting and Prince Lu got on the carriage of the Prince's Palace. As soon as they walked into the alley, Li Tingting hurriedly said, "Prince, let's go to the palace now to invite the Emperor and the Queen Mother."
"You must be joking. I was hit hard by the Queen Mother's Mid-Autumn Festival dinner. There's no way I'm coming."
"But the spy clearly said that Madam Chu said she wanted to invite the Queen Mother." Li Tingting was puzzled.
"Just now, I heard from Prime Minister Chu that after the Mid-Autumn Festival dinner, the Queen Mother felt that Madam Chu had betrayed her, which caused her to lose face and her right-hand man. So this time, Madam Chu had already asked the Queen Mother for help, but the Queen Mother directly drove out the people sent by Madam Chu. So if we ask the Queen Mother about this matter, it will have the opposite effect and will favor Xia Xue."
"Then let's go and invite the emperor. With so many of us here, even if the emperor favors Prime Minister Chu, he will not protect Xia Xue." Li Tingting was confident.
"What on earth did you discover?"
Li Tingting recounted what she had just heard with some exaggeration, adding some embellishments in the process to make it more credible. For example, it was not the two girls who took the initiative to say that Xia Xue wanted to harm people, but she saw the two girls hiding poison secretly and was discovered by her. Not only did she use the old lady to pressure them, she also threatened to report to the police, which scared them into telling the truth.
Then she contacted the spy in their Prince's Palace and confirmed that Xia Xue had taken action and that he was investigating.
When Prince Lu heard that the spy had been confirmed, he generally believed it. However, it would soon be dark and the palace gates would be closed. It seemed inappropriate for them to go now.
"It will be too late to go tomorrow! Once a person dies, the evidence will be quickly erased. Xia Xue has picked up a son for no reason, and she has taken advantage of him."
"But if we invite the emperor, there must be a sufficient reason, because it is not justifiable to invite Prime Minister Chu's concubine." Prince Lu was a little embarrassed.
They had originally wanted to let Liang Ronghua and Chu Yun live in the Prime Minister's Residence with good reason, on the one hand to annoy Xia Xue, and on the other hand to keep an eye on them. But Xia Xue ended up cutting off their support, and all their efforts were in vain.
Chu Yun is disobedient and can't play any role at all.
Li Tingting's eyes suddenly lit up.
He whispered softly into Prince Lu's ear.
Prince Lu stood up suddenly, and the carriage shook. "That's a good reason."
Prince Lu pondered for a while, "If we go back and forth, the dinner time at the Prime Minister's Mansion should be over. If the two maids act smoothly, they should be able to meet the emperor."
"Even if we don't encounter them, we can just find a way to make them encounter them. Moreover, even if the two maids didn't succeed, they are still witnesses. In front of everyone, the emperor can't cover up for them."
Prince Lu nodded, it was a good idea.
But if Li Tingting hadn't told him, he wouldn't have realized that the child Chu Yun really seemed to look a bit like the emperor.
Prince Lu entered the palace before the palace gates were closed.
As soon as they entered the door, they congratulated the emperor loudly.
The emperor was in a state of confusion.
"Why should I be happy?"
"Just now I saw a child in Prime Minister Chu's residence who looked very much like the emperor. Prime Minister Chu treated him very well and took great care of him. I guess that Prime Minister Chu has found the emperor's son who disappeared seven years ago."
The emperor stood up suddenly.
"Why didn't Prime Minister Chu report this to me?"
"Is this a surprise for the Emperor?"
Hong Liangdi was standing aside, watching Li Tingting making faces below, and roughly understood what they meant.
"Your Majesty, the matter of the heir cannot be delayed. Your Majesty has very few princes now, and they are very young. If the eldest prince who went missing is really found, it will be a great joy."
The emperor also thought it made sense. After thinking it over, he decided to leave the palace immediately and go to the prime minister's residence.
The emperor also brought Hong Liangdi with him, which made Li Tingting very happy. Hong Liangdi was much more useful than the empress dowager. At least Hong Liangdi was 100% on their side.
When the group arrived at the prime minister's residence, it was already past midnight.
The masters of the Prime Minister's Mansion are all ready to rest.
When they heard the emperor had arrived, they were all startled.
It has never happened before that the emperor went to a minister's house late at night. If this gets out, the court will have a lot of gossip.
Chu Zhenxuan was teaching Chu Yun how to play chess, while Xia Xue was watching.
When Xia Xue heard the servant say "The Emperor has arrived", she couldn't help but laugh.
"Prince Lu is quite capable. He was able to invite the Emperor so late at night."
"Of course. If he hadn't had any real skills and had been able to dominate the court for so many years, he would have been exiled to the frontier long ago." said Prime Minister Chu.
"But with Li Tingting, his level has obviously been lowered, and the mistakes he made have become more outrageous each time."
Chu Zhenxuan chuckled, "Madam, what do you think they used as an excuse to invite the emperor this time?"
Xia Xue thought about it and shook her head. The fact that they could invite him at this time must not be because of the "trap".
The servant went to report that Old Madam Chu had already gone to bed. When she heard that the emperor was coming, she was so frightened that she hurriedly packed up.
When the group went to pick up the car, Old Madam Chu had not arrived yet.
Chu Zhenxuan looked at Prince Lu standing behind the Emperor and couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Your Highness just left the Prime Minister's residence in a hurry. I thought it was some urgent matter, but it turns out that he wanted to go to the palace to see the Emperor. This is indeed an urgent matter." Prime Minister Chu joked.
The Emperor turned around and asked, "Prince Lu came directly from the Prime Minister's Residence to the palace?"
"Of course, this matter is urgent and we must report it to the Emperor immediately."
The emperor nodded slightly.
"Okay, Prime Minister Chu, let's not talk about anything else. Have you found my eldest son?"
"The eldest prince?" Chu Zhenxuan was stunned, then he reacted, "Your Majesty is asking about Chu Yun?"
"Chu Yun? Why is his last name Chu? Do you dare to give him the last name Chu?"