Chapter 75: Vitality and Achilles' Heel

As soon as these words came out, the palace was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. The emperor, who had been cheerful and amiable, turned cold and said, "Nonsense! My words are spoken with my own hands. How can I change them from one day to the next?"

Ji Lingchuan stood there in a daze, his expression frozen.

Seeing the emperor getting angry, Ruan Qinghuan knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Chu Li was seriously injured a few days ago and has not recovered yet. In addition, she has been traveling a long way and is confused. I will help her down now."

"Well, since you are confused, go back home and rest."

As they walked out of the palace, the emperor stopped He'an and said, "He Qing, please stay. I have something to tell you."

The emperor ordered Eunuch Xu to sit down and pondered for a moment before speaking: "What do you think of my decision on this Lucheng incident?"

He An: "Your Majesty is wise."

The emperor was not surprised by this answer. No one in the world dared to say that he was wrong in front of him, but this time, his decision was indeed biased.

There are only three adult princes in the royal family. The youngest of the remaining two is only three years old, and the older one is seven years old. The rule of Dongzhao Kingdom still depends on the crown prince and his brothers.

"Prince Chen was indeed wrong this time, but his ability is mediocre and his strategy is not good. Considering that he did not cause a big disaster this time, I decided to give him a chance, but there should be a lot of punishment. What do you think is the appropriate punishment, Mr. He?"

He An's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this. He thought for a moment and said, "Raising private soldiers in our dynasty is equivalent to treason. The entire nine clans should be punished accordingly."

"He'an, He'an, you finally couldn't help it." The emperor, who had a stern expression, suddenly smiled, but this smile was full of disappointment: "I just like your energy."

What disappointed him was King Chen. All the favors he showed him were in exchange for his evil ambitions.

But he is a prince after all, and the emperor wants to give him another chance.

He An sighed: "Your Majesty is wise. He has minimized the risk of this matter. All those who surrendered were sent to the military service. The result is not bad."

The emperor stood up, put his hands behind his back, and the two walked to the corridor outside the palace: "The second prince has been behaving badly recently, forming cliques for personal gain, causing unrest in the harem, and managing the household without proper manners. He is ordered to be confined to his home for one year and fined for three years. Except for Princess Chen, all concubines in the harem must be dismissed."

He'an knew that this was what the emperor said to him. The prince was confined to his house for a year, which was already a severe punishment, and his concubines in the harem were also dismissed. The emperor wanted to let the second prince know that everything about him was under his control.

More importantly, some court officials are in trouble.

In Chaochun Palace, Concubine Qi was stunned and looked at her son in disbelief: "How dare you raise private soldiers?"

Over the years, Concubine Qi had indeed collected a lot of money from Lucheng, which was also in preparation for her son's future fiefdom outside the capital. She never expected that he would dare to use this to raise private soldiers.

That is a grave crime that will lead to the confiscation of property and extermination of the entire clan.

Concubine Qi has lived in the palace for a long time, and Lucheng's affairs are all managed by her subordinates. This morning, I heard that my brother's two sons were dead, and the Wu family was massacred. I thought it was done by bandits, but now it seems...

Looking at her son with such regret that they could not make it, Concubine Qi almost choked up.

Prince Chen was also at a loss. He An had returned alive, and he had cut off contact with Lu Cheng again. He was not clear about the details, so he had to seek shelter from his mother: "Mother, you have to save your son."

Concubine Qi was so frightened that the nanny patted her back and rubbed her chest: "Your Majesty, you can't fall down at this time. Things have already happened. The prince should be the most important thing in everything."

Concubine Qi had a sad face. She forced herself to stand up and walked to the kneeling Prince Chen. She raised her hand and slapped him hard: "You are afraid now. Both of your cousins ​​are dead, and no one from the Wu family escaped."

Not only that, even some side branches are not spared.

The emperor's methods are really cruel. This is a warning to Prince Chen, but it is not a warning to her.

Concubine Qi knew clearly in her heart that without the emperor's instruction, even if He'an had the most drastic measures, he would not dare to make such a big fuss. The Wu family was just gone in the name of being robbed by mountain bandits.

He'an made great contributions in suppressing the bandits, but she lost her entire clan.

Since the death of his father, the Wu family has fallen into decline. They had finally built up a foundation in Lucheng, but now, everything has been ruined by their own son.

Prince Chen was extremely anxious: "Mother, please save me. Go and ask my father for mercy. It may be too late if you delay any longer."

Concubine Qi's distracted eyes refocused: "What do you mean it's too late?"

"When I entered the palace, the Crown Prince also entered the palace, as well as He'an and the others. I believe they are already in Yu's study." I thought that after hearing the news, my mother would be anxious to see my father.

Unexpectedly, Concubine Qi just waved her hands, slowly steadied herself, walked a few steps and sat on the chair: "Forget it, it's useless to beg now. If your father really wanted to kill you, why would he let you live until today? After all, you are the emperor's son, he would not let you go."

Prince Chen didn't think so. His father had been a soldier for half his life and was always decisive in killing and never showed mercy.

Concubine Qi stroked her forehead and sighed, "But this punishment is inevitable. If you are really afraid, then accept it."

Just as he finished speaking, Eunuch Xu arrived. Seeing that Concubine Qi looked unhappy, he guessed something and first greeted Concubine Qi: "This old servant has seen Concubine Qi."

"Eunuch Xu, why are you here at this time?"

"The emperor ordered this old servant to come and announce his decree."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Qi stood up and was about to kneel. Eunuch Chang hurried forward to help her up and said, "Your Majesty, there is no need to do this. This decree is for the prince, so just listen to it."

This was a summons for punishment, and the Imperial Concubine was not mentioned, so Eunuch Chang naturally did not dare to let her kneel and listen.

"The Emperor summoned you to say that Prince Chen has been immoral, forming a clique for personal gain, and has been accused of bullying men and raping women, which has damaged the reputation of the royal family. From today on, except for Prince Chen's wife, all of you will be confined to the back house of Prince Qing's mansion for one year and fined for three years. If you commit any more paradoxical acts during this period, you will be punished."

Concubine Qi closed her eyes and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Being confined for a year was better than being demoted to a commoner.

Prince Chen lowered his head, looking unhappy, but still accepted the order: "Your son obeys the order."

Eunuch Xu issued an imperial decree: "Your Majesty, the Emperor asked me to tell you something. This year is both a chance for life and a pitfall."

Princess Qi, who had just stood up, fell down again.

Holding the imperial edict tightly, Prince Chen was unwilling to accept the result. He had painstakingly planned until today, but was ruined by He An and his gang. Not only that, he was also forced to be confined to the mansion for a year. In a year, how much could he do?

Palace gate,

Ruan Qinghuan became more and more anxious as he waited. In the original book, He'an was indeed highly valued, but serving the emperor was like serving a tiger. If one was not careful, one would be doomed.

He An walked out and saw Ruan Qinghuan's anxious look. He chuckled, "Madam is waiting anxiously."

After looking at the guards at the city gate, Ruan Qinghuan pulled He An up and got on the carriage. As soon as he got on, he couldn't wait to ask, "Did the emperor make things difficult for you?"

"no."

"Then what took so long?"

He An looked slightly disappointed: "As an emperor, I must give my subjects a reasonable explanation."

Ruan Qinghuan: “…”

The matter of the Second Prince raising private soldiers was in the past. Now that the dust had settled, she only needed to hand over the rest of the matter to the Dali Temple. She could also focus on the situation of the Ruan family.