Chapter 932 Will the Crown Prince be implicated and killed?
Yuwen Ye said, “Your Majesty does want Pei Xingyuan’s life, but he has many ways to do so. He can not only carry out the execution openly, but also drag me down with him. Sending someone to intercept and kill the prisoner is not only difficult, but may also leave him with evidence to be investigated. Besides, I have temporarily escaped this matter.”
"..."
"Given his intelligence, it's impossible that he didn't think of this."
Shang Ruyi thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "That makes sense. So, this matter of intercepting Pei Xingyuan—"
Yuwen Ye said, "If I'm not mistaken, it's just that General Ningyuan and Consort Lou are acting on their own initiative, trying to compete with the Crown Princess and her father."
Shang Ruyi gave a cold laugh, but a warning bell rang in her heart.
From childhood to adulthood, she had witnessed and heard many secret rumors about the inner quarters of the household. She knew that the unrest in the family could cause far more than just ugly incidents like women tearing each other's hair and clothes apart. The larger the family, the greater and more serious the impact of unrest in the family.
The Crown Princess and Consort Lou both have powerful military supporters behind them. This should have made up for the Crown Prince's lack of deep roots in the court after years of leaving home to cultivate, especially his lack of military achievements. It would have been of great help to the Crown Prince in consolidating his position. However, unexpectedly, the two of them started fighting each other.
The fire in the Crown Prince's backyard spread to the front court.
Shang Ruyi saw this point. Yuwen Qian was very smart, but after all, he had been away from home cultivating for more than ten years. He knew very little about family matters, especially matters between men and women, and was not very sensitive to them. So when this fire was lit, she deliberately added fuel to the fire.
Thinking of this, Shang Ruyi said softly, "I told you before, after this matter is over, go to Jinyuyuan to see Madam Chu, don't forget."
Yuwen Ye didn't bother arguing with her, and just smiled and said, "You'd better be careful."
Shang Ruyi smiled as well.
In truth, the reason she helped that gust of wind was because she knew that Yu Mingyue harbored the idea of "one man for life, one woman for life," and that with the Crown Princess's temperament, she would definitely compete with Lou Liangdi for the Emperor's favor. In fact, Shang Ruyi herself also had such expectations, but she was even more aware that not all expectations had to be met, and she was not foolish or selfish enough to make other women suffer for her own sake, let alone put Yuwen Ye in a dangerous situation.
What people should and shouldn't do is decided by their brains, not by their expectations.
She thought for a moment and then said, "So Father should have thought of these things faster than we have. The fact that he asked you means he's intentionally giving the Crown Prince a way out?"
Yuwen Ye nodded: "Mistakes and crimes are two different things."
Shang Ruyi asked, "Then why did you even spare Lou Yingxiong?"
Yuwen Ye didn't speak immediately, but glanced at her with a half-smile. Shang Ruyi's heart stirred at that gaze, and after a moment's thought, she immediately came to her senses: "You let him go because others won't?"
Yuwen Ye then curled the corners of his lips into a smile.
He picked up his teacup and drank the last bit of strong tea at the bottom. The slightly bitter taste made him even more awake. He said in a deep voice, "The matter of Tangquan Palace should not have had a result in the first place."
Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi silently lowered her eyes.
Soon, the news spread throughout the imperial court.
The Crown Prince was confined to his quarters, and General Ningyuan was imprisoned. The sudden and enormous changes caught everyone off guard. The ministers of the Six Ministries kept gathering in the Xuanzheng Hall. Some pleaded for him, some denounced him, some spoke out for the Crown Prince, and some worried about the turmoil in the court and the morale of the soldiers at the front. But before they could finish speaking, the Emperor's illness flared up again, and everyone had to leave the Xuanzheng Hall.
However, the matter did not end there.
Soon, these people split into two groups. One group went to the Qianqiu Palace to request an audience with the King of Qin, but was told that the King of Qin was out of the palace on business, and they could not see him and had to leave.
Another group gathered at the Crown Prince's residence.
It was already late, but a large crowd had gathered at the entrance of the Crown Prince's residence. Even though the gatekeepers had already turned off the lights, the officials' attendants, carrying lanterns and torches, still illuminated the entrance as brightly as day.
However, when the gate opened, the gatekeeper who came out still had a bitter face and bowed and scraped, saying, "Gentlemen, you should go back. His Highness the Crown Prince said that he is going to reflect on his mistakes in seclusion and will not see anyone."
Immediately someone said, "His Majesty only ordered the Crown Prince to close the gates, but he didn't say we couldn't come in."
The person next to him immediately chimed in, "Yes, it is we who are requesting an audience with the Crown Prince."
"Please pass on this message to us again."
"We must see His Highness the Crown Prince again tonight, no matter what!"
"Your Highness, Your Highness..."
Just as everyone was in a state of chaos, the door suddenly opened a little more, and a slender figure slowly walked out. Her gorgeous clothes were dazzlingly illuminated by the lights, and the domineering air emanating from her beautiful face made everyone fall silent.
Someone whispered, "The Crown Princess..."
Standing before them was none other than Crown Princess Yu Mingyue.
At this moment, she stood in front of the gate, facing the anxious ministers, and said with a smile, "Gentlemen, I have heard what you have said, and I ask you to understand the Crown Prince's difficulties."
"..."
"His Majesty's punishment of confinement to his quarters is already lenient. If you continue to play these word games and the Emperor finds out, the consequences will be dire—"
The crowd hesitated, then fell silent.
Yu Mingyue smiled again and said, "This time, some people acted on their own initiative and brought trouble upon themselves. His Highness the Crown Prince was indeed implicated, but even though he was implicated, the Emperor's wrath and kindness are both divine grace, and His Highness the Crown Prince is happy to accept them. Please do not make things difficult for him anymore."
"..."
"Are we really going to implicate His Highness the Crown Prince to death?"
Upon hearing this, some people in the crowd changed their expressions.
Previously, there were various rumors circulating in the palace, and they couldn't be completely certain. But this time, hearing the words from the Crown Princess's mouth, they were completely certain that General Ning Yuan had indeed taken matters into his own hands and brought things to this point, putting all of them, who stood behind the Crown Prince, in a precarious position.
Someone said softly, "We understand what the Crown Princess means. We will take our leave."
Yu Mingyue smiled and said, "Let's go back."
So she stood at the gate, watching the ministers leave one by one. The noise at the gate finally subsided, and then she slowly turned around and went back to the mansion. She walked along the dark path to the most secluded and quiet courtyard in the mansion. Three exquisite rooms stood quietly in the night, with only a candle lit in the window of the west wing. She pushed open the door without saying a word and immediately smelled the faint sandalwood scent lingering in the cool air.
Yuwen Qian was standing in the center of the room.
Opposite to him is the Buddhist shrine.
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