Chu Yi glanced at Xiao Shi lightly and said, "Go get a vase." The tails of his phoenix eyes tilted slightly upwards, and his shimmering black pupils looked like they were carefully drawn by a painter.
Little Shile happily went to get the vase.
After personally inserting the flower branches into a white porcelain vase, Chu Yi suddenly asked, "Is the person still there?"
He didn't say who it was, but Xiao Shi naturally understood and smiled: "Sir, Prince Li and His Royal Highness Prince Kang are still in the East Warm Pavilion."
Chu Yi stood up and Xiao Shi followed silently.
The master and servant went to the East Warm Pavilion in the cold wind. The eunuch guarding the East Warm Pavilion did not go in to inform the emperor, but let him in directly.
Everyone in the palace knew that the emperor loved the eldest prince the most, and the father and son were very close.
It was as warm as spring in the East Warm Pavilion, but the atmosphere was tense, with a faint sense of intense sparks.
Prince Li and Chu You, the uncle and nephew, both looked unhappy and each held his own opinion.
"Your Majesty, this marriage is absolutely not possible!" Prince Li said in a loud voice, still insisting on canceling the marriage.
"Uncle, I've said that Fang Mingfeng is the one who caused this incident today. It has nothing to do with Meng'er." Chu You argued, "The imperial decree for the marriage has been issued. How can you change it every day?"
"Your Majesty, you are the eldest brother, you can't just watch Ning Zhi bang his head against the wall..."
“…”
The uncle and nephew became more and more excited as they spoke, and their voices became louder and louder.
The emperor, dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, sat on the kang, rubbing his forehead with one hand. He looked a little tired, and the silver strands in his hair made him look even more haggard.
The chief eunuch immediately noticed Chu Yi coming, and quietly walked to the door curtain to greet him. He lowered his voice and roughly told him the current situation:
For example, Prince Li and Prince Kang arrived before the time of one stick of incense, because something went wrong when they went to propose marriage at the Dingyuan Marquis's residence; for example, Prince Fang Mingfeng of the Duke of Ying was stabbed by Prince Kang at the Dingyuan Marquis's residence;
For example, Prince Li thought that seeing blood today was unlucky and wanted to cancel the marriage; ...
“This is really…” Chu Yi obviously knew more than the other party, but he let out a low sigh appropriately, which seemed to be surprise and sigh.
He flicked his sleeves lightly, and his wide sleeves swayed gently like a weeping willow. He walked forward slowly and interrupted, "I'm afraid this matter is not just about whether the Seventh Uncle's marriage can be successful."
This sentence attracted the attention of Prince Li and Chu You.
The two forgot about their quarrel and looked at Chu Yi with different expressions. The former was confused and the latter had an unfriendly look.
Chu Yi walked slowly to the two of them and said gently and politely, "What crime did the Duke of Ying commit?"
His words were simple, but to the point.
The room was silent, and Prince Li looked thoughtful.
Chu Yi walked directly to the emperor's side and sat down. His every move revealed an indescribable elegance and nobility, which was pleasing to the eye.
The next moment, the young eunuch served him tea and fruits with very quick and skillful movements.
Chu You narrowed his narrow eagle eyes, and a dangerous and unruly aura emanated from his whole body.
Chu Yi seemed to be completely unaware, and continued: "Emperor Taizu has ordered that the children of the royal family should set an example, not bully the weak, and not hurt others without reason... Otherwise, the crime will be even more serious."
After a pause, Chu Yi slowly repeated, "May I ask, uncle, what crime did the prince of the Duke of Ying commit?"
This time, he raised his eyes and looked directly at Chu You who was three or four feet away.
Chu You’s face was ashen, the muscles on his cheeks were tense, and his eyes were colder than ten thousand years of ice.
This law was established by Emperor Taizu.
It is recorded in Emperor Taizu's "Daily Notes" that Emperor Taizu once said: The more powerful the second generation is, the more arrogant and violent they are, so they should be severely punished to serve as a warning to others.
In every dynasty, members of the royal family have always been superior to others. When Emperor Taizu proposed this law, members of the royal family naturally opposed it. However, they were powerless.
"Cough cough..." Chu Yi tilted his head slightly, put his right fist to his lips, and coughed softly several times.
The snow-white cloak covering him was trimmed with a circle of sable fur, which made his handsome face look even thinner, his cheeks were flushed, and he looked sick.
"Chuyi, did you feel the cold wind blowing when you came here?" The emperor leaned over and looked at Chu Yi with concern, "Come, drink more hot water."
The emperor personally helped him pick up the teacup on the tea table, opened the lid, and handed it to him. Wisps of white steam came out of the teacup and the tea was steaming hot.
"It's okay." Chu Yi coughed twice and then recovered. He smiled at the emperor and lowered his head to drink tea.
The father and son were very affectionate, and the father was loving and the son was filial. Prince Li, who was originally irritated by Chu You, looked a little relieved.
Chu Yi slowly drank two sips of tea, and then he heard the door curtain in front of him being carefully lifted. Then a middle-aged eunuch reported in a shrill voice: "Your Majesty, the Duke of England has arrived and is kneeling outside."
The emperor raised his eyebrows and asked in a low but not old voice, "What is the Duke of England doing?"
Chu You's thin lips were pursed into a straight line, while Prince Li frowned.
A first-rank duke kneeled outside, either to plead guilty or to seek justice. Whatever the reason was, it was bound to cause speculation among the civil and military officials in the court.
Chu Yi held the teacup, lowered his head to smell the tea, and slowly sipped it.
The middle-aged eunuch who came to report the news lowered his head again and replied hesitantly: "Duke Ying said that Prince Fang was injured by His Royal Highness Prince Kang, and he wants to ask the emperor to do justice for the prince."
Even without looking up, the middle-aged eunuch could feel Chu You's knife-like gaze scraping at him, and cold sweat broke out on his back.
"Hey." Chu Yi's elegant and gentle voice sounded again, "The Duke of Ying is an old minister of the founding of the country. It is said that the bow is put away after the birds are killed, but Emperor Taizu has a broad mind and never kills meritorious officials in vain. He has left behind many stories of the harmonious relationship between the monarch and his ministers, unlike the previous Emperor Qi..."
Prince Li is sixty-four years old this year. He has followed Emperor Taizu around and witnessed his extraordinary charm with his own eyes.
He liked listening to people talk about the deeds of Emperor Taizu the most, and his blood boiled every time he recalled the past.
"Well said!" Prince Li slapped his thigh heavily, and he suddenly looked several years younger and radiant. "Uncle Emperor has a broad mind that is unmatched by ordinary people!"
In comparison, King Kang's mind was not as broad as his ancestors'. He was willing to fight and kill for the sake of love, and even dared to attack the descendants of the founding heroes!
When Prince Li looked at Chu You again, he shook his head and sighed, frowned and said in a deep voice: "Ningzhi, you hurt the prince of the Duke of Ying today. Others will only say that a member of the royal family hurt the heir of the Duke of Ying. If this is not handled properly, someone might think that the emperor wants to use this as an excuse to kill the founding hero."
Just like Chu Yi said, the Qi Taizu of the previous dynasty was a person who would cook away the dogs after the cunning rabbit died. Less than ten years after the founding of the country, he killed most of the founding heroes, which is chilling.
"..." Chu You's eyes twitched suddenly.
The emperor slowly stroked his beard and was about to ask the eunuch to call the Duke of Yingguo in when he heard Chu Yi say, "Father, let me go over and take a look."
The emperor always doted on Chu Yi, so he agreed without further ado: "Okay, go and appease the Duke of England."
Chu Yi elegantly covered the teacup with the lid, put it back on the tea table, turned to look at Chu You, and asked with a smile: "Seventh Uncle, do you want to join me?"
Chu You answered with practical action and stood up with a sullen face.
They walked one after the other through two door curtains and arrived at the gate of the east warm room.
Fang Huairui, wearing a first-grade scarlet robe embroidered with a Qilin, knelt on the cold ground in the chill wind, his head half lowered, his face looking dark and unclear.
When he saw a pair of white boots coming into view, Fang Huairui's mouth corners tightened. When he raised his head, his pair of round, copper-bell eyes turned red and contained a few tears.
"Your Highness, my son was injured by King Kang and is still unconscious. His life or death is unknown..."
"I will seek justice for my son!"
Fang Huairui raised his voice and cried to Chu Yi in a ghostly and wolf-like manner. By the end, his voice was hoarse. His crying was six parts fake and four parts real.
Fang Mingfeng is Fang Huairui's eldest son and was once his pride.
Seeing his son injured, Fang Huairui's heart ached. When facing Chu You at this moment, there was some resentment and dissatisfaction in his eyes, as if he would rush up and punch Chu You hard in the next moment.
He didn't even have to act for this, his emotions were quite on point.
"Fang Mingfeng deserves it." Chu You said in a grim tone.
"Your Highness, the Crown Prince, Prince Kang is really going too far!" Fang Huairui raised his finger and pointed at Chu You, then wiped his tears with his sleeve, "My son was a bit reckless, but it is understandable. Your Highness Prince Kang hurt me with a sharp weapon just because he disagreed with me. It's really going too far..."
Thinking back on the whole incident, Fang Huairui felt somewhat complicated.
Chu Yi did not hide this plan from him. In fact, Fang Mingfeng was able to sneak out of the Duke of Yingguo's Mansion this morning because Fang Huairui turned a blind eye and let it go.
Mingfeng has had a smooth life since childhood and has never encountered any setbacks, which has led to him developing this kind of ignorant character. Recently, he has become more and more outrageous. It is time for him to suffer a little and learn his lesson.
It is better to suffer a little now than to be stripped of the title and killed in the future.
A sharp light flashed across Fang Huairui's eyes, then disappeared.
Seeing Fang Huairui being so ungrateful, Chu You's face became increasingly gloomy.
Chu Yi took another step forward and politely advised, "Duke Yingguo, you should go back first. Father has already known about this matter and will give you an explanation."
His voice was as clear as the sound of bells ringing in the wind, and it had the power to soothe people's hearts.
However, to Fang Huairui's ears, Chu Yi's words sounded cold and chilling.
Fang Huairui's eyes twitched violently, and he pretended to wipe away his tears again, and sighed: He really got on a pirate ship! This eldest prince looked gentle and harmless on the outside, but he was actually a black-hearted person. He got on this pirate ship half-heartedly, and I'm afraid he can't get off.
He could have just watched the fight between Chu Yi and Chu You without getting involved in this mess.
The more Fang Huairui thought about it, the sadder he became. At this moment, he really wanted to cry. He couldn't help but vent his anger on Prince Kang and said, "I beg the emperor to make the decision. Killing someone means paying with one's life..."
(End of this chapter)
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