What does this have to do with the State of Chu?
The State of Chu was unjustly blamed.
What if the emperor gets angry and arrests Yun Chan?
Yun Chan looked sickly and so weak.
If you mess around with it even a little, you might lose your life...
Yuan Yao was utterly speechless.
Sometimes, I think this emperor was quite clever and wise.
But sometimes, why are we so stupid?
Has your IQ dropped?
Yuan Yao offered a timely reminder: "Your Majesty, the road from Chu to Qi has probably been washed away by the flood."
My father hasn't returned yet; the assassins from Chu probably won't be able to get here so quickly.
"The envoy from Chu has arrived today, hasn't he?" The emperor looked down at her.
Yuan Yao: "..."
What else could she say?
She thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, if the Chu Kingdom truly wanted to provoke a war between the Qi Kingdom and the Xiqiu Kingdom, it would not have done such a thing so openly."
Unless, they want to use the Emperor to get rid of Yun Chan for them…
Her voice was very soft.
Few people around could hear it.
The emperor listened and found it somewhat reasonable: "Yuan Yao, who do you think sent this person?"
Yuan Yao's gaze swept across the Empress Dowager's face.
The Empress Dowager was standing a distance away from them and couldn't hear what they were saying.
When Yuan Yao's gaze met hers, the Empress Dowager frowned.
The emperor followed Yuan Yao's gaze.
His gaze fell on the Empress Dowager's hanging hands, and the Emperor lowered his eyelids.
His hoarse voice lowered slightly as he murmured, "Empress Dowager?"
Yuan Yao gripped his collar but didn't say anything.
The emperor held Yuan Yao in his arms and remained silent for a long time.
Finally, the Minister of Justice spoke up: "Your Majesty, has the Ministry of Justice taken this person away?"
The emperor waved his sleeve: "Take him away."
The Minister of Justice nodded and beckoned the Imperial Guards to come.
Canfeng glanced at his young princess and reminded her at the right moment, "My lord, be careful that he doesn't commit suicide."
The Minister of Justice was delayed.
He glanced at Canfeng with a probing look.
He was just a teenager, but he was incredibly skilled in martial arts and very intelligent.
No wonder he's a nine-thousand-year-old!
The Minister of Justice raised his hand: "In that case, we can only dislocate this man's jaw and sever his tendons."
The jaw was removed to prevent him from biting his tongue and committing suicide.
But... isn't severing the tendons in the hands and feet a bit too bloody?
The Empress Dowager's face turned pale, and it took her a great deal of effort to calm herself down.
Counting on her fingers, the Empress Dowager said with difficulty, "Minister of Justice!"
"Empress Dowager?"
The Minister of Justice, having just removed the one-eyed man's jaw, looked at the Empress Dowager with a puzzled expression.
The Empress Dowager forced a smile: "Removing the jaw is understandable, but cutting the tendons in the hands and feet is a bit much..."
"Your Majesty, you are unaware of this," the Minister of Justice said, bowing. "Having served in office for many years, I have witnessed many prisoners commit suicide or desperately kill their jailers..."
We must not let him commit suicide until the truth is uncovered.
Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager clenched her fist and continued, "There must be other ways to prevent him from committing suicide!"
"You've been an official for so many years, isn't there any other way?"
Today is my birthday, and so much blood has already been shed in the hall; I do not wish to see any more!
"Empress Dowager," the Emperor said coldly, "Your Majesty has spoken up for this man twice today. Could it be that Your Majesty knows him?"
The emperor's voice rang out unexpectedly.
For a moment, the Empress Dowager was caught off guard.
After a long while, the Empress Dowager, her face pale and her eyebrows furrowed, said with suppressed anger, "Emperor, you...you actually doubt me?"
The emperor said in a hoarse voice, "I do not doubt the Empress Dowager. I just feel that this matter involves the affairs of the court and the inner palace should not interfere."
The Empress Dowager's repeated pronouncements inevitably arouse suspicion, and as her son, I must consider her reputation.
The Empress Dowager bit her lip, at a loss for words.
This emperor...
They were clearly mocking her, but they were doing it under the guise of doing it for her own good!
The emperor looked at the Minister of Justice: "Use severe torture to make him tell the truth!"
"Your subject obeys!"
The Minister of Justice, accompanied by the Imperial Guards, dragged the one-eyed man away.
Looking at the trail of blood on the ground, the Empress Dowager felt a sharp pain in her heart.
The Empress Dowager feigned feeling unwell and said, "Tanxin, help me back to rest."
However, after calling her name, she realized that Tan Xin was still asleep.
The Emperor glanced coldly at the Empress Dowager: "Li Deshan, take Tan Xin away and keep her under strict guard. I will personally interrogate her later!"
The Empress Dowager suppressed her anger, yet she was helpless.
An old woman hurried over and said, "Your Majesty, this servant will escort you back."
The Empress Dowager, holding her forehead, left looking haggard.
As soon as the Empress Dowager left, the Empress summoned someone and whispered a few instructions.
Soon, eunuchs and palace maids came in, cleaned up all the bloodstains in the hall, opened the windows, and lit incense.
Soon, the main hall was filled with the fragrance of incense, and the windows and tables were spotless.
The atmosphere finally eased.
The matter of poisoning can be put aside for now.
With the Empress Dowager gone, the Empress took charge of the banquet: "I apologize for the fright you all today; it was my mistake."
The banquet is not over yet, everyone please don't be so formal..."
After speaking, she beckoned for the singers, dancers, and musicians to come out and entertain the guests.
Soon, the hall was filled with laughter and joy once again.
The emperor looked coldly at the empress: "You will come with me."
The Empress nodded.
The emperor carefully carried Yuan Yao, then called the empress and Canfeng, and walked towards the side hall.
"Your Majesty..." Xie Zhi called out to him.
The emperor glanced at him and said, "All of you, go back to your seats."
As soon as the Emperor and Empress left, the main hall immediately became lively—
"I misunderstood Princess Yuan Yao earlier."
"The Ninth Prince and the Emperor are the most intelligent people in the world. The princess is pampered by them and is innocent and naive. How could she possibly harm anyone? Besides, she is only three years old!"
"That's right! My master is so envious of the Ninth Prince! He has such a lovely daughter as the Princess..."
"My family often jokes with me that they want to snatch Princess Yuan Yao and take her home to raise!"
"What a coincidence! My husband also likes Princess Yuan Yao, and lately, he's been trying to get me to have a daughter..."
"I don't have the strength to have another daughter, but my son is about the same age as the princess. When the princess comes of age, my son will come of age. They are a match made in heaven."
"Don't anyone try to take her from me, I also want Princess Yuan Yao to be my daughter-in-law..."
The topic suddenly veered off course.
Huaiyao, who was listening from the side, said resentfully, "That's not what they said just now!"
Huairou comforted her, saying, "Don't be angry. It's a good thing that the misunderstanding has been cleared up. It's also a good thing that these ladies like Yao'er."
"What's so good about her?" Huaiyao said angrily, "Yuan Yao is only so young, and they already want to marry her as their daughter-in-law!"
Don't they realize that no matter who Yuan Yao marries, she won't marry into their family!
Huairou chuckled, "Yao'er isn't going to marry you, so why are you in such a hurry?"
"Royal Sister!"
Huaiyao was so angry that she wanted to find an open space to whip him for a while.
Huairou smiled gently and said, "The good stuff won't flow into outsiders' fields. Yao'er is well-behaved and lovely. Marrying a prince or a marquis would be a step down for her."
"Hmph! Well then, she might as well marry my brother and become the Crown Princess! After all, my brother quite likes her!" Huaiyao snorted.
Huairou was amused: "Why not marry Chengyan? Even if Yao'er marries Chengyan, she will still be our sister."
"That makes sense!" Huaiyao was finally less angry.
Renshou Palace, side hall.
The emperor, his face clouded with gloom, stared at Canfeng with a somber expression: "Tell me, do you know who that one-eyed man works for?"
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