Chapter 220 Taking Advantage of an Excuse
Emperor Muzong's brows furrowed as he looked at Eunuch Feng behind him. "What exactly happened?"
Eunuch Feng bowed and stepped forward. The young eunuch had already told him the gist of the matter, but he didn't know why the Seventh Princess and Wei Siyuan had clashed. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and whisper a few words in her ear.
"Is this how you discipline Xiao Qi?"
A cold voice rang out in the hall, startling Consort Zhang, who was sitting to his left. Xiao Qi and Wei Siyuan of the Yongchang Marquis's Mansion had some grudges, but no matter what, she shouldn't be so unruly. Wei Siyuan must have angered Xiao Qi!
Not knowing the full story, Consort Zhang dared not speak definitively and hurriedly defended herself, saying, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid it's just children playing around. Xiao Qi has always been well-behaved and is by no means an arrogant or domineering person. There must be some misunderstanding between them."
Madam Cheng raised her head, looked at the Eldest Princess beside her, and said with even more earthiness, "Your Highness, the Seventh Princess not only pushed my son into the lotus pond, but also beat him until his face was bruised and swollen. That little brat even shouted that she would break his legs and take his life!"
Consort Zhang's face was ashen, her fingers clenched tightly. "Xiao Qi couldn't have gotten into a fight with Wei Siyuan for no reason. Your Wei Siyuan must have done something outrageous first."
The eldest princess parted her red lips slightly, her tone mocking, "An eight-year-old girl dares to shout about fighting and killing, her upbringing is truly eye-opening... If someone really dies, will Consort Shu also take responsibility for her?"
She looked around, paused, and then said, "You dare to miss such an important event as the New Year's Eve banquet? Is this the kind of upbringing your Zhang family has?"
The royal family members were already discussing the matter animatedly, each offering their own opinion.
"...Yes, yes, such a young age and already so ruthless. If she doesn't learn good habits, what will she be like when she grows up? She'll be a disgrace to the royal family!"
"You can tell what a person will be like at three years old. This person is too cruel!"
"She's not some wild, motherless girl; she's a disgrace to the royal family!"
"That's so inconsiderate! On New Year's Eve, she made such a fool of herself. I don't know what she's been busy with."
...
Emperor Muzong's eyes flashed with a cold light, and he suddenly raised his voice: "I ask you, is this how you indulge her?"
"Your Majesty, I dare not..." Consort Zhang's voice trembled.
The lights shone brightly, illuminating Consort Zhang's fair face. Her heart ached as if it were being pierced by needles. At that moment, she felt that Emperor Muzong's familiar face was extremely ferocious and terrifying!
Emperor Muzong, as the father of the seventh princess, never uttered a single word in defense of his child.
Emperor Muzong stared intently at Consort Zhang with his imposing gaze, "Apologize to Lady Cheng."
A hint of schadenfreude flashed in the princess's eyes as she watched the scene with a half-smile.
Consort Zhang tilted her head back and said, "Can suspicion be enough to convict someone? Your Majesty, the matter has not been clarified at all. Can you frame the Seventh Princess and smear her based solely on the one-sided testimony of a mere subject? Is it the same thing that happened back then, and will it happen again today?"
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Feng was stunned. Was Consort Zhang out of her mind? Wasn't she implying that Emperor Muzong had wronged Empress Wen back then?
He spoke tremblingly, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger..."
Sure enough, the next moment, Emperor Muzong slapped Consort Zhang across the face.
With a 'snap', the murmurs vanished instantly.
There was complete silence all around; you could hear a pin drop.
"Outrageous! No reason can justify taking a life so lightly? Didn't she push the person down? Didn't she hit anyone?"
Consort Zhang was stunned for a moment, then covered her face and rose to her knees, kneeling obediently on the ground, her voice choked with sobs.
"Your Majesty, I implore you to send the Imperial Clan Court to investigate this matter. If Xiao Qi has disregarded the lives of others without cause, I am willing to bear all the blame!"
Emperor Muzong's brow furrowed with anger, and the veins on the back of his hand beneath his dragon robe stood out. "Shut up! Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?"
"Guards, Consort Zhang has behaved improperly before the Emperor. Take her back to Jingkun Palace."
The imperial guards looked at each other, none of them making a move.
Emperor Muzong narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth, saying, "Are you all deaf? From this moment on, Consort Zhang is confined to Jingkun Palace, and all matters within the palace will be handled by Consort Jiang."
Outside the palace, Dou Wenyi hurriedly brought Pei Shuyue over after she changed her clothes, and just then she saw the scene before her.
"Mother Consort—"
Pei Shuyue's eyes were bloodshot, and she kept trying to rush inside.
Dou Wenyi covered her lips tightly and forcibly led her to a secluded corridor, her tone unusually serious, "His Majesty is in a bad mood right now. If you go in now, you will only add fuel to the fire."
Pei Shuyue's tears flowed incessantly, her voice drowned out by her throat, overwhelmed by the bitterness of her tears and intense regret.
The Seventh Princess suffered an injustice, but Emperor Muzong not only failed to uphold justice, but also deliberately sided with outsiders, and even beat Consort Zhang in front of the imperial family.
Emperor Muzong's slap not only shattered Consort Zhang's favor but also demonstrated the emperor's authority and allowed him to seize power from her.
In fact, the person he truly feared was Pei Siyan, who was afraid that Pei Siyan's achievements would overshadow the emperor and that he would kill his father and seize the throne!
It was the eldest princess who planted the seeds of doubt in him again, and also gave him the confidence to seize the opportunity to make trouble.
Perhaps tonight's events are just the beginning.
Pei Shuyue didn't understand the cruelty of the power struggles within the imperial court, and Dou Wenyi didn't want her to be exposed to the darkness of human nature too early.
Pei Shuyue raised her teary eyes and pleaded, "Sister-in-law Crown Princess, am I just supposed to let them wrong me and slander me like this, and let Father Emperor bully my mother? Am I really wrong?"
Dou Wenyi, her heart heavy, gently stroked her head. "In today's events, Wei Siyuan is the truly malicious scoundrel; he's the one who made the mistake. But why are all the royal family members speaking up for him?"
Pei Shuyue shook her head blankly, "They don't like Xiao Qi, they don't know he abuses Xue Tuan..."
Dou Wenyi patiently explained, "No, it's because someone deliberately steered public opinion in that direction. Besides, even if they knew, they would blame you. It's because Wei Siyuan schemed against you and deliberately provoked you, all to get you to attack him. You fell into his trap, which gave him ammunition to talk about him. He's bullying the strong with the weak."
"And you were also at fault tonight. You were wrong to be careless, and you were wrong to not handle this kind of thing skillfully and not to take advantage of your own strengths."
“First, when Wei Siyuan stole the snowball, you shouldn’t have gone to look for it on your own with Zhang Cheng’an. You should have asked your mother for help, or even just asked me.”
"Second, if you want to beat him up, you can secretly have someone put a sack over his head, so that at least no one can find fault with him in public."
"As for your father, he is first and foremost a sovereign, and only secondly a father. This matter needs to be clarified at another opportunity."
Pei Shuyue nodded as if she understood, "I understand. I won't be so impulsive again. Should I explain to Father Emperor after he calms down?"
Pei Shuyue will probably never forget what happened tonight. The lofty image of her father, Emperor Muzong, will completely collapse in her heart, and her desire to protect her mother will become even stronger.
Dou Wenyi took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears. "Little Qi is such a good girl. Now, let me take you back to Jingkun Palace. Consort Shu must be very worried about you."
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