Chapter 022 Guests are coming to the palace
"Bang!"
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a sound of a teacup hitting the ground in the flower hall. It was obvious who did it.
The princess and the others were so frightened that they shrank their necks. They felt that the anger of Prince Ning was about to materialize. They thought that he would be furious and they would be affected. But after a few breaths, Prince Ning said, "It's so late, I believe everyone is hungry. Butler, ask someone to serve the food."
The topic jumped too quickly and the butler was stunned for a few seconds before reacting. He ignored Zong Zheng Lianqi and quickly agreed before running to the kitchen.
The servants each did their own job, some cleaned, some set the table, some served the dishes. Even the princess and her two sons sat down quietly and began to eat, as calm as if nothing had happened.
No one dared to mention Zong Zheng Lianqi, as if everyone had forgotten about this person.
After dinner, Prince Ning stayed in the study for a while, then returned to his room to wash up and go to bed. Princess Ning wanted to say something several times, but in the end she didn't dare to speak.
Zong Zheng Lianqi knelt until midnight, and finally he could no longer hold on and fainted.
But no one dared to help him, nor did anyone dare to wake King Ning to ask him what to do.
Su Wan'er wanted to take her husband away, but the servants did not allow her to do so without orders from their superiors.
There was no other choice, so Su Wan'er waited in the yard with Zong Zheng Lianqi all night. After Prince Ning woke up, the housekeeper immediately told him what happened last night.
Princess Ning did not sleep well all night. When she heard her son fainted, she was so anxious that she couldn't help wiping away tears.
Prince Ning still had that cold look on his face, and said calmly, "Tell the Crown Princess to take the man back, and let them invite the doctor themselves. They are strong enough to make their own decisions, so why should we old folks get involved in their affairs?"
After the housekeeper left, the princess could no longer control her emotions and cried, "My Lord, how could you say that? You know that Lian Qi didn't mean that."
Prince Ning was not angry with his wife, but looked out the window and sighed, "He is already 18 years old, but he is still so brainless and can't see the current situation clearly. If we let him go, we will be implicated by him sooner or later."
The princess knew that what her husband said was right, but she still favored her son. "It's not as serious as what the prince said."
Prince Ning: "By the time you realize the seriousness of the situation, it will be too late."
The princess stammered, not knowing what to say for a moment.
Prince Ning pinched his brows and seemed to be talking to himself: "I am really uneasy in my heart. I always feel that something bad will happen..."
He had just finished speaking when the butler came back with a gold-plated note in his hand, saying that it was sent by the emperor.
Zong Zhengxiao has always respected him as his elder brother. Prince Ning is the only one in the capital who can be personally invited by Zong Zhengxiao to enter the palace.
However, after that incident, when King Ning saw the invitation letter representing divine favor, he felt not pride but fear, and it took him a long time before hesitating to accept it.
After reading the content, Prince Ning's expression became even more serious. The princess asked carefully: "Prince, the emperor..."
Prince Ning said, "His Majesty said that the lotus flowers in the palace are in full bloom, and he invited my family to come to the palace tomorrow to enjoy them together."
Princess Ning was a little confused. The emperor had many spies and he must have known about the Su family's affairs earlier than them.
According to common sense, he should have sent someone to question them, but why did he politely send them invitations to enter the palace to appreciate the flowers?
This is really not normal.
But no matter what the emperor means, they must go to the flower viewing banquet, and no one can be left out.
Prince Ning said to his wife, "Go to the eldest brother's courtyard and take a look. He has to attend tomorrow. Don't embarrass our Prince Ning's Mansion in front of His Majesty."
The princess also realized the seriousness of the matter. She had no time to figure out who was right and who was wrong between her husband and her son, so she quickly went to find her eldest son and daughter-in-law.
Fortunately, Zong Zheng Lianqi's physical condition was good enough for his regular exercise, and he was young and had a strong ability to recover. After being fed medicine in a half-asleep state, he woke up in the afternoon.
But his legs were swollen from kneeling, and they would definitely not heal in a short time. If he walked, it would definitely be noticed.
There is nothing they can do about it. The only thing they can do is use the best medicine and leave it to fate.
In the evening, the princess told Prince Ning about this situation. Prince Ning was not panicked, but said calmly: "As long as he can enter the palace with us normally, it will be fine. It will let people know that he has been punished. At least it will let His Majesty know our sincerity. After all, the Su family has caused His Majesty a lot of trouble this time."
Zong Zhengxiao's road to the throne was paved with the blood of his brothers. Although Prince Ning had long lost the possibility of succession, he had always maintained a neutral attitude when his three younger brothers were fighting desperately and had never offended Zong Zhengxiao. But there is a saying that goes - the heart of a king is hard to predict.
Even though Zong Zhengxiao still respected him as before, there was still a difference between a monarch and his subjects.
After he was crowned king, he only held an idle position in the least respected Ministry of Works, never cared about court affairs, and strictly disciplined himself and his family, just to live a peaceful life.
He saw the tit-for-tat situation between Zong Zhengxiao and the aristocratic families. Both sides hated each other and wanted to kill each other.
As a member of the royal family, he was protected by Zong Zhengxiao. Not only could he not help Zong Zhengxiao, but his own in-laws also allowed the aristocratic family to arrest him.
This was not what he wanted, but he still couldn't escape the blame.
I hope Zong Zhengxiao will not blame the Ning Palace for the fact that the Ning Palace is usually honest and dutiful, and that I not only punished my son but also tried my best to deal with the matter of Su's father.
He went to bed with mixed feelings, and Prince Ning woke up early the next day.
After waiting in the flower hall for several hours, the housekeeper finally came back with the news.
The housekeeper said anxiously, "Your Majesty, the censors from the aristocratic families did bring up the Su family's affairs during the morning court session, and even implicated our palace, saying that Master Su dared to accept bribes because he relied on the protection of the palace, and that he might have given the bribes to the palace. Please, Your Majesty, investigate thoroughly."
Prince Ning's heart tightened, for he knew that the noble families would not miss this opportunity.
"Has the Emperor agreed?"
The housekeeper said, "I agree, but don't worry, Your Majesty. Among the officials who are investigating, there are people under the Emperor's command, so they will have to think twice before framing you."
After hearing this result, Prince Ning relaxed a lot. He was not afraid of being investigated, but was afraid of being framed and not being trusted by the emperor. These two things were the most fatal.
He took a deep breath and said, "Tell everyone in the palace to be smart recently and not be tricked by others. Then inform the princess and the boss and let them get ready. We will enter the palace in half an hour."
"Yes." The butler responded and turned around to convey the order.
Prince Ning just sat there quietly, no one knew what he was thinking about.
In the palace, Zong Zhengxiao accompanied Rong Yin for lunch and then took her to the terrace of the pavilion to bask in the sun.
Rong Yin was bored, so she went into the water to swim a few laps. When she returned to the terrace, she found that Si Xi was arranging people to place the low tables and serve tea and snacks.
What is happening?