Honghui replied with a smile, "Today is my eldest sister's birthday, and these are all gifts for her."
Bayan feigned surprise: "It's actually the eldest princess's birthday! This is bad. I didn't bring a gift today. But this morning before I went out, I saw a very beautiful peach blossom hairpin on the street. I was originally thinking of giving it to my sisters. Why don't I just use it to offer to the eldest princess and add some joy to her celebration?"
Honghui was indeed pleased to hear this. According to the imperial genealogy, Yierha and he shared the same mother and had both grown up under the care of Ulanara. In his heart, he regarded Yierha as his sister from the same mother.
Bayan was his cousin, and in Honghui's eyes, they were all family. So when Bayan mentioned wanting to go with him to celebrate his older sister's birthday, he didn't sense anything amiss.
As a result, before they even got off get out of class and went to the South Third Institute, they ran into Su Peisheng first.
Honghui asked with a smile, "Eunuch Su, is there something important that Father Emperor needs?"
Su Peisheng was also amiable towards Honghui, smiling respectfully: "Your Highness, His Majesty has something to discuss with Young Master Bayan."
Honghui paused for a moment, turned to look at Bayan, and found him suddenly frozen with an unusual expression. He felt a sudden panic in his heart: "Eunuch, has something happened? Bayan is impetuous. If he has offended Father Emperor in any way, it was not intentional."
Su Peisheng smiled broadly, making it impossible to tell whether it was good news or bad news. Walking in front of the emperor, it was impossible for others to find out his information. This was a basic skill, and Honghui knew it too.
Su Peisheng smiled and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness."
That was all; he refused to say anything else.
Honghui forced himself to calm his pounding heart and turned to Bayan, instructing him, "Then go ahead. If you do anything wrong, quickly apologize to Father Emperor."
This was the first time Bayan had been summoned by the Emperor alone, and he was unsure whether his affair with the eldest princess had been leaked.
If the emperor finds out, will he punish me or grant me a marriage?
Bayan thought about many things in that instant, but seeing Su Peisheng's smiling face, he suddenly calmed down and breathed a sigh of relief. Since Eunuch Su's attitude was so good, it must be a good thing.
Thinking of this, he comforted Honghui instead: "Brother, don't worry, I'll be right back."
After saying that, he straightened his clothes, his expression suddenly became arrogant, and he strode away with Su Peisheng.
Honghui was completely bewildered by his series of actions, so he had to call over the eunuch serving him to ask what was going on.
Meanwhile, in the Hall of Mental Cultivation
When Yierha saw Yinzhen, she immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness. Yinzhen did not punish her too harshly, as he still loved his daughter very much. He only told her to recognize Bayan's true colors later.
“Yierha, I don’t blame you for what happened. I only blame myself for not caring about you enough in the past. In the future, no matter what happens, you must tell me first. You are simple-minded and may be taken advantage of by people with ulterior motives. I am afraid that you will get hurt.”
Upon hearing Yinzhen's words, Yierha felt even more ashamed, feeling that he had failed his beloved mother and father.
However, Yinzhen was not without anger. Yierha was still young and her mind was not firm. She was easily swayed by others, which he could understand. In addition, he did not have high expectations for Yierha. He just wanted her to live a peaceful, smooth, and carefree life.
If it were Hutuli or any of his other sons, he would punish them severely.
How can someone who can be blinded by a few words from others be considered a person of integrity?
It's hard to tell whether the people around you are loyal or treacherous. When mistakes are made, you don't stop the damage in time, but instead become addicted to them.
Thinking of this, Yinzhen couldn't help but sigh, hoping that this would teach her a lesson.
Not long after, Su Peisheng brought Bayan to pay his respects.
Changning held Yierha's hand and sat behind the screen. Sensing Yierha's nervousness, Changning patted her hand to comfort her.
As soon as Bayan entered, he knelt down and kowtowed: "Bayan greets Your Majesty."
Yinzhen didn't wake him up; instead, he carefully examined the man.
In fact, it was Ulanara who arranged for the selection of the Haha Beads for Honghui. She herself had investigated and chosen close relatives and nephews. More importantly, they were ambitious and of good character. Otherwise, what if they led her own son astray?
He also had some impression of this Bayan. He was usually quite capable in both civil and military affairs, had some ambition, was single-mindedly devoted to the glory of the Ulanara clan, and was also loyal to Honghui.
Previously, this was considered one of his strengths, but now his ambition to use Yierha has crossed Yinzhen's bottom line.
Bayan knelt below, his first time meeting the Emperor alone, which made him extremely nervous. The Emperor's will was unpredictable, especially since Yinzhen had not spoken a word, which made him sweat profusely.
Bayan gradually realized that if they were really going to bestow a marriage upon him, they would definitely summon his father and mother first, just like Xingde did, and consult with the elders first. Why would they go directly to him?
Moreover, if it were truly an arranged marriage, they wouldn't have summoned me to kneel; this is clearly a show of force!
Before he could think any further, Yinzhen's calm voice came from above: "Bayan, I trusted you, which is why I made you the eldest prince's henchman. But I never expected that you would betray my trust."
Bayan instinctively wanted to retort, "Your Majesty! Your Majesty is wise!"
"Judge Ming? You bribed the palace servants around the First Prince and the First Princess, which violated the palace rules. You even tried to use sweet words to win the First Princess's heart. In every single one of these matters, how have I wronged you?" Yinzhen became angrier as he spoke, wishing he could tear him to pieces immediately.
"For seducing the princess and engaging in illicit relations, this one charge alone is enough to have your entire family executed!"
Bayan flinched in fright, and even Yierha behind the screen trembled.
"Your Majesty! I didn't! I really didn't seduce the eldest princess! We were just... we were just chatting casually! Yes! We were just chatting casually! The eldest princess has a very close relationship with our Ulanara clan, and I've always treated her like a younger sister!"
Bayan was so frightened that he stammered. Yinzhen sneered, "You treat the eldest princess as your sister? You have some nerve! Bayan, do you think you can fool me like I'm a fool?! You have no respect for the emperor or your father. Marriage is always decided by your parents. You're bold enough, but I wonder if you're tough enough?"
Bayan had been kowtowing and confessing his sins repeatedly. If he had known it would lead to his death, he would never have spoken to the eldest princess in the first place! He would have stayed far away from her!
"Your Majesty! Please spare me! I will never dare to do it again! I have absolutely no improper thoughts about the eldest princess, it was all a misunderstanding!"
Behind the screen, Yierha was in tears.
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