Chapter 34: Dengwengu
The next morning, it was time for the grand court meeting.
In the solemn and dignified Fengtian Hall, civil and military officials stood on both sides, and the emperor sat high on the dragon throne, listening to reports from various departments.
The atmosphere is solemn and slightly dull.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
The heavy, rapid, and penetrating drumbeats, like thunder, came from outside the palace gate without warning, instantly tearing the tranquility of the court apart!
The expressions of all the civil and military officials in the court, including the emperor on the dragon throne, changed!
Unless it is a huge injustice or a major secret involving the country, no one dares to easily strike the drum that leads directly to the emperor!
"Who's beating the drum?!"
The emperor's voice carried a hint of subtle surprise and anger.
Under the feet of the emperor, in a peaceful and prosperous era, someone actually beat the drum to report to the emperor? This is simply a slap in the face of him, the emperor!
Soon, the leader of the palace guards hurried into the hall, knelt on one knee, and said in a voice filled with disbelief and horror.
"Your Majesty! Those beating the drums...are the Grand Madam Zhou of the Weiyuan Marquisate, the Second Master Cui Jun of the Weiyuan Marquisate, and the Second Madam Wang! They claim...they claim to have a shocking case of deceiving the emperor to accuse!"
Weiyuan Marquis Mansion? !
Cui Yan stood in the ranks of nobles. When he heard the name of his own mansion, and then heard "Madam Zhou" and "Second Master Cui Jun", a chill instantly rushed from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!
His face turned pale as paper in an instant, and his body swayed. If it weren't for a friendly general next to him who quickly helped him, he would have almost collapsed to the ground!
It's over! That old hag! That idiot brother! He's really gone crazy!
They are going to drag the entire Marquisate into an abyss of no return!
The emperor frowned, his eyes shooting at the pale Cui Yan, his heart full of doubts: "Announce!"
Under the astonished, curious and inquiring gazes of all the civil and military officials in the court, Old Lady Zhou, wearing the imperial robes and supported by Cui Jun and Wang, walked into the Fengtian Hall tremblingly but with a kind of morbid excitement.
As soon as she entered the hall, she fell to her knees with a plop, and Cui Jun and Wang also knelt down hurriedly.
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty, please make the decision for me!"
Mrs. Zhou burst into tears before she spoke, her voice was shrill and sad, like a cuckoo crying blood.
"I want to report Weiyuan Hou Cui Yan! I want to report him for deceiving the emperor and confusing the nobles' bloodlines! He deserves death!"
"boom--!"
Madam Zhou’s words were like pouring cold water into boiling oil, and the entire Fengtian Hall instantly exploded!
The discussion swept across like a tsunami!
"Deceiving the king? Confusion of bloodlines?!"
"Marquis Weiyuan? This... How is this possible?"
"Isn't Zhou the stepmother of Marquis Weiyuan? This..."
"Look at Marquis Weiyuan's expression..."
The emperor's pupils shrank slightly at the sudden shock of this huge news.
He sat up straight, his voice solemn, with supreme pressure
"Zhou! Do you know what you are talking about? Falsely accusing a noble of the imperial court is a serious crime! Explain in detail!"
This was exactly what Old Madam Zhou had been waiting for. She immediately spilled the beans, exaggerating the details of the true and false prince:
"...Your Majesty, please understand! Cui Xiao, who is currently studying with the Third Prince in the palace, is not a member of the Weiyuan Marquisate's family at all!
He's a bastard who came from nowhere! He was a fake who was swapped in the palace back then!"
"...The true heir of the Marquisate is that quack doctor named Hu Qing! There's a jade pendant as proof! It's been a personal belonging of generations of Marquises, and both Cui Yan and his wife, Xiao Zhou, have acknowledged it!"
"... Cui Yan and his wife knew the truth, yet in order to protect the fake they had raised for fifteen years, to preserve the Crown Prince's wealth and honor and his qualification as a tutor to the Emperor, they dared to conceal the truth and deceive Your Majesty!
He has confused the bloodline of our Marquisate, and he even allowed a bastard of unknown origin to study with the prince. His heart is worthy of death! Where does this put the dignity of the royal family? ! "
Old Lady Zhou wept bitterly, and every word she said was heartbreaking as she portrayed Cui Yan and his wife as selfish, deceitful and treacherous people who deceived the emperor.
Cui Jun and Wang kowtowed and echoed
"Your Majesty, I beg you to investigate this matter and severely punish those who have deceived you!"
Cui Yan was so angry when he heard this heart-wrenching statement that he was shaking all over and his vision was getting dark.
He pointed at Old Madam Zhou, his lips trembling. He wanted to argue and scold, but because of his immense anger and fear, he couldn't even utter a complete sound!
There was an uproar in the court.
Everyone's eyes were fixed on Cui Yan, whose face was ashen. Shock, suspicion, gloating, disbelief... all kinds of emotions were mixed together.
The emperor's face also darkened.
He never expected that the matter he announced would be so bizarre and serious!
The prince of a marquisate who was studying with the prince was actually a fake? And the Marquis of Weiyuan and his wife knew about it but kept it secret? This really touched his bottom line!
However, the emperor was an emperor after all, and he had a deep mind.
He looked at Madam Zhou, who looked like she was mad, with greed and resentment flashing in her eyes, and then looked at Cui Jun and his wife, who also had greedy and calculating expressions on their faces, and sneered in his heart:
Foolish woman! The crime of deceiving the emperor carries with it the punishment of all nine generations of your clan! You think that by reporting this, you and your son can stay out of this and inherit the title? Dream on! This is clearly a desperate act, willing to sacrifice even your life to seize the title!
However, the melon was indeed large and bizarre enough, and the emperor's curiosity was piqued.
"Marquis Weiyuan,"
The emperor's voice was neither joyful nor angry, but it carried a sense of oppression that a storm was about to come.
"Is what Zhou said true?"
Cui Yan fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead banging heavily on the gold brick, his voice hoarse and desperate.
"Your Majesty! I…I am guilty! I…I just learned about this! I haven't had time to…"
He wanted to argue that he did not conceal the truth on purpose, but that the incident happened suddenly. However, his words seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the ironclad facts.
The emperor snorted coldly, no longer looking at him, and turned to Madam Zhou.
"You said there's a jade pendant as proof? The real prince's name is Hu Qing?"
"Yes! Yes! Your Majesty, Hu Qing is in Weiyuan Marquis' Mansion right now! And that Lin Feng, his senior brother, can all testify!"
Old Madam Zhou rushed to answer, as if she was afraid that others didn't know.
A gleam of light flashed in the emperor's eyes, and his gossipy heart was burning. At the same time, he realized that this matter must be thoroughly investigated, otherwise how would the court save face?
“傳朕旨意，即刻宣威遠侯夫人小周氏，以及胡青、林風，入宮觐見！朕要親自問個明白！”
他頓了頓，補充道，“威遠侯崔衍，暫留殿內，不得擅離！”
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