The words of Grand Tutor Wu made the Emperor's brows tighten, and his face turned ashen.
The meaning of his words was very clear. He wanted to force the emperor to listen to his memorial before reading it out. If things went as expected, this memorial must be related to Crown Prince Leng Yun.
So even though he knew this, the emperor still hardened his heart and waved his hand at Liu Xi, saying:
"Let's read the imperial edict first, and we can discuss everything later."
Before he finished speaking, Grand Tutor Wu suddenly straightened his expression and shouted forcefully:
"Your Majesty, I have just received a letter from the Divine Martial General Wu Hong. The border war is tense. He asked me to advise Your Majesty that no disturbances should occur in the court at this time, otherwise it will disrupt the morale of the army and make him lose his will to fight. I hope Your Majesty will reconsider."
After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent. The emperor frowned. Anyone with a discerning eye could understand the meaning of this sentence. Wu Yuanzhang was using the power in Wu Hong's hands to threaten the emperor, and he said it so clearly without any reservation.
But this sentence made the emperor dare not underestimate it, and everyone present frowned slightly. Everyone knew that Wu Hong had been guarding the border for many years and had made great contributions. This also led to more and more troops and power in his hands. Otherwise, how could Wu Yuanzhang dare to use him to threaten the emperor so blatantly?
But even though the emperor knew that his words contained a threat, he could do nothing about it. After careful consideration, he waved his hand to Eunuch Liu, signaling him not to read the imperial edict yet.
Eunuch Liu took two steps back and rolled up the imperial edict. Only then did Wu Yuanzhang breathe a sigh of relief.
At this moment, the Emperor glanced at everyone, looked at him with cold eyes, and asked with a dark face:
"General Wu hasn't been back to the capital for a few years. Let's have him come back to visit his family during the New Year!"
Wu Yuanzhang rolled his eyes cunningly, clasped his fists and said proudly:
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. I will definitely convey your concern to you."
The emperor nodded slightly, but there was a hint of resentment between his brows.
If the Wu family father and son are not eliminated, they will only become a disaster and cause endless harm.
In this case, let's put the matter of deposing the crown prince aside for now. So, he said to everyone seriously:
"Crown Prince Leng Yun, three years ago, due to his youth and ignorance, he used despicable means to cause Leng Yu to become confused and mistakenly point his sword at my chest. Now, he fully understands his mistake and has taken the initiative to admit it to me, and asked me to clear Leng Yu's name. I am very pleased."
As he said this, his eyes were fixed on Wu Yuanzhang. Wu Yuanzhang lowered his head slightly, with the corners of his mouth raised with pride, and listened quietly to what the emperor said next.
The emperor thought for a moment and continued:
"While it's a good thing that Yun'er has admitted her mistakes and corrected them, it has also caused indelible harm to Yu'er. Therefore, in order to punish Yun'er for her reckless behavior due to her youthful ignorance, she will be confined for a year and her salary at the Crown Prince's Mansion will be reduced by 30%. During this period, Leng Yun cannot leave the Crown Prince's Mansion. The Crown Prince's Mansion is under the control of the Imperial Guards. Without my permission, no one is allowed to enter or leave at will."
The emperor changed his mind at the last minute about punishing Leng Yun. His original imperial edict had already stated that he wanted to depose Leng Yun from his position as crown prince and hand him over to the Ministry of Punishment for disposal, and that the people in the crown prince's mansion would also be dealt with at the same time.
However, Wu Yuanzhang's words made him sober up instantly. He could not only think about redressing Yu'er, but also had to consider the peace of Daning. So, after thinking it over again and again, he reduced the punishment of Leng Yun to the lowest level and temporarily retained his position as the crown prince.
Wu Yuanzhang felt proud of the emperor's compromise. As long as the prince was not deposed, they would definitely gain control of the Daning Kingdom.
Leng Yun was sent back to the Prince's Mansion and was not deposed this time. He was very confused, but he knew with his knees that it must be his grandfather who was supporting him behind the scenes.
As expected, as soon as he entered the Prince's Mansion, someone came to report,
"Prince, you're back? Grand Tutor Wu has been waiting for you for a long time."
Hearing this, Leng Yun hurriedly strode towards the main hall of the Prince's Mansion.
When he arrived at the hall and saw Wu Yuanzhang, the prince knelt down on the ground, tears streaming down his face, and said in a hoarse voice:
"Grandpa, I'm sorry for scaring you. I know I was wrong. Please punish me."
Looking at Leng Yun crying bitterly, Wu Yuanzhang waved his hands impatiently.
"If I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place. Hurry up and get up. Stop embarrassing yourself here."
After hearing what Wu Yuanzhang said, Leng Yun wiped the tears from his eyes with his sleeves, stood up, and sat down beside Wu Yuanzhang. After the servant brought the tea, he gulped down a mouthful.
"If grandpa hadn't been here this time, I'm afraid I wouldn't have made it back alive."
Wu Yuanzhang frowned and looked at him, waving his hands helplessly.
"The Emperor has confined you for a year. During this time, you should stay quiet and don't cause any more trouble. Once your uncle's situation is more stable, we can take action."
Listening to his grandfather's words, Leng Yun hurriedly asked:
"Grandpa, when can I ascend the throne? I can't wait any longer. I've had enough of living in fear like this."
Wu Yuanzhang frowned, held his chin with one hand, half-closed his eyes, and said seriously:
"Now we have your uncle in the north, Yu Dechang in the west, King Zhennan in the south, and Huang Shixiong in the east. Of these four, only King Zhennan is willing to join us in a war. The other two are loyal to the emperor and have not given in yet. Therefore, we cannot rush this matter now. We must wait and see."
If it weren't for these two people, Wu Yuanzhang would have asked Wu Hong to lead his troops back to the capital and help Leng Yun ascend the throne.
But at the moment, they dare not act rashly.
Wu Yuanzhang suddenly continued in a cold voice:
"Now that Leng Yu has been pardoned, the Emperor feels he owes him and will definitely use him more. So...so we can't let him return to the capital safely."
"Leng Yu is not in the capital?"
Leng Yun looked at Wu Yuanzhang with surprise and asked repeatedly, "Isn't he paralyzed? Why is he not in the capital?"
"snort!"
Wu Yuanzhang snorted again, his face cold and the wisp of beard under his nose seemed to stand up as he spoke again:
"This is exactly what makes him so terrifying. Not only did he manage to stay standing, he even went to Ningguta to rescue his generals without anyone noticing. If the Emperor hadn't personally gone to Prince Yu's mansion, who knows how long this would have been kept secret."
Hearing this, Leng Yun raised his eyebrows slightly and said with gritted teeth:
"Humph! This Leng Yu is really lucky. A dying man can actually stand up. It must be that Luo Lan's doing."
At this point, he suddenly turned to look at Wu Yuanzhang, "How is she?"
When Wu Yuanzhang mentioned this woman, his beard rose in anger again, and he shouted:
"You've been tricked by this woman, and you're still thinking about her now? She's been banished from the capital by the emperor, and I'm afraid she'll never be able to return to the capital again in this lifetime."
At this point, there was a hint of anger between his brows. He looked at Leng Yun coldly and warned him in a heavy tone:
"Don't be stupid around women in the future. Your grandfather can protect you this time, but next time, I can't say for sure. You'd better take care of yourself!"
After saying this, he stood up, his brows knitted into a line, and he gritted his teeth and said angrily:
"Neither of them will ever set foot in the capital again in this lifetime."
After saying this, he flicked his sleeves and left the Prince's Mansion without looking back.
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