Leng Yu suddenly raised his voice, and for the first time, he did not call the emperor "father".
Just when the emperor was surprised, his face turned cold and he continued to speak sternly, without any regard for each word:
"No matter what, no one can take Lan'er away from Prince Yu's mansion today, and no one can hurt her in the slightest. If the emperor insists on doing so, Leng Yu is willing to bear the infamy of being unfaithful and unfilial, and swear to protect her until his death."
After saying this, he decisively grabbed Luo Lan's hand, acting as if he was determined to be with her no matter life or death.
His eyes also became extremely cold at this moment, as if he could squeeze out ice with a little effort.
Although his words might very well anger the emperor, Luo Lan was very touched. Her man did not disappoint her.
She knew that according to Leng Yu's temper, even if she advised him not to contradict the emperor, he would not listen, so she simply kept silent and waited for her man to solve the problem for her. Sometimes, it is better for a woman to show weakness.
In fact, on the way back, Leng Yu had already made up his mind that if the emperor really wanted to make things difficult for Lan'er, he would protect her even at the cost of his life. He would never go back on his word to her.
Leng Yu's words also made the emperor's face turn pale. He looked at Leng Yu, the son he wanted to reuse, and was hesitant to speak.
If these words came from someone else, he would be furious, but Yu'er was his son who had been under house arrest for three years. He already felt sorry for him, so this time, he should be more tolerant. After all, among these sons, he was the only one who could be entrusted with important tasks.
Thinking of this, he tried his best to suppress the anger rising in his chest and stared at Leng Yu.
Upon seeing this, Concubine Chang suddenly raised her eyebrows and spoke with a gloomy face,
"Yu'er, please don't be rude. You actually dared to say such words to your father for an unknown woman. You really lack discipline. Mother will definitely teach you a lesson later."
"You don't deserve it."
Leng Yu blurted out these three words. He looked directly at Concubine Chang with a cold expression and continued without hesitation:
"My mother died a long time ago. You are just a figurehead. From childhood to adulthood, I have never felt the slightest bit of motherly love from you. Therefore, you have no right to lecture me, either now or in the future."
"you……"
Concubine Chang pointed at him, her face pale with anger, and she looked like she wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.
The emperor saw this, and veins on his face bulged again. He frowned and looked at him, clenching his fists and questioning in a cold voice,
"Do you really want to disobey me for this woman?"
Leng Yu tightened his grip, his expression unchanged, and replied righteously:
"I dare not disobey the Emperor, but I do not understand why Your Majesty would be so gullible and send Lan'er to the Ministry of Punishment without asking any questions. Also, it was Imperial Concubine Chang who allowed her into the palace, and it is still Imperial Concubine Chang who sent people to investigate her. If there is anything wrong with Lan'er, Imperial Concubine Chang is also to blame. I hope Your Majesty will make a wise decision."
His words seemed to hit the nail on the head. When Concubine Chang heard this, her expression suddenly turned cold. She stood up in a panic, knelt down in front of the emperor, and said hurriedly:
"Your Majesty, I did not understand her true nature or her background at the beginning. I made a poor choice. Please punish me."
Hearing her say this, Leng Yu pulled the corner of his mouth sarcastically and questioned again in a cold voice,
"Since we don't know their background, why did they allow them into Prince Yu's mansion? Or was this deliberately arranged by Concubine Chang? Therefore, I think that Your Majesty must investigate this matter. We can't just investigate Lan'er alone, but all of these people must be investigated."
Having said that, he pointed at the Liu mother and daughter kneeling before the emperor, glanced at them, and continued in a cold and stern voice:
"This Liu, she took a thousand taels of silver from Concubine Chang and sold Lan'er to Prince Yu's mansion. She's not Lan'er's biological mother, so what right does she have to resell her? And this Shui Chunhua, the longevity lock on her hand was just redeemed from a pawnshop. Just because they say it's Lan'er's, does that mean it's Lan'er's? I think this is a false accusation."
Hearing this, Liu and Shui Chunhua panicked immediately. They kowtowed to the emperor and explained.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent. The one thousand taels of silver I received was just a betrothal gift, not the money for selling Luo Lan."
Shui Chunhua also nodded in agreement.
"I did redeem my longevity locket from a pawnshop, but it was my mother who pawned it. It had been there for over ten years and no one wanted to buy it. I simply redeemed it. The pawnshop owner can confirm that everything I said is true."
Hearing her explanation, Leng Yu raised his eyebrows and asked sternly:
"Luo Lan is only nineteen years old this year. Since that thing was sent to the pawnshop more than ten years ago, Lan'er was only a few years old. How could a child of that age remember it? Moreover, she doesn't even know if she has seen it before. Yet, you two, mother and daughter, are talking nonsense here, trying to frame someone in the royal family. Do you acknowledge your guilt?"
His voice suddenly rose, frightening Liu's mother and daughter so much that they trembled all over, and then they frantically defended themselves:
"No...it's not like that. She has seen this thing before. If...if she doesn't remember it, then she must be...she must be fake, an imposter."
Leng Yu held Luo Lan's hand tightly, raised his eyebrows, and scolded sternly:
"How dare you speak nonsense here and frame my princess? I think you are really tired of living."
Looking at the panicked look of the mother and daughter, and Leng Yu's aggressive attitude, the emperor knew that it would not be easy to get to the bottom of the matter today, and Leng Yu would not have Luo Lan sent to the Ministry of Punishment.
This son had just been appointed by him as the general defending the country. He was counting on this son to help him eliminate the ambitious Wu Hong. Moreover, the two current generals were from other families. If he did not cultivate a trustworthy person, how could the country of Daning be stable?
He understood Leng Yu's temper. He was an upright man. If he wanted to protect this woman, he would protect her with his life. Therefore, in order to prevent his newly mentioned son from regarding his father as an enemy, he could only use a delaying tactic.
As for the fact that Shui Luolan's identity is fake, as the king of a country, he will not condone it. He will not allow a dangerous person of unknown identity to stay by his side all the time.
After pondering for a while and considering the pros and cons, he frowned and waved his hand at Leng Yu.
"Alright, stop arguing. Since Prince Yu believes Princess Yu is innocent, then it's up to you to prove her innocence. Within three days, as long as you can prove that she is the same country girl from before, and not someone who deliberately infiltrated the royal family to profit, I will let this matter go. I will temporarily suspend her sentencing to the Ministry of Punishment and will resume her interrogation in three days."
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