When the emperor found out, he was speechless. He knew what kind of person Princess Anping was. He had disliked this aunt since he was a child, and she was still so annoying after living her whole life.
After careful consideration, the emperor decided to handle the matter quietly, pretending he knew nothing about it, and ordered that no one should talk about it in the palace.
Princess Anping waited all day but no one from the palace came. She cried her heart out and grabbed Yuhe, saying, "The Emperor has truly abandoned our Princess's Mansion. If the late Emperor were still alive, we wouldn't be in such a predicament!"
When she was favored, even when her family was in trouble, the retired emperor did not strip her of her title, nor did he take back the previous rewards. She would still receive rewards during festivals. But this good fortune did not last long. The late emperor passed away, and now the retired emperor has ascended the throne. She has not received any more rewards from the palace.
Now that she's made such a big fuss, she just wants the emperor to remember her existence and help her descendants, but the emperor is pretending not to know anything about it.
"Grandmother, don't be sad. The Lu family is bullying us like this. At worst, we can go to the palace to file a complaint with the emperor. Then the emperor won't be able to pretend he doesn't know anything."
Yuhe grasped Princess Anping's hand in return, his attitude very urgent.
He meant that we should go together to appeal to the emperor, not that he would go alone.
The process of filing a complaint with the emperor is complicated and may even involve flogging. At her age, she might not even be able to finish the process before she dies.
Princess Anping felt a little disappointed that he hadn't considered her health at all, but thinking that her eldest grandson was doing it for the good of the family, she didn't say anything.
Anyway, she knew that her old bones would never actually be tortured, so she bet that the emperor would spare her life to save face for the royal family.
Yuhe thought so too.
Therefore, it must have been Princess Anping who filed the complaint with the emperor; if it had been someone else, things wouldn't have turned out so well.
That afternoon, Yuhe took Princess Anping to file a complaint with the emperor, causing quite a commotion at the yamen gate. As if afraid that the officials would not recognize them, they took the initiative to introduce themselves and specifically stated that they were Princess Anping, who had been personally appointed by the late emperor.
Upon hearing the identity, the clerk dared not act without authorization and could only apply to his superiors. Then, the officials above hurriedly came to pay their respects.
Princess Anping looked at the respectful officials before her, feeling smug inside, but she put on a heartbroken expression and said, "This princess is going to appeal to the emperor! You may have the executions carried out, even if I die here, I will expose the crimes of the Lu family! I will let the emperor know the ugly face of the Lu family and not be deceived!"
These words terrified the officials. This was far too serious; it was practically a direct accusation that the Lu family were treacherous and that the emperor trusted such treacherous individuals.
The officials dared not make a decision on their own and hurriedly went to the palace to report to the emperor. The emperor was so angry that he threw things: "What does she want at her age! She has the nerve to make a fuss over such a trivial matter. Doesn't she feel ashamed!"
"Is she trying to file a complaint with the emperor? She's clearly forcing me to do things for her! This is outrageous! She's lived such a long life in vain!"
The emperor raged for a while, then said, "Since you want to file a complaint with the emperor, then follow the procedure. The princess is too old to be tortured, so let her grandson Yuhe take her place. This can be considered as me granting her an extra-legal favor."
Everyone here is smart enough to see through Princess Anping's little tricks. Since she wants to make a scene, let her make a scene first.
Princess Anping had been waiting arrogantly for a reply from the palace, expecting the emperor to send someone to fetch her and speak directly. However, what she received was a message that her beloved grandson would be punished in her place.
"No! I disagree!"
Princess Anping quickly shielded Yuhe behind her, while Yuhe also hid in shock, never expecting the emperor to be so ruthless.
"This is His Majesty's leniency towards the princess. Young master, surely you wouldn't want the princess to suffer like this at her age?"
When the officials consulted the emperor, they could naturally see how annoyed the emperor was with the grandfather and grandson, and at that moment, he was not very friendly to them.
"No, no, no, that's not how it is! Did you not go to see the Emperor? The Emperor wouldn't treat me like this! Go ask the Emperor again, it shouldn't be like this!"
Princess Anping looked flustered. She had bet that the emperor would consider the royal family's reputation and bring her into the palace as soon as possible, but she lost the bet in the end.
"I am naturally acting in accordance with His Majesty's decree. Could it be that the princess is implying that I am falsely conveying the imperial edict?"
The official's attitude wasn't very good either. I'm already unlucky enough to have encountered this situation, and to be misunderstood like this, who would be okay in my shoes?
Princess Anping was terrified and kept protecting Yuhe, but the officials didn't want to waste time with the grandmother and grandson. They ordered the officers next to them to drag Yuhe out and beat him on the long bench.
Yuhe suddenly started howling like a banshee, his pig-like screams frightening the onlookers.
Princess Anping cried out and rushed forward, trying to shield her grandson with her own body, but officials held her back, preventing her from getting close.
"You heartless people, you will be punished by heaven! If anything happens to my grandson, I, the princess, will never forgive you! He'er!"
When emotions break down, one speaks recklessly. Princess Anping said a few words before the officials had her mouth gagged. He said coldly, "Princess, you are the one who wanted to file a complaint with the Emperor, and you were the one who was to be beaten. It was the Emperor's wisdom that allowed your grandson to take your place, yet you curse the Emperor like this. Do you have any respect for the Emperor?"
Having served as an official in the court, he was naturally not foolish. Seeing that Princess Anping wanted to shift the blame onto him, he immediately invoked the emperor's name to see what Princess Anping could say.
Princess Anping was stunned for a moment, realizing that she had just said something inappropriate. She wanted to explain, but her mouth had already been gagged, and her precious grandson had been beaten unconscious and was no longer making a sound.
At first, the surrounding people felt quite sympathetic towards the grandmother and granddaughter, but as things progressed, they felt that Princess Anping was somewhat ungrateful. The emperor was clearly doing it for their own good, yet they acted as if they had been wronged.
But it was they who started the whole thing by wanting to file a complaint with the emperor. If they hadn't made such a fuss, none of this would have happened.
The officials were not stupid. After seeing Yuhe faint, they loosened their grip. After all, they couldn't possibly kill the princess's grandson; it would be difficult to explain their actions.
After the beating, they kindly called a doctor to treat the injuries, indicating that they were only acting under orders and had already found a doctor out of respect for the princess. They also said that if Princess Anping continued to hold this matter against them, they would have evidence to prove everything.
Princess Anping had lost the arrogance she had when she first arrived. She was practically dragged along. Once inside the palace, her limbs were sore and she knelt on the ground, unable to recover for a long time.
The emperor sat at the head of the table and waited for a while. Seeing that she still didn't react, he gave a wink to the eunuch beside him. The eunuch hurriedly asked, "Princess Anping, who are you going to accuse in your imperial complaint?"
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