The Second Prince was kneeling outside the palace. When he heard Yu Zhaoyi's voice, his expression was surprised and solemn, as if he had no idea that Yu Zhaoyi was also inside.
"Yu Zhaoyi, I have explained it to you very clearly. Are you still stubborn and unwilling to change your ways?"
Yu Zhaoyi smiled foolishly in the palace, "Who can understand the word love? Since you are so heartless, it's fine!"
The last syllable of Yu Zhaoyi's voice suddenly became heavy. The next moment, she used all her strength to climb up and slammed hard into the palace pillar beside her!
The prince's fingers moved slightly, then instantly retracted.
No one in the palace knew that he was good at martial arts.
This Concubine Yu wanted to commit suicide to exonerate her second brother, but her life and death in today's situation was already determined, and it was not worth it for him to expose this trump card.
Bang--
With no one to stop her, Yu Zhaoyi slammed hard into the pillar, making a dull, frightening sound.
The queen promptly embraced the fourth prince and pressed his head into her arms.
The Fourth Prince was not afraid. He had also been through the gates of hell, and he had long foreseen the fate of Concubine Yu.
No matter what my second brother does today, Concubine Yu will never survive.
A cluster of blood flowers bloomed on the pillars of the temple, bright red.
Yu Zhaoyi slid down slowly along the pillar, her eyes wide open, staring straight in the direction of Emperor Yong.
This was the last calculation that Yu Zhaoyi made at the cost of her own life.
She had heard long ago that Concubine Yu committed suicide with her eyes open, and when Emperor Yong arrived, Concubine Yu's eyes were still open.
She looks similar to Concubine Yu. It is hoped that Emperor Yong can use this to remind him of the tragic death of his beloved woman and firmly protect the last trace of Concubine Yu's bloodline!
Emperor Yong watched Concubine Yu die by hitting a pillar. When he met her eyes that were gradually losing their luster, he suddenly took a step back.
He didn't know how many times he had dreamed of this face and this expression.
In every dream, he was always unable to stop Yu Liu from committing suicide, and every time he had to experience the heart-wrenching pain and despair all over again.
When the prince saw Emperor Yong’s sudden change of expression, he couldn’t help but slowly close his eyes.
He probably had the answer in his heart.
Outside the palace, the Second Prince only heard a muffled sound, and then there was no more movement from Concubine Yu.
He had some guesses in his mind, thinking: At the critical moment, he is not a waste after all.
He paused for a moment, then shouted, "Father? Your Majesty, I beg you to punish me!"
Squeak——
The door of Funing Palace suddenly opened from the inside. Emperor Yong stood at the door of the palace, looking down at the second prince who was kneeling on the ground.
The second prince raised his head at the right time, his face full of panic.
Emperor Yong met the Second Prince's eyes and his heart trembled slightly.
Compared to Yu Zhaoyi, the second brother's pair of autumn-water eyes are exactly the same as Yu Liu's.
However, the second brother had inherited Yu Liu's temperament, and was just as unwilling to listen and made him sad...
"Queen." Emperor Yong suddenly spoke.
The queen walked forward step by step and stopped one step behind Emperor Yong.
Emperor Yong tilted his head to look at the queen and said calmly, "Yu Zhaoyi has confessed everything. She deserves death. There is no need to keep her body intact."
The Queen said nothing.
Emperor Yong lowered his eyes to look at the Second Prince on the ground and continued:
"The second son did make a mistake, although it was not a serious one, but he must be punished. How do you think he should be punished, Queen?"
The queen didn't even raise her eyelids, but she felt a chill in her heart.
The emperor did not want to severely punish the second prince, but he also did not want the crown prince and the fourth prince to become alienated from him, so he threw this mess to her.
Is he sure that she has been docile and obedient for so many years, and today she will be like before, complying with his wishes in everything and helping him solve his problems?
How ridiculous! Does Her Majesty know that the Second Prince hurt her son?
She is the queen of His Majesty, but she is also the mother of Xiao Si!
"Your Majesty, according to the old rules, if a prince has an affair with a concubine and defiles the harem, he should be stripped of his clan membership and demoted to a commoner."
Emperor Yong frowned when he heard this.
"Queen, the second son's crime is not worthy of this."
The Queen had expected that Emperor Yong would speak out to stop her, so she said calmly:
"I am only following the old rules. If Your Majesty feels it is inappropriate, you can make your own decision."
Emperor Yong hesitated for a moment. At this moment, the Second Prince knelt on the ground and kowtowed, saying in a sorrowful voice: "I have acted carelessly and caused trouble. I will allow you to punish me!"
As the Crown Prince led the Fourth Prince to the Queen's side, they heard Emperor Yong say in a deep voice:
"Second brother, you really deserve to be punished. From today on, you will be fined one year's salary and confined to your home for one year. Without my order, you are not allowed to leave Chonghua Palace at all!"
The second prince faced the ground and his brows relaxed slightly when he heard this.
We have finally passed this dangerous hurdle.
He was about to thank her when the queen's cold voice suddenly rang out: "Your Majesty, send the second prince to the clan residence."
After these words were spoken, the Second Prince frowned again.
Being confined to Chonghua Palace and being confined to the Zongrenfu are completely different things. Once a royal relative is sent to the Zongrenfu, it must be a serious offense.
After entering the clan house, he had a stain on his body, and was further away from that position!
Upon hearing this, Emperor Yong's face turned gloomy and his mood could not be seen.
The Queen was not afraid at all and continued:
"Your Majesty, although the Second Prince did not commit a serious mistake today, he was bewitched by Concubine Yu after all, and he even covered up her plan to murder Your Majesty and the Crown Prince."
"And today, Xiao Si almost lost his life at the hands of Yu Zhaoyi! Thinking about it now, I am still terrified!"
"If the Second Prince could have brought Concubine Yu to His Majesty in time, Little Four wouldn't have had to go through the gates of hell!"
"I just want the Second Prince to reflect deeply. After all, he is only confined to the clan residence for a year, not forever!"
Seeing that Emperor Yong still disagreed, the Queen suddenly walked a few steps to Emperor Yong and knelt down!
"Mother!"
The Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince shouted at the same time.
The queen looked resolute, raised her eyes and looked directly at Emperor Yong, and said in a cold voice:
"Your Majesty, I have never treated the Second Brother unfairly in all these years. Today, the Fourth Brother is in danger, which I cannot tolerate."
"Last time, Di Zaiying assassinated Xiao Si, and His Majesty upheld justice. I did not interfere. Do you think he will let him go again today and hurt my and Xiao Si's feelings?"
When Emperor Yong heard the Queen suddenly mention Di Zaiying, his pupils couldn't help but shrink slightly.
Eunuch Huang stood quietly by the side. When he heard what the queen said, he thought to himself:
This time the Queen has hit the jackpot unexpectedly. The old relationship between Di Zaiying and Queen Yu Liu has been a source of worry for the Emperor.
At this time, the prince also stood up.
He looked calm, pulled the fourth prince to kneel beside the queen, and said in a gentle voice:
"Father, I know that what happened today was not what my second brother wanted. My second brother has always loved Xiao Si. If he knew that Yu Zhaoyi would hurt Xiao Si later, he would never be so confused."
When Emperor Yong heard this, he thought the prince was pleading for the second prince.
Unexpectedly, the prince changed the subject and continued:
"Second brother is still too young, so he was easily bewitched by Yu Zhaoyi. Therefore, I second your suggestion. Let's send your second brother to the clan house to reflect on his mistakes."
"When the one-year term is up, I will personally go to the clan residence to pick up my second brother and bring him back to the palace. From now on, we will be brothers and serve our father together!"
Upon hearing this, the Second Prince suddenly turned his head and looked at the Crown Prince.
This is the first time in all these years that the prince has attacked him head-on!