Upon hearing this, the court officials all turned to look at Prince Teng.
Wang Ziteng's face stiffened. His daughter had only gone out twice, and she'd already been seen like this? Foolish girl!
He glanced at the Emperor and immediately denied it, "Your Majesty, there is absolutely no such thing. My daughter is young and stays at home all day. I keep her under strict discipline. It is impossible for such a thing to happen!"
"Yes, yes, yes, if Lord Wang is being so strict, are we being too harsh on him?" An official immediately jumped out, and when he saw that it was the Vice Minister of Rites, Wang Ziteng immediately lost face.
He can always find a way to survive by criticizing anyone, but he really can't win against the Ministry of Rites.
He could only bow and say, "It's just children being naughty. I will definitely keep a close eye on the household when I get back, so as not to cause any trouble for you gentlemen."
Who knew that the Vice Minister of Rites had no intention of letting Wang Ziteng off the hook? "Childish nonsense? So you admit it?"
"And you even said that you not only harmed the imperial heir, but also plotted to murder the crown prince!"
Once such a huge accusation is leveled out, no one can stop it!
Wang Ziteng's knees buckled, and he fell to his knees with a thud. "Innocent! I did not!"
"No? If not, why didn't your daughter participate in the imperial concubine selection last year, postponing it due to illness, but now she wants to go to the Crown Prince's residence again?"
Last year there was the retired emperor, but this year the retired emperor is too busy taking care of himself.
Wang Ziteng dared not say this at all. "She really is sick. It's common for children to have trouble adjusting to a new environment. If Lord Cui doesn't believe me, you can check my daughter's medical records. As for this year, it was just... just the child being silly."
Although Wang Ziteng spoke to the Vice Minister of Rites, his eyes were fixed on the Emperor. He was merely reminding the Emperor that if his daughter's reputation was confirmed, the Crown Prince's reputation would also be damaged. The daughter's reputation was a small matter, but the Crown Prince's reputation was a big one, which was not good for the country!
He believed that His Majesty would not allow anyone to slander the Crown Prince, so he insisted that it was just children playing around, which could be considered as surrendering to the Emperor.
The Emperor laughed and said, "I was just saying a while ago that I would bestow a marriage upon your daughter, but didn't you say that you were already engaged?"
Wang Ziteng's heart skipped a beat. Oh no! He'd forgotten about that!
"Your Majesty, it has been decided."
"It's...it's Jia Baoyu..."
Wang Ziteng was speechless and could only blame the matter on the deceased Baoyu, while shedding two tears.
I thought the matter was over, but Lin Ruhai said coldly from the side, "Your family has quite the good traditions."
Sure enough, a chorus of disdainful voices rang in Wang Ziteng's ears. Looking at the Emperor's gaze, which was icy cold, Wang Ziteng collapsed to the ground. He had made a mistake!
It shouldn't be said that it was with Baoyu. He originally wanted to ensure that there was no way to prove it, but he forgot that the relationship was complicated. By admitting that his daughter was engaged to Baoyu, he was admitting to misappropriating the money from the Jia family to repair their houses. He was also indirectly admitting that he had deceived the emperor and plotted against the imperial heir. His daughter was engaged to a prince but seduced the crown prince!
Those words he said have now become his death warrant!
Sure enough, the next second the Emperor said, "Hmph, what a crime of deceiving the Emperor! Prince Teng, are you thinking that I know nothing about what's going on in the palace?"
"Your Majesty! Your subject... Your subject..." Prince Teng had no words to refute, collapsed to the ground, regretting his past actions. He should have agreed to His Majesty's bestowed marriage!
"Take him away, along with the Jia family's case!"
Prince Teng was pale. He never expected that His Majesty would convict him because of this matter. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
But then she saw Lin Ruhai standing expressionlessly to the side. Suddenly remembering something, she pointed at Lin Ruhai and laughed loudly, "It was you! You're the one who ruined me!"
Lin Ruhai looked at Wang Ziteng as if he were an idiot and muttered, "Are you sick in the head?"
For some reason, Wang Ziteng was provoked and said, "You're a jinx to wives!"
After saying that, Lin Ruhai's eyes were blazing with anger, and he raised his fist and punched him.
"Lord Lin, you mustn't!" Everyone rushed forward to pull him away, but for some reason, they found themselves stepping on Wang Ziteng and pressing down on him, only with a bit too much force.
When the guards arrived and persuaded the ministers to leave, one of the officials lying on the ground had already suffered a bruised and swollen face.
The court officials looked at the sky and the ground, but none of them paid attention to Prince Teng, who was being trampled on and unable to get up.
"Oh, I'm so sorry."
Lin Ruhai took out a handkerchief, wiped his hands, and walked up to Wang Ziteng. "Ah!"
Lin Ruhai immediately withdrew his foot from Wang Ziteng's hand, saying, "You seem to have a jinx to my feet!"
Your Majesty?
That's a good reason, but it's not as serious as his crime of deceiving the emperor.
However, what Wang Ziteng said was true. It was Lin Ruhai who suggested that he bestow a marriage upon Wang Ziteng's daughter, and now it has killed two birds with one stone.
"Dismiss the court."
The Emperor quickly adjourned the court session, otherwise Lin Ruhai would have had to ask him for some high-ranking monk.
He had heard about his wife's illness before; even the imperial physicians couldn't cure her. What could he do? He even helped search for her with the help of a high-ranking monk, but to no avail…
He gave them gold, silver, and precious medicinal herbs—even ginseng and snow lotus from the Tianshan Mountains that were hundreds of years old—all to no avail. It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with them, but the imperial physician said they truly had no effect; wasn't this just a waste?
"Your Majesty!"
The Emperor paused, hehe...
When will you, my dear minister?
Lin Ruhai, his expression sorrowful and his eyes filled with tears, kowtowed and said, "Your subject... does not want anything this time."
Seeing Lin Ruhai's state and hearing that he no longer wanted anything, the Emperor's tone softened. "My dear minister, what kind of people do you need this time? I will have someone prepare them for you right away."
Lin Ruhai sniffed. "I don't want anything or anyone. I want a six-month leave."
Half a year?
The Emperor pondered for a moment, then said, "Two months. I will continue searching for the person you need."
Upon hearing this, Lin Ruhai burst into tears of joy, saying, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty."
He then stood up and said to the Emperor, "I would also like a bowl of lotus root shreds from the lotus pond in the Imperial Garden."
The court officials who haven't left yet? Didn't they say they didn't want anything anymore?
Everyone knows that the lotus pond in the Imperial Garden was carefully cultivated by the Emperor for many years. It was only last year that five lotus flowers bloomed. The Emperor even held a banquet for this and made a vow that he would definitely make five more bloom next year.
Now Lin Ruhai wants lotus root threads from the pond? Isn't that just pulling out the lotus roots, extracting the threads, and then want a bowl of them?
On the surface, they want lotus root slices, but secretly they want His Majesty's most beloved!
The crowd looked at Lin Ruhai with a hint of sympathy. Although Lin Ruhai was deeply favored by the Emperor, he was still too reckless!
Last time, the Emperor gritted his teeth and gave me the Heavenly Snow Lotus, but this time... I guess I won't be able to get leave, and I guess I'll have to become Wang Ziteng's neighbor.
His Majesty felt his head buzzing, and he felt like dragging Lin Ruhai out and beheading him!
That was his most cherished possession!
A bowl? That's a bowl of shredded lotus root!
The Emperor's gaze swept over Lin Ruhai, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "What do you want my lotus root shreds for!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Ruhai clutched his chest, knelt on the ground, and burst into tears before he could utter a word, a deep sorrow emanating from his heart.
This made everyone worry, wondering what could have made Lin Ruhai risk his life to get the lotus root slices!
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