Nangong Yu's words greatly demonstrated his loyalty to the emperor and also indicated that he would not strive for greater power. How could the emperor not like such a minister and such a nephew?
"Hurry up!" The emperor personally helped Nangong Yu up. "Yu'er, you are very thoughtful, but this is a serious matter. It concerns the reputation of the Dan Palace Master. This marriage needs to be carefully considered."
Nangong Yu didn't want to delay any longer: "Uncle Huang, Ling Xiang and Uncle Helian have both agreed to cancel the engagement."
"Oh?" The emperor was confused. Since there were no outsiders present, he didn't hide it and said it directly.
"Yu'er, but I heard that Ling Xiang had physical contact with you at your house..."
Nangong Yu immediately clarified: "That's a rumor. Miss Ling and I are innocent."
"Yongle?" The emperor looked at the eldest princess.
When the eldest princess came to ask for the imperial decree to grant the marriage, the emperor did not like Ling Xiang's family background and felt that Ling Xiang was not worthy of the position of Qin Wang's principal wife.
It was the eldest princess who tactfully told him that Nangong Yu had done something foolish and had let Miss Ling down, and only then did the emperor relent and agree to grant the marriage.
Now, Nangong Yu told him that it wasn't true? Could it be that the mother and son hadn't come to a consensus on such an important matter?
Her own son has said so much. If the eldest princess is against her son, isn't that telling the emperor that she hopes her son will have enormous power?
In order to marry the girl of destiny to Nangong Yu, the princess never cared about Ling Xiang's innocence and immediately apologized:
"Royal brother, when Miss Ling was in the Prince of Qin's mansion, she was indeed alone in the same room with Yu'er, and her clothes were disheveled. I saw it with my own eyes. Even if nothing happened between them, Miss Ling's reputation has been ruined. Yu'er must of course be responsible for Miss Ling!"
Nangong Yu immediately clarified: "Uncle Huang, it really is just a misunderstanding! I respect the Marquis of Zhenguo as a person and I respect Ling Xiang, so how could I destroy her reputation?"
The emperor weighed the pros and cons for a moment and said, "This is a matter of great importance. I need to consider it. Yongle, Yu'er, you should go back first. This matter must be kept secret and not mentioned to anyone!"
After being reminded by her son, Concubine Shu had been paying attention to the movements in the imperial study. She soon received news and learned about the conversation between the eldest princess, the Prince of Qin and the emperor today.
She immediately informed Xuanyuan Qi of the news she had learned: "Qi'er, what do you think about the King of Qin breaking off the engagement with Ling Xiang?"
"Ling Xiang cannot marry the King of Qin." Xuanyuan Qi thought about it and felt that it was time to tell his mother. He took out the evidence Ling Xiang gave her.
"Mother, these are the Gesang flowers and soil that we dug up from the Princess's yard."
Xuanyuan Qi told Concubine Shu about the conjecture Ling Xiang had given him, and finally came to the conclusion:
"Mother, the eldest princess wants to poison you. I don't know what she's planning. I've been investigating for so long but haven't been able to uncover her motive. Judging from how she instigated father today, her plans are probably so grandiose that others can't even imagine..."
"So, we can't let her succeed! Ling Xiang can't marry the King of Qin!" Concubine Shu immediately understood the pros and cons. "Qi'er, I'm afraid we can't convict the Princess based on just this little bit of dirt and geraniums. This is between you and me."
Xuanyuan Qi has a different opinion:
"Mother, although marrying Ling Xiang to the King of Qin does have the risks he mentioned, compared to the Dan Palace's support for the royal family, and considering the loyalty of the Princess and the King of Qin over the years, your father might be willing to take that risk. To convince your father to cancel the engagement, we must sow the seeds of doubt in his heart. The Princess poisoning you is just the right thing to do!"
"Qi'er, you've grown up!" Concubine Shu was very pleased. "How do you plan to let your father know about this?"
Xuanyuan Qi had already made up his mind: "I'll go tell my father!"
Concubine Shu disagreed: "I'm afraid this is inappropriate. What if your father becomes suspicious of you..."
Xuanyuan Qi said: "Mother, I am the most suitable person to go. Firstly, it is only natural for me to investigate the cause of your poisoning. Moreover, I often go to the Qin Palace to study, and I found that these soils and Gesang flowers are very reasonable.
Secondly, I have to give my father a hope, a hope that the Dan Palace can be incorporated into the imperial family."
Concubine Shu was a little puzzled: "Yu'er, once Ling Xiang breaks off her engagement with the King of Qin, with Ling Xiang's current status, the royal family won't be able to force her to marry anyone. What hope can you give your father?"
Xuanyuan Qi smiled and said, "Mother, you will know when the time comes."
"Good boy, you are still keeping me in suspense!" Concubine Shu gently tapped Xuanyuan Qi's forehead, "Tell me quickly, what are you going to do?"
"Keep it secret!" Xuanyuan Qi took a step forward and ran away immediately.
"Oh! Slow down!" Concubine Shu looked at the naughty monkey leaving, feeling both relieved and helpless.
Xuanyuan Qi ran to the imperial study angrily and shouted from a distance: "Father! I have something important to discuss with you!"
The emperor was preoccupied with how to bring the Dan Palace under his control. He frowned at the sudden interruption. Knowing that the emperor was impetuous and would not give up until he achieved his goal, he rubbed his brow and said, "Let Prince Huai in."
Xuanyuan Qi entered the imperial study unimpeded. As soon as he entered, he drove everyone out and angrily said, "Father, I have something important to tell you. Please lift the ban."
The emperor's eyebrows twitched. The last time Xuanyuan Qi acted like this, the entire family of Marquis Anqing suffered.
He took out the formation plate and opened the restriction. "Tell me, what's the matter?"
Xuanyuan Qi angrily took out the soil and geraniums and said, "This is what I found in the Princess's yard!"
The emperor was puzzled: "Why are you plucking the flowers in the princess's yard for no reason?"
"This is a Gesang flower! When I discovered it, the flowers in the patch where it was planted were completely withered. I was puzzled as to why there were withered flowers in the Princess's yard, so I looked up the records about Gesang flowers out of curiosity. Father, do you still remember what poison Mother was poisoned with?"
"Remember, it's the Seven Days Wind Chime."
Xuanyuan Qi became more and more angry as he spoke:
"The main ingredient for making Seven-Day Wind Chimes is the Wind Chimes Flower! And it must be fresh Wind Chimes Flower! So the poison maker must have planted Wind Chimes Flower!
“Wintersweet is poisonous. Before it is made into poison, the toxicity will not be released, but it will remain in the soil, making it impossible to grow other flowers in the soil where bellflowers have been planted.
“But, except for the Gesang flower.
"Gelsang flowers can gradually remove the toxicity left in the soil by bellflowers, but the residual toxicity of bellflowers can also damage Gesang flowers, causing their flowers to wither.
"This completely matches the situation in the Princess's courtyard! It was the Princess who planted the bellflowers! And after my investigation, the time when the Princess planted the geraniums in her courtyard roughly coincided with the time when my mother was poisoned!"
The emperor was astonished: "Qi'er, don't say that! There is no reason for Yongle to harm Concubine Shu!"
Xuanyuan Qi's eyes were red:
"I don't believe it either! I love my aunt so much and even went to her house to study! How could she hurt my mother for no reason and even want to kill her! My mother didn't do anything to offend her! How could she do that!"
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