Zhao Canchen thought for a moment and realized that he couldn't take the initiative to visit the princess's residence to comfort the prince consort. Even if he did go, the prince consort wouldn't want to see him.
Besides, he really couldn't help the princess much. Going to visit the prince consort at this time would only cause trouble for the princess.
So Zhao Canchen raised his glass and said, "Let's drink."
The group stopped mentioning these things and began chatting and enjoying the delicious food.
Royal Palace
At this very moment, the atmosphere in the Imperial Study of the palace was heavy, as the Emperor was suffering from a severe headache.
He rested his forehead on his hand, staring at Prime Minister Hu with a worried expression, and asked anxiously, "Prime Minister, how should this matter be resolved?"
Faced with the emperor's questioning, the prime minister seemed somewhat bewildered and at a loss.
"This..." The Prime Minister hesitated, unsure how to answer the Emperor's question. He inwardly groaned; this was truly a thorny problem!
He knew that the princess held a prestigious position, and the Duke of Enguo wielded immense power; neither of them were people he could easily provoke.
Just now, Her Highness the Princess had a tantrum in the Imperial Study.
The princess cried out, "Your Majesty, our royal family members have been beaten like this by a relative of the emperor! This is simply outrageous! Your Majesty must severely punish that Duke En, who actually broke the prince consort's leg with his own hands. Such atrocities must not be tolerated!"
The emperor was also angered by the princess's words.
He quickly comforted the princess, and after much persuasion, he managed to calm her down a little. Then, after a moment of contemplation, the emperor finally made up his mind and said, "Elder sister, I have decided to bestow the title of Prince upon your two sons as compensation to the驸马 (the emperor's son-in-law). As for the matter of the Duke of Enguo, I will take further action after I have investigated the truth."
Princess calmed down a little after hearing the Emperor's decision.
She bowed to the Emperor and said, "Thank you for your great kindness, Your Majesty." Then, the princess left the Imperial Study and returned to her residence.
To appease the princess's anger, the emperor sent a royal physician to treat the prince consort's leg injury.
After the princess left with the imperial physician, the princes, including the Prince of Lu, the Prince of Wei, and the Prince of Jin, entered the palace one after another.
With solemn expressions and angry faces, they addressed the Emperor, expressing their deep dissatisfaction with the actions of the Duke of Enguo.
Prince Lu spoke first, saying, "Your Majesty, that Duke En is simply lawless! He failed to properly educate his son, allowing him to go to a brothel, where he was killed by his own men. He deserved it all! But instead of reflecting on his mistakes, he vented his anger on his brother-in-law, the Emperor. Isn't this blatant bullying of our royal family?"
"The Duke of Enguo is not just slapping the face of the Imperial Son-in-Law, he is slapping the face of the entire royal family!"
The King of Wei echoed, "Indeed, Your Majesty! That Duke En is so arrogant and domineering, he simply doesn't respect our royal family. If he isn't severely punished, I'm afraid more people will follow suit in the future. What will become of our royal dignity then?"
Prince Jin, filled with righteous indignation, said, "Your Majesty, you must severely punish the Duke of Enguo to uphold the law! Otherwise, how can we, the royal family members, save face?"
Faced with the princes' strong demands, the emperor was quite annoyed.
After persuading his brothers to leave, he summoned the Prime Minister to the palace and complained angrily, "That Duke Enguo has gone too far! He actually led a group of people to a brothel, not only wrecked the place but also broke the Prince Consort's leg. This is simply outrageous! How can I explain this to the royal family and the people of the world?"
After hearing the Emperor's words, Prime Minister Hu couldn't help but feel a headache.
What was originally just a private feud between the Duke of En and his son-in-law has now escalated into a conflict between the royal family and the maternal relatives due to the Duke of En's reckless behavior. This matter is unlikely to be easily resolved.
The Emperor and the Prime Minister sat in silence, pondering the best solution.
Just then, a series of hurried footsteps were heard, and a young eunuch rushed in with a flustered expression. Before he could report anything, he was interrupted by an angry shout.
"Your Majesty..." Duke Enguo rushed in like a gust of wind.
His face was contorted with rage as he shouted, "Your Majesty, the people from the Princess's residence have actually stolen all the valuables from our Duke's mansion! This is utterly lawless! Your Majesty, you must avenge me!"
Upon hearing the Duke of En's shout, the Emperor abruptly raised his head, stared at the Duke with wide eyes, his face full of displeasure, and let out a heavy snort.
Seeing this, Duke Enguo slightly composed himself, but still appeared somewhat exasperated. He stopped, hurriedly bowed, and said, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Seeing this, Prime Minister Hu quickly stepped forward, bowed to Duke En, and said, "Your Excellency, please don't be anxious. Let's talk slowly."
The Duke of Enguo completely ignored Prime Minister Hu. He forcefully shoved Prime Minister Hu aside, then turned to the Emperor and spoke loudly and anxiously, "Your Majesty, this is what happened. Just now, my steward went to the storeroom to retrieve some items to deliver to the Princess's residence as a token of appreciation to the Prince Consort. However, when he opened the storeroom door, he discovered that everything inside was gone!"
The Duke of Enguo became increasingly agitated as he spoke, “Your Majesty, think about it! I just beat up the Imperial Son-in-Law this afternoon, and then at dusk, things went missing from my residence. Isn’t it obvious? Who else but the Imperial Son-in-Law’s men could have done such a thing? Your Majesty, you must do justice for me and help me recover my lost property!”
The Emperor, his face showing displeasure, asked in a deep voice, "Duke Enguo, you say that the Imperial Son-in-Law sent people to steal all your belongings. Do you have any conclusive witnesses and physical evidence?"
Duke Enguo replied impatiently, "Isn't this obvious?" He seemed a bit agitated and eagerly suggested, "Your Majesty, you should immediately dispatch the Imperial Guards to search the Princess's residence and recover the valuables stolen by the Prince Consort's men!"
"This is utterly absurd!" Upon hearing this, the Emperor flew into a rage. He slammed his fist on the table, stood up, and roared with wide eyes, "You have neither witnesses nor physical evidence, yet you insist on ordering the Imperial Guards to search the Princess's residence based solely on your own opinion. In my opinion, perhaps you are deliberately framing the Prince Consort!"
"Your Majesty..." Duke Enguo hurriedly tried to explain upon seeing this.
The Emperor didn't give Duke En a chance to speak at all. He interrupted him sternly, saying, "Your Duke's mansion is heavily guarded, like an impregnable fortress. Who in the world could possibly steal your Duke's mansion's valuables from your heavily guarded mansion?"
Having said that, the Emperor's gaze, as cold as a frost star, shot towards the Duke of Enguo, "If you cannot produce witnesses and physical evidence, I will conclude that you are deliberately slandering the princess!"
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