Prince Lu, of course, knew what was going on in court. He whispered to the Emperor, "I'm afraid the Duke is using the death of Prince Hu as an excuse to pressure Your Majesty with the驸马 (the imperial son-in-law)..."
The emperor lowered his eyes, concealing the murderous intent within them.
The two brothers spoke in hushed tones for a while, trying to figure out how to quell the Duke's anger.
Prince Lu advised the Emperor, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, you might as well ask the Empress what conditions the Duke's Mansion would require before they would no longer pursue the matter of the Imperial Son-in-Law's responsibility."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor snorted coldly and said, "Hmph, of course I have asked. But that Empress is making outrageous demands, saying that unless her father is granted a princely title, it will be impossible to quell her anger!"
Upon hearing this, Prince Lu was immediately shocked. He never imagined that the Duke's ambitions were so great—not only did he want to hold the驸马 (the驸马) accountable, but he also dared to attempt to grant him a princely title! This was a prince of a different surname, unprecedented since the time of the founding emperor. If this were the case, wouldn't Empress Hu have even more improper ambitions after giving birth to a son?
The more Prince Lu thought about it, the more uneasy he felt. He hurriedly approached the emperor and whispered, "Your Majesty, this matter is of utmost importance. You must not agree to it lightly. The maternal relatives are too powerful, and the royal family is in danger! In my opinion, Your Majesty should give the prime minister an important position and listen to his opinion on this matter."
Upon hearing Prince Lu's words, the Emperor's face fell, and he said irritably, "Of course I know what to do. Do I need you to teach me?"
"Yes, yes, it was your humble brother's ignorance." Prince Lu hurriedly bowed in response. He understood that the emperor's words did not favor the maternal relatives, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
As long as the emperor doesn't make a mistake, these princes and princesses won't all be killed by their maternal relatives.
Just then, a eunuch hurriedly entered the hall, knelt down and reported: "Your Majesty, the Duke has come to request an audience."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor's relaxed brows instantly furrowed, his expression turning grave. He turned to Prince Lu and said in a deep voice, "You may leave for now. I will discuss the rest later."
"Your Majesty, I take my leave." Prince Lu hurriedly bowed and then slowly withdrew from the imperial study.
Just as Prince Lu stepped out of the imperial study, the Duke strode in like a gust of wind, without being summoned.
He passed by the Prince of Lu without paying any respects or bowing, and rushed into the imperial study.
The muscles on his square face trembled slightly with anger, and his large, round eyes stared wide open, as if they were about to spit fire.
Standing outside the door, Prince Lu heard the Duke's booming voice from inside: "Your Majesty! My son has studied with you since childhood. He is not only your subject but also your brother-in-law! Now that he has suffered such misfortune, how can Your Majesty not avenge him?"
The Duke's words were filled with grief and indignation, and his voice echoed in the empty hall, making people's eardrums buzz.
Then, the Duke continued, "I request Your Majesty to demote that man surnamed Liu to a commoner, and all his shops must belong to my grandson as compensation to my son!" His voice grew louder and his emotions became more and more agitated.
Faced with the Duke's strong demands, the Emperor's response seemed somewhat powerless.
The Emperor sighed and said slowly, "Duke, this condition is far too harsh. After all, it was not the Imperial Son-in-Law who killed your son, but the Duchess's nephew." His voice revealed a hint of weariness and helplessness.
"That scoundrel is dead and deserves to die, but the prince consort is not without fault either."
"If the Prince Consort hadn't opened a brothel and hadn't gone to Yangzhou to find so many beauties, how could my son have been seduced into a brothel and ended up like this?"
...
After leaving the palace, Prince Lu went straight to the princess's residence. No matter what, he had to help the royal relatives and would never allow them to run wild on the heads of the royal family.
"What? That old bastard surnamed Hu wants to reduce my consort to a commoner? Wouldn't that affect my son?" Upon hearing the Prince of Lu's accusation, the princess was both shocked and furious. "That Hu fellow is truly outrageous and has gone too far."
“This time, we royals must unite, otherwise we will surely be defeated and swallowed up one by one by the maternal relatives,” said Prince Lu.
"Hmph!" The princess snorted heavily, her eyes revealing a sinister look.
Prince Lu said unhappily, "His daughter hasn't even given the Emperor a son yet, and the Duke's mansion is already so domineering. If she gives birth to a son and makes him the Crown Prince, wouldn't the Duke's mansion become even more arrogant and try to exterminate our royal family?"
After leaving the princess's residence, Prince Lu, under the pretense of visiting Prince Song's illness, led a large entourage of guards out of the capital to the royal villa to complain to Prince Song about the domineering behavior of the maternal relatives.
The royal family was embroiled in a scandal because the young master of the Duke's mansion, Hu, died tragically in a brothel run by the prince consort. However, this did not affect the wedding that the Lin family was preparing for.
In the afternoon, the sun shone brightly and a gentle breeze blew. Zhao Zongzheng of the Imperial Clan Court led a procession of carriages through the streets.
The carriage finally stopped in front of Lin Daoyan's house. Zhao Zongzheng got off the carriage, followed closely by a group of attendants.
Zhao Zongzheng entered the Lin residence, exchanged a few pleasantries with Lin Daoyan, and then met Zhao Canchen, displaying the gifts he had brought. The gifts were dazzling, including exquisite fabrics, magnificent porcelain, and ten thousand taels of silver.
The most eye-catching were the two thirteen-year-old palace maids, who were actually Hu people.
They stood aside, quietly watching everything. The two palace maids, a man and a woman, were tall and slender, with skin as white as paper. Their faces, like jade sculptures, had deep eyes as blue as the sky, making them unforgettable.
Surprisingly, the two palace maids looked almost identical; without close inspection, it was difficult to discern their gender differences. Therefore, it can be inferred that they were likely a brother and sister.
Zhao Canchen immediately understood: the man had been castrated; he was a eunuch.
Zhao Zongzheng walked up to Zhao Canchen, handed him the gift list, and said, "His Majesty heard that you are getting married tomorrow, and specially ordered me to send these congratulatory gifts to express his feelings."
Zhao Canchen quickly bowed towards the direction of the palace to express his gratitude, feeling deeply honored by the generous gift bestowed by the Emperor.
Zhao Zhengzong then pointed to two palace servants and said to Zhao Canchen, “They are royal slaves, the children of Hu prisoners of war. They were raised as slaves in the Yeting Prison from a young age. They can understand what we say, but they can’t speak, like mute people.”
Zhao Canchen looked at the two young palace maids with pity. Their backgrounds were not much different from his own; they were both descendants of criminals. But now he had changed for the better, and he could marry the daughter he loved. He would no longer be lonely or helpless.
Zhao Zongzheng added, "They have no skills, no powerful backers, and have never contacted outsiders. You can use them without hesitation."
"Thank you, Lord Zongzheng." Zhao Canchen bowed respectfully.
Zhao Zongzheng pretended to take something and stepped to the side, subtly avoiding the bow.
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