"Miss, do you think His Majesty will be pressured into executing Princess Yun'an?"
Xueqing stood to the side, fanning herself, looking thoughtful.
Under the crabapple tree, Shen Tangning slowly opened her eyes. The sunlight bathed her cheeks in a thin layer of silky light, and her eyes appeared as clear glass under the light.
Her eyes curved slightly, and she said softly, "Yes."
She sat up straight on the couch, her piled-up skirt slipping to the ground, along with a few crabapple blossoms that twirled and fell to the floor.
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Your Majesty understands this better than anyone else. If you protect Yun'an this time, your image and standing in the eyes of the people will undoubtedly plummet, and the students of the Imperial Academy will question whether their monarch is truly worthy of their loyalty and sacrifice."
Even the emperor cannot do whatever he wants, because being in a high position means having to consider more factors and being constrained at every turn.
Did Emperor Chongde favor Yun'an?
Perhaps there is some merit to it, but it is absolutely not as important as his throne.
At this point, whether Yun'an was his biological daughter or not was no longer so important. Doing something that would bring shame to the royal family, perhaps it would be better for him to declare that she wasn't.
Xue Qing couldn't help but sigh, "As expected, what kind of kinship is there in the royal family?"
Shen Tangning curled her lips into a mocking smile: "It's not just the royal family; even ordinary families prioritize family interests. Look at my father, isn't he the same?"
Xueqing realized that her slip of the tongue had reminded her of painful memories, so she bit her lip and fell silent.
——
Sure enough, just two days after the students of the Imperial Academy staged their parade in the streets, an imperial decree had already been issued—
Yun'an disregarded the law and instigated her subordinates to commit murder. Her actions were extremely heinous. She was stripped of her princess title, demoted to a commoner, and given a white silk ribbon as punishment!
Immediately, the people applauded and cheered, praising the emperor for his wisdom and righteousness in putting aside his own family ties!
Consort Li was struck dumb upon hearing the news while in the Cold Palace!
It turns out that Kang Mama was killed by Yun An, who wasn't her daughter. Yun An was executed by the Emperor for murder...
Before she could recover from the grief of losing her son, she faced a series of blows, and Consort Li finally collapsed from exhaustion.
...
At this moment, Yun'an was completely unaware of the fate that awaited him.
The time she spent waiting in prison was extremely agonizing; compared to the inner torment, the terrible surroundings were nothing.
She huddled in the corner, occasionally a mouse crawling past her feet, which she avoided with disgust, nervously biting her fingers.
"My father has always loved me the most; he would never have the heart to punish me!"
"That's right, and there's also my mother. My mother will find a way to get me out!"
Next to her was Zheng Wangshi, and ever since she entered, the old woman had been cursing viciously: "Your Highness, are you still dreaming your grand dreams? You killed my son and grandson, you must pay for their lives!"
Yun An glared at him fiercely, her face dark with threatening anger: "Shut up! Once I get out of here, I'll skin you alive!"
Madam Zheng mocked sarcastically, "You really think you're a princess? Look around, does anyone even acknowledge you? You're just a wild pheasant from a poor mountain village who's gotten lucky and managed to fly up to a high branch, and you really think you can become a phoenix!"
She knew what Yun'an cared about most, so she deliberately targeted her sore spots. Sure enough, Yun'an's expression changed instantly upon hearing this, and she lunged forward, reaching into the cell door to try and strangle her.
"Shut up! Shut up!"
As the two were arguing, footsteps came from outside the cell. Yun An turned around in surprise and saw a eunuch carrying a bright yellow imperial edict slowly walking towards them.
Yun An's eyes lit up instantly, and he pressed himself against the cell door, peering out: "I knew it! I knew Father wouldn't abandon me!"
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