Prince Qi went to the clan residence that afternoon and first described the Xiao family's disturbance at the prince's residence in an exaggerated manner. He then explained to Prince Jing that his family had no idea that the emperor had issued an edict to the Xiao family. However, seeing that Xiao Yao's reputation was now ruined, and remembering that the old Marquis Xiao had taught his son a lesson, he wanted to help the Xiao family out.
He said this with such high-sounding words and such sincerity that King Jing only gave him a "Haha" and no longer had the patience to play along with him. He asked directly, "How does the Prince of Qi want me to help you with this matter?"
"Let the Xiao family compensate our Prince's Mansion for the losses, and let old Marquis Xiao publicly apologize to our Prince Qi's Mansion in the court." Prince Qi, who thought his request was not excessive at all, asked with his chest puffed out and his head raised.
"This matter involves an imperial decree. I must report it to the Emperor before he can make a decision." The Qi County Prince and his wife were notoriously difficult to deal with in Kyoto. Prince Jing had no interest in playing along. Besides, would he help the Qi County Prince's Mansion deal with his own daughter-in-law? He was joking!
"The Emperor will definitely be vigilant and will strictly investigate and punish anyone who breaks into our Prince's Mansion. The Xiao family's barbaric behavior must be severely punished."
Do you mean severe punishment? Never mind that the Xiao family is right. Even if they are wrong, I will still defend them. My son is planning to use the Qijun Palace as a target. When the time comes, he will know who will be severely punished.
Everything the emperor was busy with every day was more important than the Yun and Xiao families, so when the emperor heard that Prince Qi wanted to see him, he simply avoided him and pushed him back to Prince Jing.
Yun Yichen didn't want to wait any longer, so he brought up the emperor's edict and demanded compensation from the Prince Qi's Mansion on behalf of the Xiao family. He also asked them to come and apologize, otherwise they would be charged with contempt of the emperor's authority.
Princess Qi wanted to throw a tantrum, crying out that she was wronged. This judgment was completely different from what she had expected! Yun Yichen only asked her if she wanted to go to the Xiao family to apologize or spend some time in the prison of the clan house. Princess Qi didn't want to choose either, and her hesitant attitude annoyed Yun Yichen, who turned around and left. If Prince Qi hadn't reacted quickly to stop Yun Yichen, she would probably have really been sent to the prison of the clan house.
When Princess Qi reluctantly came to the door of the Xiao family and planned to perfunctorily apologize, the door of the Xiao family opened a crack.
Nanny Zhang walked out from the gap, bowed calmly and distantly to the Princess of Qi, and said, "My eldest wife said that we cannot accept the Princess of Qi's gift. Go back to where you came from! Madam asked me to tell you to keep an eye on your family. The old marquis doesn't have a disciple like Master Yun, so he doesn't need to use this excuse to enter the Xiao family again. The Xiao family does not welcome anyone from the Prince of Qi's mansion."
Many people followed Princess Qi to watch the fun. Everyone started talking to each other as they watched Princess Qi's face turn from pale to red and then to blue because of what Nanny Zhang said.
Yun Can, who was hiding not far away, thought dejectedly: I have no hope now. My parents have completely offended the Xiao family. It will be difficult for me to see my junior sister in the future.
The next day, He Jinzhi and her mother were exposed for fabricating and spreading rumors. With the testimony of the He family maid and Mrs. He's own confession, they could not deny it.
Lord He was demoted and assigned to the northern border and set off immediately. He Jinzhi, who had just been engaged, was disliked by her in-laws and left Beijing in embarrassment with her parents.
It turned out that Miss Xiao was framed by someone with ulterior motives! At this time, the common people sympathized with the Xiao family and Xiao Yao, as if the people who had been talking about Xiao Yao's misconduct not long ago were others and had nothing to do with them at all.
The next day, Yun Yichen placed evidence of the Han family's involvement on the emperor's desk. Han Yueting and her brother, who wanted to marry Xiao Yao, teamed up to discredit Xiao Yao. They also had the same idea as the Prince Qi's Mansion and wanted to take advantage of the Xiao family in the future.
If it weren't for him, how could the little girl possibly have provoked Han Yueting? Yun Yichen now felt only heartache and guilt when he thought of Xiao Yao. He wanted to see his beloved more than ever before, wanted to see if she was okay, and wanted to know how she felt...
"Why is it the Han family again?" The emperor also had a headache when he saw the evidence produced by his nephew. If he wanted to punish the Han family, he had to get approval from the empress dowager. If he didn't punish them, he would be unfair to the Xiao family and his nephew. What should he do about this matter?
"I will go to see the Empress Dowager myself. My nephew will not punish the Han family this time, but I must get a promise from the Empress Dowager that I will decide my marriage myself, and no matter who I marry in the future, she will not interfere."
He could deal with the Han family slowly, but he didn't want to wait any longer on the Xiao family side. He would only feel at ease when his relationship with the little girl was confirmed.
The emperor thought that his younger brother was very smart and his nephew was no worse. Fortunately, these were his own younger brother and nephew, otherwise he would probably not be able to sleep well every day.
In the magnificent Fengxiang Palace, Yun Yichen stared at Queen Mother Han without blinking. He knew that his grandmother was partial to the Han family, but he never expected her to be partial to this extent.
"Since things have come to this point, let your uncle's family prepare for the wedding! It's not appropriate for Miss Xiao to be the principal wife, so just give her the title of co-wife!" Queen Mother Han said this in a tone of almsgiving. In her eyes, except for the girls of the Han family, the girls of other families can be dealt with at will.
Originally, she disapproved of her brother's family accepting Xiao Yao as their wife, as the Xiao family had neither a strong foundation nor connections. However, things were different now. The Duke of Han and the Duke of Qing's mansions were now just empty shells, leaving them no room for criticism.
Those who used to fawn over the Han family now want to avoid them. If it weren't for me trying my best to protect them, the Han family would probably decline even faster.
Xiao Yao, right? She's too close to my youngest son's family. Sending her to the Han family will put everyone at ease.
"Haha, earlier, the Empress Dowager was willing to scheme against her own grandson for the sake of her niece, and now she is scheming against the Xiao family for the sake of the Han family and your niece. I don't understand. Are you helping us or harming us?"
"Achen..." Queen Mother Han called out in pain. Even her most beloved grandson was dissatisfied with her?
"If you still choose to help the Han family, I can only say sorry. I will send the evidence to the government, the Ministry of Justice, and the Dali Temple. Of course, I will also send evidence of the Han family's rampant behavior in Kyoto, their greed for wealth and land, and their collusion with officials."
Mrs. Han stared at his grandson in astonishment, as if he couldn't understand why he wanted to make a big deal out of it, and what good would it do for him.
After a while, Queen Mother Han finally recovered from her shock and asked, suppressing her anger, "How do you want to deal with this matter?"
"If you don't want me to pursue the Han family, that's fine. I just want you to make my own decision about my marriage and not interfere. I don't want my Yue family to suffer the same fate as my grandfather's family. As long as you can agree to these two things, I will let the Han family go."
Could it be that the person my grandson wants to marry is... Queen Mother Han put her hand on her chest and breathed in the fresh air forcefully. She felt like she was about to faint from the blow she received from her grandson.
Twenty years ago, I was defeated by my youngest son and watched him marry a daughter-in-law he didn't like; twenty years later, my grandson came to confront me and wanted to fight for his right to marry someone he didn't like as his grandson's daughter-in-law.
History is so strikingly similar, the only difference is that this time the grandson even wants to protect his father-in-law's family, leaving no chance for himself and the Han family.
"Please tell the Han family that if anything happens to the Xiao family or if there are any more rumors, I will blame them for everything. Next time, no matter who comes forward, it will be useless. I will never let them go again.
"By the way, I've already handed over half of my father's Silver Dragon Guards to me. Do you think they're enough to deal with the Han family?" Yun Yichen asked, looking directly at Queen Mother Han. Since his grandson was far less important than the Han family in her eyes, why should he care about family ties?
"you……"
"No one is allowed to have bad intentions towards the person I want to protect, especially the Han family. If anyone doesn't believe me, just try." After saying this, Yun Yichen brushed the hem of his robe, saluted in the direction of Queen Mother Han, and walked out of the hall without looking back.
Yun Yichen left the palace and returned directly to Prince Jing's residence. He still had to devise a plan to deal with Xie Zhuoliang. When the Crown Princess had just passed away, the Crown Prince and Xie Zhuoliang had been somewhat cautious, choosing to meet outdoors most of the time. Lately, the Xie family had been frequently seen entering and leaving the Crown Prince's residence openly, and their relationship had developed rapidly. It seemed the Xie family and the Crown Prince had reached an agreement.
Xie Zhuoliang's status as the next Lord of Xuancheng already put him in a special position. If he were to add his status as the Crown Prince's uncle, there would be few people in Kyoto who could suppress him. Under these circumstances, settling a marriage with the little girl was the safest option. However, the old man...
Ouch! My head hurts!
"Achen, please accompany your mother to visit the Xiao family! Your mother hasn't seen Ping'an since the rumors started! I heard that her mother is sick, which makes me even more worried." Yin Qianhua started talking as soon as she saw her son. She was really worried about Xiao Yao and her daughter. If her husband hadn't stopped her, and if something hadn't happened in Princess Deqing's mansion that delayed her for several days, she would have gone to the Xiao family long ago.
Yun Yichen wanted to see Xiao Yao more than anyone else, but he couldn't guess whether Xiao Yao wanted to see him or not. He also didn't want to go to the Xiao family right after provoking the Empress Dowager. It would not be good if she held a grudge against him.
"Don't go yet." King Jing glared at his son before sitting down. He had just come out of Fengxiang Palace, and the Queen Mother was so angry with her son that she was bedridden. If his wife and son went to the Xiao family at this time, wouldn't it be a provocation to her?
Given the Han family's temper, it would be strange if they didn't try their best to take revenge on the Xiao family. I don't know whether my son wants to protect the Xiao family or harm the Xiao family.
His son can think about the Xiao family wholeheartedly, but he still has to consider family affection. Even if people say he is indecisive or that he thinks too much, his mother is still his biological mother, and he cannot be as reckless as his son.
Oh! I can't go to the Xiao family again. Yin Qianhua suppressed her worries, Yun Yichen concealed her longing, and Yun Ruonan, who was peeping at the door, shook her head and sighed silently. It seemed that she would not be able to see her friends again today.
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