latelenovela Chapter 320 Finding a Way to Escape Punishment
Chapter 320 Finding a Way to Escape Punishment
The Duke of Zuo nodded. Given the current situation, how could he, as the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, not understand these things?
Lord Hu: "There is an invisible balance here. But what if this balance is broken?"
"What will happen?"
Lord Hu laughed and said, "The Duke still doesn't understand why, even though the Crown Prince is so capable and has the support of all the officials, the Emperor would favor the Third Prince more? Is the Emperor so supreme that he can't tolerate someone else having more power than him?"
Duke Zuo finally understood: "If the Third Prince is gone, the Crown Prince will be all-powerful, and the Emperor will definitely be wary of him. Since he is wary, he will try every means to find fault with him. Perhaps the Emperor hates the Prince of Ning and Si Jing'an the most for losing his beloved son, but they have no vested interests with the Third Prince, so this hatred will fade over time."
"As expected of the Duke, you understand immediately," Lord Hu continued. "So, when the time comes, to whom will this hatred be directed?"
The Duke of Zuo squinted and pondered for a long time before taking the teapot and personally brewing tea for Lord Hu. He then presented the teacup to him with both hands.
"I also enjoy brewing tea on a regular basis. Would the Right Minister like to try some?"
Lord Hu took a small sip, but shook his head: "The Duke prefers strong tea, but I never ask for more. A light brew is enough."
The Duke of Zuo raised an eyebrow: "I would like to hear the details."
Lord Hu put down his teacup: "What I seek is wealth and honor, high office and generous salary. But with each new emperor comes a new court, and sometimes I worry about that too."
Duke Zuo immediately understood and waved his hand, saying, "I remember that Lord Hu has a daughter who is of marriageable age, and she is about the same age as my Wan'er. Our two families should support each other, and it would be nice if they could be sisters in the future."
Zuo Xiangwan is the chosen Crown Princess, which means that Lord Hu's own daughter will be the Crown Prince's concubine.
Lord Hu happily finished the tea in his cup before saying, "Don't worry, I will definitely protect the Third Prince's life!"
As long as the Third Prince doesn't die, there's hope for the Emperor to maintain balance, and things won't be too difficult.
The Duke of Zuo immediately sent someone to secretly deliver a message to the Crown Prince, telling him not to stand out too much recently, and preferably to make one or two harmless mistakes.
……
The news of Prince Ning's entry into the palace naturally reached the inner palace.
Consort Xin dared not close her eyes for several nights in a row. Even when the Imperial Concubine was reprimanded and the Emperor ordered her to take charge of the affairs of the inner palace, she was not happy.
She knew that her future depended on her son; if her son were gone, she would have nothing left.
I thought the Prince of Ning wouldn't find anything out, and his son would at most be reprimanded for his moral failings and animal cruelty. But he's still young, and once the rumors subside, he can gradually build up his prestige.
Unexpectedly, at the last moment, Prince Ning returned.
Consort Xin was extremely anxious and, not caring about being discovered, put on her night clothes and ran to the East Third Palace. When she saw the Third Prince, she could no longer hold back and hugged her son tightly.
The third prince was also trembling, repeatedly asking, "Mother, Mother, what should I do? Xiao Youchuan will definitely want my head, what should I do? What should I do?"
Consort Xin had no idea what to do. After thinking for a moment, she asked, "Where is Yang Yan?"
The eunuch knelt on the ground: "Yang, the companion... is seriously ill."
"I'll go see her." Consort Xin released her son and got up to walk towards Yang Yan's room.
The Third Prince hugged her: "Mother, why bother with Yang Yan now? Your son is about to die."
"Listen carefully, Yang Yan is so ill, he won't live." Consort Xin's eyes flashed with a terrifying light, as if she wanted to devour someone. "Since he can't live, let him do one last thing for you."
When they arrived in front of Yang Yan, Consort Xin had the Crown Prince administer medicine to Yang Yan before she spoke.
“You have served the Third Prince for eight years. Although you are not brothers, you are as close as brothers. You should know your own body.”
Yang Yan coughed a few times, and his face was flushed, which was clearly abnormal.
He forced a smile, fully aware that the medicine Consort Xin had given him was merely a temporary measure to make him appear strong.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, Yan knows how to do it."
He lowered his eyes, his gaze filled with excitement. He would die, but did Consort Xin think that if he took all the blame, the Third Prince would be safe?
The more the Third Prince is exonerated, the more obvious his crimes will become.
The Emperor woke up early in the morning and learned that Prince Ning had arrived. He was so angry that he cursed Eunuch Wu.
"What's wrong with you? You didn't even report that Prince Ning has arrived?"
Grandpa Wu knelt down to admit his mistake, but there was nothing he could do.
The Emperor hasn't entered the inner palace for a long time. Yesterday, for some reason, after the matter of the Second Prince ended and Feng Zizhou and Si Muwan were sent back, the Emperor lost interest in state affairs and seemed lost in thought.
Moreover, knowing that there was a court assembly today, the Emperor still summoned Consort Rong and fooled around with her until midnight.
Eunuch Wu had tried to persuade the emperor, but he wouldn't listen.
The emperor, nearing fifty, still thought he was young and could withstand any hardship.
At the court meeting, Prince Ning listed the crimes of the Third Prince one by one, which made the Emperor even more furious.
He hated his son so much for doing so many cruel and tyrannical things at such a young age. If he were to be made a king in the future, or even have the throne passed to him, how would he treat the people of the Great Zhou?
On one hand, she hated Prince Ning to the core. After all, he was her own son. If she had spoken to him privately about something, wouldn't Prince Ning have punished him? Did he have to make the whole world know, leaving Jingcheng no way out?
The Third Prince was brought over, along with Yang Yan, who was weak but able to walk on his own.
Yang Yan knelt on the ground and recounted everything that had happened over the years, down to the details of the eunuchs and servants who had accompanied him.
But there's only one point he made: he said all of this was done by him and Tang Yansen, and had nothing to do with the Third Prince.
Upon hearing this, Lord Xing breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Even the Third Prince was unaware of this?"
"Yes, Your Highness was completely unaware... Tang Yansen and I were acting behind the Third Prince's back!"
Lord Xing quickly knelt down and said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, I believe this matter has nothing to do with the Third Prince; it is all the fault of this attendant! It is clear that simply replacing the person beside him will suffice!"
The Emperor squinted at Lord Xing, his lips pressed tightly together, and said not a word.
The Duke of Zuo, who had been as quiet as a chicken, almost burst out laughing. How could this old Xing be so stupid? He actually thought he could fight against their Duke's Mansion?
Ridiculous!
If Yang Yan were to say that it was all his and Tang Yansen's fault for leading the Third Prince astray, that they were the ones who led the Third Prince to do evil, and that the Third Prince was seduced.
Even if they themselves were twisted and wanted to torture and kill people, they didn't dare bring the Third Prince along, and only brought him to torture and kill animals.
This would be more believable, and it might be able to cover things up!
But Yang Yan specifically said that the Third Prince was completely untainted. Surrounded by scum, how could the leader remain untainted?
Only someone as impatient and opportunistic as Old Xing, who's still pinning his hopes on the Third Prince's future, would believe that!