Muran Xuan looked down at the Crown Prince and sneered contemptuously. "Your Highness the Crown Prince should put on a robe. If you appear before the Emperor in such an indecent state, His Majesty will surely punish you." Muran Xuan silently scoffed in his heart. With the graceful Wei Dongling here, the Crown Prince had actually stripped without any regard. It was his own business if he didn't care about his dignity, but he shouldn't sully the eyes of this fair lady!
The Crown Prince's guards and secret agents saw their master kneeling obediently before the jade token in Muran Xuan's hand, so they didn't dare to cause any more trouble and knelt down one by one.
Yu Zixi glanced at the situation here, gave Wei Dongling a meaningful look, and then led his seriously injured master and brothers to withdraw in an orderly manner.
Muran Xuan simply assumed they were friends from the Listening to the Wind Tower who had come to help, so he didn't stop them.
Ruan Niang was brought over. Seeing the wound on Wei Dongling's abdomen, she felt extremely sad and immediately burst into tears, pleading with Muran Xuan to let her treat the injury.
Muran Xuan readily agreed. Only then did Ruan Niang carry Wei Dongling to a stone table nearby and carefully examine her wound.
Watching Yu Zixi's people leave swaggeringly, the Crown Prince was extremely reluctant, but with the Emperor's personal jade token here and Muran Xuan and the guards of the Prince Rui's Mansion glaring at him menacingly, the Crown Prince had no choice but to kneel on the ground.
Yu Zixi's wounds from a few days ago hadn't healed yet, and now he was covered in new injuries from the scorpion stings. Supporting the seriously injured He Jingyao, he led everyone to withdraw from the Crown Prince's Mansion very discreetly.
Seeing his brothers seriously injured, He Jingyao sighed silently in his heart. At this moment, he couldn't utter a single word of blame against Yu Zixi.
Cui Huan kept looking back, deeply worried.
Yu Zixi helped He Jingyao onto the carriage, bowed, and said, "Master, go back early. Disciple will return soon."
He Jingyao covered the sword wound on his chest and roared angrily, "Yu Zixi! Do you still want to go find her? Seeing her reunite with her father, do you think there will be any future for you two?"
Yu Zixi said softly, "Master, disciple hasn't thought that far. Disciple just wants to make sure she's safe." Besides, as long as Dongling was willing, he didn't mind becoming a son - in - law living with his wife's family!
He Jingyao angrily flung his sleeve and turned his face away, not looking at him.
Yu Zixi bowed and took his leave, then left in a hurry.
About half an hour later, the Emperor rushed into the Crown Prince's Mansion with a large number of imperial guards and headed straight for the inner courtyard.
Muran Xuan stepped forward, bowed, and knelt down on the ground, lifting his robe. "Nephew Xuan pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor!"
The Crown Prince kowtowed in a hurry and respectfully shouted, "Your son pays respects to Father!"
"Long live, long live, long live our Emperor!"
The Emperor waved his hand at everyone, nodded at Muran Xuan, and without even looking at the Crown Prince, he rushed straight to Wei Dongling's side.
At this moment, Wei Dongling and Ruan Niang were extremely shocked. Lord Rong was actually the Emperor? And he was Wei Dongling's biological father?
Ruan Niang quickly nudged Wei Dongling's arm and pulled her to curtsy. "This commoner pays respects to His Majesty the Emperor."
Wei Dongling quickly followed suit. Although she wasn't sure if the etiquette was correct, since they weren't from the palace, it shouldn't matter too much even if the etiquette was wrong.
"Dongling, there's no need for so many formalities," the Emperor helped Wei Dongling up at once. When he saw her unbandaged and seriously injured wound, his face immediately darkened. He ordered the Commander Fang beside him, "Hurry up and summon the imperial physician!"
"Yes!" Commander Fang quickly sent someone to do it.
The Emperor looked at her horrible wound and asked tremblingly, "Who injured you so severely? Was it that rebellious son of mine?"
Wei Dongling didn't dare to answer.
Muran Xuan didn't expect the Emperor to know her, but at this moment, Wei Dongling remained silent. Muran Xuan stepped forward and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty! Xuan saw with his own eyes that His Highness the Crown Prince attacked Miss Wei Dongling. If Xuan had come a little later, Miss Wei's life would have been in great danger!"
Hearing this, the Emperor flew into a rage. He glared angrily at the Crown Prince and roared, "You good - for - nothing! Even the punishment of confinement couldn't restrain you, could it?"
The Crown Prince was extremely frightened. Pointing at Wei Dongling, he said tremblingly, "Father! Your son has always been law - abiding and didn't dare to overstep the line at all! Please investigate clearly, Father. It was she who provoked Your son again and again! Father, look at the wound on Your son's back! It was all her doing!" The Crown Prince quickly tried to take off his clothes. The place on his back stung by the scorpion was painful and itchy, and it was extremely swollen. It had even hurt when he put on his clothes just now.
The Emperor roared in anger, "Presumptuous! What kind of a sight is this?"
The Crown Prince had already untied his belt. Seeing his father's rage, he quickly bent down to tie it back on.
The Emperor glanced at the guards and secret agents lying on the ground all over the place and was secretly shocked. When had the Crown Prince raised so many guards? He didn't even know about it!
The Crown Prince cried, "She injured Your son first! Please investigate clearly, Father!"
The Emperor roared, "Do you think I'm a fool? Miss Wei is chivalrous and kind - hearted. How could she provoke you again and again!" After Wei Dongling returned from her trips to Xingshan and Hanzhong, she had detailed her experiences to the Emperor, and he had sent people to verify them one by one. How could he not know about Wei Dongling's pure and innocent heart?
The Crown Prince trembled all over and coldly asked, "Father, would you rather blindly believe her than Your son? She really threatened Your son with a knife!"
The Emperor was extremely angry about what the Crown Prince had done in Xingshan, and of course, he knew the reason. It was the Crown Prince who had intended to commit murder first, and Wei Dongling had been forced to threaten him in order to escape.
The Emperor snorted coldly. "You know very well what you've done. Don't take others for fools. I sentence you to go to the Imperial Mausoleum in Youshan to observe filial piety for the founding emperor for three years starting tomorrow. Don't return until the term is up!"
Youshan? The Crown Prince felt dizzy. Youshan was so far away. This meant three years away! Wasn't this the same as those princes who were sent to remote fiefs?
"Father!" the Crown Prince cried aggrievedly. "Your son just wants to stay by Father's side to fulfill his filial piety. Please think twice, Father!"
The Emperor snorted coldly. "It's nominally for observing filial piety, but actually for you to reflect on your mistakes. My mind is made up. Don't mention this again, Crown Prince!"
The Crown Prince's face darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "Reflect on my mistakes? Father sounds so noble, but in fact, it's just to vent your anger for that woman and send Your son to such a far - away place!"
"Presumptuous! Slap his mouth!" The Emperor glanced at Commander Fang beside him. Commander Fang stepped forward upon receiving the order and slapped the Crown Prince's face one after another.
Everyone was extremely shocked.
The Emperor actually ordered someone to slap the Crown Prince's face in public! After this incident, even if the Crown Prince succeeded to the throne in the future, he would probably be criticized by others forever.
After seven or eight slaps, the Crown Prince was dazed. Only then did the Emperor order the person to stop and waved his hand, indicating for Commander Fang to drag the Crown Prince away.
The Crown Prince felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave and said hatefully, "Father! Your son is not convinced! She's just a woman who defies her superiors. Why can't Your son teach her a little lesson?"