Seeing the Crown Prince's reaction, Xiang Yun knew she had said the right thing.
Miss Song was the Crown Prince's sore spot!
She hated the Matriarch of the Yue Family to the core, and even more so the man - eating den that was the Yue Family.
Since the Crown Prince wanted the Matriarch dead, she would give him a reason he couldn't refuse to kill her!
Encouraged, Xiang Yun recounted in detail how the Matriarch had plotted to have Yue Chengkong defile Song Wanchu.
After hearing this, the Crown Prince's face darkened, and thunderous anger boiled in his eyes.
The Matriarch had resorted to such despicable means to scheme against Wanchu!
And that insolent Yue Chengkong had even dared to covet Wanchu!
But Yue Chengkong was still useful, so he had to be kept alive for the time being.
The Matriarch, however, must die!
Xiang Yun told the story in great detail. Song Wanchu listened quietly, seemingly showing little emotional fluctuation.
But the danger of being cornered by Yue Chengkong in the room that day was still vivid in her mind.
Her insides twisted uncomfortably.
The Crown Prince's gaze fell on her face, peering deep into her eyes.
"The one who tried to assassinate Yue Chengkong was Liang Yuzhou, wasn't it?"
The Crown Prince had suspected it was Liang Yuzhou's doing when Yue Chengkong was crippled and the word "shameless" was carved on his face.
Now that he knew the Matriarch had schemed against Wanchu, he was sure that the one who had rescued Wanchu from that desperate situation could only be Liang Yuzhou.
Song Wanchu didn't try to hide it. "It was him."
A bitter taste filled the Crown Prince's chest.
He didn't want to admit that he was actually jealous of Liang Yuzhou.
Jealous that he could so freely abandon fame, fortune, and even change his identity just to win back the woman he loved.
Jealous that he could avenge Wanchu without any constraints or concerns.
And he, the Crown Prince of the current dynasty, the future emperor, one of the most powerful men in the Great Zhou, was always timid and hesitant.
His eyes gradually hardened. He took Wanchu's hand and solemnly promised, "Wanchu, this time, let me avenge you!"
The Crown Prince ordered Baizhi and Luocen to send Song Wanchu back to the Chu Family.
At the Yue Family, the Matriarch was in a rage because of the failure of her conspiracy.
Xiang Yun had even defected!
The original plan of the Princess Dowager was to use Song Wanchu to smear the Crown Prince, gradually making him seem like a lecherous, muddle - headed, and tyrannical figure in the eyes of the common people.
Once the rumors spread, they would be like a flood, unstoppable, and would eventually reach the capital.
Song Wanchu already had a bad reputation in the capital. If the emperor knew that the Crown Prince was neglecting the country and the people because of a promiscuous woman, he would surely be furious.
Then, the Princess Dowager would order her followers to impeach the Crown Prince and stir up trouble in the court.
With Grand Tutor Wen banned from the court and the Crown Prince losing his voice, the emperor would be influenced by the one - sided remarks and become even more dissatisfied with the Crown Prince.
When the time was right, the Princess Dowager would add fuel to the fire and persuade the emperor to depose the Crown Prince and install another prince.
The other princes were far less talented and intelligent than the Crown Prince. The Princess Dowager could easily control any of them.
The future of the Great Zhou would then be in the hands of the Princess Dowager!
The plan should have been foolproof, but the Matriarch never expected that Song Wanchu would turn the tables. She not only saved the Crown Prince's reputation but also pushed the Yue Family into a more dangerous situation!
Song Wanchu had aborted the Princess Dowager's plan!
"This woman is too terrifying. I must find a way to kill her!"
The Matriarch had murder in her heart.
A servant rushed in nervously and reported, "His Highness the Crown Prince is here!"
"Coming to settle old scores?"
The Matriarch sneered, her eyes full of disdain.
She was sure the Crown Prince wouldn't dare to touch her.
The Princess Dowager had just been released from confinement. The emperor felt deeply guilty towards her and would spare no expense to make it up to his sister. No one would dare to provoke her.
Grand Tutor Wen was a living example!
The Crown Prince entered the inner hall. The Matriarch didn't even bother to pretend. She sat upright in the main seat without even batting an eyelid.
It was a great disrespect not to bow to the Crown Prince.
"Who does the Crown Prince want to arrest this time?"
The Matriarch stared at him, her venomous eyes filled with hatred. "My son is disabled, my two grandsons have been sentenced to exile three thousand miles away, and the servants have been arrested and investigated. Does the Crown Prince want to wipe out my Yue Family?"
The Crown Prince's face was cold, and his eyes were like ice.
He didn't want to waste his breath on this old woman.
"Come, send the Matriarch of the Yue Family on her way!"
Two serious female officials stepped out from behind him. One of them yanked the Matriarch off her seat and pinned her arms behind her back.
The other female official held a bowl of medicine, grabbed her chin, and poured it into her mouth.
The Matriarch was shocked. She struggled and cursed as she immediately realized what was going on. Someone had leaked the secret to the Crown Prince.
The Crown Prince knew she had schemed against Song Wanchu, which had touched his sore spot.
But she was already in her seventies, and the two female officials were skilled in martial arts. How could she be their match?
The bitter medicine flowed down her throat. She choked and coughed continuously, her white hair in disarray, her eyes blood - red, looking extremely embarrassed.
She had been dignified and noble all her life, but in the end, she was being sent away by the Crown Prince in such a despicable way!
She was not willing to accept it!
The Matriarch burst into laughter, her voice becoming hoarser and hoarser. "Lu Sihong, for the sake of a woman, you've killed the wet - nurse of the Princess Dowager! The Princess Dowager won't forgive you, and neither will the emperor!"
The Crown Prince's handsome face remained expressionless, except for a hint of cruelty and malice hidden in his eyes.
The Matriarch fell at his feet, twitching continuously and foaming at the mouth.
An hour later, Shi Minglang walked out of the main hall and shouted, "The Matriarch of the Yue Family has died of a stroke!"
The Crown Prince's eyes were filled with nothing but coldness. "The court historian will stay and assist the Yue Family in handling the funeral."
Giving the Matriarch a dignified funeral was his last act of mercy.
The Crown Prince left the Yue Family. Instead of staying to guard the Matriarch's body, Yue Jiaojiao chased after the Crown Prince all the way to the gate.
"Your Highness the Crown Prince, when will you come to my house again? Jiaojiao will be waiting for you!"
Although her father and two brothers had been arrested by the Crown Prince, Yue Jiaojiao didn't blame him at all. They had offended the Crown Prince, after all.
But the Crown Prince hadn't taken it out on her.
The Crown Prince must like her.
She would wait for the Crown Prince to marry her.
She wanted to be the Crown Princess!
The news that the Matriarch of the Yue Family had died of a stroke quickly spread throughout Yunzhou City.
The Yue Family had committed many evils, but the Crown Prince had allowed them to hold a grand funeral for the Matriarch. Everyone praised the Crown Prince for his benevolence.
When the news reached the capital, the Princess Dowager was heartbroken.
She drew her sword and rushed into the courtyard. Imagining a precious pine tree as the Crown Prince, she hacked at it wildly.
The fall of the Yue Family was like losing an arm. The wealth of the south of the Yangtze River would no longer fall into her hands.
Her eyes were blood - red. "Song Wanchu, this femme fatale, should have been killed long ago! Lu Sihong must have killed Nanny because of her!"
After venting her anger, she gradually calmed down. "Lu Sihong values benevolence the most. It must be Liang Er who incited him to use such despicable means to kill Nanny!"
Song Wanchu, Liang Yuzhou, Lu Sihong, you all deserve to die!
"Come, send an invitation to the Duke's Mansion. I haven't seen Huiyan for a long time and miss her very much. I'll host a banquet tomorrow. Invite her and the Princess Jiahe to come."