He Mengzhen held the ledger and presented it. "Your Majesty, this subject's daughter-in-law... No. These days, this subject's wife has been suffering day and night, unable to eat or sleep well. It's because this subject's wife has discovered these things... This subject's wife..."
She knelt on the ground, on the verge of collapse, and couldn't speak coherently, as if extremely frightened.
The Third Prince narrowed his eyes slightly, took a step forward and said, "Sister-in-law, calm down. You're rambling. How could Father understand? Please speak clearly."
His words were like a reassuring pill. He Mengzhen took a deep breath, raised her head, and looked directly at the emperor. Her eyes were misty. "Your Majesty, these are all the misdeeds committed privately by the Crown Prince. Please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty!"
Concubine Zhao let out a soft exclamation, whether intentionally or not. "Huh, the Crown Prince? You're the Crown Princess, yet you're accusing the Crown Prince?"
He Mengzhen kowtowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Your Ladyship. Although this subject's wife is the Crown Prince's wife, she's also a subject of the Great Zhou. The Crown Prince's atrocities of disregarding the lives of the common people are simply countless. After much thought, this subject's wife feels that she can't only consider her own status and disregard the people of the world, Your Majesty."
Concubine Zhao nodded slowly and said to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the Crown Princess's actions are truly touching. When this subject's concubine was in the countryside, she heard a saying that even the son of heaven should be punished as severely as a commoner if he breaks the law. If the Crown Prince really disregards the people, it's an act of disregarding the country."
The emperor frowned tightly. He ordered the eunuch beside him to take the ledger from He Mengzhen's hand, opened it page by page, and his face showed great anger as he read.
Some of the well - known female relatives of the officials present wanted to say something to ease the situation. But before they could speak, the emperor roared, "Shut up!"
So everyone fell silent, not daring to make a sound.
He Mengzhen knelt on the ground, crying blood - like tears. "Your Majesty, this subject's wife is incompetent. She was only taught from childhood to put the country before the family. The Crown Prince and his subordinates are cruel and heartless. If this man becomes the king in the future, the Great Zhou will..."
The emperor looked up, his face as cold as frost. "Will what?"
He Mengzhen was startled and prostrated herself on the ground, not daring to say another word.
The emperor picked up the cup on the table and threw it hard at He Mengzhen's head. With a scream, blood trickled down He Mengzhen's forehead, but she didn't dare to move.
Concubine Zhao moved closer and said softly, "Your Majesty, the imperial doctor said that you shouldn't be too impatient. Your Majesty, have some tea and calm down a bit."
The emperor held the ledger and shook it forcefully. "You want me not to be impatient? Are these all false? How can I not be impatient?"
Concubine Zhao gently stroked the emperor's back. "Your Majesty, this subject's concubine doesn't understand government affairs. She just thinks... The Crown Prince has been the heir apparent for so many years and has supervised the country many times. When this subject's concubine was in the countryside, she heard that his reputation was quite good. Your Majesty, maybe there's some misunderstanding about this matter?"
The emperor looked up and laughed wildly. He looked at the Third Prince with a gloomy and terrifying look. "Third son, you tell me! How should this matter be handled?"
The Third Prince was shocked. He quickly knelt down. After thinking for a moment, he replied, "Father, only when the people are at peace can the country be stable. The Crown Prince's actions... are really inappropriate."
The emperor asked again, "Then what do you think I should do to punish the Crown Prince? Depose him as the heir apparent and execute him? Or... banish him to guard the imperial mausoleum and never let him out?"
Sweat rolled down the Third Prince's forehead. He felt the atmosphere around him was extremely uncomfortable. He gritted his teeth and said, "Father, this subject's son thinks that after all, the Crown Prince is your own flesh and blood. It's his fault that he has committed such a great mistake, but..."
"If I tolerate his great mistake, doesn't it just show that I'm incompetent and partial?"
The Third Prince looked up at his father in surprise. Did his father already want to execute the Crown Prince at this moment? But everyone could see how much the emperor doted on the Crown Prince.
He had taken such a risky step and made so many preparations, just to achieve his goal with one blow. But now that the goal was obviously about to be achieved, why was he even more nervous?
He quickly lowered his head and replied, "Father, this subject's son thinks it's inappropriate to convict the elder brother now. It's better to hand it over to the Censorate and give the elder brother a chance to defend himself."
"Chance?" The emperor's teeth gritted. "What chance is there? Someone, where is the Crown Prince?"
A guard stepped forward and knelt down. "Your Majesty, this morning, upon hearing the sad news from the Duke's Mansion, the Crown Prince left the palace with Lord Rong and the Third Lord Rong..."
"Which Duke?" The emperor's voice was also unpredictable.
The eunuch sized up the situation and shouted, "Drag him down and give him fifty lashes. Don't let him come near!"
Everyone didn't dare to make a sound. Only Concubine Zhao was still whispering to comfort the emperor. After feeling that the emperor was almost calmed down, she looked up at Shi Ning'an and asked, "Princess Zhonghui, what's the sad news from the Rong family?"
Shi Ning'an was quite puzzled. Why did Concubine Zhao ask this out of the blue...
She quickly came to her senses, stepped forward, knelt down, and said loudly, "Your Majesty, Your Ladyship, this subject's daughter doesn't know the inside story. Only at noon today did she hear her family tell a strange joke, saying that the family of this subject's second uncle had committed suicide out of fear of guilt."
The emperor looked up at her. "A joke?"
Shi Ning'an looked at the emperor quietly, with a faint smile on her face. "Naturally, it's a joke, Your Majesty. All the members of the Duke Rong's Mansion are heroic men. Even if they die, they should die on the battlefield, at the hands of worthy enemies. How could they commit suicide out of fear of guilt? Naturally, it's a joke."
Sweat rolled down the faces of everyone present, including Princess Zhaoming. Just now, the guard was punished by the emperor for wrongly referring to the Rong family as the Duke's Mansion. But now, Ning'an actually openly mentioned the Duke Rong's Mansion. Wasn't she courting danger?
However, there was no sign of anger on the emperor's face. Instead, he also showed a smile. "Isn't it a joke? If the descendants of Duke Rong are so cowardly and useless, there may not be a worthy young man in our Great Zhou!"
He sized up Shi Ning'an. "Zhonghui, you really deserve this title."
Shi Ning'an bowed. "This subject's daughter's maternal grandfather taught her that no matter what position one is in, one should accept the dignity and honor that come with it, just as one should bear the corresponding responsibilities."
The emperor, who had been furious just now, actually relaxed his eyebrows after hearing this. "Dignity and honor? Hahaha, Zhonghui is right. Duke Rong represents the most noble and honorable part of our Great Zhou. The glory that the Rong family's ancestors earned on the battlefield, why can't they accept it?"
Did this mean that the title of the Rong family would be restored?
While everyone was still confused, they heard the emperor say again, "Zhonghui, how is your maternal grandfather these days?"
Shi Ning'an nodded playfully. "Your Majesty, this subject's daughter's maternal grandfather will always stand firm. But this subject's daughter's eldest uncle has been punished by his grandfather to practice martial arts on the training ground every day because he has been neglecting his practice. He can't slack off at all."
The emperor burst into laughter. He turned to Concubine Zhao and said, "He's just like this. My love, you entered the palace late and don't know. I learned martial arts from Lord Rong since I was a child. If there was the slightest mistake, Lord Rong's spear would come down on me. I was most afraid of Father asking Lord Rong to teach me martial arts every year. After I ascended the throne as the emperor, I would be intimidated every time I saw Lord Rong."
Concubine Zhao also smiled charmingly. "This subject's concubine entered the palace late. Otherwise, she really wanted to see Your Majesty's might. It turns out that Your Majesty also has someone to be afraid of."
The emperor was in a very good mood. For a moment, he reminisced about his days as a young prince. "The late Duke Tang was the emperor's teacher, and Duke Rong was my martial arts teacher. My days were really hard when I was young. However, it was under such strict training that I was able to live up to the late emperor's expectations and govern the Great Zhou smoothly."
Concubine Zhao pretended to be angry. "Your Majesty is so heroic. How can an ordinary person compare? The two Dukes, Tang and Rong, were just lucky to be born at the right time and have the honor to be the emperor's teachers."
The emperor laughed again and repeatedly ordered rewards. He rewarded Shi Ning'an and Concubine Zhao, as if he had completely put the matter of the Crown Prince aside.
The Third Prince was extremely nervous. He summoned up his courage and called out, "Father..."
"However!" The emperor seemed not to hear the Third Prince's voice. He suddenly changed the subject, like a thunderbolt from a clear sky. "However, my sons, one by one, are either weak and incompetent, or scheming, or can even cause trouble in this peaceful era! Is it because my dragon - born sons are useless, or is it because they haven't met teachers like Tang and Rong!"
He stood up and walked down. He walked to the Third Prince's side. "Third son!"
The Third Prince answered bravely. "Father, this subject's son is incompetent..."
The emperor sneered. "I don't think you're incompetent. You have great skills!"
The Third Prince was nervous. Maybe his father was angry with the Crown Prince and thus disliked him too. He gritted his teeth. Yes, the emperor's heart was all on the Crown Prince, as if the Crown Prince was his only son. His mother's family was weak. If it weren't for the care of Concubine Liang, he might not have survived in this deep palace for so long.
It was Concubine Zhao who spoke. "Oh, Your Majesty, look, the Crown Princess is still injured. Hurry up and help her down. Don't soil Your Majesty's sight."
The emperor didn't even give a glance. He turned back to the main seat and asked, "Has the Crown Prince come back?"
The eunuch quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is almost at the palace gate. Lord Rong and the Third Lord Rong..."
"Since they're together, let them all come. Speaking of which, I haven't seen Rong Sui for some time."
Immediately, a guard trotted out of the palace gate to convey the emperor's order.
Shi Ning'an still knelt on the ground. She couldn't get up until the emperor allowed it.
Princess Zhaoming was worried. She wanted to plead for mercy, but saw Shi Ning'an slightly shaking her head at her. She closed her mouth and turned her head away without saying a word.
When the Crown Prince, Rong Xuan, and Rong Sui came, Princess Zhaoming finally felt relieved.
The Crown Prince didn't say a word. He lifted his robe and knelt down to plead guilty. "Father, this subject's son has made mistakes."
The emperor's expression was hard to read. Looking at the three young people, he seemed to think of his own youth. At that time, the Great Zhou was not so peaceful. It was beset by internal and external troubles, on the verge of collapse. But it had only been twenty years, just twenty years.
"What did you do?"
The Crown Prince looked up and replied, "Your Majesty, this subject's son received the news that the Xia family had evil intentions and wanted to kill General Rong Feichi and General Rong Heng."