Ye Lingfeng lay down for a while longer, and when it was time for the morning court session, he got dressed and went to attend.
During the morning court session, the Emperor exposed the deeds of Prime Minister Zhongli in the palace, revealing that the Prime Minister and Prince Zhaoyang had conspired together. In the past, Ye Lingfeng had people investigate many of Zhongli's faults, but none of them were fatal. Now, with the account books presented by Shui Qi from Songzhou, all of this combined was fatal. In the hall, the officials were shocked. The Prime Minister's supporters were all terrified and knelt on the ground. As for those who opposed the Prime Minister, they were overjoyed. This old scoundrel finally got what he deserved.
Ye Lingfeng ordered Wu Shang, the Minister of Justice, to thoroughly investigate this matter. No matter who it was, he was to investigate to the end. Whether they were imperial relatives or high-ranking officials, anyone who dared to defy the laws of the country was to be severely punished.
The Minister of Justice received the decree, and the news quickly spread throughout the palace after the morning court session.
In Cixi Palace, the Empress Dowager was pale. After hearing the report from the young eunuch, she swayed and almost doubted her ears, so she asked again.
"You said that Prince Zhaoyang and the Prime Minister were caught red-handed by the Emperor."
"Yes, Your Majesty, everyone is talking about this. The Emperor has been sending people to monitor the Prime Minister, and last night he discovered that Prince Zhaoyang and the Prime Minister were plotting something, so he arrested Prince Zhaoyang as well."
"Damn it."
The Empress Dowager cursed angrily. She had always despised Zhongli. She had repeatedly reminded Prince Zhaoyang not to cause trouble and to be content with being Prince Zhaoyang. But now, he had actually gotten involved with Prime Minister Zhongli. Sooner or later, the Prime Minister's lineage would be dealt with by the Emperor. Anyone with a brain would have thought of this, but Ye Ranyi, that bastard, was so brainless.
The Empress Dowager was both angry and resentful, yet at the same time felt sorry for him. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the eunuch and everyone else in the hall.
Inside the main hall, only the Empress Dowager and Granny Ying were present. Granny Ying was puzzled as to why the Empress Dowager's expression was so grim. Shouldn't the Empress Dowager be happy that the Prime Minister had been arrested? The Zhong family had always suppressed the people of the Western Mansion, and now that they had been arrested, the Zhong family was likely to perish. The Empress Dowager should be happy, but instead, she was so angry. Was it because Prince Zhaoyang had been arrested?
Thinking about it, Ying Mama felt that the Empress Dowager seemed to treat Prince Zhaoyang very well. What was going on?
Granny Ying naturally dared not think too much about such things; she dared not meddle in matters concerning the royal family.
"What happened to the Empress Dowager?"
The Empress Dowager leaned back in her chair and shook her head: "It's nothing. I was just thinking that there aren't many bloodlines left in the royal family. Now there's only one Prince Zhaoyang left, and the Emperor has even targeted him. What will the world say about this? They'll probably say that the Emperor can't tolerate his brothers, so he's trying to eradicate these royal bloodlines one by one. First it was Prince Anyang, and now it's Prince Zhaoyang. I'm worried about the Emperor."
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, Granny Ying wondered doubtfully, "Is that really the case?" But why did the Empress Dowager seem more worried about Prince Zhaoyang? However, she dared not say anything and remained silent.
The Empress Dowager calmed her anger and looked at Ying Mama: "Send someone to the Imperial Study to invite the Emperor over. Tell him that I want to see him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The old woman, Ying, received the order and instructed the eunuch to go to the Imperial Study to invite the Emperor over, as the Empress Dowager wished to see him.
Standing before the main hall of Cixi Palace, Granny Ying looked uneasy. A strange and unpredictable atmosphere seemed to be lurking within the palace. What could it be? She pondered this as she walked out of Cixi Palace.
The Empress Dowager did not have to wait long; the Emperor received a report from the eunuch and arrived with his entourage.
"Greetings, Mother."
Although Ye Lingfeng was unwilling, in order not to let this woman discover any clues, he still suppressed the resentment in his heart and slowly opened his mouth, but his tone was still somewhat cold. Ling Han, the Empress Dowager raised her eyebrows in surprise and slowly asked.
"What's wrong with Feng'er?"
Hearing her call him so affectionately, Ye Lingfeng felt like he couldn't breathe. She had deceived him with a false facade from beginning to end, and now she was saying such affectionate things. If he hadn't held back, he would have slapped her across the face. How could she treat him like this?
However, it was not advisable to do anything now. If she found out and insisted that he was her son, Sima Yuan's son, it would ruin his reputation. Therefore, Ye Lingfeng tried his best to calm himself down. When he looked up again, he was much better and spoke in a deep voice.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me for what happened to the Prime Minister during the morning court session."
Upon hearing him mention Prime Minister Zhongli, the Empress Dowager immediately thought of Prince Zhaoyang, Ye Ranyi, and became anxious. She ignored Ye Lingfeng's cold expression, waved for everyone in the hall to leave, and then looked at Ye Lingfeng and spoke.
"Feng'er, what do you plan to do with Prince Zhaoyang?"
“The Prince of Zhaoyang dared to associate with Prime Minister Zhongli. It seems that the Prince of Zhaoyang is behind Zhongli. Therefore, I will not let them off the hook and will punish them severely.”
As he spoke, he raised his head and stared at the Empress Dowager. Sure enough, he saw the panic in her eyes and the loss of color in her face. She then took a deep breath and spoke up to stop him.
"Feng'er, you must not lay a hand on Prince Zhaoyang. I have already wronged the late Emperor. Now, Prince Zhaoyang is the only bloodline left of the late Emperor. If you harm Prince Zhaoyang, how will I face the late Emperor in the afterlife?"
After the Empress Dowager finished speaking, she started crying. Ye Lingfeng's face turned extremely ugly. He really wanted to step forward and slap this woman to death. She could really lie through her teeth.
It's obvious that Prince Zhaoyang is her illegitimate son, a bastard, not the late emperor's child, yet she still says such things to him. She's utterly shameless.
Ye Lingfeng was so angry that he almost couldn't help but beat the woman to death, but fortunately he still had his rationality, so he managed to restrain his anger and spoke in a sinister and cold tone.
"Doesn't Your Majesty think I should get rid of Prince Zhaoyang to secure my position? If my true identity is revealed, who will be able to guarantee my position? Therefore, I must get rid of Prince Zhaoyang."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Empress Dowager's face turned even paler, and deep unease and fear welled up in her eyes. Seeing her like this, Ye Lingfeng felt a surge of pleasure. It turned out that this woman's weakness was Prince Zhaoyang. It seems that all mothers in the world are the same. It's hateful that this woman has never treated him as her son. So from now on, he will never treat her as his mother again.
"night?"
"I have made up my mind. I must get rid of Prince Zhaoyang. Only by eliminating him can I ensure that my position is not threatened by anyone. Since he is a descendant of the late Emperor, I will let him go to the underworld to reunite with the late Emperor."
Ye Lingfeng spoke with a bloody and cruel tone, then smiled as he looked at the Empress Dowager at the head of the table.
"Shouldn't Mother be happy for me? By eliminating Prince Zhaoyang, I can guarantee that the kingdom of Beilu will belong to me. Therefore, Prince Zhaoyang must die."
The words "certain death" made the Empress Dowager's heart clench again, her head buzzing. The thought that Prince Zhaoyang would really be eliminated by the Emperor sent a chill down her spine. No, she couldn't bear to watch Prince Zhaoyang be eliminated by the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, what does the Empress Dowager think?"
She wanted to persuade the Emperor again, but Ye Lingfeng had already made up his mind and said directly, "Your subject has made up his mind, Mother, there is no need to persuade me anymore."
After saying her respects, she withdrew from the main hall. Inside, the Empress Dowager reached out and gripped the chair beside her tightly to steady herself. Her chest heaved, and she couldn't utter a single word. Outside the hall, Granny Ying led people in, and upon seeing the Empress Dowager's expression, she was greatly alarmed.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong? What happened?"
The Empress Dowager shook her head and said in a daze, "The Emperor ignored my words and wanted to kill Prince Zhaoyang."
After hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Ying Mama was somewhat confused. The Emperor wanted to kill Prince Zhaoyang because Prince Zhaoyang had broken the law, so why did the Empress Dowager's face look so ugly? Ying Mama wondered to herself, and subconsciously spoke up.
“Since Prince Zhaoyang has broken the law, it is only natural for the Emperor to get rid of him.”
As soon as Ying Mama finished speaking, the Empress Dowager raised her hand and slapped her hard across the face. The sound was loud and crisp. Ying Mama was sent flying, five finger marks clearly visible on her face. She fell to the ground, her head buzzing. Inside the hall, several palace maids were all terrified, looking at the Empress Dowager and then at Ying Mama, wondering how Ying Mama, who had always been favored by the Empress Dowager, could be slapped by her.