Baili Chen suddenly slammed his teacup on the table and said in a cold and ruthless voice, "Consort Lin, did you witness what happened before?"
Lin Yingying was taken aback: "No."
"If you didn't see it, then shut up! You didn't even see it, yet you can conclude that I did it based on someone else's one-sided story? Consort Lin is truly a good sycophant to foreigners!" Baili Chen suddenly shouted.
Lin Yingying trembled and almost fell over. Her face turned pale instantly. Those who had been criticizing Ouyang Yue immediately shut their mouths, their faces showing fear. Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince shouted, "Seventh Prince, stop talking nonsense!"
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, Consort Lin and those present who are trying to take this opportunity to put down my princess should know clearly. If you can't see it, stop talking nonsense and arguing with others. It makes you look stupid and ridiculous!" Baili Chen's voice was cold, showing no respect to anyone, but none of them dared to refute him.
Even the Crown Prince's expression changed slightly, but he didn't dare to go too far. Previously, when Baili Chen was summoned to the palace because of Jiang Xuan, he only heard that there was an argument in the Imperial Study. Baili Chen's expression was a bit off when he left, but Emperor Mingxian didn't make any move afterward, which meant that he wouldn't punish Baili Chen. This showed how much he favored him, so the Crown Prince didn't dare to act rashly. He already knew that this matter was related to his mother. If Emperor Mingxian were to investigate further in a fit of anger, it would be troublesome for his position. Therefore, he couldn't pursue the matter. Moreover, given the extent of Baili Chen's favor, it was not advisable to confront him directly now.
Moreover, what Baili Chen said was extremely serious.
Ultimately, this is the Great Zhou, not the Great Gan. Jiang Qi and Jiang Xuan are guests in the Great Zhou, and they are merely guests. To think that they could demand the Great Zhou punish a high-ranking princess for a minor grievance is utterly absurd. Moreover, the deceased was merely a palace maidservant of Jiang Xuan. In the Great Gan, there would be at least two or three hundred such maidservants, if not a thousand. To question the Great Zhou princess over a mere palace maid—what kind of foolish confidence is this? Indeed, if conflict arises between the two countries, a coup might occur, but that presupposes Jiang Xuan's death in the Great Zhou. For a mere palace maid to warrant a coup by both countries? Such a reason would become the biggest laughingstock of the Langya Continent. Unless the Great Gan emperor has lost his mind, this possibility is absolutely nonexistent!
As for Lin Yingying, she is, after all, the Crown Prince's concubine. Regardless of their private lives, the Crown Prince and Baili Chen are still brothers in public, and the women of the Crown Prince's and Baili Chen's households are linked by marriage. Yet now she's siding with outsiders instead of her own family. Does this mean Lin Yingying harbors treasonous intentions, or is she so despicable as to attack Ouyang Yue under the guise of currying favor with a lowly palace maid from another country, all to gain Jiang Xuan's favor? A dignified Crown Prince's concubine, the most likely candidate to become a Noble Consort, is she really so lowly, so unseemly, so disregarding family ties? Is another country really so good?
If Baili Chen wanted to, he could easily pin a charge of treason on Lin Yingying for her actions. It would only depend on whether Emperor Mingxian was willing to accept that charge. Given Emperor Mingxian's favor towards Baili Chen, it would be incredibly easy for him to order Lin Yingying's execution, especially since she had insulted his family. In that case, even the Lin family might suffer a severe blow. Who would dare to take that responsibility?
Ouyang Yue laughed and said to Baili Cheng, "Your Highness, I was invited to the Crown Prince's residence as a guest, but I have been frightened. As the host, Your Highness is known for his courteous manners and will surely not stand idly by and do anything disrespectful."
Baili Cheng's expression was grim. He glanced at Lin Yingying secretly. This was the first time Baili Cheng had looked at Lin Yingying like this since she married into the Crown Prince's residence. His eyes were filled with resentment, which startled Lin Yingying, and her face turned pale. Yes, she had secretly sent someone to kill that idiom. It was because she had witnessed the argument between Jiang Xuan and Ouyang Yue that she wanted to use this opportunity to ruin their relationship. Then it would be difficult for Jiang Xuan to marry into the Chen Prince's residence. That was her goal. But she hadn't expected that Ouyang Yue would neither explain nor admit it, and that Baili Chen would be so arrogant as to scold her in front of so many people, showing no respect for the princes and princesses. If it were any other prince, they would have chosen to downplay the matter and wouldn't have implicated her at all. But the current situation filled her with resentment.
Ouyang Yue looked up at Jiang Xuan and said bluntly, "Princess Jiang Xuan, putting aside the fact that this maidservant of yours has repeatedly spoken disrespectfully to me, I already have grounds to punish her. I, as a woman of my status, disdain to stoop to the level of such a lowly and ignorant servant, but that doesn't mean I'm a pushover to be easily bullied. Even if I were to kill her for this, so what? The Da Gan Kingdom is on a mission to the Great Zhou, representing the Da Gan royal family, for the sake of friendship between the two countries. To let a palace maid ruin the friendly relations between our two nations is unacceptable." "Can a mere palace maid bear this responsibility? Or perhaps Princess Jiang Xuan, you, as her mistress, deliberately allowed her to act recklessly and disrupt the peace between our two nations?" Jiang Xuan was startled and hurriedly tried to speak, but Ouyang Yue interrupted her, "However, I believe that with Princess Jiang Xuan's reputation for both beauty and talent, she would never do something so inappropriate. It's just that some servants, relying on their masters' high positions and power, have gradually lost sight of their place and forgotten that, no matter how good their master is, they are still just a servant. Crossing the line means certain death!"
As she spoke, Ouyang Yue coldly swept her gaze over the people who had been chattering in the hall, and they immediately lowered their heads.
Ouyang Yue sneered, "However, I, the Princess Consort, will not bear the stigma of murder. If I wanted to kill, what would be wrong with disciplining a disrespectful servant in front of Princess Jiang Xuan? Princess Jiang Xuan is benevolent and righteous; she would obviously not tarnish the respect others have for the Daqian royal family for the sake of a mere servant. If I dared to punish this servant in front of Princess Jiang Xuan, why would I need to do it in secret? I don't have that much time to waste my energy on a mere servant; it's simply not worth it." After saying this, she glanced at the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, I accompanied the Prince to your residence. As the host, Your Highness has now treated your guest with such humiliation in your residence. I beg Your Highness to give me justice!"
Baili Cheng's expression changed, and he smiled and said, "It's just a misunderstanding. Consort Lin originally meant well, thinking that we should not put the friendship between the two countries aside. She wanted to resolve this matter quickly, but in the end she did not choose the right method, which caused Princess Chen to misunderstand. Consort Lin should apologize to Princess Chen quickly."
Lin Yingying's face darkened, her eyes filled with hatred. She had been a pampered princess since childhood, and had never been so humiliated before. However, she had always been a gentle and understanding woman in front of Baili Cheng, and she would never ruin her image at a time like this. She bit her lip, pinched her thigh hard, and her eyes were already red with tears: "Princess Consort Chen, it was Yingying's fault. Please forgive me. Yingying meant well but did something wrong."
Ouyang Yue had a strange smile on her face, which surprised Lin Yingying. Ouyang Yue smiled and said, "Consort Lin is too kind. As long as you don't make the same mistake next time, everything will be fine."
Lin Yingying's heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly stared wide-eyed at Ouyang Yue, only to find the latter completely calm. Did Ouyang Yue know about her actions, or did she know about her plan? But looking at her, it didn't seem like it. Perhaps it was just something she said unintentionally. Lin Yingying couldn't imagine that Ouyang Yue had such wisdom. She silently stepped aside, but her eyes kept glancing at Ouyang Yue, as if trying to see something out of her.
Jiang Xuan was furious. Cheng Yu had been by her side for many years. She admitted that Cheng Yu could be a bit radical and arrogant at times, but Cheng Yu had always been very loyal to her. Any conflicts with others, including those with powerful figures, were because of her. This time, the same thing happened with Ouyang Yue. But now that Cheng Yu had died under mysterious circumstances, she couldn't even retaliate?!
Jiang Xuan slapped her hand, about to argue, but Jiang Qi said, "This idiom dares to disrespect Princess Chen, she deserves to die. However, she died in the Crown Prince's residence, and she was the Princess's personal maid. It's hard to say whether this person was targeted by the Princess. But it seems that the Crown Prince's residence needs to be strengthened."
It's clearly impossible to pin the death of a maid on Ouyang Yue and implicate a larger interest. However, if Jiang Xuan suffers such a great loss here and makes a mistake, then the position of Da Zhou will be very awkward in the future. If one of their own people dies so quietly, wouldn't that be a slap in the face to Jiang Qi and Jiang Xuan? This cannot be ignored.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Xuan immediately understood the meaning behind Jiang Qi's words and said repeatedly, "Cheng Yu has always been very devoted to serving me. Now that she is dead, I am very sad. I beg the Crown Prince to find out the murderer and give me an explanation."
Lin Yingying's expression changed. The Crown Prince glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and pointed at one of the guards: "You two came to report earlier looking strange, but it was because you were blinded by lust and fell for the idiom 'seeing beauty and acting recklessly.' She didn't comply, so you had evil intentions and killed her. Speak!"
The first two guards who came to report were shocked. Their faces turned ashen, and they knelt on the ground, trembling and unable to speak. If they opened their mouths, they would die. How wronged they were! But if they didn't use the Crown Prince's words, they would still die.
"Do you want your families to be buried with you?" The man who had spoken earlier, clearly the head of the guards, now lowered his voice and said to the two guards.
The two guards were ashen-faced and kept kowtowing, crying out, "Your Highness, spare us! We were just momentarily overcome by lust, it was unintentional, it was unintentional!"
"Your Highness, spare my life!"
"Guards, drag them away and beat them to death with sticks, as a warning to the spirits of Wei Chengyu in heaven." The Crown Prince waved his hand expressionlessly, and the two guards were dragged away. After a while, their cries of pain could be heard outside, but the hall remained silent.
Everyone knows that the Crown Prince deliberately dragged someone down as a scapegoat. The guards in the Crown Prince's residence are all shrewd and capable. The Crown Prince's residence has invited them to banquets more than once or twice before. There are maids who are prettier than Chengyu. How come no one else got into trouble except Chengyu? But this matter cannot be investigated any further, otherwise who knows what might be uncovered, and everyone will lose face.
Because of this incident, the banquet proceeded in a very unpleasant manner. In the end, Jiang Xuan left the banquet on the grounds that she could not hold her liquor, and the banquet naturally ended hastily.
As Ouyang Yue walked out of the Crown Prince's residence, Jiang Xuan's carriage was waiting there. Ouyang Yue smiled faintly, but Jiang Xuan had already stepped down from the carriage and slowly approached Ouyang Yue: "You've gotten lucky this time. If you're smart, quickly tell this princess the true whereabouts of the jade pendant. Otherwise, today is just the beginning. This princess has plenty of ways to torment you."
Ouyang Yue sneered, "If Princess Jiang Xuan isn't reborn as a princess in her next life, she'll be the most famous bandit in the world. Her ability to seize by force is beyond the reach of ordinary people, and it's completely unreasonable. Leaving aside whether this jade pendant truly belongs to your maternal clan, the Empress, as Princess Jiang Xuan claims, I, the Princess Consort, have endured the discomforts of pregnancy to accompany you so many times, and you haven't even offered a word of thanks. Now you want to harm me. Whether the Ning family gave you the jade pendant or not, I don't know, but Princess Jiang Xuan shouldn't think I'm stupid enough to be so easily threatened. Since Princess Jiang Xuan can't find the jade pendant, she can simply tell me she's going to the palace to see her grandmother or father, and explain the purpose of her trip. Perhaps with my father's high position, a single imperial decree will be issued, and someone will naturally present the jade pendant with both hands. Wouldn't that save Princess Jiang Xuan even more trouble?"
Jiang Xuan's expression changed drastically, and Jiang Qi rushed over: "Princess Consort Chen, please don't be angry. The throne is only in such a hurry because I am too filial to my mother. She is the kindest of hearts. To be honest, this jade pendant is indeed very important to us. It is not only a family heirloom of my mother's family, but also an important token to mobilize my maternal clan. My mother's clan holds one-third of the power in Da Gan, which shows how important this jade pendant is to Da Gan. I am not afraid that Princess Consort Chen will know that this jade pendant will also be of great use to my struggle for the throne. However, since it is a token of my mother's clan, only members of the clan can use it. It is useless to outsiders. But if Princess Consort Chen can help me find this jade pendant, I admit that I owe Princess Consort Chen a favor. As long as it is within my ability and does not involve the interests of Da Gan, I will agree to it."
Ouyang Yue fell into deep thought, seemingly believing Jiang Qi's words. Jiang Qi and Jiang Xuan exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with anticipation. Ouyang Yue frowned and said, "This princess does not have this jade pendant. However, I still maintain that Ning Shi took care of my mother back then, so her chances of obtaining it are more than 80%."
Jiang Xuan snorted: "I saw this Ning Shi a long time ago. She is living a very miserable life. She is so thin that her eyes are skin and bones. Moreover, she lives in a place that is worse than that of a lowly servant. She has no valuables with her. She said that this thing is on you, Princess Consort Chen."
Ouyang Yue looked at Jiang Xuan with sympathy: "Princess Jiang Xuan is really smart all her life but confused for a moment. Even if Ning Shi doesn't say she has a grudge against me and won't tell the truth, she probably can't say it."
Jiang Qi was taken aback, then said thoughtfully, "What does Princess Chen mean?"
Baili Chen snorted coldly: "General Ouyang is a benevolent man. Although Ning made a mistake and should have been divorced, he didn't take any of her personal belongings. Ning took them all back. Whether the jade pendant you mentioned is hard to say. Just because Ning is suffering now doesn't mean it couldn't be her. She's living a miserable life in the Ning household, and her belongings were confiscated. Naturally, someone who confiscated them took what they wanted. As you say, that jade pendant is worth at least several hundred taels of silver."
Jiang Qi and Jiang Xuan were startled. Jiang Xuan quickly said, "What does Prince Chen mean..."
"My lady, you must be stunned. Let's go back to the manor and rest." After saying that, Baili Chen ignored the two of them and helped Ouyang Yue into the carriage. Given Baili Chen's personality, Jiang Xuan had just wanted to frame Ouyang Yue, so it was already a great favor that he was willing to say these words. Jiang Qi and Jiang Xuan did not pay attention to Baili Chen's words and quickly got into the carriage and returned to the post station.
As soon as she entered the room, Jiang Xuan asked anxiously, "Your Majesty, do you think what Baili Chen and Xuanyuan Yue said might be true?"
Jiang Qi thought for a moment and said, "It's not impossible. Before this, it's unlikely that Ouyang Yue would have known the whereabouts of this jade pendant. Moreover, the information we investigated shows that Ning Shi was indeed ordered by Ouyang Zhide to take care of Leng Yuyan. Therefore, it is highly likely that she obtained this jade pendant. Now that she has nothing, it is very likely that this thing has fallen into the hands of the other two branches of the Ning family."
Jiang Xuan suddenly realized something and exclaimed in alarm, "Brother, Lin Yingying acted strangely today. I suspect she killed Cheng Yu, but why did she attack Ouyang Yue like this... When Ning Xihe married into the Crown Prince's residence as the Crown Princess, she brought quite a dowry with her. Do you think it's possible that Lin Yingying also knew about the jade pendant and was afraid that Ouyang Yue would reveal the truth, so she took the opportunity to harm her?"
Jiang Qi's expression changed drastically: "That's unlikely, but we can't guarantee it!"
Jiang Xuan said with a stern face, "Let's go to the Ning residence first and investigate. I will turn the Ning residence upside down and find this jade pendant! If this jade pendant is really in Lin Yingying's hands, she will definitely not let her off the hook."
As soon as everyone left, the Crown Prince berated Lin Yingying, bringing her to tears. This time, however, the usually chivalrous Crown Prince appeared cold and indifferent. Lin Yingying's actions had truly humiliated him; in front of everyone, she had fabricated a lie that no one believed, and punished two guards. This not only made people think the Crown Prince was indifferent to human life, but also that he couldn't manage his household affairs. With such audacious women, how could he possibly control the harem in the future? He had thoroughly disgraced the Crown Prince. Finally, the Crown Prince went directly to the room of the newly arrived beauty, where Lin Yingying, enraged, smashed two vases before finally calming down.
She sat in the room for a while, then suddenly her face darkened and she gave a cold laugh: "Guards, prepare to enter the palace. This concubine wants to see Consort Fen."
Inside Liuhua Palace, four palace maids helped Consort Fen, who was six months pregnant and whose belly was swollen like a ball, out. Consort Fen had only applied some light makeup, but she was naturally beautiful and had become even more charming and lovely than before.
Lin Yingying immediately bowed, and after Fenyan sat down, she dismissed the servants and said with a slight frown, "What brings Consort Lin here at this hour?"
Lin Yingying's face darkened, and she said, "Although Consort Fen is in the palace, given your current favor with the emperor, news from outside the palace probably can't be kept from you."
Fenyan glanced at Lin Yingying, nodded, and said with a hint of mockery in her eyes: "What Consort Lin said is right. I already know what happened at the banquet at the Crown Prince's residence. Seeing how Consort Lin is now, she has not been implicated, which is the best possible outcome."
Lin Yingying's face showed hatred: "No, it's a huge problem. The Crown Prince has a grudge against me this time, which is a matter of utmost importance to me."
Fenyan said "Oh" and stopped talking. Lin Yingying stared intently at Fenyan and said, "Fenyan, are you still not going to give me an answer about what I said before?"
Fenyan sighed, "Consort Lin, you know how I entered the palace. I have no power in the palace and do not want to offend anyone because of it. Neither you nor Princess Chen are people I want to offend. At most, I can tell you that if you really have any disputes, I will not get involved in either of them. But if you join forces with me to target Princess Chen, I cannot agree to that."
Lin Yingying sneered, "How can such a cowardly concubine survive in the palace? Although my purpose wasn't achieved this time, now that Cheng Yu is dead, won't he leave a grudge on Jiang Xuan and Xuan Yuan Yue? I originally thought that if Jiang Xuan married into the Chen Prince's residence, it would be a major obstacle for the Crown Prince. However, through this incident, I've changed my mind. Jiang Xuan absolutely cannot enter the Crown Prince's residence." Lin Yingying originally intended to use this opportunity to create a chance for Jiang Xuan and the Crown Prince to get together. Lin Yingying would be a great contributor to this, and the Crown Prince would naturally be even more grateful to her. Lin Yingying wasn't truly willing to give up the Crown Prince's favor; she was willing to make small sacrifices in the early stages so that she could eventually ascend to the throne.
However, the Crown Prince's actions today had somewhat hurt her. Moreover, if Jiang Xuan entered the Crown Prince's residence and the Crown Prince became too fond of her, she, who hadn't feared before, was now afraid. Therefore, Jiang Xuan couldn't enter the Crown Prince's residence. She could even find opportunities to create chances for Jiang Xuan and Baili Chen, to force them into a fait accompli, and then whether Jiang Xuan or Ouyang Yue were willing or not, this would have to be done. At that time, Jiang Xuan and Ouyang Yue's hatred for each other would deepen, and the entire inner courtyard of the Prince Chen's residence would be in chaos. Baili Chen wouldn't be able to enjoy the benefits. Furthermore, if Jiang Xuan married him, she would definitely incur the suspicion of Emperor Mingxian's princes. Even without the Crown Prince's intervention, Baili Chen would be attacked from all sides and would certainly suffer a terrible fate. However, she could also see that Ouyang Yue was quite wary of outsiders. It wouldn't be easy for her to scheme against Ouyang Yue, but Fenyan and Ouyang Yue were close friends, so if she stepped in, the chances would be much greater.
Fenyan remained silent, while Lin Yingying laughed: "I understand perfectly well what Consort Fen is afraid of. Whether it's the Crown Prince or Prince Chen, you're afraid that either one will pose a threat to you after ascending the throne. But don't forget, compared to Prince Chen's arrogant and unrestrained nature, the Crown Prince is much more composed and restrained, and he follows the law. Putting aside who will ultimately prevail, I'm certain of this: you'll be much safer under the Crown Prince than under Prince Chen. Even if you don't win in the end, the Crown Prince can at least guarantee you a stable life. Isn't that what Consort Fen wants?"
Fenyan fell silent, then sighed deeply, "Consort Lin, allow me to think about this matter some more. I will give you an answer within three days."
Lin Yingying wanted to persuade her, but in the end she didn't say anything. She stood up and said with a smile, "Pink Consort, think it over slowly. This concubine is leaving now."
Fenyan suddenly raised her head and said, "Consort Lin is about a month pregnant, how are you feeling lately?"
Lin Yingying smiled with satisfaction: "Very good!" Although Baili Cheng was angry with Lin Yingying, as long as she was carrying a child, which was Baili Cheng's first child, he would not really be angry with her anymore. Lin Yingying smiled gratefully at Fenyan: "Thank you for your guidance, Consort Fen."
Of course, Fenyan knew about what happened at the Crown Prince's residence. Presumably, the Crown Prince would reprimand Lin Yingying more afterward. However, Fenyan was telling her that with this child in Baili Cheng's heart, Lin Yingying would be invincible.
Fen Yan gently stroked her large, round belly, remaining silent for a long time. After tracing her belly, she smiled slightly. "Although using a secret technique depleted my energy, at least I know I'm carrying a boy, the tenth prince. He'll be born in four months, but he's over twenty years younger than the crown prince, and even the youngest, the ninth prince Baili Mao, is almost twenty years younger. With such a huge age gap, how can he possibly compete? Unless..." Fen Yan murmured to herself, her voice barely audible, "Unless all the princes die before then, he'll have a chance..."
At this time, the Prefect of Jingzhao also issued a ruling on the case of Lin Changqi's serious assault on Sun Ming. After investigation, it was found that the manager of Chenghua Restaurant had no connection with Sun Ming whatsoever. Lin Changqi and his men had injured Sun Ming and damaged the restaurant, so they had to pay compensation according to the agreed price. However, for the sake of the security of the capital, the Prefect of Jingzhao, out of respect for both the Lin and Sun families, ordered Lin Changqi to go to the Sun family to apologize. Although neither side was satisfied with this result, it was impossible to harm Lin Changqi through this incident.
What no one expected was that Lin Changqi went to the Sun residence to apologize and leave, but as soon as he turned a corner, he was stuffed in a sack and beaten up, breaking his leg!
The Lin family was furious upon learning of Lin Changqi's injury. Lin Changqi already held official rank and had been assigned a position in the imperial court; now, with his leg broken, his career was over, and he had no chance of becoming an official. The reason Lin Changqi was injured was because he went to apologize to the Sun family. Sun Ming of the Sun family had severely injured him and was still bedridden. He hadn't even seen Lin Changqi when Lin Changqi arrived, clearly still harboring resentment. Lin Changqi had barely turned the corner when he was attacked; no one, not even a fool, would believe that the Sun family wasn't responsible!
The Lin family naturally sought justice from the Sun family, demanding Sun Ming's life. The Sun family, of course, refused to back down, and the conflict escalated. It's said that one day, the guards of both families engaged in a brawl, resulting in the deaths of over twenty guards and injuries to nearly a hundred others, causing chaos in the capital. Finally, the Prefect of Jingzhao, An Huai-ren, deployed troops to quell the unrest. Inevitably, the matter reached the Emperor's ears, who was furious and ordered that both the Lin and Sun families involved in the disturbance be given fifty strokes of the cane. However, the troublemaker was not the Lin family's patriarch; who was the current patriarch of the Sun family? The Lin and Sun families immediately lost face, and their hatred deepened.
However, this amusing anecdote in the capital was quickly overshadowed by a major case that was suppressed the very next day, a case that was also related to the Lin family.
Five days later, at Prince Chen's residence.
It snowed in the capital today, not much, just a few snowflakes, but it brought a refreshing coolness. Ouyang Yue suddenly felt like seeing the snow. It was also because Baili Chen had been watching her too closely since she became pregnant, so she didn't have much time to go out. Ouyang Yue was really feeling a bit bored.
So Baili Chen meticulously decorated the pavilion outside, hanging heavy curtains all around, except for a small opening on one side where he replaced the curtains with gauze. Inside the pavilion, four charcoal braziers were placed. Baili Chen, Ouyang Yue, and Leng Caiwen sat in the pavilion, each holding a hand warmer. A beautiful fruit bowl sat on the table in front of them, and white steam rose from the hot tea. Through the gauze curtains, they watched the snowflakes falling outside, creating a romantic and beautiful scene that was indescribably moving.
The three sat in the pavilion, enjoying the rare scenery and chatting happily.
Just then, the three of them suddenly heard the sounds of fighting outside. Baili Chen's face darkened: "Leng Sha, go see what's going on."
However, Leng Sha did not return for quite some time. Just as Baili Chen and the other two were filled with doubt and uncertainty, Leng Sha finally came over, followed by a group of people led by Yu De, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Baili Chen exchanged puzzled glances with Ouyang Yue and Leng Caiwen. At this moment, Yu De had already walked over and first bowed to Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue: "Your humble servant Yu De greets Prince Chen and Princess Chen."
Baili Chen said coldly, "Lord Yu, what do you mean by this? You have brought so many people to visit the Prince Chen's residence without my permission. What is your punishment?"
Yu De, however, showed no fear and said with a cold and stern face, "Your Highness, please forgive me. As the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, I have my own authority in the capital. I have just received a case and now I need to take Princess Chen back to the Court of Judicial Review for investigation."
Both Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue were shocked. Baili Chen slammed his fist on the table in anger: "How dare you! Princess Consort Chen, as my princess consort, when did it become your place to investigate, interrogate, and arrest people at will!"
Yu De peered through the gauze curtain and saw three people sitting inside. From their shadows, he could tell that Ouyang Yue was sitting in the middle, her belly slightly protruding, but her posture still upright. With a slight thought, he said, "Your Highness, please forgive us. The matter of the dead is of great importance, and Your Highness's Consort must go to assist in the investigation. If Your Highness and Consort do not cooperate, it may give rise to gossip and be even more detrimental to Your Highness's Consort."
Ouyang Yue’s voice came slowly and deliberately: “Lord Yu, what case have you taken on? Why do you trouble me, the Princess Consort, to go to the Dali Temple? Is there anything you can’t say at the Prince Chen’s residence?”
Yu De's voice lowered: "Yes, this matter is probably not appropriate at Prince Chen's residence. This matter has been reported to the Emperor and is under the full responsibility of the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince has personally ordered that all those involved in this case be arrested and taken to the Dali Temple for investigation, because the Crown Prince's concubine, Lin Yingying, is dead, and all the evidence at the scene before her death points to Princess Chen, 'you,' as the murderer!" After saying this, Yu De waved his hand, "Guards, arrest the people from Prince Chen's residence and send them to the Dali Temple prison."
The gauze curtain was immediately ripped open, and Baili Chen, his face ashen, roared, "Who dares!"
"I dare!" Just then, a group of people rushed into the Prince Chen's mansion, led by Baili Cheng. Upon seeing Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue, Baili Cheng raised the bright yellow imperial edict in his hand and said coldly, "I am acting on the Emperor's orders to thoroughly investigate this matter. Princess Chen, Xuan Yuan Yue, is involved in this case. Arrest her immediately for interrogation. Anyone who dares to obstruct this will be arrested for disobeying the imperial edict. No further discussion will be given. This is the decree!"
Emperor Mingxian had already issued the decree, and there was no room for maneuver. Guards immediately went to arrest the person. Baili Chen tried to stop them, but Baili Cheng sneered, "Seventh Prince, do you want to defy the decree and be killed? I advise you not to resist. If Princess Chen is truly innocent, I will certainly not wrong her. But if she is the one who murdered my concubine, I will tear her to pieces! Take her away!"
Baili Cheng left with a cold expression, while Baili Chen's face turned ashen, because he could see that Baili Cheng clearly intended to kill Ouyang Yue: "Leng Sha, quickly find out what exactly happened?!"
☆、235, kill them all!
Leng Sha immediately flew off to investigate, but Baili Chen felt a little panicked. The Crown Prince was not one to act impulsively without considering the consequences. How could a princess be taken away so easily? The imperial decree was not the problem, and there must be something he didn't know. Even if Emperor Mingxian hated him, he wouldn't issue such an imperial decree to take away a princess so casually. What evidence did the Crown Prince have that made Emperor Mingxian issue an order to arrest her?
Baili Chen's mind became increasingly agitated as he thought about it. After a moment's thought, he said, "Prepare the horses. I'm going to the Prince's Palace!"
Horses galloped through the streets. Baili Chen's trip had drawn much criticism, but he didn't care. He arrived at the Prince Zhi's residence as quickly as possible. Although Sun Meng'er greeted him first this time, she dared not be negligent in the slightest. As soon as Baili Chen stepped into the hall, Baili Zhi walked out from the back hall. Seeing Baili Chen's anxious expression, Baili Zhi said to Sun Meng'er, "Consort, please go down first. I have some things to say to my seventh brother."
Sun Meng'er was unwilling, but dared not object. She glanced thoughtfully at Baili Chen before retreating. Back in her room, she asked the maid she had brought from the Sun residence, "Have you heard any rumors, or has something happened in the manor?" Baili Chen had come to see Baili Zhi before, but most of the time Baili Zhi didn't guard against her and let her leave. Men always need some secrets. Although Sun Meng'er was impulsive, she wasn't stupid. In this era where men were the masters, women were always expected to be more virtuous.
But Baili Chen's anxious expression just now gave her an idea. The maid Meihua shook her head and said, "Consort, I haven't heard of it. Should I go outside and inquire?"
"Go ahead. Baili Chen must have something to do by coming here. Go and find out what's going on. The fact that Prince Chen's mansion is still in the capital means something big must have happened."
"Yes, Consort."
A moment later, Mei Hua came over, her face beaming with joy. Sun Meng'er asked curiously, "What happened?"
"Princess Consort, you must be very happy to hear about this. Princess Consort Chen was just arrested by the Crown Prince with the Emperor's decree and imprisoned in the Dali Temple jail." Knowing that Sun Meng'er and Ouyang Yue were at odds, Mei Hua spoke with great schadenfreude.
Sun Meng'er was stunned: "What, are you serious?"
"Yes, Consort, you brought quite a few people with you at the time. There were onlookers outside who saw it, but they don't know what happened," Plum Blossom said with a smile.
Sun Meng'er clapped her hands excitedly: "Good! Xuan Yuan Yue is in for it! She dared to disrespect me before, this is retribution, this is retribution!" After a moment of excitement, Sun Meng'er suddenly said to Mei Hua, "Go quickly, go to the Sun residence and spread the word. Xuan Yuan Yue is in trouble now, if the Sun residence doesn't help her out, she'll be even more unlucky!"