The Persian tribute was truly a fine item.
Thinking so carefully, she didn't even notice the sudden freeze in the atmosphere inside the hall until a loud crash, the sound of something being smashed, rang out, and she abruptly raised her head.
Before she could see, pairs of eyes were fixed on them. Before she could figure out what was going on, her father and aunt both stood up and knelt in the center of the hall.
"Your Majesty is wise. There must be some oversight here. The sachets sent by our Prime Minister's residence are undoubtedly decorated with dragon and phoenix patterns."
One sentence made Meng Wan's heart tremble. By this time, she had naturally come to her senses, but she didn't know what had happened. She could only stand there, somewhat stunned.
A bright red sachet was tossed at her feet: "Take a look for yourselves, see if the dragon in your eyes really looks like this."
The couple immediately picked up the sachet to examine it, and their expressions changed drastically. Meng Wan's heart sank even more as she looked at it. She took a few steps forward, snatched the sachet away, and then froze again.
The sachet, which had been carefully examined, now bore the image of a python, while the tenth claw was nowhere to be found.
Like a bucket of cold water poured over her in the dead of winter, Meng Wan trembled uncontrollably. Almost without thinking, she knelt down and said loudly, "Your Majesty, please investigate! This sachet was arranged by me. I am certain that it came from my Prime Minister's residence and had a dragon and phoenix pattern! It must have been tampered with!"
The emperor narrowed his eyes. "Who could it be? Who did this? Tell me!"
Explanation? How would she know what was going on, but one thing was clear—
For the royal family, the indistinguishability between dragons and pythons is a major taboo. Now that a problem has arisen with the sachet offered as a talisman, it is naturally adding insult to injury. Therefore, no matter how she explains, it is useless. At this moment, she can only lower her head and say, "This subject does not know."
One sentence was enough to make the emperor's face darken.
No matter how much he liked Meng Wan or valued Prime Minister Meng, as an emperor, there were some things he truly had to avoid. Just like this time, he couldn't distinguish between dragons and pythons, which was a major taboo!
He immediately waved his long arm and said, "Guards! Drag Meng Wan away and lock her in the imperial prison. We'll deal with her later!"
"Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed! The matter has not yet been investigated thoroughly, how can you convict my daughter!" Upon seeing this, Prime Minister Meng immediately stopped him in a deep voice.
"Yes, Your Majesty, although that sachet belongs to my Prime Minister's residence, it has passed through many hands before being delivered to Your Majesty, so how can it be determined that it is our fault!"
The third wife also knelt down and shouted loudly.
Even some ministers who had previously received favors from Prime Minister Meng knelt down and echoed, "Your Majesty is wise!"
In an instant, the vast hall was filled with cries of pleas for mercy.
Meng Wan frowned and subconsciously looked up at the emperor.
The emperor's face darkened further.
How could he really want to punish Meng Wan? If it were an ordinary matter, he would never be willing to do so. But this situation is serious, how could he not be angry?
"Your Majesty—" Seeing the Emperor's furrowed brow as he was pressured by everyone, Meng Wan kowtowed to him, straightened up, and then said, "Since the problem lies with the sachet in my residence, then I should be punished. However, the sachet has not been damaged in any way in my residence, so please investigate thoroughly, Your Majesty."
Her words were spoken calmly and without haste, earning the admiration of everyone in the hall—after all, she was the daughter of the Prime Minister's former lover, and her composure at this moment suggested that the matter had nothing to do with her.
Immediately, they all echoed, "Your Majesty is wise!"
"Understood, take her away!" The emperor had calmed down a bit and nodded slightly. Then a guard came forward and took Meng Wan away.
"Your Majesty—" Prime Minister Meng was extremely anxious and could only plead with the Emperor. However, the Emperor waved his hand impatiently: "There is no need for further words. Prime Minister Meng, you may return to your residence. I will investigate this matter thoroughly. If it is truly not related to Meng Wan, I will clear her name. As for you, you shall stay in your residence for the next two days and shall not enter the palace unless summoned."
--
The matter of the sachet was of great importance, not only because it involved the Prime Minister's daughter, but more importantly because it concerned the Emperor's dignity. So, not long after dawn the next day, people from the Dali Temple went to investigate.
First, they summoned the embroiderers in the manor who did needlework, but after asking around, they couldn't get any answers. Everyone insisted that they embroidered according to the pattern, and that the young lady personally checked it after it was finished and there were no problems.
Meanwhile, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites assured them that once the items were handed over to them, there would be no problems whatsoever.
The situation suddenly reached a stalemate, and the Third Madam was so anxious that she almost fainted. She couldn't understand how the dragon pattern could turn into a python if there was no problem.
"Sir, if we can't find out who is responsible, then shouldn't we bear the consequences?"
Tears streamed down her face. Seeing this, Prime Minister Meng felt a pang of anxiety: "If we can't find out the truth, it's not just my daughter; I'm afraid the entire General's Mansion will be implicated."
The dragon and python symbolism is related to the emperor's majesty and symbolism, and is something the royal family cherishes most. Now that something has gone wrong, how could they let it go so easily!
V14 A Storm Begins on Flat Ground (Part Two)
The dragon and python symbolism is related to the emperor's majesty and symbolism, and is something the royal family cherishes most. Now that something has gone wrong, how could they let it go so easily!
Upon hearing this, the Third Madam cried even more bitterly, and Prime Minister Meng could only try to comfort her, but there was nothing he could do. Just then, a maidservant announced from outside, "Master, His Highness the Fifth Prince requests an audience!"
The couple were both taken aback, then quickly wiped away their tears, composed themselves, and went out to greet them.
Because of the previous days of heavy snow, the disaster in Sichuan and Chongqing was severe, and many people froze and starved to death. Therefore, the emperor specially sent Huangfu Yu to inspect the area and open the granaries to distribute grain. That is why he has not been in the capital for the past few days.
Having just arrived in the capital, I heard about what happened in the palace last night. When I heard that Meng Wan had been detained, I was naturally very worried. However, since I did not know the specifics, I could not act rashly. Therefore, when I passed by the Prime Minister's residence, I went in first to inquire.
As Prime Minister Meng left, Huangfu Yu jumped off his horse and strode over, looking travel-worn. Upon seeing Prime Minister Meng, he grabbed his shoulder without waiting for him to bow. "Prime Minister Meng, what exactly happened?"
Although the Empress had previously intended to bring them together, Prime Minister Meng was unaware that his daughter and the Fifth Prince had become so familiar with each other, causing the Prince such concern. However, this was not the time to concern himself with such matters. The most urgent task was to find out the whole story as soon as possible.
So he recounted the events of the previous night in detail, and at the end, he said, "Your Highness, my daughter is not a frivolous person, and she has never made any mistakes in her work. This time, it must have been someone who deliberately framed her."
Although their acquaintance was brief, Huangfu Yu naturally trusted Meng Wan implicitly. After all, that woman wasn't so careless as to not distinguish between a dragon and a python; it's just...
"Besides the Prime Minister's residence, where else did those sachets stop?"
"The Ministry of Rites, apart from my Prime Minister's residence, is the Ministry of Rites."
Prime Minister Meng said firmly.
"Although Lord Li of the Ministry of Rites said it was impossible, I still firmly believe that the incident involving the sachet occurred there."