Chapter 6 Gossiping in the Imperial Court
Lin Qingyan left the main hall in a daze.
A night breeze blew, and he realized his back was soaked with sweat.
Everything that happened tonight was too bizarre!
He had to go home immediately and hang that wretched younger brother up and give him a good beating! No, even a beating wouldn't quell the hatred in his heart!
…
Inside the hall, the tense atmosphere finally eased after Prime Minister Lin left.
Yuan Hua waved his hand, signaling Granny Wen to drag the already terrified Consort Mei away for safekeeping.
Then, she quickly walked to the dragon bed and scooped her still-rolling granddaughter into her arms.
"Quickly, summon the imperial physician!"
Soon, the old imperial physician with white hair and beard rushed over with his medicine box and knelt on the ground to carefully examine the young empress's pulse.
Yuan Hua watched nervously from the side, his heart pounding in his throat.
After a long while, the old doctor finally breathed a sigh of relief and replied respectfully.
"Reporting to the Empress Dowager, His Majesty was merely frightened and is otherwise unharmed. I will prescribe a calming soup for His Majesty. After taking it, His Majesty should rest well for one night."
Yuan Hua's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, was finally completely at ease.
She dismissed everyone except a few trusted palace maids, and then held the small body tightly in her arms.
Her eyes welled up with tears, and her voice trembled.
"Zhaoning, it's all my fault, Grandmother. I didn't protect you well."
She lowered her head, tears welling in her eyes.
"Don't worry, Grandmother swears that she will never let anyone hurt you again!"
Feeling the warmth of her grandmother's embrace, Yu Zhaoning nuzzled her head against her neck and comforted her in a sweet, childish voice.
"Grandmother, don't cry, Zhaoning is not afraid!"
She stretched out her chubby little hand and, imitating an adult, clumsily patted Yuanhua's back.
[Yeah! Zhao Ning has a system! From now on, if anyone dares to bully the Empress Dowager, I'll expose their entire past! I'll make them walk around with their butts on the main hall!]
Hearing these innocent words from a child, Yuan Hua was both amused and exasperated.
Who taught this kid all this nonsense?
But I still felt a little warm inside.
She stroked her granddaughter's soft hair, a cold glint flashing in her phoenix eyes.
Tomorrow, we absolutely cannot give the eldest prince any chance to turn the tide!
Although Zhao Ning is good at gossiping, she is still just a four-year-old child.
If those old fogies in the court were to risk everything and desperately try to protect Yu Jingchuan, it would still be a huge problem.
She had to come up with a foolproof plan.
In the warm embrace of her grandmother and with gentle lullabies, Yu Zhaoning soon drooped her eyelids and drifted off to sleep.
In her dream, she seemed to see the male and female protagonists from that book, holding knives and chasing after her with ferocious expressions.
The little girl frowned and pouted.
[You villains! You're all villains! I'll turn you all into bean paste! I'll make you into red bean paste, mung bean paste, and black bean paste!]
Yuan Hua: "..."
This child is restless even when he's asleep.
However, this ruthlessness is just like her.
Yuan Hua chuckled softly, tucked the blanket around his granddaughter, and sat by the bed, staying up all night, quietly pondering what to do the next day.
…
The next day, at the Golden Palace.
As dawn broke, civil and military officials lined up on both sides, creating a solemn atmosphere.
Four-year-old Yu Zhaoning wore a tailor-made bright yellow dragon robe, her small body sitting upright on the tall and majestic dragon throne.
Her little face was taut, and she looked quite dignified.
Yuan Hua sat on the phoenix throne beside her, observing the proceedings from behind a curtain, his expression cold and stern, exuding an imposing aura without anger.
"Bring in the criminals!"
With a high-pitched announcement from the eunuch, the heavy sound of chains dragging on the floor came from outside the hall.
The eldest prince, Yu Jingchuan, the palace maid Cui Yue, and the deathly pale-faced Consort Mei were all brought up bound hand and foot.
Yu Jingchuan and Cui Yue both received thirty strokes of the cane. At this moment, their faces were pale, their steps were unsteady, and their bodies were still covered with undried blood.
"Your Highness! My Highness!"
An old man with a white beard couldn't hold back any longer and knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face.
"Empress Dowager! The eldest prince is the eldest grandson of the royal family, His Majesty's own brother! How could he possibly plot against His Majesty? There must be some misunderstanding!"
As soon as he knelt down, everyone around him immediately knelt down as well.
"Yes, Empress Dowager! Please investigate!"
"The Crown Prince has been gentle and obedient since childhood; he would never do such a treasonous thing!"
"Empress Dowager, look at the injury on His Highness's back! This hasn't even been a trial yet, and they've already used such severe torture! We are not satisfied!"
A group of veteran officials, led by the Grand Tutor, were wailing and lamenting, making the entire Golden Palace noisy, just like a vegetable market.
The Grand Tutor was so agitated that he trembled all over, pointing at the blood-stained clothes on Yu Jingchuan's back, his voice filled with sobs.
"Empress Dowager! No matter what, he is of the bloodline of the Great Yu royal family! If you want to interrogate him, you must first ask us, the old ministers, for our consent! Such a hasty decision is unacceptable; we will rather die than submit!"
Good heavens, this is practically a coup d'état.
Yuan Hua coldly watched the group of drama queens below, a chilling smile curving his lips.
Yu Jingchuan, kneeling in the hall, had a hint of smugness in his eyes.
His fierce gaze was fixed on the little one on the dragon throne, his eyes filled with ruthlessness.
Just you wait! Once I get through this, the first thing I'll do is kill you, you little bastard! And your old hag grandmother too! How dare you humiliate me and Yueyue like that, you'll all die! Die without a burial place!
These malicious thoughts made Yu Zhaoning, sitting on the dragon throne, tremble involuntarily.
She quickly patted her small chest.
[Wow, that scared me to death! That scared me to death!]
[That eldest prince's eyes are terrifying! Anyone who didn't know better would think he was about to rush up and assassinate the king to seize the throne!]
That childlike voice suddenly rang in the minds of the ministers in the Golden Palace.
The old ministers, who had just been crying their hearts out, suddenly stopped crying.
The entire hall fell silent instantly, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Um?
Who is speaking?
Is this His Majesty?
Wait a minute, the little emperor on the dragon throne didn't move his mouth at all!
Where did that sound come from?
And why did it just ring in my head?
While everyone was shocked and confused, Yu Zhaoning was already rubbing her hands together excitedly in her heart.
[System! System! Time to get to work! Any big news today?]
The system's voice was as cheerful as ever.
[Yes, yes, yes! Host, please wait a moment! Today's hottest court gossip is on its way! Before we get to the main course, let's have an appetizer! Ding! Loading complete!]
Inside the hall, the ministers looked at each other, each with a head full of questions.
System? Melon?
What is this?
They were certain that the voice they had just heard definitely belonged to His Majesty.
But she clearly didn't say anything!
Could it be...?
Did they hear His Majesty's innermost thoughts?
"hiss!"
Many people gasped in surprise, feeling that the world had become surreal.
Some people instinctively want to speak up and tell what they've heard.
"Your Majesty, I..."
But as soon as he opened his mouth, he found that his throat was being choked by an invisible hand, and he couldn't utter a single word!
He stared wide-eyed in terror and pinched his neck hard.
It's no use!
If anyone tries to utter even a single word about their innermost thoughts, he instantly becomes mute!
Now, everyone panicked.
They looked at each other with suspicion and uncertainty, communicating frantically with their eyes.
You heard it too?
You heard it too!
I heard it too!
What exactly happened?
The eldest prince, Yu Jingchuan, was still kneeling there with his head held high, waiting for the Grand Tutor and the others to argue for him and get him out of trouble.
After waiting for a long time, the group of old guys behind him suddenly went silent.
They stared at each other, wide-eyed as if they'd seen a ghost, but no one spoke.
What happened?
Keep cursing! Keep putting pressure on the Empress Dowager!
Cui Yue, who was next to him, trembled with fear and quietly moved closer to him, seeking protection.
Yu Jingchuan immediately comforted him gently.
"Yueyue, don't be afraid. With me here, I will definitely protect you."
Consort Mei, who was not far away, almost spat out a mouthful of blood when she saw this scene.
OK!
You ungrateful son who betrays his own side!
Your mother is tied up here too, her life hanging in the balance, and all you care about is that little bitch! I've wasted my time raising you!
Just as the atmosphere in the hall became strange, that soft, gentle voice slowly rang out again.
[Huh? It's loaded! Let me see what this good stuff is!]
On the dragon throne, Yu Zhaoning blinked her big, dark eyes cutely and mentally opened the text message sent by the system.
She opened her mouth in surprise after just one glance.
Wow!
[I knew it! When General Weiyuan came to court today, his beard looked half gone, and there were several red marks on his face!]
[It turns out he secretly went to a restaurant for drinks last night, but forgot to tell his wife the time, and came home late!]
[His wife, in a fit of anger, locked all the gates of the mansion! The general had no choice but to crawl through the dog hole in the backyard!]
[As it turned out, he was too fat and got stuck in the dog hole. The servants had to use an axe to chop down the wall to rescue him! That's when half of his beard was rubbed off by the wall!]
[Hahahaha! This is hilarious! A great general crawling through a dog hole! So funny!]
Yu Zhaoning was laughing inwardly, her little shoulders swaying, but she remembered her grandmother's teachings and kept her face taut, trying her best to maintain the dignity of an emperor.
But the ministers below were completely petrified.
What did they hear?
The gossip His Majesty was referring to was actually their gossip?!
All eyes immediately turned to General Weiyuan, who stood at the head of the military ranks.
The tall, imposing general, who was usually known for his strength and fortitude, now had a dark, square face that had turned a deep purplish-red.
He instinctively reached out and covered his half-bald chin, his eyes filled with terror, his whole body trembling like a leaf.
His whole body was trembling.
I felt like the sky was falling!
It's all over! My illustrious reputation as a general is completely ruined!
I was so discreet last night! Your Majesty, how did she find out?
General Weiyuan had only one thought at that moment.
Find a crack in the ground and crawl into it right now!