At the emperor's one word of command, someone immediately responded and went, however, before they had even exited the palace gates, they were called back by the emperor.

  "Wait, be careful with the wordings, don't spread it out. ∮YanMoXuan∮No Ads∮"

  The eunuch bowed his head, nodded and responded with a "yes", then quietly exited the hall. The entire Xuanzheng Hall fell silent once again. The Emperor stood on the jade steps, pacing back and forth, visibly restless.

  Since the emperor did not utter a word, how could anyone else dare to speak? Zhao Mo remained kneeling on the ground, motionless. Even the gentle and elegant Consort Qing, who was known for her eloquence, stood silently beside him, not even daring to breathe loudly.

  Before long, the eunuch who went to the Ministry of Punishment to fetch the imperial decree returned with a scroll and presented it to the Emperor on his knees.

  The emperor paused for a moment, then took the scroll with one hand and slowly opened it himself. As the scroll unfolded bit by bit, the emperor's gaze was fixed intently on it. The entire Imperial Palace was silent, with only the sound of the emperor's increasingly heavy breathing echoing through the air.

  The emperor's hand holding the scroll was slightly trembling due to exertion, and his fingers were also faintly pale, but on his face, he slowly smiled coldly, step by step walking down the jade steps, coming to Nan Chongyao's side: "Take a look, is this calligraphy from your elder brother's hand?"

  Nan Xiangyao's gaze lingered on the scroll for a moment before he lowered his eyes and replied, "Your son is not skilled in calligraphy, please forgive your son's lack of talent."

  His Majesty still smiled coldly: "Blind? Can't recognize it? Or dare not admit it?"

  Nan Xiangyao didn't even have time to say anything before the Emperor had already slammed the scroll in his hand onto the ground, furious: "What a 'united and brave army with great morale'! What a 'soaring through the nine heavens'! Who is he going to unite with? The traitorous Dong clan?! And what kind of nine heavens does he want to soar through?! I'm not dead yet!"

  I quickly glanced down at the scroll on the ground, which had a long poem written on it. I didn't dare to look closely at its contents, but those two lines that the Emperor just recited must have come from it.

  I silently sighed to myself, even if the poem and inscription on this scroll were indeed written by the Crown Prince's own hand, when he wrote it down, he probably didn't think deeply about it, nor did he necessarily harbor rebellious thoughts.

  People who think too much are emperors.

  Throughout history, there have been countless cases of literary inquisitions, and the decisions to kill or pardon were all made at the whim of the emperor. Those in high positions are often cold and distant, and what emperors fear and dread the most is someone usurping their power, regardless of who that person may be. What they are least stingy with and never lack is suspicion and mistrust, even among family members.

  While in a high position, he also has this ability, would rather kill three thousand by mistake, and will never let one person go.

  That scroll lay lonely on the ground, but no one dared to approach it, nor even glance at it for a moment.

  The emperor walked back and forth in the Xuanzheng Hall for a few steps, his majestic anger gradually fading from his face. He glanced at the scrolls on the ground with an ambiguous gaze, then slowly turned to look at Nan Chongyao, opening his mouth lightly: "You say, how should this matter be handled?"

  Nan Chengyao looked straight into the emperor's eyes, took a step forward, and knelt down on one knee, saying: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger. In my humble opinion, although this handwriting is very similar to that of the Crown Prince, it is also possible that someone deliberately forged it."

  His words were decisive and calm, his eyes didn't have a hint of evasion. The emperor quietly observed him for a moment, but couldn't see anything out of place, so he quietly shifted his gaze away.

  As soon as Nan Chengyao knelt down, Ouyang Xian and I naturally followed suit. From my perspective, I saw that Queen Qing was puzzled by Nan Chengyao's words just now, with a hint of confusion in her beautiful eyes. I slowly lowered my eyelashes, she didn't understand, but I did.

  His Majesty looked at us and opened his mouth again, his anger was almost imperceptible, with only a hint of sarcasm in his tone: "Framing and forgery? Can you learn to be so similar? His writing is personally taught by me, I don't know?"

  When His Majesty spoke, his eyes kept glancing in the direction of Nan Chengyao with a hint of suspicion.

  In my heart, I silently sigh, with this feeling and this scene, how can I not be suspicious?

  Leaving aside the Empress's words, Zhao Mo and Ouyang Xian were originally people of Nan Chongyao. This matter of writing characters was brought about through their mouths, no matter how unintentional it seemed, but their identities and positions were already there, making it impossible for the Emperor not to suspect.

  Nowadays, the incident of inscribing characters is a deliberate provocation by Nan Chengyao, but Dong Di has already died and the Dong family has perished. In the absence of evidence from the dead, it's impossible for the Emperor to abolish the Crown Prince just because of an inscription. This is something I can understand, and Nan Chengyao naturally wouldn't be unaware of it either.

  So he would kneel down and speak for the prince to clear his name, because even if he couldn't completely eliminate the emperor's suspicions, at least on the surface, he didn't lose anything.

  But this time the layout is not to overthrow the prince, as long as it can leave a shadow of suspicion and distrust towards the East Palace in the emperor's mind, that's enough.

  However, at this point, it is clear that the Emperor has already begun to suspect Nan Chongyue, and no matter how he responds, he will easily deepen the Emperor's suspicion of him.

  So he chose to kneel quietly on the ground, neither speaking ill of the prince nor opening his mouth to defend him. Under the emperor's ambiguous gaze, his expression didn't show any impropriety, letting the Son of Heaven judge and decide for himself.

  The entire Zhengzheng Hall was silent, so the emperor's pacing back and forth sounded even clearer. Empress Qing on the jade steps also seemed to have noticed the emperor's subtle suspicion towards Nan Chongyao, and her eyes showed a hint of anxiety, but she was at a loss for how to break this deadlock.

  I understand that this can't go on, the longer we drag it out, the more suspicious the Emperor will become. Sighing inwardly, I put on a gentle and respectful expression, and softly spoke up:

  "Your Majesty, I have a few words to say, but I don't know if it's suitable to speak them."

  Nan Chengyao's kneeling figure seemed stiff, he turned to look at me, his eyes deep and gloomy, he suddenly spoke to me: "Matters of the imperial court, how can a woman like you intervene? You should quickly apologize to the Emperor!"

  Although his words were reproachful, how could I not know that he was doing it for my own good? Just like this time, he didn't tell me beforehand. I think that if the Emperor hadn't issued a decree ordering me to enter the palace, he definitely wouldn't have brought me along today. I know he doesn't want to drag me into the political struggles - this bloody and treacherous whirlpool. The farther away I am from it, the safer I'll be.

  So even at a time like this when it's easy to say the wrong thing, he still wants to stop me from speaking out. So what's wrong with doing something for him that I can do?

  The emperor glanced at Nan Chengyao and then turned to me, saying: "It doesn't matter, I'll just listen to her say it. This is not only a court matter, but also a family matter."

  I humbly lowered my eyes and softly said, "Your Majesty, I don't understand calligraphy, so I couldn't tell if this handwriting is really from the Crown Prince's hand. However, even if the words on this scroll are truly written by the Crown Prince, I absolutely do not believe that the Crown Prince would have any connection with the rebellious officials and traitors."

  The emperor asked in a calm tone, "How can you be so sure? You've been married to the Third Prince's household for not long, and you haven't had much interaction with the Crown Prince either. How can you speak with such certainty?"

  I saw Nan Cheng's eyes flash, as if he wanted to speak, and hurriedly took a step forward and responded in a low voice: "Although I, the son, have not had much contact with the Crown Prince, when I was in Ye City, I was once held captive by Dong Shi for a period of time. Therefore, I know that this person loves to attach himself to the elegant and refined, collecting famous poems and paintings everywhere. Since the Crown Prince's calligraphy has already made a name for itself throughout the world, and Dong Shi has accumulated wealth and has a rich family background, it is not impossible for him to try every means to get one piece."

  The emperor fell silent, his face dark and solemn. I continued to speak in a gentle tone: "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince has always been kind and benevolent, known by all in the court. He would never be involved with rebels or traitors, nor would he do anything disloyal. Please, Your Majesty, investigate clearly."

  The emperor looked at me for a long time, and then spoke in a light tone: "Since you married into the imperial family, you have always been low-key and unassuming, and you have never had any dealings with the crown prince. Why are you arguing so strongly on his behalf today?"

  I took a deep breath, becoming even more gentle and obedient, with a hint of panic and confusion in my tone, I said: "As the daughter-in-law of the Third Prince, I naturally regard my husband as heaven, and view the Emperor and the Crown Prince as my own father and brother. I truly do not wish to see, because of a small painting, damage the relationship between the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Nor do I wish to see, because of this small painting, create distance between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince. That's why I lost control for a moment and spoke from my heart, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

  The emperor fell silent again, his face deep and solemn.

  Nan Chengyao knelt and walked a few steps, arriving at my side. Together we faced the Emperor and he spoke: "Your Majesty, your son's consorts do not understand matters and have spoken out of turn, disturbing Your Majesty's ears. However, what she said is also what I, your son, have been thinking in my heart. Please, Your Majesty, investigate clearly."

  His Majesty looked at us for a long time and finally smiled slowly: "Yao'er, I'm very pleased that you can do this today."

  "The son is just doing his duty and does not dare to be praised by the emperor." Nan Chengyao replied calmly.

  The emperor smiled slightly and nodded, then slowly shifted his gaze to me, his expression becoming increasingly complex and difficult to read. Although he still spoke with a smile, that smile hid too many unspoken deep meanings: "Prime Minister Murong will marry such a knowledgeable and virtuous daughter into the imperial family, truly a laudable loyalty, I must thank him sincerely."

  My heart had just calmed down, but suddenly sank again, and Nan Chengyao's eyes also darkened. Just as he was about to speak, the Emperor was already smiling carelessly, stepping back onto the jade steps, waving his hand to signal us to get up: "Get up, everyone, why are you still kneeling? All for a small calligraphy piece, making such a fuss, if it gets out, won't the civil and military officials laugh at us?"

  The implication of looseness in his words, Nan Chengyao couldn't help but hear it, and could only suppress what he originally wanted to say, smiling and responding: "Today's matter, the fewer people who know about it, the better, I won't go mention it to anyone else."

  The emperor smiled with an unclear meaning, slightly nodded his head, and then shifted his gaze. Immediately, a eunuch came forward to pick up the scroll that had just been thrown to the ground by the emperor, and silently retreated.

  I slightly lowered my eyelids and understood that the Emperor wanted to let this matter pass without further investigation, and this scroll would probably not be kept either.

  However, what was destroyed were the scrolls, but what could not be destroyed was people's suspicion.

  Nowadays, the more the emperor appears to be avoiding suspicion and pretending to be nonchalant, the deeper his distrust of the crown prince is.

  Just then, the emperor's voice rang out again: "You've been making a racket for so long, I'm also tired. There's still a celebratory banquet tonight, you can go to the Imperial Garden for a walk first, and if you're tired, rest in the Temple of Heaven and wait, no need to leave the palace to make trouble, and there's no need to accompany me either."

  Nan Chengyao responded with a "yes", and Empress Qing also immediately smiled tenderly and stepped forward to support the Emperor's arm: "Your Majesty, I'll accompany you to the Qingyang Palace to rest for a while. Would that be alright? I've already instructed Baozhu to prepare bird's nest soup early this morning. Why don't you have a sip to soothe your throat?"

  The Emperor nodded and smiled faintly as he left the Xuanzheng Hall with Queen Qinggui, while I, Nan Chengyao, and Zhao Moeu Ouyang Xian naturally followed to see them off.

  Until the Son of Heaven's carriage disappeared on the other side of the imperial garden, and could no longer be seen, Zhao Mo looked around cautiously, making sure no one was listening, before letting out a long sigh and whispering with a faint smile: "Your Highness, if you can't ascend to the throne in the future, I'm afraid even several heads won't be enough for me to keep."

  Ouyang Xian elbowed him and said softly, "You're still in the palace, be careful what you say. But what you just said is really..."

  On one hand saying it, on the other hand couldn't help but laugh.

  Zhao Mo's face stiffened, though he was furious, he still managed to keep his voice down so as not to be overheard by others: "You're still smiling, I should have known better than to let you do this humiliating task!"

  Ouyang Xian burst out laughing, and although I had a slight knot in my heart, I couldn't help but be amused by them.

  His gaze inadvertently swept across, but collided with Nan Chengyao's dark and deep eyes like the night. He didn't respond to Zhao Mo and Ouyang Xian's laughter, only deeply looking at me for a long time, finally letting out an almost inaudible sigh: "Still got you involved."

  I smiled slightly and spoke with a relaxed tone: "Your Highness didn't say that since I've married into the Third Prince's Manor, I shouldn't think about staying out of things?"

  He didn't smile, still looking at me, and quietly said: "Don't you regret it?"

  Suddenly, I recalled the last glance Emperor gave me before he left. Although his face was smiling, his eyes were deep and profound with a hint of darkness.

  It's not that I don't know, today's actions may expose the low-key image I've been maintaining all along, may invite the Emperor's suspicion and caution towards me and the entire Murong family, may put myself and the whole family in a precarious position, but...

  I looked at the person in front of me with those dark and profound eyes, slowly shaking my head. My voice was extremely soft, but I spoke word by word: "Today's behavior is not what a daughter of the Murong family should have, yet this is what a princess of the Southern Dynasty and a wife should do. So, Qing'er does not regret it."

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