Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 354 Exoneration

The Crown Princess was startled and almost knelt on the ground. She asked the Empress tremblingly, "Then, if His Majesty asks why His Highness the Crown Prince suffered a hysteria, how should I answer?"

No one knows what Prince Chun actually said.

From the Crown Prince's shouting words, the Crown Princess could guess the general idea.

Moreover, it wasn't just her; the servants and imperial physicians of the Eastern Palace all heard it too.

Suddenly they called Yuan Cuo a bastard and accused him of plotting to seize the throne.

Those who survive in the palace are almost all cunning and shrewd; who doesn't know what this means? It's just that everyone is pretending not to hear!

The Empress was also very annoyed and anxious.

Who would have thought that Prince Chun would come to the Eastern Palace before leaving, and even reveal this incident? What if someone digs up old dirt and uncovers the identity of Yuan Cuo's birth mother...?

"Never mind, I'll go myself."

The Empress struggled to remain calm, but she understood that this matter could no longer be concealed. Even if they were to kill to silence witnesses, they needed to use only a few people; they couldn't simply behead everyone in the Eastern Palace from top to bottom!

"The Eastern Palace is sealed off. No one is allowed to leave until I return."

After the Empress gave the order, she hurriedly led her people to the Imperial Study, knowing that there was no need to hide any longer.

The Crown Princess quickly accepted the order and saw the Empress off.

Meanwhile, a young eunuch in the Buddhist hall had already quietly left, and no one knew about it.

Before the Empress arrived at the Imperial Study, Emperor Qi Xiao already knew what had happened.

"I shouldn't have been so soft-hearted. Keeping him to accompany the Empress Dowager would have been the best outcome."

Emperor Qi Xiao admitted that he was somewhat hypocritical.

He originally intended to "die suddenly" after Prince Chun returned to the west. If he died in the capital, people would always accuse him of murder.

Cheng Hai looked embarrassed; wasn't it all for the sake of his so-called reputation?

Moreover, at that time, Emperor Qi Xiao had not yet become the emperor who had defeated the combined forces of Yan and Chu, so he was still hesitant and dared not go too far...

"So, Your Majesty's intention is to silence them en route?"

Before Emperor Qi Xiao could answer, a message came from outside that the Empress was requesting an audience.

Seeing that Emperor Qi Xiao did not object, Cheng Hai went to the door to welcome the Empress in.

"Miss."

"Your Majesty," the Empress said, giving a slight curtsy at the doorway. She moved her lips slightly before speaking, "The Crown Prince has suddenly suffered a hysterical episode. The imperial physician says he needs to rest for a period of time and will no longer be able to assist Your Majesty in handling state affairs. We beg Your Majesty's forgiveness..."

She knelt down on the ground and kowtowed earnestly.

Emperor Qi Xiao watched quietly for a long time, but did not call Cheng Hai to help her up.

Cheng Hai's gaze lingered between the two men, then he pointed to the door and left silently.

When the door to the Imperial Study blocked out the sunlight, the Empress felt a sudden darkness before her.

"If you won't plead for the Crown Prince, are you planning never to see me again? Now that you've stepped out of that Buddhist hall, are you afraid I'll take his life?"

Emperor Qi Xiao did not ask her to get up, but instead sat down on the ground right in front of the Empress.

The Empress looked up and found herself face to face with Emperor Qi Xiao. In an instant, her eyes welled up with tears. "Your Majesty, I feel I have failed you. I am guilty."

"You're just a woman, what crime have you committed?" Emperor Qi Xiao rarely spoke so softly.

The Empress couldn't hold back her tears and sobbed, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I have failed to teach the Crown Prince well. I am not as good as Consort Ru. It is my incompetence!"

This was the first time she had spoken that name.

Emperor Qi Xiao's expression was also quite complex and hard to describe.

Lady Ru was the name of Yuan Cuo's mother, a woman whom no one in the palace dared to mention anymore.

The two remained locked in a stalemate, neither willing to speak again.

In the end, the Empress could not bear it any longer. "Your Majesty, I hope you will acknowledge Yuan Cuo and give him an identity. This matter must be settled."

"Your Majesty's concerns are understood, but Your Majesty is the first emperor in the history of the Great Qi to dare to fight against the Yan and Chu states. Who would dare to target you on this matter? Even the Imperial Clan Court would not dare to say a word."

“But she is Lady Ru, not an ordinary woman,” Emperor Qi Xiao said.

This is the biggest reason why he dares not acknowledge Yuan Cuo; even if he were just an ordinary, lowly slave, he wouldn't be in such a dilemma.

“This matter is easier to handle.” The Empress suddenly mentioned a deceased aunt from the Empress Dowager’s palace. “She passed away early, in the prime of her life. I remember that His Majesty once had designs on her, but the Empress Dowager refused to give her to His Majesty.”

"Why not register it under her name? His Majesty can simply grant her an official status."

The Empress had been trying to find a way for His Majesty all along, with the aim of making a deal to save the Crown Prince's life!

Emperor Qi Xiao looked quietly at the Empress, who was so frightened that she quickly lowered her head. "If Your Majesty feels that this woman's status is not high enough, I will think about it again."

"I am just jealous of the Crown Prince." Emperor Qi Xiao's smile was slightly bitter. "I am jealous that I do not have a loving mother like the Empress. She devoted herself to saving her son's life, even going against her own heart to cover up a huge lie."

Queen: "..."

"Your Majesty, I am not only doing this for the Crown Prince, but also for Your Majesty. Seeing Your Majesty possess such supreme glory fills me with joy and satisfaction." She immediately softened her tone, not daring to go against Emperor Qi Xiao.

Emperor Qi Xiao chuckled, realizing that her words were half true and half false.

"Don't worry, I will never take the Crown Prince's life, no matter what. He is your and my child. Even tigers don't eat their cubs."

He gently patted the Empress's shoulder, and only after hearing these words did the Empress finally burst into tears!

She leaned against Emperor Qi Xiao's chest, heartbroken for the first time. "If Your Majesty is willing to spare his life, I will be grateful to Your Majesty. I know in my heart that he is indeed incompetent, acts recklessly, and has no good ministers to assist him."

"In truth, I don't know how many dreams I've had, all of them of him betraying Your Majesty's good intentions, bringing ruin upon the Great Qi, and being dragged out of the palace and losing his life..."

The Empress's words were not untrue.

She definitely dreamed about it.

She understood even more clearly that if it weren't for the fact that Emperor Qi Xiao had taken pity on her by accompanying him through ten years of torment, His Majesty might have already deposed the Crown Prince and established a new Eastern Palace!

Emperor Qi Xiao patted her, "I will help him choose the best advisor, don't worry, don't worry..."

The Empress's body trembled, and she looked at Emperor Qi Xiao with her soft eyes. Could it be that Emperor Qi Xiao did not intend to change the position of Crown Prince?

"Actually, actually, Lady Ru's child is more suitable than the other princes..." She still mustered up the courage to ask, but she didn't mention Yuan Cuo's name.

Emperor Qi Xiao recalled that Prince Chun had mentioned that Yuan Cuo had already prepared a ship for their departure.

“It’s not that I’m unwilling… it’s that Yuan Cuo is unwilling.”

But Emperor Qi Xiao did not say anything. He helped the Empress to her feet, took her hand, and said, "Ignore them, sit with me for a while, and have some tea."

He said "Let's have some tea" and even held the Empress's hand.

Hearing this from outside, Cheng Hai turned around and made a gesture towards the shadows...