Chapter 386 Teammates who are like pigs
Prince Yu was also confused. What on earth was Liuli up to? Was she helping him or harming him?
The emperor's heart skipped a beat when he heard Liuli's name. This troublemaker was really going too far. First he had a quarrel with Ye Jinxuan, and now he was having a quarrel with the people in the main house of the Marquis's Mansion.

There was no way. Liuli was notorious. When the emperor heard her name, his first reaction was conspiracy. Then, when he saw several censors looking at Prince Yu with sad faces, he became more certain of his guess. He was very displeased with the behavior of Liuli and Prince Yu, and the balance in his heart began to lean towards Marquis Jing'an.

Prince Yu saw his father's face change and secretly complained. Why were these useless people staring at him? Were they afraid that his father didn't know that they were following his instructions? He immediately turned his head away with a stern face to show that this matter had nothing to do with him.

But when Lord Shen and his men saw Prince Yu's reaction, they became more and more uneasy. Did Prince Yu think they were useless? Were they intimidated by a few words? Prince Yu had said that they should be bold and do it. If something went wrong, he would take the responsibility. What was there to be afraid of?

Lord Shen gritted his teeth, made up his mind, and said righteously: "What do you mean you heard it from someone? Everyone in the city is talking about this matter now. This matter has a very bad impact. Just a few words from you are not enough to clear your suspicion."

Prince Yu almost spat out a mouthful of blood. This old man, does he have any sense at all? Didn't he hear that Cui Yan was still alive? Didn't he see that the emperor was already angry? He was still eager to put his head in the rope, thinking his life was too long?
"Then what do you say we should do?" Xia Zhuofeng asked angrily.

"The only solution now is to call Cuiyan and ask the doctor from the Imperial Hospital to diagnose her. Then the right and wrong will be clear at a glance." Lord Gao said.

The prince sighed, "Does it have to be like this? Father is busy with government affairs, but he has to waste his time and energy on such a small matter."

"Your Highness, this concerns the court's etiquette and laws. If things are not explained clearly, the common people and officials might follow suit. Last time, weren't several officials from the Ministry of War punished for violating etiquette and laws? Will everyone say that the Emperor favors the Jing'an Marquis' Mansion?" Lord Wei said.

Xia Zhuofeng and Xia Chunli looked at each other, both in an awkward position.

Seeing this, Lord Shen felt more confident. It seemed that they were just bluffing. Cui Yan must have been dealt with long ago.

The emperor originally didn't want to bother with the matter anymore, but the imperial censors spoke so forcefully and aggressively that if he just gave up, it would be difficult to stop the gossips.

Then he said, "Lord Xia, since the gentlemen are determined to get to the bottom of this, you can let that person, what's his name..."

"Cui Yan." Eunuch Wei reminded in a low voice.

"Yes, ask Cuiyan's maid to come and check it out."

Xia Zhuofeng hesitated: "This... this..."

"Could it be that the Marquis is unable to hand over the people? Or are the rumors outside true?" Lord Shen tilted his mouth and sneered with glee.

Prince Yu couldn't help but feel a little more expectant. He was almost fooled by these two father and son.

Xia Zhuofeng sighed heavily, "It's unfortunate for my family. I am too ashamed to stand here. What if my son's innocence is proven? Compared with the face of the royal family and the face of the Marquis' Mansion, I would rather take the blame. Whatever you say is true! Your Majesty, I am guilty of not educating my son properly. Please punish me!"

The prince had understood. The so-called royal face referred to Liuli and even Prince Yu. If Chunli's innocence was proven, it would be equivalent to confirming Liuli and Prince Yu's ill intentions. Of course, Prince Yu was not deeply involved, and the emperor would at most reprimand him. However, it was enough to make the emperor have a prejudice against Prince Yu. The Marquis was retreating to advance! How could he not help add fuel to the fire?
"Your Majesty, what you said is wrong. Black is black, white is white. If you can't tell the difference between black and white, right and wrong, then what's the point of talking about etiquette? The emperor is a wise monarch and he can't be fooled easily." The prince said unhappily.

How could the emperor not understand what Marquis Jing'an meant? Indeed, Liuli had embarrassed the royal family time and again, which was really depressing. Moreover, this incident had caused a lot of uproar in the city, and it was impossible to settle it privately.

This old fox should just take the blame quietly if he wants to, but he said it out loud. Now that he has said it out loud, how can he continue to take the blame? Doesn't it make him look like a tyrant?
"The prince is absolutely right, my dear Minister Xia, you don't have to worry about anything. If you can prove it, I will give you justice." Although the emperor was depressed, he still had to show magnanimity and reason.

"Since it is the emperor's order, then I, an old minister, have no choice but to obey." Xia Zhuofeng replied reluctantly.

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu's heart, which had just been at ease, suddenly began to rise again. Something was not right. It seemed that Lord Xiahou really had a way to prove it.

He hurriedly said, "My Lord, don't be embarrassed. If there is a misunderstanding here, it is better to clarify it."

Without any certainty, if he continues to add insult to injury, he will only put himself in a more embarrassing situation. It would be better for him to find a way out as soon as possible.

Xia Zhuofeng sneered in his heart, boy, you changed your words so quickly, and it became a misunderstanding in the blink of an eye.

"It is indeed a misunderstanding, but it is a misunderstanding created by someone with bad intentions." Xia Zhuofeng said sarcastically.

As he spoke, Xia Zhuofeng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please summon Chunyu to the throne! When this kid heard that the emperor wanted to summon an old minister, he hurried back to find Cuiyan. The old minister said it was not necessary, but he insisted on finding someone. Alas... How could this rough guy be so ignorant? I guess the person has been brought here by now."

Prince Yu and several censors almost fell backwards. Damn, Cui Yan is not dead! The emperor also felt a pain in his chest. This old fox was too insidious. What Chunyu was rough in his hair? It was obvious that this old fox planned before acting, set a trap for people to fall into, and said he was so loyal. He was the good guy, and others suffered losses but could not say a word against him.

Chunyu and Cuiyan were summoned in. Xia Zhuofeng said, "Sirs, please confirm whether this person is Cuiyan, so as to avoid accusations that we have found someone to impersonate her."

Several adults looked at each other in confusion. They had never seen Cui Yan, so who knew if the woman in front of them was her.

"If you have no objection, then please invite the imperial physician!" Xia Zhuofeng said.

"Your Majesty, I have never seen what Cui Yan looks like. Your Majesty, should we ask the Marquis to produce evidence to prove it?" Lord Shen said with sweat on his forehead.

If it is fake and Marquis Jing'an gets away with it, they will be the ones who suffer.

Xia Chunyu said with a sneer on his face, "You want evidence? Someone, please call in Nanny Fang."

After a moment, Nanny Fang was brought up.

Nanny Fang was an old lady in Ninghe Palace, so the emperor naturally recognized her. Moreover, Nanny Fang was originally the nanny assigned to Liuli by the Empress Dowager. Later, she was kicked by Chunfeng and had several ribs broken for spreading rumors. After she recovered from her injuries, she left the palace to recuperate.

With the appearance of Nanny Fang, the emperor no longer had any doubts in his mind. It was a foregone conclusion that this matter was related to Liuli.

"Madam Fang, please prove who she is, and tell the emperor what you know. Don't worry, the emperor will make the decision for you. But if you lie, you will be committing the crime of deceiving the emperor, and your entire family will be executed." Chunyu warned gently.

Thanks to Yaoyao using the lives of Nanny Fang's family as bargaining chips and her earnest persuasion, Nanny Fang finally agreed to tell the truth.

The prince looked at Chunyu with a slightly blaming look in his eyes, "You kid had already made a plan, but you didn't even inform me first. I worried for nothing and was even scolded by the emperor."

Chunyu was embarrassed. If the prince had been told about this in advance, would he still be anxious? If the prince was not anxious, would Prince Yu fall into the trap? Although the prince was a little frightened and a little wronged, the benefits he got were real. Well, I'll apologize to the prince later!

Nanny Fang knelt on the ground. Even at this moment, she was still very conflicted. She knew very well what fate would await the princess after she said this. After all, she had watched the princess grow up. But if she didn't say it, or told a lie, her nephew would not be safe. After weighing the pros and cons, Nanny Fang whispered, "She is Cuiyan. The princess once hid her with me, and I lived with her for a while."

"You said that the princess hid Cuiyan with you? Why did she hide Cuiyan?" Although the prince felt resentful, he knew that this was a good opportunity and would naturally not let it go.

Nanny Fang said weakly, "The princess wants to use Cuiyan's pregnancy to make a fuss. She said that the people in Jing'an Marquis's mansion are not good people and they all bully her. She wants to teach them a lesson."

This one sentence alone was like a bolt of lightning that broke the sky, sweeping away the dark clouds, and allowing the moon to emerge.

The emperor's face was gloomy and he snorted coldly.

"The princess also said that when the time comes, we should hand the person over to His Royal Highness Prince Yu, and His Royal Highness will definitely find a way to make the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion look bad."

Before Prince Yu could recover from the first thunderbolt, a second, even more powerful thunderbolt struck him, charring him inside and out.

"What nonsense are you talking about? What does this have to do with me?" Prince Yu said angrily. He was not afraid of a tiger-like opponent, but a pig-like teammate. Liuli was a pig, a pig that was so stupid that it was outrageous. He actually told such a confidential and important matter to an old servant, and he, unfortunately, actually believed this pig. Prince Yu wanted to strangle Liuli to death.

"Father, I have nothing to do with this matter. I have never seen Liuli at all. Nanny Fang must have been instructed by someone. She deserves death." Prince Yu defended himself nervously.

"I have told many lies in my life, but everything I said today was true." Nanny Fang said ashamedly.

Xia Chunyu said indifferently, "Has Your Highness Prince Yu never met Liuli? On the night of the 12th, Liuli went to Prince Yu's Mansion. On the 13th, Your Highness Prince Yu and Liuli whispered in the Imperial Garden for at least two cups of tea! Afterwards, rumors were flying everywhere, and the officials of the Imperial Censorate began to get busy. The impeachment memorial was placed on the emperor's desk. Your Highness Prince Yu, our Jing'an Marquis Mansion has not offended you, right?"

This time, the plan is not just to target Liuli, but also to drag Prince Yu into the water. The last time Prince Yu plotted against him, he almost died in the mountains, and he must also avenge the kidnapping of Yaoyao. He must deal with Prince Yu first, and then slowly deal with the Jiangzuo League.

(End of this chapter)