Chapter 311 – Childhood Acquaintance (2)
“It’s almost noon. We haven’t had a drink together for a long time, have a drink with me.” Mo Rongzhan’s mouth was upturned, and his mood suddenly improved a lot.
None of this was lost upon the ever observant Huangfu Chen, he said with a smile, “Your Imperial Majesty, you are really interesting today.”
Mo Rongzhan smiled without saying a word. The two then proceeded to the imperial garden for a drink.
♚
In the evening, Mo Rongzhan went to greet the empress dowager. Upon learning that his mother was holding steadfastly to her decision about making Lu Yaoyao a princess, the smile on his lips turned stiff.
“Imperial Mother, why do you still want to make her a princess?” Mo Rongzhan frowned and asked. Didn’t Huangfu Chen say that A’Yi’s fate had already been changed?
The empress dowager said with a smile, “This is what Yaoyao deserves. Aijia adores her and we are destined to have a relations.h.i.+p.”
“Imperial Mother, if you wanted to get along with her, you could do that without making her a princess,” Mo Rongzhan said.
“Your Majesty, I don’t like to force others into submission. Since I want to get along with her, I must consider her wishes. I have already sent people to the Lu Family to talk about it. In two days, I’ll have Old Madam Lu bring Yaoyao to the Baihua Garden. It’s been a long time since I have visited it too. When the time comes, I will naturally ask for Yaoyao’s thoughts,” she said with a smile.
In fact, she still had a hidden worry in her heart. Her son probably didn’t know that Yaoyao bore a striking resemblance to Ye Zhen. What if she married Yaoyao into the palace for him, and after a few days he learned about it?Would he hate Yaoyao? She didn’t want to see that little girl living alone in the inner palace like Ye Zhen had.
Seeing how things stood, Mo Rongzhan could only hope that Lu Yaoyao didn’t want to be a princess.
“There’s one more thing—” The empress dowager’s tone suddenly grew serious. “Does Your Imperial Majesty know what happened to the a.s.sa.s.sin yesterday?”
“Imperial Mother, do not worry, you will find out the truth soon.” Mo Rongzhan whispered. This time, he didn’t plan on worrying about anything else.
The empress dowager snorted. “The more you indulge them, the more they’ll overstep.”
♚
At this time, Ye Zhen had returned to the academy. She was aware that the empress dowager wanted her to accompany her to Baihua Garden in two days.
She wondered, Why does Empress Dowager suddenly want to go to Baihua Garden at this time?
♚
It didn’t take long to unearth the origins of the pair of a.s.sa.s.sins at the moat. And it wasn’t surprising when the name of the mastermind surfaced.
Princess Royal’s son, Xie Longyuan, had hired killers in his bid to avenge Mo Rongyi. Those two killers had been tailing the little prince right from when he was in the temple, lying in wait for an opportune moment to strike. They had been ill at luck until they finally saw him by the moat.
But how could they have known that their attempts would be thwarted and by a little girl no less?
Once word reached Mo Rongzhan, he immediately ordered Tang Zhen to arrest Xie Longyuan. There was no need to torture him for was so cowardly that he could say anything.
What was the crime of a.s.sa.s.sinating a prince? Naturally, it was enough to order for the execution of the entire family. However, considering the contributions Princess Royal made towards Mo Rongzhan’s enthronement before, he had to be merciful.
Today, Princess Royal had personally entered the palace to beseech the empress dowager and Mo Rongzhan, even willing to take out half of the family property to atone for her son.
“Imperial Aunt, it’s not that I don’t want to let Longyuan go. He is my cousin. A’Yi is my younger brother. If it weren’t for A’Yi’s fate, I’m afraid it would end a tragedy this time.” Mo Rongzhan sighed and told Princess Royal that he couldn’t bear to convict Xie Longyuan.
Princess Royal gritted her teeth with hatred. If Mo Rongzhan had really viewed her son as family, he wouldn’t have been put in prison and forced to confess his crime. Did she, a seasoned hand in palace intrigue, need telling? But the safety of her son was paramount.
Only
“Your Imperial Majesty, I did not teach my son well. He has committed such a mistake today, and I am to blame. Please allow me to take my son’s place in atonement.” Princess Royal knelt before Mo Rongzhan and begged. She didn’t believe that Mo Rongzhan would dare to make her a scapegoat. The little prince was unharmed anyway. So, even if her son had done something wrong, the most they had to do was discipline him after bringing him home.
Mo Rongzhan gave the kneeling woman a deep glance and whispered, “Imperial Aunt, since ancient times, there has never been a mother who has atoned the crime of her son. Are you trying to blame Longyuan for not being filial?”
Princess Royal’s expression changed. She quickly masked her shock, schooled her tone, and said, “Your Imperial Majesty, do you have to condemn Longyuan?”
“I will go and talk with Imperial Mother,” Mo Rongzhan said.
What’s the use of pleading with Empress Dowager! Princess Royal was hopping mad. She had waited outside Cining Palace for a long time, the empress dowager refused to see her. How could she let her son go?!