~ MU YUNYAO IS A PARTIc.i.p.aNT IN THE PERFORMANCE ~

Within the Chunming Spring Pavilion, the Emperor held a red brush in his hand as he quickly read through the imperial reports.

Below, Mu Yunyao was kneeling in the great hall with her head slightly lowered, a trace of doubt and fear on her face.

Xu Li stood by the Emperor’s side with his head lowered. He tried his best to keep his breathing down, afraid that the slightest sound would make the Emperor unhappy.

Half an hour ago, Miss Mu had been summoned to the Imperial Palace. At the time of the transmission, there was no trace of displeasure in the Emperor’s expression, but when Miss Mu entered the Imperial Palace to pay her respects, it was as if the Emperor had not heard anything. He allowed her to kneel on the ground and speak for more than half an hour.

The number of memorials on the table decreased bit by bit until the last one was finally closed. Only then did the Emperor raise his head and look at Mu Yunyao, who was on the ground. “Stand up.”

Mu Yunyao raised her head with a smile on her face. “This humble girl thanks Your Majesty.” However, she didn’t move when she finished speaking.

The Emperor’s brows twitched. “Why you’re not stand up when I order you stand up? Do you think that I’ve punished you unjustly?”

Mu Yunyao hurriedly shook her head, and her expression was twisted. “Your Majesty, you’ve misunderstood. This humble girl has knelt for a long time, so her legs are extremely numb and can’t stand up.”

A hint of a smile appeared in the Emperor’s eyes. “Xu Li, why don’t you get someone to help Miss Mu up?”

“Yes.” Xu Li hurriedly commanded someone to help Mu Yunyao up.

Mu Yunyao stood up and couldn’t help but sway for a moment. Her legs were numb and senseless. But after recovering for a while, they began to hurt as if they were being p.r.i.c.ked by needles. She knelt for more than an hour, so she felt pain. Fortunately, this place was warm, and the floor was covered with blankets.

The Emperor looked at Mu Yunyao’s expression. “Do you know why I called you to enter the Imperial Palace?”

Mu Yunyao honestly shook her head. “This humble girl don’t know.”

“Someone said that you partic.i.p.ated in the performance.”

Mu Yunyao stared with wide eyes, her tone filled with surprise, “Partic.i.p.ated in the performance? I am just a commoner. At most, I would just do a little business. Can this be performed?”

Her eyes were moist. She seemed to be mixed with a hint of pride, and at the same time, she was surprised as if being able to partic.i.p.ate in the performance was a face-saving thing, which made the Emperor’s heart a little more amused: "Do you know what you are partic.i.p.ating in?"

When Mu Yunyao saw that the Emperor’s expression was still relatively calm, she couldn’t help but probingly ask, “Your Majesty, is it about our Ni Yun Fang’s compet.i.tion for a higher price? Or is it falsity of Bu Xian Luo’s tea?”

“Neither.”

“None of them? I only have this two properties, Ni Yun Fang and Bu Xian Luo. Now I have just opened business and haven’t done business for a few days. What else can I do?”

The Emperor looked at Mu Yunyao, who was frowning as she pondered with a puzzled expression. His eyes carried a trace of a probing gaze as he said, “You are partic.i.p.ating in gather the hearts of the people and harbored malicious intentions.”

Mu Yunyao’s eyes widened as if she had received a shock. Her face paled slightly. “Your Majesty, you’re a true dragon and a ruler. You’re able to see through everything. Thus, you’ll surely know that I was wronged, right?”

“I don’t know if I’m wrong, but I heard that Bu Xian Luo has set up many tea stalls, and they sell tea at a very affordable price. They even provide some side dishes for free and use this to win the hearts of the people and encourage the workers to create trouble at the wharf?”

Mu Yunyao creased her brows, her expression suddenly filled with anger. “Your Majesty, according to the laws of Dali Dynasty, it’s also a crime to frame a commoner, isn’t it?”

“Hmm? From what you have said, you don’t want to admit that you bought people’s hearts?”

“Yes, I ask the Emperor to make sure because when Bu Xian Luo wants to set up the tea stalls, we always choose places where no one sells tea. For example, the stalls with tea stalls in the wharf also let people communicate and discuss in advance. I just want to do good deeds and don’t want to forge enmity because of it. As for buying people’s hearts, if doing something for the poor people is buying people’s hearts in the eyes of those adults, then the Emperor should dismiss those people as soon as possible, so that they only know to partic.i.p.ate in others all day and don’t know to buy people’s hearts.”

“How dare you!” The Emperor’s face was filled with displeasure. A person"s aura in a high position caused others to feel fear from the bottom of their heart.

Mu Yunyao stood up and knelt on the ground. Although she restrained her injustice, her eyes were still filled with stubbornness.

“So I wronged you?"

“Yes,” Mu Yunyao raised her head and said in a particular firm and calm tone, “I know what the Emperor said about making trouble at the wharf. At that time, I had informed Shuntian Manor. Lord Shen was very clear about this matter, and he can testify for me. It was someone who hated the tea stall, deliberately asked people to make trouble. They knocked dow the old man who sell the tea, which angered the long-term workers and beat up those people. The shopkeeper of Bu Xian Luo found out about this and gave ten taels of silver to those who got beaten up. At that time, they themselves admitted that they were wrong. Isn’t the adult who said that Iam partic.i.p.ated in the performance unclear about it?”

Xu Li broke out in a cold sweat for Mu Yunyao. Miss Mu was really too bold. She didn’t even know how to hide her words in front of the Emperor. If she spoke in such a straightforward manner, it would inevitably bring disaster to her.

The Emperor looked at Mu Yunyao and couldn’t help but shake his head. “Get up. Your temper exactly the same as Imperial Elder Sister all those years ago. Don’t open the tea stand anymore. You just focus on managing Bu Xian Luo and Ni Yun Fang.”

Mu Yunyao did not stand up, but her eyes were filled with confusion. “Your Majesty, could it be that you also think that I run a tea stall to win over people’s hearts? Please understand that I just want to make it convenient for the people and provide a bowl of hot tea for those who are surely thirsty. I just want to do the next good deed. I definitely don’t want to win over people’s hearts.”

“I know that there’s nothing wrong with you setting up a tea stall.”

“If it’s right, why couldn’t I continue it?” The puzzlement in Mu Yunyao’s eyes deepened. “Could it be that it’s because the few adults said that if Bu Xian Luo still run the tea stall, it will suspected to win over the hearts of people?”

The Emperor frowned, “If people often play you in the future, even if Yue w.a.n.g is implicated by you, will you continue to persevere in your actions?”

After Yue w.a.n.g showed his close relationship with Mu Yunyao, he had talked to Grand Princess Yi De about this matter.

Junyue has a temper, and he can’t easily change one thing if he already recognizes one thing. Although he felt that Mu Yunyao did not have a high background, she was still a rare intelligent person. In the future, Junyue will be a prince who enjoyed peace and prosperity, so it would be better for him if His Princess had a lower background. Seeing Mu Yunyao’s rare temperament and liked by Imperial Elder Sister, he had no objection.

He didn’t want her to run a tea stall because he hoped she could distance herself from trouble. He didn’t want her to cause unnecessary trouble just because of a small matter.

Mu Yunyao pondered for a moment before slowly nodding her head, “Your Majesty, even if someone else plays me, I would still insist on doing the right thing. I believe that whether it is His Highness Royal Yue w.a.n.g, or His Highness Royal Yu w.a.n.g, or His Highness Royal Jin w.a.n.g or His Highness Royal Ling w.a.n.g, they would all make the same choice. My father and mother taught me to differentiate right from wrong, not petty, and not unkind. What I did was not wrong, and it is also beneficial for others, so why did I stop just because of a little suspicion?”