freenovelworld Chapter 115 Zhou Yuan enters the palace again to question the Dowager Consort.
Chapter 115 Zhou Yuan enters the palace again to question the Dowager Consort.
Zhou Yuan frowned. "Why do you say that, Mother? Yinyin is kind by nature and has never had any intention of harming anyone."
The Dowager Princess sneered, "She may not be now, but it's hard to say what will happen in the future. She already dislikes me, and now you've argued with me because of her. Do you think she'll let it go easily?"
Just as Zhou Yuan was about to defend himself, the Empress Dowager raised her hand to stop him, saying, "Unless she can demonstrate her loyalty to me, I will never be at ease."
Zhou Yuan asked, puzzled, wanting to know what kind of gourd his mother was selling, "Mother, how do you want Yinyin to show her loyalty?"
After thinking for a moment, the Dowager Consort finally spoke up, wanting to test the waters. "It's nothing. I want Su Yinyin to give me the note, and as for the other things, I'll give them to her."
"What note? Mother's things, how did they end up with Yinyin? Did you do something again?" Zhou Yuan stared intently at the Dowager Consort.
The Dowager Consort was startled by Zhou Yuan's gaze, but she also obtained the information she wanted. Su Yinyin hadn't told Zhou Yuan about the note. Could it be that Su Yinyin had truly been wronged?
The Dowager Consort felt incredibly foolish at that moment. If Zhou Yuan knew what absurd thing she had done, he would have long since despised and loathed her as his mother.
She wouldn't question herself about Su Yinyin's matter. She was certain Zhou Yuan knew nothing about her affair. The Dowager Consort suddenly perked up again!
"There's no note involved. I was just teasing you. I don't care about your affairs anymore," the Empress Dowager said, feigning concern.
Actually, the Empress Dowager was panicking. She knew that at this hour, the assassination attempt would definitely fail.
The Empress Dowager suddenly felt incredibly foolish. She knew perfectly well that Su Yinyin was protected by skilled guards, yet she still clung to a侥幸心理 (a gambler's mentality) and did something stupid.
Now they've lost both their wife and their army. The evidence is in someone else's hands. It's almost impossible to get anything out of Su Yinyin now.
But if Su Yinyin is outwardly his daughter-in-law, then he can set the rules himself, and how those rules are set is entirely up to him.
After thinking about all this, the Dowager Consort suddenly understood. Since Zhou Yuan insisted on marrying no one but her, then let Zhou Yuan marry her.
The Dowager Consort then added, "Yuan'er, I promise I will never do anything foolish again. I will never make things difficult for Yinyin again! I miss my baby!" The Dowager Consort sincerely expressed her stance to Zhou Yuan.
Zhou Yuan was deeply comforted by the Dowager Consort's sincere attitude. Especially the words, "I miss my baby," resonated deeply with him. Suddenly, he felt there was always room for maneuver.
Zhou Yuan left the Empress Dowager's palace and went to see the Emperor.
Seeing Zhou Yuan's expression, the emperor guessed what was going on. The emperor was still pleased with this. Everyone was too focused on his throne. How could he sit securely? He always needed to find things for them to do.
Just as the emperor and Regent Zhou Yuan were chatting, a eunuch came in to report that Prime Minister Li was requesting an audience.
The emperor glanced at Zhou Yuan, only to see Zhou Yuan instantly transform back into the expressionless regent.
"Let him in," the emperor said.
A moment later, Prime Minister Li walked in and saw the Emperor, and at the same time, he also saw Zhou Yuan, and was stunned for a moment. Now he was truly in a dilemma.
Prime Minister Li had no choice but to bite the bullet and pay his respects to the emperor, but he hesitated to speak.
I'm torn about whether or not I should do it!
The emperor noticed Prime Minister Li's hesitation and asked, "What brings you to the palace, Prime Minister Li?"
When Prime Minister Li saw the Emperor and asked, he could only reply: "Your Majesty, I have come to the palace to lodge a complaint. I accuse the Regent of intimidating my daughter, Princess Anyang, causing her to fall into madness."
Prime Minister Li could only describe Princess Anyang's ordeal with the word "intimidation." He claimed she was severely beaten, yet Princess Anyang had no visible injuries.
Upon hearing this, the emperor raised an eyebrow and looked at Zhou Yuan, asking with a half-smile, "Regent, is this true?"
Zhou Yuan remained calm and composed, replying, "Prime Minister, do not make baseless accusations. When have I ever threatened Princess Anyang? Her illness is due to her own narrow-mindedness; what does it have to do with me?"
Prime Minister Li was so angry that his beard trembled. He pointed at Zhou Yuan and said, "If the Prince hadn't brought my daughter to your residence, how could she have ended up like this?"
Zhou Yuan sneered: "Prime Minister Li, how dare you mention that? What kind of scoundrel have you raised?"
"You know perfectly well, don't you? Princess Anyang bullied my son, and I spared her life only because of His Majesty. Otherwise, you would have been collecting her corpse long ago."
"You, you, you…!" Prime Minister Li was so angry he couldn't speak. After all, his daughter was in the wrong first. But his son was completely unharmed. And what about his daughter?
"Your Majesty, your son is fine, isn't he? As for my daughter, she has made a mistake. I thought Your Majesty would only punish her. I never expected Your Majesty to be so cruel, driving my daughter to this state."
The emperor listened to their words and gently tapped the armrest of his dragon throne. "My two ministers, please do not be agitated. This matter still needs to be investigated carefully."
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Li became anxious and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, my daughter is currently delirious and only knows how to cry and make a fuss every day. I beg Your Majesty to do me justice."
The Emperor looked at Zhou Yuan and said, “Regent, although Princess Anyang was at fault, she is still a woman. You brought her to the palace, and you must tell us the truth about what happened there.”
Zhou Yuan bowed respectfully. "Your Majesty, I merely took her away to give her a reprimand and did not do anything excessive. Who would have thought that this girl is so fragile and would turn out like this after returning to her residence? I truly had no idea."
Prime Minister Li sneered, "Discipline? Who knows how you tormented my daughter in the Prince's mansion?"
At this moment, the chief eunuch who had been standing to the side whispered to the emperor, "Your Majesty, the matter of Princess Anyang has become a hot topic in the capital. If it is not handled properly, it may damage the face of the royal family."
The emperor nodded slightly, glanced at the two of them, and slowly said, "I have decided to send the imperial physician to the Prime Minister's residence to examine the princess's condition before making a final decision."
The emperor gently tapped the armrest of the dragon throne, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Prime Minister Li, you may step down."
Prime Minister Li wanted to argue further, but was stopped by the emperor's stern demeanor.
After Prime Minister Li left, the Emperor said to Zhou Yuan, "Although this matter seems simple, it has far-reaching consequences. I hope you can handle it properly and not affect the stability of the court."
Zhou Yuan bowed respectfully: "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will handle this with utmost care."
Then Zhou Yuan thought to himself, it seems that the person behind this is not willing to give up and must find out the mastermind.
After leaving the emperor's palace, Prime Minister Li turned and went to the empress's palace.
The Empress asked directly, "Prime Minister Li, what brings you to the palace to see me?"
"Your Majesty, I have come to the palace to complain that Anyang has been driven mad by the Regent," Prime Minister Li said frankly.
"What! Impossible! I've watched An Yang grow up; he has a resilient character." The Empress was somewhat incredulous.
"Your Majesty will send imperial physicians to diagnose the illness. I hope Your Majesty can lend a hand."
"What does Prime Minister Li mean by this? Is Anyang's madness a hoax?" the Empress questioned.