You cause trouble and I collect your body, the little emperor’s aunt abuses the scumbag again

He slid a highly poisoned dagger from his sleeve, his target neither the emperor nor Shangguan Hong.

Instead, it was the Crown Prince Ji Yongyan, who had just defeated his biggest rival and was in power!

"You scoundrel! Pay for General Lin's life!"

The eunuch roared, his eyes filled with a mad urge to die together with his accomplices.

The dagger flashed coldly and was already upon them.

The poisoned dagger, filled with murderous intent, pierced towards Ji Yongyan's heart.

The changes happened very quickly.

Meng Siya instinctively pulled Sui Sui into her arms, but she took a step back and bumped into a pillar.

"Be careful, Your Highness!"

Amidst gasps of surprise, Ji Yongyan dodged to the side, the dagger grazing past his dragon robe.

He reacted quickly, slashing the eunuch's wrist with a backhand chop.

With a loud clang.

The dagger fell to the ground with a thud.

Before the young eunuch could move, the Imperial Guards pounced on him and pinned him to the ground.

Swords and knives were held against his neck.

Everything happened very quickly.

The situation inside and outside the main hall had just calmed down when chaos erupted again.

"General Lin?"

Ji Yongyan ignored the assassin on the ground, turned to look at Meng Siya, and frowned.

Meng Siya held Sui Sui in her arms; he was crying softly, startled.

She gently patted his back, her expression also very serious.

Lin Daxiong?

The assassin called out to Lin Daxiong.

What exactly happened?

The emperor's face was very gloomy, and he slammed his hand heavily on the armrest of the dragon throne.

"Drag him away! Interrogate him thoroughly!"

"Bring out all the people behind him!"

"According to the order!"

The assassin was dragged away, but his roar of "Pay back for General Lin's life!" still echoed in the hall.

What should have been a joyous Mid-Autumn Festival banquet ended in bloodshed and conspiracy.

……

The candlelight flickered inside Tingyuxuan.

The farce at the palace banquet seemed to have no effect on this small courtyard.

But the atmosphere here is even more somber than in Zhaoyang Palace.

Li Dequan stood at the door, bowing low, and delivered the latest news.

"Miss Meng, Your Highness."

"The matter... has been investigated and clarified."

Li Dequan's face was very ugly; he didn't dare to look up at Ji Yongyan and Meng Siya.

"Lord Zhou, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, has already signed and confessed his guilt in the imperial prison."

"It is said that he was favored by Prime Minister Shangguan and was jealous of the Prime Minister's power, so he forged account books and bribed the Imperial Guards to plan the Kongming Lantern incident, intending to frame the entire Shangguan family."

Meng Siya stopped wiping Sui Sui's face.

She looked up, her voice devoid of emotion.

Where is Shangguan Hong?

Li Dequan lowered his head even further.

"His Majesty considers that the Prime Minister is a veteran of three reigns, but he failed to properly educate his son and misjudge people. Therefore, he is fined three years' salary and confined to his home to reflect on his mistakes."

"Her Highness the Crown Princess...is confined to Qingqiu Palace for one month."

He was fined three years' salary.

He secluded himself to reflect on his mistakes.

Confined to one place for one month.

This is the price paid for embezzling 300,000 taels of disaster relief funds.

It's ridiculous.

“As for the eunuch who attempted the assassination,” Li Dequan’s voice trembled slightly, “he said he was General Lin’s former personal guard. He only entered the palace after General Lin died in battle and has always harbored resentment towards the court. He did what happened today by himself.”

"It has nothing to do with anyone."

After Li Dequan finished speaking, the hall was completely silent.

Meng Siya put down the handkerchief, got up and walked to the window.

The moonlight outside the window is just right, and the osmanthus flowers are in full bloom, filling the air with fragrance.

But she found the fragrance of the flowers nauseating.

What a good scapegoat.

What a blatant act by one person!

The Shangguan family's influence is too deep; dealing with just a few unimportant people won't harm them at all.

She went to great lengths, even using Lin Daxiong's modern technology, to finally deliver the evidence to the emperor.

But the result?

Ji Yongyan walked up behind her, his voice hoarse.

"sorry."

"It's my fault for being useless."

He knew it was all fake.

That Vice Minister of Revenue was merely someone the Shangguan family pushed out to take the blame.

But what can he do?

In the imperial court, the Shangguan family's power was almost comparable to that of the crown prince.

What the Emperor wants is balance and stability.

What is 300,000 taels of silver compared to the stability of the nation?

"Your Highness, there is no need to apologize."

Meng Siya turned around, her face calm.

"I was too naive."

She believed that as long as there was evidence, her enemy could be brought to justice.

She forgot that this was the royal palace.

In the palace, there is no right or wrong, only weighing the pros and cons.

"Yaya."

Ji Yongyan felt very sorry for her when he saw her desperate look.

He grabbed her hand; it was icy cold.

"I have an idea."

"any solution?"

"Enter the palace."

Ji Yongyan stared into her eyes and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"I will petition my father tomorrow to make you a concubine."

Meng Siya thought this was an absolute joke and abruptly pulled her hand back.

"What did you say?"

"Ji Yongyan, are you crazy?"

"Let me enter the palace as a concubine, to be your mistress?"

Her voice suddenly rose, filled with sarcasm.

"Do you think I would be willing to share a husband with your Crown Princess Shangguan Yun'er?"

"I'm not crazy!"

Ji Yongyan stepped forward, his emotions running high.

"Ya Ya, haven't you seen it yet? The Shangguan family won't let us off the hook!"

"If they can find someone to assassinate me today, they can find someone to harm you and Sui Sui tomorrow."

"Only when you enter the palace and become a legitimate concubine can I protect you all by my side!"

"Protect?"

Meng Siya gave a cold laugh, but there was no smile in her eyes.

"Your Highness's protection is just to keep your enemies safe and then bring me into your harem?"

"Ji Yongyan, are you protecting me or humiliating me?"

"I don't!"

Ji Yongyan was deeply hurt by her words. His eyes reddened, and his voice was pleading.

"Ya Ya, I'm begging you, please think about Sui Sui!"

These words struck Meng Siya's heart like a hammer blow.

Year after year.

Her years.

"Look at Sui Sui!"

Ji Yongyan pointed to the sleeping child on the bed, his voice filled with suppressed pain.

"What is he now, a bastard of unknown origin?"

"If Shangguan Yun'er dares to say this at the palace banquet today, then everyone in the world will dare to say this tomorrow."

"How is he supposed to live his life after this? Will he have to carry this reputation for the rest of his life?"

"As soon as you enter the palace as a concubine, I will immediately register Sui Sui in the imperial genealogy. He is my eldest son and a rightful grandson of the emperor!"

"With this status, who would dare to touch him, who would dare to gossip about him?"

"Ya Ya, you can hate me, you can not care about yourself, but you cannot not care about Sui Sui!"

Every word struck Meng Siya's most tender spot.

She was trembling all over and slid down the wall to sit on the floor.

Yes.

She doesn't care about her reputation and is willing to risk her life for revenge.

But what about Sui Sui?

Sui Sui is innocent.

She couldn't let her son live his whole life bearing the stigma of being a bastard.

We must not allow him to face danger at all times.

She thought she was strong enough to protect her son.

But what happened tonight was a slap in the face for her.

In this palace, without power or status, the mother and son were at the mercy of others.