After reading my mind, Daddy, why don't you smile?

Zhao Cong didn't dare to look Zhao Ying in the eye. He swallowed his saliva and said in a trembling voice: "Ying'er, I can't let my father know..."

"Father will definitely destroy me!!"

Zhao Ying stamped her feet in embarrassment, "I know... but... how can we hide our mother's affairs from our father?"

"How can I be worthy of my mother?!"

"We killed our mother... wuwu" Zhao Ying said, and couldn't help crying out sadly.

"But tell the truth to Father, Mother will not be able to come back either!"

Zhao Ying still couldn't stand the condemnation of his conscience and shook his head, "No, I can't lie to my father!"

She grabbed Zhao Cong's arm and said, "Father loves us so much. If we admit our mistakes with a good attitude, Father won't punish us too much..."

Zhao Cong stared at Zhao Ying, pursed his lips and said nothing.

Zhao Ying breathed slowly until her mind became clearer. She said, "Brother, don't be afraid. I will take the blame for you..."

"My father loves me the most. I am not the crown prince, so I am not afraid that he will abolish me!"

"Yes, that's it!"

Zhao Ying said this and was about to go find Emperor Jianxi.

Unexpectedly, Zhao Cong stopped her. Zhao Cong burst into tears and said, "Ying'er, how can I let you take the blame for me?"

"Even if the emperor doesn't punish you, the officials will impeach you if they find out about this. You are pregnant, and if something goes wrong... Brother killed our mother and hurt you badly. How can you live with yourself in the future?"

"I'm your brother and I should protect you. How can I let you protect me?!"

Zhao Cong has always loved Zhao Ying. When he heard that Zhao Ying wanted to take the blame for him, all the rationality and coldness that Zhao Cong maintained collapsed.

"Let's go find our father and report the truth... You are right, we killed our mother, and we cannot keep it a secret any longer. We will feel guilty for the rest of our lives. Rather than this, it is better to die early and be reborn soon..."

Zhao Cong said this and resolutely turned and left.

"stop!"

Zhao Cong looked back, puzzled.

Zhao Ying took a deep breath, wiped the tears from her face, pursed her lips, and a sudden coldness flashed across her eyes.

She clenched her fists and said cruelly, "Don't go!"

"can not go……"

Zhao Ying sat down holding the corner of the table, picked up the tea bowl with trembling hands, drank a sip of cold tea, and when he put it down, the teacup fell over, leaving the tea all over the table.

The brewed tea leaves are like a drifting boat, floating on the water.

Zhao Ying stared at the tea leaves intently, forced back the tears in his eyes, and said in a quiet voice: "If you go, you will lose your position as the crown prince."

"What is the purpose of my mother's life..."

"If anything happens to us, Kunning Palace, the East Palace, Guangming Palace...all will be finished."

"The Wei family is finished..."

"What's even more terrifying is... if you become the deposed crown prince, the other princes' forces will not let you go, and may even... kill you!"

She looked at Zhao Cong, her dark pupils deep and bottomless.

Zhao Cong felt a chill down his spine for a moment.

"In this world, the closest people to us are only the three of us, mother and son... Father lost our mother, but he still has Concubine Rong and three thousand beauties in the harem. He keeps saying that he loves our mother, but he is unwilling to dismiss the harem for her."

"Even though my father lost you and me, he still has many children..."

"And mother, there are only you and me..."

"Today was just an accident... Mother will not blame us. She loves us the most. Even for her, you have to ascend the throne. You have to help Mother conquer the country of Japan that she has always dreamed of... If you are deposed, who will remember her wishes? Who will honor her after her death?"

"Brother, only when you ascend the throne can you posthumously confer the title of Empress Dowager on Mother... as the only Empress Dowager."

If someone else ascended the throne, who would remember a queen who died early?

"Only if we live well, will mother's death be worth it."

Zhao Ying and Zhao Cong discussed the wording, then knocked Nanny Hua unconscious and stripped her of her palace clothes.

Zhao Ying ordered a confidant to put on Nanny Hua's palace clothes, take Queen Xiaomin's token, and leave the palace in a carriage.

She pretended to be Queen Hyomin and knocked Aunt Hua unconscious, then escaped disguised as a palace maid.

The two of them discussed some details, then ran to the Yangxin Palace at night and told Emperor Jianxi.

Emperor Jianxi was shocked and heartbroken and immediately sent someone to look for her. However, he did not dare to make a big fuss as he was afraid of ruining Empress Xiaomin's reputation, so he could only let the Crown Prince look for her secretly.

The result is obvious. He was the one who collapsed and ran away. If he wanted to be found, would he have to tell such a big lie?

……

Of course, Zhao Ying would not tell Emperor Jianxi the truth about the pros and cons. Is she crazy?

She just said that she was afraid of being punished by her father, so she didn't say anything.

Even so, Emperor Jianxi's face was already darker than the night outside.

After listening to Zhao Ying's narration, Emperor Jianxi could no longer suppress his anger and slammed the table and shouted, "How can this be possible!"

Zhao Ying was startled.

"You actually teamed up with your brother to deceive me for ten years!"

Zhao Ying said aggrievedly: "Father, you said you are not angry anymore..."

Emperor Jianxi blew his beard and glared, "How can I not be angry?!"

"If you tell me the truth, can your mother suffer in the forest for ten years?"

"But... we don't know that our mother is still alive... and even if we tell you, you won't be able to find her."

If it weren't for Yue'er's voice, who would have thought that her mother was not only still alive, but also fell into the old forest...

Emperor Jianxi became even angrier when he heard this, and his voice broke, "How dare you talk back?!"

"Your son..." Zhao Ying said with a sad face.

Emperor Jianxi pointed outside the palace and said three good words in a row, "Good! Good! Good!"

"You are to kneel outside the palace now. Do not get up without my order!"

"Someone, bring the prince to me... tie him up!"

Just like that, the originally quiet night suddenly became lively without any warning.

Princess Chengqian, who was deeply favored by His Majesty, was scolded and punished to kneel.

You must know that since Princess Chengqian was born, she has been the apple of His Majesty's eye and he has never even scolded her!

Not only that, His Majesty also summoned... no, kidnapped the crown prince into the palace overnight, and made it a big fuss, for fear that others would not know.

A difference of one word can lead to a world of difference.

The officials who were unaware of the inside story began to speculate.

How big of a mistake did these two make to make Emperor Jianxi so furious...

"Could it be that Princess Chengqian, seeing that Your Majesty is old, intends to rebel so that Your Royal Highness can ascend the throne as soon as possible?"

"No, I heard that... Your Majesty hid Queen Xiaomin's bellyband, and Princess Chengqian accidentally discovered it. Princess Chengqian took it back and gave it to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to wear..."

"What? His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is wearing women's clothes?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? It was clearly His Majesty who wanted to make Consort Shu the empress, but Princess Chengqian refused, which angered His Majesty, so His Majesty punished the Crown Prince as well!"

"What proof do you have?"

"What proof do you have?"

Two elderly imperial censors started fighting. One knocked out the other's only tooth, and the other pulled out the few remaining hairs of the other.

Zhenguogongfu.

Shangguan Shu naturally also got the news.

His brows were deeply knitted. He had just sent Shangguan Zhu away. Shangguan Zhu suspected that the prince's background had been leaked, so Emperor Jianxi was so angry.

He didn't agree with that.