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

The Hall of Nourishing Heart.

Emperor Jianxi looked at the three people kneeling below, closed his eyes, and his face was as gloomy as water.

Below the stairs were the equally sullen Zhao Xi, the angry Fang Dong, and the crying Madam Fang.

Early in the morning, as soon as the court started, the censor Liu came out and said that he wanted to impeach Wang Ding. When Emperor Jianxi heard this, he got angry. His eldest son has just entered the court, and you, the censors, are impeaching him and bullying his son, right?

Since he was the emperor, he should listen to all opinions and not close his eyes and ears, so he listened to what Liu Su said.

Then Emperor Jianxi's face drooped instantly, his expression was stern and he said nothing.

"I want to report the king for drinking and having sex with General Fangdong's wife, Madam Fang!"

The whole court was in uproar, looking at Liu Su in disbelief. Liu Su's words were sonorous and he hated evil as much as he hated evil. Hearing this, the father of the person involved felt ashamed and his eyes went dark. He said that Prince Ding was immoral and lusty of beauty. Once he gained power, his ugly face was exposed, and he used his power to bully the minister's wife and so on...

Seeing that Emperor Jianxi was in a bad mood, several old ministers tried to make excuses for Zhao Xi, saying that Prince Ding had no one in the backyard, so it was inevitable that he was anxious and it was understandable... This made Emperor Jianxi feel even more upset.

Shangguan Shu still reported that the truth of the case required the parties involved to be interrogated, so Emperor Jianxi dismissed the court early and summoned Zhao Xi, Fang Dong, and Madam Fang.

The other witnesses and cabinet ministers were waiting outside the hall for orders.

In order to save Zhao Xi's last bit of dignity, Emperor Jianxi came to the trial in person.

This matter is neither big nor small.

To say it was a big deal, it was nothing more than a drunken concubine staying overnight with a minister. Even if this minister was the wife of a general whom he specially arranged for Zhao Xi, that was fine. It was all feasible.

Although it is said to be small, it is actually not small.

All the civil and military officials in the court knew that he wanted to make Prince Ding his heir. Many officials, led by Taifu Yang, saw the signs and automatically submitted to the throne. The only ones left were the neutral party, led by Shangguan Shu and Prime Minister Yin.

The Neutral Party already had reservations about Prince Ding and was waiting to see what he would do next. After this incident, the Neutral Party would use this as an excuse to criticize Prince Ding for his misconduct. Not only that, Prince Ding would also lose a lot of prestige because of this incident.

Just imagine, a prince who has just gained power, instead of being strict with himself and prudent in his actions, disregards the overall situation and sleeps with the wife of a subject who is loyal to him after a banquet... To put it nicely, he is complacent, to put it bluntly, he is licentious and immoral!

If this matter is not handled properly, the harm will be widespread, even enough to destroy Prince Ding...

Emperor Jianxi was in a complicated mood. If this happened to any other of his sons, he would have been furious and punished severely. But this was Zhao Xi. He had an extremely noble first half of his life, but due to some strange combination of circumstances, he suffered so much. With all these experiences in mind, it was understandable that he was too happy and got carried away.

Moreover, his son is over thirty years old and has no wife or children. I heard that before his identity was exposed, he had an engagement with the daughter of the Qi family, and it was arranged by Cheng Qian unintentionally. The Qi family looks down on him. Haha, what kind of character does the daughter of the Qi family have? How can she be worthy of the future emperor of the Great Chu?

Emperor Jianxi felt heartbroken as he thought about it.

But his sympathy was useless, as his sympathy would not make the officials forgive Prince Ding's mistakes.

Emperor Jianxi asked in a deep voice, "What happened last night? The three of you must tell the truth. Anyone who tells a lie will be punished for deceiving the emperor!"

Emperor Jianxi raised his chin and pointed at Madam Fang, "You speak first!"

Emperor Jianxi had his own reasons for doing this. He let Madam Fang and Fang Dong speak first. If there was something mysterious about it, it would also give Zhao Xi a chance to provide additional evidence.

Mrs. Fang was stared at by the violent eyes of Fang Dong beside her. She was so scared that her whole body was shaking like a sieve. Tears rolled down her cheeks which were swollen and left with slap marks. Her eyebrows were furrowed like smoke, her chin was sharp, and she knelt there in white clothes, looking like a willow in the gentle breeze. She was really pretty, but her eyes were rolling around, and she didn't look very honest.

Emperor Jianxi glanced at it and then looked away, picked up the teacup and took a sip casually.

Madam Fang sobbed and said, "Your Majesty, last night...last night, my husband and I went to Prince Ding's mansion to congratulate him. Everything was fine. Later, my husband drank with some colleagues and sent me to Xiaoxiang Garden to wait for him. I listened to him and chatted with some ladies in Xiaoxiang Garden. Madam Li said that her dog had just given birth to five puppies, and Madam Miao said that her brother had already gone through the engagement ceremony with Yue family and would choose a day to get married..."

"I was listening quietly by the side. Later, several ladies left. I became impatient and sent someone to tell my husband a message. However, all the servants waiting in Xiaoxiang Garden had left. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew in and blew out the candles in the hall. I was afraid of the dark, so I went out, and happened to encounter Wuwu..." Mrs. Fang picked up her handkerchief and wiped her eyes.

"When His Highness Prince Ding saw me, he picked me up. I struggled and cried for help, but the servants in the palace acted as if they didn't see anything," Madam Fang cried louder and louder. "Prince Ding took me to his room, and raped me!!"

Zhao Xi, who had been listening silently, could no longer bear it. He frowned and refuted in a stern voice, "You are talking nonsense! I didn't even see you last night!"

He looked at Emperor Jianxi and said, "Father, I went straight back to my room to sleep after getting drunk last night. The servants in the palace can testify that I have never done anything immoral after drinking!"

Madam Fang said bitterly, "Of course the prince's people will speak for him. Since the prince knew he was drunk last night, how can he be sure what happened?"

"Your Majesty, please help me! When I woke up, I was beaten half to death by my husband. He was afraid of the prince's power and insisted that it was me... I was shameless and seduced the prince. Your Majesty, please check. I have been a wife for many years and have always abided by the rules of being a woman. How could I seduce him? If your majesty cannot prove my innocence, then I would rather die in this palace than suffer this unjust accusation!"

Fang Dong was furious and said, "You bitch, you are so bold that you dare to approach Prince Mei... Your Majesty, I can prove that Jia has always been a whore and unfaithful woman..."

Mrs. Fang interrupted him, "Since you say I am not a faithful wife, then what have I done that is not a faithful wife? Tell me, can you tell me?"

Fang Dong was so angry that he slapped Madam Fang in the face and knocked her to the ground. "You are not a faithful wife, so you are not a faithful wife. You are still trying to make excuses. Who do you want to kill?"

Madam Fang covered her face with her hands and looked at Fang Dong. A sudden hatred flashed through her eyes. She then frowned and cried weakly.

Emperor Jianxi slammed the table and shouted angrily, "How dare you! Fang Dong, what do you think this place is?!"

"You have the right to hit someone here?!"

Fang Dong bowed down and confessed his crime.

Emperor Jianxi took a deep breath, "Jia, don't cry anymore. If Prince Ding really did that to you, I will definitely deal with it fairly and give you justice!"

Madam Fang's voice was as soft as a mosquito's. "Thank you, Your Majesty..."

Emperor Jianxi frowned and looked at Zhao Xi, "Prince Ding, you say!"