Cut off my tendons in my hands and feet to make me marry? Prepare to die!

In the backyard of Prince Dingbei's mansion, Song paced back and forth anxiously in her yard, looking outside every once in a while.

Her personal maid Qiao Rui hurried into the courtyard from outside. Just as she was about to pay her respects, Song interrupted her:

"Okay, stop with all the pretentiousness. What are Shopkeeper Zhao and the others doing? Why haven't they given me any information yet?"

Qiao Rui is the niece of Manager Zhao. She lives a comfortable life with the Song family and often acts as if she is half the master.

However, Qiao Rui's face was very pale today. She said in a trembling voice:

"Princess, this is bad. My uncle has not returned home since he was taken away by Concubine Qin for questioning yesterday."

Song's chest felt stuffy for a while, and she immediately raised her eyebrows and gritted her teeth and said:

"That bitch Qin really dared to attack my confidant?"

"What about the other shopkeepers? They are not dead, they can't even reply?"

Qiao Rui recalled the scene she had just seen, her heart sank to the bottom, and she spoke urgently:

"The other shopkeepers avoided me as much as possible and didn't dare to say a word to me."

No matter how slow-witted Song was, he realized that something was wrong.

Those shopkeepers who had worked for her for many years had received countless benefits from her. As the saying goes, a person who takes advantage of others is soft-hearted. She kept a record of every penny they collected.

Now that the palace has been taken over by that damned girl Yue Ran, these people want to climb up the ladder? That's a nice thought!

Song snorted coldly:

"What are you afraid of? I don't think they would dare to say a word."

What’s more, Qin and Liu have only been housekeepers for four or five days. What can they find out?

Song was angry and scared, but she still held on to some hope.

At the same time, in Emperor Shengwen's imperial study.

Emperor Shengwen looked at the confession handed over by Yue Ran with no expression on his face.

After a while, he put down the extremely detailed confession and squinted at Yue Yuan and his daughter Yue Ran, who were bowing their heads and keeping silent.

Prince Dingbei had both legs broken, and when he was carried into the imperial study, he insisted on kneeling down to pay his respects to the emperor. After Prince Dingbei kowtowed, Emperor Shengwen quickly ordered someone to find a seat for Prince Dingbei.

Yue Ran stood behind her father with her brows lowered and her eyes closed. She looked no different from an ordinary noble lady in the capital. Her bright eyes stared at the floor tiles of the imperial study in front of her, as if she was trying to see a flower on them.

Today she was wearing a light purple long jacket with narrow sleeves, a white long skirt, and a light yellow shawl. The hem of her skirt flowed like water, and every stitch and thread showed her ingenuity and craftsmanship, making her eyebrows look like green feathers and her waist like a silk ribbon.

In terms of appearance and color, Yue Ran is considered one of the most beautiful women in the capital.

However, neither Emperor Shengwen nor the eunuch Wang Chun, who served as scribe in the Imperial Study, would underestimate this girl.

Her hands have reaped the souls of countless Beiliang invaders, she looks just like a Jade-faced Rakshasa.

Emperor Shengwen glanced at Yue Ran quietly, and thought of the fact that the prince had requested to take Yue Ran as a concubine some days ago.

His son has always had a high character, but now it seems that he is too high-minded.

Not to mention that Yue Ran herself was a General of Cavalry. Just based on Yue Ran's identity as a princess of a different surname, it might not be possible for the Eastern Palace to marry her as its principal wife.

But the prince wants to take Yue Ran as his concubine?

What a joke! Even Emperor Shengwen himself would not dare to casually take Yue Ran into the palace as a concubine!

No matter how nice a concubine sounds, she is still a concubine in name!

Yue Ran fought for the country for five years and made great military achievements. The royal family of Da Chu first allowed her to marry independently, and then took her into the Eastern Palace as a concubine. If this news got out, not only would it dishearten the entire Dingbei Army, but even Emperor Shengwen himself could not afford to lose this person.

not to mention...

Emperor Shengwen lowered his eyes to look at the confession, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

The prince had a big appetite. Over the course of a few years, he quietly obtained nearly 100,000 taels of silver from the Dingbei Palace.

What kind of food, clothing and other expenses did he lack for the Eastern Palace that required the Eastern Palace to beg for money from Prince Dingbei's Palace?

The Dingbei Palace has a special status as a king of a different surname. From the late emperor to him, everyone is more or less wary of the Dingbei Army.

In this situation, the Crown Prince and the eldest son of Prince Dingbei were secretly communicating with each other and had such a large amount of money transactions. If Prince Dingbei had not come to the palace to petition in person today, if Emperor Shengwen discovered this himself in the future, I am afraid he would not be as calm as he is today.

"Your Majesty, I am extremely foolish. Please forgive me!"

Yue Yuan bowed and pleaded guilty.

Rather than waiting for Emperor Shengwen to get furious, it would be better for him to take the initiative to ask for forgiveness, so that Yue Zihuan might get a lighter punishment.

Sure enough, Emperor Shengwen raised his eyebrows and smiled, and stretched out his hand to support him:

"Why should King Dingbei be so cautious? Your eldest son is so loyal to the Crown Prince, which comforts me."

"Since the eldest son has done this, I will issue an edict to appoint him as the prince's tutor. From now on, he will have a legitimate official position. If they have any contact, they don't have to hide it."

Yue Yuan's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.

The Prince's Tutor was only a seventh-rank official position.

Although Yue Zihuan is the eldest son of the Dingbei Palace, since he has contacted the Eastern Palace, his goal will definitely not be just a tutor to the Crown Prince.

Emperor Shengwen's words sounded polite, but were actually sarcastic.

Although Yue Zihuan was not openly punished, as the eldest son of the royal family and a seventh-rank official, he would not be able to raise his head to greet people in the capital.

Yue Zihuan's future career can be foreseen at a glance.

Emperor Shengwen was slapping Yue Zihuan in the face repeatedly.

Yue Ran's face remained expressionless, but there was a hint of smile in his eyes.

If Emperor Shengwen was not an enemy, he would be a really wonderful person.

She helped her father, who was trembling slightly, up and bowed:

"I, your humble servant, thank your Majesty for the reward on behalf of my brother."

Emperor Shengwen nodded slightly, and when Yue Ran raised his head, the two of them looked at each other, and they understood each other tacitly.

In this generation of Dingbei Palace, Yue Ran is in charge and he is still a loyal minister.

Emperor Shengwen was quite satisfied.

Originally, he was worried that after Yue Ran received the reward, he would find ways to support other male members of the Dingbei Palace.

After all, King Dingbei has two sons!

As a girl, Yue Ran will have to get married sooner or later. Once she gets married, it will be natural for the Dingbei Army to be handed over to the two sons of King Dingbei.

Emperor Shengwen always had hidden worries in his heart for this reason.

This hidden worry was slightly alleviated in Emperor Shengwen's mind after the eunuch brought back interesting stories about the Dingbei Palace.

Today, Yue Ran and his daughter personally went to the palace to report Yue Zihuan's secret dealings with the Eastern Palace. This self-defeating move greatly eased Emperor Shengwen's heart.

It seems that his previous worries were unnecessary. The Dingbei Palace was not a monolithic entity. The two sons born to Yue Ran and her stepmother seemed to be incompatible.

No, she simply wanted to trample her half-brother under her feet so that he couldn't even stand up!

This is Emperor Shengwen's favorite situation.

If Emperor Shengwen could choose, he would rather the Dingbei Army remain under the control of Yue Ran.

He was not a pedantic person. So what if a woman was in charge of the army? It was precisely because she was a woman that she posed the least threat to the royal family of Chu.

As for the prince, it's time to give him a warning!