Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

Inside the Chunxi Palace, Concubine Hui looked lonely, sitting there quietly alone, as if she had lost her soul.

She didn't even notice when Emperor Jing walked in.

Manju, who was standing by, wanted to speak out a warning, but was stopped by Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing walked gently to Concubine Hui and sat down, casually flipping through the dusty notebook in the corner.

The sound of turning pages was particularly clear in the silent palace and finally attracted Concubine Hui's attention.

She suddenly came to her senses and looked at Emperor Jing in panic: "Manou, when did His Majesty come? Why didn't you inform us?" There was a hint of blame in her tone.

Emperor Jing replied gently, "I forbad you to report it. What are you thinking about? You are so lost in thought."

Concubine Hui's eyes were red, and she sighed deeply, "Today is the seventh day after Yuan Qi's death. I wonder if he will come back to see me..."

Emperor Jing gently patted Concubine Hui's hand and comforted her, "Don't worry, Yuanqi is a filial child. Even in the afterlife, he will be grateful for your kindness in raising him."

Concubine Hui picked up her handkerchief, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, and said with a sob: "Although Yuanqi is filial, I have failed to fulfill my responsibility as a mother and failed to help him kill his enemies..."

Emperor Jing's expression instantly darkened, and he sternly said, "I've already said that Yuan Qi died of illness. How could he have any enemies?"

"Died of illness? The woman who caused him to get sick is right in front of Your Majesty, yet Your Majesty still just says that Yuanqi simply died of illness?" Concubine Hui's face was full of disbelief, her tone filled with anger and unwillingness.

She stared at Emperor Jing with her eyes wide open, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Yuanqi failed to control himself. As his adoptive mother, don't you have any responsibility? If you hadn't neglected his teaching, how could such a thing have happened?" Emperor Jing frowned and scolded Concubine Hui in a stern tone.

Upon hearing this, Concubine Hui's face turned pale instantly.

Her lips trembled, tears welled up in her eyes, and finally she couldn't help but let them fall.

She slowly knelt down, her voice choked with sobs: "I know I was wrong, Your Majesty, please punish me... But I also ask Your Majesty to find out the cause of death of the late crown prince..." Her body trembled slightly, as if she was in great pain.

Emperor Jing sighed and his expression eased slightly.

He said softly, "Hurry up and speak. I know it's hard for you to accept the fact that you've lost your loved one, and I'm no different. If you really like children, you can bring the baby from Concubine Wei's womb to your palace to raise once it's born."

However, Concubine Hui sneered and said, "I only agreed to raise Yuanqi and Jinyu with me because I saw that the late queen passed away early and felt sorry for the two children. Now Concubine Wei is alive and well, why should I raise children for others?" There was a hint of indifference and determination in her words, which made people feel chilled.

Emperor Jing shook his head helplessly and said, "Okay, if we don't want to raise a child for others, then let's have a child of our own. I heard that your Mo family's salt fields made a lot of money this year. I believe that if you have your own child, your father will be happier." Emperor Jing coaxed.

Concubine Hui felt a chill in her heart. How could her father be happier with her having a child? She was afraid he would give her more money.

"Your Majesty, please thoroughly investigate the cause of death of the late crown prince." Concubine Hui said stubbornly without standing up.

Emperor Jing's face turned cold. "When Yuan Qi was still alive, you said you wanted to investigate, and I asked you to do so. I also killed the woman who seduced Yuan Qi, and I thought the matter was over. But you are so persistent, aren't you making Yuan Qi restless?"

"The murderer has been punished, but what about the person who manipulated the whole thing behind the scenes? Your Majesty, will you just ignore it?" Concubine Hui asked with tears in her eyes.

"I am sad that Yuanqi is gone, but do I have to stop living because of a dead person?" asked Emperor Jing.

"Your Majesty has five sons. If Concubine Wei is pregnant with a boy, he will have six sons. Naturally, he doesn't care about Yuanqi. But Yuanqi has been raised by me since he was a child. I cannot let him die in such an unclear way."

After Concubine Hui finished speaking, she respectfully held a stack of evidence in front of Emperor Jing with both hands.

After Emperor Jing took the stack of evidence, he began to flip through it quickly. As he turned over the paper, his expression became more and more gloomy.

Finally, he couldn't help but ask angrily: "Where did you get all this from?"

Concubine Hui replied, "This is what I found out by sending someone to investigate."

Emperor Jing looked at Concubine Hui deeply, and then asked, "Have you read all the contents here?"

"Yes." Concubine Hui straightened her back and answered firmly, "Your Majesty has read these things and remains so calm. I believe he has known the truth long ago."

Emperor Jing sighed, then slammed the stack of documents onto the table. His tone was filled with helplessness and fatigue. "Concubine Hui, are you aware that I am already over forty?"

Hearing this, the kneeling Concubine Hui bowed and said, "Long live Your Majesty."

After hearing what Concubine Hui said, Emperor Jing suddenly felt a suffocation in his chest, unable to swallow or spit out.

He sighed helplessly and continued, "Long live the emperor, but the late emperor passed away just as he reached the age of knowing his destiny, and Yuan Qi had just turned twenty when he passed away. Life is unpredictable."

Emperor Jing paused and continued, "Although I have five sons, the eldest is bad and stupid. He was exiled to his fiefdom long ago and is no longer suitable for important positions."

"Although the Fourth Prince is kind and righteous, he was born with a leg disease. The neighboring countries are eyeing him covetously. If my Great Yong had a lame emperor, wouldn't the whole world laugh at us?"

"Old Five got his wife by climbing into someone's bed with a lowly man. I haven't even seen him many times!"

"Yuan Qi is already dead, and now you want me to take action against Yuan Lang. Do you want to destroy the Yong Dynasty? How can I face my ancestors in the afterlife?" Emperor Jing lowered his head dejectedly.

Concubine Hui curled her lips and sneered, "I cannot bear such a heavy accusation. I only know that if the Third Brother could kill his own brother today, he might kill you, Your Majesty, tomorrow!"

"A thief can steal for a thousand days, but there is no reason to guard against thieves for a thousand days. How can Your Majesty sleep well at night with such a cruel person by your side?" Concubine Hui questioned Emperor Jing bluntly.

Emperor Jing was so angry that he was shaking all over. He raised his hand and slapped Concubine Hui: "Concubine Hui, be careful with your words and actions!"

Concubine Hui covered her slapped face and said stubbornly, "Even if Your Majesty forbids me to speak out, I will speak out. If Your Majesty is unwilling to take action, then I will make all of the Third Prince's crimes public. The world will judge his merits and demerits."

Emperor Jing's eyes widened with anger and helplessness: "Do you know what the consequences of doing this are?"