The princess regretted it.

"Your Majesty, this is what happened. Not long afterward, the Dali Temple sent people to find us." Inside the Golden Throne Hall, the common people knelt before the hall, their bodies trembling slightly, their faces filled with nervousness and fear. They trembled as they recounted the entire incident, detailing the entire process.

"It is true that those young men were frivolous and disrespectful when discussing the princess. We, humble servants, were deeply shocked when we heard it." They spoke, trembling slightly. They kept their heads down throughout the story, fearing to offend the majesty of the emperor. They were ordinary diners who happened to be sitting at the table next to Qian Yu and the others that day, and thus witnessed the entire incident firsthand.

At that moment, the atmosphere in the Golden Palace seemed to have reached a freezing point. A chill emanated from Changsun Hongze, seated on the dragon throne. That icy aura made everyone in the hall unconsciously hold their breath. Especially when he heard Qian Yu and the others privately discussing Jin An, Changsun Hongze's eyes, gazing at the kneeling officials of the Imperial Household Department below, were thick with murderous intent. His gaze was as sharp as a sword, seemingly capable of piercing a person's heart.

After hearing the witness's words, the faces of the Imperial Household Department and the others turned pale. They were filled with despair, knowing that this matter would not end well.

Changsun Hongze tried hard to suppress his anger and slowly waved his hand. The imperial guards on duty in front of the palace immediately stepped forward and carefully and swiftly led the witnesses away. The entire Golden Palace fell into silence again, like the calm before the storm.

"Minister of the Imperial Household! Do you still feel it's wronged? Huh? You are all very capable! You have raised good sons!" Changsun Hongze's voice, as cold as frost, sounded deeply in the silent Golden Throne Hall. The voice contained endless anger and majesty, making the air in the entire Golden Throne Hall seem to solidify.

Every word struck the Imperial Household Department's officials like a hammer. They trembled uncontrollably, their faces pale as paper, as if trapped in an icy cellar. Faced with the awe-inspiring wrath of the emperor, they could only prostrate themselves on the ground, kowtow repeatedly, and confess their guilt. The sound of foreheads hitting the ground was remarkably clear in the silent hall.

"We have failed to discipline our son, and our ignorant son has offended the princess. We deserve death." Their voices were filled with fear and regret. They knew that their son had committed an unforgivable sin, and as his father, they were also to blame.

Changsun Hongze's face was as gloomy as he coldly looked at the Imperial Household Secretary and his companions, who were kowtowed profusely. "Hmph, you deserve death? You truly do! You dare to trample on the dignity of the imperial family! You decide for yourself whether you deserve death or not!" As he spoke, Changsun Hongze slammed the dragon table with all his might.

The atmosphere in the hall was extremely oppressive. The ministers were all silent, not daring to make a sound. The Minister of the Imperial Household and others were even more desperate after hearing this.

At this moment, Prime Minister Mu suddenly stepped forward, bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I feel that there is something strange about this matter."

Upon hearing this, Changsun Hongze suppressed the urge to order the death penalty. With heavy eyes, he asked, "What's so strange? Prime Minister, just tell me directly." His old father-in-law had always been fair and impartial, so he never suspected that he had other intentions.

"This old minister has three questions: First, there are rumors circulating that the Dali Temple has already issued a notice stating that the people are aware of the doubts and are forbidden to comment on the matter without authorization. So who first brought this up? Is there any deeper meaning behind it?" The Prime Minister spoke slowly, word by word. "Second, the dispute and the resulting fight were sparked by someone shouting, 'Fight!' Who was it that shouted this? Third, whose family did the guard who spoke to the Jingzhao Yin after the incident belong to? What did they say? I wonder if the Dali Temple has clarified these three points?"

The old prime minister's question stirred a mixture of joy and sorrow among the people in the hall. Even Changsun Hongze, after hearing the prime minister's words, was already pondering the meaning of the prime minister's words. He sat there in silence, silent and pondering. The atmosphere was once again tense.

The happy ones were naturally the Imperial Household Minister and the others. They felt they might have a glimmer of hope, as they knew their own children's true nature. It seemed their children might have been exploited. Although those remarks came from their mouths, if someone had deliberately seduced them, the charges might be less severe.

Meanwhile, Lord Wang, the Grand Court Judge, wore a look of distress. When the Jingzhao Prefect sent him the report yesterday, it had only mentioned a quarrel caused by a verbal dispute. Because it might involve confidential matters, it was referred to the Grand Court. He was currently processing confessions from those involved in the flower viewing banquet, so that matter had been handed over to the Junior Court Judge. He didn't know the specific details yet.

Asked this by the Prime Minister, he could only step out of the group, bow and say, "Your Majesty, this matter is under the sole responsibility of the Junior Secretary of the Dali Temple, and all the case files have not yet been handed over to me; therefore..."

Chang Sun Hongze looked at Lord Wang coldly, "You're good at shirking responsibility!"

Lord Wang knelt down with a thud and kowtowed, saying, "I am guilty."

In fact, the most alarmed person in the hall was Wu Anshuo. He hadn't expected the Prime Minister to be so perceptive, raising several crucial questions at once. Just as he was contemplating how to proceed with the matter after the court session with the Third Prince, the Prime Minister suddenly turned to him and slowly asked, "By the way, Marquis, I wonder what your son's business was at the restaurant? When did he show up there? How long was he there, listening to everyone's conversation?"

Wu Anshuo's head buzzed, and his heart skipped a beat. He clenched his hands, hidden in his sleeves, and forced himself to calm down. His thoughts raced, and he said with a hint of displeasure, "What do you mean by that, Prime Minister? Are you doubting my son?"

Upon hearing this, the Prime Minister simply said, "I have no ulterior motives, I am just a little bit suspicious. Besides, your son is the one who came forward to protect Princess Jin'an, I believe he has no ulterior motives. Your Majesty, there is no need to be angry."

Wu Anshuo's heart choked, and he could only maintain his composure and say, "He seemed to have an appointment with someone. I didn't ask who it was. He entered the restaurant and heard someone mention Princess Jin'an's name, so he went over. Unexpectedly, he heard some foul language. He was furious, so he shouted."

The Prime Minister said nothing more upon hearing this, only nodding calmly. He then bowed to the enthroned Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I suggest that the Dali Temple investigate the relevant details before making a final decision. Your Majesty, please make your decision."

As soon as the Prime Minister said this, the entire Golden Palace fell silent again.