The weak prince's queen

Within the magnificent and majestic Golden Throne Hall, sunlight filtered through the carved window lattices, casting dappled shadows, illuminating the entire hall with an even more dazzling brilliance. The emperor, clad in a magnificent dragon robe, sat aloft on the throne. His posture was as straight as a pine tree, his face imbued with dignity, emanating an awe-inspiring aura of kingship. He narrowed his eyes slightly, surveying the courtiers, and spoke in a low, commanding voice, "If you have any business, please report. Otherwise, I will dismiss the court."

As soon as he finished speaking, silence fell over the court. All the ministers bowed their heads in silence, and the atmosphere became somewhat solemn. Just then, an official stepped steadily out of the procession. He bowed respectfully to the emperor, then straightened his body and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have a memorial to make."

The emperor nodded slightly to show his approval.

The official took a deep breath and continued, "Your Majesty, there have been many rumors circulating about the Prince of Jin recently. It is said that the Prince of Jin actually attacked the Princess of Jin in the street. Such behavior is truly against the etiquette of our dynasty and is even more disgraceful to the royal family! I implore Your Majesty to punish this matter and appease the people."

Hearing this, the emperor's brow furrowed, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes. He turned to the Minister of Rites and asked, "Oh? Is this true? Has the Ministry of Rites investigated the matter thoroughly? Was it the Princess of Jin who lost her composure first, or was the Prince of Jin acting too rashly?"

The Minister of Rites hurriedly stepped forward, bowed, and replied, "Your Majesty, the Ministry of Rites has not yet obtained solid evidence, but an investigation has been launched. However, as far as I know, the Princess of Jin has always been gentle and virtuous, well-educated and well-mannered, and has a good reputation in the capital. If this incident is true, I am afraid there is something else going on."

At this time, Master Lin, who had been standing aside, could no longer suppress his anxiety and anger. He walked to the front of the hall in two steps, knelt down on the ground with a thud, and said in tears: "Your Majesty, please be wise! My daughter has been well-behaved and sensible since she was young, and has abided by the code of conduct for women. She has never done anything that violates the rules. Now she has suffered such a misfortune and was beaten in the street by Prince Jin. I really can't believe that there is no reason for this. I hope Your Majesty can thoroughly investigate this matter. If it is true that my daughter has failed in moral conduct, I am willing to accept the crime and be punished; but if this is Prince Jin's fault, I beg Your Majesty to seek justice for my daughter!" After that, Master Lin kowtowed several times, and his forehead was faintly bruised.

The emperor sat high on the dragon throne, waved his hand solemnly, and shouted majestically: "Come here! Convey my order and quickly summon Prince Jin to the palace to meet me!" This order echoed in the palace like thunder.

As soon as he finished speaking, a eunuch in ornate attire quickly emerged, following his orders. He was followed closely by several heavily armed, imposing guards. They hurried towards the Prince of Jin's mansion, galloping like the wind. The sound of horse hooves echoed through the streets, drawing the attention of passersby.

Soon, they arrived at the gate of the Prince of Jin's mansion. The eunuch, not wanting to waste any time, dismounted hastily and sprinted into the mansion. He didn't bother to exchange pleasantries with anyone along the way, heading straight for the Prince of Jin.

At this moment, Chu Xiyue was playing games enthusiastically in her boudoir with her personal maid Qiu Ling and others, and laughter could be heard from the room from time to time.

Suddenly, the door was flung open, and Mo Feng rushed in in a panic. Without even taking a breath, he anxiously shouted to Chu Xiyue, "Princess, something terrible has happened! The prince has just been summoned to the palace by the emperor, and the palace servants who came to deliver the message are all very aggressive. It looks like the situation is quite bad!"

Upon hearing this news, Chu Xiyue's face turned pale instantly. She widened her eyes and asked in disbelief, "Ah? How...how could this happen? What on earth happened?"

Mo Feng shook his head and answered bewilderedly, "I don't know the specific reason, but judging by the situation, I'm afraid this is a serious matter. The situation is extremely urgent!"

Chu Xiyue was extremely anxious. She gritted her teeth and said decisively: "In that case, let's go into the palace quickly! Maybe we can help." After that, she stood up and was about to walk out.

Mo Feng quickly responded, "Okay, Princess, please wait a moment. I will prepare the carriage right away." After saying that, he turned around and ran away.

After a while, an exquisitely decorated carriage stopped at the gate of the palace. Chu Xiyue boarded the carriage with the help of Mo Feng, and then the wheels rolled and sped towards the palace.

As the carriage drove away, only Dong'er and Qiu Ling were left. Dong'er paced back and forth, her face filled with worry, while Qiu Ling stood there quietly, her arms folded across her chest, seemingly lost in thought.

Holding the token of the King of Jin, Mo Feng and Chu Xiyue entered the towering gate of the imperial palace without any obstruction. However, when they arrived in front of the magnificent and solemn Golden Throne Hall, they found that this was not a place that could be easily entered.

Chu Xiyue was feeling uneasy at this moment. She tried to calm herself down, taking deep breaths to relieve her anxiety. Her hands were clenched tightly, trembling slightly, and her eyes were constantly scanning the surroundings, as if searching for something.

Finally, Chu Xiyue calmed down and turned to Mo Feng beside her and said, "Mo Feng, go and find out why the prince was summoned to the palace."

Upon hearing this, Mo Feng hurriedly bowed and replied, "Yes!" After that, he left quickly like a gust of wind.

Chu Xiyue remained where she was, pacing anxiously, her mind racing through every possible scenario and every possible response. Time ticked by, and just as she was becoming increasingly anxious, Mo Feng approached with lightning speed. He approached Chu Xiyue and whispered in a low voice, "Princess, I've heard that the prince was summoned to the palace because the Ministry of Rites had impeached him for assaulting you in the street."

Chu Xiyue was stunned at first, then nodded in sudden realization and said, "So it's this matter... Looks like I need to plan carefully and come up with a foolproof strategy."

After she finished speaking, she pondered for a moment, her beautiful eyes flickering as they suddenly lit up. She slowly said, "I've got an idea. Let's go find the Empress right now. If we can cleverly utilize this incident, we might even gain something unexpected."

Although Mo Feng was still a little confused about Chu Xiyue's plan, he saw that she was confident and did not ask any more questions. He just silently led her towards the Queen's palace. Along the way, Chu Xiyue's steps were light and firm, as if she had seen the dawn of a solution to the problem.