Chapter 341: Doing the Best

Emperor Wen and the Empress walked in together and sat down side by side in front of the Dragon and Phoenix Chairs.

"All the ministers stand up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you, Empress!"

All the civil and military officials in the court stood up and lined up on both sides.

Emperor Wen looked down at the civil and military officials in the court, and his voice was cold and full of imperial majesty: "Yan Zheng."

Yan Zheng's face changed, and he walked out of the line stiffly and knelt in the hall: "Your son is here."

"You know what you did." Emperor Wen looked at him with some disappointment, "I will not read out your charges. From now on, you don't have to come to the court anymore. Go back to your palace and stay well. In the future, you are not allowed to enter or leave the palace without the emperor's order."

After speaking, he shouted coldly: "Come here!"

Several imperial guards came quickly and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty."

"Take the eldest prince away, cancel the prince's preferential treatment, and anyone in the court who dares to interact with the eldest prince privately will be regarded as disobeying the emperor's order, and I will definitely punish him severely!"m.

The civil and military officials in the court were silent.

Yan Zheng's face was pale, as if he had lost all his strength in an instant. He lowered his head and remained silent, allowing the imperial guards to drag him out.

Excusing or begging for mercy is useless at this moment, it will only make oneself more embarrassed.

The civil and military officials in the court knew that the emperor had done his best for the eldest prince.

Not reading out the charges was to give him the last glimmer of life. If they tried their best to exonerate the eldest prince, the consequences would be even more unimaginable.

All preferential treatments were cancelled, and he was not allowed to enter or leave the palace, and no one was allowed to have private contact with him.

Such a punishment was obviously confinement. Although it was not determined how long the confinement would last, it was extremely light for treason, even if it was just a little bit related.

Moreover, the eldest prince was clearly the mastermind.

I am afraid it will never be possible to regain his freedom in the future.

Yan Chen watched Yan Zheng being taken away with cold eyes.

At that moment, he did not feel the joy or relief that he should have lost an opponent, but felt a kind of sadness and anxiety.

There was even an inexplicable sadness and irony.

They didn't die at each other's hands, but lost to a foreign woman who was completely ignored by them.

It was simply the funniest joke in the history of Jin State, even funnier than the queen's regent.

The hall was silent.

Emperor Wen was silent for a long time before turning to look at Yan Li: "Was Li'er's housewarming party yesterday lively?"

"Lively." Yan Li nodded, turned his head to look at Shangguan Taifu, the head of the civil officials, who stood side by side with Prime Minister Ji, and quickly retracted his gaze, "There was a little incident at the banquet, but it was quickly resolved. After that, my eldest brother sent me six young men in their prime. The boys are indeed good-looking and have all kinds of styles."

"It's ridiculous." Shangguan Taifu said with a gloomy face, "Since ancient times, no woman has openly kept a male lover. A virtuous woman does not serve two husbands. Her Royal Highness the Princess has really broken the convention again and again and challenged the minimum limit of secular morality!"

"Why is Shangguan Taifu so excited?" Yan Li said lightly With a smile, "Those six young men were sent by my eldest brother. Didn't the Grand Tutor always think that the eldest prince was steady and self-sustaining, and had the demeanor of a crown prince? He can take the initiative to send it to me, so why can't I accept it? Does the Grand Tutor want me to openly slap my eldest brother in the face in front of so many guests?"

"Are you not ashamed of it, Princess? Are you complacent?"

"Whether I am complacent or not is my own business." Yan Li sneered, "On the contrary, it is the Grand Tutor Shangguan who keeps talking about rules, but he can't even teach his granddaughter well. A mere concubine of the Shangguan family bullies me in my house. People who don't know would think she is a princess and I am a concubine of a minister?"

As soon as these words came out, the whole court was in an uproar.

"Shangguan's concubine?"

"When did it happen?"

"Isn't the granddaughter of the Shangguan family always dignified, virtuous, and well-educated?"

Shangguan Taifu's face turned pale: "My granddaughter did have a little conflict with the eldest princess's servants, but she didn't go after the eldest princess--"

"If she really came after me, I would respect her courage." Yan Li did not give in at all, "Shangguan Jiao has always been arrogant and unreasonable, and she bullies the weak and fears the strong. The granddaughter of the Shangguan family, who is said to be dignified and elegant, watched her sister bully others and was indifferent. I really don't know where the Shangguan family's education and family tradition are good."

These words made Shangguan Taifu speechless.

"Is it true?" Jiang Yi frowned, with a bad expression, "How dare a mere concubine's daughter make trouble in the Princess's mansion? Does she still have the distinction between the monarch and the ministers?"

"I know my fault." Shangguan Taifu's face changed, and he walked to the palace and knelt down, "I will strictly discipline her in the future, please forgive me, Queen."

"I am not going to pursue the Taifu's fault, but the Taifu obviously can't even discipline his own granddaughter, but he always competes with me and accuses me of various crimes, which makes me wonder, is Shangguan Taifu really so upright and selfless, or is it because my arrival has affected the interests of the Shangguan family that the Taifu is so rude and shouts with a teenage girl all day long?"

This sentence almost threw the four words "disrespecting the elderly" in his face, which made Shangguan Taifu's face turn pale and green, and his face was burning with embarrassment.

"Taifu, please stand up." Emperor Wen said calmly, "Yan Li is young and grew up in Mu State. She is not used to the rules and regulations of Jin State. This is the fault of me and the Queen. Taifu has been highly respected for many years. There is really no need to argue with her."

Teacher Shangguan had a stiff expression. How could he not understand what Emperor Wen meant?

Yan Li was not used to the rules and system of Jin State, so all her actions were excusable. This was the dereliction of duty of the emperor and the queen, and it was not the turn of others to teach and blame.

The tutor was more than half of his age and had a good reputation. Even if he won a dispute with a little girl, it would be unfair.

If he continued to pester her, he could be charged with "distinguishing between superiors and inferiors and committing crimes against superiors".

Every word in his slow and steady speech was a soft knife. If he continued to talk, he might really sacrifice the future of the entire family.

Teacher Shangguan suppressed his sadness, knelt down to thank the emperor for his grace, and stood up and returned to the queue.

All the civil and military officials in the court saw it.

The emperor was supporting the eldest princess with all his strength and would never allow anyone to embarrass her again.

One of the four princes had been dismissed, and there were still three left. The second prince Yan Chen was also seriously injured.

Do they really want to support the eldest princess to become the next person in power in Jin, follow the will of heaven, and let Jin welcome the first empress?

"The evidence of Qi's rebellion is irrefutable." Emperor Wen's words made the temperature in the hall drop to freezing point again. "Three days later, the men of Qi's family will be beheaded outside the Meridian Gate for public display, and all the women will be sent to the Jiaosifang and the court will be dismissed!"

When the three words "Jiaosifang" fell, the ministers were all shocked, knelt down and shouted:

"Your Majesty, long live the emperor, long live the emperor, long live the emperor!"