Remarrying Chun Yuan

Chapter 310 Bias

Emperor Qi Xiao was already furious after being choked by Prince Chun, and now, after hearing what the Crown Prince and Qin Muyan said, he was so angry that his hair stood on end!

Prince Chun's expression suddenly changed, and the mockery in his eyes intensified. "If Your Majesty does not wish for me to acknowledge the Yuan family, there is no need to resort to such methods. After my death, I can have my bones crushed and my ashes scattered, without anyone having to observe mourning for me."

These words left Emperor Qi Xiao speechless with rage. "Let's proceed to Fukang Palace!"

He didn't want to explain anything further; he just wanted to take his men and see for themselves!

The group walked away in a throng.

At this moment, Consort Yu also arrived at Fukang Palace and saw Princess Fuyao being pressed down on a bench, with a nanny next to her holding a board, ready to strike at any moment.

“Fuyao…” She hurriedly stepped forward, making the maids release her. “Get your filthy hands off her! This is a princess of the Great Qi! How dare you insult her like this? Kneel down before me!”

The maids dared not lay a hand on Consort Yu, so they had no choice but to let go.

Princess Fuyao immediately threw herself into Consort Yu's arms and sobbed, "I've been wronged! They've all framed me! Mother, you must stand up for me and beat all these vile women to death!"

Consort Yu felt heartbroken when she saw the red marks on her daughter's body. She looked at the Empress with great dissatisfaction, "Your Majesty must have solid evidence to punish her. This is a princess, and His Majesty's beloved daughter. How can you issue an order to punish her so arbitrarily? If His Majesty knew, he would also reprimand you for being unfair."

"If there is any injustice I have committed, please speak frankly, Your Highness."

"At least, at least Fuyao should confess her crimes."

Consort Yu found an excuse and scanned everyone with her eyes. She didn't see Liu Yuechu, but only Princess Luoyue and Li Shu. "Why don't you two tell the truth? Are you deliberately targeting Fuyao? Fuyao has always treated you very well. Don't kick her when she's down!" She was naturally scolding Princess Luoyue.

Princess Luoyue never expected things to escalate to this point. She was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes, but she knelt on the ground and insisted that she hadn't seen anything.

“My daughter really didn’t see clearly and told the truth. It was indeed because Sister Fuyao was walking too fast. By the time my daughter caught up, they had already started arguing.”

Li Shu hadn't expected such a commotion. "This humble woman is foolish and truly didn't see clearly. I didn't mean to deceive Your Highness, and I told the Empress the same truth." Her tone softened, as she didn't want to incur the wrath of Consort Yu.

Consort Yu quickly found a point of entry, "So it was a dispute, not that Fuyao deliberately bullied anyone. Fuyao was also wronged, so why doesn't Your Majesty punish Consort Liu, but instead keeps targeting Fuyao?!" She insisted on protecting her daughter.

The Empress was so angry that her forehead throbbed. She really wanted to scold Consort Yu for being stupid!

At this point, if Fuyao were to receive twenty strokes of the cane, he could still manage to brush it off when His Majesty inquired. However, if His Majesty were to find out and Prince Chun were to take control of the situation, it would be far more serious than just twenty strokes!

"I have already issued the decree of execution. If Consort Yu has any objections, she may go to His Majesty, but these twenty strokes of the cane are mandatory... If you disagree, then don't blame me for being ruthless and taking you down with me." The Empress's unprecedented decisiveness surprised Consort Yu.

Princess Fuyao was also a little flustered. Could it be that she couldn't escape this punishment?

"I really didn't hit her, I swear to God! Mother, bring those two maids here and interrogate them, they didn't tell the truth!"

Consort Yu had not expected the Empress to be so stubborn. "Fuyao also calls you Mother, and she is your child too. Does the Empress have to punish her daughter so cruelly for an outsider?!"

"So the way Princess Fuyao was exonerated was through torture to extract a confession. I've really seen something new since I returned to the capital." Prince Chun heard this sentence when he arrived at this point.

When everyone turned around, they saw that Emperor Qi Xiao was ashen-faced, and Qin Mushuo and Qin Muyan followed behind looking disheveled. Qin Muyan kept winking at Consort Yu, signaling her to stop.

Unfortunately, there were too many people, and Consort Yu didn't notice her son's gaze at all.

When she saw Emperor Qi Xiao, she rushed over to him with a pitiful expression and tears in her eyes, "Your Majesty, it was just a small conflict. Fuyao is so delicate, how could she withstand twenty strokes of the cane?"

"Besides, Liu Yuechu is not seriously injured, and the child was saved. How can Your Majesty punish your daughter like this? You dote on Fuyao the most..."

Prince Chun's face held a half-smile.

Consort Yu had no idea why he had come to Fukang Palace. As an imperial uncle, he should not have stepped into the inner palace.

The Empress hadn't expected Emperor Qi Xiao to come. She looked at the Crown Prince, her eyes questioning what had happened. Qin Mushuo, looking disheveled and lifeless, uttered a single, hoarse "Chen," and the Empress immediately understood.

Emperor Qi Xiao was furious to the core. He slowly shifted his gaze to Princess Luo Yue and asked, "I'll ask you one more time: did you see Fuyao push Liu Yuechu or not?"

His expression was calm, but full of doubt.

Princess Luoyue's heart skipped a beat, and her whole body trembled. "I swear to heaven, when I went there, I only saw Liu Yuechu and her maid lying on the ground, and Sister Fuyao making a fuss..."

She stubbornly insisted on sticking to her guns, knowing that any change in attitude would offend people.

Emperor Qi Xiao then looked at Li Shu, "And you? Are you sure you saw Princess Fuyao hit Liu Yuechu?"

Li Shu had never seen Emperor Qi Xiao so closely before; this was the first time.

The emperor's imposing presence made her teeth chatter. She kept telling herself to stay calm, but she simply couldn't.

"I saw Liu Yuechu fall down, but I was too far away and didn't see clearly that Princess Fuyao actually touched her."

Li Shu was also taking a gamble.

She was betting that Emperor Qi Xiao intended to favor Princess Fuyao.

After all, she was His Majesty's most beloved daughter. Moreover, the Empress had not said a word, and only Consort Yu, with tears streaming down her face, was pleading with Emperor Qi Xiao like a little bird.

"Father, did you hear that? They didn't even see clearly. I'm innocent!" Princess Fuyao said fiercely, stepping forward to strike the palace maids who were holding her down.

Emperor Qi Xiao shook off Consort Yu and waved to Cheng Hai.

Cheng Hai sighed, feeling utterly helpless, but he could only lead the eunuch forward and pin Princess Fuyao down.

Consort Yu was utterly astonished, not understanding what His Majesty meant. "Your Majesty..."

Emperor Qi Xiao's expression was gloomy.

"I preach the word 'rules' all day long, but I never expected that everyone would ignore my words. Haven't you learned your lesson about what happened with Mu Yan? Do you insist that I be ruthless towards you?"

When Emperor Qi Xiao uttered those words, Consort Yu felt a chill run through her heart.

Before she could even kneel and beg for mercy, Emperor Qi Xiao had already made his judgment and punishment: "Fuyao is stripped of her title, given forty strokes of the cane and banished from the palace; Consort Yu has failed to properly educate her daughter, she is demoted to Consort Yu, her salary is reduced for one year, and she is confined to her quarters and forbidden from leaving the palace."

“I have already said that Yuan Cuo is my loyal minister, and I have promised to protect his woman with peace and security, but you all think I was just joking.”

"I protect you, but you refuse to protect me. Then you'd better learn some manners!"