NABC Chapter 477 World 837
Chapter 477 World 837
Fu Yuanzhou wholeheartedly agreed, and said the same thing before the emperor.
Having handed over the goods and people to the emperor, Fu Yuanzhou cautiously said, "Your Majesty, I will return to Yangliao in two days?"
After hearing the whole story, the emperor's eyes darkened with anger. Fu Yuanzhou had pulled this stunt. The emperor couldn't stand Fu Yuanzhou's cowardly behavior, and this only fueled his rage.
"It's such a small matter, why do you have to go out in this freezing weather? What, now that the prince isn't your precious darling, you don't care about the princess anymore?"
“It hurts, it hurts so much,” Fu Yuanzhou said with a mournful face. “But if someone really wanted to complain to me, that would be one thing. But this person obviously wants to use me to do something.”
"Although the princess is clever and noticed something amiss from the slightest clues, what about next time, and the time after that?"
"Your Majesty, I have never been a clever person since I was a child. If I can't afford to offend them, then the only option left is to avoid them."
"Otherwise, if I really get involved in something, and you ask me to submit a memorial to defend myself, I won't even be able to explain myself clearly. Where would I go to defend myself then!"
The emperor fell silent for a moment, thinking, "That's actually quite possible."
After all, back in the capital, Fu Yuanzhou had often been pushed into the lurch by his clever brothers. So many incidents had happened that even the late emperor and the court officials no longer believed him.
The reason he was still punished was because people were angry at his weakness, and someone had to step in and put an end to the matter.
"Alright, alright," the emperor said impatiently, "the roads are all frozen over. You'd better stay in the capital. I've ordered them not to bother you, okay?"
Fu Yuanzhou smiled and quickly stood up to bow, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Before leaving, he asked hesitantly, "Your Majesty, it's not long now. May I go and pick up the young master from school before leaving the palace?"
The emperor was at a loss for words and, in a fit of frustration, waved his hand in agreement.
Watching him leave happily, the emperor rubbed his temples and said to the chief eunuch, "He's just like when I took Consort Li as my concubine. He's timid and always tries to negotiate, but he only talks about trivial things and never gets to the point."
The chief eunuch glanced in the direction Fu Yuanzhou had left, suppressed his deep thoughts, and finally followed the emperor's words, saying, "That's right, Your Majesty. As the elder brother, you should put more effort into the care of Prince Yangliao."
The emperor glanced at him and nodded, saying, "You're right. If I didn't keep an eye on Sixteenth's brain, how could he possibly stay in the capital? No wonder his princess has been in charge of all the big and small affairs in Yangliao."
"His Highness truly cherishes His Highness the Princess; after all, it was he who specially wrote to you to request her hand in marriage," the head eunuch said, serving him a cup of fresh tea. "Besides, from what I can see, His Highness the Princess always keeps him in mind."
"He only dared to send that letter about marrying the princess," the emperor said, glancing at the chief eunuch. "You always speak well of them after receiving any benefits."
“Nothing can be hidden from you,” the head eunuch laughed. “When we first entered the capital, the princess was worried that the prince wouldn’t know what to say when he saw you, so she sent a lot of money, asking me to help smooth things over. I don’t have to do anything else.”
The chief eunuch gestured to the emperor, indicating the exact amount: "It has all been sent to your private treasury and registered."
The emperor was satisfied: "Sixteenth sister-in-law is indeed a good one."
Money makes the world go round; with enough money, even an emperor would be tempted.
Fu Yuanzhou was unaware of what Yin Yin had done behind the scenes. He didn't wait long outside Hongwen Hall before Tangyuan arrived.
Tang Yuan wasn't the youngest among the students, and with the Emperor giving face to the Yangliao Prince's Mansion, he was doing quite well, getting along well with his friends, unlike Fu Yuanzhou before.
After picking up Tangyuan and returning to the carriage, Fu Yuanzhou described the scene he had just witnessed to Yinyin, though his tone carried a hint of unconscious envy.
Yinyin immediately said, "That's great. Now that Tangyuan is in Hongwen Hall, we don't have to worry about her anymore."
"But these days, Tangyuan should go out less with others to avoid getting hurt."
Fu Yuanzhou immediately forgot his previous mood and instead gave Tangyuan a lot of instructions.
After that day, Yin Yin's family closed the door and stopped caring about what happened outside.
Those who plotted against them never expected that they would take this matter directly to the emperor. They immediately abandoned all other considerations and began to revise their carefully designed scheme.
But even their quick revisions couldn't keep up with the speed at which the emperor ordered a thorough investigation.
The victim was real, the things he was suing were real, and he knew he was being used, which is why he was willing to risk his life to leave a way out for his family.
The emperor was furious when he saw the testimony presented below, and pointed at the Prefect of the Capital, scolding him for being incompetent and ruining the country.
They've already been scolded by the emperor. If they don't do their jobs properly, it won't just be a scolding; it could mean they'll lose their lives.
The Prefect of the Capital changed his attitude and imprisoned the man within two days. Coincidentally, this man was the younger brother of Consort Li, who was originally betrothed to Fu Yuanzhou but ended up in the Emperor's harem.
As soon as this news came out, many people brought up old stories again.
"People outside are saying that no wonder that person stopped the prince's carriage to complain. It's like God is handing the prince a handle to vent his anger."
"Bah bah bah!"
As soon as the person in charge finished repeating the story, Fu Yuanzhou showed a look of disgust, as if he didn't want to be associated with the matter.
“I’m living a good life. Who do they think they are? Why should I take my anger out on them?”
The person in charge didn't believe it either: "It's all just the ignorant people outside spreading rumors, but now it's become the talk of the town, and we can't stop it even if we want to."
Yin Yin was the calmest: "In just two days, the public opinion outside has become like this. No one would believe that someone didn't say this on purpose."
“I believe you, Yuanzhou, but others may not. Besides, there are many busybodies. Unless there is bigger and more interesting news, I'm afraid only time will be able to erase the impact of this matter.”
Fu Yuanzhou calmed himself down and asked, "Yinyin, who do you think leaked this information?"
After careful consideration, Yin Yin said, "Perhaps the person who initially planned this was the one, but for it to spread so widely, Consort Li's family must have played a significant role."
"Li Fei's family?" Fu Yuanzhou murmured. "You mean they want to use this rumor to completely erase the root of the problem from back then?"
"For the sake of the Emperor's reputation and our family's future, we have no choice but to cancel it," Yin Yin said softly. "A brother taking his brother's wife, or a ruler taking his subject's wife, is not a good reputation."
“If this rumor is not properly resolved, our family will also suffer an undeserved disaster. Regardless of whether the Emperor bestows any rewards upon our family in the future, in the eyes of others, we will be at fault.”
Appreciation stems from a guilty conscience and a desire to make amends.
To ignore or fail to appreciate it is to show guilt and an attempt to cover up the truth.
No matter what you do, it's wrong.
In the long run, who knows if the emperor won't get annoyed and start from the root of the problem, completely eradicating these words?
The reason their family is now being treated differently by the emperor is not because the emperor is actually special to them, but simply because their family can afford it.