coobybook Chapter 349: Ministers’ Reactions
Chapter 349: Ministers’ Reactions
At this time,
Censor Geng bowed tremblingly to Emperor Kun and replied,
"Your Majesty, one of these two people is the guard who escorted the second daughter of Yangzhou prefect Fang, the real Miss Fang, to the capital. The other is the madam of Chunfeng Tower who raised Miss Qingge."
After Geng Yanguan finished his report, he pointed at the two men and ordered,
"You two should carefully identify this woman. Do you recognize her?"
After he finished speaking, he pointed his finger boldly at Fang Qingge, who was holding the hand of the prince.
The two of them secretly glanced at Fang Qingge. The woman in front of them was as graceful and gorgeous as a peony.
After reading it, they all lowered their heads and did not respond.
*
Censor Geng pointed at the middle-aged man and said,
"Is she your daughter?"
"Reply...Reply to Lord Geng, no. I don't know this woman."
"Then tell the emperor the whole story honestly."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I am here with four guards and two maids to escort my young lady into the palace for the selection.
Due to poor care, the young lady caught a high fever and died on the way. The seven of us knew that if the mission failed, we would definitely die when we returned, and we were panicking and at a loss.
A man named Qin came to help bury the young lady! Knowing that we couldn't go back, he changed our identities and turned us into good citizens. So we went away incognito.
Your Majesty, please spare my life. I know nothing."
After saying that, he kowtowed to Emperor Kun continuously, "bang bang bang".
*
"Stay still and don't disturb the emperor."
Censor Geng shouted loudly, and the middle-aged man kneeling on the ground was so frightened that he fell silent.
Censor Geng bowed and reported to Emperor Kun,
"Your Majesty, I have investigated everything and found that this was done by Qin Huai, the advisor to the Crown Prince.
After the matter was dealt with, the traces were wiped clean. I almost couldn't figure out that it was the prince's handiwork.
Think about it, what His Royal Highness did was not right! Poor Yangzhou prefect Fang still doesn't know his daughter is dead. If he knew, how sad he would be! "
When Censor Geng said this, he wiped away a tear, as if his own daughter had died.
*
Emperor Kun, sitting on the dragon throne, looked coldly at the performance in the hall.
The prince just watched them act coldly without saying a word.
Queen Qin's fingers turned white as she gripped the handle of the chair.
Censor Geng did not get a response from the emperor, so he pointed at the woman on the ground and asked,
"Do you know this woman?"
The woman kowtowed like crazy. The girl she raised had undergone a tremendous change, and her status had also changed dramatically. She gritted her teeth and stammered,
"I think you look like Miss Qingge from our Chunfeng Tower. But after a few years, she has changed a lot, and I don't dare to confirm whether it is true or not."
"Be brave, open your eyes and take a good look."
Censor Geng was somewhat angry.
"I confirm that she is Qingge."
"Okay! Present your physical evidence."
"Yes, yes, this is the waist badge that was accidentally dropped when the man bought Miss Qingge. I hid it secretly. It is...it is in the Northern Border Camp."
Censor Geng reported to Emperor Kun:
"Your Majesty, based on these clues, I have searched many places and found
It was finally found out that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did favor a prostitute that day.
That woman is Miss Qingge from Chunfeng Tower, who is now the lady in the East Palace."
Before Censor Geng could continue, Emperor Kun suddenly waved his hand and said,
"No need to say more, take these two away."
Eunuch De took the order and raised his hand. Two young eunuchs quickly stepped forward and dragged the two people who had been frightened away!
*
Watching the people being taken away, before Emperor Kun could say anything,
Prime Minister Xiao gave a look, and all the ministers of his faction walked out of the banquet table and knelt down in front of Emperor Kun.
"I beg the emperor to look carefully into this matter. The prince's behavior is against moral principles. This is a taboo for the crown prince. I would like to ask for severe punishment for the prince and expel Miss Qingge."
"I and your humble servants second this motion. This matter must not be tolerated. We implore the Emperor to severely punish the Crown Prince. Expel the fake Fang Qingge and restore the East Palace to its pure state."
Emperor Kun looked at the ministers kneeling before him to impeach the prince, and did not respond.
Queen Qin still grabbed the corner of Emperor Kun's clothes and said in a trembling voice,
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince was implicated because of this woman. Fortunately, the Crown Prince was confused for a moment and did not make a big mistake. I beg Your Majesty to make a wise decision."
On the other side, Concubine Xiao secretly glanced at the emperor, and said nothing as if she was confident.
Eunuch De looked up secretly, sighed and lowered his brows.
At this time, the ministers of the Crown Prince's faction also stepped forward to make their speeches.
"Your Majesty, we do not agree with what Lord Geng said. It is true that the Crown Prince is the heir to the throne of Daliang, but he is also a citizen of Daliang.
It is also the responsibility of parents to think more about the future of their two children.
The prince is a human being, not a god. As a mortal, he is bound to make small mistakes. Although the prince's behavior was inappropriate, it did not cause any bad consequences.
I beg the Emperor to make a wise decision."
*
"A small matter? You say it's a small matter. It's just short of disrupting the government order, is it a small matter?"
The ministers on the other side were very unhappy.
An old man stood up and retorted,
"As the crown prince of Daliang, you should set an example instead of breaking the rules set by your ancestors.
The Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues are the principles of a country and should not be trampled upon at will. Your Majesty, I beg you to do this. The prince has gone too far and must be severely punished. "
Some even stepped forward,
"Your Majesty, the newly appointed Concubine Fang was originally a prostitute in a brothel. She has a bad reputation and is not suitable for living in the Eastern Palace. She is not qualified to be appointed as a concubine.
Such lowly people should be expelled from the palace. The prince's two children have such a mother, so they will not be able to take on important responsibilities in the future."
The prince attacked with a rage.
"What nonsense! You are an old man, and you still keep two skinny Yangzhou horses in your backyard. What crime should you be punished for?"
"You? You are slandering me."
With the chattering, the banquet hall suddenly became a smoky and chaotic battlefield.
On the contrary, the ministers of the prince's faction became the weak group.
The neutrals from the Defei and Xianfei factions no longer wanted to watch the show anymore.
He just added insult to injury.
They all stepped forward and began to speak.
"Your Majesty, I second your opinion. The moral principles of the country cannot be trampled upon. They must be severely punished."
*
Emperor Kun only then raised his eyes to look at the sea of heads in front of him.
Suddenly he asked,
"Prince, do you have anything to say?"
At this time, the prince gently grasped Fang Qingge's hand, then slowly released it, lifted up a corner of his brocade robe, and knelt down in front of Emperor Kun with a plop.
"Your Majesty is wise, and I know I was wrong. If you punish me, I have nothing to say. But the crime is not committed by Concubine Fang, and it has nothing to do with her.
This was all done by me alone, and Concubine Fang was completely unaware of it."
**