Red Mansion and Crimson Pearl

Chapter 321 You only want to put His Majesty in an unjust position

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law each bit their lips and lowered their heads.

Especially the Princess Dowager of Prince Beijing, she was about the same age as the Empress Dowager, and she had heard about the Empress Dowager's "evil reputation" since she was a child, and fear of her had become a habit for her.

Although Princess Beijing still wanted to struggle, it was a pity that the Queen Mother did not respond to her at all. Whether she wanted to act "wronged" or to arouse the Queen Mother's sympathy, it seemed unlikely.

At this moment, in the back hall, Daiyu had quietly welcomed Emperor Zhaoming and Tao Xingjian in from the back door.

Emperor Zhaoming looked Daiyu up and down, smiled, and said softly: "You haven't lost weight during this trip to Jiangnan!"

Daiyu blushed, and while she bowed, she said stubbornly, "Zhaoqing went back to his old house, and he really likes the food from his hometown, so he won't lose weight."

When Tao Xingjian saw that Emperor Zhaoming was about to raise his eyebrows and argue again, he hurriedly pulled him inside and whispered, "The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are here! Your Majesty, please come in!"

Emperor Zhaoming also came to watch the fun. He immediately ignored Daiyu and walked over quickly.

Qingwen had already moved the chairs and placed them in the corner of the back hall. She was even considerate enough to place a small table next to it and served hot tea and snacks.

Emperor Zhaoming had just come out of court, and because he was anxious to come and listen to the excitement, he even declined the meal that the emperor had left for him. He was hungry, and when he saw the food and drinks, he was very satisfied and looked at Qingwen with approval.

Daiyu also came from behind and brought a plate of snacks to Tao Xingjian, winking at him.

Tao Xingjian quickly hid backwards, turned sideways, and started eating quietly where Emperor Zhaoming could not see.

Daiyu understood what he meant, and pretended to be eavesdropping on the excitement in front. She stood between him and Emperor Zhaoming, blocking their sight so that Tao Xingjian could eat with peace of mind.

Let’s not talk about the people in the back hall who were listening to the noise with their ears pricked up, let’s talk about the front hall.

The Queen Mother glanced at them coldly, taking in the complicated expressions of the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and sneered, saying, "You all know that Princess Zhaoqing is from Gusu.

"A while ago, she returned to her hometown to worship her ancestors. The Supreme Lord heard that the first thing she worried about was that your son and your husband would take revenge..."

He then talked about the worries of himself and others going to the south of the Yangtze River, and the strange words and deeds of King Beijing after he heard that Daiyu was in the south of the Yangtze River. While stating the facts, he also made sarcastic comments.

When talking about Shui Rong's behavior on the big ship at Suzhou Wharf, he couldn't help but throw the Ruyi handle he had been stroking on the table with disgust. There was a sound from the ground, and he said coldly:

“…Shui Rong threw my gold medal from the Yanjia Palace into the canal!

"Zhao Qing refused to be humiliated, so he pulled out his golden hairpin and expressed his willingness to die to show his determination.

“As a result, your Shui Rong, instead of trying to dissuade her, actually told her directly that he had been planning to kill Zhao Qing for a long time!

"This way, they can also blame Zhaoqing for the loss of the gold medal. They even intend to destroy her posthumous reputation!

"He said he would make her appear to be his concubine and that she had just slipped when she fell into the water. Then, in the name of Zhaoqing's husband, he would take over the entire Yangzhou salt administration."

The Queen Mother said to the pale-faced Princess Dowager and Princess Beijing: "Shui Rong is going to control the floods, what does he want the Jiangnan Salt Administration for?

"He is determined to take Zhaoqing into his backyard. Is it because of her beauty or for something else?

"He had long since announced to the world that the Four Families of Jinling were his old acquaintances, and that the Four Families could help him stabilize Jiangnan.

"What does this mean? Does it mean that Jiangnan can be flattened and twisted by him, or does it mean that Jiangnan is the world of the Four Families, and that they should listen to the Four Families instead of the imperial court or the emperor!?"

Emperor Zhaoming's expression suddenly turned stern, and he put back the tea bowl and snacks in his hands.

Tao Xingjian glanced at Daiyu.

Daiyu nodded solemnly and whispered, "What the Queen Mother said is absolutely right!"

Outside, the Queen Mother of Prince Beijing was sweating all over her face. She fell to the ground with a thud and cried for mercy: "Your Majesty, please don't speculate! Shui Rong is just a child..."

"Bah!" The Queen Mother spat fiercely on the ground, "Stop lying with your eyes open!

"Don't you know why your son and his chief historian are being hunted down?

“I tell you the truth, that Chief Clerk Liao was not dead at the time, and he escaped to the Supreme’s ship!

“Just to silence him, those assassins even dared to attack on the imperial ship!

"Because of your son and the shameful things he did, the Supreme was almost in danger!"

“I tell you, if it weren’t for the fact that Tai Shang and I both thought Shui Rong had died, we would have kept silent because of the years of love he had for us.

"Then you and your daughter-in-law should be charged with high treason and bring disaster to your entire clan!"

The Queen Mother of Prince Beijing knelt on the ground, crying so hard that she couldn't raise her head: "I don't know! I really don't know anything! Your Majesty the Queen Mother, please understand!"

"You may not know. After all, you already knew that we had no evidence." The Queen Mother looked down at her coldly, "But now, I have told you.

“And let me tell you again: we have evidence.

“It’s just that your son’s life or death is still uncertain, so I’ll put it aside for now.

"If you and your wife-in-law want to quarrel, then continue to quarrel!

"Sooner or later, I will avenge all the injustices you have caused my son by taking revenge on your son and you!"

Is there any evidence?!

Emperor Zhaoming narrowed his eyes and looked at Daiyu.

Daiyu hesitated for a moment, took a step forward, and whispered, "When Liao Changshi wrote his confession, Feng Ziying was guarding him.

"I suggested to him that Liao Changshi write one and he should copy one. This way, there would be two copies of the confession. If something unexpected happened to one of them, the other one could be kept.

"Later, something went wrong. I heard that the document written by Liao Changshi was taken into the canal by the assassins, and everything was destroyed.

“But there has been no news about the copy that Feng Ziying was supposed to have copied.

“Since this matter must be related to the will of the Supreme Being, I have never dared to ask in detail.

"Your Majesty may as well wait a little longer."

Emperor Zhaoming's face darkened: "Why should I wait?!"

“Although the matter of Prince Beijing is not insignificant, the intentions of the Supreme Being are always more important.

"Feng Ziying is a passionate man, he would never lie or conceal anything. The Supreme One must have made some arrangements for this copy of the confession.

"Your Majesty, if you wait at this time, it means you are filial; if you urge, it means you don't trust me!"

Daiyu advised softly, "You and the Lord are getting along best now, so it's better not to rush into anything."

Emperor Zhaoming listened coldly without saying a word.

Tao Xingjian quietly tugged at Lin Daiyu, signaling her to stop talking.

Daiyu understood, sighed inwardly, took a step back, and said nothing more.

In the front hall, Princess Beijing was more sober than Princess Dowager Beijing. She was shocked and grasped the key point. She stood up with surprise and joy: "Empress Dowager! Are you saying that Shui Rong is not dead yet?"

The Queen Mother snorted and turned away.

Tanchun, who was sitting next to him, smiled and said, "It's not clear yet.

"The official in charge of investigating this case in Jiangnan was quite suspicious about the body, so he sent the coffin to the capital.

"Your Majesty, I was waiting for the coffin to arrive, and asked you two to identify it before deciding whether to announce the news of the Northern King's murder.

"It's a pity that you two listened to someone's instigation and made a scene in Xuanzheng Hall, leaving Your Majesty no chance to even say what he wanted to say.

"The Queen Mother is angry because you two don't seem to care about the life or death of the Northern King at all, and you just want to frame Your Majesty."