Chapter 312 – Conviction
“Your Imperial Majesty, don’t just look at the face of the monk. Look at the face of the Buddha*. If it weren’t for me, how could you have what you do today? Longyuan is my only son. If you want to condemn him, you will be asking for my life.” She spoke rudely, as she didn’t believe that Mo Rongzhan would dare to offend her at this time. She still had a few cards left of her own.
[*Don’t just look at the present, look at where you started.]
A cold chill flashed in Mo Rongzhan’s eyes. Princess Royal had always used the fact that she had once helped him as an excuse to disrespect him and the empress dowager. Recently, she had even secretly asked people to find a way to contact the deposed emperor. What did she want to do?
“Imperial Aunt, go home first; I will find a way,” Mo Rongzhan said softly.
Princess Royal looked at the other and said, “Okay, then I will leave now.”
She could only hope that Mo Rongzhan wasn’t an ingrate, otherwise, she would definitely not stop with just this.
Watching Princess Royal leave the imperial study, Mo Rongzhan’s handsome face was full of solemnity. How could he not see through her? She was planning to threaten him. If Xie Longyuan was not released, what would she want to do then? Form an alliance with the deposed emperor he had placed under house arrest in the summer palace, to deal with him?
To an onlooker, Princess Royal had been merciful to him. But the truth was, she hadn’t had the slightest intention to help him at the time. She was simply sitting on the fence, betting on both sides ready to move with the course of the tide. As such, only when she saw him bring troops back to the capital, did she decide to fully support him. Did she really think that he didn’t know she had sent someone to a.s.sa.s.sinate him and the empress dowager?
“Your Imperial Majesty, Marquis Jing Ning wishes to see you.” Eunuch Fu’s voice from outside interrupted his train of thoughts.
Mo Rongzhan nodded. “Come in.”
Tang Zhen came in from outside and said, “Your Imperial Majesty, Xie Shaojie has taken the people to the prisons of the Ministry of Justice.”
“He wants to get his son?”
Princess Royal was a strong and domineering person, but the Princess Consort was a timid, cowardly, and conceited man. Not only had he not done anything in the court for many years, but left countless mistakes for the others to clean after. He was a henpecked husband and this move, it didn’t need the genius to tell who had orchestrated.
“He said that it was Princess Royal who ordered him to get him.”
Before, Princess Royal had secretly killed two people in prison. So, Mo Rongzhan had ordered Tang Zhen to take over the Ministry of Justice. This time, it wouldn’t be as easy for her to kill someone.
Mo Rongzhan sneered. “Leak the evidence collected about Xie Shaojie and his son tomorrow morning.”
“Your Imperial Majesty, what about Princess Royal?” Tang Zhen asked.
“What did she do? Whatever it is, keep it down for the time being,” Mo Rongzhan said.
Tang Zhen was a smart man, just those words and he knew that his liege naturally had other arrangements for Princess Royal. Since he had no other questions, he took his leave and got to work.
Early the next morning, the supervisor leaked all of the evidence of Xie Shaojie and his son’s crimes against him. There were dozens of crimes, of which, any single one would be a crime worthy of death.
When word reached Princess Royal’s home, she almost didn’t get angry. She understood immediately. Mo Rongzhan didn’t plan to let her son go. Not only that, he refused to let go of anyone in the entirety of the Princess Royal Mansion. He wanted to get rid of her!
Good!If Mo Rongzhan would be ruthless, then why should she show mercy any more? Princess Royal immediately let her confidant leave the capital and to the deposed emperor’s palace. If she could help Mo Rongzhan win the throne, naturally she could help another nephew reclaim the throne!
However, even after a long time, there was no news from her confidant. At night, there was a sound from the door. She immediately ordered someone to open it. Seeing that the entire mansion was surrounded by guards, she was shocked.
Mo Rongzhan walked in slowly from the outside, smiling at her. “Imperial Aunt, who are you waiting for this late at night?”
Seeing the man before her, Princess Royal laughed coldly. “I understand, all of this was part of the trick that you planned. You knew from early on that I had relations with Rong Ming.”
“Imperial Aunt, I have given you everything I could. What else is there that you are unsatisfied with?” Mo Rongzhan flatly asked.
Princess Royal coldly snorted. “You promised me that you would make Liu Hua uncomparably honorable. Did you do it? You have no intention of making her your empress!”
Mo Rongzhan emotionlessly looked at Princess Royal. “She already has the honor of being a viscountess and is also Hua Fei. Is there anything you should be unsatisfied with?”
“You never had the intention of making Liu Hua Empress!” Princess Royal shouted.
“Is she worthy?” Mo Rongzhan enigmatically asked.
Princess Royal’s face darkened. “Is my daughter not worthy of you?”
Only
He was now the emperor, and higher than any other. But what was he in the past? The empress dowager was just a humble despicable palace maid. To speak of worthiness, it would be him that was unworthy of being paired with her daughter!
Mo Rongzhan’s smile had a mocking lilt to it. “Imperial Aunt, all these years, there are many things that you have done and I have ignored. But there is one thing that I cannot permit. Do you know what that is?”
“Don’t put it so prettily. As of today, what can you do to me?” Princess Royal snorted.
“It seems like my imperial aunt has forgotten what she has been up to these few years. The deaths of the Second and Third Princes, and Consort Rou, Lady Yun… I’d think that you’d still remember!” Mo Rongzhan lightly said.
Princess Royal immediately paled. How did Mo Rongzhan find out about these things?