Chapter 406
At this moment, Baili Qingcang was completely engulfed by conspiracies. He felt that danger was coming his way from all directions, and he couldn’t even find a person he could trust.
Suddenly, he thought of Baili Junyi, who was almost forced into a desperate situation by him. From a dignified royal prince, Baili Junyi had been robbed of all his titles and his belongings, and now, he was being watched by Dragon Scale Army. He had been scolded several times and was almost killed with a sword, yet he did not complain at all. Every time they met, Baili Junyi was extremely respectful. He didn’t even hesitate when he was asked to write an article to refute the students. Now, the entire capital was insulting and reprimanding him. If he would name one prince who regarded him as a father, it should be Baili Junyi.
Baili Qingcang’s mind was spinning quickly. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that among his sons, Baili Junyi was the only one who could be considered a good person. He was called back to the palace only after he had become an adult. He did not have a solid foundation in the palace and capital like the other princes. His maternal family switched sides and supported the Third Prince. His wife, Shen Ninghua, broke away from the Shen Family and could not help him much. Baili Qingcang began to wonder why he thought of Baili Junyi as a threat back then. Now that he thought about it, Baili Junyi was clearly the weakest one among the princes!
Baili Junyi had only returned to the royal family for a few years. Even if he was a genius, it would be difficult for him to compete with other princes. Therefore, he was the one who needed his support the most and the one who did not want anything to happen to him the most.
Thinking of this, Baili Qingcang frowned, and the frustration in his heart became heavier. Although he finally accepted Baili Junyi from the bottom of his heart, he could not directly reinstate his position. Moreover, he had to see if Baili Junyi really had no resentment towards him.
As the days went by, the officials continued to denounce Baili Junyi in the imperial court. During every court session, eight out of ten ministers would denounce Baili Junyi as if there was nothing else to discuss. Looking at the faces of these ministers, Baili Qingcang felt the rise of the rage inside him. How many of these officials were truly loyal to him? Did they begin to choose sides and support the new ruler because he was old? These bastards!
Baili Qingcang couldn’t help but think about how good Baili Junyi was. Back then, when he was standing alone in the imperial court, all of the officials were silent, and they reported the performance of their department accordingly. No one dared to play any trick. Now that Baili Junyi had been grounded for only a short period of time, the officials went berserk!
When he returned to Southern Imperial Study, the more Baili Qingcang thought about it, the angrier he became. He smashed a few pieces of porcelain before he calmed down. He then called the eunuch in and asked, “How many days are there before Princess Anyue goes to the Great Yue Kingdom?”
“Seven days, Your Majesty. It is the auspicious day you have set.”
“Okay. Pass down the decree. I am going to hold a farewell banquet for Princess Anyue and the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom. All the princes and the officials of the fifth rank and above and their families are invited.”
The eunuch’s heart skipped a beat. “Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince is still grounded…” Did His Majesty include the Fifth Prince, who was in the limelight recently?
“Idiot! Don’t you understand what I say? I said all the princes!”
“Yes, I understand. I’m sorry. Please calm down, Your Majesty.” The eunuch bowed and quickly sprinted out of the Southern Imperial Study.
When Baili Qingcang gave the order, the news rapidly spread from the palace to the surroundings of the capital. The Third Prince almost crushed the wine glass in his hand and he suddenly flipped the table to the ground. The actors, who were singing on the stage, hurriedly stopped, knelt on the ground, and trembled in fear.
The Fourth Prince, who was at the side, was confused. “Third Brother, what’s wrong?”
The Third Prince waved his hand to dismiss the people around him. Then, he snapped angrily, “Father Emperor is going to hold a farewell banquet for Bu Jinglan and Lin Feiran. He invites all the princes to the banquet.”
“What’s wrong with that? Wait a minute… You mean all of the princes?”
“Yes, all of us!” The Third Prince gritted his teeth and snarled, “What is Father Emperor thinking? Is he out of his mind? I think he’s really confused. Not only did he not execute Baili Junyi, but now, he invited him to attend the banquet. What does he mean by this?”
The Fourth Prince was shocked. He looked around and sighed in relief when he saw that there was no one around. “Shush, Third Brother. Don’t talk nonsense.”
The Third Prince gnashed his teeth in hatred. “We have spent so much effort, manpower, and money to be able to force Baili Junyi to this point, but in the end, all of these have gone wasted. What is Father Emperor trying to do? Is he tricking us?”
“Father Emperor’s mind is uncertain right now. No one knows what he’s thinking.”
“No, I can’t let this happen. Baili Junyi is unpredictable. Once he succeeds and obtains Father Emperor’s trust again, I’m afraid we who have been going against him won’t have a happy ending.”
Thinking of Baili Junyi’s methods, the Fourth Prince was jittery. “Third brother, what do you want to do?”
“Contact the ministers, and we will submit a collective report to Father Emperor to punish Baili Junyi!”
“Can this work? We’ve ordered the ministers to denounce him multiple times but to no avail. We didn’t get any news at all.”
“We have to try even if it doesn’t work.”
The Third Prince decided to contact the ministers, yet the ministers who received the message hesitated. They had agreed to deal with Baili Junyi because he had no chance to turn things around and would not be able to retaliate against them as before. Now, the Emperor suddenly invited him to the banquet. If the report had no effect on Baili Junyi, they would offend him through and through. They had no idea if Baili Junyi still had other evidence against them in his hands.
Many ministers were scared out of their wits. No one dared to make a move after receiving the Third Prince’s message, and it drove the Third Prince up the walls. “Useless rubbish! A bunch of useless losers!” With that, he changed his clothes and entered the palace.
Noble Consort Li had not received any news yet. When she saw the Third Prince walk in with a gloomy face, she frowned slightly. “What is going on?”
“Mother, Father Emperor is ready to release Baili Junyi.”
“What did you say? He wants to release him without punishing him?” Noble Consort Li widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Yes.” The Third Prince was fuming. “I don’t get it! Everything was well planned, but now it’s all for naught!” As he spoke, he punched a pillar at the side, trembling with anger.
Noble Consort Li took a deep breath. “What does His Majesty want to do now?”
The Third Prince looked troubled. “Mother, do you have any ideas? I don’t know what else I can do! Those ministers are scared out of their wits when they know that Baili Junyi is going to be released, and they ignored my message, pretending not to see it! I don’t know what to do!”
Noble Consort Li frowned. “Let me think about it. Let me think about it. This matter is definitely not as simple as it looks. His Majesty was really angry with Baili Junyi before. Although we don’t know why he wants to release him now, there must still be doubts in His Majesty’s heart. As long as we instigate his suspicion toward Baili Junyi, His Majesty may even kill him out of rage!”
The Third Prince’s eyes lit up. “Mother, what should we do?”
“Previously, you said that Baili Junyi’s background was exposed, right?”
“Although it was not exposed, the rumors were spreading outside.”
Noble Consort Li nodded. “That’s good. Your son is Prince An’s biological grandson. Now is the perfect time to use him as a tool. It will be too late for Prince An to rush over now, but we still have Bu Jinglan. There was no room for them to speak when Baili Junyi’s background was kept a secret in the past. Now, there is.”
“Mother, Father Emperor must have heard this rumor as well, but he didn’t do anything about it. Could it be that he already knows? In that case, this matter is of little use to us in dealing with Baili Junyi.”
Noble Consort Li frowned. “Are you stupid? Bu Yunqing was killed. You said that Baili Junyi knew his own background. Don’t you think he wants to avenge his mother? In this world, there is no child who doesn’t love his birth mother. Am I right?”
The Third Prince’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Mother, you’re right. I understand. I will do it now.”
“Wait.” Noble Consort Li looked at him helplessly. “Are you going to do it yourself?”
“Yes? Do you have other ideas?”
“Didn’t you find out that the Second Prince had a conflict with Baili Junyi in the past when they were in Zhou City? You can push the blame on him.”
The Third Prince’s eyes lit up. “Mother, you are really thoughtful. I understand. Thank you, Mother.”
Various forces in the entire capital were in a mess because of Baili Qingcang’s imperial decree, but Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua were particularly indifferent.
In the study, Shen Ninghua walked in with the two children and saw Baili Junyi tidying up his court uniform with a smile on his face.
“Ninghua, it’s noon. Why are you here?” When he saw Shen Ninghua, he quickly got up and helped her sit down.
Big Boy and Baby Girl smiled and looked at the royal prince’s court uniform hanging on the shelf. They reached out to fidget with the embedded gems. Baili Junyi saw it, but he did not stop them. He just let them play with the uniform.
“Since your title has been stripped, you can’t wear the official royal prince’s uniform. Does the ordinary prince uniform fit you?”
“I haven’t tried. If it doesn’t fit me, I will wear the normal clothes.”
Shen Ninghua laughed out loud. She saw Baby Girl asking Big Boy to bite the gemstone that she couldn’t remove and quickly stopped them. “Stop. Don’t be naughty, okay?”
Baby Girl and Big Boy quickly came back and stood beside Baili Junyi. “Mother.”
Baili Junyi didn’t care. “Go and play, it’s fine.”
Shen Ninghua glared at him helplessly. “I heard from Hong Ling that the Third Prince has been very active recently. You have to be careful.”
“Don’t worry, I have been preparing for this day for a long time. I will meet the royal brothers and the ministers one by one to have a good chat. Ninghua, when the day comes, just sit back and watch the show peacefully. You don’t have to care about anything else but our daughter.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to you.” Shen Ninghua smiled and nodded.
The palace was decorated extravagantly. In Chengqian Hall, dining tables were neatly arranged. There were exquisite fruits, pastries, and dishes on each table. A group of palace maids bowed and stood behind the table. Their figures were slender, and their eyes were clear.
The ministers arrived at the palace ahead of time. However, they all waited quietly with their heads lowered. They did not have the slightest intention to chat with each other. Today was the day that Baili Junyi, that fiend, was released. They prayed that they would not be implicated!
Suddenly, he thought of Baili Junyi, who was almost forced into a desperate situation by him. From a dignified royal prince, Baili Junyi had been robbed of all his titles and his belongings, and now, he was being watched by Dragon Scale Army. He had been scolded several times and was almost killed with a sword, yet he did not complain at all. Every time they met, Baili Junyi was extremely respectful. He didn’t even hesitate when he was asked to write an article to refute the students. Now, the entire capital was insulting and reprimanding him. If he would name one prince who regarded him as a father, it should be Baili Junyi.
Baili Qingcang’s mind was spinning quickly. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that among his sons, Baili Junyi was the only one who could be considered a good person. He was called back to the palace only after he had become an adult. He did not have a solid foundation in the palace and capital like the other princes. His maternal family switched sides and supported the Third Prince. His wife, Shen Ninghua, broke away from the Shen Family and could not help him much. Baili Qingcang began to wonder why he thought of Baili Junyi as a threat back then. Now that he thought about it, Baili Junyi was clearly the weakest one among the princes!
Baili Junyi had only returned to the royal family for a few years. Even if he was a genius, it would be difficult for him to compete with other princes. Therefore, he was the one who needed his support the most and the one who did not want anything to happen to him the most.
Thinking of this, Baili Qingcang frowned, and the frustration in his heart became heavier. Although he finally accepted Baili Junyi from the bottom of his heart, he could not directly reinstate his position. Moreover, he had to see if Baili Junyi really had no resentment towards him.
As the days went by, the officials continued to denounce Baili Junyi in the imperial court. During every court session, eight out of ten ministers would denounce Baili Junyi as if there was nothing else to discuss. Looking at the faces of these ministers, Baili Qingcang felt the rise of the rage inside him. How many of these officials were truly loyal to him? Did they begin to choose sides and support the new ruler because he was old? These bastards!
Baili Qingcang couldn’t help but think about how good Baili Junyi was. Back then, when he was standing alone in the imperial court, all of the officials were silent, and they reported the performance of their department accordingly. No one dared to play any trick. Now that Baili Junyi had been grounded for only a short period of time, the officials went berserk!
When he returned to Southern Imperial Study, the more Baili Qingcang thought about it, the angrier he became. He smashed a few pieces of porcelain before he calmed down. He then called the eunuch in and asked, “How many days are there before Princess Anyue goes to the Great Yue Kingdom?”
“Seven days, Your Majesty. It is the auspicious day you have set.”
“Okay. Pass down the decree. I am going to hold a farewell banquet for Princess Anyue and the Sixth Prince of the Great Yue Kingdom. All the princes and the officials of the fifth rank and above and their families are invited.”
The eunuch’s heart skipped a beat. “Your Majesty, the Fifth Prince is still grounded…” Did His Majesty include the Fifth Prince, who was in the limelight recently?
“Idiot! Don’t you understand what I say? I said all the princes!”
“Yes, I understand. I’m sorry. Please calm down, Your Majesty.” The eunuch bowed and quickly sprinted out of the Southern Imperial Study.
When Baili Qingcang gave the order, the news rapidly spread from the palace to the surroundings of the capital. The Third Prince almost crushed the wine glass in his hand and he suddenly flipped the table to the ground. The actors, who were singing on the stage, hurriedly stopped, knelt on the ground, and trembled in fear.
The Fourth Prince, who was at the side, was confused. “Third Brother, what’s wrong?”
The Third Prince waved his hand to dismiss the people around him. Then, he snapped angrily, “Father Emperor is going to hold a farewell banquet for Bu Jinglan and Lin Feiran. He invites all the princes to the banquet.”
“What’s wrong with that? Wait a minute… You mean all of the princes?”
“Yes, all of us!” The Third Prince gritted his teeth and snarled, “What is Father Emperor thinking? Is he out of his mind? I think he’s really confused. Not only did he not execute Baili Junyi, but now, he invited him to attend the banquet. What does he mean by this?”
The Fourth Prince was shocked. He looked around and sighed in relief when he saw that there was no one around. “Shush, Third Brother. Don’t talk nonsense.”
The Third Prince gnashed his teeth in hatred. “We have spent so much effort, manpower, and money to be able to force Baili Junyi to this point, but in the end, all of these have gone wasted. What is Father Emperor trying to do? Is he tricking us?”
“Father Emperor’s mind is uncertain right now. No one knows what he’s thinking.”
“No, I can’t let this happen. Baili Junyi is unpredictable. Once he succeeds and obtains Father Emperor’s trust again, I’m afraid we who have been going against him won’t have a happy ending.”
Thinking of Baili Junyi’s methods, the Fourth Prince was jittery. “Third brother, what do you want to do?”
“Contact the ministers, and we will submit a collective report to Father Emperor to punish Baili Junyi!”
“Can this work? We’ve ordered the ministers to denounce him multiple times but to no avail. We didn’t get any news at all.”
“We have to try even if it doesn’t work.”
The Third Prince decided to contact the ministers, yet the ministers who received the message hesitated. They had agreed to deal with Baili Junyi because he had no chance to turn things around and would not be able to retaliate against them as before. Now, the Emperor suddenly invited him to the banquet. If the report had no effect on Baili Junyi, they would offend him through and through. They had no idea if Baili Junyi still had other evidence against them in his hands.
Many ministers were scared out of their wits. No one dared to make a move after receiving the Third Prince’s message, and it drove the Third Prince up the walls. “Useless rubbish! A bunch of useless losers!” With that, he changed his clothes and entered the palace.
Noble Consort Li had not received any news yet. When she saw the Third Prince walk in with a gloomy face, she frowned slightly. “What is going on?”
“Mother, Father Emperor is ready to release Baili Junyi.”
“What did you say? He wants to release him without punishing him?” Noble Consort Li widened her eyes in disbelief.
“Yes.” The Third Prince was fuming. “I don’t get it! Everything was well planned, but now it’s all for naught!” As he spoke, he punched a pillar at the side, trembling with anger.
Noble Consort Li took a deep breath. “What does His Majesty want to do now?”
The Third Prince looked troubled. “Mother, do you have any ideas? I don’t know what else I can do! Those ministers are scared out of their wits when they know that Baili Junyi is going to be released, and they ignored my message, pretending not to see it! I don’t know what to do!”
Noble Consort Li frowned. “Let me think about it. Let me think about it. This matter is definitely not as simple as it looks. His Majesty was really angry with Baili Junyi before. Although we don’t know why he wants to release him now, there must still be doubts in His Majesty’s heart. As long as we instigate his suspicion toward Baili Junyi, His Majesty may even kill him out of rage!”
The Third Prince’s eyes lit up. “Mother, what should we do?”
“Previously, you said that Baili Junyi’s background was exposed, right?”
“Although it was not exposed, the rumors were spreading outside.”
Noble Consort Li nodded. “That’s good. Your son is Prince An’s biological grandson. Now is the perfect time to use him as a tool. It will be too late for Prince An to rush over now, but we still have Bu Jinglan. There was no room for them to speak when Baili Junyi’s background was kept a secret in the past. Now, there is.”
“Mother, Father Emperor must have heard this rumor as well, but he didn’t do anything about it. Could it be that he already knows? In that case, this matter is of little use to us in dealing with Baili Junyi.”
Noble Consort Li frowned. “Are you stupid? Bu Yunqing was killed. You said that Baili Junyi knew his own background. Don’t you think he wants to avenge his mother? In this world, there is no child who doesn’t love his birth mother. Am I right?”
The Third Prince’s eyes lit up. “Yes, Mother, you’re right. I understand. I will do it now.”
“Wait.” Noble Consort Li looked at him helplessly. “Are you going to do it yourself?”
“Yes? Do you have other ideas?”
“Didn’t you find out that the Second Prince had a conflict with Baili Junyi in the past when they were in Zhou City? You can push the blame on him.”
The Third Prince’s eyes lit up. “Mother, you are really thoughtful. I understand. Thank you, Mother.”
Various forces in the entire capital were in a mess because of Baili Qingcang’s imperial decree, but Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua were particularly indifferent.
In the study, Shen Ninghua walked in with the two children and saw Baili Junyi tidying up his court uniform with a smile on his face.
“Ninghua, it’s noon. Why are you here?” When he saw Shen Ninghua, he quickly got up and helped her sit down.
Big Boy and Baby Girl smiled and looked at the royal prince’s court uniform hanging on the shelf. They reached out to fidget with the embedded gems. Baili Junyi saw it, but he did not stop them. He just let them play with the uniform.
“Since your title has been stripped, you can’t wear the official royal prince’s uniform. Does the ordinary prince uniform fit you?”
“I haven’t tried. If it doesn’t fit me, I will wear the normal clothes.”
Shen Ninghua laughed out loud. She saw Baby Girl asking Big Boy to bite the gemstone that she couldn’t remove and quickly stopped them. “Stop. Don’t be naughty, okay?”
Baby Girl and Big Boy quickly came back and stood beside Baili Junyi. “Mother.”
Baili Junyi didn’t care. “Go and play, it’s fine.”
Shen Ninghua glared at him helplessly. “I heard from Hong Ling that the Third Prince has been very active recently. You have to be careful.”
“Don’t worry, I have been preparing for this day for a long time. I will meet the royal brothers and the ministers one by one to have a good chat. Ninghua, when the day comes, just sit back and watch the show peacefully. You don’t have to care about anything else but our daughter.”
“Alright, I’ll listen to you.” Shen Ninghua smiled and nodded.
The palace was decorated extravagantly. In Chengqian Hall, dining tables were neatly arranged. There were exquisite fruits, pastries, and dishes on each table. A group of palace maids bowed and stood behind the table. Their figures were slender, and their eyes were clear.
The ministers arrived at the palace ahead of time. However, they all waited quietly with their heads lowered. They did not have the slightest intention to chat with each other. Today was the day that Baili Junyi, that fiend, was released. They prayed that they would not be implicated!
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