Fengzao Palace rarely experiences such a big scene.
　　Not only is the emperor here, but also the emperor's attendants are waiting beside him. Even the Queen Mother has moved here and sat at the top, folding her sleeves and keeping silent.
　　The stuffiness and calmness before the storm is the most frightening.
　　The queen was resting in the bedroom, and Dong Lingjiu allowed her not to come out to see the emperor. If the emperor was not here, this kind of thing should not have happened in Fengzao Palace. It's just that the matter is urgent, and she is worried that Meng Cheng is too angry and impulsively does something wrong, so she came directly.
　　Before the Ziwei Guards who escorted Xu Xiang arrived, Meng Cheng's face was still very bad and his anger had not faded. He welcomed Dong Lingjiu to take a seat, guessing in his heart that maybe his mother would show mercy to him. After all, Xu Xiang was in charge of the inner prison and did a lot of things. He had no merits but hard work. He glanced at Zheng Yuheng on the side.
　　Let alone him, Zheng Yuheng was also sighing silently, one because of this sudden change, and the other because he and the little emperor were always seeing each other, and they finally didn't have to run into each other, but they ran into each other again for some reason. His Majesty was probably annoyed when he saw him.
　　"Mother," Meng Cheng said without waiting for her to ask, "This is the memorial submitted by Wang Zhaohe, the secretary of the Dali Temple, and several imperial censors."
　　He stood up and handed the memorial to Dong Lingjiu with both hands. Dong Lingjiu didn't need to let Ruixue or Zheng Yuheng pass it on, but took it in person and glanced at it with his eyes down.
　　"I really valued this person in vain!" Meng Cheng emphasized, "It's not that no one has impeached him before. What cruel officials abused the law, forced the death penalty, and various means of fault have long been criticized and hated. I kept his job and life repeatedly because of his years of hard work. Who knew that this person was so ignorant of his identity that he actually deceived the master!"
　　In Meng Cheng's eyes, Meng Zhaiyue was his sister and the legitimate princess of Dayin. How could the princess be wrong? Even if there was, only he and his mother could blame her. Just like now, although Wang Zhaohe impeached the letter, the person he accused in the memorial was almost only Xu Xiang. As for the princess, it was just that she was not clear about people and was deceived. This was also a means to exclude the people the emperor cared about, and to create the appearance that if he showed mercy, the princess would be involved. In this way, the rectification would be straightforward and cut the Gordian knot.
　　Dong Lingjiu glanced at it and read the contents roughly. Although the words were pretentious, she could almost guess the truth from the words.
　　Wang Zhaohe asked his mother to go to the palace to inquire about the situation. After being rejected, he failed to marry the princess. He had not given up. He took advantage of his father Mr. Wang's identity and position to get close to the princess. However, Meng Zhaiyue did not pay much attention to him and did not know that the Wang family had been interested in her. She focused on checking the results of past criminal trials and collecting and compiling useful books such as "Da Yin Law Commentary" to serve as a reference.
　　Meng Zhaiyue focused on this because this matter required the case files of the inner prison, but such matters were generally handled by maids. However, the princess often personally handed over, met Xu Xiang, and made him a friend. Occasionally, she would send a carriage to pick up Xu Bingbi for banquets and exchanges... At this point, she could still use official business and appreciation to get away with it. However, on the Qixi Festival last month, the sister of the eldest son of the Wang family held a banquet and invited the princess to participate in the Qiqiao meeting on the night of the Qixi Festival. The princess was late, and then the maid of the Wang family told her that the maids in the princess's mansion were busy and she was afraid that there were other guests in the mansion.
　　Miss Wang was originally asked by her brother to invite the princess to the banquet. She felt strange when she heard this and told her brother. Wang Zhaohe suddenly became cautious and secretly investigated and visited privately. He learned that it was Xu Duzhu from the inner factory who was in the mansion. He was awakened and realized that this man who he did not take seriously could possibly win the heart of the princess. He felt humiliated and angry, so he submitted this memorial together with several imperial censors who had long been dissatisfied with the princess's amendment.
　　After reading the memorial, Dong Lingjiu held it in his palm and said lightly, "
　　Does the emperor think it is true?" Meng Cheng said, "We will know the truth by bringing the person here and asking him. Even if he denies it, could it be that the maids and eunuchs in the princess's mansion, as well as so many clerks and eunuchs in the inner factory, all shook their heads and kept their mouths shut? If so, I have wronged him."
　　Dong Lingjiu nodded slowly and said, "That's true."
　　"Isn't your mother angry?" Meng Cheng suppressed his anger and asked from the side, "Your mother has always spoiled Yingying, and Xu Xiang was promoted by your mother. Doesn't your mother hate such a person who is ungrateful and does not want to repay, but instead seduces the princess?! Your son is ready to comfort your mother, but you are as steady as a rock and don't say a word. Your son is really confused."
　　Dong Lingjiu couldn't say that she knew it all along and guessed that the truth would eventually be revealed, right?
　　Not to mention Xu Xiang, even Zheng Yuheng, if he cannot establish himself and become an indispensable figure in the political situation before her power fades, he may also have such a disaster. Are
　　the old officials in the court completely unaware of her and Zheng Yuheng's affairs? Not necessarily, it's just because she is the queen mother and has power over people. Even if there are officials who know, guess, or have seen him, they are all old and smart, and will not easily write to impeach him - the cruelty of the former Queen Mother Dong is still vivid in her mind. Even if the emperor is in power, she may still have the ability to nip it in the bud.
　　This is accumulated prestige. If Yingying does a good job in amending the law and continues to participate in politics, she may also have this kind of accumulated prestige ten years later. When others impeach the people around her, they should weigh their own weight a little.
　　But there are also many young people in the world who are as angry as Mr. Wang, who will not care too much. It may be that he is thinking the same as Meng Cheng - Dong Lingjiu may have shown mercy before he knew about this, but after learning about this, he should be very angry and annoyed with Xu Xiang's behavior. How could he still protect him?
　　Dong Lingjiu said: "Xu Xiang has been writing in front of the emperor, and he has served you a lot, right?"
　　Meng Cheng said: "I am ashamed that I didn't realize he is such a person. He is taciturn and speaks steadily. He is not as slick and flattering as Xuan Jingyun, nor does he have Chen Qinghang who is good at getting along with everyone and follows the doctrine of the mean. I even listened to many of his suggestions. I didn't expect that he was so bad and disappointed me so much!"
　　Dong Lingjiu nodded. She probably had an idea of ​​what her son was like. Meng Cheng's shortcomings were as distinct as his strengths, and he had a relatively extreme love and hate. For example, he liked Wang Wanrou, but he didn't care about other concubines, and only took concubines because of etiquette and the requests of ministers. Even after the lessons of Mr. Li Zhuo, Shang Kai and others, the little emperor had grown and transformed, but he was like this in his heart, and he couldn't be too demanding after all.
　　Yingying was his biological sister, which was equivalent to the strong love that a biological brother had for his sister. Moreover, in Meng Cheng's cognition, a eunuch with a disabled body was probably not as good as Yingying's ex-husband who was fickle, and was not even worthy of being the princess's face.
　　After Meng Cheng finished speaking, someone from the Purple Guard came in to report, and then took Xu Xiang into the hall.
　　There were many palace maids and eunuchs around, all holding their breath, looking down, and silent as death. In the hall, only Xu Xiang knelt on the ground and bowed his head to greet the emperor and the empress dowager.
　　Dong Lingjiu took a cup of tea, took a sip, turned to Ruixue and said, "Are you ready?"
　　Li Ruixue whispered, "It's already been prepared, and it's ready today."
　　Dong Lingjiu sighed, "I thought that I would be able to trace the source and put it to use when Yingying refused the marriage. I didn't expect that this Wang family's jealousy was so strong that he would kill people if he couldn't get what he wanted."
　　Ruixue nodded and agreed with a few words.
　　The two spoke in a very low voice, and only Zheng Yuheng could hear a little bit. He was about to ask carefully, but he was pulled away by the attendants beside the little emperor and pulled to Meng Cheng.
　　Zheng Yuheng turned around and saw Meng Cheng glaring at him with a dark face, as if he was angry with him because of the princess's matter, and he didn't like little Zheng.
　　Zheng Yuheng kept silent, looked at his clothes, and had to stay beside Meng Cheng to serve as a close official in front of the palace.
　　After Xu Xiang finished paying his respects and before he apologized, Meng Cheng smashed a cup of hot tea in front of him, venting his anger and coldly saying, "I really should torture you to death at the Meridian Gate."
　　The porcelain was broken and the hot water splashed on the back of his hand. After entering the palace, the ropes that bound him had been untied, so he could perform the ceremony in this way. Xu Xiang's eyelashes moved slightly, and he seemed not to be frightened by the emperor's anger. He kowtowed and said, "It is not a pity for me to die, but please think twice before you act, Your Majesty."
　　"Think twice?" Meng Cheng thought he wanted to get away with it, and smiled coldly, "Why should you think twice about killing a guilty servant? It is reasonable for a master to beat and kill a servant who has made a mistake, not to mention the imperial palace, even in the family of aristocrats. Is there any reason for you to advise me to think twice?"
　　When he said this, Zheng Yuheng couldn't help but frowned slightly, always feeling that there was something uncomfortable and stuck in his throat, but he couldn't come up with a specific logic, so he could only think deeply in silence.
　　Contrary to Meng Cheng and Zheng Yuheng's expectations, Dong Lingjiu still listened silently, with no intention of speaking.
　　Xu Xiang bowed his head and whispered. His voice was a little unstable at first, but soon it became smooth as usual. He had an inexplicable sense of calmness, which made people feel that he had no fear or retreat from this sign of "imminent disaster". Instead, it seemed that he had imagined this scene thousands of times.
　　"This matter was all caused by me, and has nothing to do with Your Highness. Your Highness just appreciated the wrong love and did not feel ashamed to ask questions in public affairs. This person slandered the princess and prevented the princess from following Mr. Wang to compile important matters, which tarnished Your Highness's innocence. If Your Majesty reported this to the emperor and killed me for this, wouldn't it be detrimental to the princess's reputation?"
　　If he didn't say these words, the emperor would still be a little hesitant, but he still said this in this situation, which meant that he had a private affection for Meng Zhaiyue. Meng Cheng's chest was stuffy and he almost couldn't breathe. He slapped his thigh suddenly, turned his head and glared at Zheng Yuheng fiercely.
　　What goes up is what goes down! They all gain favor by being handsome! They are all thieves who are bewitching people and coveting my mother and my sister!
　　Zheng Yuheng touched the tip of his nose guiltily, and tried to plead for Xu Xiang: "Your Majesty..."
　　"Shut up." The little emperor said gloomily, "I didn't kill you, but reused you. It's all because of your ancestors' graves!"
　　Zheng Yuheng choked, but still said: "Xu Bingbi's words make sense..."
　　"Don't I know it makes sense? I'm just angry that he really has such a mind!" Meng Cheng raised his voice.
　　"Cough." Dong Lingjiu coughed lightly and said, "Emperor, what are you arguing with Commander Zheng about?"
　　Meng Cheng was used to arguing with him, and forgot that he was still in front of his mother. He took a breath, and his attitude was forced to calm down. He replied: "Nothing, I just asked him."