Chapter 225

Chapter 225: No Grudge, No Hatred

At the Flower Festival Literary Gathering, Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun slept under the same quilt with three women, and more than a dozen Imperial Academy Scholars caught it with their own eyes.

When the news reached the Imperial Palace, Emperor Chong Sheng flew into a rage. Emperor Chong Sheng immediately ordered the Crown Prince to enter the palace to be questioned, and everyone who knew anything from the gathering was taken into custody by the Yu Lin Guard.

As for the three women, Emperor Chong Sheng was so furious he wanted to have them executed on the spot. How could Emperor Chong Sheng possibly agree to see them?

But Emperor Chong Sheng never expected that one of them would be Ming Jia the Commandery Princess.

Emperor Chong Sheng’s vision went black again and again, and Emperor Chong Sheng nearly fainted.

Ming Jia truly did faint.

In Zi Sheng Hall, Crown Prince Sheng Yuan Jun knelt on the floor.

Even though Ming Jia would most likely become Sheng Yuan Jun’s Crown Princess, Sheng Yuan Jun did not feel happy at all.

Sheng Yuan Jun wanted to marry Ming Jia, yes, but not by staining himself like this.

Sheng Yuan Jun slammed his head down and cried, “Imperial Father, I didn’t do it! I really was framed! I was drugged too. If Imperial Father didn’t believe me, you could summon the Imperial Physician to examine me!”

The Empress knelt beside Sheng Yuan Jun and pleaded, “Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for the Crown Prince!”

Emperor Chong Sheng pointed at Sheng Yuan Jun and roared, “Uphold justice? Justice for what? Don’t think I didn’t know the disgusting things going on in the Eastern Palace! It would have been bad enough if he did those ugly things in secret, but now he let so many people see it. My face-and the face of Sheng Kingdom-was thrown into the mud by him!”

Sheng Yuan Jun’s eyes darted away.

Emperor Chong Sheng squeezed his eyes shut hard and said, “This Crown Prince of mine-I think he only held the title until today.”

The Empress cried out, “Your Majesty!”

Sheng Yuan Jun shouted, “Imperial Father!”

Sheng Yuan Jun turned pale with fright.

The Empress crawled on her knees to Emperor Chong Sheng and begged, “Your Majesty, please think again! If you depose the Crown Prince, you will be confirming the Crown Prince’s guilt, but the Crown Prince truly was set up!”

Emperor Chong Sheng stared at Sheng Yuan Jun and asked, “Fine. Then tell me-who set you up?”

Sheng Yuan Jun looked around wildly and could not speak.

The Empress’s heart sank. Was there some hidden truth here?

Emperor Chong Sheng asked again, “Did anyone force you to attend the Flower Festival Literary Gathering? In the past you never went to places like that, because you thought it disgraced the Crown Prince’s status. Why did you go this year, of all years?”

Sheng Yuan Jun’s forehead broke into sweat. Under Emperor Chong Sheng’s gaze, Sheng Yuan Jun clenched his teeth and finally blurted it out, “I heard Shang Xing Yu offended Ming Jia, Cousin. I wanted to give Shang Xing Yu a lesson for Ming Jia, Cousin’s sake. I didn’t expect… I didn’t expect it would turn into this.”

Sheng Yuan Jun lowered his head.

Emperor Chong Sheng frowned. “Shang Xing Yu? So you meant to make him lose face?”

Sheng Yuan Jun’s voice went tiny. “…Yes.”

Emperor Chong Sheng snapped, “Absurd! Did you know he is the Prince Consort I personally appointed? Making him lose face means slapping my face!”

Sheng Yuan Jun hurried, “I didn’t-I just wanted to help Ming Jia, Cousin vent her anger. I didn’t think that far…”

Emperor Chong Sheng’s eyes sharpened. “Then what about the end of it? What happened between you and Ming Jia?”

Sheng Yuan Jun’s face crumpled. “I don’t know either.”

Emperor Chong Sheng immediately ordered someone to bring Shang Xing Yu into the palace to confront him.

Shang Xing Yu was also one of those held by the Yu Lin Guard.

When Shang Xing Yu heard His Majesty wanted to see him, Shang Xing Yu looked completely lost, but the Yu Lin Guard and the palace eunuch delivering the order did not bother explaining anything.

When Shang Xing Yu entered, the kneeling Sheng Yuan Jun glared at him with poisonous hatred.

Shang Xing Yu looked even more confused. Shang Xing Yu bowed to Emperor Chong Sheng, then bowed to the Empress, Your Grace, and to the Crown Prince.

Sheng Yuan Jun shouted, “Shang Xing Yu! Don’t act here. You must have set me up!”

Shang Xing Yu pointed at himself, truly baffled. Shang Xing Yu said, “I set up the Crown Prince? I couldn’t even get close enough to flatter the Crown Prince. Why would I set Your Highness up?”

Sheng Yuan Jun choked, furious that Shang Xing Yu could be so shameless.

Emperor Chong Sheng cut Sheng Yuan Jun off and looked at Shang Xing Yu with narrowed eyes. Emperor Chong Sheng asked, “Tell me. What did you do at the gathering?”

Shang Xing Yu looked wronged, but Shang Xing Yu answered honestly, “I stayed at the table drinking tea and listening to poetry. Oh, and I went to the front once to look for the teahouse Shopkeeper.”

Emperor Chong Sheng’s gaze turned sharp. “Why did you look for the teahouse Shopkeeper?”

Shang Xing Yu said, “Your Majesty might not know, but Elder Brother Shang Xiu Yuan gave the invitation to me. Halfway through, I thought of it and felt deeply sorry toward Elder Brother. I wanted to ask the Shopkeeper whether, if I left, Elder Brother could come in instead…”

Shang Xing Yu sighed and added, “The Shopkeeper scolded me terribly, so I had no choice but to return to the inner courtyard.”

Emperor Chong Sheng asked, “So other than that one time, you never left your seat again?”

Shang Xing Yu answered firmly, “Yes!”

Emperor Chong Sheng gave Su De Yun a look.

Su De Yun hurried out. When Su De Yun returned, almost half an hour had passed.

Su De Yun reported, “It was as Prince Consort Commandant said. Prince Consort Commandant left the inner courtyard for the time it took to drink a cup of tea, and the time spent arguing with the Shopkeeper matched as well. Many Scholars witnessed it, so it should not be false.”

As for being “scolded”-Shang Xing Yu had clearly been making trouble on purpose. Plenty of Scholars in the front had even spoken up for the Shopkeeper, which was why everyone remembered it so clearly.

Emperor Chong Sheng nodded.

Sheng Yuan Jun exploded and pointed at Shang Xing Yu. Sheng Yuan Jun demanded, “What trick did you play?”

Shang Xing Yu finally showed some temper. Shang Xing Yu said, “The Crown Prince was Your Majesty’s son, yes, but I am also Your Majesty’s son-in-law. From the moment I entered, the Crown Prince kept accusing me of framing him. But I had no grudge with Your Highness, so why would I frame Your Highness?”

Sheng Yuan Jun snarled, “What kind of son-in-law are you? You must have known I planned to take revenge on you for Ming Jia, Cousin, so you turned the tables and harmed me!”

Shang Xing Yu looked even more confused. Shang Xing Yu said, “What was Your Highness talking about? I had no grudge with Your Highness, and I had no grievance with Ming Jia the Commandery Princess either. If Your Highness wanted revenge for Ming Jia the Commandery Princess, why would Your Highness scheme against me?”