Chapter 939

The Emperor and Empress personally escorted Xiao Che to the Guoshi Residence in the Imperial Carriage; Prince Ning and his consort, Xiao Ningxun and Tuan Tuan, followed.

Chu Yuan, dressed in a plain-colored Daoist robe, had long been waiting at the gate.

Seeing the Imperial Carriage come to a stop, he stepped forward and bowed, saying: "Your humble Daoist respectfully greets Your Majesty, the Empress."

Xiao Jieyun gave a slight nod: "National Preceptor, no need for ceremony."

Chu Yuan glanced at the Empress, his brows slightly furrowed.

Murong Jing's heart jolted; Tuan Tuan's words were indeed correct!

The National Preceptor must have also noticed something.

Xiao Yuanhang carried Tuan Tuan down from the carriage.

Tuan Tuan poked her body out of Xiao Yuanhang's embrace, stretched her little arms toward Chu Yuan, and cried out crisply: "Master! I'm here!"

Seeing her, Chu Yuan's lips curled into a smile.

He reached out, took Xiao Tuanzi from Prince Ning's arms, held him in the crook of his arm, weighed him, and said: "Not bad, he's gained quite a bit of weight."

Tuan Tuan wrapped her arms around his neck, pressed her little face against his chest and rubbed it, her voice soft and sweet: "Master, I miss you so much!"

Chu Yuan gently patted her back, saw her clear eyes and healthy complexion, nodded and asked: "How have your studies been lately? Can you recite the Three Character Classic?"

Upon hearing that, Tuan Tuan immediately buried her face in his neck crook and gave a muffled "uh."

Cheng Ru'an pressed her lips together, struggling not to laugh out loud.

As for the Three Character Classic, Tuan Tuan simply refused to recite it anymore.

Every day, aside from going to the garden, she would recite two rounds of poems she already knew in front of Song Shujun, learning nothing else.

Everyone entered the Guoshi Residence.

Xiao Jieyun said: "May I borrow the National Preceptor's quiet chamber for a moment?"

Chu Yuan, holding Tuan Tuan, led the way ahead: "Please, Your Majesty."

Everyone followed him through the front courtyard into the quiet chamber.

The newly built quiet chamber of the Guoshi Residence was furnished as before.

The rush mat was simple and clean; the star map laid out in silver sand on the floor glowed faintly.

Xiao Jieyun sat down on the rush mat, raised his hand and gestured: "Please, everyone be seated."

Everyone found a rush mat and sat down.

Tuan Tuan nestled in Chu Yuan's arms, playing with his hair.

Only Murong Jing did not sit.

She glanced at her son, sound asleep in Siyu's arms, walked up to Xiao Jieyun, lifted her skirt, and knelt properly.

Xiao Jieyun's brows furrowed slightly.

Murong Jing lowered her body, her forehead lightly touching the cold stone slab.

"I implore Your Majesty's forgiveness. The red rash on Che'er's body was applied by my own hand."

In an instant, the quiet chamber fell into dead silence; Xiao Jieyun's face turned ashen.

Xiao Ningxun's voice trembled: "Is what the Empress said true?"

Murong Jing straightened her body, turned her head to look at him, and gave a slight nod.

Xiao Ningxun's thoughts flashed like lightning: "Your Majesty, this is probably not good!"

"Please immediately dispatch an 800-li urgent courier to send a letter to the Crown Prince!"

Xiao Jieyun recovered from his shock and instantly understood: he had let the seventh prince stand in for the Heavenly Sacrifice because Che'er was ill and the Empress Dowager was uneasy.

"Since Che'er's illness is fake, the seventh prince is surely heading into danger on this trip!"

His eyes flashed with sharp light: "Cheng Jinyan!"

"Your servant is here!"

"Take the token and send ten Xuanwu Guard immediately; do not use the post stations, and guard against any leakage of news."

""As you command!" Eunuch Cheng bowed, then sprinted out the door."

Cheng Ru'an let out a low gasp: "Chen'er!"

Xiao Yuanhang's face darkened.

Tuan Tuan looked puzzled: "Third Brother, what's wrong with Eldest Third Brother and Second Third Brother? Are we calling them back?"

Xiao Ningxun forced a smile: "No, just telling them to be careful on the road."

"Oh."

Murong Jing watched Eunuch Cheng's receding back disappear, her heart sinking: if the Crown Prince came to harm, would she not be guilty of enormous crimes?

She gritted her teeth; things had come to this, there was no other way left.

Her voice steady, she recounted everything from beginning to end without hiding anything.

Finally, a thin sheen of moisture appeared in her eyes: "Your Majesty, the plot to assassinate the Crown Prince truly has nothing to do with me."

"As for that embroidered handkerchief, I also don't understand why it appeared on the assassin."

She met the Emperor's gaze without flinching: "I also don't know how many similar handkerchiefs that person had in his hand."

She bowed again, her voice finally trembling: "Everything I have said is true; please, Your Majesty, mete out punishment."

Tuan Tuan's little fists clenched tight, and with a swish she sprang up from Chu Yuan's arms.

She ran to Murong Jing's side, spread her two little arms to block in front of her.

She looked at Xiao Jieyun: "Imperial Uncle! That person is the real villain!"

"The Empress is not a bad person; that person forced her to do bad deeds!"

"You are not allowed to blame the Empress!"

She turned her head to glance at Murong Jing, then turned back, puffed out her little mouth, her eye rims red: "My little brother is only this tiny; if he had no mother, how pitiful would he be!"

Murong Jin looked at her gratefully.

Cheng Ru'an also stood up, walked to Murong Jin's side, and knelt down: "Your Majesty, the Empress was coerced this time, which led to this fault."

"She acted out of maternal urgency; though she erred, her situation is pitiable."

"Please, Your Majesty, have pity on the Empress for the hardships she has endured these years in the deep palace."

Chu Yuan waved at Tuan Tuan: "Come, come to where Master is."

Tuan Tuan ran over to him.

Xiao Jieyun remained silent for a long time, then said: "Princess Consort Ning, please rise."

Cheng Ru'an stood up, walked back to his own futon and sat down.

The Emperor slowly rose, bent down, extended his hand, and helped Murong Jin up from the ground.

"Please sit down first."

"Your servant obeys the edict." Murong Jin sat on the futon beside the Emperor, gazing at him with tearful eyes.

Xiao Jieyun gently held her hand, not letting go.

"Master, little brother is so pitiful." Tuan Tuan nestled in Chu Yuan's embrace, eyes red-rimmed: "He's so young, and that villain wants to harm him!"

Chu Yuan stroked her head, let out a soft sigh, and held her tighter.

"Your Majesty, upon reflection," Xiao Yuanhang said: "Starting from the heir apparent being poisoned, the villain framed the crown prince."

"At the investiture ceremony, the crown prince was assassinated."

"Afterwards, at the Hundred Flowers Banquet, the Yuan family lady plagiarized poetry, and the former Minister of Personnel, Yuan, consequently fell out of favor with His Majesty."

"Immediately after, a fire broke out in the Household Department's treasury, and the Ministers of Household, War, and Personnel were successively removed from office."

"The current Minister of Personnel memorialized His Majesty to go east for the Fengshan rites, and the Directorate of Astronomy promptly followed, endorsing the idea with celestial omens."

"Meanwhile, the young prince's rash persisted at this time, so His Majesty could not go in person and thus ordered the crown prince to leave the capital and go east."

"All these events appear unrelated at first glance."

"Fortunately, the Empress today pulled back from the brink and laid everything bare, thereby connecting these seemingly unrelated matters."

He looked at Xiao Jieyun, speaking word by word: "The person who placed the note in the Fengyi Palace is the one scheming everything behind the scenes."

Xiao Ningxun nodded and said: "Exactly so!"

"This person possesses both vicious covert tactics and overt scheming."

"He calculated that His Majesty's benevolence would prevent him from executing all the prisoners in the Imperial Prison, leaving clues, and thus he used this to sow discord between the Empress and His Majesty and the Crown Prince, deepening her misunderstanding."

"He also knew that His Majesty would never disregard state law; his methods are truly ingenious."

Xiao Jieyun's face sank like water: "Hopefully, the Xuanwu Guard will arrive in time."