Xiao Yi sneered and looked coldly at Prince Ling.
"Second brother, tell me, what am I to you?"
Prince Ling looked at his crying son, his heart aching for him.
However, Prince Ling couldn't find a single fault in Xiao Yi's actions.
Not only that, he even had to smile and thank him.
Prince Ling gritted his back teeth and forced a smile.
"You are, of course, my eldest brother. My nephew was at fault, and as his uncle, it is only right for you to discipline him!"
Xiao Yi smiled.
"I still have to go pay my respects to Grandmother, so I won't delay your reunion."
After Xiao Yi finished speaking, he bowed his head to the Emperor. Duoduo and Su Xian hurriedly followed suit.
Just like that, Xiao Yi walked out with his wife and Duoduo.
He left directly without asking for the Emperor's permission, making the Emperor's face turn black with anger.
Noble Consort Li secretly observed the Emperor's expression and didn't forget to add fuel to the fire.
"Your Majesty, it's fine if the Prince of Pingyang doesn't take this concubine seriously; after all, I am not his birth mother."
"But to openly strike someone in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, he clearly has no respect for Your Majesty!"
The Emperor narrowed his eyes and looked at Prince Ling's family, anger rising in his heart.
"Smack!"
He threw the pearl on the table at Prince Ling, who was lying on the chaise longue.
Seeing the Emperor throw something, Noble Consort Li thought it was an inkstone or something similar, and hurriedly threw herself over to protect Prince Ling.
"Your Majesty, what did my imperial son do wrong? He's already injured; how can you bear to punish him further?"
The Emperor stood up in anger and paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.
"Why don't you ask where this thing came from?"
Seeing the dragon's wrath, Princess Consort Ling hurriedly pulled the two children down to kneel.
Noble Consort Li felt a small bead hit her back. She picked it up to look.
It was a pearl.
"Is this the bead that caused my imperial son to slip?"
Noble Consort Li looked at Prince Ling doubtfully.
She saw Prince Ling nod slightly.
"Didn't Yun'an say that this was thrown by that jinx?"
"Fool! Look closely. Don't you find this bead familiar?" The Emperor was furious.
Noble Consort Li looked at the bead in her hand.
It did look somewhat familiar.
"Your Majesty, don't all these beads look the same?"
The Emperor looked at Noble Consort Li sinisterly.
"At the beginning of the year, the southern region offered a batch of top-grade pearls as tribute."
"I rewarded you with half a box. Tell me, where is that half box of pearls now?"
Noble Consort Li's heart skipped a beat.
She had someone take that half box of pearls to Prince Ling.
Noble Consort Li cast a suspicious glance at Princess Consort Ling.
"Speak! Was it you?"
A bitter expression appeared on Princess Consort Ling's face. "Mother Consort, those pearls... this subject initially planned to save them for Anning's dowry."
"But Funing liked them, and she said that I shouldn't play favorites."
"Then, the Prince told me to give all the pearls to Funing."
Song Shuyu, who was lying on the ground, only then realized that the pearl was actually so valuable!
Had she known, she would have swapped it for something worthless.
Noble Consort Li looked at Song Shuyu, who was kneeling on the ground and trembling slightly, and wished she could drag her out and give her dozens of beatings.
However, she knew of Song Shuyu's reputation and her son's grand plan.
She couldn't ruin her son's affairs!
Suppressing the disgust in her heart, Noble Consort Li tried to soften her tone.
"Funing, tell me, did you throw this bead?"
Being called out, Song Shuyu trembled even more violently.
"Wa!" she burst into loud tears.
"I didn't do it on purpose! I was just so scared when I arrived at the imperial palace that I accidentally dropped it!"
"Father, I really didn't mean to! I didn't expect it to cause you to fall!"
Song Shuyu opened her mouth wide and bawled.
"You're lying!" Commandery Princess Anning, who was beside her, suddenly spoke up.
"I saw it. You deliberately threw the bead under that jinx's feet!"
Princess Consort Ling hurriedly covered her daughter's mouth. "Anning, don't talk nonsense!"
Commandery Princess Anning's words stunned everyone in the hall.
The Emperor laughed out of extreme anger and sat down.
"Anning, speak! Don't be afraid. Your Imperial Grandfather will back you up!"
Commandery Princess Anning saw her mother shaking her head at her, while her father stared at her with a gloomy face.
Ever since Song Shuyu arrived at Prince Ling's mansion, Commandery Princess Anning had lost her former favored days.
If she dared to show Song Shuyu any attitude, her mother would be severely reprimanded by her father.
He would say it was all because her mother hadn't taught her well, and that as the mistress of the mansion, her mother lacked magnanimity.
Commandery Princess Anning had seen her mother secretly wiping away tears more than once.
Whatever Song Shuyu fancied, Prince Ling would give it to her without a second word.
Whatever Song Shuyu wanted, Prince Ling would satisfy her; he would have plucked the moon from the sky if he could.
Yet, if Commandery Princess Anning wanted a hairpin identical to Song Shuyu's, she would be reprimanded.
Clearly, she was the legitimate commandery princess of Prince Ling's mansion.
She was the one with royal blood!
Her father's biological daughter!
Her mother always advised her to endure it, but why should she?
How could a wild breed from outside dare to climb over her head and humiliate her?
Commandery Princess Anning had harbored resentment in her heart for a long time.
At that moment, she pulled away her mother's hand covering her mouth and said loudly.
"Imperial Grandfather, your granddaughter saw it very clearly. When she saw Eldest Uncle and the others, she secretly took out the bead."
"Taking advantage of Changle's inattention, she threw the bead under Changle's feet."
"As a result, Changle didn't trip, and the bead rolled under Father's feet instead."
"After Father slipped, he would have been fine, but she suddenly rushed over, causing all of us to press down on him!"
"That's why Father ended up like this. She is the real jinx!"
After finishing in one breath, Commandery Princess Anning felt extremely refreshed.
The resentment she had held for so long was released in this instant.
Song Shuyu was so scared that she could only cry. "I didn't, I didn't!"
Seeing her husband glaring viciously at her, Princess Consort Ling gritted her teeth and raised her hand to slap her daughter.
With a "smack," Song Shuyu's crying stopped out of fright.
Anning looked at her mother in disbelief.
"Mother, why did you hit me?"
"You must have seen wrong. Shuyu just said she was careless!"
Prince Ling emphasized the word "careless."
Anning looked at the warning in her mother's eyes and saw her father staring at her sternly.
Her tears flowed down.
"Mother, do even you not believe your daughter?"
After Commandery Princess Anning finished speaking, she turned and ran outside.
Princess Consort Ling froze for a moment, then hurriedly bowed to the Emperor.
"Imperial Father, Anning is just throwing a tantrum over a small conflict with Funing! Please forgive her, Imperial Father!"
The Emperor looked at Song Shuyu kneeling on the ground, his expression somewhat displeased.
Whether it was intentional or not was another matter.
But just now, when he asked about this matter, why didn't this child speak up?
