The old emperor was so furious that he wanted to slap Lu Jinshuang. By now, everyone in the palace who should know—and even those who shouldn’t—had probably heard about it. And only now she was suggesting inviting the ministers to witness the matter? Did she even have a brain? Had it been soaked in water during her trip outside?
He frowned unhappily at Lu Jinshuang. “You made such a scene, crying and wailing all the way here that everyone knows about it already. Why bother inviting them? Even if we say nothing, they already know.”
Clutching the urn, Lu Jinshuang wiped away her tears with an aggrieved expression. “Father, I was simply too heartbroken just now. I didn’t do it on purpose. Besides, the people in the palace may know, but the court officials outside don’t. The Ninth Prince’s death is connected to the old affairs of the Minister of Revenue’s family, and it also involves Consort Bai. If we’re going to explain it, we have to make the whole matter clear.”
The old emperor’s expression grew solemn at once. His sons killing one another was one thing, but how had the matter become connected to the Bai family?
Whatever. Everyone already knew that one of his sons had died. The death of a prince was a major event, and he could not be allowed to die without explanation. The ministers ought to know the truth as well, lest they spend the future guessing and scheming against one another.
With that thought, he immediately ordered, “Someone, deliver my decree. Have all the court officials enter the palace at once. Tell them I have an important matter to discuss.”
Lu Jinshuang stood in the middle of the hall with the urn in her arms and her head lowered, but the corner of her mouth curved into a silent smile.
Once the court officials arrived, she would expose everything Prince Kang had done. After that, Prince Kang would truly become a rat everyone wanted to chase down. Anyone who openly defended him would undoubtedly be one of his accomplices, and they could be eliminated all at once.
It was just a pity that she couldn’t expose the Ninth Prince’s hypocritical nature. She still had to shed a few tears.
Lu Qianning stood quietly to one side, making herself as inconspicuous as possible. In a while, she would rely on her Seventh Sister to put on the show. In any case, they had brought back a mountain of testimony, and members of the Bai family might even be willing to serve as witnesses.
As for the evidence that the Fourth Prince had been capturing children to refine elixirs, naturally, that would be brought out last. By then, even if the emperor wanted to stop them, it would be too late.
After the eunuch left to deliver the decree, the old emperor looked impatiently at Lu Jinshuang. “Wenyang, the ministers will be here soon. You should at least tell me the general situation first. Why did the eldest kill the ninth?”
All he wanted to know at that moment was how the Ninth Prince had died and why he had been killed.
Standing below him, Lu Jinshuang shook her head. “Father, it’s a long story. If I tell you half of it now and the ministers arrive halfway through, I’ll have to start over from the beginning. Then you’ll have to listen to it all over again, and your ears will grow tired. It’s better to wait a while, so you don’t wear yourself out, Father.”
The old emperor angrily picked up the cup beside him and was about to throw it, but Lu Jinshuang’s next words made him stop.
“Oh, right, Father. Yue told me to pass on a message to you. She said you should take care of your health and lose your temper less. If anything comes up, let Ninth Sister handle it for you. She’ll be back very soon, and once she treats you again, you’ll certainly live a long, long life.”
At those words, the anger on the old emperor’s face vanished instantly, replaced by a gentle smile.
He looked kindly at Lu Qianning. “Little Ninth, you’ve worked hard during this time. Those old fossils in the court must have given you no end of trouble. Don’t worry. Once my health improves, I’ll certainly deal with them and vent your anger for you.”
As emperor, whether the affection between father and daughter was genuine did not matter. What mattered was Xi Qingyue’s miraculous abilities and her power to prolong his life. Granting this daughter some authority and favor for the time being was no great concern. He could always take it back sooner or later.
Lu Qianning bowed. “Thank you for your concern, Father. It is my duty to help you and shoulder your burdens. Please do not worry.”
Lu Jinshuang chimed in from the side, “Exactly. It is only right for your children to help shoulder your burdens. Father, does Ninth Sister have an official position while helping you manage the court? You should give her a proper title. That way, the ministers will certainly listen to her. Perhaps you could make her Regent Princess or something.”
The old emperor’s face turned green at those words. He frowned in displeasure. “Stop talking nonsense. Whenever I am unwell, your Ninth Sister handles the affairs of state. There is no difference between what she does now and being a Regent Princess. I have already made an exceptional concession. Do you want to cause the entire court to erupt by creating a Regent Princess as well?”
If Lu Qianning were not useful, he would never have acted this way. Once the matter of prolonging his life was resolved, he would immediately take back all the power he had given her.
Lu Jinshuang lowered her head and rolled her eyes without saying anything more. If Ninth Sister had been a man, it would have been fine. Wasn’t he simply looking down on her because she was a woman? He was willing to grant her authority now only because he thought he could take it back whenever he pleased. What an absurd fantasy. Once something had been given away, how could it possibly be reclaimed?
She had only been testing the waters and had never expected to succeed in one attempt. If Lu Qianning could not receive authority openly and legitimately, they would simply find another way.
The three members of the imperial family fell silent, quietly waiting for the ministers to arrive.
Du Chun, the emperor’s personal eunuch, watched the tense silence and sighed inwardly. A trace of worry appeared on his face.
After waiting for quite some time, a large number of court officials stood solemnly in the great hall. Even Consort Bai had been summoned.
Looking at the officials filling the hall, the old emperor put on a sorrowful expression. “My esteemed ministers, I imagine you have already heard that the Ninth Prince was killed. I summoned you here precisely because of this matter. Princess Wenyang knows the whole story best, so let her explain it to everyone.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the officials’ gazes turned toward Lu Jinshuang, especially toward the urn in her arms.
An elderly man with white hair spoke up unhappily. “Princess Wenyang, where is the Ninth Prince’s body? Does the princess not know that the dead should be laid to rest? How could you burn the body? You should at least have brought it back so he could receive a grand burial.”
Everyone turned to look at the speaker. It was Minister of Rites Wen Haoran, a stubborn old traditionalist.
A mocking smile appeared on Lu Jinshuang’s lips. “And who did I think it was? So it’s Minister Wen. According to your meaning, Minister Wen, should I have let the Ninth Prince’s body stink and rot, become infested with maggots, and be pointed at and mocked all the way back to the capital? Even in death, he wouldn’t be allowed to preserve his dignity?”
Wen Haoran’s brows shot up, and his face filled with anger. “But you burned the body to ashes! Without a body, how is he supposed to be buried? Is that what you call dignity?”
Lu Qianning glanced at Wen Haoran. That old fossil loved to pick fights with everyone in court just to make himself heard. He never did anything useful, but he was always eager to find fault. He hadn’t even bothered to look at the situation before making a scene.
She said nothing, because she had noticed the anger in the old emperor’s eyes.
The old emperor slammed a hand against the armrest of his throne. “Wen Haoran, I summoned you here not to discuss how my child should preserve his dignity after death! What everyone wants to know is the truth. If you don’t want to listen, you can leave. No one is stopping you.”
It was bad enough that his wretched daughter kept infuriating him. Now Wen Haoran had to add to it. If the argument continued, his head would start aching.
Seeing that the old emperor was enraged, Wen Haoran immediately shut his mouth.
Only then did Lu Jinshuang begin recounting the events leading to the Ninth Prince’s death. But her very first sentence left all the court officials astonished.
“Father, this matter must begin with Bai Ruoshu, the daughter of the Minister of Revenue four years ago and now the wife of the Duke of An’s heir. More precisely, it must begin with how she disappeared. Consort Bai may know some of the details as well.”
Before he could finish speaking, the expressions of several people in the main hall changed dramatically.
