The wicked mother-in-law doesn't try to whitewash herself; she only abuses her awful children.

Chapter 732 Seeds of Doubt
The emperor's face turned as if covered with a thick layer of ice.

When the emperor was a prince, he was not favored by the late emperor.

The late emperor's favorite person was his half-brother, Prince Yu. Therefore, after the emperor ascended the throne, he tried to win over Prince Yu while also being wary of him.

However, when he ascended the throne, Prince Yu was the first to kneel down and shout "Long live the Emperor!" In addition, Prince Yu had always been very respectful to him during his more than 20 years as emperor, so he lowered his guard against Prince Yu.

Now that Tong Huaqiong says that the Prince Yu's mansion is plotting a rebellion, it has touched a nerve with the old emperor, causing his deepest suspicions about the Prince Yu to resurface.

The Emperor looked at Prince Yu with scrutinizing eyes.

Is this brother, who was more respectful to him than anyone else after he ascended the throne, really as honest as he appears on the surface?

Or was it that Prince Yu deliberately used honesty and respect to deceive him, while secretly plotting to seize the throne?

Was the execution of his beloved crown prince orchestrated by Prince Yu? Perhaps it was to force the father and son to kill each other.

After the crown prince died, his remaining sons fell into infighting and were all deemed unfit for important positions.

Is Prince Yu's plan to wipe out his entire lineage from the root, so that the throne will eventually fall into the hands of his descendants?
If that's the case, then Prince Yu is dreaming.

If his son is not good enough, he still has his grandson, who is indeed a rare candidate to become the crown prince.

Thinking of the Crown Prince, the Emperor became increasingly suspicious of Prince Yu.

Why did the people of Prince Yu's residence serve peach blossom desserts the day after the Crown Prince returned? Could it be that they were testing the Crown Prince's reaction?

Once the seed of doubt is planted, it will quickly sprout, break through the soil, and take deep root in the heart.

Tong Huaqiong observed the old emperor out of the corner of her eye.

She was confident that she had successfully aroused the old emperor's suspicion of the Prince Yu's residence.

It seems she succeeded.

Since we've already offended Princess Mingyue and there's no possibility of reconciliation, we might as well just overturn the mahjong table.

Prince Yu was also secretly observing the emperor, and this observation made his heart sink to the bottom.

When he received the news, he still thought that the grandson's adoptive grandmother was just a rural merchant and would not pose a threat to his family.

Unexpectedly, this woman directly accused the Prince Yu's mansion of treason.

She's really daring!

More importantly, the emperor seemed to have believed it.

Prince Yu was so frightened that his teeth chattered.

After Prince Yu finished explaining himself, he received no response from the Emperor for a long time.

The entire hall was quiet, as if one had entered an endless world of darkness.

With her father's arrival, Princess Mingyue felt even more confident.

The royal uncle has repeatedly demonstrated through his words and actions that he and his father are brothers, and how could brothers side with outsiders?

So he shouted, "Uncle, please see the truth! These two women have slandered our Prince Yu's Mansion. They should be beheaded as punishment, otherwise anyone will dare to step on our Prince Yu's Mansion in the future."

"Shut up! The Golden Palace is not a place for you to run wild!" Prince Yu shouted.

Princess Mingyue, still confused, continued, "But they falsely accused our Prince Yu's mansion of treason. Shouldn't they be killed?"

Prince Yu closed his eyes.

His daughter was spoiled growing up, and no matter how much trouble she caused outside, he never scolded her.

He deliberately cultivated the princess's domineering nature so that the emperor would feel at ease with the Prince Yu's mansion.

I never imagined that one day I would end up shooting myself in the foot.

If one's arrogance goes too far, it can turn into a disaster if exploited by those with ulterior motives.

The Emperor remained silent, seemingly oblivious to Prince Yu's reprimand of Princess Mingyue. After a long while, the Emperor, seated at the head of the table, suddenly asked in a cold voice, "Someone with ulterior motives interpreted and guided this? How was it interpreted? How was it guided?"

This question was directed at Prince Yu.

Prince Yu's heart sank to the bottom.

Sure enough, his beloved elder brother still began to have doubts about him.

Or perhaps the doubt never truly disappeared.

They are just like seeds, hidden in the frozen soil, and suddenly they sprout when they encounter spring breezes and rain.

Prince Yu said tremblingly, "Your Majesty, I misspoke. I was terrified when I heard someone say that the Prince Yu's residence was plotting a rebellion. My heart is as clear as the sun and moon, and I have absolutely no intention of rebelling. Please, Your Majesty, see the truth."

Seeing that the Emperor remained silent, Prince Yu organized his thoughts and said, "This is all my fault. I have spoiled Xi Yue too much over the years, which has made her spoiled and arrogant. This has also led her maid to disregard the laws of the court and openly try to snatch the pastry chef from Manager Tong. When she failed to snatch him, she took advantage of her power and said things she shouldn't have."

"But your brother has absolutely no intention of rebelling."

The Prince Yu's head touched the ground, and the entire Golden Palace resounded with the sound of him kowtowing.

The Prince Yu's Mansion originally thought that it was nothing unusual for Princess Mingyue to snatch a pastry chef.

Let alone the pastry chefs at Peach Blossom Desserts, even the pastry chefs in the Imperial Kitchen would likely receive a gift from the Emperor if Princess Mingyue said she liked it.

When he learned that a pastry chef was competing with Peach Blossom Dessert, he didn't take it seriously at all, and even thought that Peach Blossom Dessert was being disrespectful and not giving face to his Prince Yu's Mansion.

He underestimated this woman from the countryside.

Princess Mingyue saw that her father's forehead was bleeding from hitting the ground, and she shouted excitedly to the old emperor, "Uncle, my father is your own brother. How can you suspect him of plotting a rebellion for the sake of a woman from the countryside?"

Prince Yu paused in his kowtowing, wishing he could strangle Princess Mingyue.

Princess Mingyue craned her neck and looked at the old emperor.

The old emperor smiled and suddenly said, "Your father and I were both princes. What prince wouldn't want to sit in this position? Xiyue is a princess, so naturally she doesn't understand the thoughts of a prince."

Princess Mingyue stared at the old emperor, speechless.

Is this still the same royal uncle who doted on her so much?

Upon hearing this, Prince Yu nearly fainted, shouting, "Your subject is willing to die to prove his loyalty!"

Seeing that Prince Yu's forehead was covered in blood from kowtowing, the Emperor casually said, "Brother, you flatter me. We were just having a casual chat. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking? If you really had rebellious intentions, would I have been able to sit on this throne for so many years?"

Prince Yu was so frightened that he kowtowed again.

The old emperor raised his hand and ordered him to rise.

Seeing Prince Yu kneeling at his feet in such a pathetic state, the old emperor felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Tong Huaqiong patted her chest, looking terrified, and said, "It turns out it was all a misunderstanding. I'm glad Prince Yu didn't have any intention of rebelling. I was just a woman who believed everything I heard. I beg Your Majesty to punish me."

The old emperor has already given Prince Yu a warning; now it's time to find a way to save face.

Then Tong Huaqiong would offer a way out.

Gu Taohua muttered, "This can't be blamed on my mother, can it? It's just that Princess Mingyue's maid said things that made people think too much."

The old emperor's expression darkened slightly as he said, "This matter is indeed not the fault of Lady Suifeng. It was the maid who spread the message and caused a misunderstanding. Lady Suifeng has just come to Shengjing from Ningcheng Township. Where has she ever seen such a bullying act? The maid's words are indeed easy to misunderstand."

The maidservants were very perceptive in relaying messages.

Whose words were these? They were none other than those of Princess Mingyue.

The old emperor's words clearly favored Tong Huaqiong.

Prince Yu apologized, saying, "Your Majesty, I must strictly discipline Xi Yue and restrain the servants in the household. I cannot allow the servants to lose their sense of propriety just because Your Majesty trusts me. I have already ordered that the maid to be tied up, have her tongue pulled out, and be beaten to death as a warning to others."

One sentence sealed the maid's tragic fate.

Blood rolled down Prince Yu's forehead and dripped onto the Golden Palace.