The abstinent and powerful minister is cold and aloof during the day, but he adores her in his dream

Chapter 297 Dethronement
Lu Zhan nodded calmly, "That's right." Then he knelt down, "Your Majesty, my cousin is still unmarried. She has always been dignified and virtuous, but now because of the Crown Prince... I'm afraid she will have difficulty marrying again. I beg Your Majesty to do something for my cousin."

Upon hearing this, the Emperor put aside his doubts and said, "Get up quickly. It is indeed the Crown Prince who has lost his virtue in this matter. As for your cousin, since she has lost her reputation because of the Crown Prince, I will take the liberty of betrothing her to the Crown Prince and bestow upon her the title of Liangyuan. The Crown Prince is to treat her well in the future."

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhan lowered his eyes and a hint of sarcasm flashed across them.

As expected, while the Emperor was furious that the Crown Prince had engaged in licentious behavior at the temple, it was not enough to make him decide to depose the Crown Prince.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Lu Zhan stood up.

Because of the incident involving the Crown Prince's debauchery in the temple, several ministers were somewhat unsettled.

Given the Crown Prince's utter depravity, will the Emperor reconsider appointing a new heir?
But considering that the Crown Prince was born to the late Empress and had always been highly valued by the Emperor, the Emperor would probably let this matter slide.

Thinking of this, the ministers all became worried.

If the crown prince dares to act recklessly in a sacred and solemn place like a temple, it is foreseeable that he will inevitably become a licentious and tyrannical monarch in the future.

With the help of her maid, Wei Jinyi went to the meditation room to tidy up.

Thinking about what had just happened, she cried again.

The maid also wiped away tears.

Who would have thought that her perfectly good daughter, who only came to this temple to pray for a marriage, would encounter such a misfortune?

Thinking about seeking a marriage partner, the maidservant recalled what had happened that morning.

A few old women, having nothing better to do, started talking about temples in the suburbs of Beijing.

They say which temple is effective for praying for a child, and which temple is effective for praying for a good marriage.

The young lady heard this and took it to heart.

Thinking about the recent setbacks, the young lady immediately decided to come to this temple to pray for a good marriage and also to clear her mind.

Unexpectedly, after offering incense and praying for a good marriage, when the young lady went to rest in the meditation room, that damned prince suddenly barged in, grabbed her, and kept calling her "beauty, beauty," which frightened her so much that she went limp.

The prince seemed to realize he had mistaken the person for someone else, but seeing that the young lady was quite beautiful, he still refused to give up.

The more the young lady struggled, the more excited the prince became, uttering vulgarities incessantly.

She risked her life to rescue her, giving the young lady a chance to survive and escape from the meditation room.

She was knocked unconscious by the prince's attendants, and she knew nothing after that.

Looking back now, if it weren't for the gossip of those old women, the young lady wouldn't have come to this temple and suffered this undeserved calamity.

But it's too late for regrets now.

Wei Jinyi's eyes were red and swollen from crying.

As they were getting ready to leave, a eunuch approached.

"Miss Wei has been frightened today. We are here on the Emperor's orders to escort Miss Wei back to the capital."

Wei Jinyi, who had been somewhat dazed, was flattered by what she heard.

She remembered that her cousin was also in the temple, so she bit her lip and said, "I would like to see my cousin."

"Lord Lu is accompanying His Majesty and cannot leave, but he asked me to pass on a message to the young lady," the eunuch said.

Hearing that her cousin had also asked him to pass on a message to her, Wei Jinyi's gloomy eyes suddenly lit up, and she hurriedly asked, "What message?"

"Lord Lu said that Miss Wei was wronged today. He told you not to worry, as he has already obtained the Emperor's decree for you. The Emperor has agreed to let the Crown Prince take you into the Eastern Palace and bestow upon you the title of Consort." After the eunuch finished speaking, he congratulated her, "Congratulations, Miss Wei."

Wei Jinyi felt as if she had been struck by lightning; the color that had just returned to her face was as white as a ghost.

Thinking of the Crown Prince's lewd and hideous face, her vision went black and she fainted.

"Miss Wei is overjoyed," the eunuch said with a smile, helping the maid to help her into the carriage.

In the meditation room, Lu Zhan played two games of chess with the emperor.

After the vegetarian meal, Duan Ling returned with his entourage. The large group of people completely filled the temple.

Upon hearing the commotion, the emperor, accompanied by several ministers, left his meditation room and went to the front courtyard of the temple.

When they arrived, they saw dozens of scantily clad young women huddled together in the large courtyard, shivering and with empty, lifeless eyes.

On the ground nearby, a dozen or so men who looked like thugs were tied up and thrown together.

"Your Majesty, I have successfully completed my mission and rescued all these girls," Duan Ling reported, bowing as he approached.

Seeing so many innocent women being tortured like this, the emperor was furious. He pointed at the thugs and said, "Give them a good beating and make them reveal who is behind this. If they conceal anything, they will be torn apart by five horses!"

Duan Ling hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, I have also captured one more person."

"Who is it?" the emperor asked in a deep voice.

"Bring Feng Ziliang here," Duan Ling ordered, turning around.

Immediately, a tall, burly man with his hands bound was brought up.

When the ministers saw the man's face clearly, they began to wonder to themselves, "Isn't this the Crown Prince's trusted bodyguard?"
The emperor clearly recognized him as well, and his face turned ashen.

"Feng Ziliang, confess clearly about how you kidnapped women from various places and then sold them to brothels to make money!" Duan Ling said in a deep voice, tearing the rag out of the man's mouth.

Upon seeing the emperor, Feng Ziliang collapsed to the ground, terrified out of his wits, especially when the emperor stared at him with eyes that seemed to regard him as a dead man.

A strong smell of urine filled the air.

Everyone covered their noses and looked over, only to see a puddle of water beneath Feng Ziliang.

Everyone backed away with disgust in their eyes.

The emperor, his hand trembling, pointed at Feng Ziliang and said, "You dog slave, who ordered you to do such a despicable thing?"

Feng Ziliang's face was ashen. "It is... the Crown Prince."

Even though the emperor had already guessed the answer, he still swayed and almost fell over when he heard it with his own ears.

"Your Majesty!" The eunuch was terrified and hurriedly helped him up.

The emperor shoved him aside, gritted his teeth, and looked at Feng Ziliang, "Why did the Crown Prince do that?"

Feng Ziliang's head was pressed directly to the ground. "The Crown Prince needs to be bribed... there are many places where money is needed, so he ordered his servants to scramble for beautiful women and send them to brothels all over the country..."

The emperor's face turned ashen. He turned to Commander Shen and said, "Go and bring the crown prince here yourself. I want to ask him questions in person."

"Yes."

Soon, the prince, who had been imprisoned in the meditation room, was brought over.

When the Crown Prince saw the scantily clad women in the courtyard, his heart sank. When he saw Feng Ziliang, his heart sank to the bottom.

Xuanyuan Hongjun clenched his sweaty palms and knelt before the emperor, saying, "Father."

"What's the deal with those women?" The emperor, suppressing his anger, pointed at the women and asked in a deep voice.

"Your subject does not know," Xuanyuan Hongjun said, bowing his head.

"I don't know?" The emperor looked disappointed and pointed at Feng Ziliang, saying, "You mean to say that Feng Ziliang slandered you?"

"It was this dog of a servant who slandered me! I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!" Xuanyuan Hongjun hurriedly said.

The emperor shook his head. If he hadn't personally witnessed Feng Ziliang forcing a woman at the temple, he might have thought it was a frame-up by Feng Ziliang, but now…

The emperor closed his eyes, kicked him to the ground, and angrily rebuked him: "You beast, as the crown prince of a country, you despise the law and have no respect for the court, committing such heinous acts. In the future, the Great Chen Dynasty will surely be destroyed in your hands!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuan Hongjun disregarded his physical pain and quickly got up, hugging the emperor's leg. "Father, I know I was wrong, I know I was wrong. Please give me a chance to reform. I promise I will never do such a thing again."

The emperor looked down at him for a moment, his face full of disappointment. He said indifferently, "Too late," and kicked him away again. "Guards, convey my decree: the Crown Prince has lost his virtue and is unworthy to be the heir apparent. From this day forward, he is deposed as Crown Prince and imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court!"