Jiaojiao is getting married, and the male leads fall for her and fight over her.

Chapter 291 The Emperor's Wrath

"Speak!" Emperor Jinglong roared.

"His Highness the Crown Prince may never be able to stand again. Even if he is fortunate enough to be able to stand, he will most likely be unable to walk properly," the imperial physician finally told the truth.

Emperor Jinglong's expression changed repeatedly.

No crown prince is disabled; in fact, a crown prince should be able to walk with all four limbs intact, as this is the ancestral precept of the Great Qi Dynasty.

If Li Hong's leg injury cannot be healed, the crown prince will have to be replaced.

Everyone present knew the seriousness of the matter, and no one dared to utter a sound. It was no exaggeration to say that this matter concerned the fate of the Great Qi Kingdom.

"Do everything you can to heal the Crown Prince!" After a long while, Emperor Jinglong finally spoke.

Just then, Pei Dongzhou stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, from the appearance of the assassin that night to His Highness the Crown Prince's poisoning, it all indicates that this matter is not simple. Someone is deliberately trying to remove His Highness from the position of Crown Prince. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth and seek justice for His Highness the Crown Prince!"

Emperor Jinglong currently dislikes Pei Dongzhou, but it cannot be denied that Pei Dongzhou's words make sense.

"Your Majesty might consider who would have such a motive to remove His Highness the Crown Prince from his position. No matter how things develop, this person must not be allowed to ascend to the position of Crown Prince!" Pei Dongzhou added.

For a moment, everyone present looked at each other in disbelief, truly not expecting Pei Dongzhou to be so bold as to speak so bluntly.

Shen Shuyi, who was listening nearby, also felt a chill for Prince Pei.

Pei Dongzhou was clearly doing this on purpose; how could he not care about his future at all?

Even if he really managed to get Pei Nanzhou to Emperor Jinglong's side, would Emperor Jinglong still tolerate him?
Obviously it can't be done.

If Pei Dongzhou were to alienate the emperor and his son, he would surely lose Emperor Jinglong's favor completely.

Emperor Jinglong was indeed furious. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "What exactly is Minister Pei trying to say? Are you trying to tell me how to do things?!"

Pei Dongzhou replied calmly, "Your Majesty, I am merely stating the facts. This calamity befell His Highness the Crown Prince; it could not have been an accident. The person who would dare to lay a hand on His Highness is clearly extremely malicious. If His Highness is deposed, who will benefit? And who has the best chance of becoming Crown Prince? That person would have the strongest motive to commit such a heinous act."

Shen Shuyi really didn't expect Pei Dongzhou to go so far as to escalate his actions; it was practically a direct warning to Emperor Jinglong.

Who else but Pei Nanzhou could be the most benefited party in this matter?
Of the remaining princes, none were as highly regarded by Emperor Jinglong as Pei Nanzhou.

Emperor Jinglong was also momentarily dazed, clearly having the same thought as Shen Shuyi.

But Pei Dongzhou, seemingly indifferent to the situation, added fuel to the fire: "As far as I know, it is no coincidence that Consort Li met Your Majesty."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jinglong's face contorted for a moment.

For a moment, the scene fell into a deathly silence.

Neither Pei Nanzhou nor Consort Li were present. Empress Dong, who was still immersed in grief, knelt before the Emperor upon hearing this: "I beg Your Majesty to do justice for the Crown Prince, find out the real culprit, and uphold justice for the Crown Prince!"

Emperor Jinglong's heart was in turmoil. He was naturally suspicious, so how could he not know Pei Dongzhou's intentions?

Pei Dongzhou was just short of mentioning Pei Nanzhou's name in front of him; it couldn't be that Pei Nanzhou was truly responsible for the Crown Prince's poisoning.

He clearly dotes on Pei Nanzhou so much, so why is Pei Nanzhou still not satisfied? He actually dares to dream of getting rid of the Crown Prince and taking his place.
No, it must be Pei Dongzhou who stirred up trouble between him and Nanzhou, the father and son...

Enraged, Emperor Jinglong roared, "Guards, seize Pei Dongzhou!" Shen Shuyi, upon hearing this, was displeased. She knelt before the emperor and said, "May I ask Your Majesty why you want to arrest my cousin, the Crown Prince? When His Highness the Crown Prince was poisoned, Your Majesty was hunting, and it was my cousin who saved His Highness's life. My cousin suggested that there was something fishy about His Highness's poisoning, so why is it that the one who told the truth is the one being punished?"

Pei Dongzhou was startled by Shen Shuyi's audacity and broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly shouted, "Cousin, you mustn't be disrespectful to His Majesty!"

"How could I have been disrespectful to His Majesty? I was merely stating the facts."

After speaking to Pei Dongzhou, Shen Shuyi looked at Emperor Jinglong and said, "Your Majesty is a wise ruler, of course you will tolerate a subject speaking the truth. My cousin, the Crown Prince, is a meritorious official who saved His Highness the Crown Prince. Your Majesty will not punish a meritorious official indiscriminately, will you?"

Emperor Jinglong, furious, pointed back and forth at Shen Shuyi and Pei Dongzhou: "Very well, very well indeed, you two are quite the perfect couple..."

Empress Dong then spoke up: "I believe that Prince Pei has indeed rendered meritorious service this time. The Crown Prince is my child, and if it weren't for Lord Pei's timely rescue, I would have been burying my son. I implore Your Majesty to investigate the murderer and seek justice for the Crown Prince. Lord Pei's rescue of the Crown Prince is meritorious; he not only should not be punished, but should be rewarded!"

Emperor Jinglong looked at Empress Dong and met her resolute gaze.

For a moment, he was somewhat dazed. He had too many new beauties in his harem, and apart from occupying the position of the empress, Empress Dong had a very low presence in his eyes.

Unfortunately, the Empress has never fought or vied for power over the years, and even if he didn't love her, he had been kind to her. And the Crown Prince is their eldest son...

Emperor Jinglong's previous anger vanished under Empress Dong's gaze. He looked at Pei Dongzhou and his wife, who were kneeling on the ground, and said, "Step down. I will send people to thoroughly investigate this matter."

Pei Dongzhou's palms were sweaty, not because he was worried about himself, but because he was worried that his cousin would be implicated.

After expressing their gratitude, the two left the palace and breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

They looked at each other and laughed, but Pei Dongzhou quickly suppressed his laughter: "Madam, are you still laughing? Does Madam know how dangerous it was just now?!"

The emperor's words almost cost them their lives.

"Your Highness, you know it's dangerous, don't you? Since you know, why do you always say things that His Majesty doesn't like to hear?" Shen Shuyi said irritably.

Could she really just stand by and watch her man be punished by the emperor?

They are husband and wife, and should share both happiness and hardship.

"My lady shouldn't have spoken today; I have my own plans..."

"Having your own opinions?!" Shen Shuyi sneered upon hearing this. "Your opinion, Cousin, means doing everything you can to prevent your second cousin from ascending to the throne?"

How could she not know Pei Dongzhou's intentions? He was determined to prevent Pei Nanzhou from becoming the crown prince at all costs, meaning he wanted to eliminate any possibility of Pei Nanzhou ascending the throne.

Unfortunately, Pei Nanzhou is currently enjoying the Emperor's favor, and if the Crown Prince develops a leg ailment, there is a high chance he will no longer be able to remain the Crown Prince.

Among all the remaining princes, Pei Nanzhou has a high chance of becoming the crown prince.

That's why Pei Dongzhou disregarded everything and pushed Pei Nanzhou to Emperor Jinglong's side.

Although Emperor Jinglong loved beautiful women, he loved his throne even more. Pei Nanzhou dared to plot against the Crown Prince right under Emperor Jinglong's nose, which Emperor Jinglong would certainly not allow.

Furthermore, Pei Nanzhou might be colluding with the concubines in the harem, something no emperor could possibly ignore.

(End of this chapter)