Shocking! The entire court was drooling with envy because of me.

Nangong Jing: "???"

Was it left for Father? It wasn't like this just now.

Empress: "!!!"

That wretched girl is trying to frame the Crown Prince!

Su Jiao'er: "^_^"

Yao'er is clever, Yao'er is so clever!

Shen Qing: "..."

Is this the legendary scene of palace intrigue?

emperor:"!!!"

And, and, and, there's more of Madam Shen's delicious food—he can eat it all now!

The ministers: "╥﹏╥"

I can't eat it anymore, I really can't eat it anymore, it's so bitter, so bitter, why is it so bitter!

Time seemed to stand still for a moment.

Nangong Jing couldn't stop his hands from reaching for the rolled-up cold noodles.

He thought he would be disappointed again, but the next moment, he actually felt the smooth and cool cold noodles.

Before he could react...

Snapped--

Something fell.

I looked down.

The plate fell off along with the rolled-up cold noodles.

The plate was shattered into pieces, and the roll of cold noodles had fallen to the ground.

Nangong Jing was completely stunned, utterly bewildered.

The next moment, he saw Nangong Yao kneel down on the ground and cry pitifully, "Father, I'm useless. I've tried so hard for so long, but I still couldn't save the roll of cold noodles for you. I'm sorry, Father."

"I really can't compete with my elder brother, so I can't let Father taste the delicious rolled cold noodles."

Everything happened so fast that no one even had time to react.

When the emperor realized what was happening, all he saw was the delicious food he had been longing for falling to the ground.

A surge of anger rushed to his head, and he felt an urge to tear Nangong Jing into countless pieces.

The food, his food, the food he had been waiting for all day!!

"Nangong Jing! Look what you've done!"

Nangong Jing realized what was happening and instantly felt afraid: "Father...Father Emperor..."

"No...it's not what you see..."

"It's all, it's all Nangong Yao's trick! She deliberately tempted me, she wouldn't roll up my cold noodles, it's all her fault!!"

"You unfilial son!!!" the emperor roared, "Didn't I order you to reflect on your actions in the Eastern Palace?"

The emperor really wanted to kill Nangong Jing.

But unfortunately, he only had one son.

Damn it, how come he only has one son?

If he had ten or eight sons, he would never have made Nangong Jing the crown prince.

This is so annoying, so incredibly annoying!

Upon seeing this, the Empress quickly defended Nangong Jing: "Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with the Crown Prince. It was Nangong Yao who deliberately framed him. Your Majesty, please investigate thoroughly!"

"Mother, what are you saying? I just wanted to leave the rolled-up cold noodles for Father, but my brother insisted on taking them. I didn't do anything..."

Nangong Yao looked wronged and extremely innocent.

It was as if the indifferent person from just now wasn't her at all.

Su Jiao'er chimed in, "That's right, Yao'er's actions were out of filial piety, how did that become a deliberate frame-up?"

The empress gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly.

She felt utterly speechless.

Damn it, why is this happening?

"Nangong Yao only revealed her message to Your Majesty after seeing you. Your Majesty, please do not believe her!"

The emperor snorted coldly: "The Crown Prince has acted improperly. He shall be confined for three months, and shall only be given steamed buns and pickled vegetables. No, not even pickled vegetables!"

After saying that, still feeling unsatisfied, he added, "Give me thirty more lashes!!"

He can't listen to anything right now; all he can think about is rolling up cold noodles.

The prince is the reason he can't eat cold noodles!

Punishment is necessary.

Upon hearing the emperor's words, Nangong Jing felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, and he was filled with utter despair.

Three months after three months have passed, and even pickled vegetables can't be eaten anymore.

I can't imagine how I would live like that.

Thirty strokes of the cane! He'd never been caned in his life.

Just thinking about it makes my butt hurt.

"Father, I beg you, Father, I don't want to eat steamed buns and pickled vegetables, nor do I want to be beaten..."

idiot!

The Empress even tried to cover Nangong Jing's mouth.

No, what's the use of crying and begging if you're wronged and don't cry out for justice or try to deal with the people behind the scenes?

Isn't this tantamount to admitting guilt? And in front of so many ministers no less.

How could she have given birth to such an idiot!

"Your Majesty, this matter has nothing to do with the Crown Prince. Please, Your Majesty..."

"This has nothing to do with the Crown Prince?" The Emperor interrupted the Empress directly. "I remember the Crown Prince should be under house arrest at this time. Why is he outside the Eastern Palace?"

Nangong Jing: "...It was all an accident, nothing but an accident."

But his voice was too weak to drown out the Empress's voice at all.

The Queen unleashed a barrage of attacks:

"Your Majesty, it's all Shen Qing's fault! It's all Shen Qing's fault! If she hadn't come to the East Palace gate to seduce the Crown Prince, how could he have broken the rules? Your Majesty, please don't be confused!"

"Your Majesty, ever since Shen Qing entered the palace, there has been no peace or turmoil. For the sake of the country and the people, we beg Your Majesty to severely punish this man!!"

The Empress quickly thought of a solution and placed a large pot directly on Shen Qing's head.

Shen Qing: "???"

She seduced the crown prince?

"How dare you! How dare you!!!" The emperor jumped up.

"How dare you speak ill of Madam Shen? What's wrong with Madam Shen selling food at a stall?"

"It was I who decided to set up the random stalls, it was I who wanted to eat Lady Shen's food, all of this is my order, do you have a problem with that?"

This was probably the most regal and imposing emperor Shen Qing had ever seen.

The Empress gritted her teeth, glanced at the ministers behind her, and spoke:

"Your Majesty, Shen Qing is a vixen; she has brought ruin to the country and its people!!"

"Ever since you met Shen Qing, so many absurd things have happened."

"The suggestion to relocate the capital was a dream of the late emperor. It's because you want to eat Shen Qing's cooking. If the ancestors of the Nangong family knew, they would probably be furious!"

"And this random stall system? It's absurd, absolutely absurd!"

"Your Majesty, please wake up! The Crown Prince is innocent!"

"Your Majesty, I beg you to execute that witch immediately!!"

This time, she was determined to completely eliminate Shen Qing.

She had originally planned to proceed gradually, but she never expected to be forced into this situation today.

If Shen Qing is kept around, not only the emperor but even the crown prince will be infatuated with him, which is something she cannot tolerate.

These courtiers had always disapproved of the emperor's absurd behavior, and with these ministers around, His Majesty had no choice but to agree, even if he didn't want to.

She needs to find a way to help the crown prince ascend the throne as soon as possible.

Shen Qing: "???"

She inexplicably became a witch?

How could the phrase "bring disaster to the country and its people" be used to describe her?