Defu had already ordered people to help the Grand Princess aside, and Consort Guo had been revived as well. At that moment, mother and daughter were holding each other and sobbing.
After crying for a long while, Consort Guo, mindful of her daughter's reputation, urged Xiao Yuan to return to her chambers first. The wounds on her body also needed medicine.
Unexpectedly, the Grand Princess stubbornly refused to go back to her palace. No, she would expose Xiao Qianyu's heartless and ungrateful true nature to Father Emperor, so he could no longer throw his weight around with his Crown Prince's status.
She wanted Xiao Qianyu to kneel before Father Emperor, sobbing bitterly and atoning for what he had done.
She wanted Xiao Qianyu to regret humiliating and mistreating her like this.
She also wanted to see with her own eyes the heads of everyone who had dared to lay hands on her roll to the ground. She would spare not one of them.
And everyone who had witnessed her being beaten with the rod today—the palace attendants and eunuchs—had better be put to death.
Only the dead could keep their mouths shut and their secrets safe.
That way, word of a dignified Princess being beaten with the rod would not get out, and her reputation could be preserved.
When she heard Emperor Yongchang order the people from the Punishment Department put to death, a faint smile bloomed at the corner of her mouth, only to freeze when Xiao Qianyu intervened.
In an instant, she looked at Xiao Qianyu with a gaze as vicious as if she wanted to devour him.
Why hadn't he simply died on the Execution Platform?
Why had he insisted on coming back alive? Why?
The Grand Princess was deathly pale, her whole body as stiff and cold as a block of ice. Terrified, Consort Guo held her tightly. "Yuan'er, don't be afraid. Your Father Emperor will give you justice."
Emperor Yongchang was indeed furious. He pointed at Xiao Qianyu and berated him. "You wretched child, do you know what you're doing? Yuan'er is your younger sister, yet you had her punished. And who gave you the authority to strip her of her title and demote her to a Commoner? Did I agree to it?" He gasped for breath, wariness of the Crown Prince's overreach in his eyes, and said coldly, "You're so unkind and unbrotherly, incapable of showing love to your younger siblings. How can I trust you with the realm?"
As Emperor, Emperor Yongchang did have some affection for his daughter, but he was more wary of Xiao Qianyu.
Now that Heaven had manifested to protect Xiao Qianyu, his reputation and influence were unmatched. Even Emperor Yongchang had to avoid his edge.
But he was the emperor of the Great Xi Dynasty. As long as he remained on the throne, there could be only one master of the realm, and no one could be more noble than him.
Now that Xiao Qianyu had made a mistake, Emperor Yongchang naturally wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. He could use it to reprimand him and confine him to the palace for reflection.
It would also let the people of the realm know that no matter how Heaven favored Xiao Qianyu, he could still make mistakes and had his flaws.
He was still mortal. He could not become a god.
Xiao Qianyu merely answered softly, "Does Father Emperor want me to relinquish the Position of Crown Prince?"
Emperor Yongchang's pupils contracted, and his lips moved despite himself. He very much wanted to agree. He no longer needed a Crown Prince whose reputation had soared so high.
Fortunately, Duke Chengen arrived just then and stopped him. Looking calmly at Xiao Qianyu, he said, "Your Highness, speak with caution. The Position of Crown Prince concerns the foundations of the state and the safety of the realm. How can you casually speak of resigning? I urge you to think it over carefully and not bring it up again."
Duke Chengen's words also reminded Emperor Yongchang that people all across the realm were probably watching the Crown Prince. In other words, his popularity had exploded. Even if they wanted to depose him, they would have to deliberate at length. Now was not the time.
Emperor Yongchang coughed and sternly admonished him. "The Crown Prince must heed Duke Chengen's advice. In the future, speak and act with care, and do not utter such reckless words again."
Xiao Qianyu sneered. "Who told Father Emperor to come in and accuse me of being unkind and unbrotherly? Didn't that imply I was unfit to be Heir Apparent? I don't care about this Position of Crown Prince. But the people of the realm will surely wonder why I stopped being Crown Prince. Oh, it turns out His Majesty the Emperor berated me as unworthy of the position, so I had the sense to resign.
"Why was I unworthy? Because I had my sister beaten with the rod, stripped her of her title as Princess, and demoted her to a Commoner.
"The people would naturally ask why the Crown Prince had been so heartless. It turns out the Princess had taken pleasure in murdering palace attendants and was cruel by nature, so the Crown Prince had acted righteously against his own family.
"Just because the Crown Prince stood up for the people and refused to shield his sister, the Emperor took his anger out on him and called him unkind, unbrotherly, and unfit to be Crown Prince." Xiao Qianyu's lips curled. "My conscience is clear. I just wonder how Father Emperor will face the judgment of the people then. Does it make you proud to have a daughter who harms palace attendants and has the blood of innocents on her hands? Faced with a daughter who is so inhuman that she sullies the royal family's good name, will you still shield her?"
Emperor Yongchang's blood surged, and his body swayed. Xiao Qianyu's every sentence pressed closer. There was none of the filial obedience expected of a son; he was forcing Emperor Yongchang to deal with the Grand Princess.
Now, rumors about Xiao Qianyu were raging among the people. Everyone said that he had been chosen by Heaven's will and would surely protect the dynasty and ensure its enduring prosperity. His reputation was so good that even the Emperor could not hope to match it.
If Xiao Qianyu really did resign and news of today's events spread, the people would know that the Emperor had shielded a daughter who did evil. His reputation would fall even further behind Xiao Qianyu's.
No. He could not let Xiao Qianyu use him as a stepping-stone to further his fame and seize his prestige.
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