"Grandfather, don't be angry, I was just teasing you." Yanran smiled charmingly.
The Emperor was furious. "Guards! Guards!"
However, only the eunuchs and palace maids who served the emperor entered; there were no guards.
The emperor's heart sank.
Looking again at Wang Fu, who was feigning death, what else didn't he understand?
But he didn't believe that Yanran would dare to harm him.
"Guards, summon Prince of Jin to the palace to see me."
"Grandfather," Yanran said with a smile, "Don't call me Father anymore. He's busy admiring the flowers with my mother at the manor. If you have any orders, why don't you just tell my Prince of Ding?"
"Someone, summon Prince of Jin!" The Emperor was almost hysterical, as if he had phlegm stuck in his throat that he couldn't cough up, his gurgling sounds giving the impression of someone on the verge of death.
"Tsk tsk, Prince of Ding," Yanran laughed, "No wonder you died with your eyes wide open, even in death. It turns out that Grandfather was so biased. You're here, but Grandfather doesn't look for you. He insists on looking for my father. What should we do?"
These words successfully made the emperor's expression darken even further.
"What did you say?" The emperor stared at the severed head on the ground, its hair disheveled, and he couldn't recognize who it was.
But from Yanran's words, he knew that this was most likely Prince of Ding.
It's over.
If Prince of Ding is executed, then Prince of Jin will definitely rebel.
"Bring the Prince of Jin to see me! Don't let him hide behind the child! I truly misjudged him!"
"Grandfather, you're absolutely right. Haven't you been holding Father's weakness firmly in your grasp?" Yanran smiled, her eyes sparkling with a beauty that hinted at, and even surpassed, the splendor of Xiao Wu in her prime. "If my brother and I hadn't remained immature, do you think you could have sat here so peacefully for so many years, given all the things you've done?"
The emperor stared at her, momentarily stunned even though the occasion was inappropriate.
A-Wu...
But when his gaze fell back on the man's head, he flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the bed and shouting, "How dare he! How dare he harm his own brother!"
Yanran was exhausted after all that fuss, so she picked a chair, sat down, and took out an oil paper package from her bosom.
The Emperor watched her movements intently.
Yanran slowly opened the oil paper package, revealing the chicken leg inside, and took a bite. "Grandfather, I cannot agree with what you said. This matter has nothing to do with Father, and even less with me. Grandfather, please understand!"
"You're looking at my chicken leg, are you hungry too? It's a bit cold, not as good as when it was fresh out of the pot," Yanran said. "Who's to say that Prince of Ding's death has anything to do with our household?"
"It has nothing to do with you?" The Emperor's face was so dark it was almost dripping with water.
"Yes," Yanran said matter-of-factly, "I'm here to deliver the news of your death, but you can't say that I killed the person. That's unreasonable!"
The emperor was so angry he couldn't speak.
"If you don't believe me, ask around. Who saw me kill Prince of Ding?" Yanran said.
"If you didn't kill him, then who did?" the emperor said through gritted teeth, his temples throbbing.
"No one killed him. Prince of Ding felt he had done too many immoral things and was ashamed to face you, so he took his own life." Yanran lied through her teeth.
The emperor's anger reached new heights, "He cut off his own head?"
He wants to chop Yanran's head off right now!
Yanran said, "What's impossible about that?"
The Emperor: "Insolence!"
She dares to call a deer a horse!
Yanran smiled and casually pointed to a young eunuch, "Come here, tell me, can you cut off your own head?"
The young eunuch knelt on the ground, his face flushed red, unable to utter a word for a long time.
Yanran took a bite of the chicken leg, swung her leg, and said, "So he's mute. In that case, there's no use keeping his tongue. Someone, pull his tongue out!"
The little eunuch cried out in panic, "Princess, spare me! Princess, spare me!"
"Oh dear, so you're not mute or deaf. You must have been lost in thought just now. It's alright, I may be small, but I have a big heart. Come on, I'll ask you one more time: can you cut off your own head, hmm?"
"Able..."
Faced with the choice of provoking a fight or retreating, the young eunuch compromised, perhaps this way he could still have a sliver of hope.
Yanran raised an eyebrow triumphantly. "Grandfather, do you think you're getting senile?"
"You, you..."
"What, you're still not convinced? Well, one person's opinion isn't enough to be believed. Come on, all of you, tell me, is it possible or not?"
What can the others do?
Yanran's current arrogance must be based on the fact that Prince of Jin has already taken control of the situation.
Therefore, the answer to this question is consistent and affirmative.
"Grandfather," Yanran, having already devoured the chicken leg, sucking on the bone before tossing it aside, and pulling out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth and hands. "You see, the matter is quite clear. Prince of Ding committed suicide out of fear of punishment. I was worried that someone else would come to report the death, and you, in your anger, would also go, so I had no choice but to come in person. There was no other way; I follow my father's example, it's out of filial piety."
The emperor's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
Yanran rubbed her nose. "Wang Fu, what are you standing there for? Why don't you send someone to fetch the imperial physician to examine Grandfather?"
Wang Fu felt a mix of emotions, but he still nodded respectfully in agreement.
"You, go over there and pinch the philtrum." Yanran pointed to another person, "I haven't even finished speaking yet!"
How could the Emperor not hear everything? That would be such a pity.
A moment later, with everyone's frantic efforts to revive him, the Emperor finally woke up, staring at Yanran with his cloudy eyes, only able to utter "mmmmmm".
It seems the Emperor has suffered a stroke.
Yanran smiled and slowly stepped forward, squatting on the footstool. Looking at the Emperor's aged face, she said, "Grandfather, I originally thought of using this method to see if there were any loyal people around you, and to send them ahead to scout out the path for you... but it seems they are all unwilling!"
"Heaven cherishes life, and I don't want to kill anyone, so let them go. After all, there's still Prince of Ding ahead. He's so filial and has received so much favor from you; whether he lives or dies, he'll surely treat you with utmost respect."
Wang Fu couldn't listen anymore.
Although the emperor was cold-hearted, he was not entirely without kindness towards him.
"Commandery Princess Rouyi, please say less," Wang Fu said, kneeling on the ground and bowing. "His Majesty is acting so..."
"I am not Commandery Princess Rouyi," Yanran said with a smile, but her words were as sharp as blades. "My surname is Xiao, and I am as cold-blooded as Xiao Wu, and like the Xiao Family, I have a rebellious streak! My father and mother can be bullied, but I cannot, and I will not stand by and watch them be bullied!"
She didn't look at the Emperor again, but stood up and looked at the door, saying, "Why hasn't my brother come yet? If he doesn't come soon, I'm afraid I'll miss seeing my grandfather one last time! Oh, by the way, you don't need to wait for my father anymore. I have something to tell you that might comfort you. My father is currently under house arrest in his residence and can't move. Otherwise, I reckon he would have come to rescue you."
The emperor realized that all was lost and closed his eyes.