The boy has grown up, and his eyes are full of determination and confidence.
For a moment, Emperor Yuanfeng saw the shadow of Queen Hu through him.
Yes, compared to the former crown prince, Xiao Heng is more like the decisive and ruthless Queen Hu, with a stubborn pride and perseverance.
"Prince Fenyang refused to admit that he was the mastermind. He only admitted that he accepted money from Jin Dong and promised to cover up the peace for him." Emperor Yuanfeng nodded at the table and asked Xiao Heng to sit down again. "In fact, he really has no reason to target the Su family. A prince is so noble. He shouldn't go to such great lengths to deal with Su Rong."
"Yes or no, let the evidence speak for itself." Xiao Heng met Emperor Yuanfeng's gaze straight ahead, not backing down at all. "I didn't know my life experience before, but I lived in peace every day. But now it's different, I'm worried every day - my parents were framed, and I almost died in my womb. But who caused all this? Are there other people behind the scenes besides the two princes who have been abolished as commoners? I don't know all this, and now the Su family has helped me and got closer to me, and now they are being targeted like this. I can't help but think about it."
Hearing him say this, Emperor Yuanfeng sighed in his heart, but he was not angry. After all, he knew very well that what Xiao Heng said was completely true.
As for Prince Fenyang, even for him, it would be a lie to say that he had no doubts.
But after all, Princess Fenyang had done him a great favor in the past, and Prince Fenyang has been honest over the years.
He had asked the Imperial Uniform Guard to verify it, and the things that Princess Fenyang said were indeed true. Over the years, Prince Fenyang indulged in eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, and the amount of money he spent was incalculable. His family had long been unable to make ends meet.
Then, what Prince Fenyang said himself, that he helped Jindong for silver, is indeed possible.
He originally wanted to turn a blind eye, but now seeing Xiao Heng's attitude, it was clear that he disagreed. After weighing it for a while, he asked: "Then what do you want to do?"
"What can I do?" Xiao Heng immediately asked back, "Of course I have to do what I should do. The country has its own laws, and the family has its own rules. Even if he is a prince, if he breaks the law, he will be punished the same as the common people. Why can he stay out of it?"
Emperor Yuanfeng sensed something: "You seem to dislike Prince Fenyang very much."
"I don't like anyone or anything that is hostile to me." Xiao Heng said coldly, "Who am I? I am a person who shouldn't exist in this world. I was lucky enough to survive until now, but now I know there are so many hidden enemies around me. I was able to survive last time because of luck and my father. From now on, I have to rely on myself. If I am soft-hearted, I will die sooner or later."
He kept talking about death. Emperor Yuanfeng was originally dissatisfied, but when he looked into his eyes, he froze.
Finally he waved his hand: "I know. Go see your great-grandmother."
Seeing Xiao Heng standing still, Emperor Yuanfeng frowned: "What happened in the past is in the past. If you hold on to the past, what will happen to you? I have never forced you in all these days, but everything has a limit. Ah Heng, you also know that it is not easy for you. Now that you know, you should cherish it even more. Think carefully about what I said."
Xiao Heng turned around and walked out silently.
Emperor Yuanfeng looked at him for a while before shaking his head.
By evening, everyone had heard that Prince Fenyang was imprisoned in the clan house.
This was the first time in all these years that this had happened. Everyone was shocked at once, from the Empress Dowager to the families of meritorious officials and nobles, all were in an uproar.
Princess Fenyang entered the palace again the next day. After kneeling in the Taiji Hall for a while, she went to the Cining Palace.
Empress Dowager Tian also knew the seriousness of this matter. In addition, she had a bad relationship with Xiao Heng. It was obvious that Xiao Heng was pushing this matter. If she intervened again, wouldn't her relationship with Xiao Heng be even worse
She claimed illness meant she didn't see Princess Fenyang.
Princess Fenyang bit her lip, her heart felt cold. She didn't know what to do when she ran into Xiao Heng head-on and was stunned.
This was the first time that Princess Fenyang had run into Xiao Heng after his life story was restored. Without a moment's hesitation, she stepped forward with a haggard look on her face to stop him, choking with sobs as she said, "Your Highness, you..."
Xiao Heng shook his head expressionlessly: "If the princess wants to talk about the prince, it really can't be blamed on me. Hasn't the emperor already asked the three judicial departments to investigate this matter? Whether the prince is innocent or not, the three judicial departments will naturally come up with a result. I advise you not to go through so much trouble. If you really believe him, just go home and wait for the result."
His words were so straightforward that no one could respond. Princess Fenyang was choked and didn't know how to react. She just stared at him with her eyes open. After a long while, she choked and shook her head, "Your Highness, your uncle has indeed not made much progress. But if you think he is deliberately trying to deal with you, that's not the case. He was just confused for a moment and made such a big mistake. How could he dare to target you!"
Prince Fenyang's efforts and her crying should have dispelled some of Emperor Yuanfeng's suspicions, but who knew that Xiao Heng was so sharp and his words were so heartbreaking that he directly pointed out that Prince Fenyang could not get rid of the suspicion of wanting to harm him.
The two sides were in a tug of war, and in the end Emperor Yuanfeng apparently chose to have the three judicial officials hold a joint trial in order to give him an explanation.
Princess Fenyang's eyes were red from crying, but Xiao Heng was not moved at all.
Even Chun'an, who had been warned not to provoke him, couldn't help but look at him angrily: "We are all one family. Is this how you treat your elders? My mother was not in good health..."
"What does that have to do with me?" Xiao Heng interrupted her coldly, "Believe him, have a clear conscience, why bother begging me? I am a person with a heart of stone, and this has been going on for a long time. You'd better know this. And you'd better understand that if he doesn't come after me, it's fine. If he does, I will not show mercy even if you break your legs on your knees."
He was so arrogant that Chun'an was trembling with anger, but he didn't dare to do anything else.
Everyone knows Xiao Heng’s past background. He once shot Xu Ying to death with an arrow. What can’t such a person do
But if she just stood there like this, she would still become a laughing stock from now on. She clenched her fists and her face turned red. She didn't know what to do when Princess Fenyang suddenly fell down and fainted.
Xiao Heng curled the corner of his mouth, walked past her and went up the steps of the Cining Palace.
The eunuchs from the Cining Palace had already run out to deal with the situation, but he did not care. He just walked into the Cining Palace slowly and, led by the palace maids, went to the place where the empress dowager rested to pay a visit to Empress Dowager Tian.
Empress Dowager Tian was playing backgammon with Concubine Xian. When she saw him come in, she couldn't help but look him over carefully.