The purple-gold auspicious beast triangular incense burner in the east side hall was burning with ambergris. Everything was silent. Princess Fenyang's mood gradually calmed down. She finally felt a little scared after realizing it, but now that things have come to this, there is no turning back. She could only sneer: "Your Majesty, you only think so! What benefits have we gained?!"
Is there no benefit
Emperor Yuanfeng chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm on his face: "Over the years, the Imperial Clan Court has been handed over to my brother, who is in charge of the royal family's salaries and various rewards. He holds a high position in the royal family. Is this a benefit? He has repeatedly shown favor to your family, and the Cui family is counted as one of the imperial merchants but exempted from commercial taxes. Is this a benefit? Chun'an was granted the title of Princess upon her birth, similar to a Prince. Is this a benefit?"
Speaking of which, Emperor Yuanfeng has treated the remaining royal family members, who appear to be relatively well-behaved, very generously over the years.
Especially the Fenyang Palace, which is used as a memorial archway, has a first-class status and is highly respected.
Emperor Yuanfeng couldn't figure it out. It had come to this point. What else would be considered a benefit
Therefore, he smiled sincerely and asked Princess Fenyang: "My royal brother has status, money, fame and fortune. What else does he want to be considered a benefit? Or does the benefit that the royal sister-in-law mentioned mean that even if it is my family affairs, I have to listen to your instructions?"
Speaking of this, Princess Fenyang's heart skipped a beat.
"If I really didn't care about family affection, I would have investigated my brother's death in the clan house thoroughly! Whether he committed suicide out of fear of crime, no one knows better than you!" Emperor Yuanfeng suddenly sneered: "You still accuse me of forcing him to death, who forced him to death? It was his own greed and your own audacity! Do you really think that I know nothing about you starting to make trouble in the capital in the past two years? If I hadn't cared about our relationship, would I have waited until now when the evidence is conclusive and still summoned you to the palace? I had asked the Jinyiwei to raid your palace long ago!"
He stared coldly at the stunned Princess Fenyang and threw the stack of memorials in front of her. "Do you want me to review it with you again, sister-in-law! Over the years, no, even before that, you have had a myriad of connections with the Duke Cheng's Mansion, Xu Shun, and Qi Yunxi. Do you really think I am blind and deaf and can be played around with at will?"
Princess Fenyang was speechless. When she thought about what Emperor Yuanfeng meant by this, her whole body trembled.
Emperor Yuanfeng laughed again at last: "Sister-in-law, I know you have been making small moves behind my back for these years, but I didn't expect you to be so bold and actually have a connection with the remnants of the previous dynasty? Why, sister-in-law, do you think that I, the emperor, can't give you what you want, but the deposed emperor can? Those remnants of the previous dynasty can give you what you want!? Wake up! To them, my brother is still the closest relative of the old master, but were they soft-hearted when they took action? Why can't you understand?!"
Princess Fenyang's face was pale, and it felt like countless ants were crawling in her head, making it impossible for her to think properly.
She wasn't really not afraid. How could anyone not be afraid of death? Besides, she had people to take care of, she had several children, and the Cui family... ..
Emperor Yuanfeng seemed to be able to sense her thoughts, and his voice softened: "Sister-in-law, the evidence is now in front of you, please take a good look. The evidence now on the table is enough to make the royal family compromise, enough to remove your Fenyang Palace from the royal family. And your Cui family...Xu Fengqing said it clearly, your Cui family also got involved in the maritime business, I... "
Princess Fenyang heard the threat in these words. How could she really accept anything happening to the Cui family
She has few relatives left.
She fell to her knees in front of Emperor Yuanfeng, crying so hard that her head felt dizzy and painful: "Your Majesty, please spare the children's lives for the sake of our past friendship! We did something wrong, and we deserve to die, but except for Chun'an, you know the other children. The eldest has been very honest since he was young, and he knows nothing... and the other children are still very young... Your Majesty, please be wise and don't implicate them. I beg you..."
Emperor Yuanfeng looked at her calmly: "Sister-in-law, I think you finally understand the feeling of parents worrying about their children. Have you ever thought about how sad I am for Pei'er's death and the killing of the second, third and fourth sons?!"
Princess Fenyang's face turned pale. When she heard Emperor Yuanfeng say this, the last bit of hope in her heart disappeared.
Yes, Master Bai Qi was captured alive. He was the one who was behind Qi Yunxi and gave Qi Yunxi advice.
How could he really withstand it if he fell into the hands of the Jinyiwei? I'm afraid that everything that should and shouldn't be said has already been said.
Now, the life and death of all of them depends on the decision of Emperor Yuanfeng.
Just as Emperor Yuanfeng said, since they were involved in the crimes of treason and the evil deeds of the previous dynasty, how could other members of the royal family stand up and speak for them
If she didn't give Emperor Yuanfeng an explanation, even if Emperor Yuanfeng wanted to exterminate the entire Fenyang Palace, the royal family would not object.
She lay on the ground and weighed the matter for a while, and finally said with difficulty: "I plead guilty..."
Princess Fenyang stayed in the Taiji Hall for the entire afternoon. It was not until the evening that Emperor Yuanfeng ordered the current manager of the Ministry of Clan Affairs to come and take Princess Fenyang away, and he went to the Cining Palace himself.
Empress Dowager Tian was just coming out of the small Buddhist hall. When she heard that Emperor Yuanfeng was coming, she sighed before leaving the hall and going to the main hall.
As soon as she entered the main hall, she saw Emperor Yuanfeng sitting at the top without saying a word, and she couldn't help but call him Emperor.
Emperor Yuanfeng stood up and bowed, then helped her sit down. She asked softly, "How is it going? Is there a result?"
Recently this matter has been getting bigger and bigger. A Juhai Manor has been kidnapping people from all over the country and blatantly forcing women of good quality into prostitution. Moreover, the court ministers have helped to cover it up. This is shocking enough, but who would have thought that after further investigation, it would be discovered that the crimes of Juhai Manor are far more than that.
Empress Dowager Tian has become more and more detached from worldly affairs. She didn't pay much attention to this matter at first. It was only later when Emperor Yuanfeng mentioned that the death of the late crown prince was actually related to Juhai Manor that she couldn't help but be shocked.
Now, Emperor Yuanfeng has already met with Princess Fenyang who was accused by Xu Fengqing and Bai Qiye's people. Empress Dowager Tian guessed that the matter must have come to an end.
Emperor Yuanfeng hummed, and was silent for a long time before he curled his lips and said, "It turns out that in recent years, the Prince of Fenyang's Mansion is really the same as Xu Shun before, doing things for those people and sharing the benefits. Don't you think it's ridiculous? They don't even have a higher status than Qi Yunxi. They are making such a fuss just because they want to replace Qi Yunxi's position there."