Therefore, since he had caught Qiu Chuying's handle this time, Emperor Longqing had no intention of stopping. Even if it meant turmoil in the court and the country, he had to seize this opportunity to completely get rid of the King of Chu first.
No matter what, lighting this fire did achieve the desired effect.
Now Queen Fang's belly is getting bigger and bigger. If Queen Fang gives birth to a daughter, the princes will never be able to return to their fiefdoms. If Queen Fang gives birth to a son...
The princes' lives might not be easy either. After all, Emperor Longqing had to make long-term plans for his own kingdom. His son was still a little kid who couldn't even speak coherently, but the princes were all strong and healthy, and even their sons were already fifteen or sixteen years old. How could he feel at ease
Prince Duan has been frightened these days.
Even the King of Jin, who always kept himself out of the matter, clenched his fists.
Only Prince Zheng, who had just returned to the capital, lived a relatively relaxed life.
He went to do work for Emperor Longqing, and nearly lost his life as soon as he set out. He finally sorted out the relationship in Yangzhou, and could be considered a victim - this mission was facilitated by Liu Zhen.
Emperor Longqing knew exactly who Liu Zhen belonged to. Besides, Prince Zheng had no son, his fief was not very good, he had the fewest soldiers, and he never mentioned anything about returning to his fief, which really made him feel at ease.
When Emperor Longqing met him this time, he was more friendly than before.
As soon as Prince Zheng entered the palace and went to the imperial study, he smelled the odor of medicine in the whole room. Naturally, he wanted to ask about the dragon's health.
Emperor Longqing shook his head slowly, his face showing his emotion. "I am fine, but the King of Chu really had the guts to kill me. If it weren't for Zhaoyi's quick thinking to block the knife for me, and General Miao's timely rescue, my life would have been in their hands!"
King Zheng also had a face full of bitterness and hatred, as if he was extremely embarrassed: "This... ..The Ming family is now overturning the verdict..."
He looked at Emperor Longqing hesitantly, as if he was in a dilemma and hesitated: "If I do this, won't I appear to be extremely heartless and disloyal?"
After all, Ming Yuyou lost two lives, but King Zheng didn't care.
Emperor Longqing said nothing, but his voice became softer: "How can I blame you for this? I am the ruler of the world, but I was blinded and wronged the loyal people. I was careless for a moment, causing the Ming and Wei families to suffer heavy losses... I still feel guilty when I think about it now. You were not very old at the time, and we were newlyweds. How much affection could we have? How can I blame you?"
King Zheng raised the corner of his mouth in his heart.
Of course, people in the world would not scold Emperor Longqing for being so stupid - he issued an edict of repentance and overturned the case of the Ming family. After all, the Ming family was killed by Qiu Chuying and others before they were convicted, and it had nothing to do with Emperor Longqing.
But Prince Zheng was unlucky. After all, he "forced away" his first wife, causing her death. Now the whole city is talking about it. Even storytellers erased their names when telling this story. The theaters even wrote a new play and performed it in full swing. Who doesn't know that Prince Zheng is the unfaithful and ungrateful man
The worse the reputation of Prince Zheng became, the more lenient Emperor Longqing became towards him.
He sighed, looked at King Zheng and said, "You are also pitiful and implicated. Liu Zhen confessed everything. Even the assassination attempt on you in Tongzhou when you first arrived in Beijing was the idea of King Chu!"
King Zheng was terrified and said, "I am just a powerless person with no support. Why is Third Brother trying to kill me so ruthlessly?!"
Emperor Longqing patted his shoulder solemnly, and after a while he asked him to stand up. He whispered, "Some time ago, the Queen decided to pick a girl for you - a girl from the family of the wife of the Earl of Qinghe. What a pity..."
King Zheng had a hopeful look on his face: "Is it because of my brother's bad reputation?"
Emperor Longqing nodded and turned the topic back to the original topic of Ming Yuyou: "Gossip can melt gold, and repeated criticism can destroy a person. We should also understand the love that others have for their daughter."
King Zheng lowered his head and gave a helpless smile: "Your Majesty is right. If that's the case, I will just stay quietly as a widower for the Ming family. It can be regarded as paying off my debt to the people in the underworld, right?"
"Nonsense!" Emperor Longqing raised his head from the official documents and looked at him and scolded: "Who are you? How can you not find a wife? It's just that your reputation is damaged, so it's not easy to force it. Now there is a way. People say that you are mean to your wife, so you can think of a way to make up for it."
King Zheng listened attentively.
Emperor Longqing said, "This was also your sister-in-law's idea. She meant that you just have a bad reputation now, and the bad reputation is all because of the previous princess. If that's the case, just make amends. Now that the Ming and Wei families have been proven innocent, you can still treat them as in-laws."
Prince Zheng immediately accepted the advice and sincerely expressed his loyalty to Emperor Longqing: "Don't worry, my emperor. I know everything."
Among so many troublesome brothers, Prince Zheng is a rare flower. Emperor Longqing has never had any ill feelings towards him. Especially recently, Prince Zheng has been very obedient and tolerant, and has posed no threat. So he doesn't mind promoting him a little more. He uses both kindness and force. Now the pressure is enough, and he has to let people see a way out.
It would not be good if several princes started to cause trouble together like in the previous dynasty.
He nodded, patted King Zheng on the shoulder and sighed: "It's good that you understand. Go and discuss it with the Wei family and give them enough respect. The Wei family is not a family that doesn't know etiquette. They should know what to do. After a few days, when everything is calm, I will ask your sister-in-law to bring up this marriage for you again. You are so old now, how can you stay single like this?"
Prince Zheng agreed meekly, and after returning, he really listened to Emperor Longqing's words. Two days later, he ran to the Wei family to apologize.
In order to express his sincerity, Prince Zheng did not even set up a full royal regalia, but went with a small entourage. The first few times, Mrs. Wei was reluctant to invite him, so he was rejected several times. But after the fifth time, she felt it was not right to put on airs anymore, so she agreed to continue to visit him as a relative.
Prince Zheng was overjoyed, and he went into the palace to report the progress to Emperor Longqing. He looked at him hesitantly and said, "My... old lady always complains about Ming Yu's empty knees, and that he didn't have a tablet when he died, and he didn't get to enter the palace..."
Emperor Longqing was very busy. The storm in the capital had just passed and he had many things to sort out. Hearing this, he easily pulled his mind back from the imperial study and glanced at him indifferently, asking, "What do you want?"
King Zheng lowered his head and said, "The old lady asked me to find a child for Ming Yuyou to adopt... She said that Yuyou is a married woman and can no longer return to the Ming family's ancestral tomb. If she dies without a child..."