Chapter 370
~ THE STORM IS RISING, THE BROTHERS FOUGHT EACH OTHER ~
The Second Prince, Yu Wang, hurriedly handed the crown over to Xu Li. “Imperial Father, this broken crown belonged to Meng Handong. It was shot by a feather arrow, and because the crown was made of pure gold, there are traces of an arrow on it. Please compare it with the feather arrow that hit Meng Handong?”
After Yu Wang finished speaking, he looked at Mu Yunyao and nodded slightly at her.
Mu Yunyao was relieved. At that time, Yue Wang had shot out a total of three arrows, the first of which had only broken off his crown and did not leave any scars on his body. However, another arrow had appeared on the chest of this person. Thus, he had definitely shot it with the same arrow that had broken off his crown.
The Emperor ordered his men to compare, and soon the result was out: “Reporting to Your Majesty, the mark on the crownis consistent with the arrow that shot into Meng Handong’s chest.”
Meng Xi was still in disbelief. “Your Imperial Majesty, these arrows are all about the same. How can you tell the truth just by looking at the marks?”
Yu Wang taunted and began to sneer: “Lord Meng is a civil minister, so he has never been to the battlefield. It is understandable for him that he does not know about bows and arrows. The arrows are made of pig iron, and although they are sharp, they are also very brittle. The feather arrows used in the hunting ground are thinner than those used on the battlefield. Therefore, if it hit the crown made of pure gold, the arrows will be damaged. After inspection, the arrow that pierced Meng Handong’s chest was damaged, and there were some marks left on the arrow. If that’s the case, then Fourth Imperial Brother killed Meng Handong, but Lord Meng is suspected of framing and biting the prince.”
“This humble subject does not dare. It is just that my son was killed, causing me to panic. If there is anything wrong with my words, Your Highness, please forgive me. Even though the arrow has hit the crown of Handong’s head, can’t it be used to kill him?” Meng Xi still does not give up. His son couldn’t just die for nothing.
Mu Yunyao opened her mouth and said, “Lord Meng, there are many arrows in His Royal Highness Yue Wang’s quiver. Could it be that after the arrow had pierced your son’s crown, His Royal Highness Yue Wang did not take it from the quiver again? But instead ran to your son, picked up the arrows that had been used, and then retreated to a distance to use that arrow to kill your son.”
Yu Wang laughed coldly, “There must have been someone who wanted to use the arrow with Fourth Imperial Brother’s mark to frame him. That was the reason why it took so much effort. Lord Meng, you have been trying to pull Yue Wang back, but who told you to do this?”
Meng Xi hurriedly shook his head. “Your Majesty, please enlighten me. This humble subject is extremely loyal to Your Majesty. I definitely won’t dare to frame Your Royal Highness Yue Wang. But, has my son died in vain just like that?”
“If you don’t tell me, I’ll forget that Meng Handong killed the Su family’s horses in front of the Palace gate, and he acted extraordinarily arrogantly. It was because I wanted to rush to the hunting grounds at that time, so I did not punish him for his crimes. In the end, he bore a grudge and bribed the servants who arranged the tents, intentionally putting Miss Mu’s tent at the edge, and even went together with Meng Yanran to release poisonous snakes in Miss Mu’s tent. Who on earth gave him the guts to do so?! Today, he dared to place poisonous snakes in Young Miss’ tents, and he dared to openly fire cold arrows at Yue Wang. Tomorrow, would he dare to move his s hands and feet on the head of Imperial Father or Imperial Aunt?!”
Meng Xi quickly shook his head, and his face pale. Don't talk about seeking justice for his son. It would be good if it didn’t involve the Meng family. “Your majesty, this humble subject didn’t know that the evil Meng Handong was actually so bold and presumptuous. He normally does things with propriety, and he would never do something like this....”
“Heh,” Yu Wang said with mockery, “Lord Meng didn’t feel guilty when he said this. No one in the ruling and the opposition knew that Grand Preceptor Meng had a few dull grandsons, who were unruly and violent, and they were about to be rumored to be a harm in the Capital. Now, do you said that they have a sense of measure? Isn't it afraid that people will laugh out loud when you say this?”
“Junyu, don’t be so rude.” The Emperor spoke.
Yu Wang was indignant. “Imperial Father, this son is too angry. The Meng family is really going too far and is really deceiving people too much. Meng Yanran publicly ridiculed Fourth Imperial Brother yesterday as a fallen prince and was extremely malicious towards Miss Mu. No matter how to say, Ni Yun Fang and Bu Xian Luo have a signboard written by Imperial Father. Miss Mu also donated a hundred thousand taels of silver to the common folk of Jingling City. The Meng family rumored that they humble, but why can’t I see that noble people like them are doing something to the advantage of the common people?”
Mu Yunyao lowered her eyes and did not speak further. There was a faint smile appeared in her heart. She really did not expect that His Royal Highness Yu Wang was so capable. Previously, the court had always said that Yu Wang was straightforward and did not stick to his rules. But in fact, this man was quite careful and didn’t say anything inappropriate.
Yue Wang cupped his hands and bowed to the Emperor: “Imperal Father, please uphold justice for this son.”
The Emperor was silent for a moment before he said, “This matter shall be referred to the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Justice shall be responsible for the investigation. Meng Xi, do you have any objections?”
“This humble subject obeys Your Majesty’s decree.” Afraid that the Meng family might be dragged into this, Meng Xi quickly nodded.
“Go down.”
When the crowd left, the Emperor couldn’t help but rub the center of his brows, and his expression seemed extremely tired.
By the side, Xu Li carefully observed the Emperor’s expression. After a long while, he whispered, “Your Majesty, the Grand Princess said that she would like to invite you over for lunch, and it’s about time now.”
The Emperor nodded. “Let’s go.”
The Grand Princess Yi De had already arranged the meal. Seeing the Emperor walk in, she smiled and said, “I was just thinking of having someone invite Imperial Brother to come. I heard that something happened to those noisy people again?”
The Emperor sat down at the table, and a maid brought him a water basin to clean his hands. The Emperor simply wiped the water off before waving his hand to allow the Palace maids to leave. Then he said, “The younger generation member of the Meng family, Handong, is dead. Someone wants to blame it on Fourth Son.”
“It seems like even if Fourth Son isn’t too favoured, some people still felt that he is a hindrance.” The Grand Princess Yi De let out a sigh. “Although this child’s personality is a bit cold, his heart is actually good. He could sees through everything. It’s only been a few days since he’s come back, and yet there’s already people secretly attacking him. It’s really too anxious.”
“Imperial Elder Sister, you said that this time …” When the matter spread, he did not believe it at all. After all, even if Yue Wang did not have a brain, he would not use such a method to kill Meng Handong. However, he didn’t know who moved his hand behind his back …
The Grand Princess Yi De used her chopsticks to add some dishes to the Emperor and said with a tone full of emotion: “The children have all grown up, each of them has their own thoughts and plans, and each of them has their own achievements. Imperial Brother, you also have to think things through and should be more open-minded. After all, you have already experienced the struggles of the royal family, so no matter how friendly you were previously, you still changed in front of the throne. Even before brothers and friends, before the throne, you have become vulnerable.”
“Imperial Elder Sister, I have experienced those struggles, so that’s why I want to make the children reconcile and harmonious. The opportunities I give them are fair. I just want to let them know in this way that I treat them equally. They don’t need to fight each other. They just need to do their own thing well. I will select the person who is most suitable to inherit the throne from among them.”
The Grand Princess Yi De shook her head. “The trees desire peace and quiet, but the wind cannot stop blowing. It is inevitable that no one will move their minds. Fortunately, this time it didn’t lead to a huge mistake. Imperial Brother, you just need to help them get a good temper in time.”