Chapter 441 - 435_1
Huangfu Jing furrowed his brows even more upon hearing that this matter was also related to the Fourth Princess. These past few days, King An had been restless, carrying out numerous covert actions behind the scenes, probably thinking that no one knew about them. Now, it appeared neither this brother-sister duo was content with keeping a low profile. Both inside and outside the palace, they were stirring up trouble and would need to be dealt with sooner or later to prevent any future problems.
"That may not be the case. Those people did take action, but Yueyue cleverly seized the opportunity to escape. She was later discovered by me, and hence I’ve brought her to you," Huangfu Jing explained, summarizing the events to Princess Yongle, who, upon hearing this, cursed angrily in front of him.
"This is utterly outrageous, those people are far too bold! Yueyue is a distinguished guest I invited to the palace, and they dared to scheme so brazenly, even using the excuse of the Empress Dowager’s health to deceive me away. It’s despicable! Emperor, you must stand up for me. You have to find and punish the villains behind this. If they dare to do something like this today, who knows what even more heinous acts they might commit in the future. We can’t rest easy until these people are rooted out."
Huangfu Jing had already suspected that Princess Yongle was lured away by someone, and although he was not surprised by her words, he was angered that people dared to use the Empress Dowager’s health as a trap. Once the culprits were identified, they would not be let off lightly. Moreover, based on his observations, Huangfu Jing already had a good idea who was behind this, but he was waiting for the right moment to reveal all. He wouldn’t share this with Princess Yongle though, fearing she wasn’t cunning enough and might let something slip in front of others, which could jeopardize his plans.
Seeing Huangfu Jing not responding, Princess Yongle thought he might not be willing to take action for a mere peasant woman, so she stubbornly tugged at his sleeve, shaking it. "Emperor, you must speak. Yueyue is a VIP I invited into the palace. I don’t care; you must stand up for me and Yueyue this time and not let those behind-the-scenes villains get away with it."
"Alright, don’t worry. I will certainly stand up for you and Yueyue. However, the identity of the person behind this has not been fully uncovered yet. You need to be careful yourself. If you had used your brain a little more today, or if the preparations had been more thorough, then no one could have exploited the situation. Since Yueyue is a guest you invited to the palace, you should also be more attentive and take good care of her, making sure no one bullies her," he advised.
"You’re right in your reprimand, Emperor. Yongle will remember this," said Princess Yongle, cheerfully agreeing without giving much thought to Huangfu Jing’s demeanor. On the other hand, Bilian watched Lin Yue thoughtfully, sensing that the Emperor cared about Lin Yue a little too much. The Emperor hadn’t been so easy to speak with in the past; he was particularly different with Madam Lin today.
Lin Yue also noticed Bilian’s subtle glance and thought to herself about how sensitive this girl was.
"By the way, Yongle, didn’t you say you’ve learned a new game that’s quite fun? I happen to be free today. Why don’t you teach me how to play it?"