The Princess of Northern Land
Chapter 857: Revenge (7)

Chapter 857: Chapter 857: Revenge (7)

Most of the speakers were of the Crown Prince’s faction, and the officials supporting him, seeing his indifference, also held their silence.

"Crown Prince Chu, what do you think of this matter?" the emperor asked with a gloomy face.

The Crown Prince sneered inwardly. He took the initiative to advise and whether the emperor liked it or not, he would not hold a grudge against him. But if Crown Prince Chu did not answer well, well...

"Replying to Father Emperor, your son thinks this matter should be carefully considered." As expected, once Crown Prince Chu’s words were spoken, the emperor’s expression grew even worse.

"Your son believes this matter is double-sided. The previous emperor decreed that King Ling could decide on his own marriage. Whether Princess Consort Ling is good or not, it is his choice. Furthermore, your son has heard that she was abducted by North Country people because she possessed unique skills. A capable person always has a bit of pride. If Princess Consort Ling were truly impure, your son believes King Ling would never tolerate it, and Princess Consort Ling would have no face to return to Northern Land. The fact that King Ling has sent petitions and letters shows his sincerity and shows no disrespect to the emperor. However, secondly, he is not entirely without fault. All young ladies of the noble houses are reputable, and King Ling’s neglect towards them is somewhat inappropriate. Please, Father Emperor, consider this," Crown Prince Chu proved to be quite cunning.

The Crown Prince was livid with rage; the good and the bad were all articulated by him, yet it amounted to nothing.

"Please, Emperor, make your decision." Those who supported the third prince stepped forward.

"Let each residence take back their people. As for arrangements, see to it yourselves." After the prolonged debate, nothing was resolved, and it seemed the emperor was favoring King Ling; although the ministers were apprehensive, they dared not say much.

The emperor returned to the Imperial Study Room and in anger, threw the petitions all over the floor.

Chu Suifeng’s challenges, how could he not know? Yet Daqin had been without war for years, and now Northern Land belonged to Chu Suifeng’s jurisdiction; the territory was entirely Chu Suifeng’s to command.

What could he do? He could anticipate that even if he decreed, Chu Suifeng would not obey him, and sending troops to attack would be the most unwise decision. An emperor feeling helpless against his son, how could he not be enraged?

"Summon Little Dezi to carry my edict to Northern Land." Nevertheless, not taking any action would not sit well with him. After calming himself for a moment, he began to write the royal decree.

Eunuch Miao sighed in relief outside; he had been terrified by Chu Suifeng, and he never wanted to return to Northern Land again. Since he had returned injured, the emperor had not been too displeased with him, which was a blessing in disguise.

After returning to his residence, Lin Ziyin’s family crowded around to ask about the events. He merely shook his head slightly.

Today in the grand hall, he had said nothing. Not because he was feigning depth, but out of guilt. The last time he left Northern Land, Lin Wanwan had reported to Chu Suifeng, who was willing to let her return to Capital City with him, but he refused.

Since then, Lin Wanwan was unwilling to see him, knowing that his daughter resented him. Moreover, he had a premonition that Lin Wanwan would never return to Capital City, but he spoke none of this to his family.

When the officials returned home, the residences were in an uproar since none knew how to manage after retrieving their people.

The emperor’s heart was always hard to predict.

This explosive news was the biggest yet.

The next day, a huge scandal erupted in Capital City; Prince Rui’s consort had committed adultery and was caught. Much like Prince Rui, several high officials’ wives had also been made cuckolds.

The adulterers had been caught red-handed; Prince Rui and the others could not cover it up.

Before the Zongren Residence could arrive to arrest those involved at Prince Rui’s Residence, news came that Prince Rui’s consort had hanged herself in suicide.

These days, the streets of Capital City were abuzz with everyone discussing the matter. Scandals were always hot topics for public debate.

Prince Rui hid at home, daring not to venture out, staring at the cold bed where Prince Rui’s consort lay, his eyes filled with fierceness. "Chu Suifeng, I swear I’m not human if I don’t kill you."

From the actions in the hall, many ministers also guessed it was Chu Suifeng’s doing since all who were affected had insulted King Ling’s wife. This was Chu Suifeng’s blatant retaliation, widely recognized but dared not to be spoken of.

Whether it was Prince Rui or the high officials, all kept silent, showing that Chu Suifeng’s tactic of killing the chicken to scare the monkeys was quite effective.

The Crown Prince was on tenterhooks for days, ordering the Prince Residence to tighten security. He too had slandered Lin Ziyin in the hall; now all that was left was for his wife not to cuckhold him.

He was destined to be Crown Prince, so infidelity of the Crown Princess Consort was unacceptable.

Fortunately, for half a month the Prince Residence remained calm, and the Crown Princess Consort did not stray from the Crown Prince’s side.

Just when the Crown Prince was slightly relieved, Capital City’s streets and alleys were plastered with images of the Crown Princess Consort and another man, along with captions—it was practically a riveting drama.

"Chu Suifeng." When the Crown Prince saw the removed images and play script, he nearly went mad. Especially since small text emphasized: If coincidental with the Crown Princess Consort’s story, it’s purely coincidental.

A blatant slap in the face.

Without indicating, it might have been alright, but with those few words marked, it was impossible not to think of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess Consort.

The Crown Princess Consort fainted when she heard the news.

The emperor, furiously enraged, decreed a strict investigation into the matter. For a time, Capital City was in complete chaos.