My sister became the empress, but I'm still growing vegetables and raising chickens

Chapter 385 The Second Prince Wants to Kill the Emperor?

As dawn approached, the stubborn old ministers had been kneeling outside the palace all night, still refusing to leave.

Despite the freezing weather, these ministers, who had knelt until their knees were about to break, found the gates of the Zichen Palace tightly shut and guarded by layers of soldiers. The emperor showed no intention of coming out.

Duke Feng knelt at the front, turning his head slightly to see the second young lady and young master of the Si family kneeling there as well. The young master was clearly too young and lacked strength.

What a stubborn child.

The Duke of Fengguo thought to himself.

I'm already this old, and kneeling all night has been enough.

The next moment, the Duke of Feng collapsed to the ground, and those behind him panicked. They did want to force the Emperor to send the women from the Zichen Palace, but they didn't truly intend to sacrifice their lives.

Now that their leader has fainted, they are naturally in complete chaos.

The eunuch immediately went in to report, and soon came out with the Emperor's order. He ordered someone to send the Duke back, and then conveyed the Emperor's oral decree.

"By imperial decree, the daughter of the Si family, Si Muwan, is respectful, virtuous, and fearless in the face of danger. She shall be conferred the title of Consort Wan."

The court officials were in an uproar. How could this be?

Then the eunuch continued speaking.

"By imperial decree, Consort Rong has been demoted to Noble Lady and moved to Beichen Palace for her improper conduct in front of the palace."

Unfortunately, Lord Hu was not here. The court officials looked at each other, not knowing what to do.

The eunuch said to the second sister, "Miss Si, His Majesty wishes to see you."

The second sister patted her younger brother on the shoulder, got up, and followed the eunuch inside.

She knelt in the snow all night, and her cloak was soaked through at the knees because she was afraid of hurting her younger brother's knees, so she insisted that he kneel on her cloak.

Now, when he got up, he was limping.

Fortunately, the eunuch did not rush her and slowly led her into the room.

The floor lamps inside the room were burning brightly, and palace maids had already brought her a clean and warm fur cloak to change into.

The emperor sat in the outer room and said to his second sister, "Go and see your sister."

Several imperial physicians were waiting with the eunuchs, and the palace maids were taking meticulous care of her. The little sister lay there unconscious, her face pale.

The second sister went over to check on her, then reached out and touched her hand. Finding it wasn't cold, her eyes welled up with tears, and she murmured softly, "Little sister, when will you wake up?"

Only when you wake up can you be considered out of danger.

Back outside, the second sister knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, my younger sister is still young and not used to life in the palace. I beg Your Majesty to rescind your order and allow me to take her home."

The Emperor treated her very well, only asking, "How do you know she's not happy?"

The second sister remained silent. She wasn't asking whether she was willing or not, but rather whether it was appropriate.

The Emperor knew this in his heart, and sighed, "She saved my life, and I cherish her."

The second sister stubbornly knelt there.

The Emperor then said, "If I don't let her go, will you all have to kneel outside forever?"

The second sister kowtowed: "Your Majesty, please rescind your decree."

The Emperor suddenly laughed: "How could your Si family have such a stubborn young lady like you? If you weren't Wan'er's sister, do you think I would have let you off?"

The second sister did not look up.

"Enough, enough." The Emperor waved his hand. "How about this: if Wan'er refuses to enter the palace as a concubine after she wakes up, I will not force her."

Having made such a promise, the second sister felt a slight sense of relief. Now that things had come to this, the youngest sister's reputation was bound to be damaged; someone who had caught the emperor's eye would likely find it difficult to get married.

But at least whether or not she enters the palace is a decision she can make herself.

The second sister is still hesitating.

The Emperor was already laughing in anger: "What? Si Mutong, do you think I'm a petty person whose words don't count?"

"Folk girls don't dare."

The second sister then got up, turned around, and went out.

Without looking at anyone else, she walked up to her younger brother and whispered, "Xiao An, let's go back."

"What about the third sister?" the younger brother asked, looking up.

The second sister helped him up: "My younger sister is still in danger and cannot be moved easily. But His Majesty has already promised that once she wakes up, if she does not wish to enter the palace as a concubine, she will be allowed to return home."

"really?"

The second sister laughed: "The true emperor's word is as good as gold."

The younger brother then got up and followed his second sister, who limped away.

The others looked around as they saw the Duke of Fengguo being carried away and the young ladies and gentlemen of the Si family also leaving.

Some of the more alert older folks simply closed their eyes and collapsed, then had themselves carried away. Others, their eyes darting around, didn't even bother to faint and simply ran away. The remaining people thought it over and decided there was no need to kneel; their legs were cold and aching, and kneeling any longer would only worsen their condition.

So when Prince Ning came to report in the morning, there was no one guarding outside the Zichen Palace.

The case of the dancer's assassination attempt on the emperor was investigated quickly, and every single piece of evidence pointed to the second prince. Prince Ning presented all the evidence to the emperor and explained it to him one by one.

"The Second Prince was unhappy that Your Majesty had imprisoned him, which led to this incident. The dagger was poisoned; it wasn't fatal but would weaken the body. If Your Majesty had been stabbed today, I'm afraid..."

The Emperor gritted his teeth: "My own son actually tried to harm me!"

Prince Ning thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, but the Second Prince does not admit to these crimes. If we continue to investigate, it is possible that other possibilities may arise."

The Emperor waved his hand dismissively: "There's no need to investigate further. Who else could it be but him? You may leave."

"Yes."

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Emperor decreed that the Second Prince, Xiao Jingcheng, be sent to the Imperial Estate for confinement and never allowed to leave. Furthermore, his descendants were stripped of their imperial lineage, and the Imperial Concubine was stripped of her official robes and her seal of office was revoked.

The Imperial Concubine and the Second Prince pleaded their case, but the Emperor ignored them.

The second prince was furious. Before leaving the palace, he desperately wanted to see the emperor, but the emperor refused to see him three times in a row and said that if anyone came looking for him again, he would be demoted to a commoner.

His relationship with the second prince and his son was over, and there was no possibility of reconciliation.

The second prince burst into tears.

The Imperial Concubine also burst into tears, repeatedly crying out, "Your mother told you not to pursue that Si Mutong, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened!"

Si Muwan saved the Emperor and was even made a concubine by him. Si Mutong is Si Muwan's older sister. Not only because of the assassination attempt on the Emperor, but also because of the fact that his son dared to covet the sister of the woman he loved, the Emperor would be tormented by this thought.

Why would they be willing to listen to the Second Prince's rebuttal?

Unable to break free, the second prince had no choice but to pull the eunuch aside and say, "Go and invite His Highness Prince Ning, I need to see Prince Ning!"

The Imperial Concubine said, "Prince Ning and Si Mutong are entangled. It would be good if he didn't kick you when you're down. Why would he be willing to help you?"

The Second Prince shook his head: "No, although he won't help me, he will enforce the law impartially and without favoritism. As long as he finds any fault in this case, he will definitely reopen it for a thorough investigation. If I want to overturn the case, I can only turn to Prince Ning!"

After all, he is a prince. Even if the emperor is furious and unwilling to see him now, what if there is a day when the case is overturned?

So the eunuch went to Prince Ning's residence to inform Prince Ning that the Second Prince wanted to see him.