Chapter 284

Chapter 284 The Crown Prince Was Humiliated

The hall was silent. Only the Crown Prince’s breath could be heard. It sounded a little rapid. A few booklets were thrown to his side, and the jade crown on his head was askew. One booklet had just hit his crown. Although it did not hit him in the face, he felt extremely humiliated.

Pei Luo’an had never been so embarrassed before. His face turned red.

He had been the Crown Prince for a long time. Although his position as the Crown Prince was not secure, he had the advantage on the surface. He was the emperor’s eldest son, and no one could object to him.

However, the emperor just threw the booklets at him because of Ji Hanyue’s dowry shops. Thinking of the restrained smile on Pei Yusheng’s face just now, Pei Luo’an could not help but feel angry. He clenched his fists under the sleeves. The clothes’ threads rubbed his skin, making him know that he was still kneeling in the hall.

He was the Crown Prince, yet he was humiliated in front of all the officials. Did the emperor really not want him to ascend the throne?

His eyes were filled with hatred and anger, but he suppressed his emotion and raised up his head to explain in a somewhat panicked manner, “Father, I really didn’t mean to do this. I’ve been missing the ex-Crown Princess these days. I was muddle-headed. How could I care about such a thing? It’s my negligence. I will find out the truth.”

Sitting in the high seat, the emperor looked at Pei Luo’an with disappointment and asked, “Have you found it out now?”

This matter caused an uproar. Everyone in the capital now knew that Pei Luo’an’s affection for the ex-Crown Princess was fake. Perhaps he had an affair with the Side Princess Ji long before, and that was why he let her occupy the ex-Crown Princess’ dowry.

If he was sincere to the ex-Crown Princess, how could he ignore the ex-Crown Princess’ affairs?

The officials wrote everything in the reports. Some of them said that the Crown Prince’s affection for the ex-Crown Princess was all pretense, and some said that the ex-Crown Princess might have been angered to death by the Side Princess. They also said that the Crown Prince neglected Earl Ling’an’s Mansion’s affairs, and he should not let Earl Ling’an’s Mansion fall to this state if he really loved the ex-Crown Princess.

It was said that the Side Princess had intervened in the dispute regarding Earl Ling’an’s Mansion’s title because she wanted her elder brother to inherit the title but not the young master of the mansion, who was just her younger brother born by a concubine.

The more people talked about something, the more the thing seemed to be true.

Most of the officials knew that the ex-Crown Princess died of serious injuries after blocking the assassin’s attack for the Crown Prince.

If the Crown Prince was really not grateful to the ex-Crown Princess and brought a woman who had an affair with him into the mansion, who was also the ex-Crown Princess’ cousin sister, the ex-Crown Princess must be heartbreaking. Even if the ex-Crown Princess was healthy, she might not be able to withstand it, not to mention that she was seriously ill at that time. She might have been angered to death.

After all, the second branch that Side Princess Ji was in seemed to be the beneficiary of the ex-Crown Princess’ death.

“Father, I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly. She might not mean to occupy the ex-Crown Princess’ dowry. Perhaps she was busy with the matters of Eastern Palace and Earl Ling’an’s Mansion for a while, so she did not have the time to return these things. Father, please rest assured. If she really did it on purpose, I will not spare her.”

The Crown Prince heavily kowtowed three times, his face full of anger. It seemed that he would show no mercy to Ji Youran.

Pei Yuanjun looked at the Crown Prince. He stood in front of all the other generals, facing the Crown Prince. All the other officials in the court lowered their heads in panic. Even Lord Jing and Lord Yan, who also wrote reports to charge the Crown Prince, lowered their heads, afraid that the emperor would vent his anger on them.

They didn’t even dare to make any noise.

Only Pei Yuanjun looked at Pei Luo’an with a big smile on his handsome face, looking presumptuous and fearless.

The emperor glanced at Pei Yuanjun as if he didn’t see the disrespect in the latter’s eyes for the Crown Prince. He still fixed his eyes on the Crown Prince and said, “Well, well. Then go and investigate. If it is really the case, you don’t have to keep this Side Princess. The royal family doesn’t want such a vicious woman.”

“Yes, father!” Pei Luo’an secretly wiped away his cold sweat. Fortunately, Ji Youran was capable. She had dealt with most of the things yesterday. Now, she only needed to return the movable belongings. In the next two days, she would tidy up the belongings and return the dowry in front of everyone in the capital.

His position as the Crown Prince was shaken because of some financial matters. He thought he should really teach Ji Youran a lesson this time.

The hall was quiet again. The emperor sitting on the top was silent, and no one spoke below. Pei Yuanjun raised his eyes to look at the emperor, who was sitting in a high position, and saw that the emperor looked at him with a bit of scrutiny. Then, he smiled and looked away.

A eunuch shouted, “The court is dismissed!”

After the emperor left with a group of eunuchs, the atmosphere in the hall eased a little. Some officials who were on the Crown Prince’s side hurried to help the Crown Prince up.

Pei Luo’an’s legs were still trembling. He held an minister’s hand and stood up. His face was livid as he looked at Pei Yusheng, who was standing at the side with gloomy eyes.

Seeing that Pei Luo’an was looking at him, Pei Yusheng walked over and said with concern, “Your Highness, are your legs sore? Please have a rest before you leave.”

“My legs are not sore, but my hands are a little sore because of overreaching.” Pei Luo’an sneered and pushed away Pei Yusheng’s hand.

The reason why the officials dared to report to criticize Pei Luo’an was mostly because of Pei Yusheng. Now, Pei Yusheng was pretending, which made Pei Luo’an angry.

“Your Highness, why did you say this?” Pei Yusheng was surprised.

Pei Luo’an said coldly, “Lord Jing, I heard that you are going to marry a lady from Vice Minister Qu’s Mansion.”

The smile on Pei Yusheng’s face froze. He could hardly continue to make a smile, but then he smiled again and shook his sleeves, “Your Highness, I’m afraid you misheard.”

After saying that, he turned around and left. He didn’t want to talk about Qu Qiuyan here. It was just about a concubine. How could such a trifle be discussed here? If the emperor knew about the matter, it would be another proof of him being a frivolous man.

He was happy to see Pei Luo’an’s reputation damaged.

There were indeed some of his people who accused the Crown Prince, but there were also some impartial Imperial Censors. Pei Luo’an didn’t have good morality, which was why so many people criticized him and discussed it to this extent. Pei Yusheng felt that he had nothing to do with this matter.

Pei Luo’an looked coldly at Pei Yusheng’s back and sneered in his heart. Pei Yusheng must have added fuel to the flame.

He knew whom Pei Yusheng liked!

“Crown Prince, do you need to investigate it today?” A clear voice came behind Pei Luo’an. It was Lord Yun.

Pei Luo’an took a deep breath to calm himself. Then, he turned around and tried to look calm. He looked at Pei Yuanjun and said, “Yes, Uncle Yun. I have to trouble you.”

“Then let’s go!” Pei Yuanjun nodded, waved his sleeves, and walked out. Pei Luo’an hurriedly followed him. His status was higher than Pei Yuanjun, but in terms of seniority, he was the junior. Most importantly, Pei Yuanjun was highly regarded by the emperor, so he had to respect him.

The two of them walked out of the palace together and boarded their own carriage. The two large carriages drove towards the Crown Prince’s Eastern Palace.

The two carriages arrived at Eastern Palace, and the Crown Prince’s carriage stopped first. Pei Luo’an got off the carriage, only to see Ji Youran walking over with a few maids. “Greetings, Your Highness!”

At the sight of Ji Youran, Pei Luo’an’s face darkened as he recalled the humiliation he had suffered in the court just now.

“Your Highness, I have prepared some pastries. I made them in the kitchen myself. Please have a taste.” Ji Youran said coquettishly. She looked at Pei Luo’an affectionately as if she had only Pei Luo’an in her eyes. Pei Luo’an’s figure could even be reflected in her eyes.

He used to be satisfied with her devotion to him, and he felt that Ji Youran was wholeheartedly devoted to him. Even though he didn’t promise her anything at that time, she still admired him wholeheartedly. Although Ji Youran was not as beautiful as Ji Hanyue, her love for him was deeper and gentler.

But her tender love for him had become somewhat polluted. Pei Luo’an’s gaze fell on Ji Youran, carrying a bit of coldness.

“Your Highness, it was all my fault, but I have dealt with everything now. Your Highness, I won’t make such mistakes in the future.” Ji Youran’s eyes were red, and a drop of tear slowly fell down from her fair and tender cheeks. She was as beautiful as jade, carrying shyness and unspeakable pain, and she blamed everything on herself without hesitation.

Pei Luo’an’s expression softened as he saw Ji Youran act like this. Just as he was about to say something, a gust of wind blew past him, lifting up Ji Youran’s hair and revealing a scar on Ji Youran’s face. The scar made Ji Youran look uglier.

Pei Luo’an’s eyes narrowed, not only because he saw Ji Youran’s ugly face but also because he heard Pei Yuanjun’s words. “Crown Prince, it turns out that you like this kind of woman. Your taste… is very unique!”

Pei Luo’an and Ji Youran both heard Pei Yuanjun’s words that carried a bit of blatant mockery. Ji Youran quickly pressed down her hair that was blown up, and her face turned pale. She was so embarrassed that she couldn’t even raise her head to look at Pei Luo’an. She didn’t want Pei Luo’an to see it the most.

Her scar was due to Ji Hanyue’s scratch at that time. When she was about to recover, she accidentally took Yu’s medicine, so the scar swelled up again, and the recovery slowed down. She hadn’t recovered yet, and she sometimes felt pain because of the scar, which reminded her of the scene when Ji Hanyue died that day.

Pei Luo’an’s face also darkened. He was the Crown Prince, yet he was said to like an ugly woman. How could he not feel ashamed?

Ji Youran was really ugly. Even if the Crown Prince’s Side Princess didn’t need to be a peerless beauty, she must not have a scar on her face…