Ling Yun sincerely requested the Prince of Jinling to take him to see the emperor, so as to clarify the truth about the prince's case and clear the injustice for Mr. Lu.
Prince Jinling frowned and pondered for a long time, and finally nodded with a heavy heart; Ling Yun let out a long breath and bowed to Prince Jinling, "So, Ling Yun thanks the prince."
"Zhichao, you..." The prince of Jinling was tied up with pain and sorrow, as if there were a thousand pounds of stones pressing on his chest. He wanted to say something more, but he didn't know how to say it.
At that moment, the oppressive air seemed to choke everyone's breath, and the surrounding air seemed to solidify, making people suffocating.
If it hadn't been for the sound of footsteps outside at this time, perhaps this atmosphere of irritability and depression would have continued.
The three of them heard the sound and went to look, only to see Ge Long walking in hastily and with Zhao Yang in a panic.
Zhao Yang greeted Ling Yun and Huan Yu politely, and then whispered a few words in the ear of Prince Jinling. Prince Jinling nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go right away."
Prince Jinling had something to do and left in a hurry with Zhao Yang. Ge Long also wisely withdrew, leaving Ling Yun and Huan Yu alone in the secret room.
Huanyu's long eyelashes fluttered, and the wet misty water filled her eyes, "Zhichao, are you really determined to see the Holy Master?"
Ling Yun's dark eyes were full of emotion, he pursed his lips slightly, and finally nodded resolutely.
Huan Yu knew very well that Ling Yun was persistent and decisive, and whatever he decided would not be changed easily.
She glanced at him resentfully, and there were countless words in her heart that she wanted to say to him, but she didn't know how to say them.
She was stunned for a moment, and her whole body suddenly trembled. She could no longer hold back her tears, covered her face and started sobbing, "Ling Yun, you... you are so cruel, I hate you..."
Reluctantly squeezing out these words from between her teeth, she let out a soft sigh and hid her face and left.
Looking at Huanyu's staggering figure, running away as if fleeing, Ling Yun raised his hand uncontrollably, and soon stopped in the air. He tried his best to suppress the noise all over his body, slowly tightened his grip, and pulled back...
Another day passed in the blink of an eye.
The night was deep, bathed in the dim light of the cold moon; the shadows of the trees were desolate, and the hot summer wind spread a mottled and strange shadow on the ground of the palace garden.
Emperor Zhao Yu returned to the Yangxin Hall after dinner.
Sitting in front of the case, thinking about all the messy things that had happened in the past few days, he was upset. Suddenly Feng Chaoying, the chief internal officer, came in and whispered in his ear: "Your Majesty, the Prince of Jinling outside is asking for an audience. I said I have something very important to tell you."
The emperor was stunned for a moment and thought: "It's so late. Prince Jinling came here suddenly. Could something have happened?" He ordered to come quickly.
After a while, the prince of Jinling walked in with a solemn expression, and respectfully knelt on the ground to pay homage to the emperor.
The emperor hurriedly said: "Uncle, there is no need to be polite, just get on your own. What does the emperor want to do here?"
There was a moment of hesitation on Prince Jinling's face; he looked at the palace maids and guards on the left and right, seeming to ponder.
The emperor understood the situation and waved his hand for everyone on both sides to leave. There were only two people in the huge Yangxin Hall, the Emperor and Prince Jinling.
The emperor lazily leaned against the dragon throne. The bright yellow brocade robe on his body was embroidered with the pattern of dragons rising from the sea, and the edges of the robe's corners were undulating with turbulent golden waves.
His nose is tall and straight, his lips are thin and tough, and his stern face, illuminated by the candlelight in the hall, exudes god-like majesty and innate nobility. His whole person exudes a sense of dominion from the inside out. The spirit of king.
At this time, he casually raised his eyelids, narrowed his eyes as deep as obsidian slightly, and looked at the courtier in front of him with scrutiny, "Now, uncle, please tell me what you have to say!"
Prince Jinling suddenly knelt down and kowtowed: "Your Majesty, please forgive me for my sin of concealment."
The emperor was a little confused: "Uncle, what are you talking about? What is there that the emperor has hidden from me?"
Prince Jinling said in a deep voice: "Ling Yun's matter."
"What? Ling Yun's matter?..." The emperor was stunned for a moment, and his originally casual and lazy demeanor immediately disappeared. He stood up from the dragon throne in a flash, "Uncle Huang means that you already know his whereabouts." Yet?"
Prince Jinling said with a trembling voice: "Yes."
The emperor's expression changed from shock to emotion. His eyes were fixed on the frightened man in front of him, and he did not miss any change of expression on his face. He asked almost every word: "Where is he now?"
The prince of Jinling hesitated for a moment and said calmly: "He...he is currently in the old minister's mansion...recuperating from his injuries..."
"He is recuperating in your residence?" The Emperor's eyebrows raised, a look of violence appeared on his brows, and there was an undercurrent in his voice, "So, he has been in your residence for several days?"
"Yes..." Prince Jinling just gritted his teeth and nodded, his lips, eyesight, and even his whole body were trembling.
The emperor snorted, and there was a hint of anger on his gloomy face, "Uncle Emperor, what was my decree a few days ago? No matter who it is, as long as they know the whereabouts of Ling Yun, they must report it as soon as possible. Emperor What's your explanation for this?"
Countless words rolled through his mind, but each one seemed less tenable than the last. Prince Jinling's face turned pale at this moment, and he didn't know what to say for a moment. He only murmured: "I'm scared, I just want to..."
The emperor looked at him sharply, with a teasing coldness at the corner of his mouth, "Uncle Huang just wants to protect Ling Yun and is not willing to tell me the news that he is hiding in the palace, is that right?"
The blood in Prince Jinling's body seemed to have solidified in an instant. He was sweating all over, almost kowtowing and bleeding, and said: "I have concealed my crime, and please forgive me for it. But Your Majesty has mercy on me. When Ling Yun first came to the old minister's house, he was seriously injured. It’s inconvenient, indeed it’s inconvenient to meet the Holy One…”
The emperor waved his hand impatiently and said: "Okay, uncle, you don't have to explain anything anymore - tell me, how is Ling Yun's situation now?"
"Although his injuries have not healed yet, his health is no longer serious." Prince Jinling took a deep breath, trying to suppress some of the chaotic emotions in his heart.
"Last night, he took the initiative to come to the old minister and begged me to take him to see the Holy One. Because the matter was so important, and for the sake of safety, the old minister avoided many eyes and ears and chose this time to come here to meet the Holy One and explain the whole story."
The emperor looked over with a faint look, "Uncle Huang said that Ling Yun took the initiative to ask to see me?"
The prince of Jinling held up his sleeves and gently wiped the sweat from his forehead, "Exactly." He said that he would personally report the whole story of Prince Ming's case to the Holy One, and vindicate Lu Wenzheng's grievances. He would then ask the Holy One to take charge of the overall situation, put things right, and restore justice. Everything in the court was clear and bright."
The emperor pursed his lips and sneered: "If he surrenders voluntarily, aren't you afraid that I will punish him with death?"
Prince Jinling sighed softly and said nothing.
A scene gradually brewed in the emperor's deep eyes. He nodded slightly and said, "It seems that Ling Yun is somewhat responsible and courageous."
After saying that, he left the Dragon Throne and paced back and forth in the hall with his hands behind his back, thoughtfully. Suddenly he stopped, looked at the Prince of Jinling with a keen eye and said: "After the morning session tomorrow morning, bring Ling Yun to the imperial study to see me. .”
Prince Jinling lowered his hands and said respectfully: "Old minister, I obey the order."
The emperor glanced at him deeply and said in a more serious tone: "For the sake of safety, remember, don't tell anyone about this before I see Ling Yun."
Prince Jinling nodded and lowered his eyebrows and said, "What the Holy One said is absolutely true."
The emperor said: "It's getting late. If your uncle has nothing else to do, please go back and rest early!"
Seeing that the emperor issued an order to expel guests, Prince Jinling responded vaguely, "Yes." His Adam's apple rolled slightly, but he hesitated to speak.
The emperor raised his eyebrows casually, glanced at him and said, "Is there anything else, uncle?"
Prince Jinling hesitated for a moment, and his slightly frowned eyebrows tightened a little, and he said in a low voice: "Your Majesty, although Ling Yun has done a lot of outrageous things in the past few days, speaking of it, he was all doing it to find out the prince's case. It is for the public good and not for personal gain; and he does many things out of necessity.
"What's more, this time he took the initiative to come to see the Holy One, and there were circumstances of surrendering and confessing - so the old minister privately thought that for the sake of Lingyun's loyalty to the court and the Holy One, could the Holy One give him a lighter sentence and exempt him from punishment? Once he dies..."
"Okay, uncle, I know all this." The emperor twitched his lips slightly and interrupted what Prince Jinling was saying.
There was no warmth in his eyes, and his tone was not very emotional. He just said in a calm tone: "The first thing now is to bring Ling Yun to see me tomorrow to find out the whole story of the prince's case. As for Ling Yun's fate, it depends on the laws of the country. , Uncle Emperor, you don’t have to worry anymore.”
Before Prince Jinling could say anything else, the emperor waved his hand irritably, showing that he didn't want to continue talking, "I'm tired. If you have anything to do, let's talk about it tomorrow! Uncle Emperor, please help yourself."
He said, flicking his sleeves and walking away.
Prince Jinling looked helplessly at the emperor's indifferent retreating back, feeling an indescribable depression in his heart; countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but they were all messy and clueless, so he could only sigh softly.
Outside, the night was already deep.
The dark night sky is studded with stars shining like diamonds. The stars in the sky are twinkling and blurry, like countless blinking strange eyes, burning with the longing for dawn...
