activa-t Chapter 407 The deposed prince
Chapter 407 The deposed prince
As soon as he spoke, Luo Cheng'an raised his head, his eyes filled with murderous intent as he glared at Luo Hanfeng: "Did you do this?!"
After receiving guidance from the Xie family and Xie Jiaojiao some time ago, Luo Cheng'an was finally able to spare half of his attention from the Sixth Prince and focus it on Luo Hanfeng.
While Luo Hanfeng was away on campaign, they used their clan's influence to investigate him.
You wouldn't know unless you investigated, and what you found was shocking.
Luo Hanfeng was indeed a tiger in disguise. On the surface, he appeared to be a useless and incompetent person, but in reality, he had already made connections with many officials and even won over the Wen family.
Luo Cheng'an then realized that the biggest threat to him was not Jun Lanjin, nor Luo Huaichuan, but Luo Hanfeng.
However, just as he was about to make a move against Luo Hanfeng, trouble struck first.
Therefore, Luo Chengan's suspicion is unfounded.
Luo Hanfeng looked at Luo Cheng'an innocently: "Your Highness, these words are a huge injustice."
He lowered his head and knelt at the feet of the Chu Emperor, saying, "Father, I am covered in injuries, as the imperial physicians can attest. I only woke up from my coma today. How could I have done such a thing?"
"Upon hearing that the Eastern Palace was on fire today, I rushed here in a hurry, without even changing into a decent set of clothes."
Luo Hanfeng was still wearing the same undergarment he had worn in Xie Xing's room. The loose undergarment was draped over his body, and his hair was not even tied up, which showed how anxious he was.
Xie Xing listened to his voice and her gaze fell on him.
Unexpectedly, Luo Hanfeng noticed her gaze and glanced at Xie Xing with a smile.
Xie Xing's eyes narrowed. She didn't avoid Luo Hanfeng's gaze. Instead, she raised a thumb and then slowly lowered it in front of Luo Hanfeng.
The provocation was very obvious.
"Where did this bright red handprint on your face come from?" Emperor Chu did not believe Luo Hanfeng's one-sided story, but instead noticed the handprint on Luo Hanfeng's face.
Upon hearing this, Luo Hanfeng reached out and touched his cheek.
He was taken aback at first, then lowered his eyes, his voice sounding very dejected: "It is because I am incompetent that even the servants around me can bully me."
"Ok?"
The Chu Emperor was puzzled.
The young attendant beside Luo Hanfeng immediately knelt down beside the Emperor Chu, feigning indignation on behalf of his prince, and said, "Your Majesty, please do justice for my prince!"
“Because of His Highness’s background, the servants in the palace all look down on him. Today, just because His Highness was thirsty and wanted to drink water, that audacious old woman actually slapped him.”
"What?!" The Chu Emperor was furious.
No matter how lowly Luo Hanfeng is, he is still of imperial blood and a master. To be bullied by a servant is not only a slap in the face for Luo Hanfeng, but also a slap in the face for the Chu Emperor.
"Even your servants have bullied you like this, and you're just going to let it go like this?!"
The boy continued, "That old woman was sent by the Empress to take care of our prince. His prince didn't want to anger the Empress, so he planned to let it go. If His Majesty hadn't asked, His prince would never have said it."
Xie Xing: "..."
Luo Hanfeng is truly cunning; she was the one who slapped him, yet she insisted on blaming the Empress and the Crown Prince.
But Luo Hanfeng wasn't wrong either.
After all, in the storyline, the Crown Prince's faction often bullied Luo Hanfeng, and the Empress also planted many spies under her nose in order to keep the prince under her watchful eye.
The nanny who served Luo Hanfeng was one of them.
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Chu was furious.
His anger flared as he confronted the Empress: "How dare you! If I weren't here, wouldn't this palace be your personal domain?!"
The Empress looked flustered: "Your Majesty, please calm down! That lowly servant's actions were not at my behest!"
The Emperor of Chu did not listen.
He raised his hand, pointed at the Empress, then at the Crown Prince, and said coldly, "The Crown Prince is greedy and incompetent. He is hereby stripped of his title and confined to the palace for one month, starting after the Empress Dowager's birthday."
Luo Cheng'an looked up in shock.
"Father!"
His voice was filled with panic and fear.
how come?
How can this be?
How could Father Emperor have deposed his Crown Prince!
The Empress was also shocked. She wanted to plead for mercy, but then she heard the Emperor of Chu say, "The Empress has failed in her duty to raise her son and is also jealous. From this day forward, she shall hand over the Phoenix Seal and the Consort Lin shall assist in managing the inner palace."
The Empress collapsed to the ground, completely deflated.
"Your Majesty! You mustn't do this!"
Tears streamed down the Empress's face as she looked pleadingly at Emperor Chu: "Your Majesty, you cannot strip me of my Phoenix Seal! I have never made a mistake in managing the harem. You cannot condemn me without even investigating!"
The Emperor looked down at the Empress, his eyes expressionless, but his tone softened: "The fact that I haven't deposed you as Empress is already the greatest favor I can do for you."
"Go back to your palace and reflect on your past actions."
Having said that, the Chu Emperor lifted his long robe, turned around, and left.
The concubines and princes were left looking at each other in bewilderment.
Luo Mengfei blinked.
She was just there to watch the show, how did such a good thing happen to her family?
Her mother manages the harem?!
Although Jun Lanjin arrived early, he remained silent.
His gaze fell on the burning East Palace, then settled on Luo Hanfeng.
Luo Hanfeng stood up, expressionlessly dusted himself off, and stood not far away, looking directly at Jun Lanjin.
Their eyes met in mid-air.
Luo Hanfeng smiled slightly, then turned and left.
Luo Huaichuan stood beside Jun Lanjin, looking at Luo Hanfeng's back: "What's wrong with him? How dare he openly provoke you?"
"They probably have some trump card up their sleeve and are planning to make a move, right?"
Jun Lanjin turned his gaze to Xie Xing.
Recalling what Luo Hanfeng had done in Xie Xing's room, Jun Lanjin's fingers clenched tighter. His dark eyes were unfathomable. He then looked at Luo Huaichuan and said, "In the palace, take good care of Xie Xing and don't let Luo Hanfeng get close to Xie Xing again."
Luo Huaichuan tilted his head, puzzled: "Why is everyone so focused on that little girl? What's so special about her?"
Jun Lanjin didn't explain further, only saying, "Just listen to me."
After saying that, he turned and left.
……
The deposition of the crown prince was a major event, and the next morning at court, the officials were arguing heatedly.
In the end, it still did not change the fate of the deposed crown prince.
Even so, Xie Jiaojiao and Luo Cheng'an's marriage was not canceled.
The Xie family was deeply worried.
At the same time, Song's parents also went to Beijing.
After finishing the morning court session, Song Qingyang took the opportunity to visit Xie Xing.
At that time, Jun Lanjin was in the Fifth Princess's palace with Lin Yi and Qi Yu.
"One of them knows Gu poison, and the other knows martial arts. They can protect you closely, which will make you feel more at ease."