chapter 9 The Crown Princess whose engagement was broken off (9)

When news of the incident at Wangshan Villa reached the palace, Eldest Princess and Emperor Jianping were playing chess.

As they were about to finish, Emperor Jianping said, "Aying, rest assured, Lilith has grown up under my care, and I won't let her suffer unjustly."

"Prince is your own son," Eldest Princess replied indifferently.

Emperor Jianping hesitated, then said gently, "Yes, Prince is my biological son, and Lilith is my niece. How could I favor one over the other?"

"What punishment do you intend to give the Prince then?" Eldest Princess asked.

The moment she asked, the hall fell eerily silent. The attendants were all composed, like statues.

Emperor Jianping, seemingly unconcerned about Eldest Princess's persistence, burst into laughter. "Aying, you're finally speaking to me in a normal tone!"

She was not as sarcastic as usual. She was his cousin, the daughter of the late Emperor's full sister, the esteemed Grand Princess. Her father, Duke Dingguo, held great military power and was highly regarded by the late Emperor. From the moment she was born, she had been favored by the most powerful figures in the dynasty, surpassing all the princes and princesses in the palace.

Even though she respected him, her inherent pride and dominance sometimes led her to act out of line. But she had never been this "polite" to him before.

Eldest Princess was about to speak when a commotion erupted outside the door.

Emperor Jianping's face darkened. "Who is making such a disturbance outside? It's disgraceful."

The eunuch who had been standing like a pillar, David Qi, quickly went out to see what was happening.

He returned shortly with a troubled expression. Emperor Jianping realized something was amiss.

"Aying, perhaps..."

Eldest Princess looked at Emperor Jianping coldly. "I seem to have heard the name 'Gu' just now. Your Majesty, is there something related to the Gu family that I, as your consort, cannot hear? Or has the Gu family committed a grave crime related to state affairs?"

Seeing that she was indeed provoked, Emperor Jianping said, "David Qi, what happened outside?"

David Qi reluctantly spoke, and Emperor Jianping learned of the situation outside.

When he heard that the Empress had sent someone to Wangshan Villa to visit Lilith Jin and forcibly bring her to the palace, Eldest Princess stood up abruptly.

She glared at him and exclaimed, "Your Majesty! Is this the apology from the Eastern Palace? Is this what you meant by 'handling' the matter?"

Emperor Jianping's complexion became even darker. He explained, "Aying, since Ethan Gu left the palace today, I've been with you the whole time. When did I issue such an order? I had no knowledge of this!"

He then asked David Qi, "Why was there a dispute outside?"

David Qi replied, "Your Majesty, it was a young eunuch from the Empress's side who wanted to stop...the messenger."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jianping angrily flipped the chessboard. The white jade chess pieces scattered on the deep red carpet, resembling freshly severed heads on an execution ground.

..