Greetings, Ninth Uncle

Chapter 137

But when she arrived at Qianqing Palace, the eunuch in charge rejected her entry, claiming that the Emperor was discussing important matters with the court ministers and had no time now. Empress Yang waited outside for a long time, but the Emperor never sent her a word, let alone met her. Later, the Crown Prince came, and the same eunuch greeted him enthusiastically. With his back bent down in a flattering manner and without a single question, the eunuch quickly led the Crown Prince into the audience hall unimpeded.

The contrast was too big, not to mention everything that happened right before Empress Yang's eyes. She was enraged, but also understood that this was the Emperor's message: he didn't want to intercede with Yang Xiaoyu's matter.

Empress Yang felt a chill in her heart, but a flame of anger soon replaced the chill. The Emperor had he was today solely because of the support from the Yang family. Now that he had found his eldest son, he no longer cared about the life and death of the Yang family. Unwilling to swallow this grievance, Empress Yang ran to Empress Dowager, intent to let the latter call the shots on her behalf.

Empress Dowager Yang had been sick for months, so no one dared to inform her about the current problem in the Yang family. If not for the increasingly unfavorable situation that left her with no choice, Empress Yang also wouldn't dare to let Empress Dowager know.

To Empress Yang's surprise, Empress Dowager Yang not only turned furious when she learned about the news, but the emotions also took her so hard that she started coughing heavily and turned dizzy. Frightened, Empress Yang quickly supported Empress Dowager and persuaded, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Xiaoyu is still at home now. No matter how crazy those people are, they won't dare to break into Yang's manor to take Xiaoyu away."

"See if they dare!" Empress Dowager Yang coughed so hard that her eyes turned red. Immediately afterward, she forced herself to get off the bed and shout hoarsely, "Call the emperor! Tell him that This Dowager wants to have a talk."

...

When the person who called was the Empress Dowager, even an emperor couldn't shirk. The sun was starting to set when the ministers finally dispersed. Seeing that the Emperor was preparing to go out, Li Chengjing's brows furrowed slightly as he asked, "It's getting dark, where is Your Majesty going?"

The Emperor sighed: "A messenger came from Cining Palace this afternoon. Zhen was so busy at the time and had no spare time to leave, but now that the memorial is almost finished, Zhen has to go to Empress Dowager's palace to see her."

Li Chengjing nodded in understanding: "Is it for Yang Xiaoyu's business?"

The Emperor snorted coldly: "It must be. The Empress also came here yesterday, and Zhen deliberately hang her with the intention to teach them a lesson. Unexpectedly, she didn't learn anything and even went to involve Empress Dowager. Hmph, taking a yard after getting an inch - these people have increasingly forgotten their own status recently."

Li Chengjing didn't offer a reply nor did he make a comment. Was the Emperor referring to Empress Yang or Senior Grand Secretary Yang when he talked about 'the people who have increasingly forgotten their own status'? Li Chengjing chose to stay silent, but the Emperor suddenly turned to him and asked, "Crown Prince, what do you think we should do?"

Li Chengjing responded calmly, "This son believes that a country cannot be governed without rules, and a precedent where a law is knowingly violated must never be established. If Your Majesty set this precedent, how will the subjects - the civil and military officials, and the common people below them - will behave in the future?"

Li Chengjing's opinion struck the Emperor's own thoughts and won his approval. The theory was perfect, but in practice, there was too much room for maneuvering behind. The Emperor wasn't unaware of the secret back dealing that happened within the Judicial Court or the prison, but the Yang family refused to even go through the motion and firmly guarded Yang Xiaoyu at home, not even allowing him to be taken for the inquisition process. Their action was too arrogant.