bestfiction Chapter 378 was about using you.
Chapter 378 was about using you.
Princess Changning looked ashamed, knelt down, kowtowed and said, "Father, I know I was wrong."
After speaking, she slowly raised her head, her expression serious, and said, word by word, "Father, Mother often teaches me that one should live in the world without shame, and as a member of the royal family, one should have even more compassion for the people who support us."
"The royal family's reputation is important, but it cannot come at the cost of innocent lives."
"Your Majesty, I did not do this to bring shame to the royal family, but to give justice to the victims and let the people of the world see the fairness and majesty of the royal family."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Wenjing's expression faltered slightly.
A complex and enigmatic expression appeared on his originally cold and stern face.
He stared silently at Princess Changning, and the hall fell into a deathly silence, as if the air itself had frozen.
Empress Su's eyes flashed with relief as she spoke softly, "Your Majesty, while Changning's actions were somewhat rash, her words also make sense."
Her gentle and soothing voice eased the tense atmosphere in the hall considerably.
Emperor Wenjing looked at Empress Su.
Empress Su was graceful and dignified. Over the years, the two had treated each other with the utmost respect, and even Emperor Wenjing could not find fault with her.
Emperor Wenjing sighed softly and waved his hand, "Alright, get up, Changning, don't kneel anymore."
Princess Changning breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.
Emperor Wenjing's gaze swept over everyone, finally landing on Yu Wan. "I will give the Duke of Anguo's mansion an explanation for this matter."
Yu Wan lowered her eyes and stepped forward to bow: "Your Majesty is wise. On behalf of my sister Su, I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness."
She appeared respectful and humble.
Emperor Wenjing was very satisfied and waved his hand, "Alright, all of you may leave."
Yu Wan and the other noble ladies bowed and withdrew.
During this visit to the palace, Emperor Wenjing at least asked Yu Wan a question, while the other noble ladies stood there the whole time, seemingly unasked or unchallenged.
In reality, for them, being summoned to the palace because of this matter was already the greatest difficulty.
On the way out of the palace, Yu Wan kept her eyes down, lost in thought.
Emperor Wenjing's statement, "I will give the Duke of Anguo's mansion an explanation for this matter," seemed like a promise, but in reality, it was just empty talk.
The matter has already blown up and become public knowledge. If Emperor Wenjing truly wanted to give an explanation, he would certainly not have just said this one sentence.
Clearly, Emperor Wenjing still wanted to let the matter drop.
Thinking of this, a dark glint flashed in Yu Wan's eyes.
However, all of this was within her expectations.
It doesn't matter. This time, whether Emperor Wenjing likes it or not, Prince Yong is doomed to die.
As Yu Wan exited the palace gates and was about to board her carriage, a gentle voice suddenly came from behind her: "Miss Yu, my carriage has already returned. May I ride with you?"
Yu Wan turned around and saw Xiao Huanyan looking at her with a perfectly timed smile on her lips.
Yu Wan glanced lightly at the carriage that had driven away, but seemed not to have seen anything. She smiled and nodded, saying, "Of course, I'll give Miss Xiao a ride along the way."
She knew in her heart that Xiao Huanyan's act of riding with her was a pretense; his real intention was to talk to her about something.
The two boarded the carriage together, and as soon as they sat down, Xiao Huanyan spoke, her tone full of probing: "You orchestrated this whole thing, didn't you?"
Yu Wan was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xiao Huanyan to be so direct.
Pretending to be stupid with smart people is not very useful, and besides, Yu Wan still wanted Xiao Huanyan to help, so she simply admitted, "Yes."
Xiao Huanyan's expression darkened slightly. She stared intently at Yu Wan, her tone revealing neither joy nor anger: "What Miss Yu wants to do is none of my business, but why are you dragging me into this mess?"
"Is this how Miss Yu operates, exploiting innocent people?"
Yu Wan raised her eyes and smiled gently. "I think that since Miss Xiao went to the banquet at Prince Yong's mansion yesterday, she already knew that I intended to use you. Since Miss Xiao went, it means she tacitly agreed to this, doesn't it?"
Xiao Huanyan remained silent for a moment.
indeed.
When she received the invitation containing Yu Wan's hairpin yesterday, she guessed that her trip to the Prince Yong's mansion must have been anything but simple.
But she didn't want to owe Yu Wan a favor, so she went anyway.
After a moment's hesitation, Xiao Huanyan said, "Consider this as repaying the life-saving grace you gave me."
"Just this once."
What else do you need me to do?
The carriage moved slowly forward, and the noise outside the window could be faintly heard. Unlike the lively atmosphere outside, the atmosphere inside the carriage was heavy and oppressive.
Yu Wan turned slightly to the side and looked at Xiao Huanyan seriously, "Miss Xiao is straightforward, so I won't beat around the bush either."
"With Miss Xiao's intelligence, she must have realized that His Majesty intends to downplay this matter. Therefore, I need more help to thoroughly expose Prince Yong's crimes."
Xiao Huanyan stared intently at Yu Wan, a smile playing on her lips, but tinged with sarcasm: "Miss Yu, I am a member of the Xiao family. The late Consort De, the birth mother of Prince Yong, was my mother's elder sister. You've come to the wrong person, asking me to help you expose Prince Yong's crimes?"
"Do you think I would sacrifice the entire Xiao family to repay your life-saving grace?"
Yu Wan remained calm and waited quietly for Xiao Huanyan to finish speaking before slowly saying, "Miss Xiao, I am not a rash person. Since I have come to you, I naturally have my reasons."
She paused slightly, straightening her sleeves. "As far as I know, the Xiao family has never explicitly taken sides in the court; they remain neutral."
"Furthermore, ever since Prince Yong was accused of murdering a pregnant woman, the Xiao family has been trying to sever ties with him. After Consort De's death, your Xiao family completely cut off all contact with Prince Yong's residence. Isn't the Xiao family doing this because they are worried about being implicated by Prince Yong one day?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huanyan frowned slightly, a flicker of doubt crossing her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure.
Yu Wan saw all of this, and with a slight smile, she continued, "The Xiao family has a clean and upright reputation, and your father is one of the few good officials in the court."
However, because of their relationship with Consort De, the Xiao family was often mistakenly perceived as bullying others by relying on their power.
"Your father has long been dissatisfied with this. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Xiao family can uphold justice and even turn against their own relatives. Wouldn't this be a perfect way to show the world that the Xiao family is absolutely not on the same side as Consort De and Prince Yong?"
After saying this, Xiao Huanyan looked at Yu Wan with a look of shock in her eyes.
"you……"
She couldn't believe it; how could Yu Wan know all this so well?!
Xiao Huanyan was shocked. Her gaze towards Yu Wan became more wary and cautious, and her hands, which were originally resting on her knees, unconsciously clenched her robes.
Yu Wan noticed Xiao Huanyan's subtle change in movement and realized that her words had hit Xiao Huanyan's weak spot.
She knew these things, naturally from the original work.
In the original novel, the Xiao family eventually sided with the male protagonist, Yun Shang.
Although the male protagonist's methods are not always aboveboard, at least he doesn't harm innocent people, and the Xiao family is no exception.
The carriage was quiet for a moment. Xiao Huanyan casually smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeves and said slowly, "Miss Yu, this matter concerns the entire Xiao family. I cannot make a decision on my own."
She looked up and met Shang Yuwan's gaze: "I need to go back and discuss this with my father before I can give you an answer."