SFL Chapter 12

Putting themselves in the same shoes, if it were them, and their heirs were played with by others, it goes without saying that they would all need to recover from the frustration.

With this thought in mind, many officials skilled at understanding the royal heart couldn’t help but shudder.

Some people finally woke up and realized once again that this world didn’t belong to them; it belonged to the Emperor.

And as for the Emperor’s heir, they as courtiers had no right to interfere.

In this light, their resentment towards the Third Prince seemed laughable.

The court officials were like this, and the members of the imperial family who shared both glory and disgrace with the emperor also saw the emperor’s attitude. They had a premonition of the threat that Mu Yunfeng posed, and some couldn’t sit still.

Especially the Eldest Princess, leading the imperial family, felt a sudden darkness looming over them. They knew very well that once Mu Yunfeng ascended to power, they would face a bleak and humiliating existence, which was unbearable for those who had always considered themselves above others.

Relying on their close relationship with the emperor, Eldest Princess glanced at Mu Yunfeng with a look of superiority and said, “Your Majesty, I heard that the Su family girl is also attending this palace banquet.”

The reason she mentioned Su Qianhuan was to tear open a scar in Mu Yunfeng’s heart. On their wedding day, the bride was replaced, and the current Third Princess Consort was a stand-in.

Even though Mu Yunfeng appeared calm on the surface, as if this matter had completely passed, the Eldest Princess didn’t believe that a man like Mu Yunfeng wouldn’t take such a great shame to heart.

But to her surprise, Mu Yunfeng’s expression didn’t change at all, as if he weren’t the man who had been humiliated by a runaway bride.

Eldest Princess continued, “Now that the Su family girl has returned, she should rightfully be the Third Princess Consort.”

The emperor’s gaze turned slightly cold in an instant. The Eldest Princess had survived for a long time and was certainly not a fool. But today, she chose to offend Mu Yunfeng and take a position opposite to his.

The empress’s smile faded slightly, and she was about to say something when Mu Yunfeng, the party involved, smiled and spoke, “My dear aunt, you’re joking. I only planned to have one Princess Consort from the beginning. You even gave a welcoming gift back then. I didn’t expect that in such a short time, your memory would deteriorate to this extent.”

Eldest Princess looked at Mu Yunfeng somewhat petulantly, as if he were a willful junior causing trouble. “What are their identities, and what is your identity, Third Prince? Unless the Su family did something wrong first, there’s no reason for you to indulge them.”

“Since it was Miss Su who gave up her position as the Third Princess Consort in the first place, Your Majesty, why don’t you appoint her as Third Prince’s concubine? This way, the whole incident caused by the Su family’s mistake would not be in vain.”

The conversation at the front of the banquet quickly spread to the middle, and the person in question, Su Qianhuan, felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar upon hearing it. She never expected that the Eldest Princess would use her as a point of contention.

Concubine? The Eldest Princess was bold to say that.

Back then, she didn’t even covet the esteemed Third Princess Consort position, so how could she possibly accept the position of a concubine now?

At this time, public opinion was still relatively open-minded. As long as the royal family and her own family didn’t pursue the matter, she would be fine despite her reckless runaway wedding. However, being singled out by the Eldest Princess in front of the entire court, officials, and the imperial family, Su Qianhuan couldn’t help but tear up on the spot.

Eldest Princess intentionally brought this matter to light today, indicating that Su Qianhuan should no longer consider marrying outsiders in the future. She could only follow the Third Prince blindly, and her status would be even lower than that of her cousin, Su Qianluo. How could she possibly accept that?

“Aunt, can’t you understand plain words? My Princess is my only consort, and the Su family girl is the Su family’s girl. Aunt, you are deliberately entangling them, and your intentions raise suspicions. You seem to be trying to sow discord between me and my in-laws,” Mu Yunfeng said, bowing to the emperor. “I request Father Emperor to judge this matter fairly.”

One is the half-sister from the same father, and the other is his own legitimate son. Who do you think the emperor would favor?

Eldest Princess naturally knew where the emperor’s heart leaned, but she couldn’t bear the increasingly blatant favoritism the emperor showed towards Mu Yunfeng. If Mu Yunfeng were to become the next emperor, how long would it take for her son’s grievances to be avenged?

Indeed, even if Mu Yunfeng was a prince, the Eldest Princess had never given up on the idea of seeking revenge for her son. Even if her son deserved punishment, she believed that if Mu Yunfeng hadn’t intervened at the time, the officials from the Ministry of Justice would have had to stand by helplessly, knowing her son’s crimes, rather than later, when they boldly abused her son under the protection of Mu Yunfeng.

While others lost their lives at her son’s hands, he was still alive for now, but the Eldest Princess didn’t feel the same about the loss of others’ lives as she did about her son’s suffering. Since returning from the Ministry of Justice, her son’s life had been destined to be miserable. How could she not harbor resentment?

From an intellectual standpoint, the Eldest Princess knew she shouldn’t direct her anger at Mu Yunfeng. However, emotionally, she wished that Mu Yunfeng would also become a wreck. Only then could she find solace for her heart.

So far, Mu Yunfeng hadn’t achieved more outstanding accomplishments than the First Prince and the Second Prince. Therefore, the Eldest Princess had no respect for him. Of course, this was also related to her never personally taking action. Even though Mu Yunfeng had a fearsome reputation at the Ministry of Justice, he only dealt with those who deserved it.

Mu Yunfeng’s impartial enforcement of the law had resulted in the Eldest Princess’ family members being punished. However, they had become even more reckless because they were still alive, thanks to Mu Yunfeng’s support. What they didn’t realize was that their actions were closely monitored by the emperor.

As parents themselves, they should have accepted the consequences when their children made mistakes. Even if others had lost their lives under her son’s hands, in the Eldest Princess’ heart, no amount of lives could compare to her son’s well-being.

At this point, the emperor was amused by Princess Chang’s behavior. She was searching for trouble for her son from Mu Yunfeng, as if she didn’t care about his status as the emperor.

“Yunfeng’s affairs with his consort do not need outside interference. Even I and his mother have not meddled in it. Eldest Princess, as a mere aunt, you have crossed a line,” the Emperor said lightly, giving the Princess a disdainful look.

As the Emperor, he didn’t lower himself to engage in disputes with the Eldest Princess and others. Instead, he loosened his hold on the Minister of Justice when summoning officials from that department.

Who was the Minister of Justice responsible for administering punishments? This was a person even the princes dared to use. Originally, the Minister of Justice had prepared to use the Third Prince as a way to bolster the Ministry’s prestige. After the Third Prince left the Ministry, he planned to resign and return to his hometown to give an explanation to the imperial family.

However, the Minister of Justice hadn’t expected the Third Prince, a royal family member who had been transferred to the Ministry of Justice, to have such a compatible temperament with the Ministry. Instead of blaming them for using his name as a scapegoat, he used his identity to conduct strict enforcement against those lawless prisoners, showing solidarity with the Ministry.

Mu Yunfeng, the party involved, didn’t blame the Minister of Justice in front of the emperor. He hadn’t whispered anything negative about the Minister. Consequently, the Minister managed to keep his position and remained active in the court.

Previously, with Mu Yunfeng, a prince, overseeing the Ministry of Justice, he dared to take action against the Eldest Princess and her group of imperial family members. Now, with the emperor’s vague words, the Ministry of Justice acted swiftly and showed no mercy towards those people.

Perhaps the winds of change hadn’t reached her yet, and the Eldest Princess hadn’t realized how tightly the emperor held the Ministry of Justice. She still harbored her resentment, all while Mu Yunfeng seemed to bear the brunt of it merely for the sake of his pride.

“Your Majesty, as the elder of the Third Prince, I naturally cannot avoid being concerned for our younger generation. It goes without saying for the First Prince and the Second Prince, as they have numerous wives and children and don’t need us elders to worry about them. But the Third Prince is different. He has only one Princess Consort in his household. It’s well-known that the Third Princess Consort is jealous. Those who don’t know might think that something is wrong with the Third Prince’s health.”

“However, I never expected that my intentions would be so misinterpreted by the Third Prince. With this label pinned on me, it’s a pity, it’s a pity. It appears that I, as an elder, have meddled too much.” the Eldest Princess’ expression seemed wounded as she spoke. This statement caused a subtle hush in the voices of those who could hear it at the front of the banquet, and they were secretly entertained by this rare spectacle.

Su Qianhuan couldn’t help but feel her heart tighten. She immediately looked at Mu Yunfeng’s expression, fearing that he might bring home a group of women just for the sake of saving face, while she herself didn’t really care about her reputation.

Sure enough, Mu Yunfeng’s brows furrowed, and even before the Princess could revel in her apparent victory, Mu Yunfeng said, “I never knew that a man’s capability had to be judged by the number of women.”

“In that case, consider me incapable.”

Hearing Mu Yunfeng publicly admit his incapability, Eldest Princess’ expression froze, completely different from what she had expected.

“Nonsense! If you’re incapable, what will your brothers think?” The one speaking was the emperor, and his words were directed at Mu Yunfeng.

If it were before, the third prince did indeed have a hard time measuring up. However, after experiencing the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Revenue, his stature had risen significantly in his father’s eyes. Even if the emperor knew that Mu Yunfeng was venting in the heat of the moment, he didn’t like it. He immediately clarified for his son.

As for the princes who were brought out, they couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable. What was wrong with them? Most of them hadn’t yet showcased their true abilities in the court. They might not be much worse than their third brother.

The First Prince and the Second Prince, in particular, felt especially uncomfortable because the emperor’s words implied that they were not as good as Mu Yunfeng, which they found hard to accept. Even though they had garnered the secret support of most court officials, they considered themselves much superior to the Third Prince.

But in the emperor’s heart, they didn’t surpass Mu Yunfeng by much. Previously, Mu Yunfeng might have been on equal footing with them, but during this period, Mu Yunfeng, as their younger brother, had made significant progress, while they remained stagnant. Mu Yunfeng had undoubtedly begun to surpass the First Prince and the Second Prince in the emperor’s eyes.

Mu Yunfeng himself followed the right path, so he had nothing to fear. However, whether as an emperor or a father, he didn’t want to see Mu Yunfeng tainted by such matters.

The emperor turned his gaze to the Princes, and this time, there was no hint of his usual gentleness in his eyes. His voice turned cold as he said, “Sister, since you’re not feeling well, you won’t need to stay at this palace banquet any longer. Escort the princess back. You too, don’t go out anymore in the future. Rest at home.”

This was a disguised way of confining her. Eldest Princess opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something more but froze under the emperor’s icy gaze. She wasn’t afraid of Mu Yunfeng but was indeed fearful of the emperor. Even though they were siblings, her younger brother was the emperor, who held power over her life and death. She couldn’t afford not to fear him.

What terrified the Princess even more was the emperor’s implicit message. She didn’t dare to think too deeply about it, as the more she contemplated it, the dimmer her hopes of seeking revenge for her son became.

After the Eldest Princess was forcefully escorted away, the atmosphere at the banquet became tranquil. Seeing that it was getting late, the emperor and empress left early. It took quite some time after their departure for voices to gradually resume.

Sitting in her place, Su Qianhuan remained stunned, her heart in turmoil. The head of the Su family, on the other hand, breathed a sigh of relief after the Princess was sent away.

It was a close call; her daughter had almost become a scapegoat for those in power.

The Su family had nurtured Su Qianhuan to grow up, not to be someone else’s sacrificial pawn.

Just as the head of the Su family was about to say something to Su Qianhuan after the Princess departure, a palace maid quietly approached them and said to the head of the Su family, “Madam, you also saw the situation today. Miss has already reached the age for marriage. When you return, please arrange her marriage as soon as possible. Otherwise, when those above start to remember, it’s likely that Miss won’t be able to become a legitimate wife.”

After delivering this message, the palace maid didn’t engage in further conversation with the Su family and immediately returned to report to Su Qianhuan.

The head of the Su family’s expression darkened after the palace maid left, and Su Qianhuan clenched her fists. She felt a mix of shock and anger. How could Su Qianluo treat her like this? Even her status as the Third Princess Consort was something she had conceded.

Regarding the Eldest Princess, even though Su Qianhuan and the Su family might not feel comfortable, they didn’t dare to confront her. However, when it came to Su Qianluo’s warning and reminder, the anger that had been building inside Su Qianhuan finally burst forth.

“Mother, it seems that my cousin thinks I pose a threat to her,” Su Qianhuan said. As she spoke these words, She couldn’t help but feel a sense of satisfaction, wondering if it was because Mu Yunfeng treated her differently that the Third Princess felt threatened.

Coincidentally, the head of the Su family thought the same way. Her eyebrows gradually relaxed as she said, “Don’t blame her; her father is not as good as your father. With such shallow insight, how could you possibly become a concubine for the Third Prince?” Neither Su Qianhuan nor the Su family would agree to such a thing.

“By the way, if the Third Prince is interested, don’t rush to refuse,” the head of the Su family said to her daughter.

Given the emperor’s attitude today, the Third Prince might not be unable to compete for that position. In that case, the Su family couldn’t completely cut ties with the situation.

Su Qianhuan felt reluctant. “Alright, but Mother, I will not become someone’s concubine.” Even if the Third Prince favored her greatly, she couldn’t accept such a role.

“Don’t worry, you won’t,” the head of the Su family said with a glint in her eyes.

If the Third Prince had genuine intentions toward her daughter, he would have to marry her with all the proper rites and honors.