Chapter 455: The Fault of an Uneducated Father
her martial arts skills firsthand; if she were to force her way out, they wouldn't dare to harm her. They couldn't avoid alerting the others in the manor. If they woke up the Lord, that would be troub...Of course, they also knew that there must be people from the Thunder Pavilion within this huge palace. However, they didn't know who they were and couldn't possibly interrogate everyone one by one.
"Father, you haven't even tried, how do you know it won't work" Qian Sichin was full of confidence, truly a fearless calf: "These past few years, your son has been secretly investigating the affairs of the Lei Ting Pavilion. Now, we're starting to see some clues."
"Chen'er, are you saying that you have a lead on the whereabouts of the Thunder Pavilion" The emperor was astonished and motioned for An Gonggong and the others to retreat. For so many years, not only he, but also other countries had been secretly searching for clues about the Thunder Pavilion, but they all came up empty-handed. Unexpectedly, his son spoke with such confidence that he had found a lead. How could this not shock him How could he not be cautious
"Father, do you recall Last year, your son once mentioned saving a disciple of the Wulin League by chance."
The emperor thought for a moment, seeming to have a vague recollection: "It's like I heard you mention it once, but afterwards, you never brought it up again, so I forgot."
"His name is Qin Hansheng, the nephew of the former leader of the Martial Arts Alliance, Qin Zhentian. When I met him, he was badly wounded and on the verge of death. At that time, he only uttered three words to me before passing out: Lei Ting Ge. I then secretly searched the martial arts world for a renowned physician to treat him. For these past few months, he has remained unconscious until yesterday when he showed some signs of improvement. Although his meridians are broken and he is now a cripple, the doctor said he can still speak."
“Then did he say where Thunder Pavilion is located” The Emperor was overjoyed. For so many years, he had been searching for any trace of Thunder Pavilion, but there was never a lead. Upon hearing this news, how could he not be excited
"Thousand Thoughts shook his head, seeing the emperor's disappointed expression. He immediately added: "He's only just regaining consciousness, and after so long without speaking, he can't speak for a while. The doctor said that in a few days, he should be able to speak like a normal person."
"
“Excellent! When he can speak properly, bring him before me. I want to ask him personally!” The Emperor was incredibly excited. The mysterious Thunder Hall finally had a crack. At that time, as long as you know where Thunder Hall is and who their master is, it will be easy.
"Your humble son obeys!"
As the Emperor was about to depart, he gave a special instruction: "Be sure to send more people to protect him and absolutely keep this under wraps!" He knew that if the people in Thunder Pavilion found out there was still someone alive like this, they would certainly silence him.
"Father, rest assured, your son has imprisoned him in a secret place where no one would ever think to look." Qian Si Chen wore a confident expression, pleased with his cleverness.
That's great!
"By the way, Aiqing Xiao, you seemed to have something you wanted to say when you first entered" Now that the worries in his heart had been resolved, the Emperor suddenly remembered that Xiao Zhan seemed to have something to say after entering.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was my fault for not properly educating my daughter..." Xiao Zhan knew that escape was impossible. He might as well confess everything. If the Emperor wanted to punish him, he would accept it.
"What's the matter What happened to the princess" The emperor saw Xiao Zhan kneeling down and knew something was amiss.
Xiao Zhan gritted his teeth and recounted the events, finally adding, "This old minister has already confined that rebellious woman to the ancestral hall. She will certainly not dare to commit such an offense again. Please, Your Majesty, show her mercy this time! If punishment is deemed necessary, this old minister is willing to take it in her stead!"
The Emperor, upon hearing this, also widened his eyes in astonishment. Seeing that even the Grand Chancellor held such a view, he could only let out a long sigh: “Aiqing Xiao, this Lady Guo'an of the National Security Guard is someone I personally bestowed the title upon. She is the daughter of our Lan Zhao nation's fortune, every word and deed she makes is emulated and scrutinized by the millions. To act in such a manner, how can we possibly silence the endless whispers of the people”
"Your Majesty, it is my fault for not raising her properly. Everything is my fault, Your Majesty. I am willing to accept your punishment!" Xiao Zhan knelt there. Although his mouth blamed Xiao Yufu, his heart still ached for her.
To Xiao Zhan's surprise, the Emperor did not fly into a rage: "Enough, you may rise. Now that Princess Guo’an has come of age, it is time for her to marry the Crown Prince. I have asked the Imperial Astrologer to calculate the auspicious dates, so let us set it for next month."
"Father..." Upon hearing that he was to be betrothed to Xiao Yufu, Qian Sichin was instantly flustered.
Chen'er, no matter what you think, everything must be put above the bigger picture! The emperor reprimanded his son in a stern voice. The prime minister's influence in court was not to be underestimated. If he refused the marriage in front of the prime minister, he might anger the old man who was so protective of his daughter. Then things would become very troublesome.
He’s such a fool, this son of his. He’s sharp as a tack for everything else, but when it comes to the Xiao sisters, he's utterly hopeless.
"Father..." Qian Sichen still wanted to say something, but was glared at fiercely by the Emperor. The words he'd almost spoken were swallowed back down his throat.
“Alright, if there’s nothing else, you all may leave.” The Emperor looked at his son, feeling a headache coming on. He had to admit, whenever he heard anything about Xiao Yuge and Xiao Yufei, his head pounded.
"This son bows out!"
Qianshi looked at Emperor, but the latter avoided her gaze. She couldn't bring herself to ask further and could only dejectedly walk out of the Hall of Nourishing the Heart.
"The old minister bids farewell!"
After that, Xiao Zhan also withdrew.
"Your Highness!"
Outside, Xiao Zhan caught up to Qian Si Chen who was about to leave.
"Prime Minister!" Qian Sichin seemed a little too awkward in front of the man who would be her father-in-law.
"Is His Highness angry with Fuhua" Xiao Zhan seemed to have guessed something about Qian Sichin's hesitation just now in the hall.
"The Grand Chancellor overthinks things," Qian Sichu didn't care who Xiao Yufu had snatched the embroidered ball from, as long as she didn't stick to him.
“Your Highness, this time my daughter has gone too far. But I can assure Your Highness that F'er has nothing to do with the young master Wuyue. They have never met before, so all of this is just a misunderstanding, a coincidence!” Xiao Zhan patiently explained.
"Your Excellency the Prime Minister, whether it was a misunderstanding or a coincidence, only Fu'er herself would know for sure. However, since we've come this far, this Palace also has something to explain to Your Excellency."
"I wonder what His Royal Highness wishes to speak with this old minister about" Xiao Zhan's heart skipped a beat, fearing that the Crown Prince would find his Fu'er unsuitable.
Qian Si Chen hesitated for a moment, but still decided to speak: “Your Excellency, you should also know that the person this Palace loves is Ge'er. Therefore, this Palace will not marry Fu'er. The marriage contract between this Palace and her is hereby annulled from now on.”
Xiao Zhan, upon hearing this, immediately felt anger rising. However, the other party was the prince, so he took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the anger that threatened to explode. “Your Highness, your marriage with Fu'er was bestowed by His Majesty himself. It’s not something that can be annulled simply because you say so Previously, when Ge'er had an engagement with Your Highness, you personally told my old minister that you favored Fu'er, and therefore, you broke off the engagement with Ge'er. Now, you are saying that you like Ge'er and want to break off your engagement with my Fu'er. Do you think it is acceptable for you to treat my two daughters like this, repeatedly deceiving them”. It was her actions that turned the tide of the entire situation!""Oh, I didn't expect her to have such skills!" The Emperor was greatly surprised after hearing this.Those officials who had submitted...