Chapter 292: Why do you seek to destroy my House of Duke Ding?

Chapter 292: Why do you seek to destroy my House of Duke Ding?

The Prince Su Mansion was not far from the Imperial Palace, and it didn't take long for Prince Su and his heir's couple, as well as Li Huixin, to arrive.

Upon seeing them, the Emperor's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. It was you who sought the imperial marriage decree, so why couldn't you just wait patiently and instead cause such chaos? Now, no matter what he did, it wouldn't be right.

"A young woman should be waiting at home for marriage, not chasing after a man all day, causing scandal. You’ve disgraced the royal family," the Emperor coldly chastised Li Huixin.

Terrified, Li Huixin knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face as she stuttered, "Emperor... Emperor brother..."

The Emperor now somewhat understood Duke Ding's sentiments. A girl born from a minor concubine, who gave you the audacity to call me 'Emperor brother'? He turned his head to look at Prince Su standing to the side. "Uncle, the upbringing in your mansion truly leaves much to be desired."

"Yes, yes, you are right," Prince Su hastily admitted his fault. "I have spoiled her too much. From now on, I will ensure strict discipline."

The Emperor pondered for a moment, then said, "No need. Let the Empress personally teach her from now on."

With the Empress personally providing instruction to cultivate a daughter-in-law who would satisfy the House of Duke Ding, Xiao Huai would have nothing left to complain about.

At this moment, Tang Shuyi and the Empress arrived from the inner palace. Xiao Huai and Xiao Yuchen also emerged from the side hall, and the whole assembly gathered in the Imperial Study. Meanwhile, Li Huixin was still kneeling on the ground.

Once everyone was seated, the Emperor looked at Xiao Huai and said, "My dear minister, Hui Xin is young and ignorant. I have already punished her."

Xiao Huai glanced at Li Hui Xin, who was kneeling on the ground, and said, "Speaking of which, it's not a big deal. I only hope that in the future, Princess Hui Xin will no longer entangle my son, Yu Chen. You might disregard your own reputation, but my son Yu Chen still needs to maintain his."

These words made the faces of the Prince Su and his family quite uncomfortable, but since it was their own family member who had caused the issue, they couldn't really say anything.

The Emperor’s face didn't look good either. After all, Li Hui Xin was a member of the royal family, but he couldn't find fault with Xiao Huai's words, since his own family member was in the wrong.

"Prince Su became a father late in life, and it's understandable that he dotes on her a bit," said the Emperor, turning to the Empress. "Starting today, you will personally teach her, and you must mold her into a qualified noble lady."

Upon hearing this, the Empress quickly agreed, feeling a twinge of sympathy for Xiao Yu Chen, a promising young man, yet matched with an uneducated common girl.

Tang Shuyi and Xiao Huai both understood that the Emperor still intended to bestow Li Hui Xin in marriage to Xiao Yu Chen. In their hearts, they wished the Emperor would drop dead that very moment. However, their faces didn’t betray a thing.

Xiao Yu Chen was somewhat nervous, but seeing that his parents weren't worried at all, he felt reassured.

Tang Shuyi turned her head and gave Xiao Huai a look that said, "I'm about to make my move." Xiao Huai wanted to laugh upon seeing this and picked up his cup to drink some tea as a cover.

Tang Shuyi, paying him no heed, looked at Li Hui Xin, still kneeling on the ground, and said, "When people are young, they make mistakes, just like my husband, the Duke, said—it's not a big deal."

Her tone was casual, like chatting about family matters, which greatly eased the atmosphere in the Imperial Study. The Emperor also spoke up then, telling Li Hui Xin to stand up.

Tang Shuyi watched as Li Hui Xin stood up and then sat down beside the wife of the Prince Su's heir. With a smile on her face, she looked at the Prince Su's daughter-in-law and asked, "I hear your eldest son is about the same age as my Yu Chen?"

The Prince Su’s daughter-in-law, seeing her amiable smile, was unsure of her intentions and replied, "They should be about the same age. My son was born in May, and when was Xiao Yu Chen born?"

"October," said Tang Shuyi.

"Then my Jing Yu is a bit older," the daughter-in-law replied.

"Is he betrothed yet?" Tang Shuyi inquired.

The question made the Prince Su's daughter-in-law feel a bit flustered, sensing she might be led into a trap, but she couldn't avoid answering. She said, "Not yet."

Tang Shuyi nodded knowingly. "The marriage of a child is a major event, and we as parents cannot afford to be careless. If I may be so bold to ask, when your child marries, would you consider a common-born girl?"

The room fell silent. The Prince Su's daughter-in-law opened her mouth but couldn't speak. Now, she understood what the Duchess meant. Her son absolutely couldn't marry a common-born girl, not even her youngest son, let alone the eldest. But she couldn't say these words out loud. The Duchess was waiting for her to say just that.

But even without her saying it, Tang Shuyi spoke up. She said, "My Yu Chen is the eldest son, the future heir to the title. His wife will be a noble lady, so she absolutely cannot be common-born. If he were to marry a common-born girl, he might as well become a monk, and my husband and I would have to kneel to death at my in-laws' graves."

Awkward!

Both the Emperor and the members of the Prince of Su's household were mortified to death.

"I had no choice over the circumstances of my birth," said Li Huixin through her tears.

Tang Shuyi looked at her dispassionately and asked, "If you had a choice, would you have chosen differently?"

Li Huixin wiped away her tears, "Naturally."

"Indeed!" Tang Shuyi sighed deeply, "Everyone wishes they had the choice. Princess Huixin, you wish to have it, and so does my son."

She spoke earnestly, hoping Li Huixin would understand that one should not impose on others what one would not wish for oneself. But Li Huixin clearly didn't grasp her meaning, sobbing, "Lady Dingguo, are you trying to drive me to my death? I've said it before, if I can't marry Xiao Shizi, I might as well die."

Seeing her obstinance, Tang Shuyi's face turned cold. She turned to Xiao Huai and asked, "Lord Dingguo, have you ever had any feud with the Prince of Su's household?"

Xiao Huai shook his head: "None."

Tang Shuyi then turned to the Prince of Su, "Prince, has my household of Dingguo offended you in any way?"

The Prince of Su knew she was laying a trap, but he couldn't admit to any feud between their families, else how could they form a marital alliance? Thus, he was forced to say, "No."

"Then with no grievances or grudges between us, why would you seek to destroy my Dingguo household?" Tang Shuyi asked coldly, staring at the Prince of Su.

The room fell silent once more, then the Prince of Su stood up, pointing at Tang Shuyi, "You woman, slandering me!"

"Prince of Su!" Xiao Huai also abruptly stood up, his demeanor icy, exuding the aura of a warrior on the battlefield, the air of slaughter unmistakable. The Prince of Su was so frightened he involuntarily shrank back into his chair.

Xiao Huai continued, "What fault is there in my wife's words? You threaten your daughter's death to coerce my eldest son to marry her.

Leaving aside her status as a concubine's daughter, her licentious behavior and propensity for seeking death at every turn, one can only imagine what sort of progeny she would bear. With no heir to continue my Dingguo household, are you not seeking its ruin?"

"Your Majesty," Xiao Huai turned and bowed to the Emperor, "I have fought in battles without fear, knowing that even if I were to fall, Your Majesty would take care of my wife and children. But now, I am afraid..."

He pointed at the Prince of Su, "With such treacherous villains employing underhanded tactics to harm me from behind, I am safe in the capital, but if I were on the battlefield, far from reach, would not my wife and children be tormented to death?"

"You... you..." The Prince of Su, red-faced with anger, trembled as he pointed at Xiao Huai, but couldn't utter a complete sentence. Eventually, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.