Fei Pin Ying Qiang

Chapter 72.2

After Li Chen had ascended the throne, Noble Imperial Consort Yuan and her son grew completely quiet. It was clear that Prince Qing itched to leave the capital at once and return to his fief. He had committed a grave offense against the emperor. Not only that, he was not the emperor’s full-blooded brother. If the emperor wanted to act against him, there was nothing he could do to stop it. Prince Qing was so impatient to leave that he couldn’t sit still. But he couldn’t think of a way to allow him to leave quickly either.

There was only one person in the world whose mourning period lasted three months. And that person was the emperor. Prince Jing and the others had to mourn for twenty-seven months. Speaking of which, Prince Jing had been the one who committed the greatest offense against the emperor. However, he was not in a rush to leave, and instead, stayed in the capital as he observed the movements and current trends in silence.　　

Starting who knew when, the court pushed out the idea of selecting an empress. At first, it was the civil officials who discussed this. Later on, people slowly started to write an official memorial to choose an empress. After Li Chen first received one to two memorials regarding this, he merely dismissed them with a smile. Following that, he realized this had already become the current trend in the court. Furthermore, the great majority of memorials pointed to making Consort Xian, formerly Secondary Consort Wei, the empress.　　　　

Not only that, there were the cases regarding Consort Ji’s two younger brothers. One day, those cases were suddenly mentioned in court. After ascending the throne, Li Chen practically did not have any free time. He naturally did not have the time to watch his former estate with care. As a result, he only discovered what had happened when the imperial censors presented petition over petition accusing Minister Ji of being too lax in managing his household. 　　

But what startled others the most came afterward. An official took out a short note that Consort De had written. Consort De’s tone had been very threatening, and she even referred to her two younger brothers as “royal uncles.” As if she regarded herself as the Mother of the World. Ji Hansong’s thighs shook, and he was unable to even beg for forgiveness.　　

Frowning, Li Chen said, “Has Capital Magistrate finished investigating this matter yet?”　　

The capital’s magistrate said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, upon investigation, these matters appear to be true. One of the Ji family’s young masters broke the national mourning period and visited courtesans. The other forced someone to death.”　　

Calm, Li Chen asked, “What does the law say about how to treat this?”　　

“…Exile of 1,500 km.”　　

“Cane them fifty times first, then exile them.”　　

Ji Hansong knelt on the ground, all hopes turning into dust. His two sons might not even survive being caned fifty times. If it wasn’t for his good wife’s meddling, how could things have gotten to this point?　　

Another official said, “Her Highness Consort De does not suit the “De” title.”　　

“In your opinion, what should be done?” Li Chen asked that official in an unhurried pace.　　

When it came down to it, these were the emperor’s family matters. Seeing Li Chen’s complexion, the official apologized and withdrew. 　　

The next time Qi Yunruo saw Li Chen again, more than ten days had passed already. As he was reading in his room, Li Chen suddenly walked in, startling Qi Yunruo. “You…”　　　　

Smiling, Li Chen took a seat next to him. Qi Yunruo also smiled. “You’re not busy today?”　　

“I wanted to see you.”