Three points are destined, seven points depend on face

The emperor said nothing, but just lowered his head and looked at the prince.

The prince knelt down and said, "Father, I know clearly that I did not recognize that maid. Please clear my name."

The ministers knelt down, not for the prince. Who would dare to sit on the throne at this time?

There was complete silence. The emperor said nothing, and no one dared to say anything.

"Get up." The emperor looked at the prince with an expressionless face.

Upon hearing the voice, the prince looked towards the emperor and his heart skipped a beat. If his father had no expression on his face, it meant someone was going to be in trouble. Could that person be him?

"Commander Ling, this matter is left to you."

"Yes!"

The palace banquet in the 28th year of Chengwu ended in this strange atmosphere.

But for Ling Qingxuan, it was another busy day.

In the past, after attending the banquet, he would have a boring New Year's Eve dinner in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. It seems that this year he won't have to be boring.

There were no clues on the dead dancer, who had been raised in the palace for a long time. According to the investigation, the dancer had been here for five years and was an orphan with no father or mother.

There was only one suspicious thing. Three years ago, when she was performing for the ladies in the harem, she accidentally bumped into Concubine Shu, and was beaten with a stick on the spot by Concubine Shu. The Queen couldn't bear it, so she said a few words and exempted her from the punishment.

Everyone in the palace knew that Concubine Shu was a rather domineering person, and sometimes she even liked to go against the Empress.

Of course, she had her reasons for being so arrogant. After all, she was the daughter of the then Prime Minister Yuan An and had given birth to the eldest prince. Whether it was her background or her son, she had the confidence.

So, if she wants to punish someone, she can do it whenever she wants.

The Queen was different. She was born into a scholarly family and was always kind to others.

The Queen's father was originally the Prince's tutor. After the Emperor ascended the throne, he was granted the title of Marquis of Rong'en. In order to prevent his family from being overly favored in the future, the tutor had already retired to his home. The Queen's two elder brothers, one is currently the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and the other manages the family business.

In terms of background, the Queen is not as good as the Concubine Shu.

I've gone a bit off topic, but anyway, this was a small incident that happened that year and was known to everyone in the palace.

Things that seemed insignificant at the time may, if brought up at this time, overturn the existing stable situation.

As for the palace maid who was knocked unconscious, she was originally responsible for sweeping the Prince's palace. It was unknown who arranged for her to serve dishes at the banquet. The palace maid refused to say anything at first, and later, under severe torture, she only said that she was following the orders of the Prince and knew nothing else.

The eunuch who arranged for her to attend the banquet was found, but he had been hanged in his room when he was found. Ling Qingxuan sent someone to investigate the eunuch's background. This person had been in the palace for many years and was very greedy for money. It was very likely that he had received benefits from someone and was then silenced.

The surface evidence was clear, and all the blame was pointed at the Queen and the Crown Prince.

As the investigator, Ling Qingxuan must of course report everything to the emperor. As for what decision the emperor will make, it is not something he can influence.

So how will the emperor deal with this matter?

Some are eager, some are looking forward to it, and some are waiting and watching...

The emperor said nothing. He just went to the empress's palace after hearing all this. It is unknown what the emperor and the empress talked about. Then, the empress handed over the power of handling harem affairs to Concubine Shu, Concubine Xian and Concubine Lan, while she herself stayed in the palace to worship Buddha and did not go out.

The prince also stayed indoors in the Eastern Palace and refused to go out.

In the eyes of many officials, this was the emperor's attitude.

Regardless of whether the prince was responsible for the incident or not, he was responsible for it. Even if the prince retained his current position, he would have lost the emperor's trust.

It seems that this day is about to change...

This year passed peacefully yet strangely, amidst everyone's speculation.

Party struggles have always been cruel, but these things have nothing to do with ordinary people like Xia Chuntao.

As for the common people, as long as they can have enough food and clothing and live a good life, national affairs are too far away from them.

The second day of the Lunar New Year is the day to return to my parents’ home.

At this time last year, Xia Chuntao had asked someone to send a New Year gift, but she didn't go. It wasn't that she didn't want to go, but the original owner's parents didn't want her to go at all.

She still remembered that not long after she came through, she carried some things to visit the original owner's parents. Her mother said that she was born with the destiny of disaster and would bring bad luck to her relatives all her life, so she asked her to go back less often in the future.

When she brought in the gift, her mother said that with the money she should donate more incense oil to the temple to alleviate her sins.

What's the point of her being angry? After all, these are the original owner's parents.

Since no one wants to see her, she doesn't need to flatter them. She just needs to give as many gifts as possible during the holidays.

To put it bluntly, now that she has changed her mind, she should do things according to her wishes. They are not her parents, so she should treat them as she wants. If she can treat them as she wants, she should treat them as she wants. If she can't treat them as she wants, she should not treat them as she wants. She should give them the material respect they deserve, and there is no need to try to please them.

As a result, she sent someone to deliver some things on the second day of the Chinese New Year. The villager who delivered the things came back and told her that her parents asked her to go back on the third day of the Chinese New Year, and specifically stated that she didn't need to bring the child with her.

Did her parents suddenly change their personalities?

Xia Chuntao didn't think so.

If she really changed her mind, she would definitely let her bring the child back to celebrate the New Year with them. But now she specifically asked not to bring the child.

That means I have something to do with her!

She had to go even if she didn't want to, after all, she was someone else's daughter in name. It was one thing for your parents not to let you go, but if you didn't go when your parents asked you to, then you wouldn't be right no matter what, right?

On the third day of the Chinese New Year, Xia Chuntao brought Xiaobai with her, and with Xuan Er driving the car, they soon arrived at Hongbei Village.

It was the Chinese New Year, and every household had opened their doors, and children were running from house to house. When Xia Chuntao's large carriage entered the village, many villagers came to watch.

Xia Chuntao parked her car in front of her parents' house. As soon as she got out of the car, the villagers following behind her swarmed around her and started talking to her.

"Hey, isn't this Chuntao? Why are you here?"

"Yes! I thought there was a rich man in our village. This carriage is really magnificent!"

"Chun Tao, do you still remember me? We used to play together when we were little!"

"Come on! You always bully Chuntao, and you still have the nerve to say that."

"I was young and ignorant back then. Chuntao is a big shot now. How can I still care about those little things from my childhood? Right, Chuntao?"

"Hey, aren't your parents here? Why didn't anyone come out to greet you?"

"I'll go and knock on the door for you, wait a minute."

Everyone was chattering, and Xia Chuntao was tired of laughing. In the courtyard, Zhang listened for a long time, and then she heard someone knocking on the door, so she opened the door and walked out slowly.

Zhang looked Xia Chuntao up and down and said:

"If you're here, come in quickly. What are you standing here for? Do you still need me to treat you?"

Zhang's words immediately quieted the noisy scene. Everyone looked at Zhang in disbelief. Her daughter only came back a few times a year, and Zhang had this attitude?