After rebirth, the prince fell into the hands of the princess again

Song Jinyu took Ji Chu's hand away, glared at her fiercely, pressed Ji Chu's acupoints before she could react, then picked her up and carried her back to his residence in the palace.

The atmosphere in the imperial study was weird. There were only Emperor An and Rong Yan in the huge room, one sitting in the seat of honor and the other kneeling below.

Finally, Emperor An spoke first: "Ayan, you should give me an explanation for this matter."

The emperor's voice was majestic without being angry, and he looked down at the people kneeling below. Rong Yan hid the disgust that flashed in his eyes very well, and his face was respectful and humble when he spoke.

"I know I can't hide anything from you, Father. I had planned to tell you the truth after the All Saints' Day, but I never thought that person would come tonight."

The emperor stared at him for a long time with sharp eyes.

"Did you never expect that person to come tonight or did you never expect that he would bring the real Princess Rong with him?"

Rong Yan knelt on the ground with both hands, bowed deeply, and then raised his head and said, "Father, please understand. I only have one Princess Rong, who married me. The Lingnan group accompanied me through all kinds of hardships, and the one who brought the blood gardenia back from the ghost market for me is my real wife. As for the person who appeared tonight, she has nothing to do with me."

Emperor An seemed dissatisfied with Rong Yan's answer. He tapped the table impatiently with his fingers. At this point, he knew that his son must have come here with some preparations tonight, but he didn't know what conditions he would use to save Princess Rong.

Rong Yan did not want to waste time here, so he took out a copper tiger-shaped seal from his arms, raised his hands to the height of his eyebrows, lowered his head slightly and said in a loud voice: "The Li Dynasty is now peaceful and stable, and there are strong generals stationed in the border cities. This tiger seal is no longer useful to me, so I will return it to you today. Please grant your approval."

Emperor An sat upright in the hall, his face expressionless, but his hands hidden under the desk were trembling slightly.

He didn't expect Rong Yan would go to such lengths for a woman.

"You are going to disregard the safety of the country for a woman? Do you still remember your identity? You are the god of war in the hearts of the people and the prince I rely on the most. Now you are handing over the tiger talisman that commands the three armies for a woman?"

Rong Yan could only turn his head slightly, not wanting Emperor An to see the disgust in his eyes. If in his previous life he still expected to be relied upon by his father, then after living his life again he has learned not to expect things that are destined not to happen.

What the emperor father meant by reliance was just that he hoped he could stay in the border town and guard the vast land for him and Prince Shun, and be willing to use his life to fight for a piece of clean land for the court when the enemy invaded.

This is what he thought and did in his previous life. He was willing to be a knife to defend the territory, but he didn't expect that it would eventually become a knife that would chop himself.

Even if he did not fight, Prince Shun still could not tolerate him. Even if his father could still spare his life out of the father-son relationship, his elder brother would not let him go after he ascended the throne.

How can tigers and wolves be allowed to sleep soundly under the feet of the emperor?

In just a moment, Rong Yan regained his composure and bowed his head slightly, saying, "Father, your words are too serious. This matter has nothing to do with the princess. Today, the territory of the Li Dynasty is vast, the people are prosperous and happy, and there are many vassal states. With my second brother in the border town, the enemy dare not invade. I can be a leisurely prince and no longer need to hold this tiger talisman. I will return it to you today as a birthday gift."

After saying that, Rong Yan stood up and walked slowly forward to respectfully place the tiger talisman in front of Emperor An, then stepped back, lifted his robe and continued to kneel.

Emperor An picked up the tiger talisman on the table, held it in his hand and examined it carefully. Soon, he clenched the object in his hand tightly, his eyes resting on Rong Yan.

"Ayan, I know you have good intentions for the princess, but you are my prince, the god of war of the Le Dynasty, and family and national affairs must be more important than personal love."

Rong Yan clenched his fists in his sleeves and bowed his head, saying, "I will remember my father's teachings. If the enemy attacks again, I will put on my armor and go into battle to protect the stability of the Li Dynasty."

Emperor An pursed his lips slightly, his eyes filled with anger, but he didn't show it in the end.

"After all, your fourth brother has less experience than you, and he grew up in the capital. There are many treacherous people around him. It is always easier to do things in the name of Prince Shun. Father will also give you a piece of advice. The love between brothers must be more important than the words of others."

"Ayan, do you understand what father said?"

Rong Yan's hands, which were lying on the ground, were trembling slightly. In order to avoid being seen by Emperor An, he had to clench his fists again. Even though his nails were deeply embedded in his flesh, he could not feel it.

"Father, you are a wise ruler. Those who died were also your people. Can you just say one word about their lives? My sixth brother killed innocent people and treated human lives as straw dogs. Even if the evidence is in front of you, will you still protect him?"

"How dare you." Emperor An shouted angrily, slamming his hand heavily on the table. "I have said that those treacherous people used your fourth brother's name to frame him. You two grew up together, and you are so impatient to see your brother die?"

"Princess Rong is our enemy, and you would rather use the tiger talisman to protect her, but you are so cruel to your brother. Prince Rong, it seems that you are really as ambitious as the court officials said. I will tell you clearly today that you can forget about the position of crown prince."

"I have never coveted the position of Crown Prince."

Emperor An stood up and paced back and forth several times on the desk, then turned back and said coldly: "Princess Rong has committed crimes against the emperor and colluded with criminals. Her crimes are numerous. Considering that you and she were husband and wife, I am showing mercy by leaving her body intact."

Rong Yan suddenly let go of his hand and compromised again.

"Fourth brother was deceived by treacherous people, and there is insufficient evidence to prove his crime. I was too impatient. I plead guilty."

Emperor An pursed his lips tightly, and he didn't know where the sour feeling in his heart came from.

"I will have someone present the so-called evidence to your father. I was reckless and rushed to achieve my goal without finding out the truth. I beg your majesty to punish me."

"Since entering the palace, Princess Rong has always followed the rules and treated her son and father with sincerity. Princess Rong's sincere heart should not be let down. I beg the father to show mercy."

Rong Yan bowed his head and knelt on the ground. He knew that Emperor An would agree.

After a while, he heard the majestic voice of the emperor falling from above his head, "Someone come."

As soon as the voice fell, two eunuchs pushed the door open and ran in, kneeling behind Prince Rong, "Your Majesty."

"Prince Rong knew about the crime but didn't report it. He framed his brother and was disloyal and unfilial. He will be severely beaten with 20 lashes. Princess Rong has martial arts skills but deceived the emperor. She deserves the death penalty. Considering her sincerity to Prince Rong, I will spare her the death penalty, but she can't escape the punishment of living. She will be punished with 10 lashes. Prince Rong can come to take her back to the palace in three days."

"The woman tonight is innocent. Since she has a face similar to Princess Rong, fate is hard to come by in this world. I have General Zhenping take her back and adopt her as his daughter, and give her the name Le Xu."

"The General's Mansion is guilty of this crime and cannot be exempted. General Zhenping will be fined one year's salary and confined for one month to serve as a warning to others."

The two eunuchs kneeling on the ground were stunned for a moment before they responded in a sharp voice: "Yes, we will go and pass on the order."

Rong Yan's voice sounded again, "The princess is weak, I am willing to take the punishment for her, please allow me, father."

"It's up to you." Emperor An said these two cold words and left. The eunuch didn't dare to step forward to urge Rong Yan, so he could only kneel there and wait.