Emperor An frowned suddenly: "You said Xie Yin is not Rong Yue's son?"
Xiao Yan nodded: "This was pointed out by the old servant of Princess Chen who was in collusion with Prince Chen before he died. Marquis Wenxin and Lord Wu also heard it."
Marquis Wenxin spoke up: "I did hear it."
Wu Huai also agreed: "That old servant doesn't seem to be lying."
Although Nanny Jiang had her tongue pulled out and could not speak, her excited expression at the time could not be faked. It was probably that Xie Yin was not really the son of Princess Cheng.
Emperor An couldn't help but frown when he heard this. Back then, when Xie Tianyu married Rong Yue, his status among the princes instantly improved a lot thanks to Rong Qian'an's connections in the court.
At that time, the prince was still alive, and apart from the Eastern Palace, Xie Tianyu was the most eye-catching. Relying on the Rong family, he was almost on par with the Eastern Palace, and he also used this to win over a large number of people.
Emperor An remembered very clearly that not long after Rong Yue married Xie Tianyu, she was found to be pregnant. The following year, she gave birth to Xie Yin. The child's name was chosen by the late emperor himself.
In those days, the late emperor thought highly of Xie Tianyu and was particularly fond of Xie Yin. Because of his "deep affection" for Rong Yue, even after the death of the late emperor, when people mentioned him, they still said that Xie Tianyu was loyal and righteous.
But Xie Yin is not Rong Yue's son. So where did the child go when Rong Yue gave birth? Who is Xie Yin?
With Xie Tianyu's temperament, he would definitely not raise a son for someone else and hand over his family business to someone else. But if Xie Yin was his son, then who did Xie Tianyu have the son with?
Could it be that Xie Tianyu, who was so affectionate, secretly had a mistress somewhere else?
Emperor An thought a lot in an instant, and even for a moment he thought of the unlucky Song Hong.
Xiao Yan stood in the hall and said, "No matter what the reason is, the truth is probably not very glorious. If Master Xie has a bad background, it may affect the reputation of the royal family..."
"What kind of prince is this bastard who came from nowhere?"
The royal family recognizes orthodoxy and values bloodline.
Prince Cheng has even started thinking about rebellion, so how could Emperor An still care about his reputation? Emperor An had disliked Prince Cheng when he was still a prince, but he had been relatively law-abiding in later years so Emperor An was too lazy to touch him. But today, those thunder crossbows and cloud ladders touched Emperor An's reverse scale.
He only wished that King Cheng would become infamous and be despised by everyone. Once the charges were proven and he was punished, how could anyone cover up for him?
Emperor An said coldly: "Just investigate as you should, don't worry about it."
"Rong Yue is the principal wife of the Prince of Cheng, the one chosen by the late emperor. Her son is of royal blood. If Xie Yin is not Rong Yue's son, a thing of unknown origin, how can he inherit the title of the king and bring disaster to the reputation of the royal family?"
As Emperor Ande spoke, he tugged at his collar with a hint of irritation, as if something was tickling his brain. His breathing became rapid and he became restless.
His mouth and nose were full of heat. He waved his sleeves and drank the strong liquor on the table instead of tea. The burning stimulation went down his throat, and the heat in Emperor An's heart was relieved a little. There was an abnormal red glow on his face.
"Just take care of the affairs of Prince Cheng's mansion. If Prince Cheng really has the intention of treason, you should do what you should do. No need to show any mercy. As for the Lu family, you should investigate as soon as possible."
"yes."
Seeing Emperor An stand up, Xiao Yan said, "Your Majesty..."
Emperor An looked at him impatiently: "Anything else?"
His hands and feet were burning, and he became more and more irritable.
Xiao Yan said at the right time: "It's about the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager's hysteria has become more and more serious these days, and she has also started to talk nonsense. There are many people in the palace who are talking nonsense, and there are concubines who often visit her under various pretexts. I am afraid that I will disturb the Empress Dowager's peace."
Emperor An's expression turned cold: "Didn't I tell them not to bother the Empress Dowager?!"
Xiao Yan whispered, "I have already followed your majesty's order and had the palace sealed, but the Empress and the others wanted to show their filial piety and take care of the sick, and I can't stop them."
The Queen again!
Emperor An's eyes were gloomy: "I've never seen her so filial before!"
This almost undisguised sarcasm caused the hall to be extremely quiet for a moment.
As if Xiao Yan didn't notice Emperor An's expression, he continued, "The Empress Dowager has been reminiscing about the past recently, and she has been saying a lot of nonsense when she has hysterical attacks. The Empress thinks it's OK and won't take those words seriously, but she's afraid that other ladies in the palace might hear it and spread it as gossip, which might lead to misunderstandings."
Emperor An looked extremely unhappy. The Empress Dowager was old and confused, but she was still thinking about the Crown Prince and his son who had been dead for who knows how many years.
She loved the father and son the most back then. After the Crown Prince Li plotted a rebellion, she was the only one who did not believe it. She tried every possible way to make trouble for them, and finally drove herself crazy.
The affairs of the Crown Prince Li were not clean. Empress Lu had been in frequent contact with the Grand Empress Dowager and the concubines. What if the Grand Empress Dowager said something out of confusion?
Xiao Yan whispered, "Madam Qin said that the Empress Dowager often has hysteria because she often sees old things. It may be difficult for her to rest in peace in the palace. Why not move the Empress Dowager to the imperial manor on the outskirts of the city? It will also be convenient for Madam Qin to come in and take care of her."
Emperor An, who was already irritable, agreed without thinking: "As you say, send someone to protect the Empress Dowager, and don't let irrelevant people disturb her."
Xiao Yan lowered his eyes and said, "I obey your orders."
…
The heavy rain that had been going on for most of the night subsided a little. Several people, all wet, came out of the hall and shivered when the wind blew.
Marquis Wenxin rubbed his arms and couldn't help but look behind him.
"Master Xiao, His Majesty..."
The smell of alcohol had not yet dissipated in the hall. The sight of Emperor An with his chest and belly exposed was too eye-catching. Moreover, the teacup was clearly filled with strong liquor, and just the smell was pungent.
It was the middle of the night, and His Majesty even drank when he met them. Marquis Wenxin always felt that something was wrong.
"Your Majesty, are you okay?" He lowered his voice.
Xiao Yan said, "The Imperial Medical Bureau has been checking your pulse every day, and we haven't heard that your Majesty is ill. However, your Majesty has been particularly fond of drinking recently, and the newly favored concubines are also very good at drinking. Your Majesty often drinks with them at night."
Wen Xinhou frowned: "Will drinking like this harm your health?"
Xiao Yan glanced at him and said, "What do you think, Lord? How can a hangover not harm your body?"
"Then why didn't anyone advise?"
"Who dares to persuade me?"
"Master Xiao..."
Just as Marquis Wenxin was about to say that Xiao Yan could persuade him, he was stopped by his words.
"I am not a god, and Your Majesty has never missed a court due to a hangover. Most of the drunkenness occurs at night. I cannot sneak into the beds of those ladies in the middle of the night. I advise Your Majesty to drink less."
"Or do you think that I am particularly stubborn?"
Marquis Wenxin: "…"
Xiao Yan's mouth is as annoying as ever.