Extra three
Rong Que's eyes widened in an instant, and he was stunned.
Mingheji got blisters at the corners of his mouth.
"The rumors are going viral. They say that the former Crown Prince Longyu didn't die in battle, but was murdered. After his death, our Emperor felt sorry for you, so he took you in and raised you under his wing.
That’s what I said, but isn’t this harming people?
If you were the son of the former Crown Prince Longyu, how could you be the Crown Prince of our current Majesty? Crown Prince Longyu is our Majesty's elder brother."
Rong Que paused for a moment, regaining consciousness, and asked, "Can you find out where the rumor came from?"
Minghe shook his head. "I can't find out. It's gone viral outside. There are even children making up rhymes and singing them around."
Ming Lu's brain was more active, and he immediately said, "This is a good thing for our prince."
It’s a good thing indeed.
After the death of the late queen, Rong Que became a poor little thing in the palace.
The emperor had no pity for him, and the new queen had the second prince, so it was even less likely that she would be nice to him.
When he was a child, Rong Que had no food to eat and was beaten every now and then. Then one day, the emperor suddenly appointed him as the crown prince.
At that time, he thought the emperor suddenly had a fatherly love for him, but later it turned out that the emperor needed a chess piece to contain the Duke of Zhenguo's party.
The power of the Duke of Zhenguo was so great that the emperor could no longer balance the political situation.
At that time, in order to stabilize the political situation, the emperor would sincerely teach Rong Que some things. It was during that period that Rong Que forced himself to grow rapidly.
Let him become a powerful chess piece in the emperor's hands, so that his life will not be in danger.
But this position is precarious after all, and the emperor can replace him with another more outstanding prince at any time.
But now that this rumor has come out, the situation is very different.
No matter what his true identity is, the rumor is so rampant that it will leave an impression in people's minds that he is related to Crown Prince Longyu.
This mark is his amulet.
The emperor can get rid of his own princes at will, but he cannot get rid of the orphan of Prince Longyu. After all, Prince Longyu has made great military achievements and is the emperor's elder brother. He is also the prince that the late emperor valued most.
The orphan of such a prince must be raised well without any mistakes.
The cleverness of this rumor lies in that it protects Rong Que's safety without putting him at any risk.
Because on the surface, Rong Que is the only victim of this rumor.
The emperor can even benefit from it. If he becomes dissatisfied with Rong Que in the future, he can use this rumor to announce to the public that he is indeed the orphan of Prince Longyu. In this way, he will not be able to inherit the throne smoothly and can only be a leisurely and wealthy prince.
How did such a meticulous rumor come out?
It can't be that it was released by the Duke of Zhenguo and his party.
Minglu looked at Rongque, "Your Highness, could it be General Su..."
The rumor came out as soon as General Su returned to Beijing.
When the question was asked, Minglu smiled and shook his head in denial, "Even a servant can ask this question, so Your Majesty can definitely ask it. General Su is so smart, how could he do such a stupid thing that would make Your Majesty suspicious."
If it’s not General Su, then who is it!
In the imperial study, the emperor angrily picked up the cups and bowls at hand and threw them out, "Have you found out yet?"
The Minister of Justice and the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court knelt on the ground, trembling.
This rumor popped up overnight, and by the time it appeared, it had already broken out on a large scale. Almost everyone in Kyoto knew about it. There was no way to investigate it, as there was no trace of it.
"Could it be a rumor spread by General Su?" The Dali Temple Minister said bravely.
The emperor was furious. "Do you think Su Qingqing is as stupid as you? She just came back and started such rumors. Who wouldn't suspect her?"
It’s not Su Qingqing, nor is it Rong Que. In fact, it’s already clear who it is.
At the palace banquet yesterday, the Queen and the Duke of Zhenguo's party wanted to make something happen between Su Qingqing and the Second Prince, but Su Qingqing had no interest and the Second Prince himself seemed unwilling to do so. Was this the reason they resorted to because they couldn't get Su Qingqing and the Second Prince married?
Is this slandering Rong Que?
This is forcing the emperor!
Force the emperor to abolish Prince Rongque's status and appoint another prince!
The chief eunuch stood to one side and took advantage of the emperor's anger to interject, "Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is still under house arrest because of that incident. This rumor has spread..."
Of course the emperor understood that Rong Que would never really disrespect his noble lady.
However, regarding the incident with the mountain bandits, the emperor actually wanted to give the Su family army a hard time . Rong Que had ruined the plan, and the emperor was a little unhappy, so he took the opportunity to vent his anger.
Now that such rumors have spread, how can we continue to keep Rong Que imprisoned?
The emperor waved his hands irritably, "Then what are you waiting for!"
The emperor did not say it explicitly, but the chief eunuch immediately took the order and left, leaving the imperial study and heading straight for the prince's residence.
The prince, who had been under house arrest for fifteen days, was finally released.
At this moment, Rong Que just wanted to see Su Qingqing.
But he had to go to the palace to pay his respects first.
With such a big incident happening, he had to go to the palace.
"Your Highness, that seems to be General Su's carriage!" When Rong Que's carriage was about to reach the palace gate, Ming Lu suddenly lowered his voice, his tone bursting with uncontrollable joy, "It really is General Su's carriage, General Su has come down."
Rong Que's originally calm heart suddenly jumped.
When he got off the car, his body couldn't help shaking.
After more than a year, this man has lost a lot of weight, but his eyes are still the same, always bright.
Su Qingqing seemed to have not expected to meet him. She was surprised at first, and then she bowed respectfully and politely.
Rong Que suppressed his trembling heart and moved forward almost at the same time. He had a lot of words to say in his heart, and his emotions were so thick that he couldn't express them. But he could only say, " Congratulations to General Su for his triumphant return."
Su Qingqing clasped her fists and bowed her head, "Serving the country is my duty as a minister."
Rong Que lowered his eyes and looked at her, emotions swirling in his eyes, but he also knew that at this time and in this situation, he really couldn't say anything more.
But the intense emotions in my heart cannot be suppressed just by saying so.
"General Su..."
Su Qingqing stood there with her head down, her fingertips trembling.
"This war has been going on for more than a year. How is General Su in good health?" Rong Que had a thousand words to say, but he could only ask this question.
"I thank your Highness for your concern. I am doing well." After a pause, just when Rong Que thought Su Qingqing had stopped talking, she suddenly said, "Your Highness seems a little listless. I believe the rumors are nonsense. Your Highness should be at ease."
Rong Que was stunned for a moment.
Su Qingqing finished her words and bowed to say goodbye, "I came to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. I'm afraid I'm going in a different direction from Your Highness. I'll take my leave first."
