Qi Yun knew what the smart thing to do was, but he had his pride. He was upset that his father would jump to conclusions like that. That on top of their past settled uncomfortably in his heart. He wanted the emperor to understand him.

Jun Huang sighed and approached the emperor. “Please quell your anger, Your Majesty. This must be someone else’s doing. The prince has a pure heart. He wouldn’t have colluded with the officials to challenge Your Majesty. An investigation is needed before blame can be cast.”

The emperor scoffed, throwing her a cold glance. She knew it was inappropriate for her to speak up now, but she had to say something to diffuse the emperor. Otherwise there was no telling what he’d do in fury.

“Your Majesty must know better than others how much hardships the prince’s been through for you. Please don’t be misled by the ploy.”

“Enough,” snapped the emperor....