The more she said it, the more wronged Song Yanjiao felt.
She no longer cared about Mu Hansu or the pleading glances from Noble Consort Rui.
Having suppressed her grievances for so long, she now wanted to vent all her unhappiness at once.
The Emperor, who had initially been shocked and helpless, now sat on his dragon throne, his gaze fixed darkly on Song Yanjiao.
It seemed even the Emperor was curious to see what further madness Song Yanjiao was capable of!
At the same time, the Noble Consort stepped forward, positioning herself between Song Yanjiao and Song Chaoyu.
Her cold eyes fixed on Song Yanjiao: "Princess Ning, I do not concern myself with the troubles within your Ning King's manor. However, Princess Chang is not only your sister but also a Princess, and like you, she is pregnant. You disregard your own unborn child and act so wildly. She kindly tried to reason with you. Instead of being grateful, you pushed her away, intending to harm her child. What is your intention?!"
Originally, Song Yanjiao had only been acting out of anger and unwillingness. While she had the intention to harm Song Chaoyu, she didn't dare to be so presumptuous in front of the Emperor. That push was more like an unintentional act.
But after the Noble Consort's words, it was as if Song Yanjiao had deliberately pushed Song Chaoyu, intending to harm her child.
How could the Emperor tolerate this? How could the Empress tolerate this?!
"Bang—"
Finally, before Song Yanjiao could say anything more, the Emperor could no longer restrain himself. He slammed the cup in front of him down in front of Mu Hansu.
He pointed at Mu Hansu and roared, "Is this the princess consort you insisted on marrying that day?! Is this what you, King Ning, should be doing? You can't even manage the affairs of your own manor, and you still want to help me manage state affairs? You are truly my good son!"
The Emperor grew increasingly angry: "These past few days, I have heard the rumors circulating in the capital! I am not unaware of the sordid affairs within your manor! It was only because I thought that as a King who had established his own manor, you could handle it. Secondly, I thought that the princess consort you went to such lengths to marry was pregnant. Even though she always used her pregnancy with royal blood to suppress others, I endured it!"
In fact, the Emperor was clear about many things: "But what about you?! Look, the matters are escalating, becoming more and more numerous! Have you taken my favor and tolerance for you as capital for your increasing audacity?"
Everyone could tell that the Emperor was truly enraged this time.
But this was only directed at Mu Hansu and his wife.
Because the Emperor quickly pointed towards Song Chaoyu: "Both are daughters of the Song family, and Princess Chang is of concubine birth. How is it that in their Chang King's manor, everything is in order?! Instead of learning from the ways of the Chang King's manor, you went to great lengths to frame them. Mu Hansu, tell me, what are your intentions?! Where have I wronged you? Where has your brother, King Chang, wronged you, that you would deal with them in such a manner?"
He then pointed at Song Yanjiao: "And you, Princess Ning. All you think about is how to suppress the noble ladies outside and punish those serving in your manor. When King Ning made mistakes, did you ever advise him?! With the situation escalating to this point, you not only failed to stop him but instead escalated things with him. Do you truly wish to infuriate me to death!"
The Emperor's chest heaved up and down with anger. Even the Empress sitting beside him seemed startled. She quickly stepped forward to gently stroke the Emperor's back and softly appeased him, "Your Majesty, the children have grown up. Please do not worry too much. It is common for these children to make mistakes. Since no great disaster has occurred today, Your Majesty is still wise and mighty. It is enough to reprimand the children. You must not get angry yourself. Otherwise, what will become of us, and what will become of the officials and common people below?"
The Empress's words seemed to bring the Emperor some comfort.
He finally sat back on his dragon throne, looking at Mu Hansu and Song Yanjiao with heartache: "The two of you are confined to your manor starting today. Reflect on your mistakes within the Ning King's manor!"
He pointed at Song Yanjiao: "Especially you! You are pregnant now, about to become a mother. Until your child is safely born, you are not to cause any more such incidents. Otherwise, I will absolutely not spare your Ning King's manor lightly. Do you understand?!"
Only when the cup was smashed did Song Yanjiao realize that she had made a grave mistake!
The constant neglect by Mu Hansu, her jealousy of Song Chaoyu, and the grievances of her unhappy life in the Ning King's manor had almost turned her into a madwoman!
At this moment, she seemed to have finally regained some clarity and realized her grave error. She quickly knelt beside Mu Hansu: "This concubine... was momentarily foolish! I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness. This concubine will never dare to do so again! This concubine will surely assist her husband and nurture her children and assist the King in the future. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"
Song Chaoyu was not surprised by her quick reaction.
Moreover, given that Song Yanjiao was pregnant, even if the Emperor was angry, he would not truly punish her.
In any case, their objective for the day had been achieved, and Song Yanjiao had even thrown a "tantrum." Song Chaoyu felt a sense of relief but showed no outward expression.
Seeing that both Song Yanjiao and Mu Hansu had "admitted their mistakes," the Emperor finally sighed and rubbed his forehead: "Enough. Since you know you were wrong, quickly return to your manor and reflect on your mistakes. I hope your child is born safely. And I hope you, along with me, will anticipate King Chang's eventual safe awakening."
He waved his hand, unwilling to say any more to the couple.
Mu Hansu glared at Song Yanjiao, then stood up first to thank the Emperor and left without acknowledging Song Yanjiao.
No matter how wronged Song Yanjiao felt, she could only follow closely behind Mu Hansu.
Song Chaoyu knew that the two of them would finally be quiet for a while.
After their commotion, the Emperor's gaze towards Song Chaoyu softened considerably: "Alas... I will naturally find a way to compensate your Chang King's manor for today's events. It has been hard on you, having to endure such an ordeal in the palace while pregnant. Today... I am truly sorry to King Chang, I have wronged you."
"Father, you need not think that way."
At this moment, Song Chaoyu was also extremely clear about what she should say: "That person... truly resembles the King. Even this concubine felt a tremor of fear, let alone Father. Now that the truth is revealed, this concubine only hopes to live a good life with the King in the future. As long as this concubine and the King can live well and safely, we will not care about other matters. Father need not worry too much."
Her words were exceptionally sensible.
Instead, they made the Emperor feel even more distressed.
The Noble Consort also stepped forward and took Song Chaoyu's hand.
For the first time in many years, as she looked up at the Emperor, her eyes held a sense of distance and anger: "Your Majesty, Ah Yu is tired. Since this farce has ended today, let her take Chang'er back to rest."
"Alright, my beloved consort, I will listen to you."
The Emperor was stung by her gaze but could only nod helplessly.