It was simply sacrilege!
The Retired Emperor had just passed away, his body still warm, lying on the bed.
And Prince Jin was actually in front of the bed, embracing a girl and canoodling!
This was truly filial!
Even the Emperor, who had long wished for the Retired Emperor to return to ultimate bliss, now felt it was unfair to the Retired Emperor.
Father Emperor, this is your most beloved youngest son! Open your eyes and see how filial he is!
The Emperor had just issued his decrees, handled his duties, and then went to see the fainted Empress Dowager. Only then did he think to take another look at the Retired Emperor, and that's when he saw this scene.
"Zhou Shiyue, aren't you afraid Father Emperor will come looking for you in the middle of the night!"
The Emperor was so angry he stomped his foot, seeing that Prince Jin was still holding the girl tightly.
"Let her go, let me see who this shameless person is, daring to throw herself into your arms at this time and place!"
The Emperor's first thought was that this person was from the imperial harem.
And that she had actively thrown herself into Prince Jin's arms.
After all, as far as he knew, Prince Jin had always been solitary and uninterested in women since childhood.
Although he disliked Prince Jin, the Emperor had to admit that Prince Jin was definitely not someone who would casually mess around with women.
Qingfeng stood by, helpless and nervous.
At a time like this, Miss Lu, given her status, absolutely had no right to enter the palace and appear here. For the Emperor to see her would bring her no good.
In fact, it was highly likely she would be directly sentenced to death.
What Miss Lu had just done absolutely could not be told to the Emperor; otherwise, there would be no way to explain why she was here.
Now, Miss Lu had clearly fainted. Fortunately, her face was buried in the Prince's embrace, so the Emperor could only see the back of her head, not her face.
Qingfeng looked nervously at the Prince, what should they do?
"Who is she?" The Emperor indeed narrowed his eyes. No, no matter who this girl was, she couldn't be here now!
She wasn't wearing a maid's uniform, nor any palace attire of a noble lady or young master from the imperial harem.
"No matter who she is, trespassing into Ningshou Palace and disturbing the Retired Emperor, her crime is unforgivable!"
The Retired Emperor had just passed away. If a living person intruded and disturbed the Retired Emperor's soul, it would also be a great disrespect, a crime severe enough to warrant her execution.
"Guards—"
"The person is already dead. This Prince will just have Qingfeng dispose of her." Prince Jin interrupted the Emperor, "Qingfeng."
Qingfeng immediately tensed up and stepped forward.
"This subordinate will carry her out!"
Prince Jin grunted, lifted the person in his arms, and draped her over Qingfeng's shoulder, "Throw her out."
"Yes!"
Qingfeng immediately ran off, carrying the person like a sack of potatoes.
"Stop!" The Emperor stomped his foot.
"Probably just a small thief, taking advantage of Father Emperor's passing and the empty bedchamber to sneak in and steal something." Prince Jin blocked him.
The Emperor's face darkened, wishing he could slap him.
"Zhou Shiyue, do you even hear yourself? This is the imperial palace. What audacious petty thief would dare come to Ningshou Palace? Make your man stop! I want to see who is so brazen!"
"Perhaps just a criminal maid?" Prince Jin said, secretly striking out with a finger wind, hitting the kneecap of a guard who was about to chase Qingfeng.
"Ouch!" The guard, hit in the kneecap, stumbled forward, knocking down two colleagues at the same time.
With that delay, Qingfeng had already run off with the person, out of sight.
The Emperor's eyes turned red with anger, glaring at Prince Jin.
"Who is that woman? Zhou Shiyue, I'm not joking with you—"
"Can't Your Majesty see that the woman was already dead? Did you see her move?" Prince Jin calmly interrupted him, not taking his anger seriously at all.
The Emperor choked.
He recalled what he had just seen: the woman did seem to be limp in Prince Jin's arms. With such a powerful emperor roaring at her, she hadn't moved a finger. Could she really be dead?
"Wasn't she just unconscious?" Couldn't that also be a possibility? The Emperor felt he was almost being led astray.
"I already caught her, how could I let her merely faint?" Prince Jin pulled his hand from behind his back and produced a spirit tablet. "Imperial Brother, look at this first."
He abruptly changed the subject, making the Emperor falter for a moment.
But he was indeed successfully distracted.
Because of that golden silk nanmu spirit tablet, his eyes widened.
"You, how did you make this?"
"Father Emperor once told me that after he passed away, he hoped for a spirit tablet to be enshrined in the ancestral temple, so he could watch over the imperial palace and the capital every day. The imperial mausoleum is too far, after all."
(Hmm, Father Emperor, let me put the blame on you. Even if you didn't say it, I'll pretend you did.)
The Emperor's eyes widened, "Nonsense!"
Shouldn't the Retired Emperor be buried in the imperial mausoleum? Why would he have a separate spirit tablet enshrined in the ancestral temple?
And to crudely write "Zhou Changxi's Spirit Tablet" like that! What kind of nonsense was this?
"This was Father Emperor's dying wish." Prince Jin said calmly. "Does Imperial Brother disagree with Father Emperor's simple last wish?"
The dying wish was already stated!
The Emperor choked again. How could he disagree?
It wasn't impossible for the Retired Emperor's spirit tablet to be enshrined in an ancestral temple outside the imperial palace.
He observed Prince Jin, thinking that this might be Prince Jin's way of holding onto a memory, as the ancestral temple was in the capital, and Prince Jin could still go offer incense from time to time.
Besides this, there was nothing else he could do. In the future, all that would be left for him was this spirit tablet of Father Emperor; Father Emperor would no longer protect him!
The Great Zhou Dynasty, finally, was his to command alone!
Thinking of this, the Emperor's mood greatly improved. The slender woman he had seen earlier, and now this spirit tablet, no longer seemed to be an issue.
Looking at Prince Jin, he even found him three points more agreeable.
"I agree."
The Emperor patted Prince Jin's shoulder, "This matter is entrusted to you."
He glanced at the spirit tablet and suddenly felt the characters on it flash. But when he looked closely again, there was no reaction.
The Emperor rubbed his eyes.
He thought he might have been seeing things.
"Then I will go to the ancestral temple first, and then return to keep vigil." Prince Jin looked back at the Retired Emperor on the bed, suppressing a bitter feeling.
Father Emperor, rest in peace.
"Go. Don't worry, I will ensure Father Emperor's funeral is held with great grandeur."
Prince Jin stopped at the threshold again.
"Imperial Brother, Father Emperor was still worried about my marriage before he left."
The Emperor had heard this too.
"Didn't Father Emperor say that Miss Shen from the Shen family..." The Emperor tried to recall what the Retired Emperor had said about Shen Xiangjun? Something about having good fortune? Or what?
Prince Jin's eyes flashed, and he calmly said, "Yes, it seems Father Emperor wanted me to marry Miss Shen."
The Emperor's heart immediately rose to his throat.
Then he absolutely could not let Prince Jin marry Shen Xiangjun!
Father Emperor always thought of Prince Jin first, so the wife he chose for him would definitely be the most beneficial one. He absolutely could not let them have their way!
"A-Yue, Father Emperor actually hoped you would marry a girl you truly loved. I don't think you like Shen Xiangjun."
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