Emperor Jingming had initially intended to admonish Jiang Si, perhaps reminding her that as a royal daughter-in-law, she should be cautious in her words and actions, and not take advantage of her pregnancy to act recklessly. However, since she had already spoken and sincerely asked for punishment, what more could he say? He had to admit, this daughter-in-law was quite sensible.

Emperor Jingming couldn’t help but think of the Princess of Lu. Shortly after marrying the Prince of Lu, she had become pregnant, and the Prince had brazenly slept with a maid. It was rumored that the Princess had thrown a bowl of rice at the Prince’s face. Of course, he wasn’t entirely sure if this had happened, but he was certain that the Princess had come to the palace to complain while pregnant.

As a man, Emperor Jingming didn’t think it was a big deal for a husband to sleep with a maid when his wife was pregnant, but he still scolded his fifth son. Deep down, however, he felt that the Princess of Lu wasn’t very understanding.

In comparison, his seventh son’s wife seemed more reasonable. At least if his seventh son couldn’t control himself and slept with a maid, she probably wouldn’t throw a bowl of rice at her husband’s face.

With one less worry on his mind, Emperor Jingming said calmly, “Stand up first.”

Yu Jin helped Jiang Si to her feet. A brief gesture of kneeling was enough; it wouldn’t do to tire out Jiang Si and the child in her womb.

Emperor Jingming looked at Yu Jin and said, “I’d like to hear your plans for this matter.”

The Empress Dowager’s eyebrow twitched slightly. The Emperor didn’t seem to be furious, which was somewhat unexpected. However—the Empress Dowager’s peripheral vision swept over Jiang Si, reassessing her. Unlike the impression of recklessness Jiang Si had previously left, this girl was quite clever. Her tactic of retreating to advance was well-played.

Yu Jin replied without hesitation, “Even if it were our son who had committed such an act, he should be punished. How much more so for Jiang Si’s distant relative? He harassed a respectable woman in public, driving her to death. Whatever crime the authorities deem appropriate, let him be judged accordingly. If he’s to be imprisoned, so be it. If he’s to be punished, let it be done. Neither Jiang Si nor I will say a word in his defense.”

“Is that all?” Emperor Jingming seemed slightly disappointed. He was concerned not only with punishing the villain but also with salvaging his seventh son’s wife’s reputation. Well, his seventh son was a prince, so a slightly tarnished reputation wasn’t too concerning…

Yu Jin’s expression turned serious, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. “Of course, we can’t let it end like this. Our tarnished reputations must be restored.”

Emperor Jingming’s interest was immediately piqued. “How do you plan to restore them?”

The Empress Dowager listened with her lips twitching and lightly coughed. Wasn’t the Emperor supposed to be admonishing them? Even if it wasn’t severe, he should at least say something!

Emperor Jingming cleared his throat. “You’ve shown good sense by not shielding the villain. I’ll leave the task of restoring your and your wife’s reputations to you. Within three days, I want to see the people’s opinions of you change. If you can’t achieve this—”

“If I fail, I’ll present my head,” Yu Jin promptly interjected.

Emperor Jingming was taken aback. “There’s no need for that…”

What nonsense was this about presenting his head?

Yu Jin said solemnly, “This is how military oaths are usually sworn.”

Emperor Jingming rolled his eyes, unable to contain his exasperation. “This isn’t a military camp. What military oath are you talking about?”

It’s harder to stop people from talking than to stop a river from flooding. Once a bad reputation spreads, it’s not easy to salvage. If the task couldn’t be completed, the usual punishments would suffice: scolding, confinement, fines, detention in the Clan Court, demotion of rank… There was no need for presenting one’s head. He couldn’t behead his son over such a trivial matter, could he?

Emperor Jingming looked back and forth between the couple, thinking how peculiar they were, vying to be punished.

The anger he had felt upon first hearing about the incident had quietly dissipated.

Chastised by Emperor Jingming’s rebuke, Yu Jin showed a foolish grin. “I got carried away by habit, Father.”

Emperor Jingming was stunned for a moment. Looking at that smiling face, his heart suddenly softened.

Unlike his other sons who had grown up in silks and riches, this son had spent most of his life in the south.

He still remembered when the war report came, mentioning how the Seventh Prince had refused to retreat even at the cost of his life, killing a great general of South Lan, and was finally buried in a pile of corpses, only to be dragged out by a large dog, barely saving his life…

Thinking of these things, Emperor Jingming’s heart softened even more.

Privately, he did feel he had shortchanged this son.

Yu Jin had been sent away from the palace at a young age because he was thought to be incompatible with Emperor Jingming’s fate. Many people assumed that Emperor Jingming had always harbored resentment towards this son, but in fact, they had misjudged Emperor Jingming’s nature.

An emperor who could show mercy to his officials and subjects, how could he be cold-hearted towards his son?

Publicly, among all his sons, only the seventh had truly been on the battlefield, and he was exceptionally talented. In the future, this vast empire would need his protection.

The emperor guards the altars of the state and land, while princes protect the nation’s territory. How could the great Zhou dynasty not endure?

Emperor Jingming gave Yu Jin a deep look and frowned, saying, “In the future, don’t bring such nonsense before me. I’m giving you three days. If you can’t accomplish it, there will be severe punishment!”

“I understand, Father,” Yu Jin lowered his head in acknowledgment, the corner of his lips rising slightly.

Emperor Jingming turned to the Empress Dowager and asked, “Mother, what do you think of this arrangement?”

The Empress Dowager pursed her lips.

Upon closer examination, the Emperor hadn’t punished the Seventh Prince and his wife at all today! But since the Emperor had set a deadline, saying there would be severe punishment if they couldn’t complete the task in three days, she felt it wasn’t appropriate to push further.

The Empress Dowager felt somewhat dissatisfied as if she had finally decided to take action but ended up punching into a cotton ball.

“That poor woman died innocently, leaving behind only a young brother. With her husband away, I can’t help but feel uneasy…” she said.

Yu Jin immediately responded, “Grandmother, I am willing to adopt that boy. We’ll hire tutors to teach him literature and martial arts. Perhaps he could become a pillar of our great Zhou dynasty in the future.”

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes.

This young man’s reactions were indeed quick.

Princess Rongyang’s expression turned somewhat unpleasant.

Her royal brother was being too lenient with the Prince of Yan and his wife! However, it would be a fool’s dream to think they could salvage their ruined reputation in such a short time. She was eager to see how the Prince of Yan would manage this.

Just as she was thinking this, Yu Jin suddenly looked her way.

Princess Rongyang’s heart skipped a beat, but she dared not let any unusual expression show on her face.

“Father, there’s something I’m quite puzzled about,” Yu Jin said suddenly.

“What’s puzzling you?” Emperor Jingming asked, somewhat impatiently.

He was eager to inquire about the investigation of the case. That’s why he had hastily concluded this matter. Why was his seventh son bringing up additional issues?

“I just find it too coincidental that Grandmother, who rarely goes out, happened to encounter Jiang Si’s cousin committing evil acts in the street,” Yu Jin said.

Emperor Jingming raised an eyebrow, catching the implication.

The Empress Dowager coldly said, “This just proves that the man is a habitual offender. It’s not the first or second time he has committed such acts.”

Emperor Jingming nodded slightly, feeling that the Empress Dowager’s words made sense.

Yu Jin smiled. “Since both Grandmother and Father feel this way, let’s have someone investigate thoroughly. It would be good to uncover all the evil deeds Uncle Dou has committed and punish him for all his crimes at once.”

If that man had repeatedly committed evil acts using Jiang Si’s name, he would have surely heard about it. If his guess was correct, this was likely the first time the man had acted recklessly, and there must be someone behind the scenes who had enticed him to do so.

Since that was the case, he might as well openly borrow the power of the Emperor’s Jinlin Guard to investigate. Even if they couldn’t trace it back to Princess Rongyang, arousing the Emperor’s suspicion would not be a bad outcome.