There have been, and there must be severe punishment.
What exactly did the Princess mean by that?
Could it be Prince Hao, whose opinions differed from the Princess's in Xin Hua Village before?
Everyone had heard about this matter.
At that time, Prince Hao, fearing the spread of the illness from Xin Hua Village, had intended to set fire to the corpses. It was even rumored that he had injured some of the sick villagers in the process.
However, no one present was unaware that if the epidemic spread, it would be an absolutely terrifying affair.
Moreover, Xin Hua Village was not far from the imperial capital. If it were to spread, it would pose a significant threat to the capital.
Therefore, what Chu Minghao had done was not considered wrong by most of the officials.
Instead, it was heard that the Princess had publicly caned Prince Hao, severely injuring him. The punishment seemed a bit too harsh.
"Your Highness, the Princess." The official who spoke at this moment was clearly on the side of the Princess and the Emperor.
However, he could not go against his conscience.
"Your Highness, for the epidemic in the three villages this time, all those who made mistakes have already been punished by Your Highness. Your Highness is wise, which is a blessing for our Nan Ming."
He said this not to support Chu Minghao, but to remind the Princess that the punishment was sufficient.
After all, the Princess was just a young girl, newly returned to Nan Ming and holding the esteemed title of Princess. It was inevitable that she would be somewhat arrogant.
As the saying goes, a new official makes three fires. Her public caning of Prince Hao was also an attempt to let the world know that in terms of status and position, Prince Hao was far less noble than she, the Princess.
People respected the Emperor, and naturally, they would show more leniency towards the Princess.
Although the Princess had been somewhat willful in this matter, everyone could turn a blind eye.
They only hoped that the matter would end here, and it was time for rewards based on merit.
Continuing to cause trouble would not be beneficial for the Princess. One must know that Prince Yu was not to be trifled with.
The Princess had just returned and was not yet aware of Prince Yu's strength.
"Princess..."
"Do you all think that what I said was about Prince Hao disregarding the lives of the people for his own achievements, intending to set fire to all the people in Xin Hua Village, both the sick and the innocent, and burn them all to death?"
What? Prince Hao intended to set fire to the entire village and burn all the people to death?
Wasn't Prince Hao intending to burn only those who were critically ill and beyond help?
This was completely different from what everyone had heard!
"Your Highness, the Princess! Prince Hao, for the safety of the people, braved the eternal shame of being condemned by the world and decided to set fire to the corpses contaminated by the epidemic. His actions were intended to place himself in a position of wrongdoing."
"Despite Prince Hao's sacrifice of his reputation, not only did the Princess offer no support, but instead, for some reason, publicly caned Prince Hao!"
Prince Yu stepped forward, his face filled with anger. "This matter, Your Highness, I had originally decided not to pursue it, considering the Princess's youth and ignorance. I did not expect the Princess to now slander my Prince Hao!"
"A scholar can endure, but this is unbearable! How can my Prince Hao's reputation be so insulted and slandered by the Princess? Even if the Princess is still young, I, as his father, cannot let this matter rest!"
He looked up at Chu Mingnan, who was seated on the dragon throne, his eyes cold.
"Your Majesty, the Princess is of noble birth. Even if she committed a grave error, I would not dare to ask Your Majesty to punish the Princess. But! How innocent is my son? As a father, if I cannot seek justice for my son, then I am truly unworthy of being a father!"
"Your Majesty, the Princess is arrogant and overbearing, resorting to private torture against those who disagree with her. Should Your Majesty not reprimand such behavior?"