allendalepharm Chapter 401 It wouldn't be good if someone died.
Chapter 401 It wouldn't be good if someone died.
Shen Shixi sat on the phoenix throne, coldly looking at her, and asked, "What makes you say that I have a grandson?"
Shen Shixi knew everything the eldest princess had done in the Taoist temple, but he was too lazy to care, as long as she didn't rebel.
It's not like I gave birth to it myself.
After she entered the Taoist temple, men came to visit her in an endless stream, among whom a man named Ahana visited her most frequently.
Unexpectedly, the eldest princess would be so audacious as to have an affair with a man outside the marriage.
This has completely disgraced the royal family.
Li Yuanke didn't care. In his mind, among all his children, apart from his four legitimate children, the eldest princess was the one he cared for the most. She had committed several offenses, but he had always let her off lightly, which was considered as fulfilling his duty as a loving father.
Princess Consort Kang seemed to be taken aback for a moment, and said, "Your Majesty the Empress doesn't know? That's right. The eldest princess is in the Taoist temple, and Your Majesty the Empress is busy with state affairs every day, so naturally she doesn't know that the news has spread far and wide that the eldest princess is pregnant."
The Taoist temple held a traditional "Welcoming the Gods Ceremony" before the Lunar New Year. The eldest princess made an appearance, and it is said that she was suffering from morning sickness, which became known throughout the city.
The Kang Prince's residence naturally had the best information network, and Princess Consort Wang Jiaofan of Xun had verified it.
Princess An was stunned. "What... what are you talking about? A princess marrying a prince is a major royal event. How can you take rumors from outside the palace seriously? Your sister-in-law is also an elder, so you can't speak so absurdly."
Princess Kang quickly covered her mouth, "Look at me, I'm so senile! I thought Her Majesty the Empress always acted differently, and that the eldest princess's marriage was entirely up to her own wishes—that once she found her ideal partner, she was free to marry, only needing to inform her elders. So I assumed the eldest princess and that foreign prince would be the same!"
Shen Shixi grabbed a plate of food and threw it directly at Princess Kang. The plate landed on her face, covering her head and face with vegetable soup and mushrooms. The soup was very hot, and because her skin was well-maintained, it immediately turned red and blistered.
A lump the size of a baby's fist appeared on her forehead, causing Princess Kang to scream in pain.
The entire hall was deathly silent.
But no one was surprised; this was the Empress's style.
However, no one criticized the Empress, because Princess Kang's words were indeed too inappropriate; who couldn't tell that they were sarcastic?
King Kang stood up abruptly, but dared not utter a word to demand justice for his queen.
"Your Majesty!" Princess Kang, enduring the pain, said angrily, "What do you mean by this? I am, after all, an elder!"
Shen Shixi said, "Elder? Is this how an elder should act? Your gloating is to say that I, as a stepmother, have disgraced the royal family by expelling the eldest princess from the palace, or that my third sister's marriage was decided by herself and the Shen family has no manners whatsoever?"
Princess Consort Kang regretted provoking the Empress, but disgust still prevailed. "This humble woman had no such intention. She was only sincerely celebrating Her Majesty the Empress. Your Majesty has misunderstood this humble woman's meaning, and this humble woman has no way to defend herself."
Shen Shixi ripped off the fig leaf, "Isn't it just that Shengping remarried to the Marquis of Changning, and you came to ask me to issue an imperial decree to grant the marriage, and I didn't agree, so you hold a grudge?"
"What do you have to hate? Did I become Empress for your family? Or do you hate that Shengping picked up the scumbag my third sister rejected? Oh, by the way, I heard that after your daughter married into the family, the illegitimate son and daughter of the Marquis of Changning died, one drowned and the other was poisoned. Is it really unrelated to Shengping?"
Princess Kang trembled with rage. "Your Majesty the Empress's words are something my daughter cannot possibly bear!"
"Can't bear the responsibility?" Xu Chongrong boldly took over the conversation, she was really furious, little did she know that Princess Shengping was actually a vicious jackal.
After she married into the family, not only was her brother forbidden from having any intimate relations with any concubines or maids, but he also caused the deaths of her two illegitimate nephews and nieces.
Although there is no conclusive evidence, it makes no sense that the two children were taken to her room to be raised and then disappeared.
What a coincidence!
Xu Chongrong said, "Although my brother is as the Empress said, he is unkind to his first wife and unworthy of the Shen family's daughter, he is still a marquis who has made military achievements. It is understandable that he was forced to marry Princess Shengping because of her schemes."
The princess was so vicious, insisting on raising her two illegitimate children, who died tragically in less than a month. I was just about to ask Her Majesty the Empress for help in seeking justice for this matter!
Princess Kang hadn't expected to stir up such a hornet's nest. "What does Consort Xu mean? Do you suspect that Shengping did something? She's just a concubine's daughter, is it really worth it?"
Xu Chongrong said, "Even children born out of wedlock are my brother's flesh and blood! The two children were perfectly fine and healthy before Princess Shengping came to the mansion. If Princess Shengping had no ill intentions, why did she insist on taking the children to her lap to raise?"
Why would such a young child, who is always accompanied by someone, go to the water's edge? The child was fine one day, but contracted a terrible disease and died the next day. Could it be that someone sabotaged the process?
Princess Kang said, "It was all due to the servants' poor care. Hasn't Shengping already dealt with them all?"
There was another reason why Princess Kang made trouble today. After the two children were lost, Marquis Changning still did not believe Princess Shengping. He even said that if he had known she was such a wicked woman, he should not have married her in the first place. He also said that Shen San was virtuous and kind. When he was drunk, he kept muttering Shen San's name. Shengping was so jealous that she was going crazy.
Shen San abandoned him, yet he still can't forget her. Where does that leave his wife's dignity?
Shengping went back to her parents' home and cried, and coupled with the Empress's previous curse, this led to the Princess Consort's actions today.
"Shengping isn't afraid of retribution for his own evil deeds, making his servants take the blame!" Consort Shu chimed in. "Princess Consort Kang, how dare you call yourself an elder? What kind of elder are you, aiding and abetting evil?"
Princess Consort Kang said angrily, "Your Majesty, what are the rules in this palace? Although I am a subject, I still hold the status of an elder. It's one thing for Your Majesty to make things difficult for me, but how come even the concubines can boss me around like this?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Xu was overjoyed. She quickly rose from her seat, knelt down, and pleaded, "Your Majesty, my nephew and niece died tragically. Although they were born out of wedlock, their deaths are still a matter of life and death. I beg Your Majesty to grant us the grace to issue an order for a thorough investigation. The Changning Marquis's family will be eternally grateful."
To put it bluntly, the one who did the evil was the royal princess. Even if the Changning Marquis's mansion knew who was responsible, they dared not do anything out of respect for the royal family and could only swallow their anger and suffer in silence.
Now that the Kang Prince's Mansion and the Empress have fallen out, this presents an opportunity for Consort Xu.
Revenge was just wishful thinking; all she wanted was to find a way to get her brother and the princess divorced.
The Changning Marquis's residence simply could not contain this great Buddha.
She even suspected that Shengping's two previous husbands either committed suicide or were murdered in order to get rid of this vicious jackal.
Shen Shixi saw through Xu Chongrong's intentions and did not object.
It's perfectly normal for people to form alliances and separate due to mutual interests. Even sworn enemies can join forces when the time is right.
"I agree with Consort Xu's words. Your Majesty, this matter concerns the face of the royal family. I believe we should have it thoroughly investigated. If it is indeed Shengping's doing, we cannot tolerate it."
Wang Shu wanted to eat, so the Emperor held him and fed him. Whether he listened or not, the Emperor said, "The Empress's words make sense. Cen Yin, as per the Imperial Decree, thoroughly investigate this matter!"
Cen Yin was always ready to respond to any call, and immediately led the Bad Guys to the Changning Marquis's residence.
Princess Kang's legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground.
Shen Shixi gave Chaoyu a look, and Chaoyu led her people out of the palace, heading straight for the Taoist temple. They brought the eldest princess back that very night, and the relevant personnel were also detained.
She didn't mean to lock her up, but it would be bad if someone died.
Before the New Year's Eve banquet was even over, Cen Yin returned with Shengping, Marquis Changning, the Dowager Lady, and a group of witnesses. The evidence was conclusive: Princess Shengping had instructed her servants to murder two illegitimate children.
The one who drowned was an illegitimate son. He didn't fall into the water on his own; he was pushed in by his wet nurse. There were eyewitnesses.
The concubine's daughter who died of a terrible disease was found to have been poisoned. The person who bought the medicine, the person who sold the medicine, the doctor who treated her, and the poison were all found.
Naturally, these so-called witnesses and evidence were all discovered and preserved by the Marquis of Changning, who was waiting for this moment.
I never expected this moment to come so quickly.