Chapter 473 Judgment

Murong Xu's heart slowly settled down because of Cen Yingfan's words. He looked back at Cen Mingzhu with a hint of pity and mockery in his eyes. "Ms. Cen, the child in your arms has nothing to do with me. I swear to heaven, if this child is my own, I will have no children or grandchildren!"

Murong Xu spoke with certainty, and his determined eyes even wavered the emperor.

The queen was so happy that she cried, "Your Majesty, I told you that the second son is not the kind of person who messes around."

Before he could finish his words, he saw Cen Mingzhu put the child down and slam his head to the ground.

"Ah!" the queen screamed in fear.

The emperor hurriedly protected the queen behind him.

Cen Yingfan collapsed and hurried over to pick up Cen Mingzhu, just in time to meet Cen Mingzhu's eyes that were full of hatred and unwilling to close.

The emperor shouted sternly, "Come here! Capture Cen Yingfan for me! Dismiss the court!"

The ministers left the palace in panic.

The second prince wanted to go to the harem but was stopped by the guards. He walked out of the palace in a daze.

The Grand Tutor had been waiting outside the palace gate for a long time.

After getting on the carriage with him, the Grand Tutor shook his head in disappointment and said earnestly: "Second Prince, you'd better keep a low profile this time and don't show off. Wait until the emperor calms down before making any comments."

He did not ask any further questions, and Murong Xu had no desire to explain.

After returning to the Second Prince's Mansion, Murong Xu found Cen Mingxue and her servant sitting in the back room as soon as he entered the mansion. He frowned unconsciously, "What are you doing here?"

Cen Mingxue quickly stood up and saluted, "Your Highness, the Second Prince's wife has not yet figured out how to accommodate me, so I will wait first."

"Ridiculous! If Zhao Wanyi can't even do this well, someone else can take the position of the Second Prince's Consort!" Murong Xu roared.

The housekeeper immediately trotted over and said, "I pay my respects to the Second Prince. The princess has already arranged a place for Concubine Cen to live. I will take Concubine Cen there now."

Murong Xu said dissatisfiedly: "Cen's share is the same as that of a concubine."

Cen Mingxue and the housekeeper were both stunned.

The housekeeper came to his senses and hurried downstairs to make arrangements.

When Zhao Wanyi learned of this, she angrily smashed all the porcelain in the room and was about to go find Murong Xu to argue, but was stopped by a maid halfway.

"Master, something bad has happened."

Because the emperor was trying Murong Xu and Cen Mingzhu in the main hall, the news spread quickly.

When Zhao Wanyi learned what had happened from her maid, her heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

At the same time, Chen Tian also learned from Murong Chen what happened in the hall.

He sighed and shook his head, "Cen Yingfan is indeed a general with a large army and decisive in killing. He has mastered the trick of sacrificing the chariot to save the king in a critical moment! However, he probably didn't expect that his precious daughter could be so stubborn. She actually committed suicide on the spot in the hall.

In this way, the matter has come to a conclusion, but my father and my mother will never believe Murong Xu again. And Cen Yingfan took all the responsibility on himself, so my father will definitely not let him off easily. Demotion and exile are the lightest punishments, and he will most likely be beheaded and his property confiscated.

He took a big gamble this time."

Murong Chen looked at Chen Tian with admiration, "My Tiantian is getting stronger and stronger. What you said is all right, but there is one thing you said wrong. Father will not kill Cen Yingfan. The border war has only been going on for a few years? The battles he set up can save his life.

Besides, Father also has to consider Cen Yingfan's subordinates. It is impossible to kill him all at once. It will take time to completely destroy Cen Yingfan."

Shen Tian shook her head. "These have nothing to do with us, but it is said that even a tiger will not eat its own cubs. The Second Prince can even give up his own son, which shows how ruthless this man is. You need to be careful of him."

Mould Rongchen grinned and lay down lazily, "What are you afraid of? I'm just a prince without real power. If you're worried, I won't go out and stay with you in the mansion."

"You're so smooth-talking!" Shen Tian glanced at him coquettishly and lay in his arms.

Within two days, the punishment for Cen Yingfan came down: he was given 60 strokes of the cane, fined for three years, and demoted to a sixth-rank patrol guard.

After Cen Mingzhu died, Zhu Yixuan was also beaten with sixty sticks and sent back to the Cen family together with Cen Yingfan.

Mrs. Cen Jiang cried bitterly and wailed beside Cen Yingfan's bed, "Why did you slander Mingzhu like this? Now that Mingzhu is dead, she is still being cursed and slandered! She was our most precious daughter! Wuuuuu"

Cen Yingfan was in pain and heartache, his eyes were bloodshot, he clenched his fists and pounded the bed, gritting his teeth, "Do you think I want to? That's my daughter who I have doted on and watched grow up. I would give her my life even if she asked for it!

But I can't let dozens of people in the Cen family die because of her! No matter if she is with the second prince or not, the emperor and the queen will never let her live! That child is destined not to be exposed!

I took the responsibility to maintain the royal family's reputation and save the second prince. Only in this way can we save our Cen family! What do you, a woman, know? "

How could Jiang not understand these principles? But she just couldn't accept that her beloved daughter was gone.

Thinking of the child left by Cen Mingzhu, Jiang sniffed and choked up, "What about that child? Mingzhu went through so much trouble to give birth to that child, and you don't even acknowledge him?"

Cen Yingfan was stunned for a moment, and asked all the servants in the room to leave. He asked Jiang to step forward and whispered, "The child was already replaced by Yixuan. Mingzhu gave birth to a daughter, and Mingxue raised her. Hush! This matter must not be made public!"

Jiang was stunned when she heard this. She was relieved that the child was not her grandson, but she was also sad that she could not recognize her own granddaughter.

Cen Yingfan grabbed Jiang's hand tightly and asked, "I just came back and I don't have much information. I only know that the Sixth Prince sent people to capture Mingzhu and Yixuan. Why did the Sixth Prince capture them?"

Cen Yingfan couldn't figure out the twists and turns here, but seeing the flicker in Jiang's eyes, it was obvious that she understood.

"What is there to hide now?"

Jiang had no choice but to answer truthfully: "Yes, it is related to the Sixth Prince's concubine Shen. Shen was originally a poor girl from Moshi Town, Zhaohua County. She worked in the home of Yong'an Marquis' adopted son.

Mingzhu brought people to cause trouble, and injured Shen and her eldest brother. The Sixth Prince must have had people watching the Zhu family in order to avenge Shen, and he just happened to catch them. "

"Are you saying that woman became the Sixth Prince's concubine?" Cen Yingfan was extremely shocked.

A concubine is different from an ordinary concubine. She is equivalent to a co-wife, included in the royal family tree, and can be buried with her husband. With his previous rank, it was not enough for his daughter to become a prince's concubine. How could a girl from a poor family have the right to do so?

Jiang nodded and clenched her fists jealously. "It is said that it is related to the abbot of the Buddhist temple. The abbot said that Shen is blessed and that she and the Sixth Prince are a match made in heaven. The emperor has issued an order to grant the marriage."