Chapter 73 (Chapter 73) Conferring the Title of Princess

After several days and nights of rain, the autumn weather finally turned completely cold.

Because the matter of Xiao Zhen's true parentage had reached the Dali Temple and could no longer be concealed, the emperor, after that night, pretended to order the Dali Temple Minister to investigate for two days before announcing the matter to the court.

Xiao Dao was also recognized by the emperor the day before yesterday, and finally returned to being the fourth prince.

Song Jie and Pei Heng were rewarded for their merits. Pei Heng, who had won the battle and made such great contributions, was granted the title of Marquis of Yongyi.

Song Jie was appointed as Grand Tutor and taught Xiao Dao to read.

As for Xiao Zhen, he was temporarily placed under house arrest in his former residence while awaiting the Dali Temple's investigation and subsequent decision.

Overnight, Bianjing was desolate.

Wan Susu repeatedly sought an audience with the Emperor to plead for Xiao Zhen, but she was unable to even see him. Overwhelmed with grief, she fell ill outside the palace gates.

She was ill for many days, and her condition worsened. However, each time she woke up, she did not see the emperor who came to see her. She wrote letters to the palace for several days in a row, but did not receive a single reply.

The day before Frost's Descent, she wrote another letter, each word dripping with blood, and sent it to the palace. She fell into a deep sleep, and when she woke up again, she only saw Qiao Bao'er, who was taking care of her, and Xie Jianing, who had rushed over. The Emperor still hadn't come.

She asked Qiao Bao'er if the Emperor had sent a message.

Qiao Bao'er also shook her head.

Wan Susu was utterly despondent. Lying on the bed, she couldn't help but cry again: "I'm afraid His Majesty won't soften his heart..."

In the past, when she fell ill, the Emperor would always come to see her, but this time he refused to even see her once, probably because he really didn't want to hear her plead for Zhen'er.

"Your Majesty, you mustn't lose heart! Xiao Zhen can only rely on you now..." Xie Jianing gripped her hand tightly, her eyes also red. She had heard about Xiao Zhen's situation and had gone to beg her father, mother, and aunt overnight, asking them to help Xiao Zhen, to plead for him, or even just to say a word for him, but no one was willing to agree.

Her mother told her not to get involved in this matter, her father only wanted to protect himself, and her aunt scolded her and confined her to the mansion. She had only managed to escape the mansion today by disguising herself as a maid to visit the Yu Su Nu Temple. She never expected that even the Yu Su Nu Temple would want to give up now.

“Xiao Zhen only has you left.” Xie Jianing felt sad: “Even if he is not your biological son, he has served you for so many years. What difference is there between him and your biological son? He is also an innocent victim. He did not want to impersonate a prince. He has always served you and the Emperor as his own parents. How can you just execute him?”

As she spoke, she couldn't help but shed tears. She thought of herself; hadn't she also suddenly lost everything she once had, including the only love from her biological parents?

Why did you suddenly stop loving your child?

Seeing her tears, Wan Susu also shed tears. "How could I not know he was innocent? I was able to survive all these years because he was by my side. My heart is entirely with him. I taught him to read, helped him walk, and watched him grow up little by little... There is no better child in this world than him. I would risk my life to save him. He is my own son..."

The door opened slightly, and a female servant outside called out anxiously in a low voice, "Master, the Fourth Prince has come to see you."

Wan Susu and Xie Jianing were both taken aback and immediately looked towards the door, but they did not see the person they wanted to see. Standing at the door was Xiao Dao, dressed in a dark robe.

He stood there with a food box in his hand, looking at them indifferently. He must have heard what Wan Susu said, but his face remained expressionless. He simply handed the food box to the maid and said in a flat tone, "This is some nourishing soup I've made. If you like it, please drink some. Take care."

After saying that, he turned and left without looking at Wan Susu again.

Wan Susu desperately wanted to call out to him, but found herself unable to even utter his name. The name was too unfamiliar to her, and she felt guilty about what she had just said. She didn't want this, she didn't want to hurt her own son, Xiaodao, and she didn't want to watch Zhen'er die...

Why did things turn out like this? Yu Shu clearly said that His Majesty would consider the father-son relationship they had built over the years and spare Zhen'er's life.

Watching Xiaodao's departing figure, her heart ached as she reached out and grabbed Qiao Bao'er's arm, crying, "Bao'er, haven't I been good to you? I've never made things difficult for you, but now I beg you to go and ask Yushu to save Zhen'er..."

Qiao Bao'er supported the weak Wan Susu and felt sorry for her. She said softly, "The nun has been kind to me and Yushu, and I have always remembered it. I believe that if Yushu can help, she will definitely take the initiative to help. But now even you can't see the Emperor, let alone Yushu. She is just a woman."

“She is no longer an ordinary woman.” Xie Jianing couldn’t help but say bitterly, “She has made a great contribution by finding the real prince, and today the emperor has bestowed upon her the title of princess.”

Wan Susu stared blankly at Xie Jianing. Xie Yushu had been granted the title of Princess... She couldn't help but wonder what Xie Yushu had done all this for.

"Not only was she granted the title of Princess, but the Emperor also bestowed upon her mother, Qiao Bao'er, the title of Hermit of Xiangshan. Soon, the imperial edict will reach Suxinzhai." Xie Jianing glanced at Qiao Bao'er: "If it weren't for the Yusu Nunnery taking you and your mother in, how could you be where you are today? Yet now you are unwilling to plead for Xiao Zhen..." She wanted to say that Xie Yushu was very capable, Song Jie listened to her, and Marquis Yongyi Pei Heng was willing to protect her. If she asked Song Jie or Pei Heng for help, would they refuse?

Before she could speak, Wan Susu collapsed onto the couch and vomited a mouthful of blood.

"Your Majesty!"

"Women's View!"

#

The day she was conferred the title of princess was Frost's Descent, and the weather was unusually cold.

The Emperor bestowed upon Xie Yushu the title of "Princess Rou'an," and also granted her mother, Qiao Bao'er, the title of "Xiangshan Hermit." He further bestowed upon Xie Yushu a residence in Bianjing.

In no time at all, the whole of Bianjing knew about it.

Everyone was discussing how absurd it was that the Emperor had made an exception and bestowed the title of Princess upon Xie Yushu. Even if she had made great contributions, she should have been granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree, not Princess. And the bestowal of a residence was unprecedented.

Can a married woman live separately from her husband?

Xie Yushu was well aware of the subtle message behind this honor. The title of "[Rou'an]" was worlds apart from Meng Jing's title of Princess Kangyang. Kangyang was the capital of the prefecture, and although such a title did not have much real power, it was prestigious and came with a salary.

The title [Rou'an] only expresses "expectations," like bestowing a horse upon someone.

Even when rewarding her, the emperor would tell her that he could give her the wealth and glory she desired, but she had to be docile and quiet. He didn't even care about the Pei family's reputation or Xie Yushu's name. The bestowal of a house caused a great uproar and became the talk of the town.

Xie Yushu was very happy. The more the emperor couldn't help but want to touch her and punish her, the happier she was, because she was still the wife of the Pei family, and if anyone was to be humiliated, it would be the Pei family who would be humiliated with her.

Besides, she doesn't care about these criticisms, but some people do.

Her "green hat value" has been increasing by one or two points every now and then these past few days. In the past two weeks, she has neither seen Xiao Dao nor Song Jie, but her "green hat value" has increased by 32 points on its own, all of which came from Xiao Dao and Song Jie.

She guessed that some rumors had reached them.

She didn't know what the rumor was, but soon received a secret letter from Song Jie. The letter contained only one sentence: His Majesty summoned Pei Shilin alone after the morning court session.

He summoned Pei Shilin alone?

A while ago, Pei Shilin was forced by Pei Heng to resign and stay at home to await investigation, but for some reason, the emperor suddenly reinstated Pei Shilin to his original position a few days ago.

Xie Yushu didn't pay attention at the time, but now that she thinks about it, the Emperor suddenly remembered Pei Shilin from the Hanlin Academy, probably because he was after her.

It's not that she's narcissistic, but rather that she currently possesses 55 points of "charm value," surpassing the female lead Xie Jianing by 5 points, making her the most charming person in this world.

"Host, you need to be careful. You are now very likely to trigger the 'forced acquisition' plot." The system reminded her again, reminding her of Wan Susu, who only had 40 points of popularity back then.

Before Xie Yushu could say anything, Xie Jianing came knocking on his door.

Yinya rushed over to report that Xie Jianing was very anxious to see her, with tears still on her face as if she had just been crying, and kept saying that something had happened at Yusu Nu Temple.

Something happened at the Yusu Nu Temple?

Without hesitation, Xie Yushu got up and took Yinya out the door. Sure enough, outside the Pei residence, he saw Xie Jianing with tears streaming down her face.

Xie Jianing stepped forward, grabbed her hand, and said in a tearful voice, "Yu Su Nu Temple is dying, she wants to see you!"

Xie Jianing's hands were ice-cold; it was clear she was truly panicked.

Without further ado, Xie Yushu boarded the carriage and went with her to Yuqing Temple.

When Xie Yushu saw the Yusu Nu Temple, he was also shocked. In the ten days since he last saw her, she had become so ill that she was emaciated and had even vomited blood.

She immediately asked, "Has Master Yumiao been invited to come and see?"

Qiao Bao'er came over, took her hand, and shook her head with red eyes, saying, "I asked, but the Yu Su Nu Temple absolutely refused to let Master Yu Miao take her pulse, and she also refused to take the medicine..."

"Yushu." The pale Wan Susu reached out and tightly grabbed Xie Yushu on the bed: "I won't take medicine. I beg you, I beg you to go to the palace to see the Emperor. Tell the Emperor that I am about to die, and ask him to come and see me, just once..." Her tears slid into her hair, and even in her illness, her beauty could not be concealed.

Xie Yushu helped her lie down, but did not agree to her request. Instead, he asked, "Do you want to see the Emperor to plead for Xiao Zhen?"

Wan Susu nodded through her tears, wanting to say something more, but Xie Yushu stopped her.

"Even now, how can you still be so confused?" Xie Yushu sighed softly. "At this critical juncture, you're threatening suicide to plead for the fake prince. Have you even considered how your own son will conduct himself?"

Wan Susu was stunned for a moment.

"He was wandering outside for more than ten years before he was finally recognized. His foundation is unstable, and he doesn't have much affection for the Emperor. Many eyes are watching him, waiting to see this beggar prince make a fool of himself." Xie Yushu said calmly, "And you are his biological mother. Even you are unwilling to accept him, thinking that the fake prince is better than him."

"I didn't..." Wan Susu tried to explain.

Xie Yushu asked, "If there is no such thing, you shouldn't be risking your life to plead for Xiao Zhen at this time."

Wan Susu's throat suddenly felt blocked, and tears fell like raindrops. For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

“Xiao Zhen is innocent too.” Xie Jianing couldn’t help but speak up for Wan Susu: “The feelings they shared over the past ten years are real.”

Xie Yushu looked at her: "Are your feelings real? Then why don't you think the same way about me, sister, after taking care of my grandmother and your mother for so many years? How come you feel so much pity for a fake prince, while I, your blood-related sister, don't receive even the slightest bit of your pity?"

Xie Jianing was speechless.

"Congratulations, host, your main quest as the female supporting character is 40% complete."

Xie Yushu felt as if she could finally breathe a sigh of relief. It turned out that Yushu also hated her sister Jianing. No matter how hard she tried to please her grandmother, Meng Min, and everyone in the Meng family, she would never be accepted by Xie Jianing.

Xie Jianing felt sorry for Xiao Zhen, and sorry for Song Jie... but she didn't feel sorry for this half-sister.

Why?

Xie Jianing believed that her illegitimate sister, who resembled her, had usurped her favor, resources, and men.

Xie Jianing believes that women only have so many resources, and it's all about competing with other women.

She didn't even dare to think: she could compete with a man for it.

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Author's note: Update!