Chapter 3 Entering the Palace!

This matter concerned the royal family's reputation, so the guards reported it to their superiors, who in turn reported it to their superiors.

Just as Shen Lanxi arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, the head eunuch received the news.

"Your Majesty, something terrible has happened!"

Emperor Zhou Chengqian hadn't slept well the night before, and upon hearing the bad news early in the morning, he instantly became furious, picked up his teacup, and smashed it on the ground.

"How dare you!"

The chief eunuch Wang Bao was so frightened that he knelt on the ground and fell silent.

“This servant deserves to die ten thousand deaths! This servant will slap this jinx’s mouth to pieces!” Wang Bao said as he slapped his face hard.

After a dozen or so slaps, Zhou Chengqian gradually calmed down, pinching his throbbing temples with his fingers and asking, "What's wrong so early in the morning?"

Wang Bao hurriedly said, "Shen Lanxi from the Shen family entered the palace and said that the Prince of Zhennan did not set foot in the bridal chamber last night, but spent the whole night at his concubine's place, and also, and also..."

Zhou Chengqian's voice was filled with anger: "Return what?!"

Wang Bao's head was practically touching the ground. Mustering his courage, he trembled and said, "They called for water three more times..."

"Nonsense..." Zhou Chengqian swept the entire tea tray onto the ground.

With a crackling sound, Wang Bao curled up into a ball!

"She went to the Empress Dowager's residence?"

Wang Bao said in a low, trembling voice, "She said she would go to the Empress Dowager to complain, she would go to you to complain..."

Zhou Chengqian had already been up all night because of the Shen family's case, and now that he heard that his son had done such an absurd thing, he was even more furious!

Regardless of what the Shen family does or whether it will implicate Shen Lanxi, his son, as a prince and a general guarding a region, absolutely cannot do such a disgraceful thing as favoring a concubine over his wife!

"Wang Bao, you personally lead men to the Zhennan Prince's Mansion to investigate. If the situation is true, bring Zhou Ruyuan here with you, and order the concubine to be executed!"

Wang Bao immediately accepted the order: "This servant will take men and do it right away!"

The Great Zhou Dynasty revered filial piety, and Zhou Chengqian took himself as an example to promote filial piety and righteousness. The Empress Dowager was old and had recently been bedridden. If Shen Lanxi were to offend her, even if Shen Lanxi died ten thousand times, it would not be enough to atone for it!

Zhou Chengqian immediately led his men to the Empress Dowager's palace in a great hurry!

"Empress Dowager, I can't bear to part with you. I will not marry again. I want to stay with you forever!" Shen Lanxi knelt before the kind old woman's bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

The Empress Dowager has been unwell lately, spending more time sleeping than awake. It was just a coincidence that Shen Lanxi happened to be there when the Empress Dowager woke up.

"Xixi, my dear child, what's wrong with you?" The Empress Dowager asked, stroking Shen Lanxi's hair with a tender expression.

Shen Lanxi held the Empress Dowager's hand and cried even louder.

In her past life, when she was near death, she heard the death knell in the palace. She vaguely remembered someone mentioning that there was a six-month interval between her first and second bouts of vomiting blood. In other words, the Empress Dowager's lifespan was at most six months!

This was very likely the last time she would see the Empress Dowager. How could she not be heartbroken?

When Zhou Chengqian arrived at the Empress Dowager's palace, the Empress Dowager had already coaxed Shen Lanxi back to health.

"You little rascal, you took a fancy to my luminous pearl but didn't say so sooner. If you had told me earlier, I would have given it to you to add to the bottom of my box long ago."

Shen Lanxi quietly held the box, her face showing the shy charm of a young girl.

"Your Majesty, how can you speak of someone like that?"

"Your Majesty's uncle has arrived!"

She quickly got up from the couch and bowed to the emperor.

"No need for formalities. Why have you come so early in the morning? You've disturbed the Empress Dowager's peaceful sleep. See how I punish you!"

Shen Lanxi glanced at the old woman whose face was full of exhaustion, yet she forced herself to laugh and talk with her.

"Your Majesty, I just suddenly missed you and wanted you to see if my wedding dress looks good. Now that you say it looks good, I'll go back now and come see you again next time!"

The Empress Dowager smiled and waved at her.

"Go, go, Chunlan, get some walnut cake for Xixi. That child loves the walnut cake from my palace the most!"

Chunlan curtsied: "Yes, this servant will go and get it right away!"

Shen Lanxi stepped out of the bedroom and stood to one side waiting for Zhou Chengqian to come out.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the person came out.

Zhou Chengqian's usual amiable demeanor vanished, replaced by a cold and stern expression as he stared at Shen Lanxi.

"Are you aware that the Empress Dowager has been unwell recently?"

Shen Lanxi immediately knelt on the ground, filled with fear and trepidation.

"Your Majesty, I just feel wronged!" she said, tears streaming down her face.

Zhou Chengqian looked at Shen Lanxi's body, which was sobbing uncontrollably, and sighed deeply.

"Follow me to the side hall!"

After Zhou Chengqian had walked four or five meters away, she immediately wiped away her tears, hugged the box, and followed him!

~

Wang Bao returned in a hurry, his face bruised.

"His Majesty…"

Zhou Chengqian glanced behind him: "Where is the Third Prince?"

Wang Bao lowered his head and said, "This servant is incompetent; I failed to bring the Third Prince!"

Zhou Chengqian noticed something was wrong and immediately asked, "What happened to your face?"

Wang Bao raised his sleeve, half-covering his face, and looked up, truthfully saying, "This servant went to the Prince of Zhennan's residence to inquire, and it is indeed true. The Prince of Zhennan was originally willing to go to the palace with this servant, but after hearing that his concubine was to be executed, he beat this servant like this!"

Zhou Chengqian was instantly enraged and slammed his hand on the desk.

"He's utterly lawless; is he trying to rebel against me?"

Rebellion is a capital offense punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family. If a prince is labeled a rebel, his life is over!

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"

Everyone in the room was so frightened that they all knelt on the ground, including Shen Lanxi.

Who would have thought that the God of War, who was praised and lauded, would dare to defy imperial power for the sake of a woman!

How incredibly love-struck he must be!

"Your Majesty, my uncle, the Prince has treated me and you like this because of a woman of unknown origin. I don't want to marry him anymore; I want a divorce!"

Zhou Chengqian was about to order the Imperial Guards to bring Zhou Ruyuan over when he suddenly heard Shen Lanxi say this. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone hesitant and thoughtful.

"You want a divorce?"

Shen Lanxi knelt respectfully on the ground: "Your Majesty, I know you want to say I'm being ridiculous. I'm not being ridiculous. The Prince didn't step into the bridal chamber on our wedding night, and everyone in the entire Prince's mansion saw it. He didn't hide it at all, staying in that woman's room and even calling out... I'm too embarrassed to say. Everyone in the Prince's mansion knows that he doesn't like me, doesn't like me. If I continue to stay in the Prince's mansion, I will surely be ridiculed by the whole world. I would rather stay in the palace for the rest of my life, serving the Empress Dowager!"

Zhou Chengqian looked at Shen Lanxi with scrutiny and suspicion. The Zhennan Prince's Mansion was at least half an hour's walk from the capital. It was impossible for a weak woman like her to have walked all the way here.

There is a curfew in the capital after nightfall, prohibiting horseback riding. If she came by carriage, it would be considered arrogant and domineering, showing no regard for the law. After entering the palace, she would then spread royal secrets, which would be disregarding the dignity of the royal family. How could such a person be allowed to remain in the palace?

"I ask you, how did you get to the capital?" The people who raided the Shen family had just left when Shen Lanxi entered the capital; it was too much of a coincidence.

(End of this chapter)