Chapter 725 Gradually Becoming Clearer

Xie Shang thought: Jiang Fenghua is unaware of the love and hatred between his mother and father. She doesn't understand how painful it is for him to be caught in the middle. An emperor cannot have romantic love, and an emperor's harem cannot have only one woman. These are the words his father repeatedly told him. Jiang Fenghua is his empress, the mistress of the harem. He is the emperor of the world, and she is also the empress of the world.

Jiang Fenghua said, "Then Your Majesty, please tell us how the Jiang family's daughter caught the Empress's eye. She clearly dislikes me so much. There are so many noble ladies in the capital. The Su family that you used to like, Su Tingwan, has a large army and is powerful and influential. The Empress should have taken the initiative to marry your beloved to you as your principal wife! Why did she choose to take a fancy to a powerless and weak scholar's daughter?"

Xie Shang herself felt embarrassed. She had lost her previous memories, but that didn't mean she had lost her former intelligence. As long as she understood the court and knew how to weigh the pros and cons, she would gradually learn everything.

Xie Shang said, "Ruan Ruan, the intrigue and backstabbing in the court can sometimes hurt some innocent people. I am glad that the Jiang family's daughter was used as a pawn to marry me, but I am also heartbroken that Ruan Ruan was used as a pawn by her. I am conflicted and I feel very sorry for you."

His voice was low, as he sought Jiang Fenghua's understanding.

Jiang Fenghua replied, “A daughter of the Jiang family is a pawn if used correctly, and a discarded pawn if used incorrectly. Whether I am a useful pawn or a discarded pawn after marrying the Emperor is entirely up to the royal family. But I refuse to believe in this nonsense and do not want to stretch out my neck to be cut off by others. That is why I am the Jiang Fenghua I am today.”

"In my heart, Jiang Fenghua is not a pawn, but my wife." Xie Shang's eyes were full of affection. She had forgotten everything, forgotten the suffering she had endured. She had used him as a pawn, and that's how they ended up where they are today. He was glad that she had forgotten everything. From now on, he would just love her well and be happy.

Jiang Fenghua was being stared at by him with deep affection. She said calmly, "I have come to understand the infighting and deceit within your royal family. In short, it all boils down to selfishness. You are very selfish. The happiness of others is not worth mentioning among you people. You even trample on it at will. Fortunately, I, Jiang Fenghua, have not become a pawn. Otherwise, today I might not even have any bones left."

Xie Shang liked her insight and intelligence; he felt that with Jiang Fenghua's keen perception, she must have discovered something.

He asked, "Why would Ruan Ruan suspect that the Fourth Princess Consort was trying to harm the Jiang family?"

"His Majesty is so clever, he should be able to guess it!" Jiang Fenghua didn't want to sow discord between the brothers. She wasn't stupid, and even if someone were to sow discord, it shouldn't be her doing it.

Although Xie Shang and Xie Yang are not from the same mother, they are brothers. One is the emperor and the other is a prince. Let Xie Shang raise his own questions and find the answers. No matter how capable she is or how much he likes her, she is, in essence, just a woman confined to the inner quarters.

Xie Shang said directly, "You mean to say that Xie Yang is behind Zhang Yurou and that he wants to harm the Jiang family, but why would he harm the Jiang family? It's too inexplicable."

"Didn't His Majesty say that the royal family is full of intrigue and deceit? Perhaps the Jiang family is just a pawn in someone else's game, and the people they really want to get rid of are the Jiang family." Jiang Fenghua said, "It's no secret, both inside and outside the palace, that His Majesty likes the Empress! His Majesty has always valued the Jiang family, but people aren't necessarily jealous of the Jiang family! On the surface, the Jiang family has indeed blocked many people's way, but what if you think about it more deeply?"

Xie Shang was startled and shook his head. "Impossible, he couldn't possibly..."

Xie Shang quickly dismissed his own idea; nothing is impossible in this world, and anything and anyone can change.

He tried hard to recall what Xie Yang looked like from childhood to adulthood. Xie Xuan was out of the question, as he was born with a foot disability. But he suspected Xie Yu, yet he would never suspect Xie Yang. Xie Yu and he had never gotten along, and his father even tolerated Xie Yu bullying him.

Xie Yang wouldn't. He and his mother lived in the West Palace and never caused trouble. Among all the princes, Xie Yang was the weakest and most easily bullied because his mother was also weak and never competed.

Jiang Fenghua saw him in a daze, "Your Majesty."

"Ruan Ruan, what makes you realize he's acting strangely?" He added, "Do you have any evidence?"

"If I had evidence, would I still be worried about Jin Ji?" Jiang Fenghua said, "On the night of the Lantern Festival, the Fourth Prince pretended to be drunk to help the Fourth Princess out of a predicament. Later, I asked the Thousand-Faced Gentleman to impersonate Consort Su to scare Zhang Yurou. He was about to break out of the pretense, but the Fourth Prince, who was so drunk that he was unconscious, suddenly ran out to stop him. I found it strange at the time. How did the Fourth Prince know that Zhang Yurou would be afraid when she saw Consort Su?"

There's only one explanation: not only had Zhang Yurou met Consort Su, but Xie Yang had also met her. Xie Yang was very well hidden, and even Zhang Yurou didn't know about him. Therefore, the couple hadn't discussed it beforehand; otherwise, Zhang Yurou wouldn't have been so afraid.

"If it's really as you speculate, you mean that the Fourth Prince and the Fourth Princess are only superficially friendly but actually at odds."

Jiang Fenghua said, "Why is it that a man who clearly likes a woman and even goes to any lengths to marry her still doesn't share her feelings in the end?"

"Why?" Xie Shang wasn't good at trying to figure out the thoughts and feelings of women and men in love. He believed that if you like someone, you like them; if you love someone, you love them; if you don't like someone, you don't like them. He didn't like to guess.

Jiang Fenghua is very perceptive. "Either this man doesn't truly love this woman, and everything is just an act, or the woman he loves doesn't love him and is in love with another man. Of course, the same goes for women."

She looked at Xie Shang and said, "I think either the former or the latter is possible, so they are only superficially friendly."

Xie Shang felt like he was being shot even though he was lying down. Her gaze seemed to suggest that she suspected him of having an affair with Zhang Yurou and that she had discovered it. He quickly said, "Why are you looking at me like that? Whether they are on good terms or not has nothing to do with me."

Jiang Fenghua smiled slightly, "That's why I need to find out how His Majesty rejected Zhang Yurou back then!" She changed her tone to avoid infuriating Xie Shang.

"I just told her to stop bothering me. I don't like her. Later, I met Xie Yang. He must have seen it!" Xie Shang said briefly. "These are all your deductions. You can't make things up without evidence."

"Of course I know. I won't alert him. To strike a snake, you have to hit its vital spot. Only by defeating it in one fell swoop can you have a better chance of winning. Besides, as of now, he really hasn't made any moves. It might not even be him. What if it's someone else?" She didn't believe that if Jin Ji's case were to go in a positive direction, he would still be so patient.

Now that Shu Xue's body and the Li family have gone to the Jingzhao Prefecture government office, how can he still remain so calm?

Jiang Fenghua had no evidence either. For some reason, her mind was focused on Xie Yang. Even if it was just piecing things together, she wanted to piece together the whole picture in her mind and figure out the identity and purpose of the person who set up the scheme.

Xie Shang also decided to send someone to investigate Xie Yang. He hoped that Jiang Fenghua's deduction was wrong, that Xie Yang had no ulterior motives towards him, and that the descendants of the Xie family could work together to make the Great Zhou Kingdom better and better.

Jiang Fenghua said, "I want to see the Empress Dowager. Perhaps she knows something."

Jiang Fenghua knew why the Empress Dowager was so calm; she was trying to create an opportunity for her granddaughters and grandsons, hoping to save Xie Yun and Xie Minmin.

He said, "I will go with you."

Jiang Fenghua said, "Okay!"