Chapter 426 The title of Princess was taken away

Granny Quan's smile broadened considerably: "Congratulations, Your Highness! As long as the Heir Apparent sends Chu Yanluo away, our Prince's Mansion will be completely peaceful and tranquil!"

Princess Ning nodded in satisfaction: "After so many days, finally there's something good."

Unfortunately, before she could even feel happy for a moment, a maid rushed in and said, "Your Highness, someone from the palace has arrived with an imperial edict!"

Princess Ning's expression suddenly changed: "Where is he? Do you know what the imperial edict said?"

"They're in the front hall! This servant wanted to get information for Feng Hong, but Eunuch Cao, who came to deliver the imperial edict, refused to accept it!"

Princess Ning's heart sank immediately.

"Your Highness, Eunuch Cao has asked you to take the Princess to receive the imperial decree, but the Princess is currently unwell. What should we do?"

Princess Ning's face turned pale: "This imperial edict is probably aimed at her. Don't say she's not feeling well. As long as she has a breath left, she has to kneel down to receive the edict! Granny Quan, go and call the princess. She must be properly dressed and must not be disrespectful at this time!"

"yes!"

"Qiushui, go and summon the Crown Prince and his wife. The Prince should have already received the news."

"yes!"

A quarter of an hour later, Prince Ning and Princess Ning led several people to kneel down in the front hall.

Eunuch Cao's shrill, icy voice echoed throughout the front hall: "By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Princess Shuyang is capricious and domineering, causing people to disappear. Effective immediately, she is stripped of her title as Princess! Lady Xiao is ordered to remain secluded and reflect on her actions, copying scriptures to repent! So be it!"

After he finished reading, he looked at Xiao Qingxi and said, "Daughter of the Xiao family, receive the decree!"

Xiao Qingxi, her face pale, accepted the imperial edict with both hands: "Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."

Eunuch Cao flicked his whisk, turned around, and left.

No sooner had he left than Xiao Qingxi collapsed.

Princess Ning hurriedly hugged her: "Qingxi!"

Xiao Qingxi burst into tears: "Mother, my title of Princess has been taken away! How can I face anyone after this?!"

Princess Ning comforted her tenderly, "Don't cry, don't cry. Your health is the most important thing now. What does a title matter? If you lose it, you lose it. Once things have calmed down, we'll ask your father to get you another one. Stop crying!"

Watching from the side, Shen Wantang felt that Xiao Qingxi shouldn't be crying right now; she should be laughing. After all, this imperial edict was clearly just for show.

The Emperor stripped Xiao Qingxi of her title of Princess, merely to silence public opinion.

Losing her title and being confined to her quarters were minor punishments; Xiao Qingxi only lost some face and didn't suffer any real punishment.

Prince Ning's frequent visits to the palace to plead for leniency did have an effect.

They were all family, so the emperor naturally didn't want to punish his own niece; otherwise, the imperial edict would have arrived on the day Lin Rouxin had her accident.

After these days of delay, the people were full of complaints, and more and more people were cursing Xiao Qingxi, so the emperor had no choice but to issue an edict to punish him.

——

The next day.

The news that Princess Xiao Qingxi had been stripped of her title spread throughout the capital.

Some say she deserved her fate and it was a great relief, while others say she was protected by Prince Ning and didn't even lose a hair. The Lin family's orphan girl was killed for nothing and had no place to seek justice, which was truly tragic and pitiful.

The Lin family's villa in the suburbs.

Lin Rouxin stood under a hibiscus tree, watching the tender buds sprouting on the branches, and listened to the news whispered by the wet nurse. A faint hint of sarcasm appeared on her lips.

"Being born into a high-ranking family is indeed remarkable; you can kill someone and still get away unscathed! Granny, tell me, if the roles were reversed, and I pushed the princess into the river and caused her to disappear without a trace, would I still be alive?"

The wet nurse told the truth: "No, Miss."

"So, this world is so unfair, isn't it?"

Lin Rouxin's delicate face showed a hint of resentment: "My father and brothers were all loyal and righteous. They were chivalrous and courageous, and they were willing to die on the battlefield."

"Once the princess gave the order, they went deep into enemy territory, constantly searching for the rarest medicinal herbs in the world to help her cure her infertility. In the end, they never returned."

"Huo Yunzhou didn't dare to say the real cause of their deaths. He only dared to say that they were killed by the enemy while protecting him. How ridiculous, hahahaha!"

"Tell me, what did they get in return for their loyalty to the Xiao family? A widowed girl who was killed and no one cared. The master they risked their lives to protect would never care about the injustice suffered by a widow."

The wet nurse couldn't help but advise her: "Miss, you know that the master and the young masters are loyal. If they knew what you are doing now, they would probably think you are being rebellious! You should stop now. It's not too late to stop now. Go back to the life that ordinary people should live."

Lin Rouxin said nonchalantly, "It doesn't matter. They are loyal to their cause, and I will rebel. What they dare not do, I will do for them! They risk their lives to protect the imperial power, and I will risk my life to protect them."

"But, Miss, you—"

"Granny, did you bring the person I asked you to bring?"

"I brought it."

"Alright, since Xiao Qingxi wasn't punished, it's my turn to go on stage."

"Miss, are you really going to do this? If things are exposed in the future, you will have nowhere to stand!"

"No, not just a 'what if.' Things will definitely be exposed in the future, and I will be the ultimate victor! The Ning Prince's mansion will be wiped out, and the Huo family will be mine."

——

The night was heavy, and the dew was cold and damp.

Xiao Qingxi walked along the lake, her expression anxious: "Where are Huo Yunzhou and Lin Rouxin? That letter clearly said that Huo Yunzhou found Lin Rouxin and that the two of them were having a secret rendezvous here!"

Granny Kang was almost in tears. She said in fear, "My lady, please, go back quickly! This Dream Mirror Lake is eerily gloomy. You shouldn't have come out! You've already been confined by the Emperor. If you're discovered sneaking out, you'll be punished again!"

"Isn't there no one here? No one will find out! I haven't seen Huo Yunzhou for a long time, and now that I've finally got news of him, how can I let this opportunity pass? And that Lin Rouxin, if she's really still alive, I'll drown her again!"

"My lord, that letter might be fake. How can you so easily believe the words of a stranger!"

"What outsider? That was a letter sent to me by Liu Nanshi. Would she really lie to me about something like that? Does she not want to stay in the capital?"

Kang Mama carefully supported her and stopped talking. She had already said a lot of persuasive words back in the Prince's mansion, but Xiao Qingxi wouldn't listen at all and insisted on coming out. She was afraid that the Princess would stop her and strictly forbade her from telling anyone.

As she was walking, a familiar yet chilling voice suddenly came from behind her: "Princess, are you looking for me? Oh, I forgot, Xiao Qingxi, you are no longer a princess."