Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Learn that Shen Jingzhan is not as gentle and harmless as he seems...

Even at this point, he was still able to remain calm.

Princess Feng'an admired Zhu Yinluan more and more.

She answered the question irrelevantly, "Young Madam, do you believe me?"

She has even displayed her indentures. Faced with such irrefutable evidence, what else can Zhu Yinluan say?

"It seems that the young lady must have noticed something unusual about Master Shen in the past, right?"

Otherwise, I wouldn't have believed it so quickly.

Yes, the girl from the Zhu family is not a fool. From her words and actions, it can be seen that she is vigilant and alert, otherwise she would not have come to Chen Kouyu's yard to look for her so quickly.

"I want to know about the Zhu family and the Wei family." Zhu Yinluan also gave a irrelevant answer.

Princess Feng'an smiled and said, "Young Madam wants to know, but I don't dare to tell you."

Zhu Yinluan's eyelashes twitched, she was afraid that Princess Feng'an was not afraid to say it, but did not want to say it, and was deliberately keeping her in suspense.

Zhu Yinluan fell silent, thinking about how to respond to Princess Feng'an.

She was thinking, Princess Feng'an told her all this, besides because she had a grudge against Shen Jingzhan, could it be that she also wanted to get something from her, or use her to do something?

Aren't people nowadays always willing to do nothing without profit? Even though Princess Feng'an said a lot, Zhu Yinluan didn't completely believe it. She must be hiding something from her.

Otherwise, why would she go to such great lengths for nothing?

The important thing is that he offended Shen Jingzhan.

From Princess Feng'an's words and actions, we know that she is still afraid and dreads Shen Jingzhan, and is also very wary of him.

Telling her all this behind Shen Jingzhan's back, isn't she afraid that Shen Jingzhan will find out about her?

If he wasn't afraid of being found out, he wouldn't be so secretive and avoid meeting her.

"Princess, do you want to exchange something with me?" Exchange of interests is the safest way.

Once again, Zhu Yinluan surprised her.

Princess Feng'an couldn't help but applaud, "Young Madam is really a straightforward person. Not only are you a good person, but you are also very clear about what you do." She is very clear.

Zhu Yinluan was in no mood to joke. She was feeling extremely heavy at the moment. "It's just... I don't have anything valuable on me. I'm afraid I can't make an equal exchange of benefits with the princess."

"With what Young Madam said, even if I really want to get something from you, even if you don't have it now, I will feel at ease."

Princess Feng'an still didn't say what she wanted to exchange or get from her.

She asked, "What does the young lady know about the Zhu and Wei families?"

Zhu Yinluan raised her eyes and looked at her. "Most of the news I know is the news circulating in the capital."

"Since the young lady married into the Shen family, has she no longer had any contact with the Zhu family?"

Zhu Yinluan shook her head, "No."

Being divorced by the Wei family was already quite embarrassing.

She also didn't want to have any dealings with the Zhu and Wei families anymore.

only......

This matter does not seem as simple as it seems.

"It seems that the young lady knows nothing?"

Zhu Yinluan frowned, "I just vaguely realized that something is not right."

For example, the collapse of the Wei family, and the Zhu family...the news that the eldest sister is getting married.

Speaking of Zhu Chentan, I don’t know how he’s been doing these days.

Zhu Yinluan asked Princess Feng'an if it was true that she was going to marry Prince Guo as his second wife?

"How can it not be true? The betrothal gifts from Prince Guo's Mansion were all sent to the Zhu family. The Zhu family wanted to save face and didn't want people to think that this was a marriage of selling their daughter for fame and fortune, so the dowry was generous, but the date was chosen very quickly, and the invitations were not sent to many families."

Especially the relatives and clan leaders of the Zhu family, most people don’t know about it.

When mentioning this imperial uncle who was over fifty years old, had made no achievements, and had no manners or shame, Princess Feng'an could not help but reveal disgust on her face.

Zhu Yinluan didn't know how to ask, she was hesitating.

Regarding the affairs of the Zhu and Wei families, she only noticed that Fang Zhongyue was not right, and Wei Mingyan, the only one in the Wei family who was close to her and was saved, besides that...

Princess Feng'an had also mentioned Wei Ruzhuo's health at the time, saying that the news leaked too quickly, as if someone was fanning the flames behind the scenes.

Who is this person?

Was it Shen Jingzhan that Princess Feng'an was insinuating against at that time?

Seeing that Zhu Yinluan's expression was becoming increasingly tense, Princess Feng'an did not delay for too long. She told Zhu Yinluan that there was a young man she liked in the Pear Garden.

Because he was selling his art but not his body, and because he came from a poor family and was alone and helpless, I didn't force him too much. I just paid him to play some music for him, and gradually we became friends.

But during the time when she was under house arrest, this young man finally fell into the hands of her uncle, the emperor, and has not been able to get out until now.

"He told me that the portrait of your eldest sister was intentionally presented to Old Prince Guo."

"What?" There is actually a story behind my eldest sister's marriage.

Zhu Yinluan’s face turned pale.

"Is....Shen Jingzhan did it?" She was so scared that she changed her words.

Princess Feng'an raised an eyebrow, "Yes."

"The emperor's uncle likes her, but there is no one in the capital. Two concubines in the palace told the emperor's uncle that the eldest daughter of the Zhu family is extremely beautiful. Although she has been divorced, she looks no different from the unmarried girls in the capital."

"The two of them took turns to whisper in my uncle's ear, praising Zhu Chentan's beauty and instigating my uncle to marry her as his second wife, which is why the marriage between the Zhu family and the Guo Palace came about."

"After the marriage gift from Prince Guo's Mansion was delivered to the Zhu family, the two concubines fell ill one after another and had to rely on the imperial physicians in the palace to treat them. Now they have left Prince Guo's Mansion. The maids in the Queen Mother's Palace saw with their own eyes that people around Prince Shen had contact with the imperial physician who went to Prince Guo's Mansion to treat the two concubines, but I didn't hear clearly what they said."

Zhu Yinluan's heart sank to the bottom and she felt panicked.

Shen Jingzhan's hand stretched out so long.

But since he wanted to deal with the Zhu family, why did he help Zhu Mingsheng get promoted to an official position?

This doesn't make sense.

What is his purpose? Is it really because of her?

I couldn't figure it out, so I just asked Princess Feng'an.

The other party frowned and thought hard, "I don't know why Prince Shen helped Zhu's family to get promoted. I need to investigate."

Since there was no more information to be found on this matter, Zhu Yinluan asked if there was anything else?

"Prince Shen didn't interfere too much in the Zhu family, but he did a lot in the Wei family."

Zhu Yinluan was nervous, not only were her hands clenched, but her expression also showed her panic.

Princess Feng'an looked at her pitiful and stubborn appearance and found her charming.

I think I have seen many beauties, especially in a place like the capital, but this girl from the Zhu family is really attractive and worth looking at often. After looking at her for a long time, not only do I not feel bored, but I find her beautiful and exquisite.

If Princess Feng'an had not heard some news from Shen Kouyu, she might have really thought that he was attracted by beauty and coveted the wife of a court official.

"What a masterpiece." Zhu Yinluan clutched the hem of her skirt.

"Can the young lady still hold on?"

Princess Feng'an then remembered that Zhu Yinluan was pregnant. She told her so many things and saw that she was so shocked that her face turned pale. She could not afford it if something happened.

Zhu Yinluan took a deep breath, raised her eyes, and looked at Princess Feng'an, "Yes."

Princess Feng'an signaled to the person next to her to bring Zhu Yinluan a cup of calming soup.

Soon, the calming soup was served. At the same time, the palace maid also reported the situation outside. Everything was normal, except that Zhu Yinluan's personal maid Mingya came back and was waiting outside.

Zhu Yinluan thanked him and lowered his head to drink the soup slowly.

Princess Feng'an waited for her to calm down for a while, and seeing that her face looked okay, she continued, "The Wei family was convicted, Lord Wei was exiled, and many of the Wei family members were suppressed."

"Did he also do this?" Zhu Yinluan didn't know much about Shen Jingzhan's affairs in the court.

At this moment, her mind was buzzing with thoughts from the news, and it was difficult for her to make out what Princess Feng'an was saying.

She felt that Shen Jingzhan was extremely strange, strange to a terrifying degree.

He actually did so many things behind her back without telling her.

Princess Feng'an was right. If it weren't for her, she wouldn't have known these things and would have been kept in the dark her entire life.

"When the Wei family got into trouble, the young lady hadn't married yet, so Master Shen didn't get involved."

Princess Feng'an pushed the pastries next to her towards her and asked her to eat some to calm her nerves.

Zhu Yinluan took a piece, took a small sip, but did not eat it.

She had no appetite and even felt a little nauseous.

She didn't have much pregnancy reaction in the first three months, but now she feels very uncomfortable.

She couldn't tell whether it was the nausea in her heart or in her body, and she felt very uncomfortable all the time. Fortunately, she was suppressed by the tranquilizing soup.

"I wonder if Young Madam knows about the fact that General Yao advocated the new policies of Fanchang?"

Zhu Yinluan nodded, "I know." It was because of this incident that she noticed General Yao and Shen Jingzhan.

"The promotion of Fanchang was ostensibly the idea of General Yao, but in reality it was the idea of Lord Shen. One of the most important things was that there was a law that allowed the successors of demoted officials to be employed again."

"At first, my father and grandmother didn't understand why he mentioned this. They made great efforts to suppress the officials of the Censorate and the Court of Remonstrance, offended a large number of people, but still proposed it."

"Later I understood." Princess Feng'an looked at Zhu Yinluan, "It turns out that the real purpose was not to drink, but to help the young lady's husband's family get promoted and get promoted again in the government."

"This happened a long time ago. It's hard to find any clues if you investigate further. But Madam, think about it yourself. What position did your ex-husband hold at the time? How did he enter the Imperial Academy so smoothly?"

Princess Feng'an told her, "The Imperial Academy is a leisurely and lucrative position. Many people are trying their best to get in. The Wei family had no power at the time and only relied on the Zhu family. It was simply difficult for them to defeat the opponents who were promoted at the same time."

Speaking of this matter, she also had doubts at the beginning. Her father had never valued her, so why would he try so hard to help Wei Ruzhuo enter the Hanlin Academy?

There was no way to investigate at that time, and she was kept in the backyard, so how could she know anything? Even if she felt something was wrong, she had to suppress her thoughts.

It turned out that it was not the Zhu family's credit, but Shen Jingzhan who fanned the flames.

"...Then what?"

The pastry that Zhu Yinluan was pinching was about to be crushed by her. She felt a chill on the back of her neck and tried her best to suppress it from shaking.

"Then the Wei family's sons were promoted one after another, while the Luo family stagnated."

"The distant cousin of Luo Xuan, the eldest son of the Luo family, did not come to the capital for no reason. The Ying family was convicted and exiled. How could she, a woman, return to the capital and get in touch with Luo Xuan so smoothly?"

"Is there any evidence?" Even though she already believed it in her heart, Zhu Yinluan still wanted to know whether there was any conclusive evidence.

"In the archive of people entering and leaving the city gate, the person who guaranteed Luo Xuan's cousin Ying Rufen and went back to handle the household registration in the capital was sent by Master Shen."

Zhu Yinluan asked, "Is this also what the people in the Princess's files at the Ministry of Revenue said?"

Princess Feng'an replied, "I have read the archived documents, but I cannot bring them out for Young Madam to check. If you don't believe me, you can go to my Princess Mansion in the future and I will ask him to bring them out for you to see. There is an official seal on them."

Zhu Yinluan felt a critical blow in her heart and didn't know what to say at this moment.

"Princess, what you mean is...he had someone take care of the Luo family's affairs and helped Wei Ruzhuo get promoted?"

"Yes." Feng An nodded. "How could the son of the Wei family climb to such a high position in just a few years without the mediation of Prince Shen behind the scenes?"

"If Madam wants to say that it is the Zhu family's help, why don't you think about it, the Zhu family was able to promote the Wei family's son to such a high position, why don't they promote their own son?"

Zhu Yinluan was speechless again.

yes.

"Without the support of the Zhu family, it is impossible to rely on the Wei family alone. If the Wei family is really so powerful, why can't the old man of the Wei family return to the capital for so many years?"

Princess Feng'an asked Zhu Yinluan to think about it carefully.

"To be able to move so freely in the court and manipulate officials like this, no one else can do it except the people in the three provinces."

Zhu Yinluan felt that everything she knew in the past had collapsed, especially the image of her husband who was as gentle as jade in her mind, which had collapsed so severely that only a black hole and a deep pool remained.

She didn't even dare to step forward to find out what the truth was, for she was afraid that if she took a step forward, she would fall into the abyss and there would be no escape.

It was simply unimaginable that Shen Jingzhan was completely different from everything she knew. Not just different, but completely different.

How could she accept that everything was just an illusion?

The man she remarried was not as gentle, clear-headed and harmless as he appeared to be.

It was he who helped the Wei family rise in status, his eldest sister's divorce was also related to him, and even every encounter between him and her was not accidental.

Why does this dense network covering the entire sky and earth, and all these things being so carefully planned, come about?

Shen Jingzhan calculated the Zhu family, the Wei family, and the Luo family. What did he get in the end?

She thought about it and realized that her elder sister had divorced the Luo family and rekindled her old relationship with Wei Ruzhuo, but she was the only one who was kicked out.

What did Shen Jingzhan get in this game? He got...he got her.

So, you came here to... snatch her away?

Shen Jingzhan calculated everything just to snatch her away?

At present, the facts are before our eyes. Even if Zhu Yinluan doesn't want to admit it, she has to face it.

"This matter is indeed absurd and horrible, but Madam... I still hope you know what Master Shen did."

The pastry in Zhu Yinluan's hand had been completely crushed by her.

The pastry was made very delicately, and at this moment it was squeezed out from between her fingers and fell onto the table and the ground. However, Zhu Yinluan was immersed in her own thoughts and was unaware of it, which was enough to show how much torment she was feeling at the moment.

I am afraid that the struggle between heaven and man will lead to no result.

Princess Feng'an took a handkerchief from the little palace maid next to her, handed it to Zhu Yinluan, and asked someone to bring hot water.

The hot water was brought, but Zhu Yinluan's heart was still in turmoil.

Princess Feng'an waited for a long time, and the hot water had become cold. She came back to her senses, let go of the pastry foam in her hands, and washed her palms. Princess Feng'an had just said to change to hot water, but her hands had already been put into the cold water, and her washing movements were slow and clumsy.

No matter who encounters such a thing, it is difficult to accept.

Therefore, Princess Feng'an could understand Zhu Yinluan's reaction.

After all, Shen Jingzhan's possessiveness and control over her had reached a terrible, even terrifying level.

"Besides this...is there anything else?" Zhu Yinluan asked again.

This time her voice was soft.

Princess Feng'an said, "The difficulty of the Wei family's children to have children must be related to Lord Shen."

Wei Ruzhuo is unable to have children. Isn’t that innate?

It was actually done by Shen Jingzhan?

Zhu Yinluan's heart trembled, a chill suddenly ran up her back, and she felt like shivering all over.

Is this Shen Jingzhan’s true face?

It's chilling and terrifying.

He was responsible for the promotion of the Wei family, so the downfall of the Wei family and the investigation of the Zhu family were also his doing, right?

"By the way, there is one more thing. I wonder if the young lady has heard any rumors while in the Shen family?" Princess Feng'an asked.

"What...?" Zhu Yinluan was upset and his voice was dry at the moment.

It was already late, so Princess Feng'an cut to the chase, "The second wife of the Shen family once came to me to discuss the matter of her son Shen Jiaxian being sent abroad. This was also done by the Shen family's son."

It was precisely because Shen Jingzhan was mediating that she couldn't help much even though she was a princess, mainly because Shen Jingzhan was a person that was not easy to offend.

At that time, she asked the wife of the second house to find Zhu Yinluan, but she didn't expect that after so much time, Zhu Yinluan still didn't know about it. It seemed that the wife of the second house of the Shen family was afraid and did not dare to come to her.

Zhu Yinluan had some impression of the second wife's son who was sent abroad. She also heard the news from Old Lady Shen and Madam Shen, and even helped Madam Shen to ask Shen Jingzhan and passed the message in between.

She vaguely guessed that the news of Shen Jiaxian's assignment was related to Shen Jingzhan, but she had no idea about the specific details.

So what is going on?

Seeing that she was confused, Princess Feng'an explained to Zhu Yinluan, "Speaking of which, you are the reason why Shen Jiaxian was sent abroad."

"Me?" Zhu Yinluan's already heavy thoughts became even more confused.

"Yes, the second wife told me that the reason why Shen Jiaxian was sent by Prince Shen to serve as an official in a barren land was because he was secretly investigating the affairs of the young lady."

"My business?" Zhu Yinluan was surprised.

She asked when Shen Jiaxian was sent abroad?

Princess Feng'an gave an exact date, and Zhu Yinluan was stunned. At that time, she and Wei Ruzhuo had not yet divorced.

Wait...isn't the day when Shen Jiaxian went to check the same day when she went to the sickhouse to get medicine?

What a coincidence again.

So, what did Shen Jiaxian know to be sent abroad? Even Shen Kouyu couldn't come back to get married.

"Young Madam, there is no need to feel guilty. Shen Jiaxian from the Second House is a wild man who cannot be controlled. It would be good for him to go out and gain experience for a few years. It would be good for the Second House of the Shen Family to temper his temper. Otherwise, my father would not have approved the transfer order so quickly."

Zhu Yinluan had mixed feelings, "Why is it so..." Her heart was in turmoil.

She felt so uncomfortable that she leaned over and vomited before she could finish her words.

He grabbed the edge of the table with all his might and vomited several times. Not only dry heaving, but even the food he had eaten in the morning came out.

Princess Feng'an's first reaction was to get up and hide. Seeing how uncomfortable Zhu Yinluan was, she quickly asked someone to call the imperial physician. Zhu Yinluan coughed and stopped the person, "...It's okay, no need..."

Today is a happy day, and it is not auspicious to invite a royal physician.

Princess Feng'an saw that her complexion was really bad and was worried that something might happen to her, so she still let the palace maid go, but she asked them to go in a secretive manner and not to disturb anyone.

Zhu Yinluan vomited violently repeatedly.

Princess Feng'an couldn't help but feel frightened when she saw her.

I started to feel a little regretful. Should I have said it?

If something happens to the daughter of the Zhu family, I'm afraid...

Zhu Yinluan's face looked very bad. She was in a state of trance. She tried her best to control her mood, but she couldn't.

Because she thought it was too scary.

She had never experienced such fear and panic before. At this moment, it was running down her back and face, and she felt cold all over.

Princess Feng'an sent Zhu Yinluan back to her courtyard. Although she walked through the side corridor and around the flower hall at the back, she still alarmed someone - Jiaohui.

Zhu Yinluan was still conscious. She saw Jiaohui walking out from the corner of her eye and thought, she must be going to inform Shen Jingzhan, right?

The imperial physician came very quickly, took her pulse, and said it was morning sickness. He also said that her mood was fluctuating too much and she needed to calm down. If this continued, it would definitely damage her mind and harm the fetus.

"Can you prescribe some medicine for me?" asked Princess Feng'an.

The imperial physician wrote a prescription and told him to take it back to the Imperial Hospital to get the medicine and bring it back.

Just after I finished explaining the situation, I didn't expect Zhu Yinluan to start vomiting again.

She vomited even more violently this time, with waves of acid coming out. She slumped over the edge of the bed, her face extremely pale and her expression so terrible that it was unbearable to look at.

Mingya was so worried that she almost cried, but today was a wedding banquet and she absolutely could not cry, so she could only swallow it down.

When Princess Feng'an saw this, she felt more and more regretful. She was afraid that she should not say it, at least not at this time.

She also didn't expect that Zhu Yinluan's pregnancy had obviously stabilized, but it still turned out like this.

The imperial physician quickly took out the needle and thread and gave her an acupuncture.

Mingya wiped Zhu Yinluan's hands and cleaned her mouth.

The vomiting was so severe here that the old mother went over to ventilate, and Mrs. Shen had already received the news.

Upon hearing that Zhu Yinluan was in trouble and couldn't take care of the guests, Madam Shen hurried over, followed by many noble ladies, including the mother and daughter of the Meng family.

"What's going on? Why are you vomiting like this?" Isn't it morning sickness? Why do I need to get an injection after the first three months?

When she saw Princess Feng'an, Mrs. Shen had a hunch that it was related to her, but she didn't dare to ask.

Zhu Yinluan looked very bad and in very bad condition. Madam Shen sat next to her and stared at her anxiously. When she touched Zhu Yinluan's hand, she felt it was unusually cold.

"Oh my God, what happened?" The palace maids around Princess Feng'an were very perceptive.

She took the initiative to explain that Zhu Yinluan vomited suddenly in Shen Kouyu's yard for some unknown reason, and her face looked ugly. It was probably because there were too many people and she was suffocated. She did not ask for the imperial physician, but Princess Feng'an asked someone to find one and send her back.

Madam Shen wanted to ask Zhu Yinluan why she had to go to Chen Kouyu's yard. Hadn't she sent everyone out? Why was she going there to join in the fun? She had been staying in the yard to take care of her pregnancy. Wasn't that good?

But seeing her like this, I didn't dare say anything, for fear of making her depressed and making the situation worse.

"Where is the prince? Is he done with his work? Call him back quickly." Madam Shen ordered the maid next to her to go find him.

When she heard the word "Prince", Zhu Yinluan suddenly clutched the quilt beside her.