Chapter 100: I beg Your Majesty to grant me mercy and release Liangyu from prison...
A wave of afternoon heat swept in, and Xie Yuan felt somewhat restless.
Zheng Hechuan waved his jade fan even more vigorously, "Your Majesty, this servant will have someone break ice to cool us down."
Xie Yuan flicked his finger, signaling him to leave.
Just as Xie Yuan was in a daze, the head eunuch of Consort Shu Zhai Yu's palace came running up, panting heavily. He waved to Zheng Hechuan from afar, "Eunuch Zheng, Eunuch Zheng."
"What are you shouting about? You'll be in trouble if you disturb His Majesty's presence."
The head eunuch, bowing and panting, said, "Eunuch Zheng, please inform His Majesty that our Lady went to Fengyi Palace to pay her respects to the Empress today, but Princess Roujia accidentally bumped her stomach, causing her to bleed immediately. Since returning to the palace, the Lady's stomach has been uncomfortable. Please, Your Majesty, go and take a look."
"Wait here." Zheng Hechuan immediately went into the hall to report.
A moment later, the sound of objects falling to the ground came from inside the hall, and then Xie Yuan strode out of Chongzheng Hall.
Zheng Hechuan hurriedly summoned the imperial carriage.
Xie Yuan hurried towards the inner palace, his face terribly grim. The palace maids and eunuchs passing by all turned their backs to the walls and made way for him.
A group of imperial physicians knelt on the ground in Zhaohua Palace. Zhai Yu lay on the chaise longue, and a handsome figure was about to take her pulse when she was angrily rebuked.
Upon seeing a figure in bright yellow enter Zhaohua Palace, Zhai Yu pushed aside the imperial physician who came to examine her pulse and rushed towards Xie Yuan, throwing herself into his arms.
Xie Yuan asked anxiously, "Are you injured anywhere?"
Zhai Yu buried her face in Xie Yuan's chest, "Your Majesty, the high priest said that there is an evil star in the palace that has offended the prince."
A malevolent star.
Zheng Hechuan chuckled and said, "Your Highness, the palace does not believe in ghosts, gods, or fate."
Xie Yuan wanted to carry Zhai Yu into the palace to rest, but when he raised his hand, he saw Xun Shuheng leading Roujia out of Zhaohua Palace.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Xie Yuan's hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, paused for a moment. "The Empress is here too." He then picked up Zhai Yu and carried her back to the palace.
Xun Shuheng gracefully curtsied and bowed respectfully to Xie Yuan. "Roujia accidentally bumped into Consort Shu. On behalf of Roujia, I apologize to Consort Shu. This was my fault, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me. However, Consort Shu is unwilling to let the imperial physician examine her pulse. I beg Your Majesty to persuade her otherwise."
Zhai Yu said, "I do not trust the imperial physicians."
Xun Shuheng initially thought that Zhai Yu disliked being touched by men, so she specially summoned a female physician who had recently joined the Imperial Hospital. However, Zhai Yu still refused to have her pulse taken.
"Don't be stubborn," Xie Yuan gently scolded. "Your Majesty, rise. You are pregnant; don't stand."
He helped Zhai Yu sit back on the imperial concubine's couch and instructed the kneeling physician below, "Take Consort Shu's pulse."
The physician replied, "Yes." It was a woman's voice.
Xie Yuan scrutinized her for a moment, "When did you come to the Imperial Hospital?" She looked unfamiliar.
The imperial physician seemed not to hear anything and focused on taking the pulse.
Zheng Hechuan glanced at her and said, "Your Majesty, this woman is from the Ye family of Jiuhua Mountain Villa in Liangxi City. She only entered the Imperial Hospital after the Wanhe Festival and is not yet familiar with the rules of the palace. I will have the head of the hospital give her a proper lecture later."
Upon hearing Zheng Hechuan's words, Xie Yuan realized that this was the female physician who had won over the medical envoys from all sides during the Wanhe Festival. Considering her family background in medicine and her exceptional medical skills, she was exceptionally allowed to enter the Imperial Hospital.
Ye Weiwan took the pulse and said, "It's because you don't understand the rules of medicine. When seeking medical advice and medicine, you should speak less. The fetal energy is slightly unstable. It's not that there's any kind of clash. It's just that Your Majesty is only a month pregnant and the fetal energy is not yet stable. With careful care, there will be no major problems."
This person has absolutely no manners.
Xie Yuan was already overwhelmed with military affairs in both regions, and Ye Weiwan's disrespectful words immediately angered the emperor. "Such arrogance and self-importance make it difficult for her to uphold the principles of a physician. She is expelled from the Imperial Medical Academy."
Zhai Yu looked at Ye Weiwan with some interest.
The atmosphere in the palace was stifling, and this person was barely alive.
As the servants stepped forward to drag the female physician away, Zhai Yu asked Xie Yuan first, "Your Majesty, I wish to keep this female physician."
Xie Yuan's gaze fell on Zhai Yu's lower abdomen; it was too early in the pregnancy to show any signs of pregnancy.
He cherished this child very much.
"It's up to you, stay if you want."
Since there was no problem, Xie Yuan instructed, "Take good care of yourself. There are many matters to attend to in the court. I will come to visit you another day." Then he set off and returned to Chongzheng Palace.
Zhai Yu's face stiffened for a moment, but she couldn't insist on keeping him, so she could only bow deeply and say, "Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."
Xie Yuan walked to the door, turned around and looked at Xun Shuheng, "Empress, accompany me for a walk."
Xun Shuheng curtsied and said, "Your Majesty, I obey."
Xun Shuheng, holding Roujia's hand, walked silently along the palace road with Xie Yuan for a while, exchanging no words. The imperial carriage followed at a distance, so quiet that the creaking of the carriage could be heard.
"Roujia, she..."
"Your Majesty..."
The two spoke at the same time, and soon they were at an impasse again.
From the moment the imperial carriage arrived at Zhaohua Palace, Xie Yuan never once looked directly at Roujia. He didn't want to hear Xun Shuheng mention that Roujia had learned a few more characters, but that she could only scribble on paper and couldn't even properly say "Father Emperor." Xun Shuheng insisted on not sending Roujia out of the palace, and he had already agreed, treating her as if the child didn't exist in the palace. So why was she still dissatisfied?
What exactly does she want from him to be satisfied?
"During the Wanhe Festival, envoys from various countries presented many trinkets. I asked Roujia and the youngest daughter of the Marquis of Wu'an to choose some that they liked, and I will have them sent to the Fengyi Palace later."
The girl Xie Yuan was referring to was Chen Huai'an.
Xun Shuheng curtsied again, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
She tightened her grip on Roujia's hand, and a smile finally appeared on her face.
Xie Yuan reached out to help her, saying, "Since you're pregnant, there's no need for formalities; it would make us seem distant as husband and wife."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I understand."
Xie Yuan's lips curled up slightly as he glanced at Roujia unintentionally.
The child's features resembled his very much; she was beautiful and adorable. But her eyes were always dull and unfocused. She looked ahead and followed Xun Shuheng's steps slowly, neither avoiding him nor approaching him when she saw him.
They would not even bow or greet each other.
When she's in a better mood, she'll run and jump around like a normal child. But most of the time, she just sits quietly like a paper doll.
The fact that Xun Shuheng and Zhai Yu were both pregnant at the same time was a joyous occasion that somewhat dispelled the gloom that had accumulated in Xie Yuan's heart due to the matter of the imperial heir.
He hoped that Xun Shuheng could give birth to a legitimate prince for him.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of the character '琮'?"
Xun Shuheng pondered for a moment and said, "Upright and dignified, it's a good character."
Xie Yuan raised an eyebrow and smiled leisurely, explaining, "Use the blue jade disc to worship Heaven, and the yellow jade cong to worship Earth. This will govern the state and bring peace to the world."
Xun Shuheng was taken aback.
Xie Yuan said, "I value our children more."
***
After the general amnesty, Xie Yuan issued an edict promoting Cheng Lingdian to the position of Chancellor, appointing Hanlin Academician Gu Heng as the Left Vice Chancellor, and transferring Sheng Yu'an, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, to the position of Right Vice Chancellor. He also issued an edict that during the period when the Princess was mourning her mother, the Chancellery would assist in managing all matters of the Ministry of Agriculture and Sericulture.
At the same time, Chen Luan was promoted to Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
In mid-May, the ravages of war in Xiling intensified, and Chen Luan once again petitioned for a pardon for Zhao Xingli, ordering him to go to Xiling to atone for his crimes.
After discussing the matter with the Zhongshu, Xie Yuan drafted a pardon.
Zhao Xingli did not resume his post as Vice Censor-in-Chief, and embarked on the journey alone as a commoner.
Xi Qing still occasionally caused trouble at the palace gate. At first, he stayed in Yongdu only to marry Ke Zun, but now he has added another matter to his list, which is to wait for Chen Liangyu, who is in the death row, to be executed.
We waited and waited, but no result came out.
In order to drive the Ximanuo people out of the palace gates, the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Palace and the Imperial Guards of the Northern Palace pointed out several locations to them, telling them that this was where Chen Liangyu was being held, and that they should go there and cause trouble.
Since they already had different languages and customs, the guards believed them as soon as they spoke, and they started harassing the Ministry of Justice prison, the Dali Temple prison, and the Yong'an Prefecture dungeon in a chaotic manner. Later, some unscrupulous person tricked them into going to Yifeng Pavilion, saying that there was a secret prison there, and that people of Chen Liangyu's status were usually imprisoned in the secret prison.
The Yifeng Pavilion, which had been located there since the founding of the Great Lin Kingdom, was almost dug up by the Ximano people.
With half of May gone and nothing settled, Xi Qing belatedly realized they might have been tricked.
After the court session ended that day, the court officials gathered at Chengtian Gate. Those who were walking behind thought that the fierce Ximano people were blocking the palace gate again, but the sounds did not seem to be those of the Ximano people. They did not hear the Ximano people's distinctive earth-shaking roars or the clanging of their machetes and hammers.
Pushing forward, they found that neither the Sixteen Guards of the Southern Court nor the Imperial Guards of the Northern Court stepped forward to drive them away. Gao Guan, the Grand Commander of the Southern Court, and Jiang Andong, the Grand Commander of the Imperial Guards, were invited to Chengtian Gate, but they were also helpless.
A woman was kneeling at the head of the outer Jinshui Bridge in front of Chengtian Gate.
The woman wore a light blue robe embroidered with pheasant patterns and a crown adorned with nine pheasant-shaped ornaments. She held the Lancang sword in her palm.
Soon someone recognized the woman: "Lady of the Marquis of Wu'an."
Yes.
The woman kneeling at the head of the outer Jinshui Bridge was Yan Nian.
She was dressed in the robes of a first-rank noblewoman, with several guards carrying two suits of armor behind her. They were mountain-patterned armor and purple-gold crowns. Those were the battle armor of the late Marquis Xuanping, Chen Yuanqing, and Marquis Wu'an, Chen Linjun.
As more and more people gathered at Chengtian Gate, Yan Nian raised the Lancang Sword high above her head and shouted towards the palace: "Your Majesty, I, Yan Nian, along with my father-in-law and deceased husband, humbly beg Your Majesty to grant Liangyu a pardon and release her from prison. I am willing to take all the blame for my mother-in-law's crimes!"
"Your humble wife, Yan Nian, along with my father-in-law and deceased husband, humbly beg Your Majesty for mercy..."
Gao Guan peered into the passageway deep within Chengtian Gate, but it was so densely packed with people that he couldn't see anything clearly. He quickly grabbed a soldier beside him and ordered, "Go find Marquis Xuanping, hurry!"
The soldier received his assignment and sprinted towards Chengtian Gate.
"Your Majesty, I, Yan Nian, along with my father-in-law and deceased husband, humbly beg Your Majesty to show mercy and release Liangyu from prison..."
...
After about half an incense stick's time, Chen Luan finally managed to squeeze out of the airtight passage with great effort.
"Sister-in-law."
"Your Majesty, I, Yan Nian, beg for your mercy..."
"Sister-in-law!"
After shouting for so long, Yan Nian's voice was already somewhat hoarse. She paused, then continued shouting, "...I will pardon Liangyu and release her from prison. This subject is willing to bear all the blame!"
"Sister-in-law, stop shouting. It was only a matter of time."
Yan Nian met Chen Luan's gaze. "How late is late, and how early is early? That's what you told me on my first day back. Why is Liang Yu still in prison? Have you even visited her once?"
Chen Luan paused for a moment, then said, "Sister-in-law, Xi Qing is still in Yongdu, and His Majesty has strictly forbidden any visits."
"Xi Qing? Just for such a bandit, you've imprisoned the commander-in-chief who made great contributions to the Great Lin? He only killed a few bandits who destroyed fields on horseback, can't he have killed them! Your wife Yan Nian, along with my father-in-law and deceased husband..."
"Sister-in-law!"
Chen Luan closed his eyes slightly, his mind in turmoil. After Yan Nian returned to Yongdu, he only told him the whole story of Ximano destroying the fields and Liangyu leaving the city to stop it, but concealed the fact that Jiang Bojin had instigated Xiqing to do it. When he learned of this, considering the pros and cons, he could only continue with the mistake.
Xie Yuan met Jiang Bojin at the Shenwang Mansion in Linxia.
If they were to take Xi Qing to court, the Marquis's mansion would face even greater charges if the matter were investigated.
Chen Luan said, "Sister-in-law, get up first, let's talk when we get home."
"If you want to go back, bring Liangyu out and go back together."
"Sister-in-law..."
Chen Luan almost knelt down and kowtowed to Yan Nian.
Yan Nian pointed at Chen Luan's nose and said, "Liangyu has called you 'brother' for ten years. She's been in prison for over a month, and I haven't seen you show the slightest concern. Well, Liangyu is in jail, while you've risen through the ranks. You're really not..."
She stopped abruptly.
They were indeed not blood siblings, and there was no blood bond to hold them together. Liangyu's parents and older brother had all passed away, and apart from herself, there was no one left to protect her.
Yan Nian raised the Lancang sword high again, "Your subject Yan Nian..."
Chen Luan suddenly raised his voice, "Sister-in-law, just think of it as Liangyu's sake, don't shout anymore."
Yan Nianping looked ahead and said, "Alright, take me to see Liangyu."
Chen Luan's expression faltered slightly, and hesitation flickered in his eyes.
Yan Nian immediately raised her sword again: "Your Majesty..."
"Okay, I'll take you there."
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