Chapter 79 Chapter 79 The King and the Princess, Living and Diing Together
There was dead silence in the Qianqing Palace.
Emperor Hengshun pointed silently at the stack of books presented by Shen Qingchen, his dark eyes dark and deep.
"Zhaohua, you did a lot when you went to Liangzhou." After a while, he spoke vaguely.
Shen Qingchen was stunned. She had never expected that he would speak like this.
The Marquis of Zhenbei is guilty of heinous crimes. He has been entrenched in Liangzhou for many years. He has been involved in corruption, smuggling, stationing troops, human trafficking, and colluding with Beixuan. He has been charged with every crime, and he has listed them in detail, even bringing with him physical evidence from his early years.
But his royal brother, whom he had trusted for many years and respected as his biological father, did not say a word about it, but instead spoke like this.
"When I went to look for Hexue in the past, I had many battles with the soldiers of the Zhenbei Marquis' Mansion. I didn't do it on purpose. It was only after I married Hexue that I had the leisure to compile and report it. I had no intention of concealing anything." After a moment, he bowed and said this.
Emperor Hengshun gently stroked his beautiful beard, his eyes wandered over him, and suddenly smiled.
"Who gave Madam Su the necklace?" he asked.
"Your Highness Prince Ling." Shen Qingchen told the truth.
"How did Zhaohua know?"
Shen Qingchen told him everything, and then added, "I knew he was colluding with the Prince of Changping, so I went to investigate. I traced him from Zui Le Ju to Qi Meng Xuan. Liangzhou has been plagued by frequent natural disasters, and many of the dancers in Qi Meng Xuan are refugees from Liangzhou, some of whom are skilled in martial arts. I'm afraid he has ulterior motives."
"Is it Prince Ling's shop?" asked Emperor Hengshun.
"It's Concubine Liang's dowry, my royal brother."
"It's not that I don't want to touch the Marquis of Zhenbei." After a while, Emperor Hengshun said quietly. "But I can't touch the Liang family."
"The Marquis of Zhenbei is a dissolute and uncouth man, unfit for any major role. He's been able to hold onto Liang Province for so many years, so he must be colluding with the Liang family." He lit his teacup and spoke calmly. "The Liang family has been guarding the border for many years and commands a large force. We shouldn't act rashly."
"This is an undeserved disaster for the princess," Chen Qingchen said. "Stop spreading rumors. Are you going to accuse the Marquis of Zhenbei of favoring his concubine over his wife, abandoning his children, and arguing in court every day?"
Emperor Hengshun looked up from the book and laughed, "Zhaohua, everyone was young once. Misjudging someone is not a big deal."
Shen Qingchen's breath was slightly choked, and he looked straight at him.
"Zhaohua, she doesn't have to be your princess consort," Emperor Hengshun said calmly. "Divorce her with just one word from you."
-
There was no moon tomorrow night, and the night wind in mid-spring was as cold as mid-winter.
Although he and Emperor Hengshun parted on bad terms, Shen Qingchen held the backup book in his hand and sorted out his thoughts calmly.
This was a very tricky situation. Jiang Tao's rumor-mongering started with the common people, and directly targeted such a sensitive identity. If one wanted to eliminate him, proving that he had ulterior motives was the best option.
But Emperor Hengshun's attitude...
Shen Qingchen recalled, his thick brows gradually furrowed.
"Zhaohua, Liangzhou is a matter of great importance. It's not that I don't want to take action, but the time is not right yet, so I dare not do it."
"We must wait until... Yi En's marriage is peaceful and there is some easing of tensions with Bei Xuan before we dare to clean up the mess. Unfortunately, the marriage is happening at a time when war is not underway and the season is not right. But public opinion cannot wait."
"If the rumors are not quelled, I will have no choice but to abandon them."
Shen Qingchen lit the teacup and thought for a while. Just as he was about to get up to get his fortune-telling items, he suddenly heard the sound of rain.
Then a voice said, "Brother-in-law."
"Why are you looking for me instead of staying with Rongchang in Zhiyang Palace?" He glanced at Jiang Heye who came in through the window, and also glanced at the rain that suddenly fell, and frowned again after loosening his brows.
"Liang Guifei, she's over there... The princess told me to run with the map..." Jiang Heye panted. "I don't have time to argue with her."
"Go catch yours?" Shen Qingchen pursed his lips.
"That's why I was caught off guard. This Liang Yi, instead of trying to persuade His Majesty first, came to arrest me? It's just a rumor. I haven't been convicted of any crime. Why are you arresting me?" Jiang Heye was angry.
"Give me the map." Shen Qingchen just stretched out his hand, took the so-called city defense map in the rumor, and looked at it with frowns.
It really looked like a picture of frontier scenery. Each piece was carefully sewn together with silk thread, and printed next to it was a string of "symbols" as Jiang Hexue called them. They looked like words, but the words on Beixuan and Longlin's paintings were not like this; and if it was a poem, it was too irregular.
Shen Qingchen stared at it for a while, then turned it over again.
The embroidery on the back is so neat and precise that one can tell it's Shen Chuning's work. The threads are interwoven into diagonal diamonds, and somehow, the pattern looks more and more familiar the more one looks at it.
He turned it over again and again, but still had no clue.
Just pick up the charcoal pencil, sketch the image, and return it to him.
"Tomorrow, hang it in the Rongchang embroidery workshop," he said calmly. "It's not a city defense map, just a proper display."
Jiang Heye said "Okay", and seeing that he was still frowning, he hesitated and said, "Brother-in-law, is it particularly difficult?"
Shen Qingchen looked at the young man who had not yet reached adulthood, and after a moment, nodded.
"We must take precautions and be prepared for a military operation with Liangzhou, given the huge disparity in military strength," he said objectively.
Jiang Heye sighed: "How much difference?"
"It depends on the emperor's attitude." Shen Qingchen said calmly. "If the emperor is neutral and the Liang family is unscrupulous, then the difference will be hundreds of thousands."
There was silence on both sides.
"Jiang Tao is driven by his own selfish desires to exterminate you all, but Liang Li's goal is this king." After a while, Shen Qingchen said. "Even if it's just a matter of reason, this king won't abandon you."
Jiang Heye suddenly raised his eyes.
"I am the Imperial Preceptor, and many of my words don't align with Liang Li's intentions," Shen Qingchen said slowly. "If I'm not mistaken, this necklace was originally meant for me. It just so happens that He Xue is the princess, so I used her as a warning."
"Don't worry too much, everything is up to you."
"In that case, brother-in-law, don't frown." Jiang Heye paused and said lightly.
"That's not the case." Shen Qingchen looked out the window at the increasingly heavy rain and whispered, "Your sister is afraid of thunder, and I'm worried about her nightmares."
-
The rumor started when Jiang Heye openly displayed the embroidery, breaking the previously unified statement.
Because it doesn't look like a city defense map at all, and it's just a border map, it's hard to tell whether it's Liangzhou or not.
The storyteller in the teahouse made up a story of this. Shen Qingchen was worried about Jiang Hexue's safety and did not allow her to go out. She had no time to rest in the mansion. Apart from occasionally listening to the developments, she would analyze the drawing that Shen Qingchen sent her.
She could only see that the direction of the diamond-shaped pattern was very similar to the layout of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, but she could not make out the complex pattern at all.
But within a day, the rumor took a sharp turn.
"A branch of the Liang family has been involved in a crime in the imperial court. I implore you to conduct a thorough investigation?" Jiang Hexue frowned as she listened to Xue Lan's report.
"At today's court, someone spread rumors about the Marquis of Zhenbei. It seemed like they were slandering you, but in reality, they were threatening Your Highness, as the Imperial Preceptor, with a corrupt Princess, and stirring up trouble for the country... Furthermore, both the Marquis of Zhenbei and the Liang family had been stationed in Liang Province for a long time, and there was a fear that the Liang family might rebel." Xue Lan was rarely breathless and hurried. "Then, the minister from the Liang family's side branch wept bitterly, accusing Your Highness of being so powerful yet being deceived by spies, being unfilial to his mother, and failing the country. He then crashed his head against a pillar and died..."
Jiang Hexue's face turned pale, and after a while, he said quietly, "You want to use me to bring down Zhao Hua, and you're willing to spend a lot of money."
But this matter is destined not to be revealed lightly.
As Shen Qingchen said, the spies' rumor-mongering was just the beginning.
The loyal minister and his side branch died by hitting a pillar in the court, and the rumors were like fuel adding fuel to the fire, spreading non-stop.
Outside the Taiji Hall, the officials who submitted the petition knelt in two rows.
Inside the palace, Emperor Hengshun and Shen Qingchen were in a stalemate.
"Things have come to this. I advise you once more." Emperor Hengshun said earnestly. "Zhaohua, divorce your wife."
"I've told you repeatedly that it's unwise to act against Liang now. Divorce her, and you'll still be my second-in-command, trusted Imperial Preceptor."
Shen Qingchen knelt in front of the table. No matter how he tried to persuade her, he only said: "My brother, no."
"What do you want?" When Chengren came to report the new officials outside the palace again, Emperor Hengshun waved his sleeves and stood up. "Can you tell me?"
"This humble servant is willing to personally go north and defend the border on behalf of the Liang family." Shen Qingchen lowered his eyebrows and said in a deep voice, "Catch the traitor."
"Nonsense!" Emperor Hengshun raged, slamming the table. "You, going to the battlefield? If anything happens..."
"Brother, the crown prince you have chosen is not Prince Ling." Shen Qingchen said in a deep voice. "If your Majesty is not able to do anything, I am fully willing to serve you."
Emperor Hengshun let out a deep breath: "I don't want you to take risks."
"Your Highness will not abandon the Princess either." Shen Qingchen raised his eyes and reiterated, adding a hint of meaning. "It rains a lot in spring, and Liangzhou will probably be flooded again."
Emperor Hengshun looked at him and finally sighed.
-
Public opinion was volatile. People even started gambling, betting on whether Prince Heng'an would protect himself and divorce his wife.
But no one had expected that someone would take the initiative to speak up for the party that is now being criticized.
Jiang Hexue received the news and rode his horse to the foot of the city wall.
"Shu Tan!" She stopped and shouted, panting.
The crowd below the tower was so dense that no one could get through. Some people spotted her and moved away. No one dared to attack her.
Wei Shutan stood on the towering city wall, looking thin and pale, holding a long bamboo tube in his hand, and his voice was hoarse: "Third time."
"I am Mengniang, a formerly retired restorer and Princess Yien. I have come here today to share my humble opinion on the matter between His Royal Highness Prince Heng'an and the Princess."
"Everyone knows that Princess Renshu married into a foreign nation and made great contributions to the country. However, after years of decay, the statues in Renshu Temple fell into disrepair. It was Princess Heng'an who went to great lengths to ask Mengniang to repair them. She brought ten thousand taels of silver."
"That's half a year's salary for the prince. If she were a spy, why would she use this money to repair the meritorious officials of Longlin? To repair something that the people of Longlin don't care about?"
"Mengniang isn't saying she's completely selfless. But this is definitely not what a spy should do." Her sick body couldn't hold out much longer, so she coughed lightly and continued. "Let's talk about His Royal Highness Prince Heng'an."
"Over the years, the people have witnessed your deeds as the Imperial Master. In the days before and after the wedding, you left the princess behind to care for the people. Could it be that just for someone who died by hitting a pillar, you have to give up your own life for so many years?"
In the silence, someone shouted "Yes", and then the echoes came one after another.
"You might as well think about it. What is the purpose of the person behind the scenes who is trying to sow discord between the people and the national master?"
"Why bother participating in that ridiculous bet, betting on whether His Highness and the Princess would 'flee separately when disaster strikes'? If everyone remained true to their hearts and unaffected by public opinion, the so-called crisis would naturally be resolved."
Jiang Hexue's eyes became moist as the long bamboo tube echoed.
And Xuxu's hand holding the reins was tightly grasped by someone.
Jiang Hexue turned around and met the gaze of Shen Qingchen, who had rushed over from the palace in court robes.
"Never stop." As the sun sets, the young man's voice is resounding.
"The prince and the princess, we sleep together in life and in death."
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