Chapter 275 Adoption
What happened on the street reached Shen Wan's ears, and naturally also reached the princess and the old lady.
The princess just frowned after hearing this, feeling distressed that Shen Wan was still not at peace even though she was pregnant, and kept finding fault with her.
The old lady and the others did not react much, they just thought that the people behind the plot were too stupid. The couple should not have gone to find Shen Ji, but should have come directly to Jingbei Palace to find the Crown Prince's Consort. However, the truth cannot be false, and the false cannot be true. How much Shen Ji and Yun loved Shen Wan was shown by the dowry that could not be used up in several lifetimes.
The dowry of the wife of the Prince of Zhaoping is not as much as that of the Crown Prince's Consort. If the Crown Prince's Consort is not the biological daughter of Chen Ji and Yun, then they are stupid. Who would love an outsider more than his own daughter?
Thinking of her poor grandson, the old lady almost broke her back teeth.
Fengyi Palace.
Queen Song was lying on the imperial concubine's couch, and the palace maid was kneeling on the ground massaging her legs.
Nanny Zheng stepped forward quickly and called softly, "Her Majesty the Queen..."
Queen Song opened her eyelids and glanced at Nanny Zheng, then closed them again. "What's the matter?"
Matron Zheng said, "Today, Duke Dingguo was stopped on the street by a couple who claimed that the Crown Princess of Jingbei was their biological daughter and demanded that Duke Dingguo return their daughter to them..."
Queen Song opened her eyes and asked, "Is this really true?"
Madam Zheng replied, "Duke Dingguo was furious and ordered the Supreme Court to interrogate them in public. He even broke the legs of the couple who had been instigated by someone..."
Does Duke Dingguo have such a bad temper?
Queen Song keenly sensed that something was wrong.
There is no civil official or military general who does not protect his reputation. Duke Dingguo holds military power, so how could he be so angry with a couple? He ignored the impeachment of the censor and wanted to investigate the matter in the street.
When something is abnormal, there must be something wrong.
There are many ladies from prominent families in Kyoto, but this is the first time I've heard of such a thing.
The image of Shen Wan flashed through Queen Song's mind, and she felt vaguely uneasy.
It's not difficult to clarify this matter. Whether the Princess of Jingbei is the biological daughter of Shen Ji and Yun, you can find out by asking the people in the Duke Dingguo's Mansion.
"Ask Madam Shen Er to come to the palace tomorrow."
…
The fact that Shen Ji tried the couple in the street was known to everyone in the court, both civil and military.
At the morning court the next day, the censors jointly impeached Shen Ji, and many ministers also stood up to criticize him. Even if the couple had bad intentions, there was no need to question them in the street. It would be the same to take them to the Dali Temple for retrial. If everyone was like Duke Dingguo, there would be no need for people to walk on the streets.
Shen Ji didn't say a word in defense.
The Emperor asked, "Duke Dingguo, do you have anything to say?"
Chen Ji said, "I was too angry yesterday. Thinking about it later, I really shouldn't have done that. I am willing to accept the punishment."
Prince Qing, who usually spoke little in court, suddenly spoke up, "I ran into the Fourth Master yesterday and asked him about this. Why did he say that the Crown Prince of Jingbei's wife is indeed not your biological daughter, Duke Dingguo?"
Shen Ji said coldly, "There is no Fourth Master in my Dingguo Mansion. I wonder who Prince Qing is asking about?"
The old lady murdered her own sister for the sake of wealth and glory, and was beheaded in public. She had previously been partial to the fourth branch, but Shen Ji crossed out the second and fourth branches from the family tree of Duke Dingguo's Mansion.
Zhao Pingbo said, "Master Shen Si and Duke Dingguo are enemies, so his words are not credible."
Prince Yong said, "Whether the Crown Princess of Prince Jingbei is the biological daughter of Duke Dingguo is a family matter of the Duke Dingguo Mansion and has nothing to do with anyone else. Why is Prince Qing so curious?"
Prince Qing said, "I just feel that Duke Dingguo's punishment of the couple in the street is not in line with Duke Dingguo's temperament and is a bit abnormal. I happened to meet Master Shen Si and asked casually. This prince is indeed a little more curious."
As officials in the same dynasty, those ministers knew Duke Dingguo to some extent, and it was indeed a bit abnormal.
Coupled with what Fourth Master Shen said, a pair of ministers were curious whether Prince Jingbei's wife was Shen Ji's biological child.
However, as Prince Yong said, whether the Princess of Jingbei was Shen Ji's biological daughter was Shen Ji's family affair and had nothing to do with them.
The emperor did not punish Shen Ji severely, but only fined him three months' salary as a warning to others.
The matter was left unresolved.
…
Fengyi Palace.
After sending away the concubines who came to pay their respects, Queen Song sipped the tea.
The maid stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, Madam Shen Er is here."
"Let her in."
The palace maid left, and soon the second lady came in.
The second lady bowed to Queen Song.
Her daughter, Chen Wu, is now the wife of the prince of Wucheng Marquis. Wucheng Marquis is the elder brother of the wife of Duke Song. The Second Lady and Queen Song are also related in some way.
Furthermore, Shen Ti, the concubine of Prince Cheng, also had to call her "mother", which made their relationship even closer.
Queen Song said, "Please sit down."
The Second Madam sat down and said respectfully, "I wonder why the Empress wants to see me?"
Queen Song put down the teacup in her hand and said, "I also heard about Duke Dingguo's rage in the street yesterday. I came to ask Madam Shen Er to ask whether the Crown Prince Consort of Prince Jingbei is Duke Dingguo's biological daughter?"
The Second Madam was stunned. "Doesn't the Empress know about this?"
If she wants to know, do we need to find her and ask her?
A hint of displeasure flashed in Queen Song's eyes, and the Second Madam hurriedly said, "I thought that Prince Cheng's concubine had told you about this..."
Queen Song frowned, "Is he really not her biological child?"
The Second Madam nodded. "It's true that the Crown Prince's Consort of Prince Jingbei is not the biological daughter of Chen Ji and Yun Shi. Back then, the Yun family hadn't moved to Beijing yet. Chen Ji accompanied Yun Shi to visit relatives in Yunzhou and picked her up on the way back to Beijing. Chen Ji loved her very much and took her in as his lap. When the old lady disagreed, Chen Ji flew into a rage and even forbade anyone in the Duke Dingguo's Mansion to discuss the matter..."
When Shen Ji got angry, the second wife was present. If the second wife had not been kicked out of the Duke Dingguo's Mansion, she would not have dared to say a word.
Queen Song asked, "Who are the biological parents of the Jingbei Prince's Consort?"
The Second Madam said, "I was curious about this matter back then, and I once asked the servant who followed them to Yunzhou to find out. The child was not picked up, but the orphan of a soldier under Shen Ji's command. That soldier had done Shen Ji a favor..."
When Shen Ji and Yun Shi brought back a child, the old lady objected, which made Shen Ji, who always respected her, furious. How could the old lady not find out the truth?
The people who went to Yunzhou kept their mouths shut, so the old lady couldn't get any information from them. The second lady had someone force them to drink, and only then did she get the information out of them.
Queen Song said, "No wonder Duke Dingguo treats the Crown Prince's wife as his own daughter."
The Second Madam said, "Not only does she treat her like her own daughter, she even loves her more than her own daughter."
If there is only one copy of something, Shen Ji and Yun Shi will definitely keep Shen Wan close to them.
Because she was the orphan of her benefactor, the old lady turned a blind eye and treated Chen Wan as Shen Ji's biological daughter. Otherwise, if she broke this window paper, with the title of the orphan of her benefactor, the old lady would not be able to punish Chen Wan if she made any mistakes.
But they all underestimated this orphan girl. They didn't expect her to cause such trouble and marry the prince of Jingbei, which brought disgrace to the second house and sent the old lady to the guillotine.
Unfortunately, there is no medicine for regret in the world.
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