Chapter 145 Winning Hearts and Minds is Paramount
"Your Highness is right! There are many suspicious points in this matter, and it is indeed necessary to hand it over to the authorities for a thorough investigation!"
"That's right! If General Chen is truly innocent, we cannot stand idly by!"
The surrounding guests nodded in agreement, and the balance of public opinion had completely tipped in favor of Shen Qingci.
Shen Qingci slowly turned around, her cold and sharp eyes meeting those of Old Madam Huo, who was already speechless with anger, and Liu Ruolan, whose face was ashen. Her voice was calm but filled with a sense of oppression:
“Madam, Madam Hou, if you believe that this ‘Nanzhu’ is someone I arranged to deliberately frame the Huo family, then that would be all the better.”
"Report it directly to the authorities," she said calmly. "Hand the person over to the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, let him interrogate and investigate. Right and wrong, black and white, will be judged fairly."
Old Madam Huo was about to say something when Liu Ruolan, who was standing beside her, grabbed her arm.
Liu Ruolan leaned close to her ear and said something urgently in a voice only the two of them could hear.
Madam Huo's expression shifted several times, but finally, she managed to squeeze out a few words through gritted teeth: "Fine! Then report it to the authorities!"
Shen Qingci glanced at the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, who had different thoughts, and ignored them. He then turned to "Nanzhu" and said, "You can go with the officials without worry."
"If what you say is true, even if the person who died unjustly was not my husband Huo Yunzhan, just for the sake of the innocence of my entire Shen family, I, the Princess Consort... will definitely investigate the truth and seek justice for you and for Huo Yunting!"
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Nan Zhu replied gratefully, tears streaming down her face. Then, escorted by guards, she left with her head held high.
Shen Qingci gave a distant curtsy to the wife of the Minister of War, his voice filled with apology: "Madam Minister, today's events were all caused by Qingci, and I have disturbed your flower-viewing banquet. I am truly sorry. Now that the matter concerns the injustice done to the Shen family, I have no mood to attend the banquet, so I will take my leave first."
The Minister's wife quickly waved her hand; she had witnessed quite a show today.
The flower-viewing banquet and such are no longer that important.
"Your Highness, I still stand by what I said. The flowers are still in bloom for a while, and we can enjoy them anytime. Your Highness's affairs are the most important. We can find another opportunity to get together next time."
Shen Qingci nodded slightly to her, then led Wanqing and Yunlan away slowly amidst a cacophony of gazes.
As soon as Shen Qingci left, Old Madam Huo's expression changed immediately. That bitch Shen Qingci must have left first to find a chance to see Nan Zhu!
Madam Huo and Liu Ruolan immediately found an excuse to take their leave.
Madam Huo went straight back to the Marquis's residence, while Liu Ruolan boarded the carriage to return to the Prime Minister's residence.
The carriage was stopped at the entrance of a secluded alley.
Liu Ruolan impatiently opened the carriage door, about to scold him, but saw Shen Qingci, dressed in brocade, sitting quietly in the opposite carriage, as if he had been waiting there for a long time.
"Shen Qingci! What are you trying to do now?!" Liu Ruolan questioned sharply.
Shen Qingci smiled and looked up at Liu Ruolan: "It's nothing. I just feel that since Huo Yunting died unjustly, then as his rightful wife, the Lady of the Marquis should... have more right to know some of the truth than I, an outsider."
As she spoke, she took out the bloodstained notebook, which had already been confiscated as evidence, from her sleeve and handed it over.
Liu Ruolan's eyes instantly filled with vigilance and disgust: "What are you up to now?!"
“I do have my own plans.” Shen Qingci made no attempt to hide it, a cruel smile playing on her lips. “I have personally experienced the pain of losing my husband, and the feeling was truly unbearable. Naturally, I also want… for you, Madam Hou, to experience it all again.”
"Seeing you in pain makes me happy."
"You!" Liu Ruolan trembled with anger. "Our situations are different! Of course I wouldn't act like you, making a scene about life and death!"
"Is that so?" Shen Qingci smiled, a smile filled with endless sarcasm. "That's true."
"After all, knowing that the person beside you is no longer Huo Yunting, you, Madam Hou, can still enjoy yourself with that imposter every night without any resentment."
"It seems that your nearly two years of marriage were nothing more than... a marriage in name only."
“However,” she changed the subject, handing the notebook forward again, “even so, Huo Yunting still mentioned you quite a few times in this notebook.”
"You should take a look sooner rather than later. After you've looked at it, I still need to send this crucial piece of evidence back to Shuntian Prefecture."
Liu Ruolan remained silent for a long time, her eyes swirling with emotions. Finally, she gave a wink to the maid beside her, signaling her to take the notebook from her.
She opened the notebook and, sure enough, saw Huo Yunting's all-too-familiar handwriting.
The handwriting was much more illegible than usual, probably because he was too busy with military affairs at the border to write carefully.
The preceding entries mostly describe the local customs and traditions of the border region and trivial matters in the military.
Occasionally, she would be mentioned in just a sentence or two.
"Today I acquired a fine piece of warm jade, its color gentle and lustrous, just right for Ruolan. When I return to the capital, I will definitely find a skilled craftsman to carve a jade hairpin for her."
"During military drills, seeing the soldiers wielding spears and clubs reminded me of Ruolan's dislike of my swordplay, saying it looked too menacing. Sigh, she's still a pampered young lady..."
Between the lines are ordinary, mundane daily stories, yet they reveal a quiet tenderness and longing.
The further you turn the pages, the more chaotic the handwriting becomes, as if the writer's state of mind is already turbulent.
"Why did Zhan Di... why did he attack me?! Why?! I'm going to die at the hands of my own brother..."
"Ruolan... what will happen to her if I die? She is spoiled and has always been used to luxury."
"If she were no longer the wife of the Marquis of Yongning, and had no one to rely on, her future days would certainly be difficult..."
"I regret it so much... I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have disobeyed my father..."
As Liu Ruolan looked at the contents of the notes, her hand holding the booklet trembled uncontrollably.
Not wanting to lose her composure in front of Shen Qingci, she bit her lip so hard it almost bled.
She slowly closed the notebook, her voice hoarse as she asked, "Can I take this with me?"
Shen Qingci shook his head, his expression indifferent: "I'm afraid not, this is important evidence."
"However, after the Shuntian Prefecture finishes interrogating Nanzhu and everything settles down, perhaps... the Lady Hou can ask your father to think of a solution."
Liu Ruolan nodded, trying to maintain her composure, and returned the notebook to Shen Qingci.
"Let's go back to the manor," she ordered in a hoarse voice.
The carriage door slowly closed, blocking Shen Qingci's probing gaze.
The moment the car door closed, Liu Ruolan could no longer hold back. She covered her mouth and let out a suppressed and painful sob.
Tears fell silently, wetting the delicate silk handkerchief in her hand.
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