Chapter 65 Do you drink this medicine often?
Xu Shulan's physical pain paled in comparison to the utter devastation she felt upon hearing what had happened the previous day. The thought of her two cousins behaving so dissolutely in front of everyone made her contemplate suicide.
Consort Xu really doted on this niece, repeatedly advising her to be more open-minded and promising that one of her two sons would marry her.
The male protagonists of the short film, Gu Nanwen and Gu Nanwu, are currently kneeling in Prince Yong's study to beg for forgiveness.
They said they were tricked by an unfamiliar maid, and after entering the room, they smelled a strange fragrance and then completely lost their minds.
A day and a night had passed, and how could Prince Yong not realize that the two of them had been framed? Moreover, the person who framed them was very likely his own eldest son.
However, he had no evidence whatsoever. Just moments before, Prince Yong had his two sons identify the maids in the mansion. They hadn't found the messenger.
Furthermore, there was no trace of aphrodisiac in the room. If the two hadn't been in such a frenzied state yesterday, he would have thought his two sons hadn't used any aphrodisiac at all.
He knew his son well that the twins had some issues with their sex life. He usually preferred to have a concubine serve both of them at the same time.
However, Prince Yong felt that many young masters in wealthy and powerful families had some unspeakable vices. At least his two sons didn't keep male children, which was considered good.
Therefore, King Yong turned a blind eye to their peculiar habits and let them do as they pleased.
Now is not the time to dwell on mistakes. The best course of action now is to do as Consort Xu suggested, choose someone to marry Xu Shulan, and settle this matter.
But upon hearing this, both brothers shook their heads, indicating they were unwilling to marry Xu Shulan. She was a woman whose body had been seen by all the guests at the banquet that day. Whoever married her as their principal wife would never be able to hold their head high again.
How could the mediocre prince not understand this principle? But the Xu family was the Empress's maternal family, and it was impossible for them to be irresponsible.
After the two brothers declined each other's offer, Gu Wenwu decided that he would marry Xu Shulan.
Now that the matter was settled, Prince Yong had to go to the palace to apologize to the Emperor. Xu Shulan was the principal wife betrothed to Gu Nanxiao by imperial decree. Now that this incident had occurred with his two younger brothers, he had no choice but to ask the Emperor to rescind the imperial decree.
After entering the palace, Prince Yong returned to his residence not long after meeting the emperor. Although the imperial decree for the marriage had been withdrawn, two other decrees for punishment were issued at the same time.
The Emperor first reprimanded the Xu family's daughter, saying she was immoral and disrespectful. He then decreed that she could only be a concubine and that she would never step out of her room for the rest of her life.
He then reprimanded Gu Nanwen and Gu Nanwu, saying they were morally corrupt as teachers. He punished them by banning them from inheriting titles for life and from serving as officials in the court.
The brothers Gu Nanwen and Gu Nanwu breathed a huge sigh of relief when they heard they didn't have to marry Xu Shulan. Although they were both fond of playing around, how could a used-up woman be their proper wife?
They were destined for official careers, so naturally, they wanted to choose wives who would be beneficial to them. But they relaxed their guard too soon.
Upon hearing the Emperor's punishment, the two were stunned, as if struck by lightning, completely unable to believe it was real.
Once they regained their senses, the two vented their anger on Xu Shulan, who had ruined their future, and dragged her into the room.
Ignoring her torn wounds, they assaulted her together, and her shrill screams could still be clearly heard even through two courtyard gates.
Xu Shulan's maids were even more frightened and fell silent, after all, most of them were supposed to accompany their mistress's husband as concubines.
In the past, whenever they thought about having the opportunity to serve the god-like eldest son, they couldn't help but feel secretly delighted. It was all thanks to their families for selling them into slavery; otherwise, given their status, how could they possibly be qualified to spend a night with such an unattainable person?
But all the beautiful dreams changed in just one day before they even began; the young lady's husband changed from the eldest son to the third son.
Who would have thought that these two young masters of the Yong Prince's mansion, seemingly so refined and upright, would have such disgusting fetishes in private? Moreover, judging from the attitude of the Yong Prince and Consort Xu, they even tacitly approve of it.
Just now, despite the commotion inside, not a single master came out to inquire. Whether it was because the Prince of Yong was unwilling or too lazy to care, he hadn't even given his two sons a glance when they dragged the young lady away.
The maids were right; Prince Yong indeed did not intend to take care of both of his sons, and he readily accepted their incompetence.
Consort Xu was stunned by the devastating news that her son could neither inherit the title nor serve as an official in the court, and had no mind to care about Xu Shulan's life or death.
Inside the Prince Yong's residence, chaos reigned, and throughout the capital, rumors swirled. The sheer number of witnesses to the Princess's birthday banquet led to several versions of the story circulating.
The common people love royal scandals, and this time they can not only hear about them, but also openly discuss them because the law does not punish the masses.
At this time, the head of the Xu family, accompanied by five elders, arrived at the Yong Prince's residence to confront Xu Shulan. The Yong Prince did not appear, but he did not stop them at all, allowing them to do as they pleased.
The head of the Xu family ordered his men to forcibly drag out the unconscious Xu Shulan, then had her revived by splashing water on her. He then publicly announced that Xu Shulan would be removed from the family register, and then left.
Xu Shulan had been subjected to inhuman torture for two consecutive days. As soon as she opened her eyes, she heard such terrible news. Overwhelmed with anger and anxiety, she vomited a mouthful of blood and fainted completely.
King Yong did not show his face at all, letting the head of the Xu family come and go as he pleased. After all, his two sons, or rather his three sons, all bore inescapable responsibility in this matter, and he was too ashamed to meet the head of the Xu family.
He didn't want to embarrass himself any further because of this shameful incident. So much so that Prince Yong even claimed illness and didn't attend the morning court session, nor did he step out of the courtyard again.
The most delighted people were none other than the Princess and Shen Yujiao, as Consort Xu and her children suffered misfortune.
Xu Shulan, relying on the imperial decree that granted her marriage, had been occupying the position of Gu Nanxiao's legal wife. Now, she has fallen into the mire and become a disgraceful woman despised by everyone.
Even the other young ladies of the Xu family will be disgraced. So what if the Xu family expel Xu Shulan? Just the fact that they could raise a girl like this means their reputation is beyond repair.
Shen Yujiao began to plan in her heart when to enter the palace and ask her maternal grandmother for an imperial decree to grant her marriage so that her cousin could marry her as soon as possible.
Princess saw through Shen Yujiao's thoughts and gently advised, "Your aunt knows you like Xiao'er, but he is stubborn. If you use the same method as Xu Shulan to force him into marriage, I'm afraid you will never have a chance to smile again for the rest of your life."
But Shen Yujiao was completely deaf to any advice at that moment, her mind solely focused on how to marry Gu Nanxiao. Seeing that she couldn't persuade her, the princess gave up, thinking that if she hit a wall a few more times, she would eventually learn to turn back.
The most peaceful place in the Prince Yong's mansion was undoubtedly the Pine and Bamboo Courtyard. Gu Nanxiao looked at Yun Xijing, who was sitting at her small desk, writing and drawing, and felt a pang of regret for his impulsive decision to go to the palace that day.
If he had known that Yunxi's method would be so effective, he wouldn't have had to endure that beating. Now, with his injuries still unhealed, he has needlessly delayed his intimate moments with Yunxi.
At this moment, Mo Yu came in and reported: "Your Majesty, I have found out that the Shi family is indeed illegally mining gold. We have now determined the exact location and have sent people to keep a close watch on them."
Although the Shi family did it very discreetly, the flow of gold could not be completely erased. According to the clues they left behind, the subordinates found out that the Third Prince was also aware of the gold mine and even received the vast majority of the profits.
Our people followed the trail and discovered that the Third Prince was also illegally mining an iron ore mine and using it to forge many weapons.
Privately forging weapons is a crime akin to treason. Yunxi was greatly encouraged after hearing this. The Shi family has the support of the Third Prince. If the Third Prince and Consort Shi do not fall, the Shi family may have a chance to turn the tide.
Now that's it! With this leverage, she can ensure the Shi family and the Third Prince's utter ruin. Now she only needs to wait for the right opportunity to make the Shi family father and son pay for their blood debt!
A dozen days later, Gu Nanxiao's injuries had healed, and he began to cling to Yunxi again. Yunxi hadn't forgiven him yet. But the scene of him being beaten unconscious and carried back kept replaying in her mind, so she half-heartedly let him have his way.
The next morning, Yunxi was woken up by Su Mingyan, who brought her the scar-removing and skin-beautifying cream that he had already developed.
Just then, a servant brought in a bowl of medicine. Just as Yunxi was about to drink it, Su Mingyan stopped her. He took the bowl, smelled it, and his expression turned serious. He asked Yunxi, "Do you often drink this medicine?"
Seeing his serious expression, Yunxi sensed something was amiss and nodded, replying, "I drink it almost every day, but is there something wrong with this medicine?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com