Chapter 563: Emperor An plays a trick, rumors turn around
After Emperor An regained consciousness, the Crown Prince was still in charge of government, but the one-sided situation in the court had changed.
Especially on the second day, Emperor An went to court despite his illness. In front of all the civil and military officials, he tearfully confessed his mistake of being deceived by the villain and not knowing what happened in the past. He also cleared the name of He Wenzhuo in court, and after the court decided to posthumously confer the title on the He family and let Xiao Yan inherit the title, the rumors about Emperor An's cruelty seemed to be curbed.
Emperor An dragged his sick body and knelt in the Taimiao for three days to reflect on himself. Afterwards, he personally welcomed He Wenzhuo's tablet into the Taimiao for worship. He also rewarded the newly promoted Duke Dingguo Xiao Yan in various ways. The boxes of things carried into Jiyun Lane were so shockingly generous that the emperor's grace subtly changed the people's opinion that Emperor An was harsh to his meritorious officials and had no morals or benevolence.
When Qian Qiyue and Zhou Yuchang came to look for Tang Ning, they happened to meet the girl from Wang Hanlin's family at the alley entrance.
Tang Ning saw them just before sending off a group of them, and a look of surprise appeared on his face: "Why are you here together?"
"When Yuchang and I came here, we met Miss Wang, so we came here together." Qian Qiyue and Tang Ning were not at all shy.
Wang Yuzhen was a little reserved. She and Tang Ning had only met once on the night of the palace banquet. Although they had a good chat, they were not particularly familiar with each other. She did not expect to meet Qian Qiyue and the others, and felt a little embarrassed.
"The princess promised me that I could come to your house to pick up the book. I'm sorry if I disturbed you by visiting me today."
Tang Ning was stunned for a moment, then stepped forward and said, "How could that be? I just said you forgot about it and wanted to send someone to look for you."
She took Wang Yuzhen's hand:
"Didn't we agree to call me Tang Ning, not Princess? Did you forget, Yuzhen?"
Seeing her being so intimate, Wang Yuzhen couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and her smile became more sincere: "Sister Tang."
Tang Ning finally smiled and said, "Sister Ayue, Sister Zhou, please go in first. The weather has changed a lot these days, be careful not to catch a cold."
After they entered the mansion, Tang Ning led them towards Jiuxiao Courtyard. Qian Qiyue couldn't help but ask, "Tang Ning, we saw the Fan family's carriage at the intersection when we came here. The person you just sent away was from Prince Lu's Mansion, right? Why are they all here?"
Tang Ning smiled and said, "His Majesty has granted me and my brother a marriage, and they said they came to congratulate me."
Qian Qiyue frowned. "It's been several days since your arranged marriage, and they're only now bringing gifts. Besides, those people from the aristocratic families and Old Princess Lu all suffered greatly at the hands of you and Xiao Yan before. They might not have good intentions."
After hesitating for a moment, she whispered:
"Do you know what's being said outside? Many people are saying that Xiao Yan wasn't so selfless in overturning the He family's case. They're also saying that the palace has given you countless rewards during this period, and that the carriages carrying gifts to your Jiyun Lane have been non-stop. Previously, everyone in the capital was saying that Your Majesty was unkind, but in just a few days, the outside world has changed a bit."
Zhou Yuchang, who hadn't been seen for a long time, had rounder cheeks, perhaps because her wedding was approaching. Her face looked rosy and her eyes were bright, but she was a little worried after hearing Qian Qiyue's words.
"Ayue is right. Yesterday, when my mother and I went to the silver shop to buy something, I heard someone say that the Duke Dingguo's Mansion is now full of gold and silver. They said that if the people of the He family knew that they could still be so noble after so many years of being exterminated, their deaths would have been worth it."
"Your Majesty fainted while kneeling in self-reflection in the Imperial Ancestral Temple. People are saying it was simply a case of negligence, and it was Duke Dingguo who acted recklessly and disrespectfully..."
Zhou Yuchang wanted to say that the royal family was good at putting on a show, and Emperor An's statement was too popular. Many people had previously accused Emperor An of sympathizing with He Wenzhuo, but now they all turned around and blamed Xiao Yan.
She also wanted to remind Tang Ning to be careful, but there was a girl from the Hanlin family standing next to them.
Zhou Yuchang was not familiar with Miss Wang, so she didn't dare to say such disrespectful words.
Unexpectedly, Wang Yuzhen suddenly stopped and said, "Sister Tang, I came here today for this matter."
She hesitated for a moment, thinking about the friendship between Qian Qiyue and Tang Ning at the palace banquet. Zhou Yuchang would not spread the news if she mentioned it openly. She then whispered:
"These past few days, while my father was on duty at the yamen, he often heard people talk about the wealth of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion. He also said that the culprit from that year had been dealt with, the He family had been cleared of wrongdoing, and that His Majesty had compensated the Duke of Dingguo. However, the Duke of Dingguo and the Crown Prince continued to control the government and hold on to the tiger talisman..."
"I went out to meet relatives and friends a few days ago, and I also heard this kind of talk among the guests in her house. It seemed like just women's idle chatter, but it was full of hidden meanings, and it didn't seem like just a rumor."
Wang Yuzhen has been well-versed in poetry and books since childhood and is extremely intelligent. Ordinary women's gossip is mostly about family matters, and who would dare to discuss the private affairs of royal officials?
Besides, she had already heard from her father who was right and who was wrong in the matter between Emperor An and the He family. She also saw clearly at the palace banquet that night that Emperor An was clearly deserted by his relatives and friends, had lost the trust of his court officials, and had also lost the support of the people.
But after just a few days, the tone outside had changed. She absolutely did not believe that there was no one secretly guiding them to throw dirty water on Xiao Yan.
Wang Yuzhen hesitated and continued, "Sister Tang, although I don't understand government affairs, I have discussed this matter with my father and have seen many stories about celebrities. Flowers blooming and brocade burning, it's not a good thing."
"You have to be careful."
Tang Ning was a little surprised when he heard this.
She didn't find it strange that Qian Qiyue and Zhou Yuchang told her these things. She and Qian Qiyue had a close friendship since childhood, so Qian Qiyue naturally cared about her.
The wife of Marquis Wenxin and his aunt were close friends. Even though Marquis Wenxin was unwilling to have a close relationship with them, he still had a good personal relationship with Zhou Yuchang.
But it was extremely surprising that Miss Wang would remind her.
Tang Ning asked curiously, "Does Lord Wang know about this?"
Wang Yuzhen hesitated for a moment and shook her head honestly. "My father is just a Hanlin, a low-ranking official. He didn't want to cause trouble, but he mentioned this to me during a casual chat at the mansion. I became a little worried after hearing it."
She stirred the handkerchief in her hand, and a look of uneasiness appeared on her face.
Tang Ning had helped her on the night of the palace banquet, and she also liked this straightforward princess who dared to speak frankly about the girl's admission to school in front of others. She was originally worried that she didn't know what was going on outside, so she wanted to use the excuse of coming over to get the book to remind her a little, but now she suddenly worried that Tang Ning would think she was being self-indulgent.
After all, they had just met and were not as familiar with each other as Sister Qian and Sister Zhou. It was indeed rude of her to come over so hastily. If Tang Ning thought that she was being too intimate or had other ulterior motives...
Wang Yuzhen lowered her eyes and muttered, "I forgot that Sister Qian and the others also heard these rumors and would come to remind Sister Tang. I think I am being a bit nosy..."
Seeing her annoyance, Tang Ning quickly said, "How could that be? Sister Yue and the others are who they are, and you are you. You came to remind me out of kindness, so how could I think you were meddling?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com