Chapter 60
In the afternoon, clouds gathered layer by layer, blocking the sunlight, and the weather, which had finally cleared up, became even more gloomy and chilly.
The spring cold has been lingering this year, and the supply of charcoal fire in government offices is insufficient.
Wang Shuhuai was young and strong, so he gave his share to some senior officials in the Ministry of Revenue, and the officials were very grateful.
It was almost noon and everyone went to the court to have lunch one after another. Wang Shuhuai also received the last document of the morning.
The visitor was actually an acquaintance, it was Yao Taihe, the steward of the Five Military Commandery and Wang Shuhuai's brother-in-law.
Although Yao Taihe is older than Wang Shuhuai, he is Wang Shuhuai's subordinate in the officialdom. Logically, he should bow to Wang Shuhuai.
Wang Shuhuai immediately bowed when he saw him, and Yao Taihe also bowed back and handed him the document.
"This is the miscellaneous expenses of our Governor's Office last month. Please take a look, Shu Huai."
The Ministry of Revenue was in charge of money, and all expenses had to come from the national treasury. Originally, such documents had to be passed up the chain of command. Yao Taihe relied on his relationship with Wang Shuhuai and came straight to him.
Wang Shuhuai handed the document to the clerk for verification, and went to pour tea for Yao Taihe himself. Yao Taihe felt that Wang Shuhuai's room was too cold, and he shivered all the time. He raised his sleeve and pointed outside, "Forget it, it's almost noon, come with me to the restaurant across the street to have a drink."
As Yao Taihe spoke, he raised his hand and grabbed Wang Shuhuai's arm. Wang Shuhuai couldn't refuse this favor, so the two of them washed their hands, changed into regular clothes, walked out of Zhengyang Gate, and came to a restaurant in the alley.
After the two of them sat down, Yao Taihe called the waiter to serve the dishes, with a sighing look on his face.
He was born into a good family and was the only son of the Duke's family. Everything was taken care of by his parents, so he had never had any worries. Later, he was chosen by the eldest princess and married Wang Yining. His wife was dignified and capable, and everyone said that Yao Taihe was lucky.
Unfortunately, the sugar cane is not sweet at both ends. Yao Taihe had two daughters and no son for a long time. Duke Yao and old lady He were very anxious. Duke Yao was an old-fashioned man and Mrs. He was stubborn. They secretly put pressure on him, threatening him to take a concubine if Wang Yining could not get pregnant.
In fact, Yao Taihe was impatient with these things. He even didn't care whether he had a son or not. He just asked his parents to stop bothering him.
Unfortunately, he was cowardly by nature, and his parents had always made decisions for him, so he always fell into a rut.
"My brother-in-law looks like he's worried about something?" Wang Shuhuai asked when he saw that he looked unhappy.
Yao Taihe smiled bitterly, "No, it's just that your aunt is having morning sickness and is in a bad mood."
Wang Shuhuai was slightly surprised, "This is a happy event, my uncle should be happy."
Upon hearing this, Yao Taihe's expression changed and he immediately smiled, pouring wine for him himself, "Of course, the whole family is so happy. Come on, let's drink."
Halfway through the meal, Qi Wei came to the teahouse to find Wang Shuhuai and politely greeted him.
"Second Master, Madam has something urgent to attend to. Please go back."
Wang Shuhuai's face changed slightly. Xie Yunchu would not invite him casually, let alone now that she didn't like him so much. If she could condescend to ask him, something must have happened. He didn't care about Yao Taihe and apologized immediately, "Please forgive me, little uncle. She is pregnant, I am worried, I have to go back immediately."
Yao Taihe was half drunk and waved his hand, saying, "We are family, so let's not talk about different things. Just go quickly."
Wang Shuhuai took Qi Wei out of the restaurant and immediately asked him, "What happened at home?"
Qi Wei hurriedly said, "I don't know either. Madam looks very anxious, so I'm afraid it's not a small matter."
Wang Shuhuai rode back to the mansion and headed straight for Chunjing Hall. On the way, he saw Xie Yunchu waiting for him in the open hall. He climbed up the stairs and asked, "Madam, what's the matter?"
Xie Yunchu looked very weak due to worry. She stroked her belly and said worriedly, "Second Master, please do my aunt a favor."
Wang Shuhuai looked puzzled, "What's the matter?"
Xie Yunchu said, "Send someone to secretly watch Prince Yao and keep an eye on the people coming in and out of Duke Yao's mansion."
Wang Shuhuai was confused when he heard this. Seeing his wife's expression was more serious than ever before, he knew that this matter was of great importance.
"Why?"
Xie Yunchu knew that Wang Shuhuai would ask why, so she had thought of an excuse.
"Uncle Lin accidentally ran into Prince Yao on the street yesterday. He was a grown man and was actually buying rouge and powder. My aunt never uses rouge and powder from the market. She uses tribute from the palace. Who would Prince Yao buy it for?"
Wang Shuhuai was such a man that he immediately sensed the mystery here. "I see. Leave it to me. I'll send someone to investigate immediately."
Xie Yunchu anxiously ordered, "Second Master, once you have any news, follow the clues to catch that person, don't rush to let the news leak out, and come back to tell me immediately, okay?"
Without evidence, Xie Yunchu couldn't rashly file a complaint. It would be better to root out the problem completely than to suffer no pain.
Wang Shuhuai nodded, and seeing that her face was pale, he frowned and said, "After all, this is someone else's family affair. You must not hurt yourself."
Wang Shuhuai had no idea how serious the situation was. Xie Yunchu couldn't explain it to him clearly at first. He let out a long sigh and smiled, "I know, Second Master, go quickly."
Wang Shuhuai told her to go back and wait for news, and then summoned Leng Shan and Qi Wei to secretly monitor Duke Yao's Mansion.
After all, he still had official business to attend to, so he returned to the government office.
Xie Yunchu returned to Chunjingtang, still feeling uneasy. She didn't know when Wang Shuhuai would be able to catch that man, but Wang Yining couldn't afford to delay. After thinking it over, she found the third wife in the afternoon and told her what she had said to Wang Shuhuai.
The third wife was shocked. She asked Xie Yunchu, "What's your idea?"
Xie Yunchu said, "Go to the palace to find the princess and ask Your Highness to make the decision."
The Third Wife shook her head, "What if it's a false alarm? You know, without evidence, we're just making trouble out of nothing, and it will drive a wedge between the couple, and it will end up hurting Yining. Otherwise, how about we wait for Shuhuai's news?"
Xie Yunchu was extremely anxious. Wang Yining was not pregnant at all. She could not confess this to the Third Wife because she could not explain why she knew such a secret. She could only suggest, "Then let's pretend that the eldest princess has given the order and bring the little aunt back to live with us for a few days. Let's see how the Yao family reacts?"
"That's a good idea." The Third Madam immediately sent Madam Hao to the Yao family. Half an hour later, the maid came back and smiled bitterly at the Third Madam.
"The old lady at Duke Yao's mansion didn't allow it. She said that my aunt was very shy and that the baby was a boy according to divination. She didn't allow us to move the baby because it would be bad for the child."
The Third Madam and Xie Yunchu looked at each other, revealing their hidden worries. "I always feel that there is something mysterious behind what Old Madam He said. It seems that these words are meant to shut up our Wang family."
Xie Yunchu concluded, "She is just trying to prevent our Wang family from bringing the person back. The more she is trying to prevent us, the more it shows that she has something to hide."
The third wife looked unhappy.
"In this case, we can only wait for news from Shu Huai. If there is still no news by noon tomorrow, I will go to the palace to ask the princess for instructions."
The Third Wife believed that the Yao family was afraid of the eldest princess, and if there was anything dirty going on, they would have to hide it again and again, not daring to reveal any traces.
Going to the Yao family rashly would only alert the enemy.
Xie Yunchu had no choice but to do so.
But after resting for an hour in his room, Qi Wei came running back in a hurry at the beginning of the evening, and reported to Xie Yunchu through the window:
"Master, we have caught the man and are holding him. We are interrogating him now. But you have to do it as soon as possible. If the Yao family finds out, it will be troublesome."
Wang Yining and the two children were still in the hands of the Yao family. Xie Yunchu knew very well what they were planning, and immediately lifted the mattress, not caring about anything else, "There is no time to lose, let's go to the Yao family now."
Although Nanny Lin and others didn't know what Xie Yunchu was planning, they knew the seriousness of the situation.
Several masters and servants carefully helped her to the Glazed Hall, where they found the Third Madam and told her what had happened.
The third wife was drinking tea on the kang bed. She was so startled that the tea spilled.
"Madam Hao, please go and ask the Third Master to come back to the mansion..." Before she finished speaking, she immediately shook her head, "No, I can't wait any longer. I'll go to the Yao family and meet him on the way."
Xie Yunchu had already dressed for the trip, "I'll go with you."
The Third Madam glanced at her belly and said, "You are talking nonsense. There is no one in our Wang family. Why should we let a pregnant woman run around? You are just a worried child with a kind heart. Your aunt has no idea that you are working so hard for her. Just sit down and I will go."
If it wasn't a trivial matter, why would Xie Yunchu volunteer? She held back her tears, regretting that she hadn't warned Wang Yining earlier, causing her to suffer. She said anxiously, "My people found out about this. If I don't go, you may not be able to explain it clearly. You should let me go with you. After all, my pregnancy is stable, so it won't be a problem."
The Third Wife couldn't persuade her, so she sent someone to get a cloak and arranged for someone to put a few more layers of mattresses in the carriage to ensure that Xie Yunchu would not be bumpy before she went out.
Madam Hao glanced at the sky and asked, "Will the Yao family become suspicious if we go there at this hour?"
The Third Madam pulled Xie Yunchu and said, "Don't be afraid, just say we are going to inspect the shop and we are passing by Yao's house to visit Yining."
Nanny Hao nodded and went to prepare immediately.
However, Xie Yunchu knew that Wang Yining was not pregnant, but was fed a poison that could make people feel pregnant. These drugs came from the previous dynasty and the harem, and were the product of the concubines' intrigues. Taking too much would harm the body.
When they were leaving the house and getting on the car, Xie Yunchu said to the third wife,
"In addition to asking Third Uncle to inform Grandmother, we also need to go to the Imperial Hospital to invite two old doctors. My aunt is pregnant, so we can ask the doctors to feel her pulse and prescribe medicine to maintain the pregnancy. Why cover it up and not let people see it? Morning sickness can be cured."
"That makes sense."
The group first boarded the car and headed for the Yao family. On the way, they stopped at Zhengyang Gate. The servant had invited the third master out in advance. The third wife got off the car in person to explain the reason to the third master. The third master was so angry that he threw his sleeves and said, "You go to the Yao family first to take care of Yining. I will go to the palace to see my mother now."
The Third Wife was a capable person. She had clearly arranged which places to stay and which people to stay in, as well as how to communicate without leaving any traces. Xie Yunchu learned a lesson from watching her act.
The aunt and the daughter-in-law arrived at Duke Yao's mansion at 3:30 pm.
The two men came so suddenly that the old lady He of the Yao family was very surprised. She glanced at the dark sky and smiled calmly.
"What wind brings these two ladies here?"
In order not to arouse suspicion, the Third Madam even held her close and said, "No, I was taking Chu'er to inspect the shop. I passed by and remembered that Yining was suffering from morning sickness, so I stopped by to see you. It's not early, so I'll just take a look and leave. Please don't despise me, old lady."
After the Third Madam said this, Old Madam He did not dare to say anything. The more she covered her face, the more suspicious she became. So she immediately invited the person in and walked towards the Qingzheng Hall where Wang Yining was, while glancing at Xie Yunchu's lower abdomen.
"Second Madam is really capable. She is still out inspecting the shops even when she is pregnant."
The Third Madam glanced at Xie Yunchu and answered for her, "Oh, don't blame her, blame me. My maternal grandparents live in Qingzhou. The old man is very old. He is 90 this year. His birthday is next month. I have to go there in person. Most of the people in the mansion eat, drink and have fun. The only one who can really stand up to things is Brother Huai's daughter-in-law. So I took her with me to broaden her horizons, which is also a way of cultivating her."
Old Mrs. He glanced at Xie Yunchu quickly and showed surprise.
Is the Wang family planning to acknowledge the identity of the eldest son of the second wife and let Xie Yunchu take over the position of the third wife?
It's better to know about this kind of thing in your heart, but it's not good to bring it up on the table, so just say a few polite words, "Madam, you are too modest. There is no daughter-in-law in the Wang family who can't do it..."
As they were talking, they arrived at a courtyard with pink walls and green tiles. There were rocks dotted on both sides of the stone gate, and there was even a huge locust tree in the northwest corner. The courtyard was like a canopy, covering the entire yard. This was Xie Yunchu's first time to come to Wang Yining's yard, and he disliked it for some reason.
The summer is cool, but the winter seems a bit eerie.
Several hexagonal ram-horn palace lanterns were lit under the corridor, swaying gently in the night breeze.
As soon as she stepped onto the corridor, a maid came out to greet her. It was Wang Yining's trusted nanny, Nanny Zhen. Upon hearing that someone from her mother's family had arrived, Wang Yining, who was lying on the bed, excitedly called out, "Who's here?"
The third wife smiled and answered outside, "Who else could it be? It's me."
The Third Madam was very calm. Xie Yunchu also accompanied her and raised her voice inside, "There is another person. Little aunt, guess who it is."
Wang Yining recognized the voice and became more delighted, "Why is Chu'er here?"
As the group entered the house, Xie Yunchu couldn't help but look at the person on the bed. After only half a month of not seeing her, Wang Yining had become so thin that her bones were gone. Xie Yunchu's eyes immediately turned red, and he quickly walked over and hugged her.
"Aunt, why have you lost so much weight?"
Wang Yining was still immersed in the joy of being pregnant. She comforted Xie Yunchu, "It's okay. I also vomited a lot when I had my first child. I finally got pregnant. I accept the pain."
The third wife looked very distressed.
He's expression flickered slightly. When she heard Wang Yining say this, she immediately took over the conversation.
"Thank you for your hard work, Yier. In order to let Yier rest and take care of the pregnancy, I brought the two little ones to live in my yard."
Xie Yunchu was moved when he heard this.
No wonder when the incident in the previous life broke out, even the eldest princess was repeatedly constrained. It turned out that He was very vicious and had already taken the lives of Wang Yining's two daughters.
Xie Yunchu immediately said, "Oh, I also brought toys for them. Where are they? Can you take me to see them?"
He smiled and said, "It's in my yard. It's been making a fuss all day. I'm afraid it's asleep now. Second Madam, please come back and take a look."
After all, the Third Lady was the wife of the house who had seen many storms and waves. After hearing this, she felt something was amiss. She tapped her knees lightly three times, and a little maid followed her in, using the excuse of going to the toilet, and quietly went out to deliver the letter.
Xie Yunchu was secretly relieved when he saw this. The two asked about Wang Yining's morning sickness symptoms and chatted for a cup of tea. He was worried that the two would stay for too long, so she wanted to ask them to leave on the pretext of inviting them to dinner. The third wife said with tears in her eyes, "When I married into the Wang family, Yining was still young, and she looked no different from my own sister. Now she is so thin, my heart aches..."
The Third Madam and He tried every possible means to delay time, and finally waited for news to come from outside.
The housekeeper of the Yao family came to report, "Madam, the eldest princess brought the imperial physician to visit our wife in person."
He stood up suddenly, her voice trembling, "Your Highness... Why is Your Highness here?" Realizing that her behavior was too abrupt, she immediately changed her tone, "Oh, how can this be..."
The handkerchief was tangled into a ball, and I was anxious as an ant on hot pan.
While thinking of a countermeasure, he asked someone to notify Duke Yao to return home.
But just as she arrived at the gate of Qingzheng Hall, she saw a group of black-armored guards holding torches entering one after another. After a while, she saw her husband, Duke Yao, leading the way, and a few steps behind him were the dignified Princess and the solemn Duke Wang.
He's legs were so weak that several masters and servants knelt down and kowtowed.
Hundreds of guards quickly occupied every corner of Qingzheng Hall and drove all the Yao family members out of the courtyard to kneel. The torches lit up the entire Qingzheng Hall like daylight. The eldest princess walked straight past He and entered the hall. At this time, Wang Yining was also brought out by Xie Yunchu and the third wife. Wang Yining saw this scene and was bewildered.
"Mother...Father..."
The eldest princess frowned as she looked at her daughter's weak appearance, "Why did she become like this..." She looked unhappy and immediately winked, signaling Imperial Doctor Fan and Imperial Doctor He to come forward and take her pulse.
The servants carried a Luohan bed to the east wall of the main hall. The third wife helped Wang Yining sit on it, and Doctor Fan stepped forward to take her pulse first.
The Duke and the eldest princess sat in the main seats, He and Duke Yao stood at the lower left, the Third Master and the Fourth Master who came after hearing the news stood at the lower right, and everyone's eyes were on Wang Yining.
He and her husband looked at each other and signaled the other to calm down.
Perhaps this was just the eldest princess' concern for her daughter and it was harmless. The person who gave her the medicine had made it clear that ordinary pulse diagnosis would not reveal any clues. He advised herself to be more relaxed and not panic.
Doctor Fan put his hand on the baby's pulse and felt it for a while. It was obviously a pregnancy pulse, but the pulse was slightly suspended, which might be a sign of miscarriage. Just as he was about to speak, a very low voice beside him reminded him,
"Doctor Fan, I just saw my aunt vomiting some filth with black blood in it."
Doctor Fan turned his head abruptly and met Xie Yunchu's calm eyes. He suddenly realized something and immediately took out a silver needle to draw blood from Wang Yining's fingertips.
Seeing this, He was in a state of panic and asked anxiously, "Your Highness, isn't it a pregnancy pulse? Why are you taking blood?"
The princess had been busy with government affairs all day and looked extremely tired. She pressed her hands on her temples and rubbed them gently without even raising her head. She said in a cold tone,
"You asked me, and I wanted to ask you something else. I gave my daughter to you, and she married into the Yao family. How are you going to explain to me that she became like this after getting pregnant?"
Duke Yao did not like the princess' aggressive tone, so he lowered his head and replied,
"It is common for women to suffer from morning sickness. I understand that Your Highness is worried about his daughter, but there is no need to make such a fuss."
Duke Yao emphasized the word "woman" very much. The princess narrowed her eyes and looked at him coldly.
"Really?" She said softly, "Duke Yao, are you really not going to ask me why I'm here?"
The corner of Duke Yao's lips twitched, he thought for a moment, and did not respond immediately.
The Duke looked at Duke Yao and spoke slowly, "Old brother, we are old comrades who fought together on the battlefield. Considering this friendship, I married my only precious daughter to the Yao family. I never thought that you would be so heartless and mistreat my daughter."
He's eyebrows jumped when she heard this, and she immediately retorted, "Where did the word 'humiliation' come from? The Duke must provide evidence when speaking."
The princess raised her hand, and saw Wang Shuhuai personally approaching with two guards. The guards threw a thin woman in a pink crabapple jacket and an old woman with a scar on the corner of her eye to the ground.
Both of them were gagged and tied to the ground, unable to move.
At the same time, the Yulin Guards also brought in Prince Yao Taihe.
Yao Taihe was tied up and kneeling on the ground. He didn't dare to glance at Wang Yining, and his expression was full of shame.
When the He couple saw this scene, their knees went weak and He even fell to the ground.
The princess glanced at Duke Yao coldly, "Duke, do you have anything else to say?"
Duke Yao was completely dumbfounded. The matter was concealed so perfectly, so how did the Wang family find out?
Wang Yining stood up from the bed and looked at the scene below in a daze.
"What's going on?" Her lips turned pale, her eyes were dim, and her gaze fell on Yao Taihe.
"Taehe, what happened?"
Yao Taihe looked embarrassed, biting his lip and sobbing, "Yining, I'm sorry for you..."
Wang Yining looked at the scene and roughly guessed what was going on. She looked so pale that she almost fainted.
Wang Shuhuai also found Xie Yunchu in the crowd, nodded to his wife, and then bowed to the princess,
"My grandson has interrogated her and found out that this woman was a personal maidservant of Lady He, the wife of Duke Yao. On the night of the first day of February, Lady He drugged her son Yao Taihe, and Crown Prince Yao had sex with this woman for the night. Afterwards, Crown Prince Yao regretted it and asked Lady He to send this woman away. Not only did Lady He not send her away, she even placed her in one of her own villas."
"Prince Yao just thought that the matter was settled and took his wife and daughter to the palace for a spring outing."
"But more than ten days later, the girl became pregnant, and He arranged for the old woman to visit her from time to time."
"Then He told Prince Yao about this. Prince Yao was terrified and urged He to abort the child, but He refused and secretly kept the child."
When Wang Yining heard this, she was so angry that she grabbed a teacup and threw it in Yao Taihe's direction.
"You bastard, no wonder you didn't dare to enter my room these days, it turns out you are guilty of your crime."
Yao Taihe burst into tears, his face full of pain as he said, "Yier, I didn't take the initiative. My mother drugged me. I had no idea. I was also tricked..."
Wang Yining stabbed He with a cold needle and sneered, "You old hag, you can't stand the good relationship between us, so you keep making trouble to alienate us." After saying that, Wang Yining turned around with tears in her eyes and complained to her father,
"Dad, you insisted that only children are good, and that parents at home spoil them, but I don't think so. He's only son is hers, and she treats him like her lifeblood. Whenever Taihe treats me better, she gets jealous, always thinking that I stole her son. She wishes her son would put her first in everything. How is that possible? We are husband and wife."
Wang Yining broke down and cried.
"Aunt..." Xie Yunchu hugged her in his arms out of heartache.
So what if she is a gifted girl? She will eventually fail in the marriage.
The Duke was heartbroken and shook his head.
He was dissatisfied with Wang Yining's accusation. Knowing that the truth had been revealed, she threw the jar and said,
"Who told you not to give birth to a son? Do you think I am willing to go through all this? This is not for the sake of the Yao family's ancestral foundation!"
"You...am I pregnant?" Wang Yining roared angrily.
When He heard this, her throat suddenly choked up and she looked at Doctor Fan guiltily.
At this time, Doctor Fan had already tested the poisonous blood and found that the poison came from Wang Yining's pregnancy-preserving pills. He came to the princess with a serious look on his face.
"Your Highness, the princess is not pregnant, but has been poisoned. This poison is called Concubine's Smile, which comes from the inner court of the previous dynasty. Anyone who drinks this poison will have the illusion of pregnancy. Take one pill every three days. If you continue to take it, your lower abdomen will swell. Over time, when the so-called delivery date comes, your life will be in danger... Just taking the pulse cannot reveal the details, and a blood test must be done. Speaking of this..." He glanced at Xie Yunchu,
"Thanks to the Second Young Madam's reminder, otherwise I would have misdiagnosed him."
There was a loud rumble of thunder in the sky, and sharp lightning struck the big locust tree in the yard, and the main room was dead silent.
Wang Yining felt completely numb, suspecting that she had heard it wrongly. She covered her ears with her hands, her expression gradually distorted, and finally she screamed in pain.
Xie Yunchu looked at her tears and hugged her tightly, "Aunt, it's all over. You shouldn't be seriously poisoned. You will be fine, you will be fine..."
In her previous life, Wang Yining didn't discover this until she was "seven months pregnant", but it was too late by then. Even though the imperial physician tried her best to treat her, Wang Yining only lived for two years before she passed away.
Although the eldest princess massacred the entire Yao family, and even He's family was implicated, this could not save her daughter's life. After Wang Yining's death, the eldest princess was deeply shocked and lay bedridden.
When the imperial physician said this, everyone understood what He and Duke Yao were planning.
This was a disguise to make it look like Wang Yining was pregnant, and then the child born by the concubine was replaced with Wang Yining. When Wang Yining died, the child would still be the legitimate grandson of Duke Yao's Mansion, and the most beloved grandson of the eldest princess and the duke.
If it were an ordinary daughter-in-law, He and others would not have to go through so much trouble and could have just forced their son to take a concubine.
It was because the eldest princess was of prominent status and the Yao family could not afford to offend her. Furthermore, Wang Yining had said that if she took a concubine, they would divorce. The Yao family was reluctant to give up such a noble daughter-in-law, so they resorted to this plan of using a substitute.
This couple became obsessed with having a grandchild.
Yao Taihe looked at his mother in disbelief, his eyes empty and lifeless, and murmured,
"Mom, please tell me, this is not true... Yi'er is pregnant with my child, right..."
Wang Yining fainted from anger, and Yao Taihe realized that there was no way this matter could end, so he broke down and cried.
"What should I do? What about my sisters Xing and Jing?"
The princess listened to all this numbly, her eyes slowly showing a deep hostility. The Duke also narrowed his eyes, his face as dark as iron.
Duke Yao knew that the situation was hopeless, so he fell to his knees in front of the princess.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, I have no choice but to do this, Your Highness..."
"Drag him out!" The princess interrupted Duke Yao coldly, and every word she said was like poison.
"Drag all three of these people out and lock them up. Remember, don't let them die so quickly... let them die slowly..."
Duke Yao was stunned. His body trembled. He turned his head with difficulty to look at his son who was crying so hard. He didn't care about his appearance and kowtowed violently.
"Your Highness... Your Highness, Tai'er did nothing wrong, he knows nothing... Please spare his life. He doesn't know that we have plotted against Yining."
The princess was so angry that she threw her sleeves.
"He is the one who deserves to die the most!"
Duke Yao was stunned.
The eldest princess looked disgusted. "If he had any ability, he wouldn't let his parents interfere in the affairs of the room, nor would he let his wife look down on her mother-in-law. His wife was tricked into this position. It's a shame that he has the nerve to live. He's so incompetent that he might as well die!"
The eldest princess had never been so angry in her life. Among her four children, she only had this daughter. She was also a woman. Although she loved her son, she always valued her daughter more than her son. What her son wanted was almost within her reach for Wang Yining. But there were people in this world who dared to pluck hair from under the nose of a tiger and dared to play with her daughter's life. Even if she was torn into pieces, it would not be enough to relieve her hatred.
At this time, He was mad and raged, "You fierce woman, you jealous woman, if you were not so intolerant, I would not have resorted to such a despicable act."
Wang Yining fainted for a few seconds and then woke up. After hearing what He said, she suddenly got the strength from nowhere and rushed off the bed. She took the so-called pregnancy-preserving pills and poured them into He's mouth.
"You old hag, you want to die like this? You're dreaming. I've suffered so much, you should pay me back double!"
He was forced to swallow so many poison pills. She covered her throat, opened her eyes wide, and "wuwuwu" for a long time, but could not make a sound.
The Duke waved his hand and signaled the maid to take the person away.
Wang Yining was still jumping up and down, "Don't let her die a quick death!"
When Duke Yao saw his wife being taken away, his son fell to the ground with a dead heart. The fear of dying filled his forehead. He was terrified and stared at the eldest princess.
"I am a second-rank duke. Her Royal Highness the Princess wants to punish me. Didn't she ask His Majesty?"
The eldest princess placed a gold medal and jade order given by the lazy emperor on the table, "I hold the jade order in my hand. If Your Majesty comes in person, does Lord Yao have anything to say?"
Duke Yao sat on the ground with his eyes ashen, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word, he hated himself for having been stubborn and led astray.
The Duke ordered his long-serving attendant, "Go to Jingzhao Prefecture and report the case. Say that the Yao family used the palace's banned drugs to murder the princess. Ask them to send someone to investigate the case. At the same time, send the news of the case to the Dali Temple, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice." The long-serving attendant agreed.
Duke Yao was dragged out like a corpse, and the old woman and the pregnant maid were witnesses and were also taken away.
Yao Taihe was the only one left in the hall. He remained hunched over and sobbed.
The cold wind was howling in the corridor, and the hall was silent.
Wang Yining had her back to him, staggering, as weak as a dead leaf that could fall to the ground at any time, and she was speechless.
The eldest princess sighed, looked at her daughter and asked, "Do you want to plead for him?"
Wang Yining's empty eyes turned silently. After a long silence, she slowly shook her head, "You are right. It is because he is incompetent that his mother abused me wantonly. He is the culprit. I will not plead for him."
The prince nodded with satisfaction.
The guards twisted Yao Taihe away.
After the matter was settled, the princess's eyes fell on Xie Yunchu and she glanced at her bulging belly.
"You are thoughtful." For those in a higher position, the fewer words they say, the more weight they carry.
Xie Yunchu knelt down, "My aunt has always loved her granddaughter-in-law very much, so how could she not worry about her?"
On the way here, the eldest princess learned that it was Xie Yunchu who first discovered the signs, so she asked Wang Shuhuai for help. The couple cooperated inside and outside and made a great contribution. This not only saved Wang Yining's life, but also saved the lives of the two elders.
As for the Third Wife, the Princess had originally been irritated with her because of Wang Shuxu's marriage, but after this incident, she had given up on it. Not to mention her daughter-in-law, she acted openly and generously. Besides, she herself scolded He for interfering in her children's affairs, and she did the same, so she couldn't help but feel sad.
Wang Yining hugged Xie Yunchu and cried on her shoulder, "Thank you and Third Sister-in-law... If it weren't for you, I don't know what I'm dreaming about now. I'm really counting money for others after I die..."
The Duke looked at his daughter with pity and his eyes became red.
After a while, the two children were found and taken back to the palace by their wet nurse. Xie Yunchu was tired, so Wang Shuhuai helped him into the carriage. The third master was left to clean up the mess, and the rest of the people returned to the palace one after another.
In the eldest princess' carriage, the couple gave the large and soft couch to their youngest daughter, and Wang Yining was lying on it sobbing.
Doctor Fan gave Wang Yining an acupuncture injection, which removed half of the poison from her body, but the rest still needed to be slowly treated.
Fortunately, she only ate it twice and the poison was not serious. This was a blessing in disguise.
The princess was not good at comforting people, so she just said dryly, "Come on, stop crying. It's not worth crying for a man. Tomorrow, decorate your own house and name it a princess's mansion. It will be free for the rest of your life, isn't it?"
The Duke stroked his little daughter's hair and said lovingly,
"Good boy, have a good sleep, and when you wake up tomorrow morning, everything will be over..."
Wang Yining sobbed even harder.
The carriage moved for a while, and then there was a burst of short horse hoofbeats outside, followed by an urgent voice outside the curtain.
"Your Highness, Princess, I heard that something happened to Yining. I beg you to let me see her, just once."
It was Gao Zhan's voice, with a tearing hoarseness.
The princess glanced at her daughter, and Wang Yining hid her face in the quilt and shouted,
"I don't see any man!"
She was heartbroken and disgusted by the man.
The Duke touched his nose awkwardly and said, "Then Daddy should go out?"
Wang Yining was stunned and glared at the Duke angrily.
"I'm not talking about you, Daddy."
The Duke held his forehead with his hand and said, he is also a man.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
