Chapter 358: Lord Wang’s Fate]
Upon seeing this, Lord Wang immediately scolded in a cold voice: "Miss Shen! What nonsense are you talking about in front of the imperial envoy! Shut up!"
The Imperial Envoy couldn't help but frown, and gave Lord Wang a cold look before saying to Shen Fenghe, "What do you mean?"
Chen Fenghe then continued, "Your Excellency, you may not know that just before you delivered the imperial edict, Lord Wang forcefully ordered my mother to marry that unconscious old man, Master Sun, as a concubine. My mother was forced to the point where she almost died to defend her innocence. Lord Wang, seeing my mother like this, did not want to revoke his order. Instead, he ordered the servants of Master Sun's family to forcibly abduct my mother and take her back. Your Excellency, how dare we follow Lord Wang to Youzhou after what just happened?"
The Imperial Envoy's eyes widened in shock. He turned to look at Lord Wang in surprise and asked coldly, "Lord Wang, is this true?"
Lord Wang's face turned pale, but he dared not admit it, and immediately argued:
"Your Excellency, the Imperial Envoy, see clearly! It was this Miss Shen who slandered me and deliberately framed me! Yes! She was attracted by the old man, Mr. Sun's immense wealth, so she tried her best to marry him as a concubine. She was afraid that her mother, Concubine Meng, would not agree, so she secretly colluded with the matchmaker Qian and asked her to go to the Sun family and say that she wanted to marry both Concubine Meng and Miss Shen into the mansion as concubines, so that Concubine Meng would not stop her. Who would have thought that Concubine Meng was loyal to the emperor and sternly refused. Miss Shen was so angry that she framed me! Everyone present can testify to this! Do you agree? Master Liu, oh, yes, there is also this Master Yun. Master Yun is an old acquaintance of the general stationed in Taiyuan Prefecture, and he can also testify on my behalf!"
As Lord Wang spoke, he winked and winked at Xiao Yunshuo.
When Young Master Yun moved in, he received a lot of care from him, and of course he also received a lot of money from Young Master Yun - but this is a mutually beneficial relationship.
There's no reason for Master Yun not to help him!
As long as Young Master Yun was willing to testify for him, coupled with the testimony of Master Liu and the Sun family, as for the people in Shili Village - they were just a group of common people who had fled here, they would surely not dare to help Chen Fenghe, a woman, instead of helping him, an official appointed by the court.
After all, the emperor's decree only mentioned the restoration of the titles of Concubine Meng and His Royal Highness the Ninth Prince, and it was just a proper arrangement for the Crown Princess Shen Fenghe. What more trouble could she cause?
Xiao Yunshuo glanced at Lord Wang, then said, "Your Excellency, I can testify that everything Miss Shen said is true. As for what Lord Wang said, it is a complete distortion of right and wrong and a bunch of nonsense!"
Lord Wang was stunned.
He didn't understand why Young Master Yun didn't help him?
Oh, by the way, how could he forget that Master Yun was probably also bewitched by the seductive looks of Miss Chen. Didn’t he just say that he wanted to marry Miss Chen as his wife?
Marrying a widow as his wife shows that he was completely obsessed with her.
How could he speak for himself?
"Sir! This Yun guy is already having an affair with Miss Shen, so what he said can't be taken seriously! You! Why don't you hurry up and testify for me! Don't forget that it was because I took you in that you were able to settle down and survive in this village!"
As Lord Wang spoke, he looked fiercely at Village Chief Wu and other villagers from Shili Village who were watching.
Village Chief Wu and the others glanced at each other, and then Village Chief Wu spoke: "Your Excellency, I am willing to testify that every word Miss Shen said is true. Lord Wang did order Miss Qin to be betrothed to Master Su as a concubine..."
When Lord Wang heard this, his eyes were bloodshot!
Why... these people don’t testify for him!
"You bunch of troublemakers! I'll kill you!" Lord Wang was so angry that he suddenly pulled out a long sword from an official's hand and was about to stab Chen Fenghe.
Xiao Yunshuo's eyes turned cold, and he flicked his fingers hidden in his sleeves. Immediately, several silver needles shot out silently and pierced into the blood channels of Lord Wang's legs.
"Ah!" Lord Wang's legs suddenly felt unbearable pain, and he fell to his knees with a thud! The long sword that was about to stab Shen Fenghe also fell to the ground.
The Imperial Envoy was surprised to see that Lord Wang actually dared to attempt to kill the former Crown Princess in front of him, and with so many people testifying, it was clear that Lord Wang had indeed forced the Emperor's first wife to marry an old man - and, moreover, as a concubine.
This is simply trampling on the emperor's face and humiliating him!
The Imperial Envoy said coldly, "Come on! Arrest Lord Wang, Master Sun, and all the others and put them in jail immediately! I will write a letter to report the whole story to the Governor of Qingzhou City. He will decide how to deal with this corrupt official who deceived the emperor!"
The officers present knew that it was an order from the imperial envoy, so how could they dare to disobey? They did not care that Lord Wang was once their superior, and stepped forward to tie Lord Wang up and take him away.
Here, the imperial envoy said respectfully: "Empress Meng, Madam Chen, the official who dared to humiliate you has been arrested. Please follow me to Youzhou and stay at the post station temporarily. I will inform the prefect and arrange for you to be picked up at the post stations along the way. Then you can return to the capital immediately..."
Seeing the imperial envoy bring up the matter again, Qin Mengyue couldn't help but look at Chen Fenghe.
Chen Fenghe smiled and said, "Since Lord Wang and Master Sun have been dealt with, we should follow the Imperial Envoy to the post station in Youzhou City and prepare to return to the palace. I just hope the Imperial Envoy can give us an hour to pack our belongings."
This was a reasonable request, and the imperial envoy naturally agreed to it.
They returned to the house.
Qin Mengyue frowned and asked, "Feng He, didn't you say there was a way to avoid returning to the palace? Why did you insist on going to the post station in Youzhou City with this imperial envoy? I really don't want to see... that cold-blooded person again..."
Chen Fenghe whispered, "Mother, this matter requires careful planning and we need to do it without anyone noticing. Let's pretend to go to the Youzhou Post Station first. I'm afraid the other ladies in the palace, such as Concubine Zhao and the Second and Sixth Princes, will not want us to return to the capital safely. They will definitely find ways to stop us. We can then use their tricks against them and say that you have been poisoned or have a serious illness and are not suitable to return to the capital..."
After hearing this plan, Qin Mengyue breathed a sigh of relief and said, "If that's the case, then mother will be relieved."
Chen Fenghe and Qin Mengyue quickly packed their luggage, and then took the three little ones with the imperial envoy to the Youzhou City Post Station.
The post station had already arranged a place for rest, and a special chef also delivered delicious meals.
Qin Mengyue naturally had no appetite.
Chen Fenghe took samples of the food and did some tests in the space when no one was around. She found that there was a chronic toxin in the food.
She remained calm and replaced all the food with fresh dishes stored in the space. After eating, she threw away the poisonous food, leaving only a little residue for the people at the post station to take away.
Chen Fenghe also told Qin Mengyue about the poisoning.
"Mother, they've given us a slow-acting poison. When it finally takes effect, it'll be similar to the symptoms of a cold. They must be waiting until we're almost to the capital to let it take effect. That way, no one will suspect poisoning, and instead think it's the result of our hard work along the way. I'm thinking of playing off their strategy and giving you a stronger medicine. This poison will quickly make you look horribly old, and it will also appear contagious. That way, even the Imperial Envoy won't be able to order us back to the palace. Otherwise, if the infection spreads to the Emperor, he won't be able to bear the responsibility."
Qin Mengyue nodded happily after hearing this and said, "Feng He, I'll do as you say. As long as we don't have to go back to the palace, mother is not afraid of suffering."
Chen Fenghe gave Qin Mengyue the medicine that night and also took some himself.
This was to make himself show the same symptoms as Qin Mengyue and pretend that it was an infectious disease.
On the second day, Qin Mengyue indeed had a painful cough, rashes began to appear on her face, and she had a high fever that wouldn't go away.
Chen Fenghe was horrified and asked someone to report it to the imperial envoy.
The imperial envoy immediately called a doctor from the city to treat the disease, and Chen Fenghe also started coughing.
After examining Qin Mengyue, the doctor looked at Shen Fenghe's symptoms. A look of horror crossed his face, and he fled from the room, reporting, "Sir, the two ladies are in a bad state. My symptoms suggest some kind of infectious disease. If anyone comes into contact with them again, they might be infected!"
When the imperial envoy heard this, his face turned pale with horror.
"How could this happen? Is there any way to cure it? The emperor has issued an imperial decree to welcome Concubine Meng back to the palace. If she contracts a serious illness here, I'm afraid we will all be guilty of deceiving the emperor and punishable by death!"
When the doctor heard this, his face turned pale with fright.
He was just an ordinary doctor in Youzhou City. How come he ended up in danger of death just by coming here to see a patient?
What's even worse is that he couldn't even diagnose what infectious disease they had! How could he even talk about a cure?
However, this doctor is also an old hand. In this situation, he would naturally not admit that he did not know what the disease was. Otherwise, if the imperial envoy in front of him got angry and put him in jail, he would be afraid that his life and property would be in danger!
He pretended to be confident, stroked his goatee, and said, "This...is not difficult. However, to cure it completely, we need a relatively rare herbal remedy. I happen to have this herbal remedy at home. How about this, I will write a prescription first and then personally deliver it to you. After the two ladies drink it, the illness will surely be cured!"
The Imperial Envoy heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this and said, "In that case, you should go quickly and return soon. If you can cure the two ladies' illnesses, I will certainly report to His Majesty, and then I will grant you the title of the world's greatest doctor. That will be easy to come by."
The doctor thanked the doctor profusely and left the post station. He immediately packed up his belongings, hired a carriage and fled out of the city with his family.
The imperial envoy immediately asked someone to go to the pharmacy to get the medicine and boil it, while anxiously waiting for the doctor to return.
Unfortunately, he waited and waited but no one came back, so he had to send someone to urge him, only then did he know that the doctor had escaped.
The imperial envoy was almost angry to death. He sent people to chase after him and asked other doctors in the city to come for help.
Here, Chen Fenghe, Qin Mengyue and a few little ones have been isolated. The people in the post station have their heads and faces covered with cloth, wrapped tightly, and brought the boiled medicine into the house.
Chen Fenghe checked the medicinal residue and found that they were all ordinary tonics. Only then did she feel at ease and drank some with Qin Mengyue.
As the person delivering the medicine left, Chen Fenghe heard them whispering, "You say these two ladies are truly unlucky. From being the high and mighty Empress and Crown Princess, they were suddenly deposed and exiled. Now, with great difficulty, they've been pardoned by the Imperial Decree and can return to the palace, yet they've contracted such a horrific illness. Sigh... they're truly unlucky."
"Who says it's not true? I heard that the doctors treating them were so scared that they ran away. I'm afraid the illnesses of these two masters are very serious..."
"The key point is, this is an infectious disease. Even if it's cured, would His Majesty dare to let them return to the palace? If it's not eradicated, won't the infectious disease spread to the palace?"
"I think so too. Alas! It's pitiful! After waiting so long for the clouds to clear and the moon to appear... cough cough cough!"
"I say, why hasn't your cough healed yet? It just so happens that the doctors are here to see these two these days, so why don't you ask them to take a look at you while you're at it?"
The coughing man heard this and said, "That's fine. Once I get some medicine, I'll ask my boss for leave and go back to have a good rest for a few days... It's all because of the rats in this post station. The night before yesterday, I was sleeping peacefully when I got bitten. It was bleeding and it hurt like hell... I've had a fever and cough for the past two days. It must be those damn rats that are unlucky..."
The two walked away while talking.
Chen Fenghe paid no attention to these conversations at the time. She used medication precisely to control the symptoms of her and Qin Mengyue's illnesses.
Of course, besides being "sick", Chen Fenghe still took the time to go to Lord Wang's house and the Sun Mansion before leaving, and moved all the valuable things in the warehouse into the space.
These two people will definitely be punished later, and they will probably not be able to escape the charge of property confiscation.
They have been colluding with each other in Youzhou City to plunder for many years. Their families are all wealthy. If their property is confiscated, won't that dog emperor be the one who benefits?
And they were the ones who provoked her first, so Chen Fenghe moved without any psychological burden.
Both families were crying their hearts out.
The pillar of this family was just arrested and imprisoned by the imperial envoy. To make matters worse, how come this house was robbed and emptied?
After a few days, the imperial envoy had no choice but to send an express message of eight hundred miles to the capital, reporting that Concubine Meng had suddenly fallen ill and was delayed at the post station.
Just as the two post station attendants had said, the imperial envoy did not dare to take the risk of being charged with bringing a patient with an infectious disease to the capital or even the palace without authorization - this could be considered regicide - so he had no choice but to submit a memorial requesting further instructions.
This was also what Shen Fenghe expected.
It was with this in mind that she created the illusion of an infectious disease.
However, during the few short days they were isolated in the post station, Youzhou City was quietly changing.
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