Chapter 194 Encounter
Knock, knock, knock—there was a knock on the door suddenly.
"What's up?"
"Miss, General Qi is here and he said he has something to tell you."
Hua Sheng in the bathtub visibly shrank back and slowly raised his head.
Shen Anan glanced at her and sighed, "I'll go out first. If you have thought it through, you can come find me after you have packed up."
Qi Jinping's slender body like a pine tree stood in the courtyard.
"Uncle, you're looking for me?"
"I heard that you are investigating the events surrounding the Fifth Prince?"
Shen Anan nodded, "Not bad."
Qi Jinping's eyebrows were filled with gloom, and Shen Anan immediately asked, "Could it be that my uncle knows the inside story?"
"It's not comprehensive, but knowing a little bit may be helpful to you."
Shen Anan's eyes were filled with surprise.
Yes, the emperor has always been very secretive about the Qi family, there must be a reason for that.
She saw the window frame being gently pushed open a crack, and a dark shadow swayed back and forth. She pursed her lips and said, "It's cold in the yard. Why don't we go to the banquet hall and talk?"
Qi Jinping had no objection, and the two of them turned around and went to the banquet hall.
As soon as the people left, Hua Sheng immediately called Mo Xiang into the house, "Quick, Mo Xiang, help me dress up."
"Have your hair in the most popular bun these days."
"Blush, it's too thin, add more. Also, lip balm, the color shouldn't be too bright, nor too light, otherwise it will make you look pale."
…
"What does my uncle know?" Shen Anan poured a cup of tea herself and pushed it to Qi Jinping.
He picked it up calmly, frowning as if recalling something, "If we calculate based on the time, the fifth prince should be four years younger than Yuan'er, so he should still be a teenager."
Four years old,
"So, Chen Tian is indeed the fifth prince."
Qi Jinping met Chen Tian once, but it had been so long since then that his appearance had changed, so it was difficult for him to be sure.
"Back then, that person and... Concubine Shu also had a period of loving and beautiful days, but everything was broken by the woman from Jiangnan who appeared later."
"He gradually became crazy and believed everything he heard. He did all kinds of crazy things for that Jiangnan woman and repeatedly hurt Concubine Shu. It was at that time that the two of them gradually became estranged."
The rift between the two began shortly after Xiao Yuan was born, but he was very young at the time and could only vaguely remember the details.
Qi Jinping's tone was calm, but his whole body seemed to be shrouded in darkness, with a hint of sinisterness.
"If he loved her so much, why didn't he give that woman a name?"
"I don't know either." Qi Jinping's eyes were full of sarcasm, "Maybe the woman doesn't want to."
"That woman doesn't like the emperor?" Shen Anan was a little surprised.
"Maybe. I heard that she didn't want to stay in the palace and went on a hunger strike, and even committed suicide. But he is the emperor, and his majesty cannot be challenged, so even the woman who almost drove him crazy is no exception!"
There is no escape from the cage of that high-tile palace wall.
"So how did she die in the end?"
Qi Jinping suddenly fell into a brief silence.
"He was stabbed to death."
"By whom?"
"I don't know. There are countless concubines in the palace, and too many people want her dead. But in the end, it was the Qi family who took the blame for the mastermind behind the scenes."
Shen Anan was stunned.
"The Emperor suspects that the Qi family killed that woman?"
Is that why he has grudge against the Qi family? Don't even want to mention it.
Qi Jinping nodded slowly.
Shen Anan opened her mouth, seeming to be hesitant to speak.
"What do you want to say?" Qi Jinping looked at her.
"If...if the person who hates that woman the most in the palace should be the former most favored Concubine Shu, then the Qi family's move against that woman is indeed justified."
"You're right." Qi Jinping was not angry, he could even be said to be calm.
"You have never had any contact with Concubine Shu, so you should analyze it this way. However, he has been married to Concubine Shu for several years, so he should not doubt her character."
Shen Anan fell into silence.
She didn't know what kind of woman Shufei was, but the fact that the eldest princess had a clear distinction between love and hate and was closely related to Shufei showed that she must be a good person.
Therefore, what Qi Jinping resented was not anything else, but the emperor's distrust of Concubine Shu as her husband.
"Did the Qi family fall into decline because of this incident?"
"Half," Qi Jinping said calmly, "The emperor is dissatisfied with the Qi family and has repeatedly made things difficult for them, even implicating Concubine Shu. The Qi family is no longer suitable to stay in the court."
"But I really left the imperial court after the death of Consort Shu."
Qi Jinping obviously did not want to mention the details.
It should be that he doesn't want to recall the painful past that he can't bear to look back on.
Shen Anan also had an extremely important question, "Uncle, Empress Shufei...did she really die of illness?"
"Yeah."
His tone was mixed with uncertainty. "Back then, that woman fled the palace with the newborn fifth prince in her arms. She was hunted down and killed. The emperor found the body of the attendant of Concubine Shu among the assassins, so he blamed the Qi family for the woman's death."
"And the Concubine Shu died of illness not long after that woman died. It was very sudden. The Qi family also suspected the cause of her death and secretly investigated, but they never found anything."
If it was done by the emperor, then he did it very well, flawlessly, and no one could find any flaws.
"Then why does Xiao Yuan have a grudge against the emperor?" She thought that the death of Concubine Shu was caused by the emperor, or even the mastermind.
Just based on suspicion?
Qi Jinping hesitated for a moment, then slowly spoke, "Shufei... died suddenly from depression."
How much pain a woman must have endured to become depressed and sick.
It should be said that it is spiritual torture. Killing is worse than destroying the heart. Shen Anan has a deep understanding of this.
Therefore, it is reasonable for Xiao Yuan to hate the emperor.
The love of a powerful person is not love, but more like a spur of the moment play. Today he favors peony, tomorrow he loves magnolia. Men can give that little bit of preference to anyone at will, but women can only accept it.
This is the case even for the powerful and wealthy, let alone the imperial harem.
Lady Shufei must have been a proud and hot-tempered person. If she had been able to let go of things, she wouldn't have died of depression.
"The woman's surname is Cao, and she is from Nancheng, Jiangnan."
She was almost certain about this.
"Yeah, it seems his last name is Cao."
"The emperor's actions for her made the civil and military officials very dissatisfied. He was even accused by the censors of being obsessed with beauty and immoral."
If the woman had not died later, there is no telling how this absurd incident would have turned out.
If lust can blind one's mind, then that will shake the foundation of a country.
Shen Anan now understood why Qi Jinping said that there were too many people in the harem who wanted that woman to die.
If the emperor was really crazy about her to such an extent, then not only would the harem, but even the previous dynasty would not let that woman live.
There were some things that Shen Anan hesitated whether she should tell Qi Jinping.
If I don't tell him, I really don't know how to investigate further. After all, Qi Jinping is the only relative who knows the deceased Concubine Shu.
"That woman's elder brother, Lord Cao, was killed by me."
"I heard about it."
"He said something before he died. There were rumors about Concubine Shu."
Qi Jinping raised his eyes and looked at Shen Anan who lowered his head slightly.
"Have you ever heard of those rumors about Concubine Shu?"
After a while, Qi Jinping uttered a soft "Hmm."
"He said that Concubine Shu...the Queen had an affair with someone, which is why she was secretly executed by the Emperor. And Xiao Yuan is not the Emperor's son."
Qi Jinping didn't say anything, but his eyes suddenly burst into endless coldness. The teacup shattered in his hand, and the porcelain pieces fell to the ground with a crisp sound.
Shen Anan immediately handed him the handkerchief.
Qi Jinping took it and casually wrapped it around his cut palm to stop the bleeding.
She could understand Qi Jinping's feelings.
If Concubine Shu died of depression, then Cao Pei’s slander is extremely hateful! !
The rumor was caused by the fact that Concubine Shu would stay at Xiangjue Temple for a short stay every month.
Shen Anan was puzzled as to why she had been going to Xiangjue Temple despite the pressure of public opinion.
After hesitating for a moment, she still asked the question.
"I don't know," Qi Jinping shook his head slowly, "I was young at that time, and I don't know what she was doing in Xiangjue Temple, but Concubine Shu is definitely not that kind of person."
There would never be such a person in his Qi family.
Shen Anan was silent.
She seemed to have lifted a corner and slowly pushed away the mist, only to find that behind the shallow mist, there was a deeper haze!
Perhaps only Xiao Yuan and the people in Xiangjue Temple can answer this question.
The banquet hall fell silent, and a scarlet shadow walked in carrying snacks.
"Cousin, Qi... General Qi, I prepared some snacks for you to try."
Shen Anan came back to her senses and glanced at Hua Sheng, who kept his head down and didn't dare to look up.
Qi Jinping said thank you politely, but didn't answer the phone or look at Hua Sheng.
“…”
Hua Sheng placed the snacks on the table and stood behind Shen Anan, not even having the courage to peek.
At the same time, I felt very lost.
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