Shen Wan felt as if half of her body had turned completely cold.
It's a good thing she thought that if the Emperor had directly made Xie Jingyan the Crown Prince, he wouldn't have had to go down the path of rebellion. No wonder Empress Song and the Empress Dowager never considered Xie Jingyan a threat. If Consort Chen had made other mistakes, the Emperor might have turned a blind eye, but Consort Chen had cuckolded the Emperor. If this matter wasn't orchestrated, or if the case couldn't be overturned, Xie Jingyan would have to resort to extreme measures, just like in his previous life, to ascend to that position.
But she didn't believe that Consort Chen would do something so disloyal to the Emperor.
Consort Chen taught Xie Jingyan so well, even instructing him to be faithful to one person for life. How could I do something so hypocritical?
Consort Chen must have been framed!
Shen Wan was inwardly turbulent, but her face remained impassive. She glanced at Shen Ying and said, "You didn't just come to me to say these things, did you?"
Shen Ying said, "We grew up together since childhood, so there is still some sisterly affection between us. Since it is impossible for Prince Ling to be made crown prince, why not find another way? As long as you support Prince Jin, I can guarantee that when Prince Jin sits on that position in the future, the Ling Prince's Mansion will continue to enjoy its glory and favor."
With the Prince of Jin ascending the throne, will the Prince of Baoling's Mansion continue to enjoy its former glory?
Shen Wan laughed, "Do you think I'm that easy to fool?"
"You!" Shen Ying was furious and embarrassed.
"Don't be ungrateful!"
Does refusing to accept Shen Ying's empty promises mean you don't know what's good for you?
Shen Wan felt a chill run down her spine and her arms went numb. She said, "You don't even believe these things yourself, yet you still dare to try to convince me. Stop trying to disgust me with your so-called sisterly affection."
After saying that, Shen Wan turned and left.
She originally intended to rest in the pavilion so as not to tire herself out, otherwise Xie Jingyan wouldn't take her to the lantern festival that evening. But upon seeing Fu Shu, Shen Wan changed her mind and walked in the direction Fu Shu was.
However, Shen Wan did not walk directly towards Fu Shu, but looked at another path. Fu Shu saw her and walked towards her.
Upon meeting him face to face, Shen Wan asked, "Does the Princess Consort of Jin also want to persuade me to help the Prince of Jin?"
Fu Shu was taken aback for a moment, but then she remembered that Shen Ying had just been looking for Shen Wan, and she understood. She said, "I know that Princess Ling would never do such a thing."
Shen Wan's attitude softened. "Then what does the Princess Consort of Jin want with me?"
Fu Shu said, "I am able to occupy the position of Princess Consort of Jin thanks to Princess Consort Ling, so I should thank you."
Shen Wan didn't believe Fu Shu would sincerely thank her, but since the other woman spoke so eloquently, Shen Wan said, "There's no need for thanks. It was Shen Ying who brought this upon herself by handing over the position of the principal wife."
Fu Shu smiled and said, "They say the enemy of my enemy is my friend. I've heard about what happened at the Marquis of Pingyang's residence..."
Is she trying to join forces with her to scheme against Shen Ying, or is she trying to use her to get rid of Shen Ying?
However, Shen Wan was unwilling to get involved in either of them.
Shen Wan looked at Fu Shu, opened her mouth, but didn't say anything.
Fu Shu looked around curiously, but no one was there. She said, "Is there something that Princess Ling is unwilling to say?"
Shen Wan asked, "Have you ever thought about why the Empress wanted the Emperor to reinstate Shen Ying as the Empress after she was demoted?"
Fu Shu was stunned by the question.
How could she not have thought about this? Even now, thinking about it, she still feels a surge of anger. Empress Song tried to harm Princess Ling's unborn child but ended up aborting it. Shen Ying's demotion was a form of compensation for her. Yet Empress Song didn't care about her feelings at all and even wanted the Emperor to restore Shen Ying's rank and give her unborn child the status of a legitimate son!
Fortunately, the Emperor did not listen to Empress Song. Afterwards, her father also went to Prince Jin, whose explanation was that Empress Song was competitive and could not stand Shen Wanruyi.
The explanation was perfunctory, but she and her parents had no choice but to believe it. However, Princess Ling suddenly asked her this question. Did she know why Empress Song did this?
Fu Shu looked at Shen Wan and asked, "Why?"
"Find a reliable doctor to take your pulse, don't do someone else's work for your benefit."
After saying this, Shen Wan left.
But the sympathetic look in her eyes as she left sent a chill down Fu Shu's spine, from the soles of her feet to the tips of her hair, leaving her limbs numb.
She watched Shen Wan walk away, her steps feeling like they were made of lead, unable to move an inch for a long time.
Shen Wan walked forward, intending to go to the pavilion for tea, but this time she couldn't even get inside. Just as she reached the outside of the pavilion and was about to step onto the steps, a palace maid ran over, slightly out of breath, and said, "Princess Ling, Princess Huai'an is experiencing morning sickness and is vomiting badly..."
Shen Wan frowned. Her sister-in-law was suffering from severe morning sickness, so why did she have to go to the palace?
Feeling uneasy, Shen Wan turned to look at Princess Huai'an, with a palace maid leading the way.
From afar, Shen Wan saw Princess Huai'an vomiting by the artificial hill, with Princess An patting her back and saying, "You're vomiting like this, let me take you back to your residence."
Princess Huai'an shook her head, "Mother, I'm fine..."
Princess An said, "This isn't about whether you're alright or not. You're vomiting like this and look terrible. How can you celebrate the Emperor's birthday?"
Princess Huai'an suffered from severe morning sickness, vomiting several times a day. Princess An did not want her to come to the palace to celebrate the Emperor's birthday, but Princess Huai'an insisted on coming. She was the only one left in the capital from the Pingyang Marquis's residence. If she did not come to the palace to present birthday gifts, the Pingyang Marquis's residence would be suspected of disrespecting the Emperor. Princess An knew that her daughter was sensible and thought that she was also there, so she relented.
Everything was fine on the way to the palace, but as soon as I entered the Imperial Garden, the smell of flowers made me nauseous. I barely managed to hold it in until I bowed to Empress Song, but then I couldn't help but want to vomit and ran out of the pavilion.
I threw up everything I ate this morning.
Princess An was heartbroken. When the maid saw Shen Wan coming over, she quickly said, "Your Highness, Princess Ling is here."
Princess An couldn't persuade her daughter, so she had no choice but to send a palace maid to find Shen Wan to help persuade Princess Huai'an.
Princess An turned around and saw Shen Wan walking over. Shen Wan said, "Sister-in-law, your morning sickness is so severe, why did you still come to the palace?"
Princess An said, "With neither the Marquis of Pingyang nor his heir present, and Huai'an not coming in person to present congratulatory gifts, I'm afraid the Marquis of Pingyang's residence will be the subject of gossip, so I can't stop her."
Shen Wan said, "Everyone knows about your sister-in-law's trip to the palace. No one dares to say that the Pingyang Marquis's family is disrespectful to the Emperor. Sister-in-law, please go back with peace of mind. Leave the birthday gift behind, and I will present it to the Emperor on your behalf."
Princess An nodded and said to Princess Huai'an, "Now you can finally rest assured."
Princess Huai'an really couldn't take it anymore. She vomited until she felt dizzy. She usually loved the smell of flowers, but she never expected that being pregnant would make her unable to smell them. She couldn't stay in the Imperial Garden for even a moment.
Princess An was worried about Princess Huai'an going back alone, so she saw her off. If she could make it in time, she could go to the palace for the banquet; if not, it was fine, as Prince An alone could present the birthday gift.
Princess An helped the weak and vomiting Princess Huai'an leave.
Many young ladies from prominent families watched Princess Huai'an vomit by the rockery and couldn't help but feel envious and jealous of Shen Wan. They wondered what good fortune Princess Ling had to be so favored by Prince Ling, who was so reluctant to let her suffer from morning sickness and took the blame himself.
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