Shen Youying quickly understood what Xue Shen meant by "lively".
The day after Xue Shen returned to his residence, Empress Zhou summoned the couple to the palace.
Shen Youying, dressed in full regalia according to rank, followed him into the palace. While a palace servant went to announce their arrival, she whispered, "Why did Her Majesty the Empress suddenly summon us to the palace?"
She had a falling out with Princess Xuanci during her last visit to the palace, and she thought the Empress wouldn't summon her to the palace again anytime soon.
Xue Shen said, "You'll find out the rest later. If the Empress wants to reward you afterwards, don't refuse."
Shen Youying: ?
She followed Xue Shen into the Ciyuan Palace, bewildered, and discovered that in addition to Empress Zhou, Emperor Cheng'an was also there.
Upon seeing the couple enter, Emperor Cheng'an beckoned them kindly, saying, "Yuanjin, come and sit here."
Seeing this, Empress Zhou gave a signal to the female officials and eunuchs serving in the palace. The female officials and eunuchs then filed out and thoughtfully closed the door behind them.
Xue Shen maneuvered his wheelchair to the table, cupped his hands in greeting, and called out "Your Majesty" with a detached expression.
Shen Youying became increasingly puzzled. The way the Emperor and Empress acted made it seem as if they had done something to wrong the Prince of Qin.
She sat down beside Xue Shen, listening with her eyes lowered.
Emperor Cheng'an first sighed deeply: "Even now, I still dream of my elder brother's dying words, instructing me to take good care of you."
Xue Shen said, "His Majesty treats me very well, and I'm sure my father won't blame you if he finds out."
Emperor Cheng'an shook his head, his sigh growing deeper. At this moment, Empress Zhou spoke up, "Your Majesty, please don't blame yourself. It's all because I spoiled Zhan'er rotten. I only thought he was young and inexperienced, but who knew he would dare to be so absurd..."
At this point, Empress Zhou seemed too ashamed to continue and turned her face away.
“Just an unfavored concubine.” Xue Shen frowned, his voice still relatively calm, but a hint of fierceness was brewing between his brows, as if he was suppressing something: “If Prince Chen likes her, I can give her to him without any problem. But doing so is not just a matter of one woman, but a matter of the legitimacy of the bloodline.”
As he spoke, his tone became somewhat heavy.
"I only managed to avoid confusion because I discovered it, but what if I hadn't discovered it?"
Xue Shen stared sharply at Empress Zhou.
Zhou Jihou opened her mouth, but stammered and couldn't say a word.
Since ancient times, the royal bloodline has never been confused, especially since Xue Shen was the son of the late emperor. Although the emperor's succession was legitimate, with an imperial edict, it was ultimately not as legitimate as Xue Shen's lineage. Otherwise, there wouldn't have been so many rumors and gossip in the first two years.
Seeing the displeasure on his face, Emperor Cheng'an turned to look at the screen behind him: "You unfilial son, why don't you come out and apologize to your second brother!"
Prince Chen emerged from behind the screen and bowed to Xue Shen: "Regarding Lady Liu, I was bewitched. Her pregnancy was truly an accident. I hope my second brother will forgive my mistake and give me a chance to apologize."
Xue Shen remained silent, seemingly weighing his options.
Shen Youying's heart was in turmoil. Only now did she realize that Liu's lover was actually Prince Chen.
She bit her lip hard, resisting the urge to look up and scrutinize the expressions on other people's faces, her mind racing as she analyzed everything that had happened since Liu's miscarriage.
Previously, when it was said that Lady Liu was carried out in the middle of the night, she thought that Xue Shen had secretly disposed of her. But now it seems that this is not the case. He discovered the clues and found some evidence, which led him to expose the matter to the officials. Today, he finally lashed out.
However, Lady Liu was only a concubine, and her child had already passed away.
This matter can be big or small.
On a grand scale, this could confuse the royal bloodline and even affect the emperor's succession; but on a smaller scale, it's easy to resolve. As long as the aggrieved Prince Qin doesn't cry foul, and she, the person in the know, keeps quiet, and Liu and the others are dealt with, the big problem can be turned into a small one, and the small problem can be resolved without any further issues.
No wonder Empress Zhou summoned them to the palace today. The crux of the matter lies here.
Shen Youying couldn't help but glance at the person beside her. Seeing his iron-faced expression, she immediately felt a pang of sympathy.
No matter how much the emperor indulges him, he is still ultimately biased towards his own son.
But the King of Qin's reaction was unexpected. Instead of backing down and appeasing the Empress, he sneered at the King of Chen and said, "You've always been at odds with me. I'm afraid this wasn't an unintentional mistake, but rather something you did on purpose."
“Liu is out of favor, and her residence, Langhua Garden, is far from the front courtyard. She has no chance to see any men outside the palace, let alone you.” He chuckled, his eyes fixed on Prince Chen with a sinister glint, like a venomous snake eager to devour its prey, hissing and flicking its tongue: “Or is it… that Liu was deliberately placed in Prince Qin’s residence by you? That she was already having an affair with you before she entered the residence, preparing to cuckold me?”
"It's just that Lady Liu was lonely in her empty room and seduced me. I took pity on her because she was somewhat beautiful, and that's why I was confused for a moment. Why are you being so aggressive, Second Brother? Why ruin our brotherly relationship for a woman you don't like? If you're not happy about it, then come to my mansion and pick one to take with you."
Chen Wang was already resentful after being forced to apologize. Now, being repeatedly berated and questioned, how could he possibly hold back his anger?
If it weren't for the presence of Emperor Cheng'an, they probably would have already attacked Xue Shen.
Upon hearing this, Xue Shen looked at Emperor Cheng'an and suppressed his anger, saying, "Since Prince Chen refuses to admit his mistake, why not ask the imperial relatives to judge and determine right from wrong!"
Emperor Cheng'an would never allow him to invite his relatives. If this got out, it would be a small matter if Prince Chen lost face, but if it reminded those old ministers and officials of the past and brought up those rumors from a couple of years ago, he would never be able to live a peaceful life.
"You unfilial son! You've done something wrong and you still dare to speak so arrogantly, and you still won't admit your mistake!" Emperor Cheng'an was so angry that he picked up a teacup and threw it at Prince Chen.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
