Chapter 32 Disposal
After severing ties with the Song family in person, Chan Zhen finally unloaded a heavy burden and felt much more relaxed.
She stayed in her own palace these days. While the other concubines were confined in the inner court and therefore had less trivial matters to deal with, she devoted herself seriously to studying poetry and books.
While rumors have only recently subsided, the court is once again in turmoil. Several ministers have jointly impeached Prince Yu for abusing his power and forming a clique for personal gain while serving as regent. The struggle for the succession to the throne far outweighs the turmoil within the harem. With each faction engaged in a fierce exchange of words and demands, the court has become a battlefield untouched by the smoke of war.
However, in the midst of this busy schedule, His Majesty did not forget to visit Fengqi Palace as soon as possible after leaving court and personally bestowed poetry and books on Chan Zhen. He seemed to have regarded the turmoil of the previous dynasty as a passing cloud, and only enjoyed the moment of tranquility with Chan Zhen.
Under his guidance, Chanzhen has made great progress in poetry and literature. Although she cannot compare with the aristocratic ladies who have been learning poetry and literature since childhood, it has made up for some regrets in her heart.
Lu Zhu carefully put away the newly written page and praised, "Your Majesty's handwriting is getting better and better."
After practicing for a long time, his wrists felt a little sore. Chan Zhen put down the brush, soaked his hands in warm water for a while, and then he felt a little better.
"It's still far behind your Majesty."
Your Majesty's handwriting looks very powerful. She was obviously imitating your Majesty's handwriting, but her writing lacked a lot of charm.
At this point, she looked outside and asked curiously, "Is His Majesty late for court today?"
Normally at this time, His Majesty would have already come to her palace after finishing court. Perhaps she had gotten used to His Majesty running back and forth between the front court and her place, and now that she hadn't seen His Majesty yet, she felt a sense of emptiness in her heart and was very uncomfortable.
Seeing the melancholy on her face, Lu Zhu smiled and said, "If your Majesty is worried, I will ask someone to go to the front to inquire."
Zen Zhen shook his head: "His Majesty has been very busy recently, I'd better not bother him as much as possible."
On the one hand, he had to investigate her father's affairs, on the other hand, he had to deal with the impeachment of the previous dynasty, and after the court session, he had to come and personally teach her how to read and write. Chanzhen originally thought that His Majesty should be the most pleasing person in the world, but now she realized how hard he worked.
She found it difficult just to manage a harem, but His Majesty had to govern the entire world.
At this moment, suddenly, Eunuch Guo beside His Majesty was seen walking quickly towards the palace.
Zen Zhen exempted him from the formalities and asked softly, "Eunuch, why are you here at this time? What did His Majesty instruct you to do?"
Guo Kai narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Your Highness is indeed in tune with His Majesty. His Majesty asked me to tell Your Highness that there are still some matters left to be dealt with from the previous court today, so I will be back a little later. Please have your meal first and don't wait for His Majesty."
Chanzhen thought it was something important. His Majesty was becoming more and more clingy, and he wanted to report everything to her, as if he was afraid that she would forget about him.
She pursed her lips and smiled: "Thank you for the trouble, father-in-law. Have some tea before leaving."
Guo Kai wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "Then I will respectfully obey your command."
He took the tea from Luzhu and drank it with great satisfaction. The Imperial Concubine's food was really good. He might not even have the chance to taste it in front of the emperor. Alas, how could someone have the heart to fabricate such rumors to frame such a good Imperial Concubine?
After seeing Guo Kai off, Chan Zhen returned to the study, only to see the empty desk. She no longer saw the figure of His Majesty holding poetry and books and patiently explaining them to her. She suddenly realized that she was actually a little lost in her heart.
She shook her head and smiled, "Why are you becoming more and more spoiled?"
His Majesty is the ruler of all people, how can he only focus on her every day? She also needs to work hard to manage the harem and share His Majesty's worries.
Chan Zhen originally thought that His Majesty would just come late, but unexpectedly in the afternoon he received the news that His Majesty was going to Fanghua Palace, and he was shocked.
Fanghua Palace is the bedroom of Concubine Xian. Since she entered the palace, His Majesty has never been to any other part of the harem except Fengqi Palace.
Lu Zhu interpreted her silence as a sign of distress and hurriedly comforted her, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. His Majesty loves you and will definitely not do anything to upset you. Besides, Your Majesty has not been favored for a long time. Perhaps His Majesty wants to discuss something important with Your Majesty."
Zenzhen smiled at her to reassure her, then lowered his head and began to think.
She didn't actually doubt His Majesty. If His Majesty truly wanted to favor someone else, he wouldn't have sent Eunuch Guo specifically to her place. Furthermore, His Majesty had previously told her that most of the rumors against her originated from the Three Concubines' Palace, and that her father's involvement with the Yao family was also closely linked to the Three Concubines. Now that His Majesty had gone to the Xian Concubine's Palace, could it be that the person behind this had already been identified, and it was none other than the Xian Concubine?
Thinking of this, she calmed down a little. If it was really the virtuous concubine, His Majesty would definitely come to give her an explanation after dealing with this matter. She would just wait.
…
On the other side, when Concubine Xian received the news that His Majesty was coming, she was immediately overwhelmed with joy.
Since the Imperial Concubine entered the palace, Your Majesty has never set foot in her Palace of Beauty. Even before that, her favor was very rare. Your Majesty usually came to her to discuss palace affairs or matters related to Prince Yu.
These days, she had been confined to the palace, only to hear the voices of impeachment against Prince Yu from the court outside. She was so upset that she had no time to dress herself. Now that the emperor had come so suddenly, she could only hurriedly put a few hairpins in her hair, tidy up her appearance, and then greet him with a smile.
"Your Majesty, I have seen you."
She was still hoping that His Majesty had found out that the previous dynasty's impeachment of Prince Yu was all fabricated, and had come here specifically to compensate them mother and son.
Chen Dingyao looked at her indifferently. Concubine Xian was one of the first women chosen by his father to serve him. Although he did not like her temperament, he named her Concubine Xian after he ascended the throne because she gave birth to Yuan Che.
He had always known that Concubine Xian was stupid and could be easily instigated. In the past, when she used her power to reprimand lower-ranking concubines, he had only reprimanded her verbally. However, he had not expected that she would be so bold as to attack Chan Zhen.
"Does the virtuous concubine know why I came here today?"
Only then did the virtuous concubine notice the profoundly cold expression on His Majesty's face, a hint of disdain etched in his gaze. She panicked, yet still felt a sense of relief, forcing a smile. "But how has Yun Che displeased His Majesty? He's still young. If he's done anything wrong, I'll give him a lecture. I hope His Majesty will give him more opportunities..."
She looked at His Majesty's cold face and her voice became lower and lower.
"It has nothing to do with Yun Che," Chen Dingyao stared at her coldly. "What did Concubine Xian send people to Yuezhou for last month? Don't you have any idea?"
His Majesty really came for that matter. Xianfei's heart sank instantly, but she couldn't directly admit that she was the culprit who framed the noble concubine. She just pretended not to understand and said, "What is your majesty talking about? When did I send anyone to Yuezhou?"
She secretly clenched her palms, trying hard not to let any strange expression appear on her face.
Chen Dingyao hadn't expected her to admit it so generously, so he sneered, "Then the virtuous concubine doesn't even know Lin Ke?"
Lin Ke was the unfamiliar face at the murder scene that day. According to his investigation, he had recently been hired as a worker for the Song family, and Song Ming valued him for his eloquence. When the Song family sent people to smash up the Yao family's store, this person was also responsible for gossiping with Song Ming, and it was his incitement that escalated the conflict between the Song and Yao families, leading to the accidental loss of life.
When the virtuous concubine suddenly heard this person's name, she knew that His Majesty had found the real murderer. A layer of cold sweat broke out on her forehead, but she still remained stubborn.
"I have never heard of this person."
Chen Dingyao looked at her quibbling and finally lost his last bit of patience.
"What a strange thing I've never heard of." He stood with his hands behind his back and calmly gave his final order to Guo Kai behind him, "Pass on my oral order. Concubine Xian has murdered concubines and framed others. Her moral conduct is unfitting for a concubine. Effective immediately, she will be stripped of her title, demoted to a commoner, and imprisoned in Fanghua Palace, not to be released unless summoned."
The virtuous concubine suddenly looked up, her eyes full of disbelief.
Chen Dingyao looked down at her without saying another word.
It was only when she saw him that Concubine Xian finally came to her senses. It turned out that His Majesty already knew everything and he had already convicted her without her having to admit it. She regretted her decision and quickly knelt down to confess her mistake to him.
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have framed the concubine. I beg Your Majesty to forgive me!"
She grabbed the corner of his clothes and begged with tears in her eyes.
Chen Dingyao remained indifferent and asked her calmly, "Xianfei, wasn't what I did obvious enough? The Imperial Concubine is my Achilles' heel, my bottom line. Who gave you the courage to frame her?"
The virtuous concubine cried and shook her head: "It is my fault. I was jealous of your favor and worried that if you gave birth to a prince, it would threaten Yuan Che's position. But I was acting out of a loving mother's heart. Please, at least for Yuan Che's sake, forgive me this time!"
Chen Dingyao sneered, "I'm not even old enough to abdicate, yet you're so impatient? How long has the Imperial Concubine been in the palace? She hasn't even given birth to a prince yet, yet you're worried he'll threaten Yuan Che's position. Are you doing this for Yuan Che, or for your own selfish reasons?"
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. Yuan Che is your eldest son. He cannot have a commoner as his mother!"
At this point, she could only hold on to Prince Yu tightly, hoping that His Majesty would show leniency to him because she was the mother of the eldest prince.
But her plea failed to arouse any sympathy from him.
"I'm telling you the truth. I've never considered making Yuan Che the crown prince. Yuan Che has inherited your temperament and is too arrogant. If the country falls into his hands, I won't be able to sleep peacefully for a hundred years."
Chen Dingyao cruelly crushed her last bit of hope.
Finally, Concubine Xian couldn't hold back any longer and burst into tears, "Why, Your Majesty? Yuan Che is clearly your eldest son. Who else can take on the position of crown prince? Is it the Prince of Jin? Or the Concubine's unborn child?"
Chen Dingyao shook his head, didn't look at her again, turned around and walked out.
Knowing that there was no hope, the virtuous concubine could only collapse on the ground, pounding the ground and crying.
The crying sound gradually faded away behind him, but Chen Dingyao felt no emotion in his heart. After leaving Fanghua Palace, he turned and walked towards Fengqi Palace.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Chan Zhen among the crabapple blossoms. Her face was full of smiles, and her eyes were curved into two small crescents. Several palace maids surrounded her and were weaving garlands to put on her head.
He stopped at the door, stretched out his hand to stop Guo Kai from speaking, and just watched the scene silently.
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