Chapter 109 Chapter 109 Dust
The next day.
Just after morning.
Sheng Puzhu was having breakfast in the flower hall. Because it was still the mourning period, the small kitchen prepared a simple porridge with side dishes and a bowl of milk and egg custard.
The food looked good, but the taste was bland, and coupled with the dry autumn weather, I only ate a few bites of the milk and egg custard.
"The Crown Prince's wife."
Cang Guan followed behind Nanny Du and stood outside the door to pay her respects.
Sheng Puzhu paused holding the chopsticks, looked up and signaled to Madam Du to let someone in.
Official Cang bowed as he entered, not daring to look up. He whispered, "The Crown Prince has to rush to Yongzhou due to military duties. I've asked this subordinate to return to the palace and report to the Crown Prince's wife."
"Did you say when you'll be back?" Sheng Puzhu asked.
Cangguan shook his head: "I don't know."
He paused and glanced around cautiously.
Sheng Puzhu waved her hand and said, "Except for Madam Du, you all should leave first."
Cang Guan finally breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his voice, "Madam, Prince Ning committed suicide in the palace out of fear of his crime."
Sheng Puzhu was stunned and put his palm on the table: "When did it happen?"
"Return to the Crown Prince's wife."
"At the Dali Temple's morning court this morning, we presented some clues pointing to Prince Ning and His Royal Highness Prince An's possible involvement in the Crown Prince's poisoning. But within a quarter of an hour, news arrived that Prince Ning had hanged himself in his cleansing room, using the excuse of changing his clothes."
Sheng Puzhu felt cold sweat on his palms. He picked up a handkerchief beside him and wiped them again and again, as if trying to suppress the shock in his heart. "What about Princess Changning?"
"The princess is fine. She fainted on the spot after hearing the tragic news about Prince Ning."
Cang Guan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Prince Ning left a blood letter on the wall of his purification room before his death, admitting that he was the one who orchestrated the Crown Prince's poisoning."
"As for the reason, it was simply because I was jealous that the Saint had such an outstanding heir, the Crown Prince, while he only had one daughter, the Princess Changning. I couldn't get over the resentment I felt, so I committed this heinous act."
Sheng Puzhu listened quietly, and had already stopped wiping her fingers. The handkerchief was tightly grasped in her palm.
The morning light shone through the diamond-shaped window onto her slightly pale profile, reflecting a complex expression.
All this seemed to be a natural progression, but it happened too quickly and was too coincidental, as if Prince Ning's death was destined from the beginning.
Once Prince Ning died, the clues found by the Dali Temple naturally became useless.
Sheng Puzhu felt the food he had finally managed to eat churning in his stomach. He suppressed his panic and said with a bitter tone, "Then...what will happen to Princess Changning?"
Cang Guan lowered his head and said, "Madam, due to the pleas of the Empress Dowager and Princess Shoukang, the Sage has demoted Princess Changning to a commoner and immediately sent her to the border, never to return to Chang'an."
Sheng Puzhu barely raised the corner of her lips, her nails digging deep into her palms. She said to Cang Guan, "I understand. You can leave now."
"My wife."
"Can I help you go to the inner room and lie down?" Madam Du walked forward cautiously.
Sheng Puzhu's face turned pale, and she held Aunt Du's hand tightly. "I'm fine, I just can't accept it right now."
Last night, Xie Zhiyan clearly said that the evidence might point to Prince An, but he did not expect that Prince Ning, Prince An's brother and half-brother, would step forward and take all the blame.
Whenever she thought of Prince An's frail body, which looked like wind-dried tree bark, she felt a chill creeping up her spine.
"Mammy."
"You should secretly find out where Changning was exiled, and then send a few people to protect her along the way, whether it's silver or something else."
Madam Du was stunned: "Madam, this is the will of the saint."
Sheng Puzhu forced a smile and said, "The Saint spared Changning's life because he didn't want her to die too quickly."
"Just help her quietly. If you give her too much, she may not be able to protect you."
Madam Du nodded cautiously: "Yes, I will go right away."
Sheng Puzhu lay listlessly on the couch for half a day, and didn't eat much of his lunch. His inexplicable uneasiness became more and more intense.
She frowned and sorted out the things in her mind one by one. Now Xie Zhiyan was not in the palace, Princess Changning was demoted, Prince An was completely invisible, and Xiao Xuan became the only candidate for the saint to be adopted.
"Madam." Sheng Puzhu stood up suddenly, paced around the room for a few steps, and suddenly stopped. Her voice was unusually urgent, "Has mother returned home yet?"
Nanny Du was startled by the question and quickly bowed and replied, "Madam, Princess Shoukang hasn't returned yet."
"We can't wait any longer." Sheng Puzhu gritted her teeth. For some unknown reason, she was overwhelmed by a huge panic.
"Prepare the carriage. I want to enter the palace immediately."
Sheng Puzhu quickly went to the Eastern Palace in the name of visiting the Crown Princess.
The moment he saw Wei Yuanning, Sheng Puzhu felt a pang of sadness and hurried forward.
She didn't ask Wei Yuanning if she was okay, but just held the other's thin hand tightly.
In just one month, she had gained a lot of weight due to her pregnancy, but now she was so thin that she was almost unrecognizable. Only her eyes looked calm and tough because of her thinness.
Her exaggeratedly protruding belly looked as heavy as a mountain against her thin body.
Sheng Puzhu felt as if a thousand words were stuck in his throat. After a long while, he said, "Don't worry. If there's anything, send someone to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion to tell me. I will definitely find a way."
Wei Yuanning shook his head and said calmly, "I know."
"There's nothing wrong with that. Wait until the baby is born safely. If it's a boy, that's still hope."
She was silent for a long time, then raised her head and said with difficulty, "If it's a girl, it doesn't matter."
Sheng Puzhu moved his lips, lowered his eyes, and said in a very soft voice: "It doesn't matter if it's a girl, Yuanning, you have to believe me."
Wei Yuanning seemed to want to laugh, but her expression was somewhat forced: "Puzhu, thank you. I heard that Changning has left the palace?"
"Um."
"Exiled, I don't know where I'll be sent."
Wei Yuanning stroked her exaggeratedly bulging belly, her palm suddenly tightening as she frankly admitted, "Actually, she's innocent in this matter as well."
"But I can't help but hate her."
"If there had been no mooncakes, and if there had been no her father, the Crown Prince... perhaps he wouldn't have died, and I wouldn't have had to face this situation."
Wei Yuanning's eyes seemed to flash with despair, and his voice was hoarse: "Although I hate her, I still can't bear to do it. Please find a way to help me send some money to her and tell Changning to live well. Just consider it as atonement."
She covered her lips and coughed softly, her voice becoming even lower, with an almost numb exhaustion: "Ever since Jiulang passed away, I haven't dared to let my guard down for a single moment, day and night."
"This child is Jiulang's only bloodline. Even if I sacrifice my life for him, it's worth it."
There was no complaint in every word, but there was a chilling sense of helplessness.
After visiting Wei Yuanning, Sheng Puzhu did not dare to delay at all and hurried to Changxing Palace where the queen lived.
Changxing Palace is still magnificent, but it is shrouded in a layer of sadness that cannot be dispelled.
The empress, who was once graceful and elegant, now looks a little empty even when wearing her phoenix robe. The sadness in her eyes remains, as if all her energy and spirit had been drained away overnight.
The Queen was born into the Jiang family of Bingzhou. She had an unusually gentle and tolerant temperament. When she heard the palace maid report that the wife of the Crown Prince of Jingguo's Mansion wanted to see her, she was stunned for a moment, and a hint of surprise flashed across her eyes.
"Let her in. She can just talk to me."
"Your Majesty." Sheng Puzhu knelt down and saluted.
The queen forced a gentle smile.
"Get up, no need to be polite."
"Please take a seat."
Sheng Puzhu looked at the empress's haggard face, and her worries grew even worse. She simply said straight to the point, "Your Majesty, I'm taking the liberty to pay my respects because my mother-in-law, Princess Shoukang, has not returned home yet."
"Last night, Zhiyan said that mother should return home today, but I have waited until now and still haven't seen her. There has been no news from the palace either. I am so worried that I have come to pay my respects to Her Majesty."
The queen's expression suddenly changed when she heard this: "Shou Kang didn't go back?"
"Um."
"Today, I, entrusted by Zhiyan, personally escort Shoukang out of the palace. Logically,..."
Her voice suddenly stopped, and then an extremely terrifying thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
Although she forced herself not to think that way, the queen's face still turned pale in an instant.
"Quick, send someone to Xingqing Palace to ask, saying that I want to discuss something with Her Royal Highness the Princess, and see if she is speaking to the Empress Dowager in the palace."
"Yes." The palace maid did not dare to delay and quickly turned around and retreated.
The queen's smile was very forced. She picked up the tea, and her hands were shaking so much that the tea spilled out without her noticing.
When Sheng Puzhu saw that the queen had a strange expression on her face, her heart sank.
Changxing Palace fell into a suffocating silence until the palace maid left and returned.
"Reply to the Queen."
"The maid at Xingqing Palace said that Princess Shoukang did not go to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager today."
"Clang." The queen could no longer hold the teacup in her hand, and the snow-white bone china fell to the floor tiles and shattered into pieces.
Her face completely lost its color with this tearing sound.
"If it's not in Xingqing Palace, then where could it be?"
The queen felt a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head, and her scalp exploded. After muttering to herself for a while, she stood up with weak hands and feet: "Let's go to the Zichen Palace." Sheng Puzhu was held tightly by the queen's wrist in panic, and the group walked quickly through the palace, not daring to delay at all.
"My Lady."
"The emperor has ordered that no one will be seen today." The eunuch knelt on the ground with his head lowered, not daring to breathe.
"Get out of the way." The queen's voice was cold and stern, with anger evident in her eyes.
"I dare not." The eunuch did not dare to move and blocked the way in front of the hall.
Just as the queen was about to bring people to break in, Sheng Puju heard a loud "clang" coming from the closed palace door, like the sound of porcelain and jade being smashed.
Then, a female voice, filled with suppressed anger, penetrated the palace door and could be clearly heard: "Xiao Shoushan, you are simply outrageous."
Not long after, the crisp and loud sound of a slap suddenly rang in everyone's ears.
The eunuch guarding outside the Zichen Palace trembled and collapsed to the ground.
"Your Majesty." His voice trembled, and he begged humbly, "Your Majesty, please go back first."
The Queen simply winked at the maid, preparing to drag the blocking eunuch away. Her chest heaving violently, her face livid, she raised her voice and said, "Your Majesty, I have something important to ask you."
There was a sudden silence in the hall.
"Get out!" The saint shouted angrily through a door, but no one knew who he was addressing.
Finally, the heavy carved red-lacquered wooden door leading to the Zichen Hall was suddenly pulled open from the inside.
Shou Kangchang raised her head expressionlessly. Her hair was a little messy, and her originally meticulous palace dress was slightly wrinkled.
"You're here." She nodded to the queen, rubbing her obviously red palms slowly, her eyes filled with an almost cold indifference, as if the conflict between her and the saint in the palace just now had never happened.
"Are you okay?" The Queen's tone was equally indifferent.
Princess Shoukang curled her lips and said coldly, "I won't die."
Her cheeks were fair and her face was delicately made up, but there was an obvious bite mark on her lower lip, which was still bleeding and was shocking.
Outside the hall, the air seemed to freeze.
Princess Shoukang and the Queen's eyes met briefly. They seemed distant, but there was a tacit understanding between them.
"Take Puzhu out of the palace."
"Leave the rest to me."
The queen clenched her fists tightly in her sleeves. Even though the hairs on her back stood up, her voice became calm and firm.
"Okay." Princess Shoukang's gaze passed over the queen and fell behind her.
"Mother." Sheng Puzhu let out a long sigh, walked forward, and held Princess Shoukang's hand tightly.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine." Princess Shoukang shook her head, indicating that she was fine.
The two men saluted the queen and were about to leave when a loud shout came from inside the hall: "Shou Kang, don't force me."
Sheng Puzhu couldn't help but look through the open door into the deep Zichen Palace. Amidst the mess, the bright yellow figure standing in the center of the hall was particularly conspicuous.
A window next to the window was pushed open outwards, facing the direction of the imperial desk. Sheng Puzhu's eyes focused slightly, and his peripheral vision inadvertently saw a corner of the side hall behind the Zichen Hall through the window.
That should be the place where Xie Zhiyan had taken her before, where he had stayed temporarily in the palace for more than ten years.
Sheng Puzhu couldn't help but think of the palace banquet in the ninth year of Joan of Arc, when Xie Zhiyan took her to a side hall for a rest. In the extremely simple hall, a rosewood armchair was placed abruptly by the window, and the window was sealed tightly from the outside in.
Although Sheng Puzhu was curious at the time, since Xie Zhiyan did not take the initiative to explain, she naturally did not ask.
But now.
Sheng Puzhu's body stiffened, and her almond-shaped eyes widened slightly. If the window in the side hall was not sealed, it should be facing the imperial desk.
Perhaps it was because she looked too shocked at the moment, but the man in the bright yellow dragon robe in the hall suddenly raised his head, and his cold gaze was like a poisoned arrow, piercing through the crowd and accurately piercing her.
There was no warmth in those eyes, and they looked down upon him.
The moment their eyes met, Sheng Puzhu felt a chill pouring down from the top of his head, and every limb was cold.
Sheng Puzhu was frightened by the saint's undisguised murderous intent and instinctively took a step back. Just when she felt she was about to suffocate, a slightly cold hand suddenly grasped her wrist.
Princess Shoukang turned sideways, using her body to block the cold gaze coming into the palace. She was calm as if nothing had happened: "Let's go, return home with mother."
"yes."
Sheng Puzhu took a deep breath and suppressed the fear in his heart.
Jingguo Mansion, Moon-Watching Pavilion Flower Hall.
After serving the hot tea, Nanny Yan quietly retreated.
Princess Shoukang sat elegantly and sipped her tea. "Puzhu, what do you want to ask?"
"You can ask anything while Saburo is away."
Although Sheng Puzhu was a pampered girl at home, she was always calm and measured in her words and actions. At this moment, her fingertips were cold, and she seemed to feel no warmth at all while holding the warm teacup.
Her red lips parted, her voice dry and raspy: "The Saint...did you?"
She didn't know how to start talking about this unethical speculation.
Princess Shoukang's face was calm as she put down her teacup. Her eyes were clear and she didn't evade the question: "Well, that's what you saw, and that's what you thought."
"My brother has filthy thoughts towards his biological sister."
Princess Shoukang even smiled lightly, pinched the handkerchief in her hand, and said quietly: "That man, he is a complete pervert."
"But it doesn't matter. No matter how powerful he is, he can never get any real advantage from me."
When Sheng Puzhu heard this, his wrist trembled violently, and he could hardly believe what he heard.
"Sanlang, does he know?"
Princess Shoukang sighed and said, "I won't let him know."
"Dayan was founded less than a hundred years ago, and the world has only been stable for a few decades. Given Sanlang's personality, he seems to be a gentleman who behaves in a proper manner, but he has always been cruel to others. I dare not bet whether he will kill that man at all costs."
"Brother and sister..." Princess Shoukang bit the words. Seeing Sheng Puzhu's frighteningly pale face, she said jokingly, "My good child, I scared you, didn't I?"
"It's a scandal, but luckily the Empress has been manipulating it all these years, using some tricks, so he hasn't actually done anything to me."
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