Chapter 120 The only one who could guess the emperor's thoughts...
The incident happened so suddenly that no one had time to react. They watched helplessly as a spurt of blood shot out from Xiao Chuwen's neck, splattering all over Wu Qiong's head and face, making her look like a vengeful ghost crawling out of hell.
Screams erupted one after another, and the captain of the guard, along with his men, immediately drew their swords and protected Princess Tong'an.
She was both shocked and frightened, never expecting that Wu Qiong, who was clearly in her own home, would have a murder weapon hidden on her person.
Just now, Princess Tong'an and Wu Qiong were only three steps apart. If she had intended to harm the princess, they would be guilty of a thousand deaths.
However, what the captain of the guard couldn't understand even more was that Wu Qiong and Xiao Chuwen were in cahoots.
Why did Wu Qiong suddenly turn against her after Madam Zhou said a few words to her?
...
Xiao Chuwen stared intently at Wu Qiong, his slightly dilated pupils filled with confusion.
He wanted to ask her why, but his throat, pierced by the puncture, prevented him from uttering a complete sentence.
Wu Qiong still clutched the scissors tightly in her hand, and her blood-covered eyes uncontrollably streamed tears, leaving eerie faint red streaks on her face.
“She’s right, I must have been a fool to believe you,” Wu Qiong murmured. “But I also want to thank you. Without you sending me to my mother’s side, I wouldn’t have had the happiest year of my life.”
Pfft.
She pushed the scissors in another inch, successfully making Xiao Chuwen's face contort into an even more ferocious and distorted expression.
Wu Qiong finally understood the source of her pain: the mother-daughter relationship between her and the Princess of Chun was built on a complete and enormous lie.
While following Xiao Chuwen's instructions to tamper with the medicine for the Princess of Chun County, she also had to convince herself to accept her mother's pure kindness and love for her.
She couldn't do it. She could only keep brainwashing herself, nitpicking that the Princess Consort of Chunjun could never accept the real her. All she wanted was an obedient "daughter," who could be Wu Qiong or someone else.
"It's too late, I can't turn back, my mother really doesn't want me anymore..."
Wu Qiong muttered to herself nervously, repeatedly piercing her flesh with sharp scissors until countless flowers of blood of varying sizes bloomed.
Until Xiao Chuwen breathed his last, unable to rest in peace even in death, she finally breathed a sigh of relief and liberation.
She turned her head, and through her blurry vision, she vaguely saw the pale and weak face of Princess Chunjun. Her lips parted, and she reached out her hand towards Wu Qiong, as if she were saying something to her.
But Wu Qiong could no longer hear.
She simply gave a childlike, innocent smile.
"Mother, Qiong'er has avenged you and my unborn brother Chu Yu. Please forgive me."
If there is an afterlife, she really wants to be her mother's daughter, to grow up healthy according to her mother's expectations, to get married and have children, and to live to ninety-nine.
...
The Prince Chun's mansion was in complete chaos.
At the critical moment, Meng Wanyin stepped forward and took it upon herself to order the head maids around Princess Chun to carry people, prepare medicine, and open the storeroom to prepare funeral supplies.
"By the way, you must keep the news from the Crown Princess. She hasn't fully recovered yet and can't afford to suffer any more setbacks."
Meng Wanyin was extremely busy, and when she turned around, she saw that Prince Chun was still lying on Xiao Chuwen's corpse wailing, which made her even angrier.
...If you like your precious eldest son so much, you might as well go down and keep him company!
Meng Wanyin gritted her teeth and pointed at Xiao Chuyang, "Don't just stand here, help your father back to his room to rest. He's so old, don't cry yourself sick."
Xiao Chuyang: ...Wouldn't that be even better?
But the mansion couldn't be in any more chaos right now, so he had no choice but to do as he was told. He strode over to Prince Chun and, taking advantage of his youth and strength, forcibly pulled the old man up and half-dragged him out of the courtyard.
He paused for a moment as he passed by Wu Qiong.
Ever since killing Xiao Chuwen, Wu Qiong had been in a daze, as if her soul had left her body. Even when the captain of the guards tied her up and searched her body and took away the small knife, hairpin and other sharp weapons she had hidden, she did not resist at all. She just stared at the window in front of the bedroom of the Princess of Chun County without blinking.
Xiao Chuyang wanted to say something, but he was at a loss for words, so he left without saying a word, dragging Prince Chun away.
You could still hear his loud, piercing cries from afar.
"...Tear her to pieces! Dismember her! To pay for my son's life!"
Shen Lingyue found an opportunity to get close to Princess Tong'an.
"How does Your Highness intend to deal with Wu Qiong?"
"She has committed numerous heinous crimes, and the evidence is conclusive. She should be severely punished according to the laws of Da Ye."
Princess Tong'an did not hesitate for a moment. She glanced at Xiao Chuwen, who had been stabbed in the blood not far away, and said indifferently, "The heir of the Prince of Chun's mansion plotted to murder his stepmother. He was exposed in public and committed suicide out of fear of punishment. I think Uncle Wang will accept this result."
"Your Highness."
Yan Yi walked over, bowed, and said in a deep voice, "I suggest that Your Highness send someone to investigate Xiao Chuwen's daily whereabouts again. I suspect that he may have other shady dealings on his hands."
Princess Tong'an nodded in agreement, then smiled at the two of them, jokingly saying, "I never realized before that the Lady of Changning Marquis is such a capable person."
In just a short while, the staff in Princess Chun's courtyard were arranged in an orderly manner. Although everyone still looked panicked, at least they were no longer running around like headless flies.
Shen Lingyue felt proud: "Of course, my mother is a bit of a homebody and a bit timid, but she's quite capable at managing the household."
As they were talking, a little maid ran in, sobbing.
"Your Highness, Your Highness is bleeding so much! Quickly, find a doctor to save her!"
Princess Tong'an's expression changed, and she quickly sent someone out to find a doctor.
They still couldn't prevent the Prince's mansion from having too many people and too much gossip; the Princess Consort must have gotten wind of it.
After waiting for another half hour, news finally came from the courtyard that the Crown Princess had miscarried.
Princess Tong'an looked distressed and let out a soft sigh.
"Well, it's just bad luck that we couldn't keep it. It's not entirely a bad thing."
Shen Lingyue and Yan Yi both understood the unspoken meaning in her words.
The Crown Princess's child is Xiao Chuwen's posthumous child. If it's a daughter, it's fine, but if it's a son, his status in the mansion will probably be even more awkward when he grows up.
...
"Oh no, His Highness won't think I'm meddling, will he?"
On the carriage back to the Marquis's residence, Meng Wanyin belatedly realized what had happened, and a look of fear appeared on her face.
What's wrong with her today?
First, he interrupted Princess Tong'an's question, then he rushed up to accuse Wu Qiong, and finally he overstepped his bounds and started to manage the affairs of the Prince's mansion.
Meng Wanyin covered her face in frustration; she wasn't like this before...
"No, His Highness praised you for being calm, composed, and having a good overall perspective."
Shen Lingyue smiled and took her arm, then gave her a thumbs up, "Mother, you were amazing today!"
Meng Wanyin breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest in lingering fear.
"Sigh, Xue'e is in such a state, and the Crown Princess is bedridden. There's not a single person in the entire Prince's mansion who can manage things. How can I just stand by and watch? I can't possibly ask His Highness to condescend to handle these trivial matters."
Shen Lingyue nodded in agreement, "That's right, that's right, His Highness said the same thing, and also said that my sister-in-law and I are really lucky to have such an open-minded and generous mother-in-law like you."
Otherwise, how would those two have had the chance to roam around in various melon fields? They would have been locked up in some little Buddhist hall copying scriptures and picking beans long ago.
Meng Wanyin smiled shyly, pulling one of them up with each hand, "I'm lucky, it's fortunate that it was the two of you who married into this family."
Just as the three women, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, parted ways at the gate and returned to their respective courtyards, Meng Wanyin suddenly slapped her forehead as she walked down the road.
Yes, if her two daughters-in-law hadn't insisted on dragging her to the Prince's mansion to see Xue'e, she wouldn't have encountered such a big incident, and she certainly wouldn't have been so "bold" in front of Princess Tong'an...
However, the feeling of speaking loudly seems quite nice?
Meng Wanyin thought about it for a while and then put it down. She returned to the courtyard and immediately started singing in a high-pitched voice.
"Oh, little dumpling is back! Did you have fish today? Come here and let Mommy give you a hug..."
...
Princess Tong'an ordered her men to take Wu Qiong back to her residence and imprison him in solitary confinement.
Yan Yi's words reminded her that how could a madwoman like Wu Qiong, who was so extreme and prejudiced and treated human life as worthless, be willing to be used by Xiao Chuwen?
How did Xiao Chuwen find out the truth about Wu Qiong? Given his status as the heir of a prince, he and Wu Qiong should have had absolutely no connection.
“Wu Qiong, I can tell you clearly that whether you speak or not, it is a capital offense, unforgivable.” Princess Tong’an looked at her through the fence. “But if you are willing to cooperate with the investigation, I can make your last days a little more comfortable.”
Wu Qiong had changed into clean clothes and carefully combed her hair, looking like an innocent young girl untouched by the world.
She calmly said, "Xiao Chuwen usually likes to go to Yihua Tower, but he doesn't go there to pick up girls. There is a secret passage in the backyard that leads directly to the outside of the city. That is their den of debauchery."
Princess Tong'an sent people to investigate along this route, and a few days later the captain of the rear guard returned with a livid face.
"Your Highness, it turns out they secretly sent people to search for beautiful young children everywhere, regardless of gender. They even colluded with human traffickers, abducting innocent children and keeping them in secluded courtyards to be abused at will. Besides Xiao Chuwen, others who frequented these places included..."
As she named several people, Princess Tong'an's expression grew increasingly grim.
Besides Xiao Chuwen, there were even other collateral relatives of the imperial family, relatives of certain officials, and descendants of fallen nobles...
Princess Tong'an scoffed, her eyes icy cold: "Look at my cousins, with their many wives and concubines at home, and brothels outside not enough for them, is that it? They actually set their dirty minds on children, they're worse than beasts!"
The captain of the guard scrutinized her face and added in a low voice, "I just went to see Wu Qiong again. She admitted that after escaping from the Zhang family, she was accidentally knocked unconscious and captured by the people from the villa."
The children who were captured were initially locked in a dark and gloomy dungeon, given only a little food and water each day, forced not to cry, and required to be obedient. They were also taught by a special person every day, and if they wanted to survive, they had to learn to "please" their master.
Only then did Wu Qiong realize that the reason she had escaped unscathed despite committing so many heinous crimes was simply because she was lucky; she had always chosen families with little power and contentment with modest wealth.
Faced with true darkness and immense evil, she was utterly powerless to resist.
"Wu Qiong stayed there for three years, and compared to her peers, her height and appearance remained unchanged. This caught Xiao Chuwen's attention, and he carefully planned to send her to the Princess of Chun County as an inside agent."
Princess Tong'an no longer hesitated, stood up and said, "Prepare the carriage, I want to go to the palace."
She stormed into Emperor Qingxi's bedchamber, shoving everything she had found out in front of him, her face as cold as ice: "Father, I think our Xiao family is doomed!"
"Pah, pah, pah, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Emperor Qingxi glared at his eldest daughter reproachfully, but didn't actually get angry with her. He simply picked up the papers and looked at them one by one.
Then his expression turned sour.
"Chu Wen is gone? When did this happen? Why didn't the Imperial Clan Court report it?"
Princess Tong'an sneered, "Uncle Chun has a lot of face to save. With such a huge scandal in his family, he's still lying in bed."
She recounted how she sent the imperial physician to examine the Princess Consort of Chun County, who diagnosed her with an illness and suspected poisoning. She then followed the clues to uncover the entire conspiracy.
This matter had already been discussed openly with Emperor Qingxi, who praised Princess Tong'an for her thoughtfulness and consideration for her elders in the imperial clan.
Emperor Qingxi never expected that simply sending imperial physicians to various households for consultations would uncover so many unsavory secrets he had never known before.
What happened to his Imperial Guards? How did they become freeloaders?
“Father, although the Embroidered Uniform Guard is your trusted spies, these members of the imperial family consider themselves to be of the same clan and noble birth as us, and they do not take the Embroidered Uniform Guard seriously at all. In addition, the previous emperor had repeatedly stated that he would treat the imperial family members well, so I think they would not dare to interfere too much in the affairs of our Xiao family.”
Princess Tong'an patiently reasoned with him, "Commander Lu has always been loyal to you in important matters, but he cannot completely control every subordinate. Just like you, as the emperor, cannot control the thoughts of everyone in the court."
"Of course I understand this principle. I am not a god with eyes that can see a thousand miles and ears that can hear the wind. It would be easy for them to do something sneaky behind my back."
Emperor Qingxi snorted and slammed the list heavily onto the table. "I just never expected that even my own people would betray me."
What kind of disgusting and absurd things are these?
Wait, his own children and grandchildren weren't involved, were they?
Emperor Qingxi picked up the list again and looked at it carefully, then breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Thank goodness, this proves that all of his descendants in the Xiao family are normal.
"Father, I humbly request that you issue an imperial edict to the Censorate to dispatch an imperial envoy to thoroughly investigate whether the regional princes are abusing their power and committing all kinds of evil deeds."
Tong'an Gongyi was indignant. "We were all born of the same ancestor. Why can they lie on their laurels and act lawlessly, even becoming local tyrants? Do they deserve the large sums of money the court pays them every year?"
These words struck a nerve with Emperor Qingxi. Just thinking about the huge sum of money that the Imperial Clan Court reported every year made Emperor Qingxi's heart ache.
The investiture of princes in various regions all traces back to the reign of his imperial grandfather. Although they are said to be of the same clan and lineage, they are not actually that closely related to him by blood. And he has to spend money to support this group of imperial relatives who do not do any real work and only know how to eat, drink and enjoy themselves...
Emperor Qingxi also wanted to ask, just like his daughter: Why?
The Great Ye Dynasty has been established for over a hundred years. In its early days, to conquer the country and establish a stable rule, it relied on the concerted efforts of relatives and brothers to enfeoff members of the imperial family and meritorious nobles. However, today, this huge and bloated interest group has become a major concern for those in power.
If all the noble families were as loyal to the emperor and patriotic as the Duke of Lingguo's family and the Marquis of Changning's family, and had capable and diligent officials, that would be fine. But most of them just lay on the laurels laid down by their ancestors, enjoying the fruits of their labor. They were good at eating, drinking and having fun, but when it came to serious matters, they were all slackers.
Emperor Qingxi had long intended to take action to rectify the situation, but he was getting old. If he rashly stripped his titles and abolished his fiefdoms, what if he died halfway through and left a mess for his children and grandchildren?
It's better to endure the pain and maintain the status quo, taking things slowly and gradually, and see who shows their true colors first, then cut them off.
"I never expected that you would be the first person to advise me to thoroughly investigate the imperial clan."
Emperor Qingxi looked at Princess Tong'an with a complicated expression, feeling a sense of melancholy.
—If only Ah Ying were a son.
Prince Heng, Prince Yu, and the others were still foolishly flattering everyone, befriending members of the imperial family and nobles, and trying to gain their support. Little did they know that the higher they jumped, the further they were pushing themselves towards that position.
The only one who could guess his thoughts as a ruler was Tong An.
Emperor Qingxi sighed again, lamenting that Princess Tong'an's birth mother had died young, wondering if she could have given birth to a younger brother from the same mother.
He no longer needed to dwell on it; he could simply bestow upon her a title of "National Protector" and be done with it.
"My daughter just couldn't stand these bastards who wouldn't even spare such a young child."
Princess Tong'an seemed oblivious to Emperor Qingxi's thoughts, and spoke frankly: "Anyway, I've always been favored by you. So what if I offend them? Who told me I was so lucky to be born as your princess?"
"Hahaha, I'm so lucky to have such a sweet daughter like you!"
Emperor Qingxi laughed heartily and stopped worrying about it. Since someone had to do the work, he decided to hand it over to Tong'an.
When the new emperor ascends the throne a hundred years from now, he will not mistreat his capable sister, out of consideration for Princess Tong'an's contributions.
...
When Azhi returned home on her day off, she mentioned at the dinner table, "It's so strange. Wu Qiong suddenly stopped coming to school. I heard that the Prince Chun's mansion even sent people to take away all her things. Are they forbidding her from studying?"
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at Yan Yi and Shen Lingyue.
Could it be that her two cousins kicked Wu Qiong out to avenge her?
Meng Wanyin paused abruptly as she picked up some food, and then looked at her two daughters-in-law.
Yan Yi remained calm and said, "Princess Chun is not in good health. The imperial physician said that the harsh winter in the capital is not conducive to her recovery and suggested that she go to the south for a while. Wu Qiong accompanied her on her journey away from the capital."
Ah Zhi is still young, so we shouldn't let her know about the complicated entanglements between adults.
Anyway, the conflict with Wu Qiong was just a small episode in her student life, and she would soon forget about it.
"Oh." Azhi nodded, secretly relieved that it wasn't her cousin-in-law who did it.
She, Qiaoni, and Yuanyuan were even thinking of outperforming Wu Qiong in the next monthly exam.
I wonder if she'll come back next year...
"Oh dear, why are you so serious about things, you little kid? Go read your book."
Pei Yuzhen placed a piece of meat on her plate and said with great interest, "I heard that His Majesty has recently been planning a thorough investigation into the illegal activities of the imperial clan and has uncovered quite a few scoundrels. Brother, Jingyi, did you hear the censors impeaching them when you went to court? Was it really going too far?"
Shen Lingyue: "That's right. I went back to my parents' home a few days ago and my mother told me that my maternal grandfather has been very busy lately. He has to roll up his sleeves and go to court to argue every day. The old man is very energetic and can work for at least another ten years."
Her maternal grandfather, Zhao Bingsong, the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate, was an upright man who was sharp-tongued and could scold his colleagues in court without being able to defeat them. It is said that he even dared to criticize Emperor Qingxi in his early years, but he has toned it down a bit now that he is older.
Pei Xian coughed lightly and glanced at Azhi, "The child is still here, we'll talk about it later."
Those feudal lords were torturing people in every possible way; he was afraid that Azhi would have nightmares if she heard about it.
"...I'm not a child anymore."
Azhi retorted angrily, "The professors at school told us that those princes were licentious and incompetent. Some forced women to bind their feet, and if they disobeyed, they would cut off a section of their feet. Some wantonly beat, scolded, and killed the palace servants. One of them even abducted more than 700 women from the local area..."
Pei Yuzhen was so shocked she dropped her chopsticks. "More than seven hundred? My God, even His Majesty doesn't have that many concubines!"
Then she realized something, "Wait a minute, why are you guys learning this?"
Ah Zhi shook her head like a little adult, "Princess Headmaster said that we can't 'turn a deaf ear to what's happening outside the window and only focus on studying the classics.' We also need to know what major events are happening in the court and what national policies are being issued, because they will be included in the exam questions."
Pei Yuzhen was filled with envy; even Azhi knew more than her now.
She nudged her youngest daughter and asked, "Does your school need someone to manage things? Or I could be one of those life skills instructors."
Azhi: ...
Suppressing a laugh, Shen Lingyue whispered to Yan Yi, "My aunt is really going all out to get a piece of the melon; she even wants to become a dormitory supervisor."
Yan Yi pursed her lips and remained silent. She glanced at the opposite side unintentionally and found that Meng Wanyin's expression was indifferent, as if she was displeased.
Pei Xian tried to serve her some food, but she stopped him with her chopsticks and said softly, "I'm full, you guys eat slowly."
After saying this, he got up and hurriedly left the table with his maid.
...
Yan Yi observed Meng Wanyin quietly for a few days and found that she did indeed have something on her mind.
She approached Shen Lingyue to discuss: "Mother must have felt sad because of the Princess Consort of Chun County. Why don't you talk to your second brother and ask him to spend more time with her at Tanghua Garden recently?"
There's an old saying that once a child marries, they forget their mother. Although children will naturally start their own families when they grow up, it's still hard for parents to shake off the feeling of being "abandoned."
This is something the two of them can't help with; only Pei Jinghuai, his own son, can do it.
Shen Lingyue readily agreed and that very night kicked Pei Jinghuai, who had returned home excitedly, out of the room.
Holding a food box of Fenglelou's new dishes, Pei Jinghuai was bewildered: "What did I do wrong again?"
"Hmm, you're unfilial." Shen Lingyue pretended to put on a stern face. "You bought some delicious food from outside, why didn't you give it to your mother to try first?"
"...Am I that kind of person?" Pei Jinghuai protested, "I already had Ping An send it over."
Shen Lingyue: "...Couldn't you just deliver it yourself!"
She accepted the food box, slammed the door shut, and said, "Go and talk to your mother. Come back in an hour."
Pei Jinghuai could only head towards Tanghua Garden, but he couldn't figure it out even after walking all the way.
His mother had told him to spend more time with his wife after he got married, and hasn't he always done that?
Besides, whenever he sees something delicious or fun outside, he never forgets to send a portion to Tanghua Garden.
Just as I reached the gate of the courtyard, I saw a tall figure approaching from the opposite road.
Pei Jinghuai held up the lantern and shone it on his face. "Big brother? Is there something you need from my mother?"
Pei Jingyi coughed lightly, too embarrassed to say that he had been moved by Yan Yi's words and had unknowingly walked over here.
Back at Jiusi Courtyard, Yan Yi chatted with him about Meng Wanyin's unusual behavior these past few days, and sighed, "Being a second wife is difficult. My mother and the Princess Consort of Chun County are both kind-hearted people, but their fates are very different just because they married into different families."
In comparison, Meng Wanyin would feel fortunate for her good luck, but she couldn't help feeling sad for her friend. Even her own good fortune became a secret she couldn't tell anyone.
Only kind people constantly engage in internal strife, taking the suffering of others into their own hearts.
Pei Jingyi had already learned the whole story of the farce of seizing the title at the Prince Chun's mansion from Yan Yi, and he was also shocked by Xiao Chuwen's viciousness.
Aren't Xiao Chuwen and Xiao Chuyang, in some ways, the counterparts to him and Huai Zhou?
Thinking of this, Pei Jingyi's voice softened a bit, and he shook his head, saying, "It's nothing. I just happened to be taking a walk here and thought I'd drop by to visit my mother."
Pei Jinghuai rolled his eyes. "Going from Jiusi Academy to here is considered convenient?"
He remembered how angry he was when Meng Wanyin secretly took care of Pei Jingyi when he was a child. He grabbed Pei Jingyi, who was half a head taller than him, and threatened him not to compete with him for his mother.
But that was all when I was a kid. Now...
Pei Jinghuai waved his hand generously: "Sure, let's go in together."
-----------------------
Author's Note: // I added a bit of Wu Qiong's inner thoughts. It seems everyone was misled by the "only daughter" part. The Crown Prince is purely evil; there's no hidden story. Wu Qiong only broke down because of the Princess Consort of Chun's words, "Don't call me mother." She felt that what she did was to atone for her sins, but wrong is wrong, and it can't be whitewashed. It can only be said that evil people will be punished by evil people.
//No extra update tonight. Just letting you know in advance that I'm taking a day off tomorrow and will post a leave notice. See you the day after tomorrow!
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