Chapter 82 Wedding Night Pranks
After visiting the Emperor, Zhou Chuanxing prepared to leave the palace.
The Empress's personal maid rushed over and stopped him: "Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The little princess has suddenly developed a fever and keeps calling for her second uncle. Her Majesty is completely distraught. You must go and take a look at her."
The Emperor has only this one child.
No, that's not right. The three brothers and their little sister are all that's left of their bloodline.
How could he not be in pain?
"Did they call the imperial physician? What did they say?"
Zhou Chuanxing hurriedly rushed to the inner palace, asking Granny Jiang questions along the way.
Granny Jiang was old and couldn't keep up with Zhou Chuanxing's pace. She was panting heavily as she ran. "I called her. She took her medicine just now, but there's no improvement at all."
“These useless people,” Zhou Chuanxing snapped, “call over all the imperial physicians.”
Granny Jiang and the Empress had other ideas, so they dared not call the imperial physician over.
"Your Highness, the little princess has just taken her medicine and shouldn't take any more. She just keeps calling for you. Perhaps she'll feel better after you see her."
Zhou Chuanxing knew that his little niece was most attached to him.
Unfortunately, he was a military man and really didn't know how to coax a child.
Every time I interact with my little niece, it's awkward.
Every time, he could see his little niece wanting to get close to him but also looking a little scared.
Zhou Chuan's every step was equivalent to two steps for an ordinary person, and he quickly arrived at Fengzao Palace.
Where is the rising sun?
Granny Jiang pointed to the Empress's bedroom, "There."
Since it was Zhou Chuanxing's first time visiting Fengzao Palace, he was naturally unfamiliar with its layout and did not know that the place Jiang Mama had pointed him to was actually the Empress's bedroom.
He hurried inside and found the room warm and inviting, with gauze curtains, burning red candles, and an alluring atmosphere.
I don't know what kind of incense they used, but the fragrance was so strong it stirred my soul.
He fought for more than a decade and only returned to the capital in the last two years. He hasn't had a good life since.
I thought all the concubines' palaces were like this.
Concerned only for her little niece, she cried, "Where's Chaoyang? Chaoyang—"
Looking around, she couldn't see her little niece and guessed that Granny Jiang might have led her astray in her haste.
He planned to search in other bedrooms.
Just then, a pair of soft arms wrapped around her from behind.
A woman's sweet fragrance wafted over.
Zhou Chuanxing instinctively pulled the person away.
The empress wore only a pale yellow strapless dress.
Her fair and radiant skin was revealed.
She is beautiful and experienced, knows what makes her alluring, and tries her best to show her seductive side.
She puffed out her chest and swayed her serpentine waist as she leaned against Zhou Chuanxing.
"Erlang, why the rush!"
Zhou Chuanxing was not a man who showed mercy to women. The fragrance on the Empress disgusted him, and he frowned and took a step back. "Sister-in-law, where is Chaoyang?"
The empress only wanted to ignite his passion, so she pressed herself against him.
"Does Erlang only care about his niece and not about me, his sister-in-law?"
Zhou Chuanxing suddenly realized that his niece's illness was a pretense, and his sister-in-law's flirtatious behavior was the real reason.
"Please, Your Majesty, show some self-respect."
They actually lied to him; if it were anyone else, they would have killed them with a single sword stroke.
But the Empress gave birth to his elder brother's only daughter.
He was separated from his parents at a young age and knows how pitiful children without parents are, so naturally he doesn't want his niece to follow in his footsteps.
So he tried his best to control his fiery temper and ultimately refrained from taking action.
The Empress was still not giving up. "What's so good about a stinky man? Erlang, you've never experienced the taste of a woman. If you'd ever experienced it, you'd know that women are much better than men."
She continued to cling to Zhou Chuanxing, saying, "Don't worry, Erlang, your sister-in-law won't interfere with your keeping male concubines. As long as you come in and keep your sister-in-law company on the first and fifteenth of each month, your sister-in-law will be happy."
Zhou Chuanxing could not tolerate such reckless words.
"Pretend that Chuanxing never came today."
He pushed the person away without any pity and strode away from the palace.
The imperial harem was perfumed with aphrodisiacs, but fortunately, the effects were not severe.
When Zhou Chuan reached the palace gate, the burning restlessness in his heart had vanished without a trace.
It seems that Grand Tutor Wang cannot be allowed to live.
Without the Wang family, the Empress would be more well-behaved; with the Wang family around, who knows what trouble they might cause.
If they dare to defile the harem today, they'll surely kill the emperor tomorrow.
"Guards, imprison the entire Wang family and seal off the Grand Tutor's residence."
Zhou Chuanxing had just left Fengzao Palace when he was approached by another man.
The empress was rejected, and feeling ashamed, embarrassed, and embarrassed, she couldn't help but take her anger out on all the furnishings in the room.
Suddenly someone hugged her from behind.
"Sister-in-law—"
A man's warm breath brushed past his ear, and his long-dormant body instantly melted into a soft sensation.
I thought Zhou Chuan had gone and returned.
I knew no man could resist her allure.
"Erlang..."
She felt unbearably hot all over and pressed her lips against his as he leaned in.
Like dry wood meeting a raging fire, they quickly became entangled.
The two fell onto the bed together, and only then did the empress realize who the man she was being intimate with was.
"Fourth brother?"
She suddenly went berserk and pushed Prince Rui.
However, Prince Rui was very strong, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't push him away.
"Sister-in-law, don't waste your energy. You've already dismissed the people from Fengzao Palace. No one will come even if you shout until you're hoarse."
In order to have pleasure with Zhou Chuanxing, the Empress did indeed drive away all the palace maids and eunuchs.
This made things convenient for Prince Rui.
"You're shameless! I'm your sister-in-law!"
"Royal sister-in-law?" Prince Rui smiled slyly and greasyly. "Why can my second brother touch me but I can't? Sister-in-law, my second brother likes men, so don't waste your time. I'm the one who's truly good to you."
"Sister-in-law, you smell so good, you've mesmerized me."
"Sister-in-law, just give in to me, I promise I'll treat you well."
...
Prince Rui could utter sweet words without hesitation.
Fengzao Palace lit another aphrodisiac incense, and she couldn't resist the man in front of her at all. Half-heartedly, she gave in, and the two of them consummated their relationship.
“Sister-in-law, when my second brother becomes emperor, not only will the Grand Tutor’s family not survive, but even you, the woman who gave birth to the princess, will not live.”
The Empress disliked Prince Rui, and even though they had a relationship, she didn't treat him well.
"What do you mean?"
Prince Rui said, "The only way to ensure the royal family's lasting wealth and prosperity is for you to support me as emperor."
The Empress didn't believe Prince Rui at all. "You? How could you possibly compete with the second prince?"
Prince Rui alone is indeed not enough.
“As long as my sister-in-law loves me, I will have a way to ascend the throne.”
How could the Empress possibly believe that?
Prince Rui whispered his plan in her ear.
The Empress was startled: "You mean the Emperor can still recover?"
Prince Rui nodded: "Imperial Physician Yang is one of my men."
The Empress hesitated.
But she had nowhere else to go.
Zhou Chuanxing doesn't want her, and he's keeping a close eye on the Wang family. Once the Emperor passes away, he'll definitely come after her.
She's not even thirty yet, how could she be willing to spend her whole life in the cold palace?
"What benefit would I get from helping you?"
Prince Rui had planned this all along. "Hasn't my sister-in-law noticed that the princess I married looks at least 70% like you?"
The Empress had indeed heard palace maids discussing that Princess Rui resembled her.
Prince Rui laughed and said, "It's not easy for the Prince's mansion to lose one or two women. When the time comes, you will be my Princess Rui. When I ascend the throne, you will still be the Empress. Change your clothes, don't see outsiders for three to five months, and replace all the palace maids and eunuchs. Who can tell whether you are the former Empress or the current Empress?"
The Empress was tempted, but she still had reservations: "Is the second prince so easily fooled?"
Prince Rui scoffed, "By then, he would have long since reunited with the ancestors. Only Prince Duan would remain. If he's obedient, keep him; if not, let his brothers all go to the underworld together. Sister-in-law, what do you think of this idea?"
The Queen still disagreed, until she heard that her father's family had been imprisoned.
He was so angry he almost ground his teeth to powder.
"Zhou Chuanxing, he's gone too far!"
...
Without Zhou Chuanxing's instruction, after the Wang family was imprisoned, memorials from the Censorate impeaching the Wang family flew into the Qin Zheng Hall like snowflakes.
Soon, someone brought up the Tang family's rebellion case from back then.
Zhou Chuan ordered the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, the newly appointed Minister of Justice, and Prince Duan to jointly investigate the case.
Within a month, a total of twenty-eight charges against Grand Tutor Wang were compiled.
These include forming cliques for personal gain, conspiring with princes to rebel, embezzlement and bribery, murder to cover up wrongful convictions, and fabricating false cases.
Each of these points is enough to sentence Grand Tutor Wang to death.
Princess Chaoli got married in early December.
As the Emperor's only sister, her wedding ceremony was naturally of the highest standard in the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Zhou Chuanxing watched as his younger sister was picked up by Li Zhengyan, his eyes reddening.
Now that his younger brother and sister have both found their own partners, he, as the older brother, can say that he has fulfilled his duty to his parents.
Some time ago, he promoted Li Zhengyan to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, a fourth-rank official.
Although it wasn't a high position for the princess, he was still young and had a bright future ahead of him.
Prince Duan was initially unwilling, complaining that the Li family's social standing was insufficient and that Li Zhengyan's official rank was too low.
I plan to observe for a while and find evidence that the Li family is unsuitable for the marriage so that my second brother can cancel the engagement.
However, she discovered that Li Zhengyan had the demeanor of a distinguished family, and her younger sister genuinely liked him, so she was always happy to see him.
As the older brother, he gradually accepted the situation.
Today, when I saw my younger sister off, she looked like she had been crying; her eyes were red and her throat was choked with sobs.
“In the blink of an eye, my little sister is already married. If our parents are watching from heaven, they can rest in peace.”
Zhou Chuanxing sighed, "How are things between you and Yan Qing? I told you to have a child soon, but there's still no sign of it?"
Prince Duan was too embarrassed to say that he and his wife had been married for more than three months but had not yet consummated their marriage.
"Second brother, I don't need you to worry about me."
Zhou Chuanxing stared at him with an expression that said, "How could you be so useless?" and said, "I've heard that both of the fourth prince's concubines are pregnant."
Prince Duan has been busy with the trial of Grand Tutor Wang lately and hasn't had time to pay attention to these matters.
"The fourth one is quite something, managing to produce two at once. He must have at least one son."
The two of them then fell silent for a moment.
The emperor's lack of a son led to a period of great chaos in the court.
Fortunately, with Zhou Chuanxing in charge, many talented people were recruited after the imperial examinations, and the system gradually returned to normal.
Neither of them has children yet, so whoever succeeds them will be a problem in the future.
If Prince Rui were to have a son, it would certainly be of great benefit to his struggle for the throne.
"By the way, second brother, where's your wife?"
Zhou Chuanxing had originally invited Tang Xinuan to go to the palace with him to see Princess Chaoli off.
But the young girl thought the palace wasn't lively enough, so she went to the Li residence early to wait, as she was going to have a wedding night prank.
Grand Tutor Wang has already been sentenced to death.
The injustice done to the Tang family has been investigated and clarified.
If it weren't for Princess Chaoli's wedding and the fact that it was almost the end of the year, he really wouldn't have had the time; the memorial announcing the Tang family's exoneration to the world would have already been sent out.
The little girl has been especially happy these past two days, constantly hovering around him, talking about Erlang this and Erlang that.
Originally, the judges had agreed to carry out the death sentence after the start of the new year.
He deliberately moved the date forward to the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.
The young girl had already planned that on the day of her execution, she would personally witness the execution and see the heads of Wang Taishi's entire family fall to the ground.
Zhou Chuanxing also made a decision that he would accompany her that day.
And on that day, they restored the reputation of the Tang family.
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