Chapter 111: She Did Nothing Wrong and Has No Regrets
Su Zhenzhen immediately wanted to gag Huo Erniang, and as she made a hand seal, an invisible talisman flew towards her mouth.
Just as it was about to be applied, a clear, crisp voice rang out.
"Go on."
Hensheng's expression remained unchanged, revealing neither joy nor anger.
Su Zhenzhen sighed inwardly and put the talisman away.
Based on the information we've gathered so far, Jiang Yichun is at least a positive character. Even if he meant well but ended up doing bad things, it just means he lacked the ability to do so.
But now, with the emperor still alive, the crown prince is getting involved with a prince from another region, which seems suspicious no matter how you look at it.
Hensheng naturally understood the unspeakable aspect, but he still wanted to hear what exactly happened.
His biological parents were both unfamiliar and distant to him, but his naturally responsible nature made him willing to shoulder the burden.
Therefore, he wanted to know what kind of person the person closest to him by blood was in everyone's eyes.
Huo Erniang sensed the talisman as soon as it was cast and immediately fell silent in fright.
Seeing that everyone was waiting for her to continue, she boldly continued speaking.
The story begins with the fable told by the Imperial Advisor. The allure of a benevolent ruler throughout history is simply too great; no emperor could resist it.
Since he couldn't be the greatest emperor of all time, he could be the father of one. Future historians would praise him for raising such an outstanding ruler.
Emperor Chang was obsessed with this, and since he had few children, he sent a message to the collateral branches of the Jiang family, instructing them to search for noblewomen among the common people.
The news naturally reached the ears of the King of Lu.
King Lu didn't really believe in these things. If the kingdom could be secured for thousands of generations by having a woman give birth to an heir, then what would be the point of having an army and food supplies?
However, this did not prevent King Lu from using the pretext of seeking noble ladies to amass a large number of beautiful women.
At that time, Emperor Chang was preoccupied with the future virtuous ruler whose whereabouts were still unknown, leaving Crown Prince Jiang Yichun in a very awkward position.
With the birth of a benevolent ruler, the crown prince would inevitably be deposed. However, with so many of his supporters in the court, Emperor Chang would certainly do something to him as a precaution.
Jiang Yichun had no choice but to act in secret. On the surface, he was ordered by Emperor Chang to go out and find the noble lady, but in reality, he secretly came to Shanxian County, disguised himself, and became a county magistrate under the rule of Prince Lu.
King Lu had a fondness for young and beautiful women, so Jiang Yichun simply went along with it, offering all the single women who came and went from Shanxian County to King Lu in order to gain his support.
In this way, even if a benevolent ruler were to be born one day, and Emperor Chang wanted to kill him to eliminate future troubles, Jiang Yichun could hide in the fiefdom of the Prince of Lu.
In truth, Jiang Yichun secretly hoped that Prince Lu would find that noblewoman, so that the benevolent ruler of all ages would not be of her own blood, and Emperor Chang could wholeheartedly teach his crown prince, and Jiang Yichun would no longer have to live in fear.
Many people from the collateral branches set out to search for this noblewoman, but they couldn't find a single clue.
But Emperor Chang seemed to be possessed, believing that this noblewoman must exist in the world.
Jiang Yichun, who had initially been somewhat swayed, had to pull herself together again. Whether the noblewoman truly existed was not important; what mattered was that Emperor Chang insisted on having a benevolent ruler as his successor.
This undoubtedly pushed Jiang Yichun further towards Prince Lu's side.
Jiang Yichun felt that it was not enough to win over the Prince of Lu with her beauty alone. She needed to carefully cultivate a beautiful woman to accompany the prince and whisper sweet nothings in his ear from time to time, so that he could feel at ease.
The person Jiang Yichun chose was Huo Erniang.
She came from a distinguished family; she was the younger sister of a general who held a fiefdom under the Prince of Lu.
If Huo Erniang marries Prince Lu, it will undoubtedly bind him, Prince Lu, and the Northwest Army together.
However, King Lu only liked young and beautiful women.
Jiang Yichun spared no expense in collecting aphrodisiacs from all over the world to keep Huo Erniang's body in the shape of a young woman in her late twenties.
Hearing this, Su Zhenzhen was already a little numb. This group of people from the Jiang Dynasty were all lunatics.
Why did you die in the well? Was it suicide or murder?
Huo Erniang looked grief-stricken and indignant, her body radiating resentment, and it was clear that the situation was not good.
Su Zhenzhen quickly snapped her fingers again, "Hey, look at me!"
Huo Erniang calmed down. "I was originally born into a noble family, but I became an illegitimate child because my maternal grandfather committed a crime. But I am still the second young lady of the Huo family. How can I follow Prince Lu without a name or status? I once thought of killing Jiang Yichun and then telling the world about the royal family's scandal, but unfortunately, my abilities were limited, and I was trapped in a cage. I could only end my life. I wandered around the mountain county with this resentment in my heart. Over time, my soul scattered and my consciousness fell into chaos."
At this point, the cause and effect have been explained clearly.
The expressions of the people present varied.
Jiang Sijin's eyes were full of surprise; she hadn't expected Jiang Yichun to have such a story.
The expressions of Qingshan and the others were not good. Huo Zhenyue was loyal to Jiang Yichun, and they were loyal to Huo Family Army.
But did the general know that his revered crown prince had also done such shameful things?
Although Jiang Yichun was under immense pressure at the time, with no telling when it would fall, it was understandable that he would collude with the Prince of Lu to save himself.
However, forcing a woman into prostitution is against the natural order, not to mention that one of the women is a member of the Huo family.
Su Zhenzhen finally focused her gaze on Hensheng.
The 21-year-old young man had exceptionally handsome features. Even just standing still, he exuded an ethereal, otherworldly aura, unlike any mortal.
Hensheng's bright eyes flickered, reflecting a soft, fragmented light, and he said gently, "Thank you for telling me about my biological father's past."
Only then did Huo Erniang realize Hensheng's true identity.
"You...you're actually a member of the Jiang family's royal family? And a direct descendant!"
Huo Erniang's resentment began to stir again. "I want you to personally carry the coffin. If your ancestors hadn't been so wicked, why would I have died so young?"
Hensheng nodded in agreement, without the slightest hint of reluctance.
Huo Erniang's expression was unpleasant. "You are quite different from your hypocritical father."
Hensheng nodded slightly. "He is him, and I am me. Everything I do is only to have a clear conscience, and I hope Miss Huo feels the same way."
"Thud—"
The causal chain was untied, and all the resentment that Huo Erniang had felt since childhood, from being given a secret drug in her teenage years to ultimately sacrificing her life to preserve her innocence, was resolved at this moment.
Does she have a clear conscience? She didn't regret resenting her maternal grandfather when she was young, after all, she was also a victim of the situation.
She didn't regret plotting against the butcher; she was only doing it to protect herself.
Later, she was taken hostage by Jiang Yichun, but she harbored immense resentment.
How could a woman of her birth serve such an ugly man as the Prince of Lu? She didn't even have a proper title.
Huo Erniang couldn't accept it, so she ran away, and when she couldn't escape, she threw herself into a well.
He must have resented Jiang Yichun, and at the same time, he was wondering if this was his retribution. If he hadn't angered the butcher to death, would he have had to go south again? And would he have been defeated by Jiang Yichun?
This resentment lingered in her heart for decades until she heard Hensheng say "I have a clear conscience."
She did nothing wrong, and she has no regrets.
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