Chapter 22 The Empress Dowager's Feast at Hongmen
As the saying goes, "The nail that sticks out gets hammered down."
Jiang Mianmian has been living a very comfortable life in the Regent's Palace lately. Not only has she taken over the management of the household, but she has also managed to win over the young emperor, who has become her devoted fan. Eventually, this news reached the ears of the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace.
Early that morning, an imperial edict was delivered to the Prince's residence.
"The Empress Dowager summoned the Regent's wife to the palace for a talk."
The eunuch delivering the imperial decree gave a forced smile, his eyes revealing a gloating sense of "you're finished."
In the main courtyard, Jiang Mianmian was still holding half a steamed bun meant for feeding the fish. After hearing the imperial decree, she felt as if a flock of crows had flown overhead.
[Narrate? Narrate your nonsense!]
[Is this the legendary Feast at Hongmen? It must be because my teaching the little emperor "deception" was exposed, and the old hag is going to settle scores with me! If I go there, I'll probably go in upright and come out horizontal.]
I wonder if it's too late for me to fake illness now? Like, a sudden, serious illness, like foaming at the mouth?
Shen Jin was sitting beside her drinking tea. Hearing her inner hesitation, he put down his teacup and slowly stood up.
"Since the Empress Dowager has invited us, then let us go."
Jiang Mianmian looked at him pleadingly: "Big brother, aren't you going to save me? Are you just going to watch me go and die?"
Shen Jin glanced at her, a slight smile playing on his lips: "I also need to go to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. Your Highness, please come with me."
Jiang Mianmian breathed a sigh of relief.
[Phew...that scared me to death. With this big Buddha statue protecting me, that old hag wouldn't dare to stew me on the spot.]
...
The Cining Palace was filled with the wisps of incense smoke, yet it exuded a suffocating sense of oppression.
Today, the Empress Dowager wore a dark red phoenix robe and sat on a high seat, turning a string of Buddhist prayer beads in her hand. Her well-maintained face showed no emotion, but her slanted eyes were fixed on Jiang Mianmian, who had just entered.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Jiang Mianmian bowed obediently.
Shen Jin stood beside her, merely bowing slightly: "Empress Dowager."
The Empress Dowager did not rouse her, but coldly stared at Jiang Mianmian, leaving her waiting for a while before slowly speaking:
"I've heard that the Regent's Consort has been quite busy lately. Not only does she manage the household affairs of the Prince's residence, but she also has to go to the palace to instruct the Emperor? What, does the Consort think that the Grand Tutor is not teaching well, or does she think that I, the Empress Dowager... am just a figurehead?"
This huge accusation could crush a person.
Jiang Mianmian maintained her half-squatting position, her legs were a little sore.
[I knew it! This old menopausal woman was definitely looking for trouble!]
[What do you mean by "teaching an emperor"? I was providing psychological counseling! If it weren't for me, your son would have developed depression sooner or later! Instead of thanking me, you come here to interrogate me?]
[Ouch, my legs are numb. Why isn't this old hag telling me to get up? Does she want me to kneel down? Dream on! I'm squatting, I've trained in squats, my core strength is strong, I'll make you regret it!]
Seeing that Jiang Mianmian was keeping her head down and not speaking (actually cursing in her heart), the Empress Dowager assumed that she was afraid, so she became even more aggressive:
"What? Have you lost your tongue? Where did that crazy energy you had when you were playing the zither at the palace banquet go? Jiang Mianmian, don't think that just because the Regent is protecting you, you can act with impunity. In this chaotic harem, I'm still the one who calls the shots!"
"Guards! The Regent's Consort is disrespectful and has bewitched the Emperor. Drag her out and slap her twenty times! Let her learn her lesson!"
At the Empress Dowager's command, two burly old women rushed forward menacingly.
Jiang Mianmian was startled.
[Holy crap! Are you serious? Twenty slaps in the face? Won't I be disfigured?]
[Be careful! Protect the Emperor! Quickly, protect the Emperor! Your wife is about to be beaten!]
Shen Jin's eyes sharpened, and he was about to step forward to stop him.
However, in that split second, a sudden flash of inspiration struck Jiang Mianmian, and a shocking piece of gossip about the Empress Dowager came rushing through her mind like a barrage of comments—
[Hmph, this old hag is so arrogant, isn't it just because she has some secret guards left by the late emperor? What's with the act of pretending to be a virtuous and chaste woman? Everyone knows how dirty her methods were to rise to power!]
[And...hehehe, the book seems to have mentioned something about the Empress Dowager having a shameful secret. Her so-called "adopted son," the current commander of the Imperial Guard, Lei Zhen, is actually not an adopted son at all; he's her illegitimate child!]
[Tsk tsk tsk, back when the late emperor was still alive, she had an affair with that so-called commander of the imperial guards, became pregnant, and after the baby was born, she lied and said it died, but actually secretly raised it outside the palace, and later brought it into the palace to become the commander of the imperial guards. If this were to be exposed, forget becoming the Empress Dowager, she'd be drowned in a pig cage ten times over!]
boom--!
This thought struck Chen Jin like a thunderbolt from the heavens.
Shen Jin, who had just taken a step, suddenly stopped, and his pupils contracted sharply.
An illegitimate child?!
Lei Zhen, commander of the Imperial Guards?!
Lei Zhen, who commands 30,000 imperial guards and is usually obedient to the Empress Dowager, is actually the Empress Dowager's own son.
This is not just a palace scandal, but also earth-shattering intelligence concerning the succession of imperial power!
If Lei Zhen is the Empress Dowager's son, then what is the young Emperor Shen Xingchen? What if the Empress Dowager harbors ulterior motives and wants her illegitimate son to ascend the throne...?
Shen Jin felt a chill run down his spine, but what followed was a surge of ecstatic joy at having absolute leverage over him.
What a remarkable Jiang Mianmian! What a master of "mind reading"!
She's not here to be punished; she's clearly here to deliver nuclear weapons to him!
"Wait a minute."
Shen Jin suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but carrying an irresistible chill.
The two old women froze in mid-air.
The Empress Dowager frowned: "Is the Regent openly defying the imperial decree?"
Shen Jin turned around, not looking at the two old women, but instead gazing intently at the Empress Dowager. At this moment, the murderous intent in his eyes had completely vanished, replaced by a playful, cat-and-mouse expression.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger."
Shen Jin smiled faintly, waved his sleeve, and an invisible force directly pushed the two old women back several steps. "I just suddenly remembered an old matter and would like to have a private talk with the Empress Dowager."
"Old stories?" The Empress Dowager's heart skipped a beat. "What old stories could I possibly have to tell you?"
"About...Commander Lei's old story."
Shen Jin deliberately emphasized the three words "Commander Lei," his gaze sharp and piercing straight into the Empress Dowager's eyes.
The Empress Dowager's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand snapped with a "crack".
The beads rolled to the ground with a crisp sound, just like her psychological defenses collapsing at that moment.
"You...all of you, step back!"
The Empress Dowager's voice trembled, and she almost screamed as she dismissed everyone around her.
Soon, only three people remained in the vast Cining Palace.
Jiang Mianmian squatted on the ground, looking completely bewildered.
[What's going on? Commander Lei? Why is Shen Jin suddenly mentioning Lei Zhen? Does he also know about that scandal?]
[Impossible! This is a super-hidden plot point revealed only in the original book's side story, and Shen Jin hasn't even read the novel... Could these two have some kind of shady deal?]
Shen Jin ignored Jiang Mianmian's wild thoughts. He walked up to the Empress Dowager, lowered his voice, and said in a volume only the three of them could hear:
"Your Majesty, you surely know more about Lei Zhen's 'background' than I do. If this background were to reach the Imperial Clan Court, or... if it were to reach the ears of the entire nation, do you think Your Majesty would still be able to sit securely on this throne in the Cining Palace?"
The Empress Dowager gripped the armrest tightly, her fingernails breaking. She looked at Shen Jin, her eyes filled with fear and despair.
He knows!
He actually found out!
She kept this secret for twenty years, and even Lei Zhen himself didn't know it. How did Shen Jin find out?
Could he be a ghost or a deity?
"What...what do you want?" The Empress Dowager seemed to age ten years in an instant, slumping on her phoenix chair.
"It's very simple."
Shen Jin glanced at Jiang Mianmian, who was still squatting on the ground, a hint of doting in his eyes. "The Princess Consort is frail and cannot withstand fright, let alone torture like slapping. In the future, it would be best for the Princess Consort to come to Cining Palace less often. What does the Empress Dowager think?"
The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and glared at Jiang Mianmian with hatred.
She never imagined that she would fall for this seemingly foolish woman (although she thought she would fall for Shen Jin).
"Fine..." The Empress Dowager squeezed out a single word through gritted teeth, "From now on... I will not summon her to the palace again."
"besides."
Shen Jin pressed his advantage, saying, "Commander Lei has been overworking lately. I think he should retire and return to his hometown. It would be better to replace the position of Commander of the Imperial Guards with someone... someone with a clean record."
This is an attempt to seize power!
The Empress Dowager's heart was bleeding; that was her only son, and her biggest trump card!
But if she doesn't agree, once her true identity is exposed, not only will she die, but Lei Zhen will also die, and it might even implicate their entire family.
"...I grant your permission." The Empress Dowager closed her eyes, and two lines of clear tears streamed down her face.
It's over.
It's all over.
...
Emerging from the Cining Palace, the sun was shining brightly.
Jiang Mianmian walked along the palace path, still feeling dizzy.
[That's... all done?]
[Wasn't it supposed to be twenty slaps? How come after Shen Jin whispered a few words to the old woman, she let us go like she'd been possessed? She even agreed to replace the Imperial Guard commander?]
What exactly did Shen Jin say? Did he really have nude photos of the Empress Dowager? No, there were no cameras in ancient times… then it must be some incredibly serious incriminating evidence!
[Commander Lei… Could it be that Shen Jin also knows Lei Zhen is an illegitimate child? My god, that scoundrel is terrifying! Does his intelligence network span the entire universe?]
Shen Jin walked beside her, listening to her wildly imaginative guesses, and felt more relaxed than ever before.
Spread throughout the entire universe?
No, my intelligence network is right beside me.
He stopped and turned to look at Jiang Mianmian.
"What? Does the princess seem disappointed? Does she want to go back and receive those twenty slaps?"
Jiang Mianmian shook her head vigorously: "No, no! Your Highness is mighty! Your Highness is domineering! Your Highness is my second parents!"
"There's no need for second parents."
Shen Jin reached out and straightened the hair ornament that had become slightly crooked when she bowed earlier. "As long as the Princess thinks about 'this kind of thing' more often in the future, I will be satisfied."
"This kind of thing?" Jiang Mianmian was taken aback. "What kind of thing?"
[Is it about swearing? Or just being a bystander?]
He remained calm and composed, only smiling and silent.
I want more of these kinds of shocking gossip.
After all, with this human intelligence database, who in this chaotic imperial court could possibly be his match?
"Let's go home."
Shen Jin took her hand and said, "You've done a great job today. When we get back... I'll reward you with pig's trotters."
"Pig's trotters?!"
Jiang Mianmian's eyes lit up instantly, forgetting her previous doubts. "I want braised! And also... stewed with soybeans! To replenish collagen!"
[Yay! No need to get beaten up and I even get to eat pig's trotters! Is this what a life of effortless success is like? I love it!]
Watching the two figures depart, Yingyi on the palace wall wiped away a cold sweat.
Although he didn't hear what the prince said clearly in Cining Palace, he saw the Empress Dowager's grief-stricken expression.
Our prince is becoming more and more unfathomable.
And his own princess...
Shadow One looked at the back of the figure that was still jumping around and shouting that it wanted to eat pig's trotters.
Yes, the princess is getting more and more fortunate in terms of food.
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