Chapter 293 Died in Despair
"What did you say? Tong Shiqing is dead? When did this happen?" Song Zhimian was startled.
How could Tong Shiqing have died so suddenly? He became a cripple, which was also the work of the retired emperor. However, in order to make Tong Shiqing regret his past blindness, the retired emperor ordered the Imperial Hospital to properly treat Tong Shiqing's health.
According to people from the Imperial Medical Academy, Tong Shiqing was fine except for his impotence in sexual intercourse.
"When could it have happened? He died the day before yesterday."
"I heard he died in his own study, with no one to serve him. He was still alive all night, and by the time the servants found him, he was already erect," Princess Shou Kang added.
Song Zhimian glanced into the palace; His Majesty was sleeping soundly.
"Let's go to the pavilion outside and ask the palace servants to bring some fruit over." Song Zhimian gestured for the two people to go to the pavilion further away.
Princess Shou Kang and Princess Yong Xin glanced into the palace, then walked toward the pavilion not far away.
Her Majesty has been working hard these past two days and is feeling quite unwell. There are also many matters to attend to in court, so it's best not to let her know about this.
That person... is not worthy of even a glance from His Majesty.
...
The three of them sat down in the pavilion, and the palace servants quickly placed ice basins next to them and brought them fruit.
"What exactly happened?" Song Zhimian gestured for the two of them to speak now.
Princess Yongxin looked around again and saw that the palace servants and eunuchs were all far away before she spoke.
"It happened the day before yesterday. At first, the Princess's mansion was in a panic, but Princess Jia Hui sent the person directly to the Tong family."
Since this person is from the Tong family, it would be better for the Tong family to handle his funeral arrangements!
As for the Tong family, no one can speak up now, so they can only take Tong Shiqing back. In addition, the weather is hot now, and the coffin cannot be left for a long time.
The Tong family hastily buried the person yesterday.
Song Zhimian was a little surprised.
They only laid the body to rest for one day before burying him? That doesn't make sense!
Even poor families keep a body for at least three days, how come their family...
"Is it really that simple?" Song Zhimian was a little skeptical.
Princess Shou Kang chimed in from the side.
"How could it really be that simple? It's hot now, so what wealthy family doesn't use ice in the summer?"
Even though the Tong family is not as powerful as it used to be, it still has a rich history and traditions.
Using the hot weather and the difficulty of placing the coffin as an excuse is far-fetched.
"Actually, the Tong family wanted to handle this matter discreetly as quickly as possible, and didn't want it to cause further gossip in the capital, so they hurriedly buried Tong Shiqing," Princess Shou Kang said softly.
Song Zhimian responded with an "oh".
Indeed, Tong Shiqing was quite a prominent figure in the capital before; even the daughter of a prince had taken a liking to him, and he was also the top scholar in the imperial examination…
They have an incredibly bright future ahead of them!
But what happened next was not what everyone expected.
Tong Shiqing was not given important positions; on the contrary, he was not even as good as the second and third place scholars and could only stay in the Hanlin Academy.
Even so, everyone still looked at this top scholar with special regard, after all, he was the son-in-law of the emperor, and Princess Jia Hui was the emperor's own niece, so there would definitely be other arrangements for him in the future.
But His Majesty seems to have forgotten about this person.
And then what happened? Ye Yunshu's identity was revealed; she was actually the most noble woman in Dayu, and the eldest princess of the royal family...
The way everyone looked at Tong Shiqing immediately changed.
When Tong Shiqing gave up Ye Yunshu, who had just joined the Censorate, and chose Princess Jia Hui instead, he was penny-wise and pound-foolish.
He, Tong Shiqing, is the biggest fool in the world.
No wonder His Majesty dislikes the Tong family and that top scholar...
Now Ye Yunshu has become an empress again, and she is pregnant.
If nothing goes wrong, Tong Shiqing will definitely be the emperor's consort, and the Tong family will become imperial relatives.
Now……
Everything is gone!
The Tong family is the biggest joke in Beijing!
"Then... how exactly did Tong Shiqing die? His body doesn't seem like it was a sudden death!" Song Zhimian was even more curious.
When asked how Tong Shiqing died, Princess Shou Kang and Princess Yongxin both rolled their eyes in disbelief.
"How else could he have died? He must have died of anger!" Princess Shou Kang said.
"He died of anger? Is he really that easily angered?" Song Zhimian was a little incredulous.
"She must have died of anger! Her eldest sister was the eldest princess of the royal family, and now she is the empress, the most noble person in Dayu."
What a load of rubbish he is! He's just a stinking man who climbed to the top by relying on his looks and women.
The more capable the eldest sister is, the more useless Tong Shiqing seems.
Besides, I sent so many male concubines to Princess Jia Hui. Who wasn't better looking than him?
Princess Jia Hui is having a great time indulging in male beauty. Can he stand that?
"She was so angry that she died," Princess Shou Kang said.
"It's true that he was angered to death, but not so much that he vomited blood! He couldn't take it anymore and killed himself!"
I went to the Ministry of Justice to inquire, and I heard that he was hanged with a rope, and when the servant found him, he was still hanging from the roof beam!
Those who went to pay their respects said there were obvious ligature marks on her neck. "Princess Yongxin said mysteriously.
Song Zhimian was startled.
"Could it be murder?"
“No!” Princess Yongxin and Princess Shoukang shook their heads at the same time.
"Who would kill him for no reason! Everyone's waiting to see him make a fool of himself! If we kill him, where will we find our amusement?"
"Exactly! We didn't want him to die, and Princess Jia Hui wouldn't want to cause trouble for herself. So he just couldn't get over it and hanged himself."
But saying "suicide by hanging" didn't sound good to outsiders, so they just said "sudden death" and buried him hastily.
"Alas, we can't send male concubines to Princess Jia Hui for the next two years. We have to make her observe three years of mourning in public!" Princess Shou Kang said, resting her chin on her hand.
Song Zhimian hummed in agreement, signaling the two to continue enjoying their gossip.
That sounds reasonable. Nobody wants to see Tong Shiqing die, and His Majesty doesn't care about Tong Shiqing at all.
Song Zhimian knew that after His Majesty ascended the throne, the Tong family secretly submitted a petition of apology, which His Majesty didn't even glance at...
"Song Zhimian, if your elder sister doesn't ask about this, then don't say anything."
She's pregnant now, so don't tell her these dirty things.
Even if she asks, only say what you can say, and don't say what you can't. Her health is precious, and you don't want her to offend anyone because of this." Princess Shou Kang whispered a reminder.
Song Zhimian quickly nodded to indicate that she understood.
After finishing their story, Princess Shou Kang and Princess Yong Xin clapped their hands and turned to leave.
"Why did you come in such a hurry? Please sit a while longer! His Majesty should wake up soon," Song Zhimian hurriedly said.
"No! I was just here to talk to you about this. Let your elder sister get some rest!"
"Mu Xiao and I still have things to do!" Princess Shou Kang said, and hurriedly tried to pull Princess Yongxin away.
"Where are you two going?" Song Zhimian asked, even more curious.
"Playing mahjong! The kind with those 160 tiles that you taught us about before!"
That's more fun than the Leaf Cards. I had the Imperial Household Department make a new set, made of white jade, it's wonderful!
"I just told my mother today that Mu Xiao and I are here to play mahjong with her!" Princess Shou Kang said with a chuckle, then pulled Princess Yongxin away.
Song Zhimian...
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