Jiang Ziyan was speechless after being confronted by Su Zhilan, "Crown Princess..."
Just as he opened his mouth, he saw Song Hongshen walking over from behind Su Zhilan.
"Is what the Crown Princess said wrong? Or does Her Majesty the Consort Chen think that even the servants of Guanju Palace can bully the Crown Princess?"
He walked steadily and stopped beside Su Zhilan.
The fierce aura oppressed Jiang Ziyan, forcing her to bow her head.
"Aunt Wan, you offended the Crown Princess. Slap yourself in the face."
Aunt Wan naturally didn't dare to say anything more and knelt on the ground and slapped her face.
Jiang Ziyan listened to the sound of slaps from Aunt Wan beside her and the wailing of Jiang Shuyun on the other side, and felt that all her face had been lost in the East Palace.
She stared at Song Hongshen, and after Aunt Wan had slapped him ten times, she said, "Since these are all matters of the Eastern Palace, then I really have no right to interfere."
"Let's go."
Su Zhilan and Song Hongshen didn't say a word and just watched Jiang Ziyan leave.
After Jiang Ziyan left the East Palace, Su Zhilan turned around and asked, "Is Your Highness okay?"
She looked Song Hongshen up and down and saw that apart from his bad complexion, there was nothing else unusual about him.
Song Hongshen reached out and gently stroked Su Zhilan's face, then retracted his hand. "It's okay now. Sorry to have worried you."
Jiang Shuyun was lucky after all. He was beaten with thirty boards but still alive.
Su Zhilan kept her word and decided to let the matter go and not pursue it any further.
Su Zhilan was not harsh on Jiang Shuyun when it came to food, clothing, and medical treatment.
Everyone thought that the matter was over, but who would have thought that three days later, General Fuguo and Marquis Jingyuan jointly submitted a memorial to impeach the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess.
That morning, Emperor Xuande didn't want to go to the court, but Jiang Ziyan coaxed him to go.
After entering the palace, General Zheng Jin knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, I want to impeach His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Emperor Xuande was puzzled. Zheng Jin had just returned to Beijing from the western border. Why would he impeach the prince for no reason?
He remembered that there was a concubine in the Eastern Palace, who was Zheng Jin's daughter.
"General Zheng, if you have something to say, please stand up and speak."
Zheng Jin did not stand up, but instead knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to the emperor.
"Your Majesty, I have fought bravely outside, seeking nothing but peace and prosperity for the Great Zhou."
"Even if I die on the battlefield, I will never complain."
Emperor Xuande didn't know what Zheng Jin meant, so why was he praising himself?
He then agreed dryly, "General Zheng is loyal. I know that, and so do all the ministers."
Zheng Jin continued, "What I never expected was that while I was protecting the Great Zhou, my daughter was being humiliated."
Emperor Xuande was even more surprised. "What do you mean, General Zheng? Even though your daughter is the Crown Prince's concubine, she has also been crowned the Imperial Jade Butterfly."
He thought that Zheng Jin was dissatisfied with his daughter's position, which was why he acted like this in the hall.
Unexpectedly, Zheng Jin said, "My daughter is nothing but a concubine. Just because she's used to practicing swordplay at night, she's been confined by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince until now."
"Your Highness, if you had any consideration for the ancestors of our Zheng family who died on the battlefield, you shouldn't have humiliated my daughter like this."
"Your Majesty, please help my daughter."
Emperor Xuande didn't know that Zheng Nanqing was under house arrest, so he looked at Song Hongshen and asked, "What's going on?"
Song Hongshen did not hide anything and talked about what happened that day.
Emperor Xuande lowered his head and pondered, not saying a word for a long time.
Sword dancing? Who would dance with a sword next to an unfamiliar Merlin on the day they enter the palace?
Zheng Nanqing's thoughts were clear to see.
But the prince also thought that a few words of reprimand would be enough, and there was no need to confine the person to house arrest for half a year.
After a while, Emperor Xuande said, "I know what you said. Prince, go back and release him."
Song Hongshen didn't refute a word, "Yes, father."
Zheng Jin was stunned. Was this the end of it? Did His Royal Highness the Crown Prince agree to it?
He turned his head to look at Marquis Jingyuan and gave him a wink.
This was what they had discussed, to let the Crown Prince know that the concubines and royal ladies also had backers.
When the Crown Princess comes of age, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will consider what happened today and will certainly show more pity to the daughters of these families.
Even if it's just for show, it's better than the current situation.
Marquis Jingyuan walked to the center of the hall, knelt on the ground and said, "Your Majesty, the Jiang family also requires your Majesty to make the decision."
Emperor Xuande saw Lord Jingyuan joining in the fun and said unhappily, "What happened to the Jiang family?"
Marquis Jingyuan said, "My niece's daughter is also a concubine of the Eastern Palace. She was almost beaten to death by the Crown Princess a few days ago."
"I accuse the Crown Princess of jealousy and vicious thoughts."
Emperor Xuande looked at Song Hongshen again. How come he hadn't heard of this? What was going on in the Eastern Palace?
Song Hongshen talked about Jiang Shuyun's plot against him that day again.
Then he said in a cold voice: "The Crown Princess spared her life. She has already shown leniency and is a kind-hearted person."
"The Jiang family is so ungrateful that they slander the Crown Princess. I suspect they have ulterior motives."
Marquis Jingyuan naturally knew what happened that day, but he said, "Your Highness, have you wronged Shu Yun? How could she dare to do such a thing?"
"Even if she really did something to Your Highness, I think that is human nature and can be forgiven."
"On the contrary, it was the Crown Princess who used this excuse to treat Shu Yun so harshly. If that's not jealousy, what is it?"
Marquis Jingyuan's move was tantamount to breaking off relations with the Crown Prince.
But there was no way around it. Jiang Shuyun would never be favored again. Jiang Ziyan also spread the word that the Jiang and Song families, as well as the crown prince, had no chance of recovery.
In fact, the feud between the Song and Jiang families began when Jiang Ziyan competed for favor with a face that looked very similar to the late queen.
It’s just that the Jiang family is weak and has always been trying to repair its relationship with the Song family.
Song Hongshen sneered, "Unfair? Then do you want me to conduct a thorough investigation to see who is involved in this matter?"
"Marquis Jingyuan, don't regret it when the time comes."
Upon hearing this, Marquis Jingyuan's expression froze, and he stopped looking at Song Hongshen. Instead, he knelt on the ground and wept bitterly, "Your Majesty, we are loyal to you and patriotic, and have worked hard. Although we dare not take credit for it, we will not accept humiliation."
"Your Highness the Crown Prince has acted in this way, and we, the ministers, do not accept it."
He thought it was time to make plans for his grandson.
It’s not certain who will sit in that seat.
Emperor Xuande thought to himself, the prince is still young after all. The relationship between the former dynasty and the harem is complicated, and sometimes it is necessary to balance the harem first before stabilizing the former dynasty.
Just like him, no matter how much he dotes on Consort Chen, he will not let the other concubines lose face.
Therefore, Emperor Xuande, with the intention of teaching Song Hongshen a lesson, said, "The Crown Prince's actions are indeed inappropriate. Whether it is the General of the Auxiliary State or the Marquis of Jingyuan, they are both loyal ministers and good generals who have made great contributions to the country..."
Before Emperor Xuande could finish his words, Song Hongshen interrupted him loudly.
"Father, I want to impeach the General of the State for colluding with the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue to embezzle funds for personal gain."
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