The reason she declined was entirely for his sake, which made Xiao Junzhan stare at her for a long time with bright eyes. Finally, he nodded slowly in compromise and no longer insisted on accompanying her.
His girl is so smart, maybe she has realized that as long as she is a little bit nice to him, he will be unable to do anything about it.
The two had lunch together, and it was not until the afternoon that Wei Hanzhang left the palace alone.
As his beloved left, the affection in Xiao Junzhan's eyes slowly faded. He glanced at Ning Hai and said, "How's the situation at the prison?"
Ning Hai bowed slightly and whispered, "An hour ago, the Lord in charge of the Criminal Department came to report that it was successful... Madam Gu had chosen the white silk and she had already gone."
Xiao Junzhan nodded and asked again: "Is Changle still at the palace gate?"
"She knelt there yesterday afternoon and missed breakfast and lunch today." Ning Hai paused and reported, "His Majesty sent someone to deliver food, but did not allow her to enter the palace to meet him."
"Go there in person and tell her that Cheng Yi is dead." He lowered his eyes and was silent for a while, with no clues on his face. After a few breaths, he said, "Go to the Criminal Department and tell them to send Cheng Yi's body to the Duke of Qi's Mansion and allow her to be buried with the ceremony of a princess."
Although he was unwilling to spare his niece's life during his lifetime, he was willing to give her honor after death. He did not let her be hastily wrapped up as a criminal and thrown into a mass grave. This was the last bit of affection between the siblings.
Ning Hai agreed respectfully, took the order and left, feeling filled with emotion.
A month ago, no one in the capital would have imagined that the eldest princess, who had been so noble and domineering and looked down on others for half her life, would one day suffer the pain of seeing her own child die.
It was her own brother who gave the order personally, and her father, who had doted on her for half his life, tacitly approved of this result.
During the days since she returned to Beijing from the palace, Princess Changle came to the palace every day to plead for mercy. The emperor was old and his heart was getting softer. He could not bear to be cruel to his beloved daughter, so he tried to persuade his son to spare his granddaughter's life.
So these days, there was no decision on what to do with Qi Yuxiao.
Everyone thought that the greatest punishment for this royal granddaughter, a former princess who grew up in love, would be a minor punishment or a severe warning. After all, the rulers of the dynasty were her biological grandfather and uncle.
But yesterday, not long after the emperor summoned Wei Hanzhang into the palace, an imperial decree was issued from Changji Palace, and the outcome of Qi Yuxiao's treatment had been decided.
He attempted to murder the Crown Princess and was ordered to be executed.
This result really made the court officials and dignitaries realize what it means to be terrified and what it means that the emperor's majesty cannot be violated.
There wasn't even a moment of relaxation. The Chief of Execution received an order early this morning and went to the Heavenly Prison with poisoned wine, white silk and daggers.
No matter how noble Princess Changle's status was, she could not change the situation.
At this moment, she didn't know that Qi Yuxiao was dead. She was still kneeling and pleading for her daughter, trying to get her brother to take back his decision.
Even though Ning Hai had experienced the arrogance of this legitimate princess and had some complaints about her, he still felt a little sad.
Who would have thought that even if Princess Chengyi attacked His Highness himself, he might have been able to save his life.
But she just happened to have ill will towards the girl that His Highness held dearly in his heart.
…The dragon has a reverse scale, and anyone who touches it will die.
After this incident, I'm afraid everyone knows what his prince's Achilles' heel is.
Anyone who dares to have any thoughts about that girl again should first consider whether he has as much face as Princess Changle.
…………
Wei Hanzhang did not go home after leaving the palace, but went directly to the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion.
Before she reached the main courtyard gate, the servants she met along the way all showed no sign of joy, which made her heart, which had been tense all the way, gradually sink.
...That's right, how could the information provided by Xiao Boqian be false?
It's time to finish meal and take a lunch break.
In the main courtyard, all the Jiang family members except the younger ones gathered together.
The eldest daughter of the Jiang family returned to Beijing today, and Jiang's married daughter heard the news and came back to visit her eldest brother.
When Wei Hanzhang entered the room, he immediately saw Master Jiang sitting below Old Master Jiang, and was stunned for a moment.
She almost didn't recognize that this man with gray hair and haggard appearance was her uncle who loved beauty very much and had a good reputation in the brothels of Xuzhou.
Master Jiang, who had been in exile for several months, looked like he had suffered a lot. Compared with his two younger brothers, his originally well-maintained face looked at least 20 years older.
He looked skinny and haggard, and at first glance he looked like an old man struggling to make a living in the countryside.
Sitting next to him was his wife, Wan, who didn't look much better, even more miserable than her husband.
Wei Hanzhang felt a lump in his throat and almost burst into tears.
Her aunt was such a straightforward person, dignified, virtuous, and good at managing the household. Even though her husband was lustful, amorous, and had many concubines in the backyard, she disciplined them one by one and made them obedient and they dared not make any trouble.
Over the years, as his children grew up, my uncle seemed to have had enough of his extravagance in his middle age and gradually focused on his family. The two of them were young couples and old companions, and they should have been living a stable life when they suffered this disaster.
The eldest daughter was abandoned on her wedding day, and the eldest grandson was not kept. The successive blows were too much for even a strong woman to bear.
Jiang comforted her eldest sister-in-law for a long time and looked a little tired. When she raised her eyes while rubbing her temple, she saw her daughter, who was supposed to be in the palace, coming and looked a little surprised.
At this moment, the other members of the Jiang family also noticed Wei Hanzhang.
Everyone, including Mr. Jiang, quickly stood up and saluted.
Wei Hanzhang was helpless, but he was used to it. He called out calmly, walked a few steps to Madam Jiang, helped the old lady sit down, turned to his uncle and aunt who were looking at him eagerly, sniffed and said, "Sit down, we are all family, no need to be so polite."
"Hey!" Uncle Jiang quickly agreed and forced a smile: "Ranran looks more and more radiant."
His smile was extremely reserved, even with some visible flattery in it, which made Wei Hanzhang feel a little upset.
Her uncle was incompetent, had high expectations but poor skills, was not a good official, was a dissolute man, was romantic and amorous, and was not a good husband either, but he was really good to his niece.
It should be said that her three uncles were really good to her.
But at this moment, his smile made Wei Hanzhang feel that she was not his niece who had grown up with him, but a noble person who could decide his life and death, honor and disgrace.
A sour feeling rising in her chest made her speechless for a moment.
After all, Wan had been in the inner palace for many years and had watched her grow up. She knew her niece's personality and character, and could guess a little from her expression. She hurriedly pulled her husband to sit down, and said with a smile, "Why didn't Ranran come with your mother?"
(End of this chapter)