What troubled the Fourteenth Prince's wife was not only the two children left behind by Chen, but also the fact that Chen's death was difficult to explain. Chen was not an ordinary concubine; she was the Fourteenth Prince's secondary consort, listed in the imperial register, and could be considered the Fourteenth Prince's officially married secondary wife.
The sudden death of Lady Chen in the Prince's residence is bound to alarm the Emperor. The rebellion committed by the Fourteenth Prince's residence has not yet been quelled, and now the Fourteenth Prince has suddenly disappeared from the Changping villa. Every incident points to the Fourteenth Prince's residence. The Emperor's patience is limited, and the Fourteenth Princess is truly worried that the Emperor will blame her, putting her and everyone in the residence in danger.
The Fourteenth Princess Consort, her head throbbing with pain, clutched her forehead and said, "That Chen woman actually didn't forget to turn on me even on her deathbed..."
The maidservant quickly massaged the Fourteenth Princess's temples and said fearfully, "Princess, should we report Chen's death to the Emperor?"
Furious, the Fourteenth Prince's wife slammed her hand on the table and said angrily, "Even if we try to hide it, we can't hide it from the Emperor. She was the Fourteenth Prince's concubine, and her death will definitely attract the Emperor's attention. Now that the Fourteenth Prince has also suddenly disappeared, this is the time when the Emperor's hatred for the Fourteenth Prince's household is at its deepest. If the Emperor intends to use Chen's death to make a fuss, I'm afraid that I and the entire Prince's household will be implicated."
Upon hearing this, the maidservant's legs went weak with fear, and she knelt on the ground, saying in terror, "Your Highness, please think of something! If the Emperor is angry, he will surely take our lives... It doesn't matter if I die, but the young princes cannot be punished for no reason..."
"Let me think about it. You're right, I can't let my son be in danger..."
The maid's words reminded the Fourteenth Prince's wife that while she could disregard her own safety, she could not abandon her children. She fell into deep thought, and after a long while, slowly said, "There is only one way now: to do as requested in Chen's will. She clearly stated in her will that the Fourteenth Prince's sins were grave, that she herself had failed the Emperor, and requested that her two children be removed from the Imperial Archives and sent back to their maternal home..."
The maid, still reeling from her earlier fear, asked in a trembling voice, "Does the Princess mean to grant Chen's request?"
The Fourteenth Prince's wife was in a state of utter confusion. With her eyes closed, she said in despair, "What else can I do? This Chen woman knew she would have to report her death, so she deliberately chose this time to commit suicide, just to force me to act according to the arrangements in her will. If I don't comply, I'm afraid it will be my son who will be severing ties with the Fourteenth Prince..."
The maid looked at the Fourteenth Princess Consort with worry. After a long while, she regained her composure and said weakly to the maid, "Go, first arrange for Chen's body, then do as she wishes..."
The maidservant acknowledged and asked, "And what about the Emperor?"
The Fourteenth Princess looked up and said coldly, "Once everything is more or less arranged, report Chen's death. What's coming will come eventually. If the Emperor wants to blame me, I will bear it all. I just want the Emperor to forgive my child..."
The maid burst into tears, saying, "The Princess Consort has done everything she could; His Majesty will certainly not blame her..."
The Fourteenth Prince's wife murmured sadly to herself, "I hope so, I hope Heaven will bless my Fourteenth Prince's Mansion so that we can survive this calamity... Fourteenth Prince, where are you..."
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