Shuzhen was surprised that even the Empress was helpless. She felt that Hongshi was in grave danger this time. Moreover, not only Hongshi, but her father was also in trouble. The two most important men in her life were in trouble, which made her feel helpless. She felt weak all over and almost fell to the ground. Fortunately, her maid supported her.
Seeing her like this, Xueying felt a little sorry for her. She said to Shuzhen's maid, "Quickly take your wife back to rest!"
Shuzhen sobbed and said to Xueying, "Xueying, what should we do now?"
Xueying was at a loss. She could only comfort Shuzhen, saying, "Shuzhen, I don't know what to do either. But my aunt told us not to move, so we have to stay put. If we do something wrong, it will only hurt Father and Prince even more. Do you understand?"
She then said to Shuzhen, who was already somewhat dazed, "Shuzhen, don't worry, Father will be fine. You should go back and rest first! I'll go to my aunt's place to ask her again in a few days." After saying that, she had the servants see them out.
Shuzhen returned to the Prince's Mansion in a daze. When she arrived in the courtyard, she found that Linlang had been waiting there for a long time.
Shuzhen looked at Linlang with displeasure and asked, "Why are you still here?"
Linlang said, "My lady, I just wanted to ask about the Prince. Is he alright?"
Shuzhen ignored her and waved her hand, saying, "Go back and mind your own business. Prince will be back in a while."
Linlang then asked, "So, what does Consort Ruan Meiying intend to do?"
Shuzhen had forgotten about Ruan Meiying because of her father and the Empress's affairs. She originally planned to wait for Hongshi to return before interrogating her, but now that she thought that Ruan Meiying might be the culprit who harmed her father and husband, she hated her to the bone. She said, "Go and bring Ruan Meiying to me."
After a while, two servants brought Ruan Meiying into the room and threw her on the ground.
The princess looked at Ruan Meiying and asked, "Ruan Meiying, I'm asking you, does the prince's matter have anything to do with you?"
Ruan Meiying replied, "I'm innocent! Madam, this is all Linlang's fabrication to frame me!"
The Fujin looked at Linlang and said, "Linlang, do you have any evidence that Ruan Meiying betrayed the Prince?"
Linlang was momentarily stumped by this question, as she indeed had no evidence. Seeing that she couldn't produce any evidence either, Shuzhen kept Ruan Meiying locked in her woodshed, with guards assigned day and night to prevent her from leaving.
A few days later, the Fourth Prince personally visited Hongshi and the Duke of Ying at the Dali Temple.
Fourth Master arrived at Guan Hongshi's cell. He found that Hongshi looked utterly exhausted after only a few days.
Hongshi heard a sigh, looked up and saw the Fourth Prince standing outside the prison cell. He immediately knelt down, then crawled on his knees to the cell door and cried out to the Fourth Prince, "Father, I know I was wrong. I didn't mean to deceive you. Father, please forgive me!"
The Fourth Prince coldly watched Hongshi weep bitterly, without uttering a word. Seeing that the Fourth Prince was unmoved, Hongshi began to slap himself: "It's all my fault. I have failed Father Emperor's trust. I am useless. Please punish me, Father Emperor. Father Emperor, I was only momentarily blinded by greed and made such a mistake. I beg you, Father Emperor, not to abandon me. I promise there will never be a next time."
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