Chapter 143 Leaving the Capital (27) Princess Xiangyuan.
According to Shen Quan, this Princess Yuan was named Zhou Xiangyuan. She was also an orphan of Prince Ping and a sibling of Prince Zhao. They were both adopted by the current emperor. At the age of seventeen, she was betrothed to Chu Minzhong, a commoner who had become the top scholar in the imperial examinations. In the same year, Chu Minzhong was appointed as the Imperial Son-in-Law and given a mansion, and he married Princess Yuan. However, the princess was weak, and the couple had no children for several years after their marriage. Chu's parents wanted to persuade Chu Minzhong to take a concubine to have children, but they still remained childless.
Jiuli leaned closer and asked, "Princess, you are too weak to have children. Logically speaking, even a prince consort should be allowed to take concubines. Is it that the Emperor forbids it?"
Shen Quan shook her hand and sighed, "How could His Majesty not allow it? As the saying goes, of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is to have no descendants. Even if he were to marry a princess of the current dynasty, His Majesty would have no reason to refuse. It's just that our Princess Yuan has quite a temper. At first, the Consort had the Chen family find two women to send to the Prince Consort's residence as concubines. But the two girls were only nominally concubines. I heard that as soon as the Prince Consort went to their room, that night, tsk tsk, the Prince Consort's residence would be in turmoil."
Such a man is also a coward! Zhang Da thought to himself, since ancient times it has been said that princesses are of noble birth, what kind of outstanding man in the world can marry a princess? But now it seems that marrying a princess is not necessarily a good thing, it just means living in a bigger house and living a richer life.
Furthermore, Chu Minzhong was a commoner from the Central Plains. He studied hard for years and became the top scholar in the imperial examination. He did so mostly to realize his ambitions and serve the country and its people. Now, however, he has been chosen as the emperor's son-in-law and has become a man who relies on his wife's connections. Among all the officials in the court, who still respects him from the bottom of their hearts?
“Eunuch Shen,” Zhang Da said with a smile, moving to Shen Quan’s chair, “I’ve heard that the imperial sons-in-law of the current dynasty all have titles but no real power. How come Chu Minzhong, who worked so hard to become the top scholar, is thinking of climbing the social ladder?”
Shen Quan glanced at him sideways, picked up her teacup, and said, "Are you implying that the princess is not good enough for the top scholar?"
Zhang Da hurriedly replied, "No, no! How could I possibly have such a thought!"
“I don’t think you’d dare.” Shen Quan took a sip of tea, then turned to Jiu Li and said with a smile, “Actually, back then, Chu Minzhong didn’t want to be the prince consort. It was Princess Yuan who took a liking to him first, so she went to ask the Emperor. The Emperor saw that Chu Minzhong was a handsome man and that he and the princess were a perfect match, so he agreed.”
Jiuli nodded in realization, "Then tell me, if a top scholar with a promising future suddenly becomes a prince consort and can no longer participate in court affairs, can he be content with that?"
Shen Quan smiled and said, "I don't know about that. You'll have to ask the Prince Consort himself what he's thinking."
The two took the list and, after inquiring about the address of the Prince Consort's residence, prepared to take their leave. Shen Quan, upon learning that they intended to go to the Prince Consort's residence, specially ordered a servant in the house to prepare a carriage to take them there.
Meanwhile, Yu Qi, along with Bai Zouchang, Qin Ji, and others, arrived at the Prince Zhao's residence. Several gates were tightly closed, and guards were stationed both inside and outside the residence. It was said that they were all Imperial Guards transferred from the palace. As Yu Qi followed Zouchang toward the main gate, he turned his head to look at the guards in brown robes in front of the side gate, lost in thought.
Suddenly, Zou Chang called out to him from the front, "Mr. Yu, do you have the token that the Emperor bestowed upon you with you? I'm afraid we should show it to the chief guards, otherwise we might not be able to enter the Prince's residence."
"Oh, I carry it with me." Yu Qi snapped out of his reverie, took out the token, and handed it over. "Lord Zou and Lord Qin are the officials in charge of this case, yet they are not allowed to enter the Prince's residence?"
Qin Ji, with his hands clasped together, turned to look at him and said with a smile, "Of course you can enter, but you need His Majesty's decree before you can enter the Prince's residence. The Prince is an important suspect, and this is no small matter."
As they arrived at the main gate of the Prince's mansion, looking up the stone steps, they saw more than a dozen guards with swords standing there, all with solemn expressions and wary eyes. The leader recognized Zou and Qin and came over to exchange a few pleasantries. When asked about their purpose, Zou Chang handed over the token and explained Yu Qi's identity. The leader carefully examined the token and then looked Yu Qi up and down a few times before ordering someone to open the gate and lead them into the mansion.
The inner gardens were secluded and the corridors winding. The servants continued to live as usual, except that they were not allowed to leave the mansion without permission. They could still move freely within the mansion, and even the daily necessities of the mansion were purchased by the Imperial Guards. It seems that although Prince Zhao was not the emperor's biological son, the emperor treated this "son" with considerable affection.
Before long, they arrived at the study. Servants served tea and fruit. Prince Zhao, Zhou Yu, came upon hearing the news. He had his hair tied up and wore a crown, a dark blue woolen cloak over a gray round-necked robe. His face showed no trace of sorrow, but was still beaming. He entered and said with great enthusiasm, "Why aren't you gentlemen drinking tea? Lord Qin, do you think I am a convict and disdain my tea?"
The men all rose and bowed, but Qin Ji's expression changed, and he hurriedly performed a kneeling bow, saying, "This humble official dares not! The case is not yet clear, how can Your Highness speak of atoning for your crimes?"
Zhou Yu smiled and went behind the desk to sit down. "Get up, Lord Qin. You are the official in charge, and I am a suspect. I should be the one bowing to you."
Qin Ji kowtowed again, "This humble official would never dare!"
Suddenly falling silent, Qin Ji looked up and saw Zhou Yu's unfathomable eyes hovering above him, the smile on his face sending chills down his spine. He quickly stood up, and Zhou Yu then glanced at the others, leaning back in his chair. "Please sit down, no need for formalities."
After everyone took their seats, Zou Changfang explained to them, "Your Highness, the Emperor has personally appointed Mr. Yu and several others to assist in investigating this case. Your Highness knows Mr. Yu in Nanjing. With their help, Your Highness's innocence will surely be restored soon."
Zhou Yu glanced at the last part of the narration, then his gaze fell on Yu Qi. He nodded and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Mr. Yu. Where is Miss Jiu Li?"
Yu Qi nodded and said, "Your Highness, I sent her and Constable Zhang to Eunuch Shen to ask for the list of people who attended the banquet at the palace that night. We came here today to ask Your Highness about the events of the night the incident occurred."
"I already told those things to Lords Zou and Qin. Didn't they tell you?"
"Your Excellencies have already explained this to me, but I was afraid that I might have overlooked something, so I wanted to ask Your Highness for clarification. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Zhou Yu rested an arm on the table, smiled and nodded, "Ask whatever you want."
"Where did the Prince go after leaving the Bluebird Pavilion that night?"
"I already told you two this. That night, around 9:00 PM, the singing and dancing in the Bluebird Pavilion were in full swing. I had drunk too much and felt a bit of a headache, so I left my seat and wandered around outside the Bluebird Pavilion. To the right of the Bluebird Pavilion is the camellia garden where the incident happened. There is a pavilion in front of the garden. I slept in there for a while. Later, the wind woke me up. I walked along that path and circled around before returning to the Bluebird Pavilion."
While Yu Qi was still pondering, Xu Bai asked, "Has Your Highness encountered anyone along the way?"
Zhou Yu thought for a moment and shook his head. "No, but I heard that two eunuchs saw me. One was a eunuch from Qingniao Pavilion who saw me heading towards the Camellia Garden. The other was named Shunzi, who came out almost a month later and said that he saw me rushing out of the crime scene that night. Is that right?"
Zou Chang said, "That's right, we're just about to ask that Shunzi about it."
Zhou Yu calmly replied, "Thank you all for your help."
Yu Qi then asked, "May I ask, Your Highness, did you know the deceased before?"
Zhou Yu shook her head frankly, "I don't know her. I never go to the Imperial Concubine's palace. I've only seen the two palace maids who serve the Imperial Concubine. They look somewhat familiar, but I can't recall their names."
"When and where did the prince lose the dagger he always carried?"
“If I had known where it was lost, it wouldn’t have been lost.” Zhou Yu smiled. “But I remember the date. It was about five or six days before the banquet. That morning, when I was washing up, the servant who helped me change my clothes discovered that the dagger was missing. The steward even arranged for people to search everywhere, but they couldn’t find it, so they had to give up. I always kept that dagger firmly on my belt and had never lost it before. This time it was strange; it just disappeared without a trace.”
As the group was pondering their deductions, a servant suddenly came in and reported, "Your Highness, Deputy Commander Song said that Princess Yuan has arrived and is making a scene at the gate, refusing to leave. The guards are in a difficult position and beg Your Highness to grant them permission to return home."
Zhou Yu frowned and sighed, "What is she doing here again? Didn't I tell her last time to stay in the manor and not to interfere in this matter? Why didn't she listen?"
"When the princess heard that the emperor had appointed someone to investigate and that she was not allowed to enter the palace to inquire, she rushed over to see him. The princess also brought some food, saying that she wanted to personally deliver it to the prince."
"Nonsense! I have plenty of food here. Go tell Song Wen to go back. Making a scene won't do either of us any good. Just go home and wait for my letter. And don't you dare come to the palace to bother Father!"
Yu Qi watched the servant leave, hesitated for a moment, and then took the lead in getting up to say goodbye. The other three also had no choice but to get up and take their leave. Zhou Yu could not stay any longer, so he specially came out from behind the desk, brushed past Xu Bai's shoulder, and ordered the waiting guards at the door to lead the group out.
Just as the group reached the back of the gate, they heard a loud "smack" of flesh outside, followed by a young woman speaking imperiously: "Song Wen, although you are ordered by the Emperor to guard the Prince's residence, he only said that no one is allowed to enter or leave. Did he say that even bringing food is forbidden? This is either the Dali Temple prison or a prison where family members might come to visit and bring things. How dare you stop me? Aren't you afraid I'll report you to the Emperor and have you skinned alive?!"
Zou Chang asked the servant behind the door, "The princess hasn't left yet?"
"The princess insisted on having the food box sent in, and Deputy Commander Song dared not let it in, which caused a commotion."
"Open the door, let me speak with Deputy Commander Song."
Then several people came out from inside the door. They saw a beautiful woman in her twenties, dressed in fine silk and brocade, adorned with pearls and jade. She was surrounded by six maids and servants. At the bottom of the steps were two ornately decorated sedan chairs, surrounded by a group of servants and maids. She came with twenty or thirty people in a grand procession. She was truly worthy of being a princess of the dynasty. What a grand procession!
Then I saw that Deputy Commander Song had his head half-lowered, and a large red patch on his left cheek. He must have just received a heavy slap from Princess Xiangyuan, but he still didn't take the food box from the maid's hand.
"Song Wen, let me tell you, a wise man submits to circumstances. Everyone knows that the prince is innocent. Aren't you afraid that the prince will settle accounts with you after his name is cleared in a few days, by being so heartless now?"
Deputy Commander Song remained silent, so Zou Chang had no choice but to step forward and smooth things over. "Deputy Commander Song is certainly doing his duty, and Your Highness should not be angry. However, Deputy Commander Song should also be considerate of the deep brotherly and sisterly bond between the Princess and the Prince. Lord Qin, why don't we take this opportunity, with you and me as witnesses, to inspect this food box in front of everyone? If there is nothing else, Deputy Commander Song can accept it and send it inside, thus fulfilling the Princess's brotherly affection."
After this mediation, Deputy Commander Song had no choice but to take the food box, open it layer by layer, and carefully inspect each dish and bowl before ordering his guards to send it inside. Xiang Yuan glared at him fiercely, turned to thank Zou Chang, glanced to the side, and focused intently on Yu Qi.
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Author's Note: I need to explain to everyone that my illness is a thyroid condition. I experience palpitations and insomnia daily, which causes me to feel lethargic. The medication hasn't helped, which is why my updates have been inconsistent lately. It's not that I'm intentionally being lazy! I'm very sorry, please forgive me. However, the story is almost finished, so you can read it after it's completed.
I'll most likely start writing "The Phoenix's Mistake" next; I'll wait for contemporary romance novels.
There will be another update tomorrow morning.
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