After reading the letter, Zhao Shu let out a sigh of relief, unable to calm down for a long time. So the Crown Prince had discovered a gold mine. No wonder the news hadn't mentioned a gold mine. But a gold mine was indeed a big deal, and it's possible that everyone tacitly spread false information.
The gold mine must be quite large, otherwise Prince Jing wouldn't have let go of the opportunity to kill the Crown Prince. The gold mine saved the Crown Prince's life. Zhao Shu tore the letter to pieces and put it in her teacup. She saw that the ink had been completely blurred by the tea. Only then did she realize that Prince Yong had put away the letter he had written to her and was preparing to go see the Empress Dowager.
Prince Yong's letter consisted of two sheets of paper, one of which was addressed to the Empress Dowager.
She was just about to go to Fengxin Palace when Chuchun arrived in a hurry, her face filled with deep worry.
"Princess." She hesitated, unsure how to report this. This matter was utterly shameful; if word got out, the princess's reputation would be utterly ruined.
Zhao Shu looked at her with suspicion, sat down, and asked, "What happened? Did the members of the Guanzhou royal family come to make things difficult for you?"
Chu Chun shook her head, opened her mouth, but swallowed back the words that were about to come out several times.
"Tell me what happened!" Zhao Shu was getting anxious seeing her like this. Chu Chun was a steady person and rarely hesitated or didn't know what to do.
Chu Chun knelt down with a thud, "Princess, this servant deserves to die. I had no idea that Xinwei was already several months pregnant."
"What?" Zhao Shu suddenly stood up and asked incredulously. In Dayong, premarital pregnancy was punishable by being burned at the stake or thrown into a pig cage. What about Xinwei?
She asked in a cold voice, "What happened? Tell me."
In early spring, she lowered her head. She was still a young woman, and blushed as she spoke. "I asked Xinwei, and she said that she was taken away by someone when she went out to look for Green Ivy that day, and then she was... she was... she was..."
Without needing to be told explicitly, Zhao Shu knew what had happened. No wonder that woman noticed Xin Wei's strange expression, her torn clothes, and her absent-mindedness on several later occasions.
This matter must not be known to anyone. If it gets out, not only will it damage her reputation, but the Empress Dowager will definitely kill Xinwei, and perhaps even those she is on good terms with will die.
After thinking for a moment, she asked, "What about Bi Qiao and Granny Zhuang?"
Hearing Zhao Shu ask this in early spring, Chu Chun felt a little relieved and said, "These past few days, people have been sending gifts one after another. Sister Bi Qiao is preparing to return the gifts, and Granny Zhuang has caught a cold."
When ordinary people send gifts, Bi Qiao handles them all. After all, there are too many members of the Guanzhou clan. If Zhao Shuruo does everything herself, she will probably die from overwork sooner or later.
Zhao Shu frowned. "Granny Zhuang caught a cold, why didn't anyone tell me?"
"Princess, please forgive me. Physician Peng has already prescribed a medicine, and she is already recovering. Granny Zhuang was afraid that you would visit her and that the illness would pass, so she didn't want us to tell you." Chu Chun hurriedly explained. There were about a hundred people in the group, all of whom were concerned for the princess. Everyone felt sorry for her, as she had to support such a large palace at such a young age. The princess was thinking of them, and they dared not not think of her in return. They silently endured the situation so as not to bother her.
Zhao Shu knew that Granny Zhuang's words were quite effective, and she did not intend to blame Chu Chun, so she said, "Alright, go pick out a few ginseng roots and send them to Granny Zhuang. The weather is getting colder and colder. Have you prepared your autumn and winter clothes yet?"
"No, but we're rushing to finish the work. Sister Biqiao has been incredibly busy lately, as everyone has noticed." In contrast, Chuchun and the others have a more relaxed job serving Zhao Shu, as they only need to look after the princess.
Zhao Shu thought for a moment, "Go and find me some satin, I'll make a shirt for my father."
"Yes," Chu Chun replied hastily.
"Was Xinwei's condition diagnosed by the doctor?" Zhao Shurao returned to the previous topic.
Chu Chun shook her head. "Xinwei also knew that the matter was of great importance, and refused to let the doctor take her pulse. I went to ask her, and at first she wouldn't even tell me. Later, perhaps she didn't know what to do either, so she told me. Princess, what do you think?"
The words of pleading were on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't say them. Xinwei's matter was too big. The best outcome she could think of was to have the child aborted, otherwise, she didn't know how many people would die along with him.
The princess's reputation, to put it bluntly, is nothing more than that of being willful, capricious, and domineering. If she were to be labeled as promiscuous or fickle, her reputation would be truly ruined.
She dared not plead for mercy. Between the princess and Xinwei, she chose the princess. Call her cold-hearted or call her heartless, but no matter how innocent the unborn child was, it was useless.
Zhao Shu thought for a moment, "Find a trustworthy servant and have him marry Xinwei. After the child is born, they can divorce within three years. You handle this matter, but don't let anyone know. For now, let Xinwei stay with Bi Qiao and explain the pros and cons to her."
Chu Chun kowtowed several times to Zhao Shu. After what happened last time and this time, she was absolutely certain that the princess was the kind of master who would never abandon them. No matter how hard or tiring it was to follow the princess, she would be willing to do it.
After kowtowing, she hurried down to tell Xinwei the good news. She could tell that Xinwei was also reluctant to part with the child; what mother would be so heartless as to kill her own child?
Even tigers don't eat their cubs, let alone humans.
Zhao Shu watched her leave, her beautiful brows furrowed tightly. How dare she rape her man! Just wait!
Suppressing her anger, she slowly walked out of Jinlan Palace. No one followed her, so Zhihai stayed by Zhao Shu's side.
Jinlan Palace is next to Fengxin Palace, and we arrived there in no time. The eunuch guarding the gate bowed as usual and then said, "Princess, the Empress Dowager has not requested to see you. You should go back."
Zhao Shu nodded slightly, took out an envelope from her bosom, handed it to the eunuch, and said, "This is a letter from my father to my grandmother. Please pass it on to her."
The young eunuch dared not neglect the task, for it was a letter from His Highness Prince Yong. He quickly took the letter and promptly delivered it inside. Zhao Shu remained standing in front of the palace gate, waiting.
About fifteen minutes later, the eunuchs guarding the gate came out, but the Empress Dowager still hadn't summoned her. Zhao Shu was a little disappointed and was about to turn back when she saw Granny Zhong rushing over. "Princess, the Empress Dowager summons you in."
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
