Chapter 381 Princess Ji's Heart Disease!
Zhou Zhuangyun was unaware of the situation and sent his attendants to inquire, whereupon he received a reply very quickly.
"It is where the concubine's sons in the mansion live."
The group continued walking and soon arrived at the residence of Princess Ji.
“Mother locked the door today; it seems she doesn’t want to see anyone,” Zhou Zhuangyun said, looking forlornly at the closed door.
Shen Lanxi stepped forward and knocked on the door: "Your Highness, it's me, Lanxi. You said you'd make lotus seed and osmanthus cake for me. Is it ready yet?"
Zhou Zhuangyun asked in a puzzled tone, "You've seen my mother before when you visited my residence?"
Shen Lanxi: "Of course not. Didn't you say that the princess is suffering from a mental illness? I was just asking casually to see if she could answer?"
Zhou Zhuangyun was furious: "How could you mock my mother like this?"
Shen Lanxi: "Lotus seed and osmanthus cake is also a favorite pastry of Yunxue. If your mother doesn't even remember this, there are only two possibilities."
"What?" Zhou Zhuangyun didn't understand.
Shen Lanxi: "Either she's faking illness, or she doesn't care about Yunxue at all."
Zhou Zhuangyun glared angrily: "If you keep talking nonsense, don't blame me for being impolite!"
Shen Lanxi: "Sure, even if you want to be rude to me, you can't beat me. Even if I stand still and let you hit me, you wouldn't dare to."
She was sent by His Majesty; to provoke her was tantamount to slapping Emperor Renxiao in the face.
Zhou Zhuangyun was furious, but he was helpless against Shen Lanxi.
Zhou Rulin and Zhao Zheng wouldn't let him make a mistake, so they blocked him from the left and right.
Zhao Zheng, still angry, whispered a word of advice: "She's just trying to provoke you. If you actually lay a hand on her, you'll be committing a capital offense."
"She's a woman, petty and calculating. His Majesty trusts her a lot now, so offending her will not do us any good."
"She is cunning and vicious..."
"A good man doesn't argue with a woman..."
Zhou Rulin and Zhao Zheng each said something, and finally managed to persuade Zhou Zhuangyun to stop.
During this time, Shen Lanxi knocked on the door several more times, and finally someone came to open it.
"Why is it you?" Zhou Zhuangyun was stunned when he saw that it was Zhou Cheng'an who opened the door.
Seeing so many people outside the door, Zhou Cheng'an shrank back, lowered his head, and stepped aside.
“My mother is ill. The servants have been busy these past few days, and I happened to be free, so I came to take care of her.”
A dark glint flashed in Zhou Zhuangyun's eyes, but he did not press the matter.
"Go back and rest. I'll send someone to take care of your mother in a little while."
Zhou Chengan hunched over and quickly retreated.
Zhou Rulin and Zhao Zheng were both uneasy, as they hadn't expected to stumble upon the private affairs of the Prince's mansion.
"Mother, do you still remember Lanxi? Shen Lanxi, the one who used to play with my sister all the time."
On the bed, a woman with a withered face lay with her eyes closed. Shen Lanxi took a few steps forward before she could see the woman's appearance clearly.
"What happened to the princess?" If she remembered correctly, the princess was only in her early forties, but she looked like she was in her sixties or seventies.
When Zhou Zhuangyun saw his mother's appearance on the bed, his eyes also reddened.
“Ever since my elder sister got married, my mother has blamed herself every day, thinking that she shouldn’t have let her marry into the Western Hills. Later, when the Great Zhou Dynasty was in turmoil, the Western Hills where my sister lived were also affected. My mother sent people to investigate several times, but they all returned empty-handed. Over time, my mother developed a heart ailment.”
Shen Lanxi knelt down in front of the bed and said softly, "Your Highness, don't worry about Yunxue. I will definitely seek justice for her."
Zhou Rulin: "We've been talking here for so long, and the princess still hasn't woken up. Let's go ask someone else." Even if she does wake up, we probably won't get any information from her.
Zhao Zheng: "Let the princess rest well!"
Shen Lanxi and the others withdrew. Afterwards, Zhou Zhuangyun whispered a few words to his attendants. When they arrived at the front residence, someone had already gone to the backyard to take care of the princess.
Zhou Rulin: "Are the maids who served Yunxue back then still around?"
Zhou Zhuangyun: "You'll have to ask the steward in the manor."
Afterwards, the steward summoned several of the household's stewardesses, one of whom had previously worked in Zhou Yunxue's courtyard.
"This old servant was promoted by the Princess Consort later. The previous servants were all sold off by the Princess Consort because they didn't take good care of the Princess," the head maid said.
Shen Lanxi: "Where is the maid?"
The head maid said, "According to the rules, the maids who serve the princess must marry her."
Shen Lanxi: "Does the manor have a list of Yunxue's dowry?"
Zhou Zhuangyun: "Of course there are." Then he sent someone to fetch them.
The people sent by Zhou Rulin were to verify the information.
"Are the maids following the princess Baihe, Danggui, Hongshao, and Qinglian?"
Zhou Zhuangyun nodded: "It's those four."
A person close to Zhou Rulin said, "They are all on the dowry list."
Zhou Zhuangyun: "Since I'm on the list, then I'm going to Xishan with my sister."
Zhou Rulin said to Shen Lanxi, "Then we can only start with Zhou Yunyuan and Chen Suizhu."
Shen Lanxi nodded: "Could I have a copy of the dowry register?"
Zhou Zhuangyun frowned: "What do you need the roster for?"
Shen Lanxi: "Since Yunxue was tricked into marrying into Xishan, her body should naturally be brought back to the capital after her death, so that she can be completely cut off from those filthy people in Xishan."
“She’s back now, so naturally she should bring back the dowry she took with her.”
After learning the reason, Zhou Zhuangyun was even more unwilling to give it.
“My sister is a member of my royal family. Even if we need to retrieve the dowry, it will be handled by my royal family. You don’t need to worry about it.”
Shen Lanxi: "Naturally, it's reasonable for the Prince's Mansion to take the round."
"If there's nothing else you want to ask, we at the Prince's residence won't keep you any longer," Zhou Zhuangyun said, his face darkening as he saw him off.
Shen Lanxi: "Of course we have! We haven't asked the other family members yet."
Zhou Zhuangyun's face immediately turned ugly.
“Shen Lanxi, I have cooperated with your investigation. If you continue to be aggressive, don’t blame me for reporting you to His Majesty for abusing your power.”
Shen Lanxi: "I didn't get any useful information from you. Perhaps the other women know?"
Zhou Zhuangyun immediately flew into a rage: "Shen Lanxi, you are utterly disrespectful to my Ji Prince's Mansion! Guards, throw her out!"
When Zhou Rulin realized it was real, he quickly stepped forward to mediate.
"Your Highness, please give me some face. Lanxi is simply eager to find out the truth."
Zhou Zhuangyun said indignantly, "Even if she wants to find out the truth quickly, she shouldn't insult the women of my household like this. Even if my Ji Prince's Mansion has declined, we are still relatives of the emperor. How can she do whatever she wants?"
If we do as Shen Lanxi wishes today, and people find out, wouldn't they think that their royal family is afraid of Shen Lanxi?
He had already given the Crown Prince face, so even if His Majesty found out, he wouldn't blame him.
It's all because Shen Lanxi is too meddlesome.
"Your Highness, Shen Lanxi is deliberately humiliating us because she sees that my Ji Prince's Mansion has fallen into decline. If I allow her to interrogate the women in the inner quarters at will today, what will become of the Ji Prince's Mansion's reputation? How will our Ji Prince's Mansion be able to face the outside world in the future?"
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