Chapter 386 Zhou Ruyuan questions his father for the first time!
The Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review have already reached an agreement.
“Your Highness, the confession states that pushing Princess Yuxue into the water was done solely by Zhou Yunyuan and has nothing to do with the Prince Ping’s mansion.”
Upon hearing this, the people from Prince Ping's residence immediately said happily, "Your Highness, since it has been confirmed that it has nothing to do with our Prince Ping's residence, then it's none of our business."
"The Prince's residence is busy, so I won't disturb you any longer while you're handling the case."
After saying that, he turned to Zhu Ping and said, "Regarding Zhou Yunyuan's funeral arrangements, since she has already married into your Zhu family, she is now a member of your Zhu family. You can handle it however you want. You don't need to call us the Prince's Mansion anymore."
Even if we call them, no one from the Prince's Mansion will come.
When the people from the Prince Ping's residence saw them leave, the eldest prince did not say anything to stop them, and ran away faster than rabbits.
"Now that the case has been solved and Zhou Yunyuan is dead, I will take further action after I return to the palace and inform my father."
The officials from the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review saw them off respectfully.
...
“Father, it has now been determined that the person who pushed Princess Yuxue into the water was Zhou Yunyuan, a concubine’s daughter of Prince Ping.” Zhou Rulin reported.
After reading the confession and repentance, Emperor Renxiao was deeply moved.
"Just because she was jealous of Yunxue's birth as the legitimate daughter, she did such a thing to ruin her reputation. This Zhou Yunyuan is truly vicious."
Shen Lanxi: "Uncle, now that Zhou Yunyuan has been executed, I would like to ask you to grant Yunxue a divorce from the Fang family of Xishan, and then let the Prince of Zhennan take Yunxue back to the capital for burial."
Emperor Renxiao frowned and said, "Lanxi, Yunxue is already gone, why insist on divorce?"
"Even if it is a divorce, it should be proposed by the Prince Ji's Mansion. Afterwards, the burial will also be a problem, as a married woman cannot be buried at home."
Shen Lanxi: "I know my identity is inappropriate. What if it's the Prince Ji's mansion that makes the suggestion?"
Emperor Renxiao: "It is only natural and logical."
"Alright, I'll go to Prince Ji's residence in a bit."
Emperor Renxiao: "I heard that you had a conflict with the people of Prince Ji's residence. Let the eldest prince accompany you!"
Shen Lanxi: "Thank you, Uncle! Thank you, Eldest Brother!"
Emperor Renxiao nodded in satisfaction when he saw that she was obedient.
...
Xishan
"Your Highness, has His Majesty told us to go back?" Zhou Ruyuan's subordinate asked hurriedly.
Zhou Ruyuan said coldly, "I told you, we should bring Princess Yuxue's dowry and her body back to the capital together."
But then another problem arises.
"The Fang family's house was burned to the ground, making it impossible to identify which body belonged to Princess Yuxue."
"Also, where is the princess's dowry? It's all been burned."
His Majesty really knows how to make things difficult for the princes.
They are military generals who charge into battle, not officials investigating cases.
What kind of person does His Majesty take their prince for?
Zhou Ruyuan's face was grim. He also felt something was wrong about being sent out of the capital this time.
Such a task could be delegated to someone else; he doesn't need to do it himself.
Even if the emperor wanted him to earn merit, such a case wouldn't bring much credit.
He came to Xishan and did nothing but run errands. If anyone deserves credit, it should be the presiding judge this time.
The presiding judge was none other than the eldest prince.
This was the first time Zhou Ruyuan questioned his father, the emperor.
"Your Highness, this matter seems more complicated than it appears. Let's return to the capital as soon as possible!"
Zhou Ruyuan glanced at Bai Qingling and nodded silently.
Bai Qingling caught up with him on the third day after he arrived in Xishan. He had originally planned to return to the capital quickly this time, but her pursuit seemed a bit troublesome.
I never expected that I would stay for more than two months.
“Princess Yuxue’s dowry has been looted by bandits, but fortunately the government office has already registered the dowry. We can take the list back and report back.”
"As for the corpse? The bandits were brutal and burned the Fang family home to ashes. Just take a handful of soil from the princess's bedroom and bring it back!"
"yes!"
He was finally going back to the capital, but a vague unease lingered in his heart, as if something in the capital had changed.
Emperor Renxiao received a messenger early in the morning informing him that Zhou Ru'an had inflicted a major defeat on the pirates in Nanning, forcing them into a series of retreats. The messenger would then send a report of the victory.
"Your Majesty, please have some ginseng tea!" Wang Bao brought over the ginseng tea.
Emperor Renxiao, his face dark, tried to push the ginseng tea aside, but halfway there, he hesitated and picked it up and drank it all in one gulp.
"After the pirates wreak havoc, the people of Nanning will surely suffer. Let the Second Prince help rebuild the local economy in Nanning first!"
Wang Bao: "Your Majesty is wise!"
Emperor Renxiao had another concern: bringing Zhou Ru'an back would allow him to smoothly reclaim military power. However, preventing his return risked Zhou Ru'an gaining too much power and becoming a second Zhou Ruyuan.
"Your Majesty, you haven't had a midday rest for over a month, and you're still working so hard. Please take care of your health!"
Emperor Renxiao waved his hand: "Now is the best time to consolidate both political and military power. How can I rest? Enough talk, bring me the rest of the memorials!"
Wang Bao replied with a worried tone, "Yes."
...
"Lanxi greets Mother!" After Shen Lanxi curtsied and stood up, she glanced at Shen Yuantang beside her mother.
She must have been incredibly busy these past few days!
"I'm fine, you can go about your business!" Zhou Xinrou said softly, leaning against the soft pillow.
Shen Lanxi: "His Majesty rewarded me greatly for investigating the case of Princess Yuxue. I'm giving some of it to my mother."
While Shen Lanxi was talking to Zhou Xinrou, Shen Yuantang looked past her and stared intently at the brocade box behind her.
"You're so thoughtful!" Zhou Xinrou said, then coughed twice.
Shen Lanxi: "It's a pity that all the precious medicines we got last time have been distributed. Next time someone brings something, I will definitely keep all the medicines and give them to my mother."
Zhou Xinrou turned around, her tone slightly stern.
"Don't worry about these little things, just do your job well."
Shen Lanxi: "Yuan Xin's wedding is coming up soon. His Majesty has given me a few days off to come and help out at home."
Zhou Xinrou: "No need. There are people to take care of things at home. You just need to focus on your own duties and don't forget to practice your martial arts diligently."
Shen Lanxi lowered her head, her eyes half-closed, concealing her sharpness.
"I know, Mother, that won't delay what I'm doing."
For a fleeting moment, she wondered if her mother knew something, but she quickly dismissed the thought.
"Mother, have you caught a cold? Has the imperial physician come?"
Zhou Xinrou, with her back to everyone, turned cold.
“I’m fine, you don’t need to worry about these little things.”
"Since you have the ability to climb to your current position, you must firmly establish a solid foundation."
Shen Lanxi's eyes flashed; this was the first time she had ever heard her mother speak to her in this tone.
"Lanxi will keep her mother's teachings in mind."
Zhou Xinrou waved her hand wearily: "From now on, you don't need to worry about family matters. Go and take care of your own things!"
Shen Lanxi: "Yes!"
She went outside and stood in the courtyard for a while.
The sounds from inside the room reached my ears clearly.
"Mother, how can you be so biased?"
"Big sister is also a member of the Shen family, why don't you ask her to help the family?"
“These past few days, every time my grandmother sees me, she subtly or overtly tries to get me to spend money to help the family.”
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