Chapter 391 You can die in peace now!
"Yunxue's body is temporarily placed in Dali Temple. The events of that year have been investigated and it has been found that the bandits of Xishan and Zhou Yunyuan colluded to frame her. I can issue an edict to grant the two a divorce and then make the truth of what happened back then public." Emperor Renxiao looked at Zhou Qinian kneeling on the ground and said calmly.
Zhou Qinian did not intend to get up, nor did Emperor Renxiao tell him to rise.
"Thank you for your consideration, Your Majesty. So much time has passed since Yunxue's incident. My princess consort has suffered from mental illness because of this daughter, and her condition is deteriorating rapidly. The imperial physician says she cannot be subjected to any more stimulation. I am already overwhelmed with caring for my princess consort every day, and I cannot bear to see my daughter any longer. I beg Your Majesty to decide what to do about Yunxue!"
Emperor Renxiao understood.
"There's a saying among the people: 'If the people don't report it, the officials won't investigate.' Shen Lanxi brought up this case before, but now the results have been found. Yunxue is innocent. In order to protect the reputation of our royal family and the innocence of the Prince Ji's mansion, we must definitely divorce the Fang family of Xishan."
Zhou Qinian followed up, saying, "This old minister humbly requests Your Majesty to grant a divorce decree, so that my daughter may leave with a clear conscience."
Emperor Renxiao: "Yunxue's body cannot remain in Dali Temple indefinitely."
Zhou Qinian: "This old minister has a small mountain forest outside the city, a place of beautiful scenery and auspicious feng shui suitable for burial."
Emperor Renxiao nodded in satisfaction: "Go and carry it out. Yunxue's matter is a major event for the royal family, and it also serves as a warning to unmarried women."
King Ji understood: "This old minister will certainly ensure that my daughter is buried in a grand and dignified manner."
Emperor Renxiao was satisfied and let Prince Ji leave.
Not two days later, news suddenly came from the Prince Ji's residence. No one knew where the princess had gotten the news of Zhou Yunxue's death, and her already poor health suddenly deteriorated.
Less than half a day after the news spread, white banners were hung at the Prince Ji's residence.
The Emperor and Empress, moved by the Princess's love for her daughter, bestowed upon her half of a phoenix carriage regalia. Emperor Renxiao personally wrote the title, posthumously honoring Princess Ji as the Compassionate and Wise Princess. He also appointed a prince to escort the coffin, and the princess was tasked with fulfilling her filial duty.
After nightfall, Zhou Chengan visited again.
"My lord, my stepmother did not die of illness; she was murdered."
Shen Lanxi: "Do you have any evidence?"
Zhou Chengan remained silent.
Shen Lanxi: "Without evidence, I won't help you."
Zhou Cheng'an hurriedly said, "Yes, I have evidence. My stepmother was lucid for a moment before she died, and I heard her say with my own ears that the old Prince Ji knew the truth about the Prince Li's coup back then, which is why the old Prince Ji was poisoned."
“When my grandfather was seriously ill, my stepmother took care of him and heard with her own ears that His Majesty ascended the throne, but it was not legitimate.”
Shen Lanxi recalled the rumors that the two rebel kings had spread when they confronted each other in Dongchuan.
Some rumors may not be entirely unfounded; once they are spread, it indicates that things have been done poorly and have left traces.
"Young man, this news is huge!" Shen Lanxi exclaimed.
Zhou Chengan knew the matter was of great importance, which is why he sought help.
"My lord, I served my stepmother for a period of time before, and I'm afraid those people will come after me." That's why he came to ask for help in the middle of the night.
If His Majesty silenced his stepmother, His Majesty will certainly not let him off the hook.
When he was a child, his stepmother took good care of him. When his stepmother was bullied and no one took care of her, he went to take care of her. Was he wrong to take care of her?
Shen Lanxi: "Does anyone know you came here?"
Zhou Chengan quickly shook his head: "No, I'm very careful."
Shen Lanxi looked at him with a deep gaze and said, "Then you can die in peace!"
...
Prince Ji, Zhou Qinian, blamed Shen Lanxi for the death of his princess. Although Shen Lanxi was on sick leave at home, she still sent condolences.
The funeral gifts that were sent were thrown out the door by Zhou Qinian and his son, who also declared that they would never be at odds with the Shen family or Shen Lanxi.
Shen Lanxi sat at home, receiving news from all directions every day.
There was a lot of news, especially from the capital.
"His Majesty will be hosting a palace banquet tomorrow, and all members of the royal bloodline will attend."
Shen Lanxi thought of someone.
"Has Zhou Qiwu made any moves lately?"
Che Mingyuan: "No, he didn't even leave the mansion."
“Something unusual is bound to happen; let’s find out if they’re going to the palace banquet.”
"yes!"
Just one day after Princess Ji's funeral, her illegitimate son fell from a height and died while training at the Imperial Guard.
The incident occurred at the Prince Ji's residence. After Sun Feng finished reporting the matter, he also sent a letter to Shen Lanxi.
Shen Lanxi quickly replied, "Notify the Prince Ji's residence to find a coroner and be ready to respond at any time."
After receiving the reply, Sun Feng had a bad feeling.
The superiors already had a grudge against the Prince Ji's mansion, and this time it was also due to the dereliction of duty of the subordinates that they actually recruited Zhou Cheng'an.
Now that Zhou Cheng'an has died in the Imperial Guard, the feud between the Imperial Guard and the Prince Ji's Mansion is officially established.
They thought the Prince Ji's mansion would come knocking on their door to demand an explanation, but to their surprise, only a few servants came, brought a thin coffin, and quietly took the person away.
The news of Zhou Cheng'an's death was reported to Emperor Renxiao.
How can a person fall from a height?
Wang Bao: "I heard from the Imperial Guard that Zhou Cheng'an brought this upon himself by constantly giving orders during drills."
Emperor Renxiao frowned in confusion: "How did he get back to the Capital Guard?"
Wang Bao: "There are two versions of the story. One is that the Imperial Guard was recruiting at the time, and Zhou Cheng'an was after the salaries of the Imperial Guards."
"Also, Zhou Chengan contacted Shen Lanxi privately."
Emperor Renxiao smiled dismissively. Sun Feng was his man, and although Shen Lanxi was nominally the commander of the capital's guards, she was merely a figurehead with no real power. She didn't visit for most of the month, and even when she did, it was just a formality; she did nothing.
"Trying to get in through Shen Lanxi's connections? What a joke! Do they think anyone can just walk into the Imperial Guard?" Emperor Renxiao said sarcastically.
Wang Bao: "That's for the salary. The salary of the Imperial Guard is much higher than that of ordinary constables and guards."
Emperor Renxiao was not entirely convinced by this explanation.
"He's from the Prince Ji's mansion, would he be short of that little bit of money?"
Wang Bao: "This old servant knows about this. The Prince Ji's mansion is very strict with illegitimate sons and daughters."
Emperor Renxiao raised an eyebrow and remained silent. Wang Bao glanced to the side and immediately slapped himself in the face.
"Look at this old servant's talkative mouth. I'll send someone to investigate further."
Less than two hours later, a scout came with news.
"Your Majesty, this old servant was wrong. This old servant is simply ignorant. I only knew that the Prince Ji's mansion mistreated his illegitimate sons, but I never imagined the mistreatment was this severe..."
After hearing this, Emperor Renxiao said with a dark face, "I thought Prince Ji was a good person, but I didn't expect him to be so rotten inside."
"Your Majesty, please calm down. Zhou Cheng'an is still a descendant of the Prince Ji's family. You really don't need to get so angry over an unknown child..."
Emperor Renxiao was still not satisfied: "The original purpose of holding this palace banquet was to show consideration for the Prince Ji's family. Now I think there's no need to show consideration anymore. Tell them that the Prince Ji's family is in mourning and therefore does not need to attend the palace banquet."
"yes!"
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