Chapter 603 Questioning Shen Yuantang!
"Did she force you?"
"Although Father no longer holds an official position, he would never let his daughter go to her death!"
"Yuantang, you must come to the palace with me now. Even if it costs you your life, your father will not allow her to send you to a marriage alliance!"
Shen Congwen grew angrier the more he thought about it; he had tolerated his eldest daughter for far too long.
No matter what she does outside, no one in the family is allowed to touch her.
Shen Congwen took a few steps, and seeing that his daughter didn't move, he turned around and called out again.
"Yuantang, keep up!"
Shen Yuantang stood still.
“Father, there’s no need to go to the palace to look for her. It was my own choice to go for the marriage alliance.”
The second wife and her husband looked surprised. Wasn't the marriage alliance just an excuse for the princess to release her?
How did it become true?
"Yuantang, this is no laughing matter; it's a serious matter!" Shen Conglian warned.
Shen Yuantang: "Yuantang is not joking. Now that my elder sister has become the emperor, all the women in the family are also members of the imperial family. Since you enjoy this honor, you must bear the weight that comes with it."
The words sound nice, but...
"Are you out of your mind?!"
"The Turkic barbarians eat raw meat and drink blood, killing without blinking an eye. Do you think you'll have a good life there?"
Shen Congwen was furious and wished he could yell at his daughter to wake her up.
"My daughter's mind is made up."
Shen Conglian: "Yuantang, do you know that we are about to go to war with the Turks?"
Shen Yuantang naturally knew this, but she didn't believe that a fight would actually break out.
"Tianjin is watching us closely. If a real fight breaks out, Tianjin will definitely take advantage of the situation."
Therefore, her role as a princess sent for a political marriage was of paramount importance.
As long as she goes to the Turks, war can be avoided, and the people of the Great Zhou and the Turks will sing her praises.
"You knew, and you still went?" Shen Congwen wished he could pry open his daughter's head to see what was inside.
“Father, my mind is made up, please don’t try to persuade me anymore.”
"You chose this path yourself, no one can persuade you otherwise!"
Shen Lanxi's voice rang out, and then she appeared in front of the Shen family.
"Your Majesty, what brings you here?"
"Why didn't anyone inform us so we could go and greet them?"
Shen Lanxi took off her cloak and casually tossed it to the Inner Historian.
"I am traveling incognito this time because I don't want outsiders to know."
The Shen family was puzzled. What did that mean?
"I have come here to rid my family of a menace. If word gets out, it will damage the reputation of our Shen family."
What kind of pest control?
Why can't they understand?
The Imperial Guards placed several lotus pods on the table.
Shen Yuantang's face turned pale instantly upon seeing this.
"All irrelevant persons, get out!"
The maids, servants, and imperial guards brought by Shen Lanxi all withdrew.
With such a large commotion, the Shen family members all began to feel nervous.
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
They've all been behaving themselves lately and haven't dared to do anything wrong.
I'd pay a hefty sum just to buy a candied hawthorn from a street vendor, but when drinking with someone in a restaurant, I wouldn't dare try to take advantage of even a small dish or a pot of strong liquor.
The members of the Shen family all looked at each other with suspicious eyes.
"What are you looking at? I've been staying home obediently lately and haven't gone anywhere!" Shen Congyi explained somewhat guiltily.
"Don't look at me, I haven't done anything except go out to meet friends."
Liu was also terrified.
“I’ve been busy buying things and seeing my daughter-in-law off these days. I always pay for things on the spot and never put them on my tab.”
"I didn't go out to show off. If you don't believe me, you can ask my maids and servants. They can all testify to that!"
They really don't dare!
Shen Lanxi said coldly, "It wasn't you."
Whew~ That startled them.
"If it wasn't us, then who was it?"
“We have always been law-abiding and honest,” Liu Shi emphasized repeatedly, as if afraid that Shen Lanxi would not believe her.
Shen Lanxi's gaze fell on Shen Yuantang: "Will you say it yourself, or will you have the guards in the manor say it?"
Several pairs of eyes turned to Shen Yuantang.
"Yuantang, what wrong have you done?"
"Yuantang, you can't bring harm to the family!"
"Yuantang, hurry up and tell me!"
With Liu and Miao urging him on and on, Shen Yuantang was getting impatient.
"I did nothing wrong, there's nothing to say."
Shen Lanxi had lost patience with the pale-faced man who was still stubborn.
Why sprinkle lead powder into the lotus seedpod?
The elders of the Shen family all looked puzzled.
What is lead powder?
"Lead powder is a good thing; it can make your face whiter."
"Since His Majesty has said so, lead powder must not be a good thing, right?"
Shen Lanxi: "Consuming too much lead powder can be fatal. If small amounts are continuously introduced into the body, it will gradually weaken the body and eventually lead to death."
The Shen family members' expressions changed. Just now they were worried about Shen Yuantang, but now they all looked at her with suspicion.
"Yuantang, you can't be serious, can you?"
“We are all your family, you can’t be so cruel to us, right?”
"Yuantang, say something!"
Shen Yuantang's face was pale and bloodless. She couldn't bear the crime of murdering her family, otherwise, given Shen Lanxi's temperament, she could have her life!
"Big sister, you are now the supreme ruler, so whatever you say is law and no one dares to contradict you."
"But I cannot bear the charge of murdering my family. I beg Your Majesty to assign me another charge!"
The Shen family was confused. Had the poison been used?
Two plates of lotus seed cakes were brought over and placed on the table.
Shen Lanxi didn't rush to convict Shen Yuantang, but said, "Since you didn't do it, then you can eat these two plates of pastries!"
Shen Yuantang's expression changed, and his eyes flashed as he said, "Your Majesty, I know that I have done many wrong things before. If you want to punish me, I will not say a word."
"I only beg Your Majesty to consider our sisterhood and not doubt my loyalty to my family anymore!"
After Shen Yuantang finished speaking, she walked straight to the table. She gave her family members a deep look, her eyes filled with grievance.
As the sweet lotus seed cake entered her mouth, Shen Yuantang's lips curled up slightly. Even if she ate both plates of cakes, she would be fine.
She had only taken two bites when her expression suddenly changed, and she looked down at the pastry in her hand.
Why is it black inside?
The amount of lead powder she sprinkled on the lotus seeds, even if dissolved in water, would only give the lotus pod a deep green color, not this ink-black color.
"Eat up, why aren't you eating?" Shen Lanxi said coldly.
Shen Yuantang paused, immediately realizing that the two plates of pastries were not made by the cook at home.
Why is the inside of the pastry black? Did it go bad?
The cook in the manor was waiting for a reply: "No, these two dishes were freshly made."
Shen Yuantang's lips stiffened, and his eyes turned sinister.
"Why aren't you eating? Do you know that lotus seed cake is poisonous and can't be eaten?" Shen Lanxi was waiting to see how she would struggle.
"No, I've just never seen lotus seed cake like this before!"
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