Chapter 440 Getting Straight to the Point
Zhang Jingjing is usually a light sleeper, so if Zhu Zhenzhen opens the door and makes a noise, she should be able to hear it.
But she heard nothing until she was finally woken up by the soldiers, at which point Zhu Yiyi was sleeping peacefully beside her.
Zhang Jingjing didn't voice these thoughts.
A sly glint flashed in Jiang Fenghua's eyes, which she quickly concealed. The Emperor and Empress must have been in such a state because the person behind them wanted this! Well then, I will grant your wish.
Jiang Jinyan walked to Zhu Yiyi's door but didn't dare to go in. Seeing that the Emperor was still there, he said, "Your Majesty, what should be done with the innkeeper's son?"
Xie Shang then turned to Zhu Yiyi and asked, "Miss Zhu, what do you think I should do with this man? Should I hand him over to Imperial Censor Zhu, or should I just kill him?"
He wanted to know what role Imperial Censor Zhu played in all of this, who was behind it all, who wanted to assassinate the Empress, and whether it was really a remnant of the Su family.
Zhu Zhenzhen kept saying that Zhu Yiyi was trying to harm her, and the Empress also thought it was Zhu Yiyi. So who was the woman in white who helped Zhu Yiyi?
Zhu Yiyi didn't know why the Emperor was asking her to make a decision. She seemed to be considering her younger sister's feelings. "I am also heartbroken that Zhen'er has experienced such a thing. I think we should not let Father know for the time being, so as not to worry him. Let's wait until we return to the capital to discuss it, so as not to cause a big fuss and have a bad impact."
She added, "This man is clearly trying to take advantage of Zhen'er. I beg Your Majesty to do justice for Zhen'er." This meant killing him.
She collaborated with that woman behind her father's back. Originally, they wanted Zhu Zhenzhen and Xiao Yu to have an affair, so that they could kill two birds with one stone and prevent Xiao Yu from becoming an official.
That woman was after Xiao Yu; she had a grudge against him, and she could use this opportunity to make Zhu Zhenzhen lose her virginity.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Zhenzhen went to the kitchen to have an affair with a man, and now that things have turned out this way, it has actually helped her.
She knew that the Emperor would definitely like her. From the moment he suddenly took her hand in the plum garden, she knew that she was originally prettier than Zhu Zhenzhen. Her only disadvantage was that she was a concubine's daughter.
Xie Shang also realized that Imperial Censor Zhu probably didn't know that Zhu Zhenzhen was in trouble.
He said to Jiang Jinyan, "After such a thing happened, I still have to give Censor Zhu an explanation. He dared to do something improper to Zhu Zhenzhen, so there is no need to keep him alive."
Jiang Jinyan paused, knowing that any man who had been intimate with the emperor's woman was unlikely to live long.
At this moment, Xie Shang said to Zhu Yiyi, "Yiyi, please rest well first. I still have matters to attend to."
Zhu Yiyi replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off."
Only after Xie Shang left did Zhu Yiyi pull her maid to her side and ask, "How is the Second Miss?"
"She was kept locked in her room the whole time, with her maidservant by her side. She looked like she was about to die; it was quite pitiful..."
Zhu Yiyi curled her lips. From childhood to adulthood, she and Aunt Xue had to live by the whims of Madam and Zhu Zhenzhen. What was there to pity about her? She should have made way for her long ago.
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Meanwhile, Xie Shang and Jiang Jinyan were locked in a room. Xie Shang said coldly, "Jinyan, what do you think of this matter?"
Jiang Jinyan said directly, "Zhu Yiyi wants to harm Zhu Xiaozhu, but there is no evidence. That's the problem."
Xie Shang glared at him with a cold look in his eyes.
Jiang Jinyan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, I absolutely did not mean to slander her."
He then boldly added, "Does Your Majesty truly not understand Imperial Censor Zhu's intentions? I had no intention of speaking ill of Imperial Censor Zhu, as that would make Your Majesty think that the Jiang family and the Zhu family are at odds, and that I am deliberately sowing discord. However, I have racked my brains but cannot figure out who would assassinate Ruan Ruan. If I state these facts, Your Majesty might think that the Jiang family has ulterior motives for seizing power. I am truly in a dilemma..."
Xie Shang stared at him with an ambiguous expression.
Jiang Jinyan suddenly knelt on the ground, "I swear on my life that the Jiang family is absolutely loyal to Your Majesty."
He didn't know whether he should take the initiative to explain Lin Yu's situation, or even explain Ruan Ruan's unusual behavior since childhood, because he couldn't explain it clearly either.
However, he could tell that Xie Shang had become suspicious of Ruan Ruan. What was it about Ruan Ruan that he wouldn't even tell his own brother? So now he was in a very passive position.
He did not want a rift to develop between the Emperor and Ruan Ruan.
Xie Shang stood straight. He knew that the concubines in the harem would spare no effort to use many means to bear imperial offspring, so it was normal for Imperial Censor Zhu to want a daughter of the Zhu family to conceive a prince.
He would also reassure Peng Fei and other families by having their daughters carry the imperial heir. They need the imperial family, and the imperial family needs them; their interests are not in conflict.
He liked Jiang Fenghua, and he was happy for her to give birth to their legitimate son, so that her position would be more secure. He was making plans for Jiang Fenghua, but she was hiding something from him.
At this moment, he felt that Imperial Censor Zhu's plans and ideas were irrelevant. At most, he wanted the prince to consolidate the Zhu family's position, and he had absolutely no intention of rebelling. The Zhu family would not be so stupid as to do such a thing.
Xie Shang stared at Jiang Jinyan's face and said coldly, "Since your Jiang family is loyal to the royal family, and Father Emperor once said that the three Jiang fathers and sons would be the Xie family's right-hand men, no one dares to threaten the Empress's position. But your Jiang family confuses me, and Ruan Ruan confuses me. Am I really not worthy of her entrusting her heart to me?"
Jiang Jinyan only knew that Jiang Fenghua had said one thing: never believe an emperor to speak sincerely in front of you.
Immediately afterwards, Xie Shang's eyes were as deep as the vast universe, "I never wanted to make things difficult for your sister, and even wanted to get into her heart."
Jiang Jinyan pondered in his heart how to speak in a way that would make the Emperor believe that Ruan Ruan was sincere towards him.
Before he could speak, Xie Shang asked again, "What is the relationship between Lin Yu and Ruan Ruan? I originally wanted to have her brought here for questioning, but I was afraid of hearing things I didn't want to hear. In any case, Ruan Ruan is the woman I love most, and I choose to believe her no matter what." He was actually afraid that she was always scheming, like Su Tingwan and Ye Susu, who only knew how to scheme.
"It's the kind of relationship that the Emperor saw. If Ruan Ruan is in danger, Lin Yu will immediately go to save her. Lin Yu has always been protecting Ruan Ruan."
Jiang Jinyan knew he couldn't hide it anymore. The longer he tried to hide it, the further Ruan Ruan and Xie Shang would drift apart. Even though Lin Yu and Ruan Ruan had no bad intentions, it made it seem like Ruan Ruan was plotting to destroy the Xie family's empire.
Lin Yu was just Ruan Ruan's playmate.
But he couldn't say that. One lie requires a thousand more to cover it up, and in the end, it becomes unconvincing.
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