Chapter 779 Apologize
Consort Chang herself said that the palace maids, eunuchs, and even soldiers and guards loved to eat the pastries she made, so it was easy for her to find out anything.
When Consort Lan left the palace, she didn't take her maid with her and never returned. Helan Yanran had planned to leave the palace, so she would definitely have given her maid some "last words".
She said, "So besides Shu Yan probably guessing, the maid who serves He Lan Yanran also knows about your relationship with her."
"The palace maids who serve Lan'er don't know," Shang Hong said, adding that they were very careful to keep it a secret.
Jiang Fenghua just wanted to roll her eyes. How could they have kept it so well hidden? Helan Yanran was already having morning sickness and her period hadn't come yet. It was no use saying all this now. Consort Chang had been imprisoned, and it seemed that she still had something to say.
She only mentioned her affair with Shu Lang, who was sure to be executed. Yet Consort Chang was willing to go to the Yellow Springs with him and die together. Their love was stronger than gold. The most ironic one should be Madam Shu, Yang Mei!
The Yang family supported Shu Lang to become an official, but Shu Lang betrayed the Yang family's daughter and fell deeply in love with the emperor's concubine for thirty years. During this time, he even had an illegitimate child. A man who didn't even love his first wife loved another woman for thirty years.
Consort Chang's judgment was terrible! Consort Chang was quite a beauty in her youth!
"I am going to see Consort Chang now," Jiang Fenghua said.
Shang Hong was stunned. "Aren't we going to interrogate Butler Cheng?"
“With Zhang Anyu here, we’ll leave it to him,” Jiang Fenghua said.
At this moment, Hongxiu walked up to Jiang Fenghua and said, "Your Majesty, Steward Cheng requests an audience. He already knows that Your Majesty has brought Steward Cheng into the palace."
Jiang Fenghua said, "Let him come to see me!"
Shang Hong followed behind, trembling with fear. He knew he couldn't keep his position as commander of the Imperial Guards, and his life might be in danger as well.
Jiang Fenghua then asked, "Among the Imperial Guards, is there anyone you can trust? Someone you would entrust your life to?"
Shang Hongdao said, "I have several good brothers who grew up with me. They are all from prominent families and serve in the army. They are now squad leaders, each leading a group of brothers under their command."
"Can they be trusted? This must be done in secret. Do you understand what I mean?"
Shang Hong was puzzled and asked again, "Does Your Majesty still trust me? Aren't you afraid that I will inform on those people?"
"Go ahead and inform on them. Your Shang family has served several emperors and must be a large family with at least a hundred members. I don't mind arresting them and personally beheading them. Lord Shang, you are being controlled by someone because of a woman. I wonder if your father will be furious when he finds out."
Shang Hong knelt on the ground, "Even if I die, I will protect the safety of Your Majesty and all the young masters."
“They captured Helan Yanran, and she’s pregnant with your child. Aren’t you worried?” Jiang Fenghua said coldly.
"Your Majesty saved Lan'er and the child's lives. Without Your Majesty, Lan'er and I might have died long ago. Your Majesty kindly helped us back then. I believe that if Lan'er knew about the crisis in the palace, she would also choose to save Your Majesty," Shang Hong said in a deep voice.
Jiang Fenghua didn't want to be a pushover. Since it concerned the survival of the royal family and the safety of so many people, she reminded them again: "His Majesty told me that the Shang family was the late Emperor's confidant, which is why he dared to give the position of commander of the Imperial Guard to the Shang family."
General Shang has led troops into battle and rendered great service. I believe Commander Shang himself knows how much he values his reputation and honor, even without my reminder.
Shang Hong said, "I will definitely find the assassin hiding in the palace. If I am still alive, I will apologize to the Emperor. It was all my fault and has nothing to do with Lan'er."
Shang Hong knew, of course, that a merchant's reputation was more important than anything else. He had almost been kicked out of his home because of his affair with Zhu Yiyi. If his father found out about Lan'er, his father would definitely be furious. That's why he was afraid.
He knew even better that the Shang family would not embezzle or accept bribes. His father had spent his entire life fighting on the battlefield, a man of unwavering integrity, while he had disgraced his father.
Jiang Fenghua didn't expect Shang Hong to be more responsible than Cheng Feng. The family traditions and upbringing were different, and the descendants they raised were also very different.
Hongxiu brought Cheng Feng to her, whereupon Cheng Feng knelt before Jiang Fenghua and respectfully bowed, saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
Jiang Fenghua didn't let him get up. "The murderer is your father. Does Chief Steward Cheng find that surprising? He was clearly outside the palace and didn't hold any position in the palace. Suddenly, he entered the palace, killed a little eunuch, and ran out of the palace."
Cheng Feng's eyes were filled with shock: "It couldn't be my father. He had no grudge against Xiao Shunzi. Why would he kill Xiao Shunzi?"
Cheng Feng continued, “Indeed, my father frequently visited the palace these past few days, and he also took some things from the palace warehouse. If he needs anything, I will buy it for him outside and will not let him take anything from the palace. I find my father’s thoughts strange, so I ask Your Majesty to allow me to meet him.”
Jiang Fenghua stared at Cheng Feng, wanting to know if he had also been bribed or threatened. Was the chaos in the Imperial Household Department intentional on his part?
Jiang Fenghua tentatively said, "Actually, I don't believe that Steward Cheng would do such a thing either. I am grateful to him for telling me about the things that happened in the Prince's Mansion."
In fact, Cheng Zhong's efforts to matchmake Jiang Fenghua and Xie Shang at that time were also under the orders of Empress Dowager Cheng. After all, she had just married into the household, and Empress Dowager Cheng needed this beautiful woman to compete for her son and defeat Su Tingwan.
Cheng Feng said, "Father was just confused for a moment. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly. Xiao Shunzi was definitely not killed by Father. I just can't understand this matter, and I find it unbelievable. How could Father do this for a little bit of medicine..."
“I also find this very unusual. Steward Cheng has been in the Heng Prince’s mansion for many years, managing the entire mansion’s business. How could he steal some medicinal herbs, or even get into a conflict and kill someone?” Jiang Fenghua pointed out intentionally, as she also did not believe that Cheng Feng had not betrayed her.
Cheng Feng was stunned for a moment before he realized what was happening. He said urgently, "Your Majesty means that none of this was Father's intention. He stole the medicinal herbs on purpose."
Cheng Feng was dumbfounded. "Why would Father do this on purpose?"
Jiang Fenghua asked directly, "You really don't know?"
"I don't know," Cheng Feng said. "There is another matter I need to apologize to Your Majesty for."
He held a stack of account books in his hand. "These are lists of my cousins and the stewards of the Imperial Household Department who embezzled items from the palace. The accounts that Xiao Shunzi couldn't find out were because they were stolen from. These mistakes were all caused by me, and I will fill them all in. Please take a look, Your Majesty."
He had finally been given an important position by the emperor, and he was sure he wanted to work diligently for the emperor. But unexpectedly, in just one year, he had made a mess of the Imperial Household Department.
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