Chapter 785 Half True, Half False
Upon hearing this, Jiang Fenghua, thinking logically, felt that Consort Chang was a foolish woman who still believed that Xie Kang was doing it for her own good. She asked, "Why is Your Highness willing to tell me all this?"
"Please release Yan'er. I owe her so much. As for Yang'er, I believe Xie Shang won't kill him. Xie Kang has the ability to escape. But Yan'er is different. Madam Shu hates her so much, and there's no place for her in the palace. She has no way to survive. Her status is already precarious..."
Jiang Fenghua also felt embarrassed. Shu Yan had spent a lot of effort on Xie Shang, but fortunately Xie Shang didn't do anything to her. Perhaps it was fate that they were cousins.
Consort Chang and her two brothers from the imperial family both had children.
Jiang Fenghua said, "You didn't know Shu Yan was your daughter back then, otherwise you wouldn't have let Shu Yan marry Xie Shang."
“I don’t know. I knew her birth would bring her utter disaster, so I asked Shulang to send her to a good family so she wouldn’t have to live as an illegitimate child. I never expected Shulang to lie to me. He raised Yan’er and even sent her to the palace to marry the emperor.”
“Madam Shu always thought Shu Yan was your and Shu Lang’s daughter,” Jiang Fenghua analyzed. “So it was probably her idea to bring Shu Yan into the palace. Shu Lang probably can’t make decisions at home, after all, he also made his fortune by relying on women.”
Consort Chang said calmly, "Perhaps!"
"I never expected Shu Lang to scheme against me like this. He knew that Shu Yan was Xie Kang's daughter, yet he still married her off to the emperor. What was he thinking?"
Jiang Fenghua chatted casually with her, "Shu Lang probably thinks that by helping Prince Kang, who has seized the throne, his future career will be even more successful."
Now that the Yang family has fallen, his position as Vice Minister of Revenue may also be in jeopardy. If Shu Yan really has something going on with Xie Shang, the one who will suffer the most is probably Consort Chang.
Shu Lang is in love with Consort Chang, but Consort Chang doesn't love him. Is he taking revenge on Consort Chang?
Consort Chang was stunned. Seeing Jiang Fenghua's indifferent expression, which seemed to show some sympathy for her, Consort Chang sighed, "So it's true that people's hearts are complicated!"
If what Consort Chang said is true, she is indeed pitiful, schemed against and abandoned, and deserves sympathy. Unfortunately, Jiang Fenghua is not here to sympathize with her or pity her. If she is really led by the nose, she should indeed abdicate.
At this moment, Consort Chang suddenly stood up and walked up to Jiang Fenghua. "The Empress has actually lost her memory, hasn't she?"
Jiang Fenghua feigned surprise, "How did Your Highness know?"
Consort Chang said, "I know, and others probably know too. No matter how well the Empress hides it, there will always be a time when she reveals her flaws. Sincerity cannot be exchanged for sincerity. The most foolish and stupid people to survive in the palace are the kind-hearted ones. Often, the people who harm you are the ones closest to you."
Jiang Fenghua was stunned. "What does Consort Chang mean? Is there a spy among my people?"
Consort Chang continued, "Su Qingqing was clearly captured by your people back then, but she was later rescued. In fact, Xie Kang helped her, but Xie Kang is far away in the Northwest. How could he help her? If there wasn't an inside man, how could she have escaped?"
Xie Kang initially thought Su Qingqing could disrupt the situation, but he never expected that she would ultimately die at Xie Shang's hands.
Jiang Fenghua and Xie Shang had also discussed that other ministers in the court had helped Jiang Zhiqin at the border. They also thought that someone might have helped Su Qingqing escape. Not only did the Prince Kang in the far northwest know this, but even the Consort Chang, who was hiding deep in the palace, knew so much about it.
Jiang Fenghua said, "The Empress Dowager told me so much, all for Shu Yan's sake. You want me to take her out of the prison, and you're offering these truths in exchange for her freedom. The Empress Dowager's sincerity is so great that I don't know how to refuse. But I still want the Empress Dowager to know that I may not be able to help Shu Yan."
"Why?" Consort Chang said urgently, "You were able to help Consort Lan, Consort Zhang, and Consort Pan back then, so why can't you help Yan'er? She was just spoiled by Madam Shu. If she offended the Empress in the past, I apologized to the Empress on her behalf. Please forgive her! I'm afraid Xie Shang will execute Yan'er, after all, her existence is a disgrace to the royal family."
Jiang Fenghua said, "Shu Yan won't die, but I don't know what will happen to her in the future. No matter what, the Fourth Prince is still her own brother. If Xie Shang can spare the Fourth Prince's life, he can spare Shu Yan's life as well." Otherwise, he wouldn't have imprisoned Shu Yan in the Heavenly Prison, but would have dealt with her directly.
"Really?" Tears streamed down Consort Chang's face. "If that's true, I'm relieved. At least Yan'er is alive. It doesn't matter if I die. My greatest wish is for my child to be well."
Jiang Fenghua remained calm and composed, though a hint of sympathy flickered in her eyes.
Consort Chang thought she had successfully portrayed herself as a victim in front of Jiang Fenghua.
Both of them had their own thoughts.
Consort Chang said, "The Empress should be careful of the people around her."
Jiang Fenghua was stunned.
"I was merely reminding Your Majesty the Empress, and I meant nothing else. Your Majesty need not worry. I am currently imprisoned in the Imperial Prison, and my fate is already sealed."
"I know Xie Kang is just using me! I've spent my whole life waiting for Xie Kang to take me away, but he didn't mean it. Shu Lang and Xie Kang are both bad people; they are both selfish."
Tears welled up in Consort Chang's eyes. "I have lived in pain my whole life. No one understands my hatred and suffering. My lifelong obsession has been with Xie Kang, but the only one who has truly suffered is myself."
Jiang Fenghua said, "I'll be leaving now. Whether or not to release Shuyan will have to wait for the Emperor to return before a decision is made. As a woman myself, I sympathize with the Dowager Consort. However, the Prince of Kang's rebellion is a matter of the court, and it is not appropriate for a woman like me to interfere. To be honest, the Emperor did not inform me of his departure from the palace this time."
Before leaving, Jiang Fenghua said to Consort Chang, "I hope that Your Highness can live for yourself for once. Let the world's troubles come and go as they may, and laugh at the fleeting clouds as you move towards freedom."
Consort Chang was stunned for a moment, her face stiffened for a moment, but she quickly regained her previous aggrieved and indifferent expression.
Jiang Fenghua actually wanted to say: "Is Your Highness still waiting for Xie Kang to come and save you? Do you still have any expectations of him?"
Asking such a question seems pointless; Consort Chang is probably just waiting for Prince Kang to come and take her and her daughter away!
After Jiang Fenghua left, Consort Chang glanced coldly at Shu Yan and Shu Lang, her life hanging in the balance depending on whether Jiang Fenghua believed her.
Shu Lang's body twitched slightly.
Who doesn't want to live? Who would obediently wait to die?
Even if Shu Lang confessed everything to the Emperor and took the blame for everything, he wouldn't really want to die.
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