Chapter 860 Helan Yanran is so naive that she's almost foolish.
Jiang Fenghua immediately ordered an investigation into Xing Yun and his adoptive father, Xing Mazi, but they couldn't find them at all.
She said, "It seems that Xing Yun and his adoptive father are not from Shengjing, yet they have been hiding in Shengjing for so long without anyone noticing anything amiss. How many people from Beixiao Kingdom are still hiding within the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty?"
She walked up to Helan Yanran and asked, "When you were captured, do you remember where you were imprisoned? How did Shang Hong rescue you?"
He Lan Yanran said, "I don't know. It was just a group of men who knocked me unconscious. When I woke up, I found myself in an unfamiliar place. They put me in the dark with my eyes covered. Along the way, I heard birds chirping and the sound of flowing water."
She suddenly said, "I think I've heard the name Xing Yun that Your Majesty mentioned. He was the one who brought me food those days. He seems to be a good person. Knowing that I was pregnant, he even brought me a warm quilt."
"Your Majesty, Xing Yun is a good person. Why did he arrest me? They didn't hurt me and even released me later."
Jiang Fenghua felt that Helan Yanran was naive to the point of being foolish.
Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, "They captured you only to blackmail Shang Hong. Shang Hong helped them, so they naturally have no reason to harm you. It's also possible that you are still useful to them and cannot die. You are the daughter of the Marquis of Changping. In the future, they can capture you to blackmail your father and force him to betray the country. Do you understand this explanation?"
Helan Yanran felt that the Empress was very strict, and that she was not as easy to talk to as she had been during that time!
Jiang Fenghua said to Marquis Changping, "My lord, may I borrow your writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone?"
Marquis Changping hurriedly had paper and pen brought to him, saying, "Your Majesty, please."
Jiang Fenghua tried hard to recall the scene when she met Xing Yun at the Li residence that day.
She was glad she hadn't lost her memories from the time she lost her memory. As she wrote, her pen moved swiftly and smoothly, and soon the outline of a lean man appeared on the paper.
Xiao Yu asked, "Is this what Xing Yun looks like?"
Jiang Fenghua continued working with her hands and said softly, "I will draw his portrait. Lord Xiao will take it to Zhang Anyu and have him find an artist to draw several more portraits. We will issue a city-wide warrant for his arrest."
Xiao Yu said, "Your Majesty must have a reason for issuing a warrant for his arrest. I am afraid of alerting him, and the identity of the man in black has not yet been confirmed as the eldest prince of the Northern Xiao Kingdom."
“What reason would the authorities need to arrest a petty thief like him?” Jiang Fenghua said.
Xiao Yu was taken aback. "That's true."
"Let's capture the person first!" Jiang Fenghua finished drawing the head and handed it to Xiao Yu: "Thank you for your trouble, Minister Xiao."
"It's all what I should do." Xiao Yu felt immense pressure in front of Jiang Fenghua; he hadn't expected her to fight the man in black for so long.
Xiao Yu took the portrait and left first, while Jiang Fenghua, Lin Yu, and Hongxiu remained at the Marquis of Changping's residence.
Jiang Fenghua stared at Helan Yanran, "Now that the man in black has appeared and orchestrated everything, I will follow Minister Xiao's advice and tell the Emperor that you and Shang Hong were framed."
"I dare not. If I tell the Emperor, will he kill Shang Hong? Will he also lose his position as the commander of the Imperial Guard?" Helan Yanran was still worried about Shang Hong. She added, "Your Majesty, just pretend I'm really dead. As long as I can be with him forever, I'm willing to hide my identity and become a concubine in the Shang family. He said he would treat me well, as long as I give birth to the child safely."
Lady Helan disagreed with her daughter becoming a concubine. "Why should she become a concubine of the Shang family? You are the daughter of a marquis, how can you suffer such humiliation? Ranran, we are not going."
"But my daughter is carrying his child. Mother, can you bear to let the child be born a bastard?" Helan Yanran pleaded with her mother. "Mother, please let me go. I don't believe he would betray me. When I left the palace, I had already considered the worst-case scenario. If I couldn't be with him as his legal wife, I would just be a concubine!"
Lady Helan's tears fell again. "Silly daughter, being a concubine and being a wife are worlds apart!"
"Wasn't I a concubine when I entered the palace to marry the Emperor?" Helan Yanran is now blinded by love. She spends her days alone in the palace, and the Emperor will never favor her. If she continues to stay in the palace, she will only end up dying of old age there.
"Can being the emperor's concubine be compared to being Shang Hong's concubine?" Lady Helan was also angry. She had sent her to the palace to marry the emperor so that she could live a life of wealth and honor. If she could give birth to a son or daughter, she would have no regrets in this life.
But now...
Of course, she couldn't say these things in front of the Empress.
Jiang Fenghua never expected Helan Yanran to think this way. No wonder she was willing to give up being the emperor's concubine to have an affair with a man outside the palace. It turns out she didn't understand this when she entered the palace!
It seems she is indeed not suited to enter the palace. If she had even half of Song Qing's abilities, she would be carrying the emperor's child right now.
At that moment, an invitation was suddenly delivered to the gate of the Marquis of Changping's residence.
After reading it, Marquis Changping said, "What does the merchant mean? Please invite the Helan family to be our guests."
Jiang Fenghua watched coldly from the sidelines. The merchant's implication was that the Marquis of Changping and his wife should send their daughter over, and that was probably the end of it.
Helan Yanran was pregnant, and she had no way out but to obediently enter the Shang family as a concubine.
Marquis Changping then asked, "Where is the person who sent the invitation so late at night?"
The butler said, "It's right outside the door."
"Let him in. I have something to ask him." What did the merchant mean?
The steward said, "The people who have come are the steward of the Shang family, a matchmaker, and a sedan chair."
The meaning is quite clear: they will take Helan Yanran away tonight.
Although the Empress sent someone to escort her back to the Marquis of Changping's residence, if the Marquis of Changping wanted to send his daughter to the Shang family, the Empress probably wouldn't be able to interfere!
It was the Empress who helped her leave the palace; the Empress was her assistant.
When Marquis Changping heard this, he understood immediately. He was so angry that he felt like vomiting blood. If it were before his daughter entered the palace, even if the merchant wanted to marry his daughter as his principal wife, the Helan family would not allow his daughter to become someone else's second wife, let alone marry her to him. Now, someone was about to take his daughter away in a small sedan chair. He shouted angrily, "Tell them to get out!"
He wanted to go to the palace to file a complaint with the emperor, accusing Shang Hong of bullying his daughter.
Although Marquis Changping was angry that his daughter was not up to par, he also teared up when he saw that she was still alive. Later, when he learned about her affair with Shang Hong, he was angry but also heartbroken.
Jiang Fenghua said, "If the Marquis wants to see me, I'd better excuse myself!"
How dare the merchants do this? Helan Yanran's identity cannot be exposed. Aren't the merchants afraid that the Helan family will cause trouble and affect them?
Jiang Fenghua was also shocked by the merchant's actions.
Perhaps someone is behind this, suggesting that if she doesn't come today, the merchants and the Helan family will cause trouble. They're putting the Empress in a very difficult position!
Marquis Changping nodded. "Please, Your Highness, move to the inner quarters."
He then said, "Jue'er, take your sister away first!"
Helan Jue replied, "Yes, Father." In Helan Jue's opinion, his sister should stay at home. The Helan family could afford to raise her child. Why should she suffer the injustice of becoming someone else's concubine, unless Commander Shang agreed to marry his sister?
Even though Lin Yu was eloquent, she didn't know how to speak at this moment, and left with Jiang Fenghua's help.
When Jiang Fenghua lost her memory, she let Helan Yanran go. I wonder what the Emperor would think if he knew?
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