Chapter 26: Human Heart: Do you know your own identity?
Shen Xingwan was wearing a plain white silk long dress with elegant silver patterns embroidered on the front of the collar, like condensed frost. Her black hair was tied up high, fixed only with a white jade hairpin. A few strands of hair hung beside her fair cheeks, adding a bit of cold beauty.
She pursed her lips, walked out of the Prime Minister's Mansion resolutely, and got on the carriage to visit her father's old subordinates.
Hidden around her carriage were the secret guards specially dispatched by Yan Jinghuan. They followed her like silent shadows, guarding her safety.
She checked the prepared list and first came to the residence of Lord Zhao, the Minister of Rites.
Lord Zhao was once highly appreciated and supported by Prime Minister Shen, and since then his career has been smooth and he has risen rapidly in the government. Shen Xingwan hopes that he can remember their old friendship and lend a helping hand.
But when she earnestly stated her purpose, Lord Zhao immediately looked bitter, like an eggplant hit by frost.
His brows were tightly knitted into the shape of a "川" character, his eyes were evasive, and he looked extremely embarrassed.
"Miss Shen, this matter is extremely difficult. The power behind the person who made the report is so complicated and huge that it is beyond imagination. I... I really have no power to help! I hope Miss Shen will show mercy and not embarrass me."
Shen Xingwan felt as if his heart was crushed by a heavy hammer. He was extremely disappointed. He pursed his lips and pleaded, "Master Zhao, my brother has devoted himself to serving the country, but now he is wronged and imprisoned. I hope you can help us out of our past friendship."
Lord Zhao just raised his head and sighed, his eyes full of helplessness. Then he turned around and left in a hurry without saying another word, avoiding seeing him.
Shen Xingwan stood there alone, with his head lowered sadly, all his hopes turned into nothing.
But she refused to give up and rushed to the residence of Lord Sun, a doctor in the Ministry of War.
When Lord Sun saw her, he immediately put on a polite smile, but that smile was like a thin layer of oil floating on the water and did not reach his eyes at all.
After listening to Shen Xingwan's request, he frowned slightly, feeling helpless.
"It's not that I don't want to help, but the situation in the court is so complicated that it's hard to be sure. If you're not careful, you'll make a mistake and get yourself into trouble. Please seek help from someone else."
Shen Xingwan's face flushed, and she felt very uncomfortable. In the past, when these people rushed to the Prime Minister's Residence to seek an audience and flatter him, they did not have the arrogant faces before them.
But there was really no way at the moment, she tried to remain calm, and tried to convince Lord Sun with emotion and reason.
However, after all the talk, it was all in vain and he could only leave in disappointment.
A day passed quickly, and Shen Xingwan visited several of his father's old subordinates in succession, but it was like hitting a cold stone wall, and he kept hitting a wall.
The sky gradually darkened, the setting sun was blood-red, and she dragged her legs that felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead, feeling frustrated and lost.
Just when she was about to despair, Feiyun, who was supporting her, suddenly said, "There is another old subordinate of the master, Mr. Zhou, who was once the Deputy Director of the Ministry of Personnel. Although he comes from a poor family, he has a noble character. Perhaps he is willing to lend a hand?"
After experiencing the fickleness of the world in just one day, Shen Xingwan no longer had any hope, but she was unwilling to miss any opportunity to save her brother.
She ordered the driver to change the route and go to Lord Zhou's mansion.
Lord Zhou received the report and personally went out to greet Shen Xingwan. When he saw Shen Xingwan, his eyes were full of emotion and his voice trembled slightly: "Miss Shen, I haven't seen you for many years. Is your father okay?"
Shen Xingwan bowed respectfully, his eyes red and he choked up a little: "Master Zhou, my brother is now in prison and suffering. I beg you to lend us a helping hand for the sake of our past friendship."
Lord Zhou looked solemn and nodded slightly, "Don't worry, Miss Shen, Prime Minister Shen has been very kind to me. I have always kept this kindness in my heart and have never forgotten it."
He sighed, “Although I have stayed away from the court disputes and stayed out of it over the years, I have also accumulated some connections, all of whom are loyal and righteous people. I will do my best to help General Shen collect evidence and clear his name.”
Shen Xingwan's eyes became hot and she could no longer control her emotions. She bowed her head and bowed deeply.
"Lord Zhou is so righteous that Xingwan will never forget him."
Lord Zhou hurriedly reached out his hand to lift her up, "Miss Shen, please stand up quickly. The most urgent thing is to discuss how to proceed."
So Shen Xingwan and Lord Zhou discussed the matter in detail in the hall, weighing every detail over and over again, until the moon was at its zenith, and then they returned home.
When Shen Xingwan returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, the palace maid sent by Princess Guang'an had been waiting for a long time.
She quickly took the maid back to her own courtyard and questioned her in detail.
It turned out that while Shen Xingwan was running around to rescue her brother, Princess Guang'an was also racking her brains over this matter in the palace.
With the convenience of her status as a princess, she moved freely in the palace. Using the informant she had planted in the Imperial Household Department as a key breakthrough, she began to secretly investigate the detailed accounts of the people who had reported the incident and the palace.
The storehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was cluttered with various account books, and dust was everywhere, like an invisible net.
Princess Guang'an completely disregarded her image and personally took her trusted palace maid to dive into the piles of account books, carefully searching for clues like treasure hunters.
After a sleepless night of careful investigation, her red eyes finally captured the key information.
She discovered anomalies in several account books, which clearly recorded several huge sums of money transactions between the ministers who impeached Shen Yunchao and the imperial concubine's confidants, and the time was just before Shen Yunchao was impeached.
Princess Guang'an was overjoyed. She knew very well the importance of the evidence and did not dare to delay for even a second. She immediately sent her trusted palace maid to the Prime Minister's Mansion with a message.
The palace maid handed over the secret letter from Princess Guang'an with both hands. Shen Xingwan unfolded it and saw that the letter briefly mentioned the clues to the discovered accounts and told her that the original books of these accounts were now locked in the private vault of the imperial concubine, which was heavily guarded and she could not get close at all.
But every night at 15:30, the eunuchs in charge of guarding would change shifts, and there would be a brief defense loophole, which was the best time to steal the account books.
It was as if a fleeting crack had appeared in the darkness, revealing a little light.
After reading the letter, Shen Xingwan was surprised and happy.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, but trying to steal the account book from the imperial concubine's private treasury is like pulling teeth from a tiger's mouth, which is extremely dangerous.
But her brother was still in prison and suffering torture. After thinking for a long time, she finally decided to take a risk.
She burned the letters and thought over and over again. She couldn't just rush into the Imperial Concubine's palace to search. If she did that, even if she had ten heads, they wouldn't be enough to chop off.
Seeing her worried face, Feiyun couldn't help but give her some advice, "Miss, why don't you ask your uncle for help? Your uncle is so powerful, he will definitely find a way."
Shen Xingwan shook his head.
He has done a lot for her, and it is inconvenient for him to move around in the harem. It would be better for him to find out the truth by himself and test the account books before making any plans.
Having made up her mind, she asked Feiyun to help her wash up and rest, planning to go to the palace to pay her respects to the Imperial Concubine early the next morning.
Shen Xingwan lay on the couch and pulled the quilt over her. Feiyun turned off the lights and walked out, gently closing the door for her.
She buried her head in the quilt and smelled a faint scent of cold pine. She took a deep breath and gradually felt warm in her heart.
The next morning, in the dim light of dawn, Feiyun gently pushed open the carved window, and soft light instantly poured into the boudoir, scattering in front of the rosewood dressing table.
Shen Xingwan sat in front of the bronze mirror with a calm expression, allowing Feiyun to do her makeup.
She changed into a lilac-colored Shu brocade long skirt. The fine silk material had a soft luster, and the hem and cuffs were sparsely embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns with silver thread.
Feiyun picked up a red gold and kingfisher phoenix hairpin and carefully inserted it into her bun. She also decorated it with a few pearl hairpins. The round pearls swayed gently with her movements, making subtle sounds.
The pair of ruby earrings on her ears swayed gracefully, making her skin whiter than snow and more delicate and charming.
Shen Xingwan looked at herself in the diamond-shaped mirror, pursed her lips gently, picked up the mutton-fat white jade bracelet beside her, and slowly put it on. The jade bracelet felt warm to the touch, making her fingers look even more slender.
Everything was ready. Shen Xingwan stood up and went straight to the palace.
After the announcement, the carved red door slowly opened, and Shen Xingwan took light lotus steps and slowly stepped into the imperial concubine's bedroom.
The Imperial Concubine sat upright on the main seat, her eyes cast a look of slight disgust at Shen Xingwan.
Lu Yuzhi and Tang Lin'er were also present. They must have come to pay their respects and chat with the Imperial Concubine every day.
Lu Yuzhi sat below the Imperial Concubine, wearing a bright red palace dress with a gold-woven peony pattern, a phoenix crown on her head, bright makeup and an arrogant look, and she didn't seem to take Shen Xingwan seriously.
Tang Lin'er was sitting on the other side, her light pink dress embroidered with delicate peach blossoms. She looked gentle and bright, but her eyes, hidden behind her long eyelashes, were sinister.
Shen Xingwan stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Regent Princess Shen Xingwan, I greet Her Majesty the Imperial Concubine. I have come here to listen to your teachings, thanks to your summons."
She bowed her head slightly and spoke softly, very modest and polite.
Lu Yuzhi crossed her arms across her chest, a mocking sneer on her lips.
"Oh, you are well behaved today. I don't know who was so arrogant last time and didn't take the queen seriously at all."
Her voice was quite harsh and echoed in the hall.
Before Shen Xingwan could react, Tang Lin'er suddenly covered her mouth and chuckled, "Sister, what you said is not right. Princess Shen's attitude is humble, and it is obvious that she is here to learn the rules sincerely. But you, sister, are so anxious to jump out. Are you feeling guilty and afraid of being outdone by Princess Shen?"
Tang Lin'er had a half-smile on her lips, seemingly helping Shen Xingwan, but in fact, she had a dagger in her words, and directed her spearhead at Lu Yuzhi again.
Lu Yuzhi's face turned pale and red, and she raised her hand angrily and pointed at Tang Lin'er, "Do you know who you are? How dare you help outsiders to criticize me?"
"presumptuous!"
The imperial concubine slapped the table, and with a "bang" sound, the teacup on the table shook slightly.
She looked at Tang Lin'er and scolded, "How can you speak nonsense in front of me!"
Then, her cold eyes slowly turned to Shen Xingwan, and she said coldly: "Ms. Shen, although you didn't say much, today's incident was all caused by you. I will punish you to copy "Female Commandments" and "Internal Training" a hundred times in the palace. If your handwriting is sloppy or there are omissions, don't blame me for using the palace rules to punish you severely!"
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