Chapter 34: Act like a spoiled child and people will love you.
"Oh, you want to kill me?"
Shen Xingwan pretended to remain calm and continued to deal with the guards.
She glanced towards the private vault from time to time, anxiously hoping that Xing Zhou would be able to succeed.
The guard's patience was gradually worn out, and his expression was slightly anxious and helpless. "Princess, please be patient. We have sent someone to invite the prince, and he should be here soon."
Tears welled up in Shen Xingwan's eyes, and she frowned, "My ankle hurts so badly, I really can't wait any longer, can't you think of another way?"
As she spoke, she secretly observed the situation around her, trying to find an opportunity for Xing Zhou to escape.
At this moment, Shen Xingwan caught a glimpse of a barely perceptible light coming from the private vault.
That was the signal of success sent by Xing Zhou.
She was delighted at first, but then became anxious again. At this moment, the guard was standing in front of her, staring at the door of the private vault. Xing Zhou had no chance of escaping.
She was extremely anxious, and suddenly made up her mind. She reached out and grabbed the guard's sleeve, "Are you thinking of a solution? I'm the regent princess, are you just giving me a perfunctory response?"
The guard was startled by her sudden action, his ears immediately turned red and he became panicked, stammering, "My lord, my lord, you, you are..."
"What are you doing?"
Just as the stalemate was about to break out, Yan Jinghuan's low roar came from afar like a loud bell.
Shen Xingwan felt relieved immediately, the reinforcements had finally arrived. She quickly let go of the guard's sleeves and timidly stood up and sat up straight.
The guard turned his head suddenly and saw Regent Yan Jinghuan striding towards him. He was so panicked that he became incoherent and fell to his knees.
"Your Majesty, it's nothing. The princess got lost and sprained her ankle. I...we are waiting for you."
Yan Jinghuan's face was gloomy, and his eyes were fixed on the guard. "You are so bold that you dare to touch my princess. Do you still have rules in your eyes?"
He said coldly, slowly approaching, his voice becoming more and more severe, "Don't you want this hand anymore?"
The guard was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he immediately bowed his head and begged for mercy, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. I admit my sin."
Another guard who was following Yan Jinghuan also knelt down and pleaded: "Please forgive me, Your Majesty. This happened suddenly. I just supported the princess in a hurry. I didn't mean to be disrespectful. I hope Your Majesty can understand!"
While the guard's attention was completely attracted by Yan Jinghuan, Xing Zhou quickly rushed out of the private vault like a ghost in the dark night and disappeared into the endless night.
Shen Xingwan secretly breathed a sigh of relief, as if relieved from a heavy burden. He glanced at Yan Jinghuan and nodded slightly, indicating that he had succeeded.
"Oh, Your Majesty." Shen Xingwan twisted her shoulders coquettishly and said in a soft voice, "They mean well, don't blame them. I'm in pain, please take me to see the imperial physician."
Yan Jinghuan's expression lightened up a little, and his tone softened a little.
"Forget it, now that the princess has asked for your help, you know you are wrong, so get up."
"Thank you, Your Highness, for not punishing us." The two guards stood up hurriedly.
Yan Jinghuan leaned over, picked up Shen Xingwan horizontally on his knees, and coaxed her softly: "Does it hurt?"
"Um."
Shen Xingwan let out a moan, hooked her hands around his neck with grievance, and fell weakly into his arms.
Yan Jinghuan held her tightly and looked at the two of them coldly, "This involves the reputation of the princess. If you dare to leak a word, you will be killed without mercy. Get out of here."
"yes."
The guard quickly stepped aside respectfully.
Yan Jinghuan held Shen Xingwan tightly, bent his head and whispered comfortingly, then strode away from the private warehouse.
The two of them walked towards the banquet. The banquet had not yet ended, and it would not be good for them to just disappear like that. They had to go back and socialize.
"You came at the right time." Shen Xingwan suddenly said, "If you had come a little later, I wouldn't know what to do."
Yan Jinghuan chuckled, lowered his head slightly, and kissed the top of her head, "I think you acted very realistically." He looked at her jokingly and said, "Why don't you act like a spoiled child to me like that on weekdays?"
"Oh you!"
Shen Xingwan blushed and buried her head in his chest, "You're so annoying!"
Yan Jinghuan smiled happily and carried her all the way to the banquet, attracting everyone's attention.
Shen Xingwan struggled to get down, but Yan Jinghuan refused and carried her all the way to her seat. She was so embarrassed that she almost buried her face in the plate, but Yan Jinghuan was very open and confident.
"No wonder she fought with the prince just now. It seems that the charm of the most noble lady in the capital is really well-deserved."
"That's right. If the prince hadn't been drunk and had left the table early to rest, who knows what would have happened if he had seen them in such a loving relationship, hehe."
Everyone was whispering and discussing in low voices. It was likely that the news that the Regent King doted on his wife excessively would have spread throughout Shengjing before the banquet was over.
Shen Xingwan's face was so red that it almost bled. Yan Jinghuan saw it and just smiled and helped her pick some food. "Eat more. You'll be busy later."
“Oh my god… Hehe…” The whispers around them became louder, and the eyes looking at the two of them became more ambiguous.
After the banquet, Shen Xingwan and Yan Jinghuan got on the carriage and returned to the Regent's Palace.
In the carriage, the two people who had just sat down smiled at each other, took off the masks they had been acting for, and leaned lazily on the cushions.
"Today's events are all thanks to you." Shen Xingwan said softly, "Thank you."
"When will this habit be corrected?"
Yan Jinghuan raised his hand and flicked her forehead, then came down and held her hand, "We are husband and wife, we should support each other."
His eyes were gentle, becoming even deeper in the night, as he looked at her, "It's a bit awkward to keep saying thank you."
Shen Xingwan moved closer, leaned lightly on Yan Jinghuan's shoulder, and hummed softly.
After arriving at the Regent's Palace, the two went straight to the study.
Xing Zhou was already waiting there. As soon as he saw the two of them, he immediately handed over all the account books and letters he had found.
The warm yellow candlelight flickered in the lamp, lengthening the figures' shadows and projecting them onto the walls of the study.
Yan Jinghuan spread out the account books and other evidence obtained from the private treasury on the desk one by one. Shen Xingwan also came forward, and the two of them examined them carefully together.
The records in the account book were densely packed, and every line of handwriting seemed to be telling of the numerous crimes committed by the imperial concubine.
She colluded with Western Region forces and embezzled huge amounts of gold and silver treasures in exchange for military secrets in an attempt to disrupt peace on the border in order to consolidate her father, General Zhang's military power in the court.
She bribed court officials and made the court a chaotic place. Under her instructions, those bribed officials formed cliques and excluded dissidents, causing chaos in the court, which gradually strengthened the power of the Zhang family.
What is even more outrageous is that she actually openly bought and sold official titles, clearly marked the prices of official positions, influenced the court's recruitment of personnel, and lavishly supported Zhang's disciples and children, making it impossible for those who had real talents but no money to bribe to serve the country.
Yan Jinghuan's face became increasingly gloomy. "These evidences are enough to make her die without a burial place."
His tone was cold and echoed in the quiet study.
Shen Xingwan's eyes were determined, and she gritted her teeth and said, "We must not let her go!"
Yan Jinghuan raised his head and looked at the sky outside the window. After a moment's thought, he said, "Speed is of the essence in war. We must strike before the Imperial Concubine discovers the theft of the account book and takes action."
He turned his head and looked at Shen Xingwan, "I will go to the palace immediately to make arrangements and completely overthrow the Imperial Concubine at the morning court tomorrow."
Shen Xingwan was shocked, knowing the urgency and danger of the matter.
But she also understood that she must not miss this only opportunity.
She nodded solemnly, "Okay, I believe you. Then we will split up into two groups. I will go back to the Prime Minister's Mansion immediately and go with my father to find Lord Zhou. Tomorrow morning, we will go to court to impeach the Imperial Concubine and Wei Zilin for multiple crimes."
Yan Jinghuan held her hand and said, "Be careful on this trip. If there is any danger, give up immediately and save yourself."
Shen Xingwan gently held his hand back, smiled comfortingly, and said, "You too."
After saying that, Shen Xingwan hurriedly left the Regent's Palace and rushed back to the Prime Minister's Residence.
After she explained the situation to her father, the two of them did not dare to delay for a moment and headed for Lord Zhou's residence under the cover of night.
When Lord Zhou learned that they were visiting late at night, he immediately welcomed them into his study personally. Shen Xingwan quickly informed Lord Zhou of the Imperial Concubine's crimes and their plans in detail.
After listening to this, Mr. Zhou looked solemn. He slowly stood up and paced back and forth in the study.
After a moment, he stopped and looked at Shen Xingwan and Prime Minister Shen with a firm gaze, "For the sake of the country and the people, I, Zhou, will die for my advice!"
His tone was resolute, and he expressed his determination to die.
Shen Xingwan's eyes were sore, and admiration surged in her heart. She immediately stood up and bowed deeply to Lord Zhou, "Lord Zhou is so righteous. Xingwan respects you. Please accept my greetings."
The night outside the window grew darker and darker, as thick as insoluble ink, as if foreshadowing the coming of a storm.
The next morning, the sky was still dark and the cold mist had not yet completely dissipated. The towering palace was vague in the haze.
As a melodious and solemn bell rang, the court officials, dressed in court robes and with different expressions, walked into the court with steady steps.
For a moment, the court was filled with courtiers in the solemn atmosphere. It seemed as if one could hear everyone's breathing, some light and some heavy.
As the emperor was seriously ill and unable to attend court in person to preside over state affairs, Crown Prince Wei Zilin and Regent Yan Jinghuan jointly supervised the country.
Wei Zilin's face was slightly pale, his eyes showing fatigue from last night's hangover, and he was trying hard to put on a solemn attitude.
Yan Jinghuan had an upright posture, a stern look, and his deep eyes contained a majesty that made people dare not look directly at him.
Just as everyone was about to stand still and had not yet started to discuss the matter, Lord Zhou, with a solemn expression, took a firm step forward, held the impeachment memorial in both hands, and said loudly: "Your Majesty, I have something to report!"
His voice echoed for a long time in the empty court, filled with unquestionable determination.
Immediately afterwards, Lord Zhou submitted a sincere and clear report to the emperor, impeaching the Imperial Noble Consort and Crown Prince Wei Zilin for their crimes.
From the imperial concubine colluding with Western forces and selling out state secrets, to the prince squandering the national treasury and appointing people based on personal connections, there is solid evidence for every case.
He became more and more excited as he spoke, and his voice became louder and louder: "Such evil deeds are extremely harmful to the country and the people. If they are not severely punished, the country will no longer exist!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the court was in an uproar.
The court officials were whispering to each other with different expressions. Some were shocked, while others frowned secretly. They were obviously frightened by this sudden impeachment.
"You old bastard! What nonsense are you talking about?!" Wei Zilin immediately slammed the table and stood up, furious.
Yan Jinghuan's eyes swept through everyone calmly, finally landing on Wei Zilin, and he raised his eyebrows slightly, and said slowly, "Your Highness, what do you say?"
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