Chapter 56 Don't keep this child.
Even though Prince Consort Wen was extremely unwilling, he couldn't resist Yan Jin's repeated assurances: "We will definitely take good care of the Princess, please rest assured, Uncle."
Fearing that continuing the stalemate would arouse suspicion, Prince Consort Wen had no choice but to agree, saying, "Then I'll have to trouble you. Please take good care of the Princess. Her condition is special right now, and she absolutely cannot be bumped or injured."
Yan Jinyue smiled and said, "Uncle, don't worry, your niece will definitely bring Aunt back safe and sound."
Princess Ning'an drank some water and felt better, then, with the help of her nanny, she got up and went outside.
Prince Consort Wen stayed close to her side, as if afraid she would fall, taking great care of her.
Yan Jinyue and Chu Yunjin exchanged a glance and followed silently behind the two. After walking out of the Princess's Mansion, Yan Jinyue instructed Zhou Mama and Hui Mama to help the Princess into the carriage.
The Wen family, father and son, watched helplessly, unable to refuse.
The female guests in the inner courtyard took their leave one by one, and all the princesses and queens also returned home.
Chu Yunjin stood by the carriage and saw her half-sister Chu Yunshan come out. Only then did she realize that she had been in this world for several days and had not been home to visit her family.
Tomorrow.
If Yan Cang is free tomorrow, she will ask him to go with her; if he is not free, she will go back alone.
Chu Yunjin withdrew her gaze, followed Yan Jinyue into the carriage, and sat down next to the princess.
Standing beside the carriage were Granny Hui and Granny Zhou, as well as the servants brought by Yan Jinyue and Chu Yunjin.
Princess Ning'an lifted the carriage curtain and said to Consort Wen, "Too many people will be too conspicuous. I won't bring anyone from the Princess's residence. I'm going to the palace today and will probably have lunch with the Empress Dowager. You can come to the palace to pick me up in an hour."
Prince Consort Wen's expression changed slightly: "Bring Granny Jin along. I'll feel more at ease with her taking care of things."
Princess Ning'an laughed and said, "There are so many servants in the Empress Dowager's palace, what are you worried about? Don't be so hesitant, or the younger generation will laugh at you."
Without waiting for Wen, the Imperial Son-in-Law, to reply, she lowered the carriage curtain.
Wen Fuma's eyes darkened slightly as he turned to look at the maids, servants, and guards surrounding the carriage. They were all people from the Princess Consort of Yan and the Sixth Princess. He couldn't help but feel a little uneasy about being out of control.
He felt that something was off about what was happening today, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
After the carriage slowly drove away, Wen Shiyu walked over, his face grim: "Father, how could Mother suddenly be pregnant?"
After a moment of silence, Prince Consort Wen said, "I don't know what happened either. Logically speaking, she shouldn't be pregnant."
There had been no news for over a decade, so how could it be such a coincidence that she was found to be pregnant at her birthday banquet today?
With so many princesses and queens in front of them, it was impossible to hide it from them.
Wen Shiyu's face was grim: "What should we do now?"
Prince Consort Wen said calmly, "There's no need to rush. It's still uncertain whether she's pregnant or not. Even if she is, she won't be able to give birth."
Wen Shiyu felt slightly relieved upon hearing this, but then his face hardened: "It's all because of the Sixth Princess and the Princess Consort of Yan's meddling. Those two are a plague."
After a moment of silence, Prince Consort Wen said gently, "Please calm down. Doesn't the Chu family's concubine's daughter admire you?"
"What does Father mean?" Wen Shiyu looked at him, puzzled.
"The Chu family has been too peaceful lately, so much so that Princess Consort Yan hasn't been able to come home often," Prince Consort Wen sighed. "If Chu Yunshan is willing to do something for you, that would be wonderful."
Wen Shiyu nodded slowly: "I understand."
Prince Consort Wen turned his head and watched the carriage gradually disappear into the distance. He still had a gentle smile on his face, but the color in his eyes was as cold as a venomous snake.
No one can sabotage his plan, or they will only face certain death.
The spacious carriage was filled with the gentle fragrance of sandalwood.
The eldest princess sat in the main seat, with Chu Yunjin and Yan Jinyue on either side of her. All three of them had somewhat solemn expressions.
"Wen Fuma's reaction seemed a bit out of line, but he covered it up quickly. It's Wen Shiyu who's too young and impatient," Chu Yunjin pondered. "Wen Fuma has been running his business for over a decade, and what he fears most now is that many of the servants in the Princess's residence have been bought off by him. On the surface, they listen to the Princess, but in reality, the power is all in Wen Fuma's hands. Once the Princess breaks ties with him, I'm afraid there will be no place for her in the residence."
The reason why Prince Consort Wen acted so flawlessly was not due to his own merit, but rather the power of Prime Minister Wen's family.
Princess Ning'an has been helping the Wen family all these years, but as the Wen family's power has grown, they are no longer under the princess's control.
Ministers who manipulate power in the court, once they become involved in scheming, are bound to be absolutely cunning.
Princess Ning'an closed her eyes and remained silent for a long time before asking, "What do you think I should do now?"
Her pregnancy was a lie; she was just testing Wen's reaction.
When Physician Sun said she was pregnant, it was a pre-arranged story between him and Granny Hui, with the aim of catching Prince Consort Wen and his son off guard.
It seems this method is indeed working. At least it can be confirmed that Prince Consort Wen is not happy about the Princess's pregnancy at all. Upon closer observation, even his concern seems insincere.
Chu Yunjin said, "Aunt, could you ask Father Emperor for a skilled bodyguard to protect you, using your pregnancy as an excuse?"
"No," Yan Jinyue shook her head. "That would be too obvious. Prince Consort Wen would definitely be able to guess who the expert was guarding against, and it would only alert them—"
“I have a skilled bodyguard by my side,” Princess Ning’an said calmly. “It’s just that I’ve trusted him too much over the years and never had anyone keep an eye on his every move. I never expected that raising a tiger would backfire and that I would put myself in danger.”
Chu Yunjin asked, "What level of skill can the experts around Auntie achieve?"
“I was caught off guard before.” Princess Ning’an opened her eyes, her gaze cold and indifferent. “If I had been on guard, I could have kept a close watch on Consort Wen. If he goes to the Wen family every month, it’s really to meet that Zhao fellow in secret, and I will find out soon enough.”
Chu Yunjin frowned.
Since she had skilled protectors around her, why was she ultimately killed?
Because of poisoning?
Yes, the most common method of murder used by royalty and noble families is poisoning, especially poisoning by trusted confidants, which is truly difficult to guard against.
The three of them fell silent, and the carriage became quiet.
The carriage drove all the way into the palace gates and went straight to the Empress Dowager's Shou'an Palace.
The Empress Dowager had never been kind to Chu Yunjin and Yan Jinyue. Seeing them arrive with the Eldest Princess, she narrowed her eyes slightly: "Why are you two accompanying the Eldest Princess? Where is Consort Wen?"
"It was your son who asked them to come together." Princess Ning'an greeted the Empress Dowager and sat down next to her. "Mother, haven't you always thought Jin Yue was being disobedient? I brought her here so that you can teach her some manners."
The Empress Dowager ignored her words and frowned at Princess Ning'an: "Imperial Physician Sun came back and reported that you are pregnant. Is it true?"
Princess Ning'an's face lit up with joy: "Really."
"You..." The Empress Dowager frowned slightly, showing little joy on her face. "Haven't you always been unable to conceive? How come you're suddenly pregnant?"
Princess Ning'an frowned, seemingly puzzled: "I don't know either. I originally thought it was just food poisoning, but I never expected..."
The Empress Dowager said calmly, "We don't need this child."
Princess Ning'an was taken aback: "Mother?"
Chu Yunjin and Yan Jinyue were both taken aback when they heard this.
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