Chapter 167 Extra: The Wen Family Assassinated
After the coronation ceremony, the court quickly returned to normal.
Prince Chen served as acting prime minister, ranking first among all officials in the court.
Shen Jingbai was appointed as the Censor-in-Chief, responsible for supervising all officials.
With these two in charge at court, Yan Cang has much less to worry about. Firstly, Shen Jingbai appears gentle and refined, like a charming young gentleman, but in reality, he is ruthless and heartless. He and Prince Chen have been confined to the palace for so many years that they are not very familiar with the ministers at court, nor are they suspected of forming cliques or engaging in favoritism, so they would not protect anyone in the court.
Shen Jingbai and Prince Chen were in love, a fact that was not only public knowledge but also caused quite a stir back then, known to everyone in the capital. Therefore, reputation was of no importance to them.
They have no children, so they have no weaknesses.
Prince Chen is someone who can give up the throne for love, and Shen Jingbai is someone who is willing to bring shame to his family for love. Naturally, neither of them cares about wealth and honor, so they are neither corrupt nor lustful.
With two people who have no weaknesses and no way to be found to gain favor, officials in the court have no way to curry favor with them.
Most importantly, although Prince Chen was confined to his palace for several years, he had been raised according to the standards of a crown prince before his confinement, so he already had prestige in the court and could keep many ministers with ulterior motives in check.
If these two were placed in the imperial court, they would be like two impartial and incorruptible gatekeepers.
After the enthronement ceremony, the atmosphere in the court visibly improved. Ministers became more diligent and caring for the people, and they maintained their integrity. There were also fewer instances of wives and concubines fighting over favors in the homes of various officials.
At the end of August, a message was rushed to the capital.
The guards escorting the Wen family returned to report that they had encountered assassins on the way, and the entire Wen family had been shot and killed by the assassins, with no survivors.
Because the number of people escorting the assassins was limited, and the place where the assassin killed Wen Zima was near the foot of the mountain, the assassins had set up an ambush on both sides of the mountain road beforehand. The escorting officers were completely unaware of the danger. By the time they realized something was wrong, arrows rained down from above, and they were unable to defend themselves at all.
The entire Wen family was killed, but none of the guards responsible for escorting them died. Only one of them was shot in the arm and has been rushed to the city where he is being treated by a doctor.
The incident happened so suddenly that the assassin vanished after completing his mission, and the constables were unable to identify him.
After hearing this, Yan Cang sent several spies to investigate the truth. He didn't say much else, but simply ordered someone to inform Princess Ning'an of the news.
When the message arrived at the Princess Ning'an's residence, the princess was sitting in the flower hall, picking out osmanthus flowers that her maid had just picked, intending to make some osmanthus cakes to try.
With nothing to do these days, she has taken a liking to brewing tea and making pastries, and wants to try making many things herself in order to pass the quiet and boring time.
Occasionally, if she happens to encounter a handsome young guard in the manor, she will invite him over for a chat. At her age, the unmarried young noblemen in the capital will no longer covet her, and she doesn't want to bring in anyone with ulterior motives.
However, his behavior was much more unrestrained and carefree than before.
She had anticipated that the Wen family would encounter trouble, so she didn't react much after hearing the news. She simply waved her hand to indicate that she understood.
But after fiddling with the osmanthus flowers for a while with her head down, a sudden, dense pain welled up in her heart. Princess Ning'an paused slightly, then gently closed her eyes, stood up, and left the flower hall.
She returned to her bedchamber, sat down on the brocade couch, and gazed out the window, resting her chin on her hand.
I feel empty inside.
After taking revenge on Prince Consort Wen, she didn't seem as happy as she had imagined. After many years of marriage, her feelings for Prince Consort Wen were genuine, and she never cared about who got more or less when she gave to him.
Even if she started with deception and calculation, her gentleness over the years has truly penetrated my heart, bit by bit, making it unforgettable.
Because she had loved so unconditionally, she felt such hatred when she learned that she had been schemed against and deceived. She hated the Wen family, the Empress Dowager, those three ungrateful wretches, and even more so, she hated herself for being so blind.
Princess Ning'an gently covered her eyes.
Wen Yishu.
Let's hope we never meet again in the next life.
You go your way, I'll go mine.
May we all be well.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com