Chilling Wound
On the fifth day after ascending the throne, Chen Feng married Shi Qiqi, daughter of the Shi family. The Chen family's compound was gifted by the current emperor, Li Lin. On the wedding day, the courtyard was festooned with lights and colorful decorations, creating a festive and peaceful atmosphere. Mistress Huang Youbing finally drank the tea offered by her daughter-in-law, her heart filled with relief.
As night fell, Empress Chen Yun sat in the center of the main hall, a bustling scene of officials offering tea and wine. Prefect Shi and his wife, beaming with joy at their daughter's marriage into the imperial family, also arrived, along with distant relatives of the Shi and Chen families.
Just as the mistress of the Shi family said, those relatives who looked down on others and usually didn't even want to smile at them are now trying to curry favor with them.
Meanwhile, at the Duke of Ni's mansion, candlelight illuminated the room, the red glow making the face of Zhen Adan, head of the Zhen family, flush red. This was because after the Haimen Incident, it was rumored that the newly enthroned Emperor Li Lin treated his daughter like an uncrowned consort.
Zhen Ah Dan was so angry that he slammed the table so hard that the sound echoed throughout the study.
Upon seeing this, the Zhen family's mistress anxiously asked, "Yin'er was already married to the former crown prince and bore him a child. Now she's marrying the emperor again. Doesn't this make people think Yin'er is vain and unfaithful? Head of the household, we can't let Yin'er be ridiculed again. Since she doesn't have a formal engagement or title with His Majesty, why not find a pretext to bring Yin'er back?"
Zhen Ah Dan was silent for a moment, then calmed down and said, "Hasn't the Huajiang mine been occupied by bandits for a long time? I heard that Your Majesty relies on the Queen very much. Tomorrow, I will threaten or tempt the Queen with the mine. If she agrees, we will have a pretext to ask Your Majesty to return Yin'er on the grounds of 'foreign relatives interfering in politics.' If she doesn't agree, we will invent a pretext."
The Zhen family mistress had no choice but to nod, and then asked, "Is Yin'er's jade pendant repaired?"
"There's been no response from them. There's no rush. Okay, I'm tired. Madam, go to bed early!"
A few days later, in the palace bedroom, Chen Yun sat in front of the dressing table reading a book, while a servant was doing her makeup.
"Even when I was a princess, I didn't get up so early. The queen has a lot of rules."
Hearing Chen Yun's sigh, the servants echoed, "Your Majesty is already the Queen, and many things require your guidance and coordination. So getting up early in the morning to dress up will allow you to better show your beauty to us servants!"
Chen Yun was still staring at the book. "How long have you been in the palace? How old were you when you entered?"
"Your Majesty, we both entered the palace at the age of twelve, and it has been ten years."
"So, do you think it would be a good idea to release some of the palace maids who don't want to stay?"
Nanny Ming bowed slightly and said, "Your Majesty, the late Empress has already considered dismissing some of the palace maids and female relatives. In fact, many of the palace maids were forced into the palace and were not free until they were in their thirties."
"So you can either become a concubine with a eunuch in the palace, secretly marry someone in the palace, or die alone in the palace. Now that our Qiankun Kingdom is prosperous, there is no need to keep so many people here. This policy is wrong, and for women, its rationality should indeed be questioned. Okay, I understand."
The servant asked, "But, Madam, as someone who once served as a maid or lady-in-waiting in the palace, you should be very popular and well-liked."
Chen Ying put down his book and said, "Have you ever heard of the groundhog theory?"
The servants all shook their heads.
Chen Ying continued, "Groundhogs are animals from distant lands. When the environment remains cold for extended periods, groundhogs remain in their dens for extended periods. When the temperature warms, they emerge from their dens, becoming noticeably sluggish. This phenomenon also manifests in humans. The Groundhog Day effect demonstrates that if a person continually repeats the same task day in and day out, their reactions become slower, their thinking deteriorates, and they age more quickly. They may not necessarily be able to adapt to society outside."
"Compared to the past... the status of women has improved somewhat, but not much. It's a pity that no one considers that it's not just men who provide for the family!"
Chen Yun stood up. "That is to say, while you are still young, you should rotate more, learn more, and be exposed to more different and beneficial things! Okay, let's move to Xilin Palace."
After a while, all of Li Lin's concubines were sitting down waiting for Chen Yun's arrival, including Yang Li and Zhen Yin.
The palace, steeped in ancient charm, was decorated with auspicious cloud patterns, a dazzling red carpet, and a luxurious atmosphere. Inside Xilin Palace, Chen Yun gazed down at the concubines below as they were greeted.
"Greetings to the Queen." The concubines saluted in unison.
After the ceremony, Chen Yin asked everyone to sit down and then chatted with them cheerfully. Yang Li looked embarrassed, while Zhen Yin remained silent.
Later, Chen Yun said, "While Concubine Yang and Concubine Zhen have not been canonized as empresses by His Majesty, all court officials agree that they are His Majesty's concubines kept in captivity. They may face many inconveniences in their lives. In the future, you may wish to tell me, and I will seek justice for you."
Zhen Yin bowed and said, "Thank you, Queen. I hope you will grant me the grace to clarify that I did not have an affair with Your Majesty."
"She's still unwilling to give up her edge, so I'll reduce her edge for you." Thinking of this, Chen Yun deliberately raised her voice and said, "What do you mean by adultery? Concubine Zhen, you can't insult His Majesty with such a lowly word as adultery. Since there's no such thing, why jump into the trap of self-proving yourself?"
Zhen Yin frowned and immediately bowed to apologize, but she was still resentful.
At this time, a palace maid came up and said, "Your Majesty, Zhen A'dan, the master of the Zhen family outside Kunning Palace, wants to see you."
Zhen Yin looked behind her in surprise.
After Zhen Ah-shan came to pay her respects, she said hurriedly, "Your Majesty, I have learned that my daughter has lost her husband. According to local customs, she should be brought back to Xingyang to live out her days. She must never remarry. I beg Your Majesty's approval."
Chen Yun explained slowly, "She's marrying into the royal family. When in Rome, she follows the customs of the palace. Otherwise, your Zhen family will be looked down upon. Besides, Xingyang is a long way away, and Concubine Zhen is pregnant, so it's not appropriate."
"Whose child is she pregnant with? Why didn't she tell me?" Zhen Ah Dan frowned, then said, "But the Huajiang area is monopolized by bandits. Only someone as eloquent as my daughter can handle this matter. Otherwise, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble the prince to go there. If he goes, I'm willing to lead the entire Marquisate to help him seize the local mineral veins and make the Queen's family more prosperous."
"Aristocratic families are so domineering that they even dare to cross the line right in front of me." Thinking of this, Chen Yan refused without showing any anger, "No."
"But I have already entrusted the letter to Governor Shi. Your Majesty, monopolizing the river transport of timber is a minor matter; losing the mineral vein is a major one!"
Chen Yun found the matter rather thorny. If he allowed his brother Chen Feng to obtain the mine, he feared it would solidify the reputation of a foreign relative's monopoly of power. If he allowed Li Lin to handle it, he feared he would hand the task over to Chen Feng. However, if he left it unattended, the losses would be unbearable.
In this dilemma, Yan Ruoxi put forward a point of view: "Queen, I have unique negotiation skills. I have negotiated with Yan You and Tu Fan before. You can send me to handle this matter on behalf of the prince-in-law. This way, the problem of relying on relatives by marriage will no longer exist."
Although Yan Ruoxi's words solved Chen Yin's urgent problem, they offended Zhen Ah Dan. He had originally wanted to use the mineral vein as an excuse to bring Zhen Yin back home, but now that his plan had been thwarted, he was naturally furious.
"Xianfei should focus on the Yan Clan Army in Huajiang. Since they lost their head, they have become a mess. Who would trust you?"
Yan Ruoxi was immediately dissatisfied when she heard this, so she explained: "Then I shouldn't let you take Concubine Zhen home? Who knows if it is your majesty's dragon seed?"
"What?" Zhen Adan immediately turned around and glared at Zhen Yin.
Zhen Yin quickly explained, "Dad! Don't believe her! I'm pregnant with Jiancheng's child! It's already been two months!"
Yan Ruoxi was unhappy about the slight against her Yan Family Army. Her unhappy expression made her look away, but she demanded firmly, "The Yan Family is full of loyal warriors. Should we allow these scoundrels to gossip about us? Duke Ni, please apologize to the Yan Family and the Yan Family Army."
As a member of a five-generation aristocratic family, Zhen Ah Dan was always full of arrogance. He said bluntly: "Although you are the virtuous concubine, I am the Duke of Ni! Your Yan Family Army is just a third-rate soldier without a leader. It should not exist. Calling it the Yan Family Army is enough to prove my respect for you. Don't be so aggressive!"
Yan Ruoxi counterattacked, "The title of Duke of Ni was bestowed by His Majesty, and it's hereditary. His Majesty should be the leader. Now that she's pregnant with His Majesty's heir, you're taking her back regardless of everything. You don't take His Majesty seriously! You've been threatening the Queen just now. Do you want me to analyze every word? You're presumptuous of being a Duke! One day, I'll ask His Majesty to remove you from your position!"
Zhen Yin quickly shouted, "De Fei! Don't go too far! You're disrespectful to your elders, and you're trying to embellish what the Duke said! You're just being vain!"
"Zhen Yin, the suspicion that my father was a spy was caused by someone from your former Crown Prince's Mansion. I haven't settled the score with you yet."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Yin's face instantly turned pale. She knew full well that once the matter of the former Crown Prince's Mansion was mentioned, it would be a quagmire from which she would be unable to escape. She forced herself to remain calm, but the trembling in her voice was hard to hide. "De Fei, please don't slander me. The matter of the former Crown Prince's Mansion has long been settled. Why bring it up again?"
Yan Ruoxi sneered and said, "Is the dust settled? Humph, who knows, maybe the Zhen family played a role in this, intending to frame Your Majesty at the time? Did they really think they could hide it from the world? Now they want to take advantage of this opportunity to stir up trouble. Zhen Yin, do you think I'm a fool?"
Seeing the situation becoming increasingly tense, Chen Yun quickly spoke up to mediate, "Alright, everyone, cut the slack. Duke Zhen, you came here today to take Concubine Zhen back to Xingyang, but she's pregnant now, so how can she leave the palace so easily? As for the Huajiang mine, I'll take care of it myself. You don't need to worry about it."
Zhen Ah Dan, seeing the Queen's words, though unwilling to accept them, dared not to act rashly. He could only bow his head and reply, "Yes, Your Majesty, I know I was wrong. But regarding the matter of the Yan Mansion, Your Majesty, please understand. Our Zhen family has absolutely never done such a foolish thing with the remnants of the previous dynasty."
"Dad, what are you talking about? We don't need to prove anything. What did those people in the Yan Mansion do? How did they climb to the top of the Twelve Cavalry? We both know it."
"Shut up! Do you want to bring our entire Zhen family to ruin? You even didn't tell me you were pregnant with a dragon heir!"
Yan Ruoxi stood up and walked over to Zhen Yin and said, "How could a daughter of a noble family say such unbearable things? Shouldn't the Zhen family apologize to me?"
Zhen Yin's eyes burned with anger. She slowly stood up and said, "Whore girl, I didn't insult or hurt you at all just now. Why should I apologize?"
In anger, Yan Ruoxi grabbed Zhen Yin's neck, and Zhen Yin pulled out her hairpin and prepared to stab him.
At this moment, Zifeng ran in and separated the two, and Li Lin followed him in.
Li Lin saw this and shouted, "How dare you do such a thing in the palace?"
Chen Yun said, "You two have behaved inappropriately in front of the palace. How disrespectful! Why didn't you explain your motives? You handled the situation incorrectly. As punishment, you must copy the Buddhist scriptures ten times and forfeit your meals for the day! Let them reflect on their own behavior."
"Alright, Duke Ni, please go back first. I want to have a good time with my concubines."
Zhen Yin's eyes were full of grievance as she looked at her father's departing back, but Zhen A'dan looked at her with disgust and left. Zhen Yin was speechless and her heart was full of bitterness.
Li Lin asked, "Princess Zhen, do you have your family's jade pendant with you?"
Zhen Yin calmed down and replied, "Because there was a crack, it was sent back to my father a few days ago to be repaired."
Li Lin: "Only those present here and the Queen know what happens next, because it concerns General Yan's rebellion."
Everyone held their breath, as if no one could escape the consequences.
"Earlier, all the civil and military officials suspected General Yan of rebellion. Recently, it was discovered that the Zhen family was definitely involved. Therefore, I need Concubine Zhen to do me a favor. Wear a veil and marry into the harem as the daughter of a criminal, the daughter of Yang Chenji, and Concubine Yang Ya. However, you must not reveal your identity as Zhen Yin. And you will be assigned a replacement outside the palace."
Zhen Yin was dissatisfied. She thought Li Lin was trying to monopolize her, so she refused: "I have also said that I would never become a concubine in your harem even if I die."
"Listen, after you become the Shufei, you need to go to the Ye Ting and persuade Yin Banluo, the daughter of the rebel Yin Hunter, to surrender to me. If you succeed, she will be promoted to Defei. Everyone should build good relations with her, because as the marshals of the Tufan Kingdom, the Yin family will inevitably attract lawless elements."
Zhen Yin's brow twitched, and then she scolded without further explanation: "Your Majesty, please stop causing trouble for other women."
"There are many things that cannot be solved by righteous means. Shouldn't evil ways appear? Remember, those in the upper echelons are all evil-hearted."
"I was once betrayed by a traitor and sold into a brothel, yet Your Majesty showed me mercy. I have nothing to repay you with, so how dare I ask for more? I will definitely resolve this issue for Your Majesty. I will not allow some so-called aristocratic families to interfere with Your Majesty's ambitions."
Yan Ruoxi said the last sentence while looking at Zhen Yin, as if warning her that the knife was about to fall on her neck. However, Zhen Yin glanced at Yan Ruoxi indifferently amidst the painful choice and the hatred of others.
Seeing Yan Ruoxi helping him so much, Li Lin slowly left and said, "Then stop arguing. Let's go back!"
After that, Li Lin and Yan Ruoxi left. Zhen Yin knelt down in agony. Perhaps, proving herself in another way was the only way out. But she was unwilling to accept it.
When only Zhen Yin and Chen Ying were left at the scene, Chen Ying helped her up.
"Zhen Yin, you've suffered. I know you're unwilling to accept this, but the emperor's order cannot be disobeyed. I will protect you. I won't even let His Majesty touch you."
Zhen Yin finally broke down in tears. She had finally met someone who understood and protected her. She hugged Chen Yin, revealing her cowardly side, which remained for a long time.
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