Chapter Twenty-Seven
Just as he was about to order the servants to pull Xue Ru away, the Prince of Shuo stared at Xue Ru with wide eyes and said, "Say it again."
Xue Ru realized what was happening and immediately tried to retort, but was startled by Hao Zhen's shrill scream and could only open her mouth without being able to speak.
"Mother, you say Yinshuang is your daughter? How is that possible? No, it's impossible!" Haozhen roared at Xueru.
"No, no, I mean..." Xue Ru opened her mouth, unsure how to explain herself.
“Your Highness, what the Princess Consort meant was… that she would treat this young lady like her own daughter.” Granny Qin immediately knelt down, speaking up for her mistress. Although she knew her words carried little weight, she hoped that Prince Shuo would let the matter drop.
"Xue Ru, say what you just said again." Prince Shuo kicked Qin Mama aside, grabbed Xue Ru's hair, and dragged her to look him in the eye.
The cold gaze of the Prince Shuo sent a chill down Xue Ru's spine. "She, she is our daughter. She was born on the same day, month, and year as Hao Zhen. To distinguish them, I branded a plum blossom on her body with my plum blossom hairpin." Xue Ru stammered as she finished speaking. Looking at the Prince Shuo's no longer cold eyes, Xue Ru breathed a sigh of relief.
Do you think I would believe that?
"Your Highness, I am telling the truth. If you don't believe me, ask Granny Qin or the maidservants beside me."
"Even if what you're saying is true, how could she have ended up outside the Prince's residence?"
"It must be, it must be that bitch Pianpian who couldn't stand that I gave birth to a daughter." Xue Ru immediately tried to shift the blame onto Pianpian.
Prince Shuo snorted coldly, and Xue Ru carefully avoided his gaze. She wanted to hug her daughter, but Prince Shuo was still clutching her hair. Prince Shuo didn't believe a word Xue Ru said. There were too many servants around, and he was afraid that the matter would get out, especially since he had finally managed to secure this marriage with the royal family. He decided to investigate secretly. Little did Prince Shuo know, this whole affair had been witnessed by the meddlesome Duo Longquan.
After hearing Xue Ru shout that she was their daughter, Duolong slipped away; he needed to find someone to share the news with. His first thought was Haoxiang, but after considering Haoxiang's situation in the Prince Shuo's residence, he shook his head and decided against it. Then he thought of Prince He, whose house was separated from theirs by only a wall. Duolong immediately rushed home; Prince He would surely enjoy hearing such an amusing story.
"Uncle, Uncle, there's something fun!" Duolong called out as he ran towards the living room after entering the Prince He's residence.
Prince He was sitting in the living room, idly playing with a bird, when he heard Duolong shout that there was something fun to do. Prince He immediately put the bird down and looked towards the door. "What's wrong with you? Why are you running away?"
"Uncle! This is so much fun, really so much fun!" Duolong, who had run in all the way, grabbed a teacup and gulped down the tea.
"Tell me! What's so interesting?" Prince He knew that Duolong was teasing him, but he wasn't in a hurry. He waited for Duolong to tell him himself, not wanting to let Duolong get away with anything else from him.
“Uncle, I went out for a stroll just now and saw Prince Shuo leading his men toward the alley where Haozhen used to keep his mistress. So I followed them, hoping to catch a glimpse of the excitement.”
"Haozhen is keeping a mistress?" Prince He frowned. Prince Shuo really doesn't respect the royal family at all!
"His mistress was the young woman who sang songs at Longyuan Tower before."
“Go on.”
Duolong recounted what happened after Prince Shuo entered Mao'er Hutong, especially Haozhen's line—"I don't care who the Emperor points to, I only want Yinshuang." He recited it with great emotion.
"The Prince Shuo family is really quite audacious!" Prince He listened to Duolong's repetition, calmly took a sip of tea, and then looked at Duolong, "Is it over?"
"Ah! Nephew, didn't you dare not listen any further?"
"You're saying that in front of so many servants, the Princess Consort of Prince Shuo called that singing girl who was in mourning but had an affair with someone else their daughter?"
Duolong swallowed hard and nodded vigorously.
"This is interesting." Prince He laughed heartily. How did Prince Shuo's daughter get lost?!
~~~~
Prince Shuo naturally didn't want the matter to become the talk of the town, especially since the Prince Shuo's mansion still had someone marrying a princess. He forced Bai Yinshuang back to the Prince Shuo's mansion. Along the way, Haozhen kept repeating "it's impossible," while Bai Yinshuang's face was deathly pale. Although she could have an affair while in mourning, she knew that having an affair with her own siblings... that was... Bai Yinshuang felt no joy at finding family; instead, she felt a great deal of panic.
Upon returning to the manor, Prince Shuo ordered Bai Yinshuang to be taken to a secluded courtyard. He didn't want to see this woman until he had investigated the matter thoroughly. Haozhen, meanwhile, was confined by Prince Shuo. He coldly snorted at Xueru, "You'd better stay in your courtyard and reflect on your actions. You are not to leave this courtyard without my order." With that, Prince Shuo left Xueru's courtyard. Standing in the main courtyard, Prince Shuo didn't know where to go. Finally, after some thought, he headed towards the courtyard of his concubine.
Pianpian was surprised by Prince Shuo's arrival. Prince Shuo felt uneasy seeing the fear in Pianpian's eyes. Looking at Haoxiang, he suddenly realized that Haozhen and Haoxiang didn't resemble each other at all. A bold thought suddenly occurred to Prince Shuo: was Haozhen his son? This thought startled him, and he quickly took a sip of tea to suppress the terrible idea. "Haoxiang, do you know that Haozhen is keeping a mistress?"
Pianpian could tell that Prince Shuo was angry and anxious. She didn't know what had happened outside, but when she came out of the Imperial Household Department, she heard that the Princess Consort had been beaten by the masters in the palace. She originally wanted to send some blood-dissolving ointment that the masters had given her, but she was afraid that the Princess Consort would say something in the middle. Now that the prince was asking Haoxiang about Haozhen, Pianpian was worried that Haoxiang had angered the prince again.
"Father, I only heard that my elder brother rented a house in Mao'er Hutong, so I asked Duolong. Duolong immediately gave me the address and said he wanted to go to my elder brother's house for a drink." Haoxiang thought for a moment as he spoke. "I want to ask my elder brother tonight if it's convenient to go tomorrow."
Prince Shuo stared at Haoxiang for a long time. Haoxiang calmly met Prince Shuo's gaze. After a while, Prince Shuo nodded. "You and Duolong have a good relationship?"
Haoxiang didn't know why his father suddenly asked about this, but he still nodded honestly.
"It's always good to make more friends." After saying this, Prince Shuo realized that although his youngest son was indeed a playboy, at least he had made some friends. Haozhen, on the other hand, although polite, had no friends at all. Prince Shuo suddenly felt that Haozhen was not as good as Haoxiang. As an official, even if one cannot openly form cliques, how can one accomplish great things without the help of friends in private? Thinking of this, Prince Shuo didn't like Haozhen as much. "In the future, you can invite your friends to come to our home to show the hospitality of the Prince Shuo's residence."
Haoxiang felt flattered. Although he had a lot of fun outside, he didn't dare to entertain his friends at home. The Manchu bannermen who played with him knew what his family was like, so they didn't say anything. But in his heart, he hoped to entertain his friends at home to show how much he valued them, even though these friends were considered playboys by others.
"Serve the meal! I will dine here today." Prince Shuo wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with his youngest son, Haozhen, but it was best to postpone that for now. The thought of having an affair with a blood relative made Prince Shuo feel disgusted.
Hearing what Prince Shuo said, Pianpian was extremely excited. How long had it been since the prince had come to her courtyard?
~~~~~
The news of Prince Shuo's sudden attention to his youngest son, spread by some gossipy servant, spread throughout the Prince's residence. Everyone was speculating whether Prince Shuo intended to pass the title to his youngest son. His eldest son had already secured a position with a concubine close to the Empress Dowager, and his future promotions were inevitable. Hearing his youngest son inherit the title would demonstrate Prince Shuo's impartiality. Some said Prince Shuo was clever, others said he was calculating, but most people were busy trying to arrange marriages for his youngest son.
Prince He's investigation was much faster than Xue Ru's attempt to erase the truth. Within a few days, Prince He was looking at a list detailing how the Princess Consort of Prince Shuo had secretly switched the items. Prince He pondered whether to tell the Emperor about this. After much deliberation, he decided to take the list to his elder brother, the Emperor, to ask for some money.
The Prince of Shuo's investigation was also quite fast. Although some people went missing, the Prince of Shuo guessed some of the details. Looking at the servant who reported back, the Prince of Shuo slumped into his chair and burst into laughter, "Hahahaha..." The son he had raised for sixteen years was a fake. Xue Ru, Xue Ru, the glory that I had worked so hard to build has been destroyed by you! The Prince of Shuo's eyes widened in anger, and he slammed his fist on the table and stood up.
The servant kneeling on the ground knew he wouldn't live much longer. Now that the prince had learned of such a private matter, how could he possibly leave him alive? But he still had elderly and young family members to support, and if he didn't return, the prince might not let him go.
Prince Shuo had no interest in silencing a servant; he was now thinking about how to protect himself and the Shuo Prince's Mansion, at least to leave a lineage intact.
The Prince wrote a secret letter overnight and went to the palace gate before dawn to request an audience with the Emperor.
~~~~
The Fourth and Fifth Princesses only learned of Consort Yu's fainting after the Empress returned to Kunning Palace. After some thought, although they knew their father was in Changping Palace, they still decided to go see Consort Yu, whether out of genuine concern or for show. Carrying the things prepared by the Empress, the Fourth and Fifth Princesses walked among the eunuchs, maids, and palace servants to Changping Palace.
When Emperor Qianlong heard the arrival of the Fourth and Fifth Princesses, he immediately handed the bowl to Granny Xia, who was standing to the side.
"Greetings to Father Emperor. Greetings to Consort Yu." The Fourth and Fifth Princesses waved their handkerchiefs and greeted the Emperor, but only moved their mouths to greet Consort Yu.
"Consort Yu, the Fourth Princess and the Fifth Princess have come to see you. The two children are very grateful." Emperor Qianlong patted Consort Yu's hand, showing his growing fondness for the Fourth and Fifth Princesses.
"Your Highness Consort Yu, these are medicines that the Empress Dowager gave us to nourish our bodies. We haven't used them before, so we brought them to you." Fifth Princess said, pointing to what a palace maid was holding. "These are some small clothes I made."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty, for allowing you to come and see this humble servant," Consort Yu mumbled, the bump causing her to lean even further into the shape of a sickly beauty.
The Fourth and Fifth Princesses sat in the long room for a while before leaving. Emperor Qianlong also forgot about his earlier trip to Yanxi Palace and went to bed in the long room. Standing outside, Granny Xia kept wondering, "Did His Majesty really faint, or was he faking it?"
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