Chapter 59: It was Gu Zhan who killed their child.
Gu Zhan had just peeled a segment of orange for Shen Mi. Seeing that she did not refuse, he slowly picked up the orange that had already been peeled, removed the shrimp vein, and offered it to Shen Mi's lips again.
However, having just swallowed the bitter taste in her throat, Chen Mi didn't really want to eat the orange that Gu Zhan had fed her.
Back when they lived in Runyang, every autumn and winter, Su Xingjian would send her many fresh seasonal fruits such as oranges and tangerines. At that time, they often used various fruits as a starting point to compose poems and exchange verses.
She recalled a line from one of them: "The knife is as smooth as water, the Wu salt is whiter than snow, and delicate hands peel open a fresh orange."
This poem was written no earlier than last winter.
Back then, she was carefree and happy, unlike now when she had to constantly watch Zhan's expression and act accordingly. Although it was her birthday today and old friends were gathering, she couldn't say a single word to Su Xingjian.
Seeing that she wouldn't open her mouth, her eyelashes slightly wet, Gu Zhan frowned slightly and asked, "On such a joyous day, why are you crying?"
Shen Mi pulled herself out of her reverie and gently shook her head. "Perhaps the orange is a little sour."
Gu Zhan glanced at the orange in his hand. He didn't like oranges, so he didn't taste them. He simply placed them on the small table in front of him, called a servant to bring him a handkerchief, wiped the orange juice off his hands, and then put one hand on Shen Mi's shoulder, saying, "Then that's fine."
Shen Mi nodded without saying a word, simply staring intently at the acrobatic performance before her, hoping that this "boring" birthday banquet would end soon.
Perhaps it was the sight of the object that brought back memories, but the orange slice that wasn't actually sour made her stomach churn. She placed her hand on Gu Zhan's hand, which was resting on her waist, and gently pushed him away.
Gu Zhan turned his head and saw that her face was slightly pale, so he loosened his hand on her waist. "Are you feeling unwell? Should I have someone summon the imperial physician?"
Shen Mi pursed her lips. "No need, it'll be fine in a little while."
After saying that, she got up and walked out of the corridor.
As soon as Gu Zhan's hand left her waist, Shen Mi finally felt her breathing become easier.
She stood by the pool, took a deep breath, and after a moment, was about to go back when she suddenly saw what appeared to be two figures by the artificial hill through the bushes.
She couldn't help but tiptoe a few steps closer. As she got closer, she realized from the sound that it was Song Zhaohuai and Su Yuzhao.
Separated by bushes and artificial hills, the two were unaware that someone was nearby.
Su Yuzhao looked up at Song Zhaohuai, her eyes reddening, and asked, "Zhaohuai, do you even understand my feelings?"
Song Zhaohuai's lips moved slightly: "Sister..."
Su Yuzhao took a step forward, and Song Zhaohuai retreated towards the artificial hill.
She noticed Song Zhaohuai's backward movement and stopped. "Zhaohuai, you weren't like this before."
Song Zhaohuai remained silent.
Su Yuzhao took a deep breath and said, "Zhaohuai, I've said it before, I don't want to marry that young master Han from the family of the Minister of Personnel."
Song Zhaohuai looked down at her and said, "I have learned about Han Langjun recently. I heard that he was selected by the Emperor as the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination before the New Year because of his handsome appearance. However, the Empress was reluctant to part with Princess Roufu and wanted to keep her for a few more years. That's why Han Langjun did not marry the princess. The Minister of Personnel has always had a good reputation. Han Gong and Father were both Jinshi in the same year. The Han family is a family of scholars with a profound family learning. Given time, Han Langjun will surely become a prime minister. My sister can also be granted an imperial title. Father's consideration is truly meticulous."
Su Yuzhao was not relieved by Song Zhaohuai's comfort; instead, her heart felt even more heavy. She suppressed the urge to cry in front of Song Zhaohuai. "I don't want to hear this. No matter how outstanding or prestigious that Han Langjun may be, I don't like him. I don't want to spend my life with someone I don't like. Don't you understand?"
Song Zhaohuai's throat bobbed, and the tears welling up in Su Yuzhao's eyes made his heart ache.
How could he not understand his sister's thoughts? Although he was not present when his sister mentioned to Prime Minister Su about getting engaged to him, he was stopped from seeing his sister after returning to the capital. He was puzzled and asked their eldest brother, Su Xingjian, before he learned the reason.
He knew all too well the feelings his sister had for him, and he also knew that Prime Minister Su would not allow him to be with his sister, so he could not tell his sister that he also harbored feelings that he should not have.
After a long silence, he finally sighed, "I understand, sister, I understand everything."
Su Yuzhao seemed stunned for a moment, blinked gently, and asked, "And what about you? What do you think?" She raised her hand to wipe away her tears and said to Song Zhaohuai, "Zhaohuai, if you just say you're willing, I will definitely find a way to escape from home. I've been a well-bred young lady for so many years, a noblewoman of Bianjing. Everyone says I'm knowledgeable and reasonable, but I don't want to be the daughter of the Su family. I don't want to be sold off by my father and his colleagues at home. I want to be Su Yuzhao, I want to be myself, I want to marry the person I love and grow old with him, not just marry a 'suitable' person..."
Song Zhaohuai interrupted Su Yuzhao, "Sister, please don't say that."
He understood the principle of marrying someone as a wife and then having them run away to become a concubine all too well. He had lost his parents at a young age and was only able to be adopted by the Su family because of his past friendship with his father. They had supported him for so many years. He felt extremely guilty for having improper thoughts about his older sister and he did not want his older sister to be punished by the Su family for this matter.
He knew that Prime Minister Su only had one daughter besides his elder brother Su Xingjian, and had cherished her like a precious jewel since childhood. Therefore, Prime Minister Su wanted his sister to marry someone with a good family background, education, appearance, and future prospects. Prime Minister Su did not want his sister to suffer in the future, so he wanted her to marry a future prime minister of the Great Qi or a member of the royal family, rather than someone like him who was all alone and could only rely on his military achievements to support himself.
Su Yuzhao did not consider Song Zhaohuai's many thoughts, and only said: "Zhaohuai, this is probably the last time I will see you before I discuss marriage with Han Langjun. I only ask one question, are you willing?"
Shen Mi had noticed the strange expression between Su Yuzhao and Song Zhaohuai during the banquet. She never expected that she would accidentally stumble upon the two of them confessing their feelings to each other while she was out getting some fresh air. She had no intention of prying into other people's privacy, and fortunately she only heard the last two sentences. She was about to turn around and leave when she accidentally stepped on a dry branch.
Song Zhaohuai, who had been fighting for many years, was extremely sensitive to sound and immediately caught the fleeting sound of a dry branch being stepped on.
He instinctively moved around to stand in front of Su Yuzhao, completely shielding her behind him. Although he was younger than Su Yuzhao, his years of experience on the battlefield made him able to completely block her figure at this moment.
"Who?" Song Zhaohuai asked warily.
My elder sister is still unmarried, and Prime Minister Su intends to marry her off to the eldest son of the Minister of Personnel. The Minister of Personnel's family has been known for its scholars for generations, and they are said to have the strictest family traditions and a strong emphasis on integrity. He absolutely cannot allow my elder sister's reputation to be damaged at this time.
He could neither give her what she wanted nor destroy what she had now.
Shen Mi immediately stopped moving, knowing that they might feel embarrassed if they stumbled upon such a thing, and she also felt uneasy.
Perhaps we should leave quietly later, just to preserve some dignity for them.
However, the more you don't want something to happen, the more likely it is to happen.
Familiar footsteps came from behind Shen Mi. Without much thought, she could guess that Gu Zhan had come looking for her.
She had only been gone a short while, less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, when Gu Zhan caught up with her.
"Zhi Niang, why didn't you wear a fur coat when you left? It would be bad if you caught a cold."
Shen Mi's heart sank immediately. When she turned around, Gu Zhan was already standing behind her, and a heavy fur coat was draped over her shoulders.
Gu Zhan helped her adjust the collar of her fur coat. When he looked up, he saw a figure behind the bushes, which appeared to be a man.
However, he felt somewhat relieved when he remembered that Su Xingjian had not left his seat when he went out to look for Shen Mi.
Who is it?
Upon hearing that it was the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, Song Zhaohuai shifted his feet, gesturing for Su Yuzhao to hide behind the artificial hill. He then emerged from behind the bushes and gracefully bowed to Gu Zhan and Shen Mi, saying, "Your subject greets Your Highness the Crown Prince and Your Highness the Crown Princess."
Gu Zhan, however, had taken in Song Zhaohuai’s slightly flustered movements. He ignored Song Zhaohuai and looked through the bushes behind the rockery. Sure enough, he saw a woman’s crimson skirt.
Shen Mi was terrified. She knew that Gu Zhan's temperament was always unpredictable. Su Yuzhao and Song Zhaohuai were already in a difficult relationship, and she didn't want to ruin their rare meeting. She also didn't know if Gu Zhan would tell Su Xiangting directly after learning about this. So she followed Gu Zhan's gaze and saw that his eyes were fixed on a certain place.
After a thousand thoughts raced through her mind, she made a quick decision, tugged at Gu Zhan's sleeve, and looked up at him, "Your Highness, I'm a little cold, shall we go back?"
Gu Zhan reached out and pulled her into his arms, turning his gaze away and focusing only on Shen Mi.
Then he asked Song Zhaohuai, "What are you doing here?"
Song Zhaohuai replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. I am a little drunk and came out to sober up."
Gu Zhan gave a soft "oh" and didn't ask any further questions. He simply took Shen Mi's fingertips and warmed her hands while saying, "Go back if you're cold."
Shen Mi obediently complied, but there were many things she couldn't ask in person. She could only pray in her heart that Gu Zhan hadn't discovered Su Yuzhao hiding behind the rockery, or that he was too busy with important matters to remember such things and simply forgot about them instead of telling Prime Minister Su.
Gu Zhan noticed that Shen Mi had been somewhat absent-minded ever since she went out for some fresh air, until the end of the banquet.
So after the guests had all left and they returned to Qingluan Palace that evening, after both of them had bathed and changed, he pulled her into his arms and asked her, tilting his head, "Why did you cover for Su Yuzhao and Song Zhaohuai?"
Shen Mi's pupils trembled.
Gu Zhan indeed discovered it.
Shen Mi gently bit her lip, pondered for a moment, and then said, "It is already difficult for two people to be in love in this world. There are many things between them, and they cannot meet now. I just can't bear to see their feelings go unfulfilled."
Gu Zhan looked down at her and asked, "What about me? Zhi Niang is sentimental about others and doesn't want to see their feelings go unrequited. What about my feelings?"
Although reluctant, Shen Mi still whispered, "I cherish Your Highness's feelings just as much." She paused, then added, "But could Your Highness please pretend that you never saw Yu Zhao with General Song today?"
Gu Zhan rested his chin on her forehead and said, "Today is Zhi Niang's birthday, and I will always fulfill Zhi Niang's wishes."
Shen Mi breathed a sigh of relief.
Gu Zhan could tell that she wasn't entirely willing, but it didn't matter. He just wanted to hear Shen Mi say those words. As for whether it was sincere or not, they had a long life ahead of them, and one day, Shen Mi would reciprocate his feelings.
After seeing that Shen Mi had fallen asleep, Gu Zhanfang lifted the quilt, put on his clothes, and returned to the Qin Zheng Hall.
He knew that the emperor's intention in not holding court today was simply to give him a day to prepare for the criticism he would face at court the next day.
The Emperor's intention in having the Prince of Wei compete with him was merely out of concern that with only one prince in the court, the Prince's ambition for tyranny would grow increasingly strong. However, the simultaneous involvement of Su Xingjian and Shen Mi in the matter was already suspicious. The Emperor probably did not want Gu Zhan, as the Crown Prince, to be attacked by the Prince of Wei's faction in court, as this would be a loss of face for the imperial family and would also damage the Crown Prince's foundation. From the Emperor's perspective of balancing the political situation, this was not a good strategy.
Therefore, although others spent their days with Shen Mi to celebrate her birthday, the results of the arrangements they had made were now presented to the Hall of Diligent Governance.
Taking advantage of Su Xingjian's four-year assignment as the prefect of Yangzhou to impeach him for embezzlement, he had already instructed the Ministry of Revenue to retrieve the account books. All he needed to do was present the evidence in court the next day to clear his name.
However, the matter of using the death of Shen Mi's father and brother ten years ago to attack him was not so easy to resolve. The traitor Wang Chengxian had not yet been escorted back to the capital and was still on his way. There was only a memorial sent from Yanzhou. Even if he wanted to start with Wang Chengxian, he was powerless to do so. So he signaled to several officials from the censorate who had previously intended to join him, as well as Shen Yu and Shen Cong's former colleagues and comrades, to debate with the Wei King's faction in court.
After Gu Zhan finished dealing with these matters and the accumulated official duties, it was already the hour of Yin (3-5 AM).
He didn't intend to return to Qingluan Palace and wake Shen Mi directly, so he rested for half an hour in Qinzheng Palace before entering the palace to attend court.
As he had predicted, the situation at court was not much different. He did not have enough time to find sufficient evidence to exonerate the Shen family, father and son, who had died ten years ago. The Wei Prince's faction only had the memorial sent back from Yanzhou. The most important traitor, Wang Chengxian, was still being escorted back to the capital. Even after returning to the capital, he would have to go through a joint trial by the three judicial departments before being convicted and other involved persons and matters would be discussed. As a result, after the two sides argued in court, he did not suffer much damage. On the contrary, the Wei Prince's faction was too eager for quick results and was criticized by the emperor for being "aggressive," thus getting a humiliating defeat.
Heavy snow blocked the roads in winter, and it was already early December when Wang Chengxian was escorted back to Beijing.
During this period, the King of Wei also seemed to suddenly fall silent. Everything seemed calm and there were no further incidents. However, Gu Zhan knew that both sides were looking for clues about the battle of Yanzhou back then.
Gu Zhan insisted on making Shen Mi the Crown Princess, and the Prince of Wei planned to seize on this point and make a big fuss about it. Gu Zhan naturally wouldn't let him run rampant like that, and near the end of the year, he instructed the officials to cause a lot of trouble for the things under Prime Minister Li's command.
The two exchanged blows, their skills evenly matched.
After Wang Chengxian was escorted back to Bianjing, he was immediately handed over to the three judicial departments for joint trial. Gu Zhan and the Prince of Wei were both concerned about Wang Chengxian's case, and there was a sense of impending doom in the court.
However, Gu Zhan never expected that at the end of the twelfth lunar month, news came from the palace that Zhou, the wife of the Prince of Wei, who had been imprisoned in the Daxiangguo Temple for five years, had been diagnosed with a two-month pregnancy.
Before the Emperor could even be enraged, the Prince of Wei submitted a petition to enter the palace, kneeling before the Funing Hall to apologize to the Emperor. He admitted that he had taken his two daughters to the Daxiangguo Temple to visit Zhou Fanyin, and that because he had been separated from Zhou Fanyin for five years and missed her dearly, he had crossed the line in the temple. He insisted that it was not Zhou Fanyin who was "indecent," and hoped that if the Emperor wanted to blame someone, he should blame him alone, as Zhou Fanyin was completely innocent.
But would the Emperor really blame him? The Emperor had few children. Besides the Crown Prince and the Prince of Wei, he only had a few princesses. In recent years, no other princes or princesses had been born in the palace. The last time the royal family might have had a child was five years ago when the Crown Princess Shen Mi was pregnant. Unfortunately, at the Thousand Autumns Banquet, Shen was pushed into the water by the Prince of Wei's wife, Zhou Fanyin, and could not be saved.
After that, Zhou Fanyin was punished and sent to the Daxiangguo Temple to reflect on her mistakes. Not long after, the King of Wei took his two daughters to his fiefdom, and there was still no news from the Crown Prince's lineage.
The imperial family values offspring above all else. Now that Zhou Fanyin is pregnant and is indeed the biological child of the Prince of Wei, how could the Emperor allow Zhou Fanyin to continue to stay in such a harsh and desolate place as the side courtyard of the Daxiangguo Temple?
As far as he was concerned, it was true that Zhou Fanyin had pushed away the Crown Princess back then, but the past was the past. Compared to another grandson who was still alive and well in Zhou Fanyin's womb, it was self-evident which was more important.
Consort Li then intervened, saying that even if Prince Wei had committed a crime, the imperial heir in Zhou Fanyin's womb was ultimately innocent, and hoped that the Emperor could show leniency. The Emperor accepted this timely offer from Consort Li and issued an edict to bring Princess Wei out of the Daxiangguo Temple and back to Prince Wei's residence to recuperate properly.
After leaving the palace, King Gu Shen of Wei first went to the Daxiangguo Temple to see Zhou Fanyin.
Zhou Fanyin stroked her lower abdomen and asked Gu Shen, "Does Shen Lang intend to take this opportunity to bring up the matter from five years ago again? To bring Cai Yun directly before the Emperor and have him 'testify' that the Crown Prince orchestrated everything back then?"
Gu Shen took Zhou Fanyin's hand and said, "Don't rush. The palace maid's words are only one side of the story and are not enough to be considered complete evidence. It is not appropriate to take action against Gu Zhan now. It is the best arrangement to save it for the end and deliver the fatal blow."
Zhou Fanyin nodded: "So what does Shenlang plan to do now? Is there anything I can do to help Shenlang?"
Gu Shen said gently, "What Yinyin needs to do now is to take good care of her health, and that's enough."
After thinking it over, Zhou Fanyin said to Gu Shen, "Shen Lang, you said that the Crown Prince insisted on making Shen Shi the Crown Princess. If Shen Shi had known about this beforehand, I'm afraid you wouldn't have needed to do anything."
What does "音音" mean?
Zhou Fanyin leaned closer to Gu Shen and explained her plan to him.
Gu Shen's eyes lit up. "This is not difficult at all. It can be arranged in the next two days. As far as I know, the Crown Princess's mother's death anniversary is in two days. The Crown Princess will definitely come to Daxiangguo Temple to add an eternal lamp for her deceased mother and pray for blessings and burn incense. It's not difficult for Yinyin to run into her."
Zhou Fanyin smiled and said, "Then we'll wait for Shen Lang's news."
During this time, Shen Mi was kept in the East Palace by Gu Zhan. Outside, the fighting had escalated to the point of life and death, and Gu Zhan did not say a single word to her.
In Gu Zhan's opinion, telling Shen Mi would only add to her troubles. Shen Mi had finally returned to his side, and she didn't need to know these things. She just needed to live a life of comfort and ease.
So, as usual, on the night before her mother's death anniversary, Shen Mi suggested to Gu Zhan that she wanted to go to Daxiangguo Temple the next day to add an everlasting lamp for her mother.
Gu Zhan hesitated. Now that the ban on Consort Zhou of Wei had been lifted and she was about to be taken back to the Wei Prince's residence by the Wei Prince, he did not want Shen Mi to meet with Consort Zhou.
Shen Mi was unaware of his thoughts: "If Your Highness is busy, I will go alone. Your Highness need not make things difficult for me."
Gu Zhan relaxed his brow and comforted Shen Mi: "Since it's to pray for your mother-in-law, how can I, as her son-in-law, not go? It won't be too busy, I'll go with you."
As long as he stays by Shen Mi's side and never leaves her for a moment, he will not give Zhou Shi any chance to get close to Shen Mi.
Shen Mi knew she couldn't refuse Gu Zhan, so she let him do as he pleased.
The next day, after Gu Zhan returned from court, he took a carriage and accompanied Shen Mi to the Daxiangguo Temple.
As luck would have it, he saw several carriages from the Prince of Wei's residence outside the temple, indicating that the Prince of Wei was planning to bring his wife back to the residence.
Gu Zhan knew what was going on, so he held Shen Mi's hand even tighter.
Just as Shen Mi was about to enter the hall where the eternal lamp was enshrined, she happened to run into the King of Wei.
Gu Zhan met the Prince of Wei and asked him knowingly, "Brother, have you come to take your sister-in-law back to the manor?"
The King of Wei laughed and said, "That's right. But she can't stand the wind right now, so I've just settled some of her belongings and was planning to go back to fetch her." As he spoke, he handed the hooded cloak he was carrying to Gu Zhan.
Gu Zhan nodded without saying anything more.
The Prince of Wei glanced at Shen Mi, then subtly withdrew his gaze from her and asked Gu Zhan, "I've heard that Your Highness has been paying close attention to the Wang Chengxian case recently?"
Gu Zhan frowned upon hearing this. Mentioning Wang Chengxian would inevitably lead to the recent uproar in the court over the Shen Yu and Shen Cong case. He did not want Shen Mi to know that her father and brother had sacrificed their lives for the country ten years ago and were still being smeared with such mud. Therefore, he released Shen Mi's hand and said to her, "I have some things to discuss with my elder brother. I will come in and keep you company in a while."
There are other people around outside the hall, so they can be notified immediately if anything happens.
Shen Mi found the name Wang Chengxian familiar, but couldn't quite place where she had heard it before. So she didn't think much of it, gave Gu Zhan a slight bow, and then went up the steps into the hall.
The Buddha statues in the hall were solemn and dignified, and the familiar scent of sandalwood wafted from the air.
After bowing three times to the Buddha statue, Shen Mi walked around it, intending to add an everlasting lamp. However, in front of the altar for adding the everlasting lamp, she bumped into two figures.
Both of them were very familiar to her: one was the Princess Consort of Wei, and the other was Caiyun, who had served her five years ago.
She remembered her child who had been lost in the book, and a surge of anger welled up inside her. She rushed forward, shouting, "It's you! Why are you still alive here? You killed my child! For five whole years, I've wanted nothing more than to devour your flesh and blood!"
Zhou Fanyin grabbed Shen Mi's hand and said, "Listen to me, calm down first."
"Why should I calm down? I'm going to avenge my poor child today!" Shen Mi wouldn't listen to her.
Zhou Fanyin, without any hesitation, said to her, "What if I told you that the one who intended to kill your child back then was not me, but the child's biological father, His Highness the Crown Prince?"
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Author's Note: I got a gold card in my ten-pull today and none of the off-banner pulls, so I'll randomly send out some red envelopes to share the good luck with everyone [kissing emoji][starry-eyed ...]
I'll correct the typos when I get back from get out of class.
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