Chapter 75 This is clearly... her feelings for him...
On the last day of the autumn hunt, neither Marquis Wu'an nor his wife showed up, and the reason was unknown.
The Crown Prince and Empress were also absent.
On this last day, everyone continued hunting and playing as usual, but some rumors quietly began to spread in private.
It is said that last night His Majesty summoned Marquis Wu'an and others for a meeting. Marquis Wu'an's wife was waiting outside when the Crown Prince passed by. He had drunk too much and made indecent advances towards Marquis Wu'an's wife. Marquis Wu'an, who had just come out, caught them in the act. Enraged, Marquis Wu'an beat the Crown Prince.
The rumor was so bizarre that when others secretly inquired with the other officials who had discussed matters with Li Pan the previous night, they remained tight-lipped about it.
This cautious attitude only fueled everyone's suspicions.
Meanwhile, in the Crown Prince's bedchamber, the atmosphere was tense.
The Empress's face had never been so grim. Looking at the Crown Prince, whose face was bruised and whose lips were still scabbed with blood, she finally couldn't hold back any longer and angrily asked, "Don't you have anything to explain to me?"
“There’s nothing to explain,” the Crown Prince said calmly. “Just as the Empress Dowager has heard, I offended the Lady of Wu’an and was injured by the Marquis of Wu’an.”
"Are you crazy? Why would you do this?" Rumors circulated that the Crown Prince had drunk too much, but she knew he never drank excessively, let alone acted inappropriately towards women while drunk. The Lady of Wu'an Marquis was staying near the Emperor's bedchamber, far from the Crown Prince's. It was her son who, instead of sleeping, went specifically to find her!
Recalling the Crown Prince's firm refusal to marry Yao Biyue, the Empress's expression changed drastically: "You like her?!" She paused, then continued, "Even if you do, do you know what you're doing? How can you be a Crown Prince with such actions! Your father already intends to kill you; aren't you just handing him the blame? I'm afraid even the officials will begin to doubt your character! And you've even made indecent advances towards the Lady of the Marquis of Wu'an! The Marquis of Wu'an! If your father wants to kill you, the Marquis of Wu'an will probably be the first to support him! You've truly gone mad!"
The crown prince did not respond.
The old man stayed up late last night, summoning Marquis Wu'an and others into the palace, leaving Lou Xueying waiting outside. At first, he thought the old man was having Marquis Wu'an and the others discuss matters while he went out to find Lou Xueying. But later he discovered that the old man was indeed discussing matters with others, and Lou Xueying was indeed waiting outside alone.
The old man certainly wanted Marquis Wu'an to return to the Northwest, but he couldn't possibly want Lou Xueying to go back with him. However, since Marquis Wu'an had invoked filial piety, if the old man directly refused, it would make him seem cold and heartless, as if he were on guard against something.
The longer they talked, the more the crown prince felt that the old man had no chance of winning.
Besides, there's always a way around a policy. Even if the old man refuses Marquis Wu'an, he can't possibly place Lou Xueying under house arrest. If she runs off to the Northwest on her own, does he expect him to bring her back?
What's the point of being here if your heart isn't here? The previous life already proved that.
Therefore, the Crown Prince felt that he could not wait any longer. He had to confront Lou Xueying. Pretending to be a good person would not keep her. On the contrary, admitting his mistakes in his past life might be the only way to make her waver even a little.
But he didn't expect that she was not quite the Susu he remembered.
She was still fragile, and would still cry when frightened, but her will to resist was clearer and more defined than in her previous life. Not only did she not give him a kind look, she even mocked him with unprecedentedly sharp words. He felt that she had become a soft knife, seemingly gentle and harmless, but in reality, it was so sharp. The more forceful he was, the deeper her blade went, cutting through his layers of pretense and piercing straight into his heart.
When did she become this kind of person? Was it her experiences in her past life that changed her, or was it the Marquis of Wu'an's style that influenced her?
He didn't know.
All he knew was that now, whether he was a good person or a bad person, whether he was reborn or not, she could never choose him again.
What was even more unexpected was that the old man released Marquis Wu'an and the others, and witnessed with his own eyes what he did to Lou Xueying.
He certainly had his doubts, thinking that the old man might have arranged for her to be there to lure him in. Even so, for all the reasons mentioned above, he went without hesitation.
He figured the old man had at most caught him red-handed, proving he'd also been reborn. From then on, the three of them no longer needed to feign politeness; they could simply confront each other head-on.
But the old man went to great lengths to suppress him, even cutting off his own escape route. Who is the madman here?
Is the old man planning to give up on Lou Xueying? Otherwise, why would he resort to such a self-destructive tactic? If the old man punishes him for offending the Lady of Wu'an Marquis, then he himself will be unable to take her into the palace in the future, otherwise he will lose the trust of the world.
Most importantly, what does Marquis Wu'an plan to do now?
He must have heard about the child. I wonder how Lou Xueying will explain it to him when she goes back yesterday? Will she make up an excuse that he was drunk, or will she tell him everything about her past and present lives? Will Marquis Wu'an believe her?
The prince frowned, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" the Empress sneered. "How are we going to clean up this mess!"
The Crown Prince opened his eyes and said in a flat tone, "Last time, when Father Emperor wanted to kill me, I told Mother to make plans as soon as possible. Mother said she would discuss it with my maternal uncle and other relatives. I wonder what the outcome of that discussion was?"
"It's only been a little over half a month, what results could there be? Shouldn't such matters be handled with utmost care?" The Empress said with a pained expression. "Your father hasn't been having a hysterical episode lately, but you have! Ji'er, Ji'er, your twenty years of virtuous reputation have been ruined in an instant. What right do you have to speak ill of him now!"
“Your Majesty is exaggerating,” the Crown Prince said. “It’s just a rumor now, and no one has come forward to confirm it personally. The officials who saw it dare not speak out, and Marquis Wu’an and his wife would not admit it directly for the sake of their reputation. Since it’s just a rumor, it can be remedied.”
Empress: "How can we remedy this?"
Crown Prince: "The night before last, there was a waterside pavilion next to the banquet that had been in disrepair for many years, and one of its doors collapsed. Is Mother aware of this?"
"What does this have to do with you?"
"It has nothing to do with me, but with Marquis Wu'an." The Crown Prince twitched his lips. "That night, Marquis Wu'an left early. He passed by the waterside pavilion and took liberties with a palace maid. However, the maid broke the door while struggling. Marquis Wu'an was afraid of attracting attention, so he hurriedly fled."
The Empress asked suspiciously, "Is this true? How did you know?"
The Crown Prince lowered his eyes and said, "That palace maid belonged to the Eastern Palace. She saw that there was nothing to do at the banquet, so she ran to the water pavilion to slack off. Who knew she would run into Marquis Wu'an? After the water pavilion door collapsed, the others went to check and found a palace maid from the Eastern Palace slacking off inside, so they sent her to Cao Tian."
Empress: "Would Marquis Wu'an also take liberties with palace maids?"
The Crown Prince said, “The palace maid was discovered for being lazy and was afraid that she would be blamed for the collapse of the water pavilion door. She was so afraid that she committed suicide. Before she committed suicide, she left a letter, admitting only to being lazy but denying that the collapse of the water pavilion door was related to her. She said that she was only protecting herself and that it was Marquis Wu’an who forced her.”
The Empress frowned.
"Your Majesty, I know that you think Marquis Wu'an is not that kind of person. I also felt there were some doubts, so I didn't say anything," the Crown Prince said. "But Your Majesty, I do have feelings for Marquis Wu'an's wife, so after thinking it over, I couldn't help but tell her. As a result, she didn't believe me, and I got agitated and offended her. As a result, Marquis Wu'an caught me in the act and then attacked me."
"You plan to announce this matter and shift everyone's attention to Marquis Wu'an?" the Empress said in a deep voice. "But this move is too risky. Even if it's true, as soon as the rumors about you and the Marquis's wife come out, rumors about Marquis Wu'an will follow. It's one thing to fool ordinary people, but civil and military officials are not so easy to fool."
The Crown Prince said, “Whether you believe it or not, once this water is stirred up, everyone will take a wait-and-see attitude towards all the news and will not easily draw conclusions. If Father Emperor wants to punish me because of the Lady of the Marquis’s matter, then he cannot ignore the matter of the Marquis of Wu’an and the palace maid. Either punish them together, or let them go together.”
Admittedly, for Emperor Jinghui, punishing both men together would be ideal. However, if he were to severely punish Marquis Wu'an, how could the war in the Northwest be fought? Moreover, all of them knew that this was a wrongful conviction, and if they were to be punished for it, Marquis Wu'an would certainly protest, leading to further unrest. Therefore, in order to avoid further escalating the conflict, Emperor Jinghui had no choice but to disregard Marquis Wu'an's offenses, and consequently, the Crown Prince's.
Crown Prince: "While everyone is here and the palace maid's body has not yet been disposed of, now is the perfect time to make this public. I am not in a position to appear in person, so I request Your Majesty's permission..."
Before he could finish speaking, Eunuch Cao suddenly burst in, shouting in alarm, "Something terrible has happened! Your Majesty the Empress, Your Highness the Crown Prince, something horrific has occurred!"
Empress: "Let's talk this out! What kind of behavior is this, shouting and yelling like this!"
Eunuch Cao knelt down with a thud and said, "Your Majesty, Your Highness, something terrible has happened! The Lady of Wu'an Marquis has hanged herself!"
"What?!" The Empress was shocked and stood up abruptly.
The Crown Prince grabbed Eunuch Cao by the collar and shouted, "Say that again?!"
"The Lady of Wu'an Marquis has hanged herself!"
"Impossible!" the Crown Prince roared in fury. "How could she possibly have hanged herself!"
"It's absolutely true, Your Highness!" Eunuch Cao said with a mournful face.
The Empress's face turned deathly pale: "She's dead?"
"No, no..." Eunuch Cao swallowed hard and said, "She was...she was rescued..."
"Can you just say it all at once!" the Empress exclaimed, clutching her chest. "Explain what happened clearly!"
Eunuch Cao quickly explained the situation.
According to the palace servants in the outer garden, after Marquis Wu'an and his wife returned to their room last night, Marquis Wu'an went out in the middle of the night to ask for a jar of wine, and the two of them did not leave the house again until this morning. Later, Marquis Wu'an went out alone for a walk to clear his mind, and when he returned, he found that his wife had hanged herself and left behind a suicide note.
Marquis Wu'an hurriedly rescued the person and ordered palace servants to quickly go to the hunting grounds to fetch the imperial physician for treatment. With this commotion, everyone knew about it.
According to the palace servants, the Lady of Wu'an had a horrifying red mark around her neck, suggesting she had been hanging for quite some time. If the Marquis of Wu'an hadn't acted quickly, she might have actually died.
Now the rumors are completely confirmed. If she hadn't been humiliated by the Crown Prince last night, why would the Lady of the Marquis suddenly hang herself?
"After examining her, the imperial physician said that Marquis Wu'an had saved her in time, and the Lady of the Marquis was not seriously injured. But Marquis Wu'an couldn't swallow this insult, and he has already taken the Lady of the Marquis's suicide note to His Majesty in person to seek justice." After saying this, Eunuch Cao lay down on the ground and dared not move again.
The Empress slammed her hand on the table and glared at the Crown Prince: "Look what you've done!"
They're still plotting things like the Marquis of Wu'an harassing palace maids and causing them to commit suicide. Now that the Marquis's wife has committed suicide, it's no use if ten or eight more palace maids commit suicide!
You can't use the same move twice at the same time!
Moreover, in her opinion, the Lady of Wu'an Marquis must have wanted to commit suicide on her own, and it wasn't some kind of planned scheme! Yesterday, in front of so many people, including her husband, they saw her affair with the Crown Prince. She couldn't accept it, and it was only natural that she would commit suicide in resentment.
If they were truly plotting something, wouldn't it be better for the Crown Prince to use this as an excuse to negotiate benefits with the Eastern Palace, since he is in the wrong? Causing a death is a clear sign of being driven by emotion and acting recklessly!
The crown prince's face darkened, and he clenched his fists.
What suicide by hanging? Lou Xueying had finally been given a second chance at life; how could she so easily hang herself? Unless Marquis Wu'an blamed her for what happened last night, and she felt hopeless about the rest of her life, then she would choose death. But if she were truly in despair and choosing death, given her personality, how could she possibly write a suicide note!
She didn't even write him a farewell letter back then!
This is clearly... her revenge on him.
But why did she choose this method? Even if she wanted to get revenge on him, shouldn't she have had Marquis Wu'an sabotage him in court? Why did she risk her own reputation to drag him down with her?
Last night's events were indeed his fault as the Crown Prince, but what good would it do her to make it public like this? He was criticized, so why shouldn't she be? When she was promoted from Crown Princess to Imperial Concubine, it was clearly Old Master Dong's arbitrary decision, yet she still faced a lot of criticism. She knew all too well what kind of gossip a beautiful woman with ambiguous relationships with several men would face; how could she dare to do it again?
The crown prince gritted his teeth, his eyes bloodshot.
"Imperial edict, imperial edict has arrived—" another eunuch rushed in to report.
The Crown Prince raised his eyes and looked at Eunuch Zheng, who was slowly walking in through the door.
The Empress's face turned ashen.
Eunuch Zheng entered the hall, coughed lightly, and said solemnly, "This old servant greets Your Majesty and Your Highness. His Majesty has issued an edict; please accept it, Your Highness."
A cold smile appeared on the prince's lips: "Speak plainly, sir."
Eunuch Zheng: "His Majesty has decreed: The position of Crown Prince is of paramount importance, as it is crucial to the consolidation of the imperial lineage. He should possess virtue comparable to Heaven and Earth, serving as a model for the world. Crown Prince Liang Ji has acted improperly and behaved inappropriately, violating etiquette and moral principles. Effective immediately, the Crown Prince is to remain in seclusion at the Qishan Imperial Garden for three months to reflect on his mistakes, and is not permitted to leave without imperial decree. He should quietly examine his faults, study the classics, and not fail to live up to His Majesty's expectations."
"To be confined to the Qishan Imperial Garden for three months?" the Empress exclaimed. "Is it possible that even the Crown Prince's Palace won't be allowed to return?"
Eunuch Zheng bowed and said, "Your Majesty, that is indeed what His Majesty said."
The Empress pursed her lips.
"Your subject accepts the decree." The Crown Prince said in a flat tone, "Eunuch Zheng, please return."
As soon as Eunuch Zheng left, the Empress angrily said, "Being confined to a place like this for three months, such a severe punishment, aren't you worried!"
"What are you worried about? Does he want to depose the Crown Prince?" the Crown Prince said quietly. "If Mother is truly worried about me, then tell my maternal grandfather and uncle to stop their slow and methodical approach and listen to me. It would be better to solve the problem once and for all."
-
"Swish!" Li Pan pushed open the door and entered, looking at Lou Xueying lying on the bed.
The imperial physician by the bedside bowed to Li Pan: "My lord, the lady has taken her medicine and is feeling much better now."
Li Pan nodded: "Thank you for your trouble."
"Since Madam is out of danger, I shall take my leave now."
"Please take care, Imperial Physician."
As soon as the imperial physician left, Li Pan eagerly grasped Su Su's hand and said, "Su Su, the Emperor has issued a decree!"
Lou Xueying immediately sat up in bed: "The Crown Prince has been punished?"
Li Pan nodded: "The Emperor, citing misconduct, has confined the Crown Prince to the Qishan Imperial Garden for three months."
Lou Xueying couldn't help but smile.
For a crown prince, being confined to his quarters for three months is already a severe punishment. This time, the confinement wasn't even in the Eastern Palace, but in the Qishan Imperial Garden, effectively keeping him away from court affairs for three months. This was tantamount to announcing to the court officials that the crown prince's position was very likely to be shaken.
If the emperor's previous pursuit of the crown prince was without cause, then this time the crown prince's confinement is justified and based on evidence.
All the officials and their families present knew of the deep love Marquis Wu'an had for his wife, and everyone saw the reddening eyes in Marquis Wu'an's eyes when he requested an audience with the emperor.
The last letter, written by the wife of the Marquis of Wu'an herself, was displayed on the spot by the Marquis of Wu'an in a fit of rage. In just a few hundred words, she described the shock and humiliation she had suffered the previous day, and even stated that the Crown Prince was sober the night before and was not drunk. This caused many of the women in the family to feel a pang of sorrow and secretly wipe away their tears.
Li Pan touched the red marks on her neck: "Does it still hurt?"
Lou Xueying shook her head: "It's okay, the medicine has already been applied."
Li Pan frowned: "I should have been gentler."
Lou Xueying hugged his waist and rubbed against him: "It's better if it gets heavier."
The idea of suicide was her own suggestion.
Li Pan was quite shocked and felt it was inappropriate. He believed that the emperor might have already intended to use this opportunity to punish the crown prince, and there was really no need for her to do anything unnecessary. Originally, it was just some gossip circulating privately. If she committed suicide and made a big fuss, it would not do her any good and would easily make her the target of gossip. Out of consideration for the atmosphere in the capital, Li Pan did not want her to be involved in the scandal again.
Lou Xueying replied, "No, I will not tolerate this anymore."
Why can't she make a big scene? In her past life, she was afraid of this and that, no one saved her, and she didn't dare to save herself, which led to her eventual death in despair. In this life, she was still afraid of this and that at first, which dragged things out and caused Li Pan to be implicated and caught in a dilemma, while the father and son pressed her relentlessly, showing no intention of letting her go.
She insisted on making a big scene.
So what if people point fingers at her? An unmarried woman might have to consider her reputation, but she's married and her husband is tolerant of her, so why should she care? She's a victim, and she and Marquis Wu'an are a well-known couple. Marquis Wu'an is a hero who fought for the country. If her reputation is damaged, the Crown Prince's reputation will only be worse.
To make the suicide attempt more realistic, Lou Xueying instructed Li Pan to use a strip of cloth to tie red marks around her neck.
Practice makes perfect, and Lou Xueying even instructed Li Pan to tighten the noose around her chin rather than her neck. This way, the marks would be the correct ones, and even the imperial physician wouldn't be able to tell the problem.
She did not intentionally frame the crown prince; she simply made him pay the price for his actions.
Perhaps regardless of whether she committed suicide or not, Emperor Jinghui would punish the Crown Prince. But her aim was not to help Emperor Jinghui, but to make the Crown Prince lose credibility among the officials, so that he could no longer pretend to be a gentleman and feign innocence. He should also not attempt to use drunkenness as a cover, giving others room to defend him.
Li Pan bent down and carefully examined her bruises again. Seeing that there was nothing wrong, he softened his expression and said, "There's also good news."
Lou Xueying: "What?"
Li Pan: "I can take you back to the Northwest now."
"Really?" Lou Xueying felt a sense of relief. "He actually agreed?"
Li Pan: "My wife was actually humiliated by the Crown Prince within the capital. If I don't take her back to the Northwest, how can I guarantee her safety? In front of so many people, he has no choice but to agree."
The thought of Emperor Jinghui's expressionless reaction in front of everyone made Li Pan sneer.
Lou Xueying smiled and said, "Great! When shall we set off?"
“Anytime. After we finish packing up the things at the Marquis’s residence and taking care of some trivial matters in the capital, we can leave.” Li Pan kissed the top of her head. “Now, let’s go home early and not wait until the autumn hunt is over.”
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