Imperial study.
The Empress Dowager did not attend the New Year's Eve dinner this year due to illness. Prince Rong Zhong Mingzheng was also absent due to illness. Prince Rong's wife Da'an stayed at the mansion to take care of Zhong Mingzheng. Princess Hui was almost nine months pregnant and it was inconvenient for her to go out, so she did not come either. Inevitably, the New Year's Eve dinner was much quieter than in previous years. Zhong Zhiheng watched the same court dance as in previous years, listened to the court officials' endless flattery, and drank the same Baiye wine as in previous years. The more time went on, the more he felt bored. So without waiting for the fireworks, he got up and returned to the imperial study. However, Jiang Bairen arrived right after he returned to the imperial study.
"How's the investigation going? What disease does Prince Rong have? Why has he refused to go out for so many days?" Zhong Zhiheng asked slowly while sipping his tea.
Since the sudden death of the Imperial Noble Consort, Zhong Mingzheng has been stimulated. First, he smelled of alcohol all day long. Later, he even sent a memorial directly, saying that he was sick and recuperating at home, and could not enter the palace before the New Year. How could Zhong Zhiheng not be angry? Once the mother is lost, there is no one who is not sad. Didn’t even the fourth prince cry in front of him for a long time? No matter how serious the sins of the Imperial Noble Consort are, he will not forbid her children to remember her. This is the attitude that a father should have, but as an emperor, he will never allow it. Prince Rong always indulges in it. The more sad Prince Rong is, the more angry he will be for him, the initiator of the death of the Imperial Noble Consort. This is something he absolutely does not allow. So at the beginning, Zhong Mingzheng just drank and he didn’t want to care, but later, Zhong Mingzheng didn’t even go to the morning court, and Zhong Zhiheng couldn’t hold it back anymore.
"Your Majesty, Prince Rong is not sick, but injured." Jiang Bairen said.
Zhong Zhiheng was startled, and hurriedly put down the teacup in his hand and asked, "Injured? How was he injured? Is it serious?"
"Your Majesty, Prince Rong's injury was not serious, and he has almost recovered now. As for why Prince Rong was injured..." Jiang Bairen pursed his lips, and then continued, "It was done by Prince Rong's wife, Da'an."
"Da An?" Zhong Zhiheng frowned, "Why is she involved again? How could a woman like her hurt Ming Zheng? And isn't it said that Da An is a very virtuous woman? How dare she hurt her own husband?"
"Your Majesty, the thing is, since the sudden death of the Imperial Concubine, Prince Rong has been in great grief and has no way to relieve it. Except for going to the palace to attend the morning court, he spends almost all his time in the mansion to drown his sorrows in alcohol. He must get drunk every day before he stops," Jiang Bairen explained. He looked at Zhong Zhiheng's ugly face, and then continued, "On the 26th day of the twelfth lunar month, after Prince Rong returned from the palace, he continued to drink as usual. When Princess Da'an of Prince Rong heard about it, she was anxious, so she went to persuade Prince Rong not to drink too much. Who knew that Prince Rong was already deeply drunk at this time and could not listen to anything. Instead, he wanted to kill Da'an. Da'an was shocked and scared. In a panic, she pulled out the pearl hairpin on her head and stabbed it into Prince Rong's chest. Fortunately, the pearl hairpin avoided the heart, but it stabbed a little deep, so Prince Rong had to stay in the mansion to recuperate."
"Very good! Very good! Is he blaming me for having the Imperial Concubine executed? He drank all day and almost caused a disaster, but he thought I was blind!" Zhong Zhiheng said angrily, his chest heaving with anger, "What on earth did he have to feel wronged about? Did the Imperial Concubine die unjustly? As a son, he knows better than me what she did and what she suffered! Maybe he was involved in everything! I didn't implicate him and preserved his dignity and reputation as a first-rank prince. I have done my best. What else does he want from me? Do you want me to make the vicious wife who killed the prince the queen?!"
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