Chapter 424 (Two Updates)
Prince Ning threw the spoon back into the bowl, staring intently at her. His eyes, no longer gentle as before, were heavy and deep: "What exactly do you want to do?"
Princess Ning raised her head, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on him, a hint of a smile mixed with mockery: "I didn't intend to do anything. I just wanted to tell Your Highness that I have no say in your affairs, but if anyone wants to kill Princess Rui, they should kill me first."
Prince Ning's pupils contracted, as if he had experienced a tremendous shock. Even though he had long cultivated the ability to remain calm even if Mount Tai collapsed, a hint of frost appeared between his brows at this moment.
He grabbed her wrist: "My affairs? You'd better tell me clearly what my affairs are!"
"The medicine has gone cold." Princess Ning smiled, naturally pulling her hand away from Prince Ning's and taking the medicine bowl from his hand. She, who always disliked bitterness, actually drank it all in one go, leaving not a single drop.
She handed the empty bowl to Prince Ning: "Your Highness, could you please put it away for me?"
Prince Ning gave her a deep look, his eyes flashing with coldness, complexity, and anger... but in the end he suppressed them all. He took the medicine bowl and placed it on the table, calmed his emotions, and said softly, "You should rest well. I'll have someone send your third sister-in-law back."
Princess Ning said indifferently, "I've heard that aconite is not as toxic as arsenic, but I don't know, I haven't tried it."
Prince Ning had already gotten up and was about to leave when he heard this. He suddenly turned around and looked at Princess Ning, saying, "Enough, Chu Yue! I won't touch her!"
Chu Yue is the name of Princess Ning, and Su Xin is her courtesy name.
After the wedding, he never called her by her name again.
Princess Ning was taken aback for a moment, then smiled and said, "Your Highness had better remember your words."
When Prince Ning came out of Princess Ning's courtyard, his expression was extremely cold.
The trusted aide quickly followed and asked Prince Ning, "Your Highness, are we really going to send Princess Rui back later? Should we—"
As he spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.
Prince Ning looked at him coldly: "Who gave you the audacity to do this?"
The confidant was taken aback: "It wasn't Your Highness who said that the hostages from Chen are too difficult to deal with, otherwise we would simply..."
Prince Ning said coldly, "What do you mean, 'simply'? Since when did it become your place to decide my affairs?"
The confidant bowed respectfully and said, "Your subordinate dares not!"
With his hands behind his back, Prince Ning gazed at the autumn colors filling the garden and said calmly, "Send Princess Rui back, but don't harm her."
The confidant opened his mouth: "But..."
Prince Ning, suppressing his anger, said, "She's already forced me to drink poison, what else do you want me to do!"
The confidant's expression changed, and he quickly replied, "Yes!"
"Wait." Just as his confidant was about to escort Princess Rui back to her residence, Prince Ning stopped him. "Who came to the residence yesterday?"
"Yesterday?" The confidant thought for a moment and replied, "Doctor Gu from Miaoshoutang came by, it seems he was there for a follow-up examination of the Princess."
"The follow-up appointment is in three days," Prince Ning murmured, his gaze deep. He then asked, "When did Doctor Gu arrive? Was it before or after the Princess Consort sent someone to fetch Princess Rui?"
“Before,” the confidant said.
Prince Ning narrowed his eyes.
Three days later, Prince Ning brought a man to Prince Rui's residence, where the Crown Prince also appeared.
The Crown Prince asked, puzzled, "Brother, why do you want me to go to Prince Rui's residence?"
Prince Ning said, "There are some things that need to be explained to my third brother and sister-in-law in front of you."
Crown Prince: "What is it?"
Prince Ning: "You'll find out soon enough."
Prince Rui and his wife were also surprised. Why would the Crown Prince condescend to come to Prince Rui's residence?
When Prince Ning ordered his men to bring a man bound hand and foot into Prince Rui's courtyard, the group's eyes widened in surprise.
"Wen Yang?" The Crown Prince was the first to recognize him.
The young man named Wen Yang was none other than Wen Linlang's older brother. He was twenty-six years old and a good-for-nothing playboy.
Upon seeing the Crown Prince, Wen Yang burst into tears: "Crown Prince brother-in-law! Crown Prince brother-in-law, please save me!"
The crown prince asked, puzzled, "Brother, why did you bring Wen Yang here?"
To be honest, Wen Yang's reputation wasn't very good. The Crown Princess usually didn't allow the Crown Prince to have much contact with her family, so the Crown Prince could only turn a blind eye.
Prince Rui and his wife also looked puzzled.
Prince Ning looked down at Wen Yang, his usual gentle expression replaced by a hint of justice and sternness: "Two days before the Moon Festival, did you secretly enter the palace?"
Wen Yang was forced to kneel on the ground by the Prince of Ning's men. He tried to get up but had no strength: "I...I didn't do it secretly...I...I went to see my sister!"
Prince Ning said coldly, "Entering the palace without summons is considered sneaking in. Even if you have the Crown Prince's token, it won't help!"
Wen Yang shrank his neck.
This wasn't the first time Wen Yang had taken the Crown Prince's token into the palace. He had been caught twice, and the Crown Princess had taken the token back. However, the Crown Princess's mother still had an emergency Crown Prince's token. The Crown Prince thought that this unfilial son had probably stolen Lady Wen's token.
Prince Ning continued to interrogate Wen Yang: "Did you injure Chunying that day? Did you threaten the Crown Princess?"
The crown prince was slightly taken aback.
Princess Rui's expression changed immediately: "What? It's him?"
Crown Prince: "What? What is he?"
Prince Ning nodded: "That's right, the man behind the rockery that day was him, and he was the one talking to the Crown Princess."
Princess Rui stared in disbelief: "That Chen Kingdom..."
Prince Ning shook his head: "It's just a misunderstanding with the hostage from Chen. I've already investigated. He wasn't in the palace at all on the day of the incident. Someone saw him go to a shop on East Street and buy dried fish."
The crown prince asked suspiciously, "What...what are you talking about? I don't understand."
Prince Ning looked at him and said, "It's like this, Third Sister-in-law, that day in the palace I overheard the Crown Princess being threatened. The Crown Princess slapped that person, and coincidentally, the hostage from Chen Kingdom had a handprint on his face..."
Prince Ning stopped short of making a move.
The crown prince understood, and his face turned cold: "Are you misunderstanding Linlang?"
Princess Rui's eyes flashed.
Prince Ning quickly smoothed things over: "How could we misunderstand Third Brother's wife? Has Second Brother forgotten about the assassination attempt on Father by the Chen Kingdom assassins? The Chen Kingdom is ambitious, and we are just worried that the hostage from the Chen Kingdom might harm the Crown Princess."
"Ah...yes, that's it!" Prince Rui quickly chimed in. They couldn't very well say that they suspected the Crown Princess of having an affair, especially since the evidence suggested she was being framed.
The crown prince's expression softened somewhat.
Prince Ning continued to interrogate Wen Yang: "What did you threaten the Crown Princess that day? You'd better tell me the truth, otherwise, even if you are the Crown Princess's own brother, I will not spare you!"
Although Wen Yang is the Crown Prince's brother-in-law, Wen Linlang is the most important person in the Crown Prince's heart. Anyone who hurts her is going against him.
The Crown Prince looked at Wen Yang coldly: "What did you say to Linlang? How did you threaten her!"
Wen Yang lowered his head and said in a trembling voice, "I...I...I just...I was a little short on money, so I asked her for some silver. She wouldn't give it to me, so I threatened her that if she didn't give it to me, I would make a scene in the capital and let the whole capital know that she was mean to her own brother, disloyal and unfilial, and heartless!"
Prince Ning frowned and said, "That's it? Then why did she hit you?"
Wen Yang muttered, "I only said one thing to her."
The Crown Prince's face turned ashen: "What did you say about Linlang!"
Wen Yang cleared his throat, forcing a smile, "I... I knew she was so heartless, she deserved to be unable to have children..."
That's really hurtful!
Not to mention Wen Linlang would slap him, even the Crown Prince would want to give him a few slaps!
Seeing the Crown Prince's face gradually turn cold and stern, Wen Yang trembled. Suddenly, with a strength he didn't know he possessed, he broke free from the restraints of Prince Ning and rushed over to hug the Crown Prince's leg: "I...I...I was blinded by greed that day and drank some wine...I spoke without thinking. Brother-in-law Crown Prince, please forgive me this once. I will never dare to do it again! I am Linlang's own brother! Please forgive me! Please give me a chance to make amends!"
Princess Rui suddenly spoke up: "Then why did you knock Chunying unconscious?"
A woman's intuition is usually quite accurate. The only flaw in the whole incident was knocking out Chunying. Chunying was a servant brought by the Wen family. She wouldn't do anything to Wen Yang. Why would Wen Yang need to knock her out before talking to the Crown Princess?
Wen Yang's expression froze for a moment.
Prince Ning stroked the jade thumb ring on his thumb.
Wen Yang released the Crown Prince's leg, and said with great shame, "I... I drank a little too much, and I was a bit improper with Chunying... That girl wouldn't submit to me... so I hit her... I never thought she would faint..."
The Crown Prince was furious: "You dare to lay a hand on even the ladies-in-waiting of the Eastern Palace? You've got a death wish!"
Wen Yang knelt on the ground and slapped himself hard: "I was stupid! I deserve to die! Brother-in-law Crown Prince, you can scold me! Or you can beat me up! I'll never dare to do it again!"
Everyone was familiar with Wen Yang's character. They had thought that the Wen family would restrain themselves after the suspension bridge collapse, but it seems they were overthinking it.
"How boring." Princess Rui pouted. She thought she had caught Wen Linlang in an adultery, but little did she know it was just a misunderstanding between siblings.
It did have some impact on Wen Linlang, but it was negligible, since everyone in the capital knew that her family was unreliable.
Prince Ning took in Princess Rui's expression, picked up the teacup on the table, and took a sip.
After all, this was a major event that alarmed Prince Ning and Prince Rui. In order to ensure that Wen Yang's words were not one-sided, the Crown Prince sent someone to the Eastern Palace to summon Chunying.
Chunying's testimony was consistent with Wen Yang's.
In fact, Wen Yang's confession was already convincing enough. After all, Prince Ning and the Crown Prince were opposing camps, and Prince Ning could not have bribed Wen Yang. Chun Ying's confession completely confirmed Wen Yang's crimes.
Prince Ning could not bribe Wen Yang, much less Chun Ying; at least, that was the opinion of the Crown Prince and Prince Rui.
However, after returning to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince still spoke to the Crown Princess about Wen Yang: "He came to see you, why didn't you tell me?"
The Crown Princess was still recuperating in bed. Upon hearing this, she lowered her eyes, her dark hair slipping down her shoulders, which made her face appear even paler and weaker.
"Your Highness," the Crown Princess said softly, "how can I possibly bring this up? I'm already ashamed to have such a brother; would it be more embarrassing for Your Highness to hear this?"
The crown prince stammered, "I...I didn't mean that..."
In a restaurant in the capital city.
Wen Yang poured a cup of wine for Prince Ning and said with a smile, "Your Highness, did I do a good job today?"
Behind Prince Ning stood his two trusted guards, and beside them stood Chunying, whose expression was tense.
Prince Ning smiled and glanced at Wen Yang, then beckoned to two guards. The two guards carried a small box from another room and placed it on the table. When they opened it, it was full of gold.
Wen Yang's eyes widened in disbelief: "This...this...this is really for me?"
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Young Master Wen, aren't you a little short on funds? Consider this my way of thanking you."
"No, no need to be so polite..." Wen Yang said with a smile as he pulled the box into his arms and took a bite out of a gold bar.
real!
Real gold!
Wen Yang's smile widened even more: "Your Highness, you're such a good person! Much better than my stingy brother-in-law, the Crown Prince! If my sister had married you back then..."
Halfway through his sentence, he recalled that Wen Linlang was also unable to marry back then. His younger sister had been betrothed to the young marquis since childhood, and before the young marquis passed away, Prince Ning had already married the daughter of the Chu family.
With his sister's looks, she could never be a concubine.
Besides, the Crown Princess is quite nice too.
Wen Yang said, "When my sister becomes Empress, I will be the Emperor's brother-in-law, and I will definitely repay Your Highness!"
Prince Ning looked at him with a half-smile: "Aren't you going to ask me why I asked you to act in this play?"
Wen Yang said nonchalantly, "Didn't you say you were helping my sister out of a predicament?"
Prince Ning smiled and nodded: "Yes, it's to help Linlang out of that predicament."
Wen Yang didn't ask what kind of predicament was being resolved; he didn't care or concern himself with it. Wen Yang waved his hand, and the next second, he sat up straight and suddenly looked at Prince Ning.
He stammered, "Lin...Linlang?"
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Yes, Linlang."
Wen Yang's smile gradually froze: "Your Highness, what you did to my sister..."
Prince Ning glanced at the box in his arms and smiled warmly: "Is the gold enough? If not, I have more."
Wen Yang shut up.
...
Emerging from the restaurant, Wen Yang, slightly drunk, patted Prince Ning on the shoulder: "Your...Your Highness...Don't worry...I...I will never tell anyone...I'm a man...who values loyalty above all else...From today onwards...you are my friend!"
Prince Ning smiled gently and said, "Very well."
Wen Yang stumbled into the alley, where his carriage was parked.
Chunying looked at her young master, who was completely drunk, and felt worried.
Prince Ning took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands, his smile fading: "Make sure they're clean."
The trusted aide replied, "Yes!"
Chunying's face turned deathly pale...
...
The following day, a major event occurred in the capital—Wen Yang died.
On the way home, the carriage broke down and overturned into a small pond. By the time Wen Yang was pulled out, he had already drowned.
The Jingzhao Prefecture launched an investigation into the matter, which concluded that it was an accident. Wen Yang's coachman failed to see the stones on the road, damaged the wheel, and both he and Wen Yang fell into the water.
The coachman swam ashore with all his might, but Wen Yang, who was drunk, wasn't so lucky.
However, some people doubt that it was an accident.
In the teahouse, many people were discussing this matter.
"It's said that the Crown Prince killed him," a young man said.
(End of this chapter)
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