Chapter 204: Excellent Singer and Songwriter
Manager Zhang is over fifty years old and has followed the prince for many years. It was not until Shen Yu opened his own residence that he came to the general's residence to help Shen Yu manage the affairs of the residence.
He was hesitant at first, but after hearing Wen Wan's organized and decisive explanation, he slowly nodded.
"I'll arrange it right away."
Manager Zhang took the lead and followed Wen Wan's instructions. Each of them supervised each other in the courtyard and returned to their own courtyard.
Seeing this, Wen Wan reluctantly breathed a sigh of relief.
In the room, Zhao stayed with her maid. The doctor was giving the old lady acupuncture, but she didn't look better.
Wenwan walked up to Zhao.
"Ma'am, can we talk for a moment?"
Zhao's face was wooden, and she said indifferently, "So, you're going to boss me around too? Or is it that killing me, the general's wife, will serve as a warning to others?"
Wen Wan: “…”
She knew that where there were women, there would be trouble.
If I stayed in the general's mansion, there would be a lot of such tit-for-tat.
Isn't it good to live a simple life? Do you have to fight with a bunch of women for a man?
She hasn't fallen to that level yet.
Wen Wan held her forehead and sighed softly, "Madam, I've said before, I have no intention of competing with you for favor. Now is not the time to talk about this. If you still want to protect the entire General's Mansion, then listen to me."
She raised her voice and said coldly, "Or, wait until everyone in the General's Mansion, including you, is implicated and convicted, then you can come and listen to me."
"Everyone is guilty? Don't exaggerate. The General's Mansion is not an ordinary family. Even the emperor..."
Wen Wan interrupted her, "Do you think that without the emperor's permission, the prince would be detained by the Dali Temple? Or that the general's mansion would be surrounded by soldiers?"
These two sentences left Zhao speechless.
After struggling for a while, Zhao finally stood up angrily and followed Wen Wan behind the screen.
"Go ahead, what do you want to say?"
Wen Wan: "Madam, please come forward and kneel down at the gate of the general's mansion and cry out, saying that the old lady is critically ill and has only one breath left. Please let the prince go back to see him for the last time."
When Zhao heard this, she was so frightened that she staggered.
"The old lady just fainted from extreme anger. The doctor said she will recover and wake up. How can it be as serious as you say?"
Zhao shook her head. "The old lady has always believed in Buddhism. To her, such unlucky words are like curses. Normally, she would never let anyone say a word of them."
"Pedantic!"
Wen Wan said anxiously, "It's already this late, and you're still fussing about this? No one knows what happened at the banquet yesterday except the prince. If we don't find a way to meet with the prince now and find out what happened, once the charges are proven, there will be no chance of a comeback!"
She rolled her eyes and sighed, "The person behind the scenes has put so much effort into setting up such a perfect scheme. If we don't seize every second, the entire General's Mansion will be finished."
"Even if you come from a noble family, you are now the general's wife. You will definitely be the first to bear the brunt of the punishment. At the very least, you will be sent to the Imperial Music Bureau and become a slave. At the worst, you will be exiled to a cold and bitter place and tortured to death."
This is human nature. She will only be anxious when misfortune really falls on her head.
Wen Wan deliberately made her suffer such a tragic end. Sure enough, after hearing this, Zhao's body began to weaken.
Zhao held onto the small table beside her and asked, biting her lip, "If I say so, will they let the prince return home?"
Wen Wan pursed her lips and said, "I'm just saying... I'm afraid it's not going to be very effective."
*
The news that the General's Mansion was under siege spread to all the noble families in the capital in less than half an hour.
The well-informed people gathered at the gate of the general's mansion one after another to watch the excitement.
The people from the Dali Temple surrounded the general's mansion tightly. The Dali Temple Secretary had a serious expression on his face. Seeing that the crowd was getting bigger and bigger, he ordered his subordinates to drive them away.
Before the subordinates could reach the onlookers, the gate of the general's mansion slowly opened.
The general's wife, dressed in mourning clothes, stumbled out and knelt down in the direction of the imperial city with a thud.
"The old lady of the General's Mansion is critically ill and may not live for another hour!"
Zhao cried bitterly, "I beg Your Majesty to remember that Prince Anding once followed the late emperor into battle, his life hanging in the balance several times. General Shen spent three years stationed at the border, fighting bloody battles to repel the enemy in Mobei. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and allow this old lady to see her children and grandchildren one last time before she dies!"
The young lady of the Zhao family was born into an aristocratic family. She usually spoke in a gentle voice, but when she shouted at this moment, she seemed pitiful, which moved the onlookers even more.
Especially Zhao, who was shouting and kowtowing in the direction of the imperial city. In just a moment, red marks were left on the bluestone floor tiles.
When she looked up again, everyone saw that Zhao's forehead was broken and blood was slowly sliding down her pale cheek.
Everyone began to talk about it, saying that the old lady was pitiful. The Shen family was a loyal and brave family who had worked hard for the country for generations, but in the end, the old lady didn't even have anyone to see her off to the grave.
What's more, some people are already whispering, "When the birds are gone, the bows are put away; when the rabbit dies, the running dog is cooked."
Upon seeing this, the mayor of Dali City hurried forward to help Zhao.
He lowered his voice and said, "Madam, please get up quickly. The emperor is also in trouble. The Duke of Protectorate is still kneeling in front of the imperial study and refuses to leave. That's why the emperor asked us to pretend to surround the Shen Mansion."
"Madam, don't worry. Once the emperor appeases the Duke of Protectorate, we will withdraw. By then, we will be able to clear the prince's name."
Just for show?
Zhao was stunned, her eyes flickered, but deep down she was extremely shocked.
Before she left, Aunt Wan gave her many instructions and warnings. No matter how the Dali Temple Secretary tried to persuade her, she insisted that the old lady was dying and she had to see the prince for the last time.
Aunt Wan also said that according to the routine in official circles, the Dali Temple Secretary would most likely say that the siege of the mansion was just a pretense, and when the storm has passed, the emperor would clear the name of the prince and the general's mansion.
The emperor never jokes. Once the emperor issues an order, there is no possibility of pretending to do so.
Who dares to disobey the order?
Zhao just didn't expect that Wen Wan, a concubine, could even guess the tricks of the Dali Temple Secretary.
"Sir, the old lady is in such a bad state. I am just a woman, I don't understand anything about cases or court affairs. I only know that if the prince doesn't come back to see her, I am afraid that she will never have the chance to see her for the last time in this lifetime."
Zhao cried hesitantly, "Your Highness has not yet been convicted. If he is separated from his loved ones because of a false accusation by a villain, how can you expect Your Highness to be at peace with this? How will the civil and military officials who are loyal to His Majesty react?"
After saying this, Zhao followed Wen Wan's instructions and turned the conversation to the Dali Temple Secretary.
"Sir, I know you are acting on orders. I will not embarrass you. I only ask that you report the old lady's serious illness to the emperor."
"If you conceal such important information, I'm afraid my general won't let it go when he returns."
Using both soft and hard tactics is far more effective than just asking for help.
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