Chapter 99: Talk Alone
The turmoil in Putuo Temple finally came to an end with the empress being confined to her room and the concubines Liang and Li temporarily taking charge of the affairs of the harem.
The grand royal procession was noisy when it came, but left with an indescribable heaviness and depression.
The golden-roofed carriage moved forward, leaving the quiet Buddhist land and heading towards the bustling and prosperous imperial city.
No one noticed that an inconspicuous small blue cloth cart, under the "escort" of the guards, quietly separated from the main force and drove directly into the depths of the palace.
The person sitting in the car was Shen Jiao, who had a pale face and empty eyes.
His Majesty took her away personally.
The news spread quietly among the noble families as if it had wings.
Then, another piece of news came——
His Majesty the Emperor summoned His Royal Highness the Crown Prince alone, and no one knows the content of the conversation.
All we know is that after the conversation, His Majesty ordered His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to be confined to the Eastern Palace, to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors, and not to leave without the emperor's order.
For a moment, the sky above the capital seemed to be covered by a thick layer of dark clouds.
The storm is coming.
***
Shen Mansion.
When the carriage that Chen He was riding in slowly drove into the mansion gate, she was not greeted by the servants as usual, but by dead silence.
The atmosphere in the mansion was even colder and more solemn than that in the main hall of Putuo Temple.
As soon as she stepped into the main hall, a voice filled with anger came crashing down on her head!
"You still remember to come back?!"
Shen Qingyuan, her father, was standing in the hall with a sullen face, his red eyes staring at her as if he wanted to eat her alive!
His chest was heaving violently, and he was obviously extremely angry!
"Look at what you've done!"
"The Shen family's reputation! The legacy of our ancestors! It's all about to be ruined by you evil creatures!"
Shen Qingyuan's voice was a little hoarse because of anger, and his fingers almost poked Shen He's nose!
Shen He stood quietly, enduring his father's anger with an expressionless face.
As expected.
"Father, calm down."
Her voice was soft, yet unusually calm, without a trace of emotion.
This calmness, on the contrary, was like a bucket of oil, suddenly poured on Shen Qingyuan's anger!
"Calm down?! How can I calm down?!"
"What are the rumors out there?! They say that my Shen family is bad at educating our daughter! They say that Chen Jiao is shameless and got pregnant before marriage!"
"Now even the prince is under house arrest! Tell me! How can I calm down?!"
He slammed the table so hard that the teacup jumped up and the scalding tea splashed all over the floor!
"And you!"
Shen Qingyuan's gaze was like a poisoned knife, slashing towards Shen He.
"In front of everyone, you kept saying it was a fake abortion and a frame-up! Don't you think this incident isn't a big enough fuss?! Don't you think the Shen family is dying fast enough?!"
At the head of the hall sat an old lady with a serious face.
She was Shen Qingyuan's biological mother, Shen He's nominal grandmother, and Shan Zhuyu's aunt, Shan.
She was not Shen Qingyuan's biological mother. Shen Qingyuan's biological mother died early, and he was adopted by this stepmother.
At this moment, Shan's expression was even uglier than Shen Qingyuan's. Her eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, fixed on Shen He.
"He girl."
Shan finally spoke, her voice was not loud, but it carried a heavy pressure.
"Your father is right."
"The Shen family has become the laughing stock of the entire capital. Once this reputation is ruined, do you think we can still live a good life?"
"Your brother's future! Your sisters' marriages! Everything will be affected!"
Shan's eyes swept over Chen He with scrutiny and suspicion.
"I'm curious."
"How is it such a coincidence that you happen to have a maidservant who knows medicine with you?"
"How could it be such a coincidence that the female doctor could tell at a glance that Chen Jiao was 'less than a month pregnant'?"
"How could it be such a coincidence that all the dirty water was thrown on Doctor Liu and the Queen in the end?"
Shan asked slowly, enunciating each word:
"He girl, tell grandma the truth..."
She leaned forward slightly, her eyes gleaming.
"Did you plan all this a long time ago?"
As soon as the words fell, the air in the entire main hall seemed to freeze!
Shen Qingyuan also looked at Chen He suddenly, his eyes full of surprise and doubt!
yes!
How could this be such a coincidence?!
There were two people standing in the corner of the hall.
They are Shen Qingyuan's concubine Lin and her daughter, the concubine Shen Yan.
Lin stood there with his head lowered, like a lifeless wooden sculpture, not daring to breathe.
Chen Yan stood quietly beside her mother, with a thin veil covering her face, revealing only a pair of calm yet timid eyes.
Chen Yan is the third child in the family, with an elder sister, Chen He, and an older brother, Chen Ce. She is a concubine's daughter, and the next in line is Chen Jiao.
Since childhood, she and her mother Lin have lived under the shadow of her stepmother Shan Zhuyu and Shen Jiao, and have been bullied.
Once, during a royal hunting trip, she finally managed to secure an opportunity to go along, but was framed by Chen Jiao and fell into a cage holding a wild beast.
Although she managed to survive, she was left with a hideous scar on her face and could only appear in public with a veil from then on.
At this moment, she felt the tense atmosphere in the hall and subconsciously shrank behind her mother, her fingers under her veil tightly grasping the corner of her clothes.
She didn't dare to say anything about her father and grandmother's questioning of her eldest sister, but a complex emotion flashed across her eyes behind the veil.
Facing his father's roar and his grandmother's questioning, Shen He remained calm.
She didn't look at Lin and Shen Yan in the corner, nor did she look at her furious father and scrutinizing grandmother.
She just raised her chin slightly and looked at Shen Qingyuan with clear and firm eyes.
"Father."
"My daughter has something to say and wants to talk to you alone."
Her voice was not loud, but it carried an unquestionable power that instantly drowned out the noise and accusations in the hall.
Shen Qingyuan was stunned, as if he didn't expect her to make such a request.
Shan also frowned, her sharp eyes scanning Shen He's face, as if trying to see through her true intentions beneath her calm exterior.
"If you have something to say, say it right here!" Shen Qingyuan, still furious, said sternly, "Is there anything your grandmother and I can't bear to hear?!"
Shen He shook his head gently, his tone still steady:
"It's a matter of great importance."
"My daughter thought it would be better to tell her father alone."
Her eyes were open as she met Shen Qingyuan's gaze without any dodging.
Deep in those eyes, there seemed to be something hidden that Shen Qingyuan could not understand, but he felt vaguely frightened.
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