Chapter 058
After visiting Shen Rong, Shen Qi did not go to find Shen Jin immediately, but went to the pavilion in the garden. The maid brought fish food, and Shen Qi grabbed some and sprinkled it in the pond. Then the koi in the pond gathered around. Shen Qi half leaned on the wooden railing, watching the fish fighting for food. She still remembered that year when they were all unmarried, and it was in this pavilion...
When Shen Jin brought An Ning over, he saw Shen Zi making tea. When he saw Shen Jin, he smiled and said, "Come quickly."
"Sister." Shen Jin called out and then slowly walked over.
Shuang Qiao took the cushion and put it on the stone bench. Shen Jin smiled and sat next to Shen Qi. Shen Qi smiled and said, "You are not going to have a good time today. I specially made tea with Qinglu."
"Sister must have done it on purpose." Shen Jin said with a smile.
Shen Qi did not deny it. He looked at Shuang Qiao and said, "Go to the kitchen and bring the things you prepared for your sister."
Shuang Qiao bowed and said, "I will go right away."
Shen Jin didn't say anything else. After Shen Qi finished making the tea, he asked with some concern, "Sister, are you in a bad mood?"
Shen Qi likes to make tea but not drink it, so after making it, he tasted it and put it aside, saying, "Share it among you guys."
The maids were talking about this. They all knew Shen Qi's personality, so they quickly packed up the things and drank some of the small pot of tea. Shen Jin looked at An Ning and smiled, "You are in luck. My sister doesn't make tea often."
"This tea has been ruined by me. I think it tastes very good, but I can't tell what's so good about it." An Ning said with a smile.
Shen Qi didn't care, "There's no need to be so particular."
Shen Jin said, "If the people who like tea knew about this, they would definitely feel sorry for it." He laughed, "But I also think that since it's tea, all we need is the taste. As long as it tastes good, that's enough."
Shen Qi liked this about Shen Jin. In her eyes, good and bad were not distinguished, only whether they were useful or not, suitable or not. Shuang Qiao quickly brought the things back. There were not only fresh fruits, but also a bowl of red date cheese and goat's milk. You could tell at a glance that they were specially prepared for Shen Jin. Shen Qi couldn't stand the fishy smell of milk, and she couldn't drink it even with almonds added.
"Thank you, sister." After Shen Jin thanked her, he took the goat's milk and drank it in small sips.
Shen Qi's eyes fell on Shen Jin's belly, which was not yet visible, and he couldn't help but think of the child he was not destined to have. There was a bit of sadness in his eyes, but he quickly restrained it. After Shen Jin finished drinking the goat's milk, he personally took a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her mouth and said, "I don't know how you can drink things like goat's milk and cow's milk."
Does Shen Jin really like to drink it? If almonds are added to remove the fishy smell, and honey is mixed when it is warm, Shen Jin will naturally like to drink it, but now not only can almonds not be used, but even honey and the like cannot be eaten too much. Goat milk is naturally not very delicious, but it is just because it is good for children. However, Shen Jin cannot say these words to Shen Qi, as it is inevitable that she will feel like showing off, so she smiled and said, "If there is a chance, and my brother-in-law and sister can go to the border town to play, I will treat you to a roasted whole lamb. The lamb in the border town has no smell of mutton at all, and it is fresh and delicious. Sister will definitely use more of it."
"If I have the chance, I will definitely visit the border town." Shen Qi said with a smile.
Shen Jin nodded and pinched some walnut kernels into the red date curd. He stirred it with a spoon before eating it. He felt that even the dates were not as sweet as those in Border Town.
Shen Qi watched Shen Jin eat, and his eyes softened. Shen Jin always seemed to enjoy his food, and it made one's appetite grow. Shen Qi picked up some walnut kernels and ate them, saying, "I went to visit my fifth sister."
"Oh." Shen Jin swallowed the food in his mouth and looked at Shen Qi with some doubt in his eyes.
Shen Qi did not mention the matter of Concubine Xu and Shen Jing, after all, Shen Jin was pregnant, but just said, "I didn't expect that the fifth sister is usually not obvious, but she is so cruel."
Shen Jin tilted her head slightly before saying, "Sister, is there anything you can't figure out?"
"I just think that Concubine Xu is her biological mother, and Shen Jing is her biological sister." Shen Qi let out a breath slowly. If it was Shen Rong who framed Shen Jin or even himself, Shen Qi would be more able to accept it.
Shen Jin's eyes were a little confused. Shen Qi thought Shen Jin didn't understand, but he heard Shen Jin say, "Is there a difference?"
Is there a difference? Now it is Shen Qi who doesn't understand. There is not much red date curd, just a small bowl. After Shen Jin finished eating, he put down the bowl and wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. He had some guesses in his heart, fearing that Concubine Xu and Shen Jing were going to have a bad time. But it was also possible that it was about the same time. It happened to encounter the incident of Prince Rui, so it was a reasonable reason, and it was also to prevent Prince Rui from being soft-hearted after returning. The matter was already a foregone conclusion.
"Sister, can you help me solve this puzzle?" Shen Qi asked softly.
Shen Jin said naturally, "But the fifth sister is also the fourth sister's biological sister. Wasn't the fourth sister also prepared to sacrifice the fifth sister at that time?"
In some people's hearts, no matter how close their loved ones are, they are not as important as themselves. Shen Jing and Shen Rong are just like Shen Rong, who has figured out Princess Rui's thoughts better than them.
"I'm being too picky." After listening to this, Shen Qi slowly let out a breath and said, "I just saw that Fifth Sister is fine now, and..." So he made a mistake and sympathized with the weak, but he didn't realize that the weak are not really weak.
Shen Jin had no intention of asking further questions, and Shen Qi stopped talking about it, "Mother said that father will be back soon."
"That's great." Shen Jin said with joy, "I don't know if my father has lost weight."
Shen Qi said, "We'll know when father comes back, but mother wants to invite my second sister to come over."
Shen Jin looked at Shen Qi and didn't understand why he brought up this matter. Shen Qi said, "Second sister has a bad temper. You must not leave anyone by your side when the time comes. Now that you have a baby in your belly, it would be bad if she offends you."
"I understand." Shen Jin responded obediently, "I just avoided my second sister for a while. I don't know how my second sister has been doing in the Zheng family during this period of time."
"Before the dowry is spent, I think life won't be difficult." Shen Qi's words were full of sarcasm. Even after the accident of Prince Rui, Shen Jin sent people to the palace every day. Shen Jin's husband even bluntly contradicted Emperor Cheng to protect his father. But what about Shen Zi? She was loved by her father so much, but she didn't even send someone. How heartless she was.
Shen Jin nodded and said, "Yes."
Shen Qi was also a person of propriety. Seeing that Shen Jin had been sitting outside with her for such a long time, she said, "Since you have nothing else to do, why don't you go sit in your room? Shuang Qiao has prepared a whole box of silk for you."
"That's great." Shen Jin smiled, "Good Shuangqiao, if my sister couldn't leave you by her side, I really want to ask you to be by my side."
Shen Qi did not hold Shen Jin's arm as usual, but let Shen Jin's maid An Ning support her. Hearing this, he said, "I don't know what kind of husband to choose for Shuang Qiao. I think no one is worthy of her, so I thought of asking my sister to help me think of a suitable candidate."
Shen Jin seemed to think seriously and said, "But I don't know anyone."
"I'm thinking of letting Shuangqiao marry far away." Shen Qi finally revealed.
Shuang Qiao said, "I will not leave the young lady's side."
"Silly talk." Shen Qi stopped and poked Shuang Qiao's forehead with his hand. "Do you think I'm really willing to give it up? But in a place like the capital, even if I return the indenture to you, you are a maid in the eyes of others, so they will inevitably look down on you. Even those who really want to marry you are not worthy of you."
Shuang Qiao said, "Young Madam..."
"Don't say any more." Shen Qi interrupted Shuang Qiao. She treated Shuang Qiao sincerely. Shuang Qiao grew up with her and studied literature and calligraphy together. How could she bear to let Shuang Qiao waste her time? It was just that she had never met the right one. Many people in the Yongle Marquis' Mansion actually thought that Shuang Qiao was the one Shen Qi kept specially for the Yongle Marquis's son. It was bound to have some influence on Shuang Qiao. It would not be good if this continued.
Shen Qi did not want Shuang Qiao to be the concubine of the Prince of Yongle. It was not that he did not trust Shuang Qiao, but... if Shuang Qiao had a child, Shen Qi did not think that he could still trust Shuang Qiao as much as he did now.
But just let Shuangqiao marry casually? Shen Qi couldn't bear to let her go. Some of those who wanted to marry Shuangqiao just wanted to rely on the Marquis's or the Prince's Mansion. And those sons of the stewards were simply daydreaming. If she really married the steward's son, those people would naturally flatter Shuangqiao because of her status, but Shuangqiao's future children would all be family slaves.
Besides, how could those people be worthy of the literate Shuangqiao? Shen Qi sometimes wondered if it was a mistake to let Shuangqiao study at the same time. Now Shuangqiao's marriage has become a concern for Shen Qi.
Shen Jin also sighed when he heard this. If he took Shuang Qiao back to the border town, she could marry someone in the army, but would Shuang Qiao be willing?
"Young Madam, I will never marry in this life." Shuang Qiao had already made up her mind, "I will stay with you for the rest of my life, and serve the young master and the young lady in the future."
Shen Qi's eyes turned red and he said, "No!"
Shuang Qiao stopped talking after seeing this. Shen Qi took a few deep breaths, calmed down, and then looked at Shen Jin and said, "I'm sorry to make you laugh, but this girl is just a stubborn person."
Shen Jin asked, "Sister, are you showing off on purpose?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qi no longer mentioned Shuang Qiao's marriage and just smiled and said, "Yes."
The two returned to Moyun Courtyard and saw Concubine Chen sitting in the courtyard making some small things while the sun was shining. It was obvious that they were making them for the baby in Shen Jin's belly. Before Concubine Chen stood up and said anything, she heard Shen Qi laughing and said, "Concubine Chen, don't blame me for disturbing you."
Concubine Chen just smiled. Shen Jin pulled Shen Qi to her room and said to Concubine Chen, "Mother, I'm going in to talk to my sister."
"Yes." Concubine Chen nodded and told the maid to prepare some fruits for the two sisters to bring in. However, she had no intention of going over. She continued to discuss with Madam Zhao about the material for making clothes for the child. The child's skin was delicate, so the thread ends had to be hidden.
Shen Jin's room was simple and elegantly decorated, giving people a very comfortable feeling. Shen Qi glanced at the cushions that could be seen everywhere and smiled, "Your room is still more comfortable."
"If you like it, just make some too." Shen Jin said with a smile.
Shen Qi responded with a smile, took one and held it in his arms, leaned back and smiled comfortably, "Shuang Qiao, learn it well, and make some for me in my room when you go back."
"Yes." Shuang Qiao agreed. Seeing that Shen Qi had no other instructions, she smiled and said, "I will go and get the gift that the young lady prepared for the lady of the earl."
"Go ahead." Shen Qi smiled and waved his hand.
Anping brought in some fruit and tea. Shen Jin took a look and said, "Sister, try the fruit tea made by Aunt Zhao."
Shen Qi picked it up and took a bite. It had a unique sour and sweet taste of fruit. "It's really good."
After drinking a glass, Shen Jin asked An Ping to save some for her and Shen Qi, then let An Ping go out. Then she kicked off her shoes, leaned against the couch, and covered her legs with a small blanket.
Shen Qi looked at her and smiled, "Lazy girl." Although she said that, she was actually quite relaxed, and her body was particularly comfortable leaning against the cushion.
"Sister, how long will you stay?" Shen Jin rubbed the cushion and yawned slightly.
"If you feel sleepy, take a rest." Shen Qi said, looking at Shen Jin.
Shen Jin had just woken up, and said, "No, I'll sleep after lunch."
Shen Qi stopped trying to persuade him, took a piece of cake, tasted it and said, "I'll stay for a while longer. By the way, I haven't thanked you for the medicine you sent to my mother-in-law."
"My mother prepared it." Shen Jin said a little embarrassedly, "My husband went out, and I gave him most of the medicinal herbs in the house, so..."
Shen Qi laughed when he heard Shen Jin's answer. The depression he had been feeling for the past few days disappeared a lot. He also felt relieved when he learned that his father would be back soon. "It's okay. I won't need it anyway."
"Ah?" Shen Jin asked subconsciously, "Didn't you say you were sick?"
Shen Qi nodded and said, "Heart disease."
"Oh." Shen Jin sighed, "No wonder, heart disease needs heart medicine to cure it."
Shen Qi nodded. She also wanted to find someone to talk to, so she started to talk about what happened in the mansion. On the day when Prince Rui got into trouble, the Prince of Yongle was supposed to accompany her to Prince Rui's mansion, but he was called away by the wife of Yongle. In the end, someone sent someone to give Shen Qi two hundred taels of silver notes to get rid of her. Shen Qi didn't even bother to show her face. She just threw the silver notes away and left with her maid.
Who would have thought that the Prince of Yongle would catch up with Shen Qi on the road and accompany Shen Qi to the palace, but was scolded by Princess Rui and sent back.
After hearing what his mother said, Shen Qi told her about the banknotes with some guilt on the way home, and said that he would apologize to the wife of Marquis Yongle when he got back. However, Marquis Yongle's son was already touched by the Princess Rui's sincere consideration for him, and she also made a great contribution to his becoming the Crown Prince of Rui's Mansion.
Besides, there is his brother-in-law, the Earl of Yongning. Although the wife of the Yongle Marquis is his biological mother, he is not the only son. The wife of the Yongle Marquis also loves her younger son more. Especially when he learned about the two hundred taels of silver notes, the Yongle Marquis's son was full of guilt. Compared with the gifts that the Princess of Rui had carefully prepared even when something happened in her family, this was no longer a matter of giving face to Shen Qi, but a slap in the face of the Rui Palace.
"I was a little impatient." Shen Qi said, suppressing his sadness, "Because I am the first child in the mansion, my father has loved me since I was a child... It was originally my father's birthday banquet, and even my third sister and her husband came back from the border town to celebrate my father's birthday..."
The Prince of Yongle embraced his wife in his arms. After returning home, he accompanied Shen Qi to apologize to the wife of Yongle and presented the gift list prepared by Princess Rui. However, the wife of Yongle was so angry that she didn't even want to see them, and even refused to accept the gift list.
The wife of Marquis Yongle also sent someone to pass on a message, saying that she would never dare to interfere in the affairs of the Crown Prince and his wife again. Several of the Crown Prince's brothers and sisters-in-law accused the two of making the wife of Marquis Yongle sick, and even went further and further. The youngest sister-in-law had always been favored by the wife of Marquis Yongle, so she inevitably became a little carried away and said that she would send Shen Qi to the temple to pray for the wife of Marquis Yongle!
What was the result? When Yongle Hou came back, he saw the Yongle Hou's son and Shen Qi kneeling at the door of Yongle Hou's wife. After knowing what happened, Yongle Hou went straight into the house and slapped Yongle Hou's wife in the face, leaving her no face at all, and bluntly said that all the affairs in Yongle Hou's mansion would be handed over to Shen Qi.
The wife of the Yongle Marquis thought that Shen Qi would refuse or politely decline, and she would then try to get it back, but she did not expect Shen Qi to agree immediately. The wife of the Yongle Marquis had no choice but to hand over the housekeeper's affairs, but she deliberately held back, waiting for Shen Qi to make a mess of the Yongle Marquis's Mansion, and then she would take the opportunity to take back the housekeeper's power.
Little did they know that after Shen Qi got married, although she never showed any intention of becoming a housekeeper, she was not unprepared. Shen Qi simply removed those confidants of the Yongle Marquis' wife who were not prepared to cooperate well and replaced them with her own people. Within two days, she completely took control of the Yongle Marquis' Mansion.
Then he sent the youngest sister-in-law to the temple to pray for the wife of Marquis Yongle. The rest did not take any action, and those people became obedient after seeing this.
When Marquis Yongle saw this, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, she was worthy of being the legitimate daughter of the royal palace. She just didn't want to care about it at the beginning. If she really cared about it, Lady Yongle would be no match at all. Lady Yongle didn't understand the matter of Yunniang at the beginning. She just fell into a trap.
After all, they had been married for so long and were an old couple. The wife of Marquis Yongle had given birth to a child for him. In order to prevent his wife from really making a big mistake, Marquis Yongle cruelly locked her up in the courtyard and forbade her to interfere in other matters.
The most important point is that the atmosphere in the capital is not right for Marquis Yongle. It is still unknown who will be the next. The heaviest punishment for Prince Rui is just stripping of his title, but there is also Earl Yongning, who is someone even Emperor Cheng is wary of. Marquis Yongle has to consider more for everyone in the palace.
After talking to Shen Jin, Shen Qi said, "I'm afraid that the wife of Yongle Marquis is cursing me in the house every day."
Shen Qi was unwilling to see the current situation. Her tolerance did not reassure the wife of Marquis Yongle, but made her more targeted against her. The title of Marquis Yongle would sooner or later belong to Zhu Yuhong, and only Zhu Yuhong. Therefore, Shen Qi was not in a hurry to be the housekeeper. Anyway, even if she did not manage the household, no one would dare to neglect her.
Shen Jin comforted her, "It's okay, my sister can't hear it anyway."
Shen Qi smiled and said, "Yes."
After the two sisters finished talking, they went to the main courtyard to have dinner together. Concubine Chen went with them, and Princess Rui also asked someone to call Shen Rong, but Shen Rong refused because she was not feeling well.
Prince Rui returned on the third day after Chu Xiuming left. Emperor Cheng asked Prince Rui to reflect on his mistakes at home. Prince Rui was carried back. After all, he was beaten with a stick. Even with the care of the imperial physician, he would not be able to recover in a short time. He looked much more haggard.
Shen Xuan and Shen Xi went to pick up Prince Rui. Shen Qi and Shen Jin were waiting in the mansion. When Shen Qi saw Prince Rui, he rushed over crying, grabbed Prince Rui's hand and shouted, "Father."
Shen Jin's eyes also turned red, but she didn't expect Shen Qi to go over so directly. King Rui said, "It's nothing serious."
"It's good that the prince is back." Princess Rui's eyes were also a little red, but she said gently, "Qi'er, let someone carry your father back to the house first."
"Yes." Shen Qi let go of King Rui's hand and said.
Prince Rui also saw Shen Jin and nodded at her.
Shen Jin walked to Shen Qi's side and asked, "Sister, it's good that father is back."
"Yeah." Shen Qi said, holding Shen Jin's hand.
The palace also sent two imperial physicians to live directly in the palace. One of them was the imperial physician who had been taking care of Prince Rui, and the other was an expert in gynecology.
Shen Jin pursed her lips, and Princess Rui's eyes flickered. She said, "Arrange for the two imperial doctors to stay in the guest house, and send someone to serve them well."
"Yes." Cui Xi agreed.
The imperial physician said, "His Majesty specifically instructed us to treat the prince first."
Princess Rui said, "The prince also needs to wash up. You will be summoned later."
"Yes." The imperial physician said no more, and the two men respectfully withdrew.
Princess Rui looked at Concubine Chen and said, "Take Jin girl back to the courtyard first. I will talk to the prince."
"Yes." Concubine Chen agreed and left with Shen Jin.
Shen Qi felt a little uneasy watching Concubine Chen and Shen Jin leave. Princess Rui gently patted her hands and said, "Go to the kitchen and take a look. Didn't you and Jin prepare food for the prince yourself?"
"Yes." Shen Qi agreed and took Shuang Qiao to the kitchen.
Princess Rui then went into the room to look after Prince Rui. Prince Rui had injuries on his body and couldn't get wet, so he could only wash him with water and reapply medicine. He then lay on the bed with a blanket covering him. Seeing that Princess Rui looked a little strange, she asked, "What happened?"
"Your Highness has suffered." Princess Rui reached out and touched Prince Rui's head. After confirming that he did not have a fever, she asked the servants in the room to leave and then said softly, "Your Majesty has sent two imperial doctors to take care of your Highness."
Prince Rui just responded but didn't say anything. Princess Rui said, "One of the doctors has been taking care of the prince."
"What's wrong with the other one?" asked King Rui.
Princess Rui pursed her lips and said, "It's the royal doctor."
Prince Rui didn't react for a moment, and Princess Rui said, "She is a gynecologist."
"Did they send the wrong person?" Prince Rui didn't know that Shen Jin was pregnant. Although Shen Xuan would go to visit her, he was not in the mood to discuss whether his sister was pregnant in a place like the clan residence. That's why Prince Rui thought that they sent the wrong person. "Or is there someone in the residence who is unwell?" But they shouldn't say they were here to take care of him. Why would a grown man like him need a gynecologist? "Could it be that the queen mother knows that Li is pregnant?"
"Your Highness, Jin girl is pregnant." Princess Rui said.
In the small kitchen of the princess' main courtyard, Shen Qi sat outside and felt increasingly uneasy. Although the soups in the kitchen were cooked by Shen Qi and Shen Jin for Prince Rui themselves, they were not really asked to cook.
"Shuang Qiao, why did His Majesty send Doctor Wang to treat my father?" Shen Qi had a vague guess in his mind, but was unwilling to believe it. He looked at Shuang Qiao and asked in a low voice.
How could Shuang Qiao dare to say such a thing directly? "Maybe the Queen Mother knew that the prince's concubine was pregnant, and she was happy that she sent him down."
Shen Qi closed his eyes and smiled, "I've been thinking too much. The Empress Dowager has always favored Father. Knowing that Father's concubine is pregnant, I think she must be happy."
Although they said so, they all knew in their hearts that it was just a cover-up.
In Moyun Courtyard, Shen Jin asked An Ning to tell Madam Zhao about the incident. Madam Zhao frowned and said, "What does your Majesty mean? If you knew that the Madam was pregnant, you would have sent the imperial physician openly. But you said that he was here to treat the prince's injuries and didn't mention the Madam's pregnancy at all."
Shen Jin lowered his head and said nothing, but pondered carefully in his heart, "Mother, if this action... was done by Concubine Xu, then what does Concubine Xu mean?"
When Concubine Chen heard this, she looked at Shen Jin in surprise. Shen Jin looked at her with innocence in her eyes. In fact, Shen Jin just felt that some of Emperor Cheng's actions were the same as Concubine Xu's, which was why she said such words. If Concubine Xu heard Shen Jin say this before Princess Rui told her those secret histories, she would definitely scold her. But now she sighed slowly and did not answer Shen Jin's question. She just said, "Concubine Xu is a person who can't hide things. When she is proud but can't speak directly, she likes to do some... I don't know what it means. You are close in age to the second princess, but because I was just a concubine at the time, your situation is very different. When the prince knew that Concubine Xu was pregnant, he was particularly happy and specially invited the imperial physician in the palace to diagnose Concubine Xu's pulse. When Concubine Xu was nearly eight months pregnant, I found that I didn't have my period, so I asked someone to report to the princess, and the princess sent someone to invite the doctor to the house."
Shen Jin didn't know about these things. When she heard her mother talking about them, she was particularly serious. Concubine Chen slowly said, "Neither the princess nor I thought of hiding it from anyone. However, my status was low at that time, so it was not good to be too public. Concubine Xu got the news from somewhere. Before the doctor sent by the princess arrived at the mansion, she asked the imperial physician specially invited by the prince Rui to take care of her to check my pulse."
Zhao Mama narrowed her eyes, and Shen Jin also guessed what Concubine Xu was thinking at that time. She was just warning Concubine Chen, and there was also some meaning of warning in it, as if to say, I know you are pregnant, don't try to hide it from me... But even if you are pregnant, what does it matter? You are just a concubine.
Shen Jin blinked, not knowing what to say. Concubine Xu's little tricks were just backyard tactics to win favor, but what did Emperor Cheng mean by sending such an imperial physician?
"This is really..." Although Nanny Zhao looked down on Emperor Cheng, she was still full of surprise at this moment. It's impossible, right?
Concubine Chen comforted her, "At that time, Concubine Xu had just entered the palace and was in favor, so she acted like this. So I think..." Your Majesty could not be like Concubine Xu, harming others without benefiting yourself, right?
Shen Jin said, "Forget it. Anyway, I'm here to treat my father. I don't know what his mood is!"
Concubine Chen also laughed when she thought about it. The fact that the palace had sent an imperial physician could not be kept secret. A quick check would reveal which physician was sent. Who knows what those ministers would think when they knew that Emperor Cheng had sent a gynecological expert to Prince Rui.
After hearing what Princess Rui said, Prince Rui showed joy on his face and said, "This is a good thing."
Princess Rui lowered her eyes slightly and said, "Because Earl Yongning married Jin, he dared to contradict Your Majesty when the prince was in trouble. And Your Majesty hinted to Prime Minister Chen to push the prince out to take the blame just because of an earthquake. I wonder if there is anyone who will speak up for the prince next time there is a natural disaster somewhere?"
When Prince Rui heard this, his face changed. He was about to reprimand Princess Rui, but suddenly he understood what she meant. "Impossible, it was His Majesty who gave the order personally..."
"Your Highness." Princess Rui sat on the bedside and held the hand of the Prince of Rui. "You know that after you got into trouble, the palace is like it has lost its backbone. Qi'er was worried about you and wanted to go home to visit you but was... Forget it, what's the point of talking about such things? Your Highness, please think more about us mother and son. The Rui Palace exists because of you. If something really happens to you, I'm afraid that everyone in the palace will have no way to survive."
"No." If it was before the earthquake, King Rui would still have some confidence, but now that he said this, he felt uneasy and asked, "What happened to Qi'er?"
Princess Rui lowered her eyes slightly, tears falling on the back of Prince Rui's hand, "Madam Yongle didn't want her son-in-law to accompany Qi'er back, so she sent someone to call her son-in-law away, and also asked her personal maid to give Qi'er a silver note of 200 taels."
"How dare that bitch!" Prince Rui said angrily.
Princess Rui's voice was full of bitterness. "The relationship between Yongle Marquis' Mansion and the Prince's Mansion has always been good, but they also did something like this to add insult to injury. In the end, it was the son-in-law who caught up with Qi'er and rushed here with her."
"Then Zhu Yuhong is still a good person." King Rui said gritting his teeth.
Princess Rui said, "After they arrived, I personally prepared a gift of apology and asked my son-in-law and Qi'er to go back immediately to apologize to the wife of Yongle Marquis."
Prince Rui was full of anger, but also felt very sad. His wife continued, "Who would have thought that the wife of Marquis Yongle would not even meet them, let alone accept gifts, and even ordered them to kneel at the door..." She was already in tears when she said this.
"Bitch! I'm going to kill that bitch!" King Rui pounded the bed and cursed.
Princess Rui cried, "If it weren't for the fact that Yongle Hou was concerned about Yongning Bo and went home to reprimand Yongle Hou's wife, I don't know what would have happened to my poor Qi'er."
King Rui had never seen his wife cry like this, so he advised, "I'm out now, don't worry, I will definitely seek justice for my daughter."
"Your Highness, Jin is also our daughter. Why did the couple return from the border town? Why did they anger His Majesty, forcing Earl Yongning to leave to fight the bandits when Jin was still young?" Princess Rui looked at King Rui and said, "You know that Jin was found to be pregnant on the day of the earthquake. She lost her pregnancy after learning about your punishment and almost lost the baby."
Prince Rui was shocked. If he said he didn't understand at this moment, he would be lying. The day of the earthquake was also his birthday, and Jin girl happened to find out she was pregnant that day. He thought it was because the fetus in her belly was destined to be with him, and Chu Xiuming, the son-in-law... Thinking of the despair and no one willing to speak for him at that time, only Chu Xiuming was willing to stand up and contradict Emperor Cheng, and offend Prime Minister Chen... Not only that, they would return to the capital this time to celebrate his birthday.
Thinking of this, Prince Rui felt guilty again, "Don't worry, Madam. Jin is also my daughter, and the baby in her belly is my grandson. I will definitely protect them, and I can protect you as well."
Princess Rui began to cry softly, "Your Highness, I'm afraid. None of us has ever concealed the fact that Jin girl is pregnant from everyone. Anyone who has paid a little attention would know it, but Your Majesty..." He sent the imperial physician under this pretext, "It was Your Majesty who asked Your Highness to choose the Earl of Yongning to marry his daughter, but now..."
Because she was crying so sadly, Princess Rui's words were intermittent, which made people more uneasy. Prince Rui gritted his teeth and wondered if Emperor Cheng suspected that he and Earl Yongning were colluding to do something bad? So he took advantage of the earthquake to attack him? To destroy his reputation first?
The more he thought about it, the more he was sure of his guess. He felt that it must be so! However, if Princess Rui knew about it, she would want to severely punish Prince Rui. He had no reputation at all. However, Princess Rui just wanted to plant a seed in Prince Rui's heart.
Princess Rui cried for a while and felt out of control, so she called Cui Xi in to prepare water for washing. Prince Rui lay on the bed and looked at Princess Rui, saying, "I will definitely protect you."
"Yes." Princess Rui smiled and pursed her lips. "Of course I believe in you, Your Highness. Actually..." She explained as if she was a little embarrassed. "I have been very nervous recently because of your Highness's accident. I might have been thinking too much just now. I think Your Majesty is just concerned about Jin and Li, but he can't say it openly. Your Highness should just forget about the nonsense I just said."
When Prince Rui heard this, he felt that Princess Rui was thinking about him wholeheartedly and said, "Madam, don't worry. I know what I am doing."
Princess Rui responded and said nothing more.
Because Prince Rui's injury was in an awkward position, the people in the mansion did not eat together. Shen Qi had something on his mind so he ate in his own room. In this way, Shen Jin did not go out either, and it was more comfortable for him to eat with Concubine Chen. Little One was also brought in, and slept in Shen Jin's room at night. After Shen Jin pestered Concubine Chen to sleep with him a few times, he moved back to his own room. Anping and Anning took turns to keep watch and slept on the soft couch in the room, so they were not too tired.
The little one slept next to Shen Jin's bed, so the footstool was removed and a large cushion was laid on the bed to make the little one more comfortable. For some reason, Shen Jin couldn't sleep today. He couldn't help but think about the imperial physician's matter and Concubine Chen's evaluation of Concubine Xu.
When you are proud but can't speak out, you lose your sense of proportion and do some meaningless things...
Emperor Cheng... Concubine Xu...
Concubine Xu did this to show off and warn...
What about Emperor Cheng? What did he have to brag about? Or was it a warning that he already knew that she had Chu Xiuming's child?
Chu Xiuming... Shen Jin suddenly jumped up, and the little one squatted up alertly. An Ning was the one keeping watch today, and she quickly came down to light the lamp. Looking at Shen Jin with an unpleasant expression, she asked, "Madam, are you feeling unwell?"
"Please ask Madam Zhao to come!" Shen Jin said with trembling lips, "Go quickly."
"Yes." An Ning didn't dare to ask any more questions, and ran out grabbing her coat...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
