Chapter 084
In fact, just as Prince Rui himself said, the guards in the capital city really did not dare to investigate him carefully. After all, Prince Rui was the only living brother of Emperor Cheng, and it was Emperor Cheng who personally ordered him to leave the capital. Emperor Cheng had no idea that Chu Xiuming had come to the capital, so Chu Xiuming left the capital openly in the carriage of Princess Rui.
But before they arrived in Chuyuan, they learned a piece of news that surprised everyone. The Prince of England actually gave news that there was a legitimate grandson of the late emperor's prince.
King Rui's expression changed again and again, and then he whispered, "This is true."
Chu Xiuming also frowned but didn't say anything. Could it be that the Prince of England knew Chu Xiuyuan's background?
Zhao Qi's face was also a little ugly, but Princess Rui smiled and said, "Who knows whether what he said is true or not, and who can guarantee that the person is real? If you really want to shock people, why don't you say it's news about the Crown Prince's legitimate son? It's just that there are still people who know the Crown Prince's legitimate son and remember what the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess looked like. Now that he is a grandson, it's reasonable as long as he looks 30% like him."
Chu Xiuming also laughed and said, "Father-in-law, do you think His Majesty would leave such a handle?"
Prince Rui thought that even the families of those who had served the prince were not spared by Emperor Cheng, let alone the prince's descendants, and said, "That's true." But after saying this, he looked at Chu Xiuming in surprise.
Princess Rui poured a cup of tea for Prince Rui, and then said, "Does Your Majesty think that the third son-in-law doesn't know about those past events?"
Prince Rui was too embarrassed to nod, but he really thought so. Chu Xiuming said, "The prince's concubine was also my cousin."
"Then you..." King Rui looked at Chu Xiuming hesitantly.
Chu Xiuming said, "My Chu family has always protected the country and people of Tianqi."
King Rui didn't know what to say. Chu Xiuming lowered his eyes slightly to hide the emotions in his eyes. "My father and brother knew they were going to die, but they still went anyway. They just wanted the world to be peaceful and the people to live and work in peace. They died without any complaints."
But those were his father and brother's thoughts. Chu Xiuming never thought so. Chu Xiuming only felt that blood debt should be repaid with blood. However, Chu Xiuming would not tell these to King Rui.
Emperor Cheng felt a little embarrassed when mentioning the death of Chu Xiuming's father. After all, the death of Chu Xiuming's father was a little strange at that time, and Emperor Cheng was responsible. However, Prince Rui didn't know much, and couldn't hide his shame and said, "It is my Shen family that has let down the Chu family." Compared with the righteousness of the Chu family, Emperor Cheng's mind was too mean. Even though they were brothers, Prince Rui didn't like his brother very much. When he was young, he preferred to play in the Crown Prince's Palace, or be taken out to play by his brothers such as the Sixth Prince. He still remembered that the Crown Princess would prepare gold thread rolls and rose candies for them.
At that time, the late emperor was in poor health and seldom took care of the young princes. He only saw the crown prince, who had taught them all personally. The crown prince was already regent at that time, but no matter how busy he was, he would come to the study every day to teach them their lessons. In addition to them, the crown prince's eldest son was also studying in the study, and his second son had just started school.
This is why after Emperor Cheng ascended the throne, he was the only one left among all the brothers. Prince Rui still remembered that his fifth and sixth brothers rushed into the Prince's Mansion with their personal guards, wanting to rescue the Crown Princess and his nephew, but were eventually shot to death by random arrows. That night, a fire started in the Prince's Palace...
It seemed like everything changed overnight. Prince Rui was full of vigor and vitality at that time and came to see the queen mother. The queen mother asked him to stay in the inner room, but she didn't expect that Prince Rui secretly listened to what Emperor Cheng and the queen mother said.
Prince Rui still remembers Emperor Cheng's expression at that time, ferocious and terrifying. He excitedly talked about the death of his father, the death of the crown prince, the death of the crown princess, and the death of so many brothers.
Even the Fourth Prince was dismembered by Emperor Cheng because he cursed him.
It seemed that from that moment on, Prince Rui understood that Emperor Cheng was just Emperor Cheng. So Prince Rui, who had been praised by the Crown Prince for his intelligence when he was young, became more and more mediocre, confused, and absurd.
Neither Emperor Cheng nor the Empress Dowager expressed any opinion on this. He stopped going to the study and was unwilling to learn from his master. If it weren't for his good foundation when he was a child, Prince Rui might have really been brought up to be a person who takes human life lightly, instead of being like he is now, just a little more dissolute.
Sometimes King Rui forgets all this, and it seems like he is just so confused in the show.
Perhaps because he left the capital, or perhaps because the Prince of England mentioned the descendants of the Crown Prince, Prince Rui couldn't help but think of the past events.
When he saw his father and the crown prince again, only the cold bodies that had been cleaned up were left. The late emperor and the crown prince were poisoned to death by Emperor Cheng, and the remaining brothers...
In fact, Emperor Cheng sometimes wondered, if he had not been locked up in the house by his mother at that time, but had seen the prince's death with his own eyes, would he have cursed and spat in his face like his other brothers, and would he have died like those brothers.
Princess Rui would not know that it was he who took the initiative to tell his mother that he wanted to marry Princess Rui. Prince Rui had forgotten why. It might be because the Crown Princess was smiling at him at that time and said softly to him, "Xiao Liu now has a lover. I'll wait until you grow up a little bit. Your sister-in-law will find someone you like..."
If the prince were still alive, would he not be as good as he is now, neither good at civil nor military?
After all, although the prince loved them, he paid special attention to their studies. At that time, the prince told them that our Shen family is a royal family, and while enjoying the admiration of the people, we must also protect all the people.
Chu Xiuming and the others looked at the silent King Rui, then glanced at each other. Zhao Qi asked, "So what should we do now?"
"Return to Chuyuan." Princess Rui said, "Even if the crown prince's descendants appear, it is Emperor Cheng who should be embarrassed."
“If there really is a descendant of the crown prince…” Prince Rui paused before continuing, “I just hope he is not raised by the Crown Prince of England.” If so, even if he is a descendant of the crown prince, he will be useless.
Princess Rui looked at Prince Rui in confusion and said, "Your Majesty, could it be that..."
Prince Rui didn't say anything, and no one asked any more questions after seeing this. However, Chu Xiuming saw the nostalgia in Prince Rui's eyes, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart. Although Prince Rui was easily influenced and confused, he was much better than the current Emperor Cheng. Even if Prince Rui had ascended the throne, things would not be like this now, causing Tianqi to face internal and external troubles.
When they were resting at night, Prince Rui whispered to Princess Rui, "The prince is actually a very good person."
Princess Rui said softly, "Why did your Highness suddenly think of this?"
King Rui sighed, "My brothers are good people, but it's a pity. Is this what they call fate? Is God going to kill me, Tianqi?"
When Princess Rui heard what King Rui said, her heart trembled violently. She pursed her lips to stop her voice from trembling, and comforted him, "Your Highness, don't be so pessimistic. Besides, you are still here."
"This king?" King Rui said, "No, Princess, tell me, is the descendant of the crown prince real or fake?"
"I don't know either." Princess Rui's voice was gentle.
Prince Rui sighed again, but Concubine Rui Wan closed her eyes as if she was asleep.
In the border town, when people learned the news, they looked at Shen Jin with somewhat subtle eyes. If they guessed one or two things correctly, it could be said to be a coincidence, but now, no matter what Shen Jin said about Emperor Cheng or the Prince of England, it was almost correct. The only thing they were not sure about was the matter of Jiangnan and Nanjing. However, everyone also felt that it was very credible that the Prince of England regarded Jiangnan as a money bag.
Shen Jin drank the warm brown sugar ginger water, and looked at everyone staring at him in confusion. Zhao Ma asked directly, "Madam, you have guessed the thoughts of Emperor Cheng and Prince Ying very well. They are just surprised and admiring."
Manager Zhao also said, "How did Madam guess it? Is there any pattern?"
Shen Jin thought about it and realized that she seemed to be right. "I just said it casually." After thinking for a long time, she couldn't figure out how she guessed it. It seemed that she guessed it this way.
Steward Wang suddenly said, "Madam said at the time that the Crown Prince of England was in poor health..." Everyone narrowed their eyes when they heard this.
Zhao Duan said, "Do you want to inquire from this aspect?" Although it is still difficult to find out, it will be much easier than inquiring aimlessly after having a direction.
Manager Zhao nodded and said, "I will arrange it."
Shen Jin was stunned for a moment and said, "I just said it casually."
Manager Zhao smiled and said, "Maybe Madam and they have a tacit understanding?"
As soon as these words fell, Shen Jin's eyes widened and she looked at Manager Zhao who was speaking in horror, "That would be too horrible!" She didn't want this at all!
Seeing Shen Jin's expression, Nanny Zhao glared at Manager Zhao fiercely before comforting her, "Madam, please don't listen to their nonsense. This is because you are so smart. They can't guess it just because they are dull."
The dull-witted Wang Zongguan and Zhao Duan looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Hate Zhao Madam? They didn't dare. Hate Madam? It had nothing to do with Madam, so they hated Zhao Guanshi. They read so many books but ended up with a dog who couldn't even speak.
Manager Zhao gave a bitter smile and said, "I was just talking nonsense."
"It's okay. People make mistakes, and horses stumble." Shen Jin comforted him, "Actually, I thought about it, it might be because we are relatives."
Everyone was silent for a moment, Shen Jin explained, "Didn't you ask me how I guessed it? I think it might be because Emperor Cheng, Prince Ying and I are relatives, so we think similarly?"
It feels a bit irrefutable.
Shen Jin continued, "Because the Prince of England and I are of the same generation, we have similar ideas. After all, Emperor Cheng is much older. In fact, if it were me, I would not have acknowledged the Prince of England's identity at the beginning, and would have just said that he was an imposter."
Chief Steward Wang frowned and said, "In this way, although the ministers all know the identity of the Crown Prince of England, ordinary people don't know it."
Zhao Duan also felt that although Shen Jin's method was crude, it had to be said that it directly blocked the Prince of England's future plans. Emperor Cheng's quarrel with the Prince of England and his recognition of the Prince of England's identity were actually disadvantageous to him.
"But why hasn't the Prince of England mobilized his troops yet?" Shen Jin asked with some confusion.
Manager Wang and the others had discussed this matter together, and upon hearing this, he said, "I'm afraid you're waiting for something."
"And the fact that Prince Ying said he knew news about the Crown Prince's grandson... is it true or false?" This is what Manager Zhao was worried about.
Steward Wang said, "I'm afraid it's fake."
Zhao Duan frowned and said, "Are you trying to frame the general?"
"Actually, that doesn't count as framing others." Shen Jin asked hesitantly, because the prince's grandson was indeed on their side. If they denied it this time and announced Chu Xiuyuan's identity, people might think they were not trustworthy.
It was indeed not a frame-up, but they were all sure that the Prince of England could not have known about it, because even Zhao Duan and the others only guessed the identity of that person after arriving at the border town, and they were even more surprised at Chu Xiuming's boldness.
Manager Wang narrowed his eyes and said, "It is better to strike first."
Zhao Duan said, "I think the Crown Prince of England will bring the so-called grandson of the Crown Prince with him. This is the orthodoxy. Under this name, I am afraid that some ministers will hesitate."
"Yes." Manager Zhao also said, "But I'm afraid that when his grandson of the crown prince comes out, those who come out later will suffer instead."
Chief Steward Wang nodded and said, "Unless there is irrefutable evidence." They didn't have any evidence at all. After all, in order to make Emperor Cheng believe that none of the prince's descendants had escaped, the jade tokens representing the royal identity were not produced. "
Shen Jin suddenly thought of Chu Xiuming's choice to come to Beijing at this time. Could it be that he thought of these things after knowing about the Prince of Ying? He bit his lip and said, "If it doesn't work, then we can make a copy."
As soon as these words came out, everyone was stunned and looked at Shen Jin, and heard Shen Jin say, "No one can tell the truth from the false anyway, and considering your husband's identity, is it more credible to say that the Prince of England protected the descendants of the Crown Prince, or that the Chu family sacrificed their lives to protect the descendants of the Crown Prince?"
After saying this, Chief Steward Wang also spoke up, "This can also explain why Emperor Cheng is so wary of the Chu family."
Manager Zhao also nodded, "Not only that, but the Crown Prince's concubine was a member of the Chu family, so some of the stories are true."
Zhao Duan narrowed his eyes and said, "My brother-in-law will soon arrive in Chuyuan. I'll borrow his ID card and find a skilled craftsman. I don't believe that we can't make a fake one look real."
Shen Jin saw that everyone had already discussed the matter, so he stopped talking. Zhao Ma said, "I still have a few relics of the Crown Princess."
After everything was discussed, everyone left and went to work elsewhere. Shen Jin took Nanny Zhao to the main courtyard. She left Anping and An Ning with Dongdong and only took Nanny Zhao with her.
"Mammy, does Xiuyuan look like the prince?" Shen Jin asked curiously.
Madam Zhao thought for a moment and said, "No, in fact, the young general looks more like a member of the Chu family." In other words, he looks more like his mother.
Shen Jin nodded and said, "This is also safe."
Nanny Zhao nodded, and Shen Jin asked, "What kind of person is the Crown Princess?"
"The Crown Princess." Nanny Zhao was silent for a moment before saying, "In fact, the Crown Princess is a very good person, like Princess Rui and the Madam combined." She is smart and kind.
Shen Jin sighed upon hearing this, "What a pity."
Aunt Zhao responded, "The Crown Princess actually likes to laugh."
"The Crown Princess must be both beautiful and intelligent." Shen Jin sighed. With her beauty and Princess Rui's intelligence, such a woman is really rare.
Upon hearing this, Nanny Zhao glanced at Shen Jin. Actually, the Crown Princess was only average looking, but she looked very happy when she smiled, and even the people around her felt happy.
When Shen Jin returned, he saw Dongdong playing with Little Bit, or rather, Little Bit playing with Dongdong. Dongdong was practicing turning over on the thickly matted mat, and when he ran out of strength to turn over, Little Bit, who had been lying lazily beside him, stretched out his big paws to help Dongdong. When Dongdong sat, Little Bit curled up his whole body behind him so that Dongdong could lean on him.
When Dongdong saw Shen Jin, he clapped his hands and babbled non-stop, and the little one also let out a howl.
In fact, at the beginning, the nanny didn't want Little Bit to get close to Dongdong when Shen Jin was not around, for fear that Little Bit would hurt Dongdong without knowing the severity of the injury. But after Shen Jin observed for a while, he directly ordered the nanny not to stop Little Bit from playing with Dongdong, because Little Bit was trained very well. Except for An Ning, An Ping and others, no one else was allowed to get close to Little Bit. Even if the nanny got close to Little Bit, he would be on guard and stare at her.
Not only that, Dongdong now has no sense of severity. That time, he pulled out Xiaobit's fur. Xiaobit just clamped its tail between its legs in pain, but did not struggle or bite Dongdong as others worried. Instead, it rubbed Dongdong with its big head.
Shen Jin held Dongdong in his arms, then smiled and kissed his face, "The little rascal is bullying the little one again."
When he heard his name, the little one looked up, "Awoo?"
"The little one is so well behaved." Shen Jin reached out and touched the little one's head, saying with a smile.
Zhao Duan did not write a letter. Instead, he directly found a member of the Zhao family, prepared some specialties from the border town and asked him to send back to his family. Not only that, he also sent a message to his father Zhao Ru, only mentioning the jade token of King Rui's identity, thinking that Zhao Ru would understand what he meant.
The Prince of Yongle and Shen Qi did not leave with Prince Rui, but chose to stay in the capital. However, they sent their wet nurse and Shuang Qiao to take their daughter to follow Prince Rui's family.
Nowadays, most of the time, it is Concubine Chen who takes care of the two children. In fact, Concubine Chen does not need to work too hard. After all, the two children are not only taken care of by a wet nurse, but also by maids and old women. These people can be brought out at this time, so they are naturally their confidants and they dare not neglect them in the slightest.
Moreover, there is a division of labor for everything, so no one is alone in taking care of the children every time, which also keeps them from feeling too tired, as there is a sense of mutual supervision.
Concubine Chen didn't feel tired. She sat in the carriage with her children every day. The carriage carrying Concubine Chen and her two children was even more comfortable than that of Prince Rui and Princess Rui.
However, Concubine Chen was somewhat worried, because Chu Xiuming was actually with them, so what about her daughter? Is the border town safe? Although Shen Jin was her daughter and Chu Xiuming was Shen Jin's husband, she couldn't just call Chu Xiuming in, and she needed to avoid suspicion.
Both Princess Rui and Chu Xiuming are careful people. Although Chu Xiuming did not explain to Concubine Chen in person, he asked Princess Rui to comfort Concubine Chen. If you really think about it, the border town is really safer.
Because Prince Rui had been thinking about what Prince Ying said about knowing the news about the Crown Prince's grandson, he was silent on the way. When he arrived at Chu Yuan, Prince Rui calmed down. He hadn't seen his father-in-law for a long time, so he was inevitably a little more attentive.
Zhao Ru's attitude towards King Rui was quite gentle. He did not ask King Rui about his knowledge. Instead, he chatted with King Rui about everything under the sun. Because King Rui liked antiques and toys, Zhao Ru told King Rui a lot of these things. King Rui breathed a sigh of relief and felt much more relaxed.
But it seemed as if the Crown Prince of King Ying and the Crown Prince of King Rui were born in conflict. Before the Crown Prince of Rui could be happy for two days, the Crown Prince of King Ying actually mentioned the name of the Crown Prince, and even directly questioned whether Emperor Cheng wanted to make the Crown Prince of Rui the Crown Prince since he had not appointed a Crown Prince yet.
Prince Ying may have felt that what he had done was not cruel enough, and he immediately questioned, this time Prince Rui and his family left the capital, could it be that Emperor Cheng was planning to do what happened in the 37th year of Yongjia again, so Prince Rui escaped early?
What happened in the 37th year of Yongjia? Not only did the officials outside have some guesses, but even many common people began to wonder about what happened in the 37th year of Yongjia. Although 267 years had passed, the events in the 27th year of Yongjia were too big. Not only was there the threat of the barbarians, but also the arrival of the British king's army in the capital, the fire in the palace, the death knell of the previous emperor, the funeral of the crown prince and many princes, and the ascension of Emperor Cheng to the throne...
The people in the capital city knew the situation better than people from other places. Although no one dared to say anything for a while, the atmosphere was already a little wrong.
As a result, King Rui was pushed to the forefront. Apart from the earthquake, this was the second time that King Rui became known to the public. Unfortunately, it was not a good thing.
When everyone thought that the Crown Prince of England would continue talking about the matter of the Crown Prince's grandson, who knew that the Crown Prince of England actually started talking about Prince Rui.
Not only Princess Rui but also Chu Xiuming was confused by the Prince of Ying.
Prince Rui turned pale and looked at Zhao Ru and asked, "Father-in-law, what should I do?"
Zhao Ru looked at King Rui and said, "If you return to Beijing now, your life will be absolutely safe."
But he will just live well. I'm afraid it's hard to say more. After all, the Prince of England mentioned the matter of the Crown Prince. Even if Prince Rui doesn't have this idea, will Emperor Cheng believe it?
In fact, the Crown Prince of England has blocked all of King Rui's ways. If the Crown Prince of England does not have something to cooperate with King Rui, then King Rui must have offended the Crown Prince of England. So now the Crown Prince of England is taking revenge on King Rui, and King Rui is now in a dilemma.
Zhao Ru looked at Prince Rui. Of course he didn't want Prince Rui to go back. After all, if Prince Rui went back, his daughter must go back as well. Given the situation in the capital, Prince Rui might lose his freedom if he went back.
At this time, in the Empress Dowager's palace, Emperor Cheng fiercely overturned the table and shouted angrily, "It's all your fault. Now something's wrong! Call him back to me! Write a letter to my good brother and call him back immediately, Crown Prince..."
The Queen Mother looked at her son, twisting the Buddhist beads tightly between her fingers, "You know your brother wouldn't think so."
"I know! All I know now is that it was you who persuaded me to let their family go! You are really a good mother to me!" Emperor Cheng looked at the Queen Mother with gloomy eyes and said in a cold voice.
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