The Marquis of Jianing's carriage sped along and soon arrived at the gate of the imperial palace. They hurriedly got off the carriage and followed Zhaohua's instructions, heading straight for the Eastern Palace.
Along the way, Marquis Jianing's expression was awfully grim. He secretly speculated that Su Hong and her daughter must have caused some trouble, necessitating the Crown Prince summoning their entire family to the palace so late at night. However, Su Hong, standing by, disagreed. She happily assumed the Emperor was seeking a marriage for her daughter, specifically summoning her entire family. The thought of this brought a wave of joy to her face.
Jiang Shanshan was alone, cold sweat dripping from her forehead, her heart filled with anxiety and fear. She knew her actions during the day might have been discovered, and she worried about the serious consequences if her actions were exposed. At this moment, her heart was as heavy as if she had fallen into an abyss.
When they arrived at the gate of the East Palace, Zhao Hua led them into the side hall and said, "Your Highness, the Marquis and his men are here."
"Your humble servant pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince. I wonder what Your Highness summoned me to discuss so late at night." The entire family of Marquis Jianing knelt down together.
"Please stand up, my lord. The Crown Princess is ill today, so please ask Madam and the Second Miss to stay with her for a few days." The Crown Prince said ambiguously.
"Your Highness, since we are here to accompany you, why don't I take them back first and bring some clean clothes?" Marquis Jianing said flatteringly.
"No need. You can't go anywhere today. Just stay here. I still have something to ask Madam and the Second Miss later!" A hint of cunning flashed in the prince's eyes.
Marquis Jianing understood the Crown Prince's implication, and his heart sank, but he still asked, "Your Highness, if you have any instructions, please speak directly."
The prince smiled slightly, looking at the Jianing Marquis's family, a smile flashing in his eyes: "Okay, then I'll be frank. I know that your Jianing Marquis's Mansion has been making some small moves recently, and I hope you can explain it honestly. Otherwise..."
The Marquis of Jianing's expression changed, and he quickly kowtowed and apologized: "Your Highness, please calm down. I never meant that!"
The prince sneered: "Whether it is true or not, you know it in your hearts. I have already given you a chance. If you still refuse to change your mind, don't blame me for being rude." After that, he turned and left, leaving the Jianing Marquis and his family at a loss.
Marquis Jianing knew full well that his family was under house arrest by the Crown Prince, but he couldn't understand why. He hadn't done anything wrong recently. The princes were constantly feuding, and he remained neutral, not taking sides. Just as he was lost in thought, Su Hong approached and asked, "Master, what's going on? I don't think something is right." Marquis Jianing slapped him across the face, angrily cursing, "You idiot! You must have done something to offend them today, otherwise why would we be imprisoned here?"
"What? Imprisoned here? How is that possible?" Su Hong covered her face with her hands, her face full of disbelief. She had never thought that she would be imprisoned.
"Master, we really didn't do anything! We just chatted with the Crown Princess..." Su Hong suddenly seemed to remember something and turned her head to look at Jiang Shanshan.
"Mom, don't look at me. I... I didn't do anything. It's none of my business." Jiang Shanshan said guiltily.
Su Hong listened to her daughter's words, but couldn't believe it. She stretched out her hand tremblingly, pointed at Jiang Shanshan and said, "You... don't lie to me! How could your sister suddenly become ill? You must have done something!"
Jiang Shanshan was panicked when she saw her mother had begun to doubt her, but she pretended to be calm and said, "Mom, don't let your imagination run wild. This is all an accident. Maybe someone has framed me?"
Su Hong looked at her daughter, her eyes filled with disappointment and anger. She stood up and walked towards Jiang Shanshan step by step. She asked in a low and stern voice: "Tell me the truth, Shanshan, what happened?"
Jiang Shanshan was forced into a corner, with no way to retreat. She knew there was no point in hiding it any longer, so she cried and threw herself into Su Hong's arms, confessing, "Mom, I'm sorry, I hurt my sister. But I had no choice. I just wanted to teach her a lesson..."
Su Hong was so angry that she trembled all over after hearing this. She pushed Jiang Shanshan away and cursed, "You ignorant girl! How could you do such a thing? Do you know how much disaster this will bring to our family?"
Jiang Shanshan was pushed to the ground. She raised her head, tears welling in her eyes, and cried, "Mom, I was wrong, but what should I do now? My sister is dead, are you going to bury me with her?"
Upon hearing this, Marquis Jianing became so angry that his face turned ashen and full of rage. He suddenly raised his foot and kicked Jiang Shanshan fiercely: "You rebellious girl! How dare you murder the Crown Princess! Do you know that this is a serious crime punishable by the death of nine generations of your family!" Marquis Jianing became more and more angry as he spoke, and finally he fainted from anger.
Jiang Shanshan was kicked to the ground by the Marquis of Jianing, but she ignored the pain and hurriedly got up from the ground, crawling to Su Hong's side. She grabbed Su Hong's sleeve tightly and said in a trembling voice, "Mom, what should I do? I don't want to die, I really don't want to die!" Su Hong quickly covered Jiang Shanshan's mouth and whispered expressionlessly, "Shanshan, don't panic. Listen to me. No matter what, even if I beat you to death, you must never admit that this matter has anything to do with you."
"Hmm!" Jiang Shanshan nodded vigorously, her expression like a chick pecking at rice, as if she was afraid others wouldn't know how much she agreed with what they were saying. At this moment, Su Hong was sitting on the ground, holding Jiang Shanshan tightly, both of them with unusual expressions on their faces. The mother and daughter seemed immersed in their own thoughts, and the atmosphere in the room was so quiet that you could even hear a pin drop. Marquis Jianing still lay quietly on the ground, showing no sign of waking up.
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