Fu Jiang confessed.
He said that when he secretly came to the capital to see Shu Liu Niang years ago, he met Han Zijin and knew that he was Kang Le's future son-in-law.
Upon learning that Kang Le had been searching for Han Zijin for many years and had found him in Qingzhou, he wanted to do Kang Le a favor by sending Han Zijin back to Kang Le's side.
However, Han Zijin already had a wife and children, and they were worried that Han Zijin would return to Wujiazhuang. So they decided to go all the way and resolve the issue of Han Zijin's wife, children, and neighbors all at once.
He took all the blame, claiming that Kang Le was unaware of the situation.
This is not what Xie Tingzhou wants to hear.
He looked at Prince Ning and Prince Yun, "This man is very dishonest. Would Your Highnesses like to give him a try?"
Xie Tingzhou found it disgusting.
The two princes also realized that Fu Jiang wasn't telling the whole truth. They were present when Xie Tingzhou interrogated Kang Le from the assassins, so it wasn't hard to guess that Xie Tingzhou's purpose in interrogating Fu Jiang this time was to find out about Kang Le.
Kang Le appeared to be lying low, but in reality he was raising so many assassins, revealing his disloyal intentions.
As princes, they naturally did not want their kingdom to be coveted by outsiders.
Therefore, neither prince refused, and they were subjected to another severe punishment.
Fearing that Fu Jiang wouldn't be able to endure it and would die halfway through, they even had the imperial physician give him medicine so that he wouldn't faint or die, but would be in excruciating pain.
The wailing reached the palace, causing the Grand Princess great anxiety.
She worried that if Fu Jiang revealed Kang Le's identity, and if Kang Le also became a target of the emperor, their great cause would not succeed, and their current status would be in jeopardy.
Having enjoyed a glorious life for most of his life, he should have been able to enjoy the supreme glory unique to royalty after his death, so how could he have ended up in such a miserable state?
Therefore, when she heard Xie Tingzhou report that Fu Jiang admitted that he had harmed the people of Wujiazhuang at the instigation of Kang Le, the Grand Princess could no longer contain herself.
"That liar who spouts nonsense even dared to drag Kang Le into this..."
She still possessed what the emperor desired, and there was no concrete evidence to support the accusations made against her by Ye Zhen and the others. Therefore, the emperor could not disobey ancestral precepts and truly do anything to her.
The Grand Princess wanted to take the opportunity to exonerate Kangle.
But Xie Tingzhou interrupted her, "Fu Jiang was personally interrogated by the two princes. Is the Grand Princess looking down on the two princes?"
Or is it just an addiction to indiscriminately protecting people? Fu Jiang is ruined, but now they're protecting Kang Le?
"Since you're so protective of others, why don't you protect your own children and grandchildren?"
The Grand Princess choked and her face turned red.
"How dare you speak to your elders like that!"
She only considered Xie Tingzhou as Nianxi's grandson, which meant he was her great-grandson. Such filial impiety was unacceptable; she didn't want him anymore.
A cold glint flashed in Ye Zhen's eyes. This old princess was really tough. She could still shout even after what she and Cai Yueya had done.
She glanced at Xie Tingzhou and silently said, "Provoke her."
With an unspoken understanding, Xie Tingzhou was already able to accurately capture her gaze.
After understanding her meaning, he sneered, "Don't try to claim kinship with me. We are not the same kind of people. I am a human being."
The implication is that you are not human.
The Grand Princess and the Emperor are of the same lineage. If Xie Tingzhou were to curse like this under normal circumstances, he might be prosecuted for insulting the royal family.
But the emperor pretended not to hear and was focused on ordering his men to arrest Kang Le.
Marquis Zhongyong didn't even glance at the Grand Princess again.
The eldest princess immediately started cursing.
Ye Zhen pretended to have an itch in her throat, raised her hand to cover her nose with her sleeve, and the wide sleeve blocked her mouth. She then took out a jade whistle from her sleeve.
Xie Tingzhou continued to provoke the old princess, "Moreover, the assassins who entered the Marquis's mansion to kill Yin Jiuniang have confessed that they were all instructed by Kang Le to assassinate Yin Jiuniang."
Your humble servant is curious: Yin Jiuniang has just arrived in the capital and has no grudge against Kang Le. Why can't Kang Le tolerate her?
Could it be that the Grand Princess instructed this? Then the Grand Princess must also know that Kang Le is secretly keeping many people around, but she's helping her keep it from His Majesty. Are you planning a rebellion?
When her thoughts were guessed, the Grand Princess was both angry and shocked. Just as she was about to use her seniority to force the Emperor to stop Xie Tingzhou, she suddenly experienced a sharp pain in her head and heart.
She clutched her chest tightly, trying to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.
Soon, he collapsed to the ground, his mouth and eyes distorted, unable to speak any more.
The incident happened in an instant. The emperor was delighted, but said outwardly, "Imperial physician, quickly, examine the Grand Princess."
Ye Zhen coughed lightly, as if to relieve the itch in his throat, and quietly put away the jade whistle.
She tricked Xie Tingzhou into angering the Grand Princess, and then, in her rage, used her internal energy to block the acupoints in her brain, causing her to suffer a stroke and become paralyzed.
Of course, this trick wouldn't be very effective for ordinary people, but the old princess was old and her body was already aging, and this was Ye Zhen's first time trying it.
Surprisingly, it actually worked, thanks to Xie Tingzhou's excellent cooperation.
A cold smile curled at the corner of her lips. The Grand Princess was protected by Emperor Renzhao's dying words, and the Emperor, as Emperor Renzhao's grandson, could not deal with her at will.
The truth about the plague and the marriage alliance back then is unknown, firstly because there is no evidence, and secondly because decades have passed and four emperors have been replaced, so no one knows the details anymore.
The emperor's forceful handling of the matter violated filial piety and also implicated the deceased Emperor Renzhao in a situation of incompetence and poor judgment.
For the royal family, it is a disgrace to have their ancestors, who have been dead for many years, brought up and cursed by the world.
Ye Zhen guessed that the emperor would not expose what happened back then, at most he would deprive the Grand Princess of some rights, and would not punish her too much.
But they have already offended the Grand Princess, and once she recovers, she will surely launch a strong counterattack.
Ye Zhen did not want to give the enemy a chance to catch their breath.
Therefore, paralyzing the Grand Princess and letting her slowly suffer and wait for death is the best solution.
Today she has come to realize that the emperor also dislikes the Grand Princess.
Now that the person is paralyzed, as long as the emperor isn't stupid, he'll know to keep the person in the palace and control them.
As expected, the Empress rose and walked to the Grand Princess's side, speaking earnestly, "Grand Aunt, why have you tormented yourself like this for the sake of Fu Jiang and Kangle?"
Her words distanced herself from Xie Tingzhou, confirming that the old princess's stroke was due to her stubborn worry for Fu Jiang and Kang Le.
As for the old princess's words of scolding Fu Jiang, she misinterpreted them as, "Since you know he is a liar and not your grandson, you should let it go."
Every country has its laws, and His Majesty governs the country according to the law. You should not make things difficult for His Majesty any further.
Your Majesty is so worried about your current illness. As His Majesty's wife, I should share his burdens.
From now on, Your Majesty, please recuperate in my Phoenix Palace. Once you have recovered, I will have someone escort you back to the Princess's Residence.
You haven't lived in the palace for long in decades, so I'm afraid you're not used to it. I'll have someone go to the princess's residence and bring over your usual things."
The Grand Princess was so anxious that her eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
What does the Empress mean by this?
They want to imprison her in the palace? And then take the opportunity to search her princess residence?
Can't!
Absolutely not!
But she couldn't say anything; she could only stare blankly and reach out with difficulty to try and stop them.
The Empress held her hand with compassion. “I understand what you mean. Those servants in your household are taking advantage of your old age and doing all sorts of bad things behind your back. Don’t worry, I will help you clean up the Princess’s residence. You can rest assured and recuperate in the palace.”
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