Take the lead
Princess Jing nodded, puzzled. "Tell the prince that I understand."
Shen Yao frowned, wondering if she was being too suspicious, because she sensed something different in the servant's words.
So she turned to Princess Jing and said, “I am now a wife. Such a delicate variety as Zhao Fen is not suitable for me. Besides, there is only one pot in the courtyard. It would be a waste for someone like me who doesn’t know anything about flowers to fall into it.”
Princess Jing said, "Then let's give that pot of Luoyang Red to the princess. It's elegant and easy to care for. I heard that Consort Lan in the palace also loves this Luoyang Red the most, so I'm sure the prince consort will like it too."
Shen Yao: "Then let's do as the Princess wishes."
After saying that, the servant said, "In that case, I will arrange for someone to move flowers for the princess."
Shen Yao paused for a moment and said, "It's not too late to move it when we leave."
The servant paused for a moment in an odd manner, then said, "...I will follow the princess's arrangements."
After saying that, he cupped his hands in greeting and left.
Shen Yao gave that person a deep look, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. But perhaps it was because she was too sensitive to the two characters "Zhao" and "Chong". Once bitten, twice shy.
But Shen Yao would rather be overthinking things than have the slightest contact with Zhao Chong.
Having seen all the flowers, Princess Jing had nothing more to say to Shen Yao, so she led Shen Yao to the pavilion and brewed tea for her.
Princess Jing dared not speak disrespectfully. If it were any ordinary aunts or uncles, they would probably be discussing having children after marriage by now. Shen Yao did not want to put pressure on her, so she asked a perfunctory question, which indeed made Princess Jing's eyes light up, and she began to talk at length with Shen Yao about parenting.
But as she spoke, Princess Jing suddenly slumped down and said with a bitter smile, "I have not been able to give birth to a son for Prince Jing all these years. The family is not large. The rest of my life and the Prince's life will depend on Zan'er finding a good husband."
Shen Yao opened her mouth, naturally strongly opposing Princess Jing's words, but in the end she did not refute them, and continued to say in accordance with her words: "At that time, we must keep our eyes open. Zan'er has a gentle nature and will surely find a good home."
Just like she told Chengxin before, she didn't want to be a pioneer; she just wanted to go with the flow of the times and be the best version of herself. As a princess, the freedom she enjoyed in the prosperous dynasty was almost identical to that of her original world. She had the right to be restless, but that didn't mean others had the same resources and conditions as her.
Everyone can only slowly figure out their own path.
However, after hearing what she said, Princess Jing's smile became even more bitter. She didn't say anything, staring blankly at the scene before her, her eyes filled with malice.
"ah--!"
Suddenly, a woman's scream came from the east side of the mansion. Shen Yao was startled, and the Princess Consort of Jing in front of her suddenly stood up, looking at the maid beside her in a panic: "What's going on... I think that voice sounds like Zan'er."
The maid also looked flustered and at a loss.
Upon hearing this, Shen Yao hurriedly put down her teacup and turned to leave: "Then why don't you go and take a look?"
The group hurried toward the direction from which the sound came, and on the way they happened to run into the servant who insisted on delivering the flowers.
The servant, covered in dark red liquid and splattered with spots, scrambled over as if he had seen Prince Jing and Shen Zan as his saviors.
As he approached, Shen Yao smelled a strong metallic odor and immediately understood what the red substance on the man's body was.
"Princess!" Xia Guo exclaimed in surprise. Shen Yao's vision went black, and she almost lost her footing. Xia Guo helped her up and she managed to regain her balance.
Princess Jing couldn't care less about Shen Yao for a moment. She grabbed the servant and asked in a trembling voice, "What happened? You have so much blood on you, where did it come from?!"
The servant bowed and stole a glance at Shen Yao, saying, "General Lan's men killed Deputy Officer Zhao. We have come to invite the princess to seek justice for Deputy Officer Zhao."
Shen Yao composed herself and couldn't help but ask, "Why are General Lan's men involved with Lieutenant Zhao?"
The servant said indifferently, "You'll know when the princess gets there."
We finally arrived at Chen Zan's courtyard.
The strong smell of blood made Shen Yao feel nauseous. When they reached the courtyard gate, Shen Yao grabbed Xia Guo's hand in fear and swallowed hard.
Shen Zan's cries were deafening. Princess Jing had already stepped into the courtyard before her, and, holding her daughter, she too began to weep bitterly. The remaining three in the courtyard were Prince Jing, Lan Yunyi, and the kneeling A Yuan.
Shen Yao deliberately avoided looking at the crimson patch in the courtyard. She stared intently at Lan Yunyi's face, only to see that the other woman was all smiles.
Upon seeing Shen Yao, Prince Jing rushed over and shouted, "Princess, you must do me justice!"
Lan Yunyi remained silent, and Prince Jing continued shouting, "Lieutenant Zhao has always been law-abiding and disciplined, but this cruel and wicked villain killed my most trusted confidant right in front of my daughter!"
As soon as Prince Jing finished speaking, Chen Zan's cries from the side became even more heart-wrenching.
Shen Yao couldn't help but look over, only to find that the other person's resentful gaze was directed at A Yuan.
Ah Yuan said calmly, "When I passed by the princess's courtyard, I saw that the man intended to do something bad to the princess, so I took the initiative to strike first."
"Nonsense! You killed my trusted confidant and are now trying to ruin my daughter's reputation!" Prince Jing suddenly looked at Shen Yao, tears streaming down his face. "Princess, Zhao Chong has contributed a great deal to my palace over the years. He is like a son to me. You must do justice for me!"
“A-Yuan did it by accident,” Lan Yunyi explained from the side.
Different people have their own reasons, which reminded Shen Yao of the scene when she negotiated with the board of directors back then.
She knew that Zhao Chong was completely insignificant to Prince Jing. If Shen Yao hadn't liked him, Prince Jing would never have arranged for him to stay by the princess's side every day.
As for Lan Yunyi, he just happened to find a suitable excuse to remove this stain on Shen Yao's reputation, so why not?
To put it bluntly, Zhao Chong's death today is partly due to Shen Yao.
Thinking of this, Shen Yao felt inexplicably nauseous.
Even though she knew Zhao Chong was no good, Shen Yao never intended for him to lose his life so inexplicably.
While Prince Jing dared to make things difficult for the princess, he dared not make things difficult for Lan Yunyi. General Lan, who held a large army, was indeed fearless.
"You caused a ruckus at Lingshan Temple yesterday, and today you're doing whatever you want at Prince Jing's residence. I really can't control you." Shen Yao looked at Lan Yunyi and uttered a rebuke that was neither too harsh nor too mild.
Lan Yunyi smiled.
Shen Yao's heart was in turmoil. She knew that Lan Yunyi was also testing her, so no matter what opinions Shen Yao had at the moment, she had to stand on Lan Yunyi's side and speak up for her, otherwise she would be regarded as an enemy, and Shen Yao's fate would soon be the same as Zhao Chong's.
Prince Jing roared, "A life for a life!"
Upon hearing this, Lan Yunyi suddenly laughed again and said, "Prince Jing, since it's a matter of 'a life for a life,' then why should the princess make the decision? Haven't we already evened things out?"
Prince Jing suddenly fell silent, his face turning pale as if he had thought of something.
"What do you mean by that, General Lan..." Prince Jing stammered, "General Lan can't even control his men, is he trying to extort money from us?!"
In Shen Yao's value system, it is indeed true that one should pay with one's life, so she cannot analyze the deceased with such calmness as people like Lan Yunyi.
She didn't know what Prince Jing wanted to argue with Lan Yunyi about, but since both sides had ulterior motives, Shen Yao thought for a long time and finally decided to save her own life first.
Shen Yao said, "Human life is at stake, and I cannot make a decision on it. It would be better to report it to the authorities."
Prince Jing stared wide-eyed at Shen Yao: "If we report this to the authorities, Zan'er's reputation will be ruined!"
Lan Yunyi said, "It was A Yuan's timely rescue that preserved the little princess's innocence."
Prince Jing ignored Lan Yunyi's words, staring intently at Shen Yao, and said, "Does the princess really intend to abandon our blood ties and let the prince consort do as he pleases?"
Shen Yao said indifferently, "I am just a woman, and I am devoted to Buddhism. How can I possibly resolve these worldly disputes? If you insist on making the decision, I hope that Prince Jing will repay evil with kindness and let go of hatred. After all, when will the cycle of revenge end?"
"We must give an explanation to the deceased Deputy Commander Zhao!" Prince Jing roared.
Shen Yao: "Since Prince Jing is dissatisfied with the Xiliang Prefecture, why not leave this matter to my father, the Emperor, for a decision?"
Prince Jing shouted, "Then let it be handed over to Emperor Sheng. Since the princess is biased towards the consort, then Your Majesty, please seek justice for me!"
Shen Yao narrowed her eyes.
She didn't want to think too much about it, but Prince Jing's nonchalant attitude in this matter made her feel that the emperor might have secretly given him the task of monitoring Shen Yao.
Shen Yao would never allow him to spout nonsense in front of the emperor.
“Prince Jing can certainly submit a memorial to the emperor and make this matter known to everyone in the court,” Shen Yao said. “But Uncle, you should think carefully. Once things get out of hand, we won’t be able to control how the people in the capital spread rumors about this.”
Prince Jing was stunned, while Lan Yunyi, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but sneer.
When things really blow up, nobody cares about the truth. Everyone's focus will be solely on the fact that Prince Jing's only daughter was harassed by one of his adjutants. Whether A-Yuan intervened, whether she "timely" saved the princess, or whether she should have paid with her life—none of that matters.
Prince Jing's only daughter became the talk of the town in the capital, which instantly dashed the hopes of Prince Jing and his wife to marry their daughter into the capital.
Lan Yunyi continued, "If things really escalate, we'll have no choice but to have the princess marry A-Yuan to prove her innocence."
"No!" Princess Jing suddenly exclaimed, "Your Highness, my son's reputation is of utmost importance; Zhao Chong's death is not a pity!"
Prince Jing was finally dumbfounded, staring blankly at Shen Yao.
Despite the pervasive smell of blood and Shen Zan's sobs beside her, Shen Yao couldn't bring herself to laugh.
Even though Lan Yunyi's straightforward and ruthless approach helped her eliminate a major threat in one fell swoop, she didn't feel at ease.
"I'm tired." Shen Yao sighed and turned to leave with Xia Guo.
Even after leaving the Jingwang Mansion, the stench of blood still lingered. Shen Yao felt dizzy and her vision was blurred as if a layer of blood mist were obscuring everything.
As they were about to board the carriage, Shen Yao suddenly lost her balance and fell backward, landing in an embrace that carried a faint scent of pear blossoms. Before she could react, Lan Yunyi held her shoulders and helped her into the carriage.
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