Chapter 195: 195
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After returning to Duke of Yan’s mansion, Song Yixiao was broody until she went to bed.
In order not to disappoint her husband, when Jian Xubai took off her clothes, she put her arms around his neck obediently, but she was somewhat absent-minded while they were doing it.
Jian Xubai realized that so he specially sent words to Commandery Princess Qingjiang the next day.
Commandery Princess Qingjiang received her brother’s message for help and then went into the imperial palace to fish for information. It turned out that Madam Huang’s death did have something to do with Cui Jianlian!
“I can’t understand why she thought that way. How could she regard Yixiao as a huge threat which must be eradicated?!” Commandery Princess Qingjiang found it funny and annoying, saying to Ji Su, “However, the Crown Princess is always inclined to drag Yixiao to her side. Madam Huang failed to drive a wedge in between and yet, she realized that Cui Jianlian seemed to hold grudge against Yixiao. Hence, when she had a chance to access the Eastern Palace, she managed to collude with Cui Jianlian!”
Apart from that, “It was she who conveyed the messages for Cui Jianlian, the Liu Family and the Jin Family. She did a lot in order to conspire against Yixiao! It is beyond my understanding why she held such a deep grudge against Yixiao since they seldom met with each other. Even her daughter, Madam Lu never intends to doom Yixiao to death like her!”
Ji Su expressed gratitude for the Commandery Princess on behalf of Jian Xubai and then said worriedly, “That’s the least fact that Her Highness wants to know. After all, no matter what evildoings Madam Huang did, she was the birth mother of Madam Lu! Her Highness is really worried that something wrong happens to Madam Lu as a result!”
“Yixiao is really vengeful and grateful!” Commandery Princess Qingjiang said to herself, “I heard that when she just got married, she didn’t feel like being with Madam Lu. Just because of Madam Lu’s kind reminder, Yixiao can’t help feeling worried about her condition now!”
To be honest, Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn’t like Song Yixiao much now. After all, she was not Empress Dowager or Jinguo Grand Princess. The greatest suffering she had ever taken for her life was the early death of her husband and the stupidity illness of her only son.
These experiences were pitiful, but they were still different from the sadness and helplessness of being in the mortal danger.
Therefore, she believed that Song Yixiao tended towards too extreme and acted too recklessly. If it were not for the fact that Jian Xubai loved his wife, Commandery Princess Qingjiang would have suggested that he should get another woman who was truly gentle and virtuous as his new wife.
Now as Ji Su said that Song Yixiao was worried about Madam Lu, the Commandery Princess finally got a bit relieved, “It seems that she is not completely ruthless. Just as Grandma said, she must have suffered so much that she acted so decisively!”
She pondered for a while and said, “The news can’t be concealed. After all, since she becomes concerned about Madam Lu, she will be related to this stepmother in the future. However, after this incident, how can Madam Lu not hold grudge against her? Yixiao is so shrewd. Even if Madam Lu doesn’t want to say it clearly, how can she hide it from Yixiao?”
Ji Su said, “That’s the very issue that requires your suggestion!”
“I don’t have much to suggest. By far, the Song Family has no male descendants yet, so they must attach much importance to the baby that Madam Lu is carrying and spare no effort to comfort her,” Commandery Princess Qingjiang said, “Therefore, Xubai was right. At the moment, regardless of worry for her stepmother, Yixiao had better not disturb her. Otherwise, Madam Lu will be in trouble! And who Yixiao should be guilty about is Madam Lu but not the Lu Family. Since Madam Lu is married to Song Yuan, she has been a madam of the Song Family then!”
Therefore, “She may as well show kindness to the second eldest daughter of the Song Family and the to-be-born baby of Madam Lu by helping them with their prospect! After all, it was Madam Huang who asked for death herself. Yixiao shouldn’t take the blame!”
Her words were conveyed to Song Yixiao. She calmed down and agreed with the Commandery Princess, so she wouldn’t take it to heart. Instead, she just intended to send Madam Lu a big present after the baby was born.
Two days later, it was time for the court to be opened after the Spring Festival.
At the first court meeting after the officials started working, it was within everyone’s expectation that the Crown Prince was impeached!
The cause for impeaching the Crown Prince was his failure to manage the harem, “How dare only a side concubine conspire against a first-rank titled lady! She was merely a concubine. Without gaining special favor, how could she be bold enough to do that? Evidently, the Crown Prince is of immature disposition and shallow, who doesn’t select women based on virtue and behaviors but beauty! As the heir, how can he not be disappointing?!”
Moreover, “Side Concubine Cui, not of small family origin, was the legitimate daughter of an official family. One of her aunts is a noble consort and one of her aunts is a princess consort! How could she not know the significance of a first-rank titled lady? However, she still showed disregard for Lady of Yan? Even the Crown Princess won’t act like that. How can a side concubine be so bold even if she is favored? It must be because the Crown Prince is always overbearing and unbridled, who often treats the officials without proper respect, so the people close to him, deeply influenced by what they see and hear, regard the officials as slaves and animals. Of course they won’t show any respect for the officials’ womenfolk then. That’s why the Side Concubine acted so defiantly!”
“Even though the Crown Prince is the exalted heir, who can be regarded as the future lord of the world!”
“But the heir still hasn’t ascended the throne yet!”
“Your Majesty is still in office and always thinks highly of the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince is such a frivolous and arrogant man who fails to manage his womenfolk and treats officials with impropriety! He has failed to meet the expectation of Your Majesty and the people. Does he really honor the emperor and his father? Is he really concerned about the country?”
“How can such a person who shows no respect for the emperor and attaches no importance to the country ascend the throne in the future?”
“For the sake of the sustainable prosperity of the Great Rui, please reconsider!”
The moment Qiu Shuxia just finished talking, his peers all stepped forward and prostrated themselves, shouting together, “Please reconsider!”
In terms of abolishing the Crown Prince, Prince of Wei and Prince of Zhao were on the same page. Now led by Qiu Shuxia, a person that even Emperor Xianjia couldn’t do anything about, the supporting officials of them two all stepped forward, causing an imposing sensation.
It was the first time that the Crown Prince met such a plight. Frightened and angry, he stepped out to defend himself, “Father! I’m wronged…”
“Your Highness, you claim yourself to be wronged. Didn’t Side Concubine Cui conspire against Lady of Yan?!” Yet, the Crown Prince was interrupted by Qiu Shuxia with disdain, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, please answer clearly in the face of His Majesty and all the officials, yes or no?”
His aggressive attitude made the Crown Prince shocked. Did he have any specific proof?
Otherwise, why did he force the Crown Prince to answer the question?
Although Qiu Shuxia might be bluffing, the people of the Crown Prince still didn’t dare to let the Crown Prince take the risk of answering. Otherwise, once any consequence was caused, the heir’s reputation couldn’t be redeemed then!
Now Jian Xubai had to step out and denied, “This incident has come to an end the other day, which had nothing to do with my wife! Director Qiu, please mind your words and don’t involve innocent women in the dispute at court!”
“It is said that Duke of Yan and his wife love and respect each other. Now it turns out to be an exaggeration!” Qiu Shuxia sneered, “Vice Minister Liu, just tell His Highness the Crown Prince and Duke of Yan what you have done these days so that His Highness and all the other colleagues can learn about what the side concubine of the heir did!”
The people of the Crown Prince were all astounded!
Even Emperor Xianjia sitting on the throne frowned.
With a calm face, Liu Zhenxi took off his hat, stepped forward and prostrated himself, “Your Majesty, I’ve failed you. Please have me sentenced to death!”
Before Emperor Xianjia spoke, he continued talking, “I have a sister who was married to Song Yuan, father of Lady of Yan, and for the sake of adhering to the family tradition, she was drowned in the wicker for abusing Lady of Yan…”
He told bluntly how Madam Liu bullied Song Yixiao and instigated her mother-in-law to announce the death of Song Yixiao instead of rescuing her from abduction.
In the end, he said, “I was aware of my sister’s lack of virtue but considering our relationship, I vented the anger on Lady of Yan! In particular, after I learnt that Lady of Yan married into the purple, I was afraid that she could take revenge on my family in light of Duke of Yan’s power! Therefore, I tried my best to inquire about the enemies of Lady of Yan, and eventually got in touch with Side Concubine Cui of the Eastern Palace through Madam Huang, wife of Advisor to the Crown Prince…”
When he said that, the people of the Crown Prince all looked at Lu Yicheng in astonishment. Lu Yicheng looked poker-faced, with his hands holding the hand board tremblingly, which showed his fluster!
Then Liu Zhenxi continued his confession, “Afterwards, due to a past event that happened seven years ago, with Madam Jin, the second young mistress in Prince of Hengshan’s mansion as the go-between, I finally made contact with Director Jin’s son and formed an alliance to conspire against Lady of Yan!”
Now Prince of Hengshan and Jin Suke couldn’t stay calm anymore!
“This is a serious matter. If you don’t have irrefutable proof, I must charge you with framing an official up!” Now putting them aside, even Emperor Xianjia sitting on the seat of honor had to “remind” Liu Zhenxi to mind his words in case that he continued disclosing something more shocking!
Maybe Liu Zhenxi had recognized the threatening intention of Emperor Xianjia or just wanted to drag these several persons down. He gave a kowtow and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, regarding what I have mentioned, I have proof for that! I’ve kept all the letters with them! What I just said is absolutely true!”
Qiu Shuxia stroked his beard and disdainfully glanced at the fretful people of the Crown Prince, saying with joined hands in front of his chest to the emperor, “The heir is closely related to the prospect of the country, which is not a trivial matter! Please have it investigated thoroughly to reassure the people!”
His peers all seconded his proposal with an imposing momentum, which reflected the low spirits of the Crown Prince’s people for the moment. Emperor Xianjia looked stern and saw that the officials who demanded changing the heir still refused to make a concession and that the Crown Prince was flurried and obviously couldn’t refute effectively, so he had to take a deep breath and said in a cold voice, “Thorough investigation, permission granted!”
Before Qiu Shuxia and the others got to say anything else, Emperor Xianjia hastened to say, “However, given the identity of the heir, even if he has made a mistake, how can ordinary officials investigate his case? Prince of Yi is the Chief Rector of the Clan, so this matter will be handed over to him. I will have the imperial edict sent to his mansion later!”
Qiu Shuxia and his peers were happy to see Emperor Xianjia make the concession but when they heard the emperor’s final decision, they were instantly shocked and then hurriedly opposed, “Your Majesty, Prince of Yi is a sickly person who rarely joins court for the past two decades. I’m afraid that such a huge thing is too overwhelming for him. Please kindly find another one to undertake the task!”
Prince of Yi was the only one alive half-brother of Emperor Xianjia. The reason why he could survive was simply thanks to his birth mother. She was an upright and outspoken woman, which was rarely seen in the imperial palace. Back then she refused to defame Emperor Xianjia against her conscience so she was beaten to death in the Xifu Palace by Noble Consort Shentu!
Thus, Prince of Yi sought refuge with Noble Consort Shentu for his own life, regardless of the hatred for her mother’s death, but Emperor Xianjia still showed mercy for him after ascending the throne. Moreover, Emperor Xianjia not only spared his life but also granted him the title of prince along with the post of Chief Rector of the Clan.
However, Prince of Yi was freaked out by the death of his other siblings, so he never dared to show up in front of Emperor Xianjia again. He pleaded illness since the first year of Emperor Xianjia’s reign, declined all the requests of festive visits from the juniors and hid in his mansion all the time, let alone joining the court for official business!
In this case, he was anecdotally nicknamed as Quail Prince in public.
Such a person could never dare to investigate the case of the Crown Prince raised by Emperor Xianjia!
Even if he had to investigate as per the imperial edict of Emperor Xianjia, he must do it as Emperor Xianjia wished. Given that the emperor obviously showed partiality for the Crown Prince, Prince of Yi was never asked to investigate about whether the Crown Prince was qualified to ascend the throne.
Instead, he should investigate whether Liu Zhenxi deceived the emperor!
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After returning to Duke of Yan’s mansion, Song Yixiao was broody until she went to bed.
In order not to disappoint her husband, when Jian Xubai took off her clothes, she put her arms around his neck obediently, but she was somewhat absent-minded while they were doing it.
Jian Xubai realized that so he specially sent words to Commandery Princess Qingjiang the next day.
Commandery Princess Qingjiang received her brother’s message for help and then went into the imperial palace to fish for information. It turned out that Madam Huang’s death did have something to do with Cui Jianlian!
“I can’t understand why she thought that way. How could she regard Yixiao as a huge threat which must be eradicated?!” Commandery Princess Qingjiang found it funny and annoying, saying to Ji Su, “However, the Crown Princess is always inclined to drag Yixiao to her side. Madam Huang failed to drive a wedge in between and yet, she realized that Cui Jianlian seemed to hold grudge against Yixiao. Hence, when she had a chance to access the Eastern Palace, she managed to collude with Cui Jianlian!”
Apart from that, “It was she who conveyed the messages for Cui Jianlian, the Liu Family and the Jin Family. She did a lot in order to conspire against Yixiao! It is beyond my understanding why she held such a deep grudge against Yixiao since they seldom met with each other. Even her daughter, Madam Lu never intends to doom Yixiao to death like her!”
Ji Su expressed gratitude for the Commandery Princess on behalf of Jian Xubai and then said worriedly, “That’s the least fact that Her Highness wants to know. After all, no matter what evildoings Madam Huang did, she was the birth mother of Madam Lu! Her Highness is really worried that something wrong happens to Madam Lu as a result!”
“Yixiao is really vengeful and grateful!” Commandery Princess Qingjiang said to herself, “I heard that when she just got married, she didn’t feel like being with Madam Lu. Just because of Madam Lu’s kind reminder, Yixiao can’t help feeling worried about her condition now!”
To be honest, Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn’t like Song Yixiao much now. After all, she was not Empress Dowager or Jinguo Grand Princess. The greatest suffering she had ever taken for her life was the early death of her husband and the stupidity illness of her only son.
These experiences were pitiful, but they were still different from the sadness and helplessness of being in the mortal danger.
Therefore, she believed that Song Yixiao tended towards too extreme and acted too recklessly. If it were not for the fact that Jian Xubai loved his wife, Commandery Princess Qingjiang would have suggested that he should get another woman who was truly gentle and virtuous as his new wife.
Now as Ji Su said that Song Yixiao was worried about Madam Lu, the Commandery Princess finally got a bit relieved, “It seems that she is not completely ruthless. Just as Grandma said, she must have suffered so much that she acted so decisively!”
She pondered for a while and said, “The news can’t be concealed. After all, since she becomes concerned about Madam Lu, she will be related to this stepmother in the future. However, after this incident, how can Madam Lu not hold grudge against her? Yixiao is so shrewd. Even if Madam Lu doesn’t want to say it clearly, how can she hide it from Yixiao?”
Ji Su said, “That’s the very issue that requires your suggestion!”
“I don’t have much to suggest. By far, the Song Family has no male descendants yet, so they must attach much importance to the baby that Madam Lu is carrying and spare no effort to comfort her,” Commandery Princess Qingjiang said, “Therefore, Xubai was right. At the moment, regardless of worry for her stepmother, Yixiao had better not disturb her. Otherwise, Madam Lu will be in trouble! And who Yixiao should be guilty about is Madam Lu but not the Lu Family. Since Madam Lu is married to Song Yuan, she has been a madam of the Song Family then!”
Therefore, “She may as well show kindness to the second eldest daughter of the Song Family and the to-be-born baby of Madam Lu by helping them with their prospect! After all, it was Madam Huang who asked for death herself. Yixiao shouldn’t take the blame!”
Her words were conveyed to Song Yixiao. She calmed down and agreed with the Commandery Princess, so she wouldn’t take it to heart. Instead, she just intended to send Madam Lu a big present after the baby was born.
Two days later, it was time for the court to be opened after the Spring Festival.
At the first court meeting after the officials started working, it was within everyone’s expectation that the Crown Prince was impeached!
The cause for impeaching the Crown Prince was his failure to manage the harem, “How dare only a side concubine conspire against a first-rank titled lady! She was merely a concubine. Without gaining special favor, how could she be bold enough to do that? Evidently, the Crown Prince is of immature disposition and shallow, who doesn’t select women based on virtue and behaviors but beauty! As the heir, how can he not be disappointing?!”
Moreover, “Side Concubine Cui, not of small family origin, was the legitimate daughter of an official family. One of her aunts is a noble consort and one of her aunts is a princess consort! How could she not know the significance of a first-rank titled lady? However, she still showed disregard for Lady of Yan? Even the Crown Princess won’t act like that. How can a side concubine be so bold even if she is favored? It must be because the Crown Prince is always overbearing and unbridled, who often treats the officials without proper respect, so the people close to him, deeply influenced by what they see and hear, regard the officials as slaves and animals. Of course they won’t show any respect for the officials’ womenfolk then. That’s why the Side Concubine acted so defiantly!”
“Even though the Crown Prince is the exalted heir, who can be regarded as the future lord of the world!”
“But the heir still hasn’t ascended the throne yet!”
“Your Majesty is still in office and always thinks highly of the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince is such a frivolous and arrogant man who fails to manage his womenfolk and treats officials with impropriety! He has failed to meet the expectation of Your Majesty and the people. Does he really honor the emperor and his father? Is he really concerned about the country?”
“How can such a person who shows no respect for the emperor and attaches no importance to the country ascend the throne in the future?”
“For the sake of the sustainable prosperity of the Great Rui, please reconsider!”
The moment Qiu Shuxia just finished talking, his peers all stepped forward and prostrated themselves, shouting together, “Please reconsider!”
In terms of abolishing the Crown Prince, Prince of Wei and Prince of Zhao were on the same page. Now led by Qiu Shuxia, a person that even Emperor Xianjia couldn’t do anything about, the supporting officials of them two all stepped forward, causing an imposing sensation.
It was the first time that the Crown Prince met such a plight. Frightened and angry, he stepped out to defend himself, “Father! I’m wronged…”
“Your Highness, you claim yourself to be wronged. Didn’t Side Concubine Cui conspire against Lady of Yan?!” Yet, the Crown Prince was interrupted by Qiu Shuxia with disdain, “Your Highness the Crown Prince, please answer clearly in the face of His Majesty and all the officials, yes or no?”
His aggressive attitude made the Crown Prince shocked. Did he have any specific proof?
Otherwise, why did he force the Crown Prince to answer the question?
Although Qiu Shuxia might be bluffing, the people of the Crown Prince still didn’t dare to let the Crown Prince take the risk of answering. Otherwise, once any consequence was caused, the heir’s reputation couldn’t be redeemed then!
Now Jian Xubai had to step out and denied, “This incident has come to an end the other day, which had nothing to do with my wife! Director Qiu, please mind your words and don’t involve innocent women in the dispute at court!”
“It is said that Duke of Yan and his wife love and respect each other. Now it turns out to be an exaggeration!” Qiu Shuxia sneered, “Vice Minister Liu, just tell His Highness the Crown Prince and Duke of Yan what you have done these days so that His Highness and all the other colleagues can learn about what the side concubine of the heir did!”
The people of the Crown Prince were all astounded!
Even Emperor Xianjia sitting on the throne frowned.
With a calm face, Liu Zhenxi took off his hat, stepped forward and prostrated himself, “Your Majesty, I’ve failed you. Please have me sentenced to death!”
Before Emperor Xianjia spoke, he continued talking, “I have a sister who was married to Song Yuan, father of Lady of Yan, and for the sake of adhering to the family tradition, she was drowned in the wicker for abusing Lady of Yan…”
He told bluntly how Madam Liu bullied Song Yixiao and instigated her mother-in-law to announce the death of Song Yixiao instead of rescuing her from abduction.
In the end, he said, “I was aware of my sister’s lack of virtue but considering our relationship, I vented the anger on Lady of Yan! In particular, after I learnt that Lady of Yan married into the purple, I was afraid that she could take revenge on my family in light of Duke of Yan’s power! Therefore, I tried my best to inquire about the enemies of Lady of Yan, and eventually got in touch with Side Concubine Cui of the Eastern Palace through Madam Huang, wife of Advisor to the Crown Prince…”
When he said that, the people of the Crown Prince all looked at Lu Yicheng in astonishment. Lu Yicheng looked poker-faced, with his hands holding the hand board tremblingly, which showed his fluster!
Then Liu Zhenxi continued his confession, “Afterwards, due to a past event that happened seven years ago, with Madam Jin, the second young mistress in Prince of Hengshan’s mansion as the go-between, I finally made contact with Director Jin’s son and formed an alliance to conspire against Lady of Yan!”
Now Prince of Hengshan and Jin Suke couldn’t stay calm anymore!
“This is a serious matter. If you don’t have irrefutable proof, I must charge you with framing an official up!” Now putting them aside, even Emperor Xianjia sitting on the seat of honor had to “remind” Liu Zhenxi to mind his words in case that he continued disclosing something more shocking!
Maybe Liu Zhenxi had recognized the threatening intention of Emperor Xianjia or just wanted to drag these several persons down. He gave a kowtow and said respectfully, “Your Majesty, regarding what I have mentioned, I have proof for that! I’ve kept all the letters with them! What I just said is absolutely true!”
Qiu Shuxia stroked his beard and disdainfully glanced at the fretful people of the Crown Prince, saying with joined hands in front of his chest to the emperor, “The heir is closely related to the prospect of the country, which is not a trivial matter! Please have it investigated thoroughly to reassure the people!”
His peers all seconded his proposal with an imposing momentum, which reflected the low spirits of the Crown Prince’s people for the moment. Emperor Xianjia looked stern and saw that the officials who demanded changing the heir still refused to make a concession and that the Crown Prince was flurried and obviously couldn’t refute effectively, so he had to take a deep breath and said in a cold voice, “Thorough investigation, permission granted!”
Before Qiu Shuxia and the others got to say anything else, Emperor Xianjia hastened to say, “However, given the identity of the heir, even if he has made a mistake, how can ordinary officials investigate his case? Prince of Yi is the Chief Rector of the Clan, so this matter will be handed over to him. I will have the imperial edict sent to his mansion later!”
Qiu Shuxia and his peers were happy to see Emperor Xianjia make the concession but when they heard the emperor’s final decision, they were instantly shocked and then hurriedly opposed, “Your Majesty, Prince of Yi is a sickly person who rarely joins court for the past two decades. I’m afraid that such a huge thing is too overwhelming for him. Please kindly find another one to undertake the task!”
Prince of Yi was the only one alive half-brother of Emperor Xianjia. The reason why he could survive was simply thanks to his birth mother. She was an upright and outspoken woman, which was rarely seen in the imperial palace. Back then she refused to defame Emperor Xianjia against her conscience so she was beaten to death in the Xifu Palace by Noble Consort Shentu!
Thus, Prince of Yi sought refuge with Noble Consort Shentu for his own life, regardless of the hatred for her mother’s death, but Emperor Xianjia still showed mercy for him after ascending the throne. Moreover, Emperor Xianjia not only spared his life but also granted him the title of prince along with the post of Chief Rector of the Clan.
However, Prince of Yi was freaked out by the death of his other siblings, so he never dared to show up in front of Emperor Xianjia again. He pleaded illness since the first year of Emperor Xianjia’s reign, declined all the requests of festive visits from the juniors and hid in his mansion all the time, let alone joining the court for official business!
In this case, he was anecdotally nicknamed as Quail Prince in public.
Such a person could never dare to investigate the case of the Crown Prince raised by Emperor Xianjia!
Even if he had to investigate as per the imperial edict of Emperor Xianjia, he must do it as Emperor Xianjia wished. Given that the emperor obviously showed partiality for the Crown Prince, Prince of Yi was never asked to investigate about whether the Crown Prince was qualified to ascend the throne.
Instead, he should investigate whether Liu Zhenxi deceived the emperor!
After returning to Duke of Yan's mansion, Song Yixiao was broody until she went to bed.In order not to disappoint her husband, when Jian Xubai took off her clothes, she put her arms around his neck obediently, but she was somewhat absent-minded while they were doing it.Jian Xubai realized that so he specially sent words to Commandery Princess Qingjiang the next day.Commandery Princess Qingjiang received her brother's message for help and then went into the imperial palace to fish for information. It turned out that Madam Huang's death did have something to do with Cui Jianlian!I can't understand why she thought that way. How could she regard Yixiao as a huge threat which must be eradicated?! Commandery Princess Qingjiang found it funny and annoying, saying to Ji Su, However, the Crown Princess is always inclined to drag Yixiao to her side. Madam Huang failed to drive a wedge in between and yet, she realized that Cui Jianlian seemed to hold grudge against Yixiao. Hence, when she had a chance to access the Eastern Palace, she managed to collude with Cui Jianlian!Apart from that, It was she who conveyed the messages for Cui Jianlian, the Liu Family and the Jin Family. She did a lot in order to conspire against Yixiao! It is beyond my understanding why she held such a deep grudge against Yixiao since they seldom met with each other. Even her daughter, Madam Lu never intends to doom Yixiao to death like her!Ji Su expressed gratitude for the Commandery Princess on behalf of Jian Xubai and then said worriedly, That's the least fact that Her Highness wants to know. After all, no matter what evildoings Madam Huang did, she was the birth mother of Madam Lu! Her Highness is really worried that something wrong happens to Madam Lu as a result!Yixiao is really vengeful and grateful! Commandery Princess Qingjiang said to herself, I heard that when she just got married, she didn't feel like being with Madam Lu. Just because of Madam Lu's kind reminder, Yixiao can't help feeling worried about her condition now!To be honest, Commandery Princess Qingjiang didn't like Song Yixiao much now. After all, she was not Empress Dowager or Jinguo Grand Princess. The greatest suffering she had ever taken for her life was the early death of her husband and the stupidity illness of her only son.These experiences were pitiful, but they were still different from the sadness and helplessness of being in the mortal danger.Therefore, she believed that Song Yixiao tended towards too extreme and acted too recklessly. If it were not for the fact that Jian Xubai loved his wife, Commandery Princess Qingjiang would have suggested that he should get another woman who was truly gentle and virtuous as his new wife.Now as Ji Su said that Song Yixiao was worried about Madam Lu, the Commandery Princess finally got a bit relieved, It seems that she is not completely ruthless. Just as Grandma said, she must have suffered so much that she acted so decisively!She pondered for a while and said, The news can't be concealed. After all, since she becomes concerned about Madam Lu, she will be related to this stepmother in the future. However, after this incident, how can Madam Lu not hold grudge against her? Yixiao is so shrewd. Even if Madam Lu doesn't want to say it clearly, how can she hide it from Yixiao?Ji Su said, That's the very issue that requires your suggestion!I don't have much to suggest. By far, the Song Family has no male descendants yet, so they must attach much importance to the baby that Madam Lu is carrying and spare no effort to comfort her, Commandery Princess Qingjiang said, Therefore, Xubai was right. At the moment, regardless of worry for her stepmother, Yixiao had better not disturb her. Otherwise, Madam Lu will be in trouble! And who Yixiao should be guilty about is Madam Lu but not the Lu Family. Since Madam Lu is married to Song Yuan, she has been a madam of the Song Family then!Therefore, She may as well show kindness to the second eldest daughter of the Song Family and the to-be-born baby of Madam Lu by helping them with their prospect! After all, it was Madam Huang who asked for death herself. Yixiao shouldn't take the blame!Her words were conveyed to Song Yixiao. She calmed down and agreed with the Commandery Princess, so she wouldn't take it to heart. Instead, she just intended to send Madam Lu a big present after the baby was born.Two days later, it was time for the court to be opened after the Spring Festival.At the first court meeting after the officials started working, it was within everyone's expectation that the Crown Prince was impeached!The cause for impeaching the Crown Prince was his failure to manage the harem, How dare only a side concubine conspire against a first-rank titled lady! She was merely a concubine. Without gaining special favor, how could she be bold enough to do that? Evidently, the Crown Prince is of immature disposition and shallow, who doesn't select women based on virtue and behaviors but beauty! As the heir, how can he not be disappointing?!Moreover, Side Concubine Cui, not of small family origin, was the legitimate daughter of an official family. One of her aunts is a noble consort and one of her aunts is a princess consort! How could she not know the significance of a first-rank titled lady? However, she still showed disregard for Lady of Yan? Even the Crown Princess won't act like that. How can a side concubine be so bold even if she is favored? It must be because the Crown Prince is always overbearing and unbridled, who often treats the officials without proper respect, so the people close to him, deeply influenced by what they see and hear, regard the officials as slaves and animals. Of course they won't show any respect for the officials' womenfolk then. That's why the Side Concubine acted so defiantly!Even though the Crown Prince is the exalted heir, who can be regarded as the future lord of the world!But the heir still hasn't ascended the throne yet!Your Majesty is still in office and always thinks highly of the Crown Prince, but the Crown Prince is such a frivolous and arrogant man who fails to manage his womenfolk and treats officials with impropriety! He has failed to meet the expectation of Your Majesty and the people. Does he really honor the emperor and his father? Is he really concerned about the country?How can such a person who shows no respect for the emperor and attaches no importance to the country ascend the throne in the future?For the sake of the sustainable prosperity of the Great Rui, please reconsider!The moment Qiu Shuxia just finished talking, his peers all stepped forward and prostrated themselves, shouting together, Please reconsider!In terms of abolishing the Crown Prince, Prince of Wei and Prince of Zhao were on the same page. Now led by Qiu Shuxia, a person that even Emperor Xianjia couldn't do anything about, the supporting officials of them two all stepped forward, causing an imposing sensation.It was the first time that the Crown Prince met such a plight. Frightened and angry, he stepped out to defend himself, Father! I'm wrongedYour Highness, you claim yourself to be wronged. Didn't Side Concubine Cui conspire against Lady of Yan?! Yet, the Crown Prince was interrupted by Qiu Shuxia with disdain, Your Highness the Crown Prince, please answer clearly in the face of His Majesty and all the officials, yes or no?His aggressive attitude made the Crown Prince shocked. Did he have any specific proof?Otherwise, why did he force the Crown Prince to answer the question?Although Qiu Shuxia might be bluffing, the people of the Crown Prince still didn't dare to let the Crown Prince take the risk of answering. Otherwise, once any consequence was caused, the heir's reputation couldn't be redeemed then!Now Jian Xubai had to step out and denied, This incident has come to an end the other day, which had nothing to do with my wife! Director Qiu, please mind your words and don't involve innocent women in the dispute at court!It is said that Duke of Yan and his wife love and respect each other. Now it turns out to be an exaggeration! Qiu Shuxia sneered, Vice Minister Liu, just tell His Highness the Crown Prince and Duke of Yan what you have done these days so that His Highness and all the other colleagues can learn about what the side concubine of the heir did!The people of the Crown Prince were all astounded!Even Emperor Xianjia sitting on the throne frowned.With a calm face, Liu Zhenxi took off his hat, stepped forward and prostrated himself, Your Majesty, I've failed you. Please have me sentenced to death!Before Emperor Xianjia spoke, he continued talking, I have a sister who was married to Song Yuan, father of Lady of Yan, and for the sake of adhering to the family tradition, she was drowned in the wicker for abusing Lady of YanHe told bluntly how Madam Liu bullied Song Yixiao and instigated her mother-in-law to announce the death of Song Yixiao instead of rescuing her from abduction.In the end, he said, I was aware of my sister's lack of virtue but considering our relationship, I vented the anger on Lady of Yan! In particular, after I learnt that Lady of Yan married into the purple, I was afraid that she could take revenge on my family in light of Duke of Yan's power! Therefore, I tried my best to inquire about the enemies of Lady of Yan, and eventually got in touch with Side Concubine Cui of the Eastern Palace through Madam Huang, wife of Advisor to the Crown PrinceWhen he said that, the people of the Crown Prince all looked at Lu Yicheng in astonishment. Lu Yicheng looked poker-faced, with his hands holding the hand board tremblingly, which showed his fluster!Then Liu Zhenxi continued his confession, Afterwards, due to a past event that happened seven years ago, with Madam Jin, the second young mistress in Prince of Hengshan's mansion as the go-between, I finally made contact with Director Jin's son and formed an alliance to conspire against Lady of Yan!Now Prince of Hengshan and Jin Suke couldn't stay calm anymore!This is a serious matter. If you don't have irrefutable proof, I must charge you with framing an official up! Now putting them aside, even Emperor Xianjia sitting on the seat of honor had to remind Liu Zhenxi to mind his words in case that he continued disclosing something more shocking!Maybe Liu Zhenxi had recognized the threatening intention of Emperor Xianjia or just wanted to drag these several persons down. He gave a kowtow and said respectfully, Your Majesty, regarding what I have mentioned, I have proof for that! I've kept all the letters with them! What I just said is absolutely true!Qiu Shuxia stroked his beard and disdainfully glanced at the fretful people of the Crown Prince, saying with joined hands in front of his chest to the emperor, The heir is closely related to the prospect of the country, which is not a trivial matter! Please have it investigated thoroughly to reassure the people!His peers all seconded his proposal with an imposing momentum, which reflected the low spirits of the Crown Prince's people for the moment. Emperor Xianjia looked stern and saw that the officials who demanded changing the heir still refused to make a concession and that the Crown Prince was flurried and obviously couldn't refute effectively, so he had to take a deep breath and said in a cold voice, Thorough investigation, permission granted!Before Qiu Shuxia and the others got to say anything else, Emperor Xianjia hastened to say, However, given the identity of the heir, even if he has made a mistake, how can ordinary officials investigate his case? Prince of Yi is the Chief Rector of the Clan, so this matter will be handed over to him. I will have the imperial edict sent to his mansion later!Qiu Shuxia and his peers were happy to see Emperor Xianjia make the concession but when they heard the emperor's final decision, they were instantly shocked and then hurriedly opposed, Your Majesty, Prince of Yi is a sickly person who rarely joins court for the past two decades. I'm afraid that such a huge thing is too overwhelming for him. Please kindly find another one to undertake the task!Prince of Yi was the only one alive half-brother of Emperor Xianjia. The reason why he could survive was simply thanks to his birth mother. She was an upright and outspoken woman, which was rarely seen in the imperial palace. Back then she refused to defame Emperor Xianjia against her conscience so she was beaten to death in the Xifu Palace by Noble Consort Shentu!Thus, Prince of Yi sought refuge with Noble Consort Shentu for his own life, regardless of the hatred for her mother's death, but Emperor Xianjia still showed mercy for him after ascending the throne. Moreover, Emperor Xianjia not only spared his life but also granted him the title of prince along with the post of Chief Rector of the Clan.However, Prince of Yi was freaked out by the death of his other siblings, so he never dared to show up in front of Emperor Xianjia again. He pleaded illness since the first year of Emperor Xianjia's reign, declined all the requests of festive visits from the juniors and hid in his mansion all the time, let alone joining the court for official business!In this case, he was anecdotally nicknamed as Quail Prince in public.Such a person could never dare to investigate the case of the Crown Prince raised by Emperor Xianjia!Even if he had to investigate as per the imperial edict of Emperor Xianjia, he must do it as Emperor Xianjia wished. Given that the emperor obviously showed partiality for the Crown Prince, Prince of Yi was never asked to investigate about whether the Crown Prince was qualified to ascend the throne.Instead, he should investigate whether Liu Zhenxi deceived the emperor!
