bookrandom Chapter 185 Empress Chen takes action, only to be slapped in the face.
Chapter 185 Empress Chen takes action, only to be slapped in the face.
Duke Cheng'en's expression softened slightly. "Your uncle is indeed ill and shouldn't see anyone, or else his illness will spread. So, don't go see him for now. He'll see you when he recovers."
Xie Jia was horrified. "How could my uncle be so seriously ill? He can't even see anyone? Could he have contracted an epidemic?"
"Jia'er! Stop talking nonsense!" Xie Yi immediately scolded, "How dare you talk nonsense in front of Grandfather? Uncle is just unwell and can't see anyone. What does this have to do with the epidemic? Why don't you apologize to Grandfather now!"
Xie Jia was so frightened that her heart jumped. She quickly looked towards Cheng En Gong. Seeing that his face was extremely ugly, she became frightened belatedly. She knelt down and apologized quickly, not daring to talk nonsense anymore.
Xie Xin was also frightened and silent, and kept his mouth shut.
Duke Cheng'en then said calmly, "You are all grown up now, no longer children. You should be careful with your words and actions and know what to say and what not to say."
His words were light, but they were like a heavy hammer, hitting the hearts of the three people hard, making them even more afraid to act presumptuously.
Lord Cheng En waved his hand and said, "Don't be nervous. Just remember it and go see your grandmother."
The three of them bowed obediently, then retreated and were led to meet the wife of Duke Cheng'en.
After they left, Duke Cheng'en went directly to see Chen Shou.
Ever since Chen Shou fell ill, he had been feeling very bad. Now that Chen Fang had caused such trouble, how could he feel good?
Chen Shou had already heard about the arrival of Xie Yi and the other two. He was lying on the bed. When he saw Duke Cheng'en, he immediately asked, "What did they say to my father?"
Duke Cheng'en had a gloomy expression on his face. He sat down beside the bed first and then briefly explained the complaint made by the three people.
Upon hearing this, Chen Shou sneered disdainfully, "She has caused so much trouble for the family, and now she has the nerve to ask her children to come and seek refuge with her."
Lord Cheng En sighed, "Lu Xuan took away the servants who served her and arranged for people to keep an eye on the Xie Mansion. It's obvious that he doesn't want to let this go.
If we ignore her and let the ugly things she did spread out, it would be detrimental to the Chen family's reputation.
So I think I still need your help and ask His Majesty for mercy."
"That's not right! The palace is investigating too strictly right now. We can't pass on any information to Her Majesty, let alone go to Her Majesty."
Chen Shou suggested, "Father should just ask His Majesty to show some mercy and let Chen Fang die of illness. As long as His Majesty doesn't want to touch the Chen family, he will definitely agree."
Otherwise, if the case of Luo's death was openly investigated, Her Majesty would lose face. The Luo family was just a merchant family, and they had been dead for many years, so Your Majesty would not care.
If Chen Fang hadn't used the poisonous insect, giving Xie Xiu the evidence, His Majesty wouldn't have asked Lu Xuan to investigate."
Duke Cheng'en thought of Xie Xiu falling into the water in the Imperial College, and took the opportunity to bring out the truth about Luo's tragic death. His face instantly became extremely gloomy.
"This is a bit strange. If Xie Xiu hadn't opened the box, how would he have known there was a Gu worm hidden inside?"
He said, and looked at Chen Shou again, "And your illness, the onset is really strange. That day, Sun Kang also..."
"Father!" Chen Shou didn't want to talk about Sun Kang anymore and interrupted him directly. "This matter is indeed strange, so I suspect that I have been bewitched."
Duke Cheng En looked at him in disbelief: "How is this possible? Madam Die has examined you and there are no poisonous insects in your body..."
Chen Shou smiled meaningfully: "Father, you've got it wrong. What I meant is that after you enter the palace, you can tell His Majesty that I've been poisoned.
After all, Chen Fang is also a member of the Chen family, and so is Xu Maochun. If Your Majesty wants to investigate, it is impossible for him not to find out Xu Maochun's true background.
"With the two of them causing problems one after another, Your Majesty will inevitably become suspicious of the Chen family. But if I were to be poisoned, I could dispel Your Majesty's suspicions."
Duke Cheng'en looked at him in surprise. After a moment, he suddenly asked, "Are you deliberately letting your wives and concubines mess around in order to dispel His Majesty's suspicions?"
Chen Shou's expression suddenly became stiff.
He clenched his fists involuntarily, but continued, "Father, please come to the palace as soon as possible. This matter should be dealt with sooner rather than later."
Seeing that he was unwilling to say more, Duke Cheng'en had no choice but to agree.
He quickly entered the palace and knelt down in front of Emperor Taihe to plead guilty. He tearfully begged Emperor Taihe to let Chen Fang die of illness to save the reputation of the Cheng'en Mansion.
Emperor Taihe frowned, his voice expressing neither joy nor anger. "She is your daughter after all. Do you really want her to die of illness?"
Duke Cheng'en's mind raced as he continuously analyzed the true intentions of Emperor Taihe, but he said, "If she hadn't made such a big mistake, this old minister would naturally hope that she could live well!
But Luo Shi died so tragically, and Xie Xiu also met with misfortune. How could an old minister protect his daughter? She made a mistake. Although she didn't kill Bo Ren, Bo Ren died because of her. Naturally, she should die to atone for her sin! Give the world an explanation!
Emperor Taihe said calmly, "There are still some doubts about this matter. You should go back first. After a thorough investigation, I will give the Chen family a decent reward."
Duke Cheng'en quickly thanked him and then said, "Your Majesty, I suspect my son has been poisoned by someone, which is why he has been bedridden for so many days without any improvement."
Emperor Taihe's expression changed drastically: "Is there such a strange insect in the world?"
In fact, he had suspected it a long time ago, but Chen Fang suddenly cast a curse on Xie Xiu, which made him give up this guess.
Could it be that Chen Shou was really poisoned?
Were Sun Kang and his wives and concubines all affected by the poisonous insect, which is why they forced themselves on him?
But if the Chen family was related to the poisonous insect, how could Chen Shou be poisoned?
Is it a self-torture tactic or a conspiracy?
Could it be that Xu Maochun was behind all these poisonous insects? Was he holding a grudge against the Chen family for not being recognized, and had deliberately poisoned Chen Shou?
Emperor Taihe suppressed his suspicions and comforted Duke Cheng'en, asking him to find the imperial physician to check whether there was any poisonous insect in Chen Shou's body.
After Duke Cheng'en left, he immediately ordered people to interrogate Xu Maochun about the poisonous insect.
Then he read the memorials while waiting to see if Empress Chen would come back.
As a result, they waited until dark, but Empress Chen still didn't come. She probably didn't know the news outside.
Emperor Taihe smiled with satisfaction and specially ordered people to go to Fengyi Palace.
In Fengyi Palace, Empress Chen was playing the zither silently, while smoke curled up from the incense burner beside her, emitting a refreshing and pleasant fragrance.
The female official walked in quickly and whispered, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has arrived."
Empress Chen raised her lips in satisfaction: She knew that Emperor Taihe would come. After so many years in the palace, she had already figured out the thoughts of Emperor Taihe and Jiang Lin.
As soon as Emperor Taihe's dragon sedan arrived at the gate of Fengyi Palace, he heard the melodious sound of a piano coming from inside.
He felt complicated.
Chen Huan did nothing wrong, yet he gave all his favor to Concubine Jiang. Chen Huan had the title of Queen, but no children and no favor. Not only did she give up the power to manage the harem, but she also had to behave virtuously and generously at all times.
Isn't this cruel to her?
Emperor Taihe was grateful to Chen Huan for saving him, and felt guilty when he thought that she had completely lost her ability to conceive because she blocked the knife for him.
Therefore, he specially conferred the title of First-Class Cheng'en Duke on Chen Huan's father, and granted Chen Shou the title of Crown Prince, and tried his best to maintain Chen Huan's face over the years.
But this time, what Chen Fang and Xu Maochun did was really too much.
Especially Xu Maochun!
He has been in the Black Kylin Guard for many years. How many evil things has he done?
These must be thoroughly investigated!
Emperor Taihe sighed, not wanting to interrupt the music of the piano inside, so he deliberately stopped the eunuch from passing on the message, got off the dragon chariot and walked straight in.
The palace maids in Fengyi Palace wanted to speak, but were interrupted by Emperor Taihe, so they could only kneel down and salute silently.
As Emperor Taihe walked into the main hall, he saw Empress Chen playing the piano with her back to him.
He subconsciously lightened his footsteps and walked in quietly.
Queen Chen curled her lips and continued playing the piano as if she hadn't noticed anything.
It was not until the song was finished and she stopped to rest that she suddenly heard applause behind her. She seemed to be frightened and hurriedly stood up to see.
As a result, she turned around in such a hurry that she knocked over the stool behind her, causing her to fall.
"what--"
Empress Chen screamed in fear, and her frail body tilted instantly.
Fortunately, Emperor Taihe took action in time. He first grabbed her outstretched arm, then put his arm around her waist and pulled her into his arms.
Empress Chen leaned in Emperor Taihe's arms, and was able to stand firmly because he held her waist tightly.
She raised her head in surprise and looked at Emperor Taihe in a panic: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty... Why are you here?"
While asking awkwardly, she struggled to get out of Emperor Taihe's arms.
Emperor Taihe sensed her struggle and immediately felt a little dissatisfied. He subconsciously hugged her tighter, staring at her intently: "What is Zitong doing? Are you unwilling to be close to me?"
Empress Chen blushed and said quickly, "I dare not! I just... I'm not used to it..."
After saying that, he lowered his head.
Emperor Taihe couldn't help feeling a little guilty when he thought that he only came to Fengyi Palace on the first and fifteenth day of every month, and spent most of the rest of the time with Concubine Jiang.
He couldn't help but look at Queen Chen. She was bright and beautiful, and was actually a rare beauty.
It’s a pity that he prefers the charming appearance of Concubine Jiang, and Concubine Jiang always makes him intoxicated.
Unlike Empress Chen, although she was beautiful, she was too dignified and polite, which always made people lose interest.
Emperor Taihe sighed inwardly, but let go of Empress Chen and helped her sit down personally.
"Has Zi Tong heard the news outside?"
Empress Chen looked at Emperor Taihe in confusion: "Could something have happened in the capital again? I have been staying in the harem and have not heard any news."
Emperor Taihe had no choice but to reveal the truth about Xie Xiu falling into the water, Luo's tragic death, and Chen Fang's poison on him.
Empress Chen was horrified when she heard this: "How could my sister do such a thing? This is too cruel and vicious!"
Emperor Taihe couldn't help but feel a little surprised. Although he knew that Empress Chen was dignified and polite and never sought benefits for the Chen family, he didn't expect that after knowing what Chen Fang had done, she would actually say such words and had no intention of covering up for Chen Fang at all.
He couldn't help but say, "She is your half-sister after all. If she were taken to the government office for questioning and these things were exposed to the world, it would inevitably affect your reputation and that of the Chen family."
Empress Chen's face turned grim, and she looked very angry: "Then how will Your Majesty deal with her? You can't just shield her just because she's my sister.
Since Xie Xiu fell into the water in the Imperial College, and his wife and father-in-law told the story in the Imperial College, the news must have spread in the capital long ago.
If Your Majesty does not deal with this, how will people view Your Majesty? I cannot let your reputation be affected because of my sister who did something wrong."
Emperor Taihe was silent for a while before he said, "Your father came to the palace a while ago, hoping to let her die of illness as an apology. However, I did not agree. I want to hear your opinion. After all, she is your sister."
Empress Chen smiled bitterly: "If I were to say that I would rather not have such a sister now, Your Majesty, would you think that I am too heartless?"
Emperor Taihe quickly said, "How could I possibly think that? She has done so many evil things. How is it your fault that you don't want to acknowledge her as your sister?"
Empress Chen smiled bitterly again, then stood up and walked in front of Emperor Taihe, kneeling directly on both knees.
Emperor Taihe wanted to pull her up, but she said, "Your Majesty, please listen to me! I failed to manage my sister well, allowing her to make a big mistake. I am guilty of negligence!
Now that the grievous mistake has been made and the news has spread, it is no longer appropriate to deal with it in secret. Your Majesty, I order the three courts to conduct a joint investigation and thoroughly investigate the deaths of the Luo family and their families, to bring justice to them and to give an explanation to the people of the world.
Emperor Taihe had already made up his mind, but when he heard her say that she wanted to give an explanation to the people of the world, he immediately began to feel rebellious.
He is the Son of Heaven, why should he give an account to the people of the world?
All people in the world are his subjects and should obey all his orders instead of making demands on him as the emperor!
Lord, king, minister, father, father, son.
How can we disrupt social order?
His face darkened, and he said unhappily, "This can't be done! If the three courts come to trial, you and the Chen family will surely be disgraced because of her! She was the one who did the wrong thing, and you were in the palace, unaware of what she did. How could you have done anything wrong?"
After a pause, he continued, "Although she deserves to die, she is Xie Xiu's stepmother after all. If she dies of illness, Xie Xiu will have to observe mourning for her and will not be able to participate in this imperial examination.
This is really unfair to him. It would be better to let Xie Yun divorce her and send her to the Chen family temple. From then on, she will be with the ancient Buddha and copy scriptures every day, chant Buddhist words, recite the mantra for the Luo family, and pray for you. "
Queen Chen quietly clenched her fists. This was not the result she wanted.
Emperor Taihe's decision seemed to have spared Chen Fang's life, but it clearly blocked the Chen family's escape route.
If Chen Fang is divorced by Xie Yun, how can she and the Chen family save face?
Moreover, if she was sent to the Chen family temple, how could the Chen family expel her from the clan?
Sure enough, the incident with the poisonous insect made him suspicious of the Chen family, so he used the incident with Chen Fang to warn the Chen family.
However, he did not agree to a joint trial by three judges, probably because he did not want her and the Chen family to be too embarrassed.
Empress Chen lowered her eyes. "Your Majesty is willing to spare my sister's life. It is out of Your Majesty's mercy. I am afraid that Xie Xiu would not want such a punishment."
Emperor Taihe snorted in displeasure: "He's just a mere scholar, does he really want to cause trouble? If he has the guts, he can go to the government office and sue Chen and Xie Yun himself!"
Empress Chen did not respond this time. She lowered her head and raised her lips slightly: Xie Xiu naturally didn't dare to go, this would be extremely unfilial!
Who knew that just one night later, they were both severely slapped in the face!
Although Xie Xiu did not go to the yamen to sue Chen Fang and Xie Yun, the Luo clan leader did!