allonlinenovel Chapter 156 The Witness of Emperor Jing'an
Chapter 156 The Witness of Emperor Jing'an
In Yanxiang Palace, Emperor Jing'an sat on the chaise longue, took the tea offered by Consort Ling, and sipped it lightly.
Consort Ling asked softly, "Your Majesty, how is this tea?"
Emperor Jing'an glanced at the tea leaves floating in the cup; they were fresh and bright, with a mellow taste and a faint fragrance.
He put down his teacup: "Not bad."
Consort Ling said with a smile, "Jing'er knows that you love to drink pre-Qingming Longjing tea, so I specially found this year's new tea to present to you."
Emperor Jing'an smiled and said, "He is very thoughtful."
"Since you are dining at Yanxiang Palace today, I intended to have Jing'er dine with you. However, he was thinking of Yi'er and left the palace in a hurry after bringing the tea." Consort Ling fanned Emperor Jing'an: "Jing'er is not fond of making friends and is a bit aloof, but he gets along well with Yi'er."
These words not only drew out Zhao Yi, but also revealed to Emperor Jing'an that Prince Yu was on good terms with Zhao Yi in order to win the emperor's favor.
Emperor Jing'an would never ask about the relationship between Zhao Yi and Prince Yu. Even if he did, Zhao Yi couldn't very well say that he and Prince Yu didn't get along, could he?
Emperor Jing'an's expression darkened as he recalled the rumors circulating in the capital about Shen Qingtan.
Marquis Chengen was decisive and severed his father-daughter relationship with Shen Qingtan before the truth was revealed.
Seeing the displeasure on Emperor Jing'an's face, Consort Ling couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking. Could it be that her mention of Zhao Yi reminded him of the scandal involving Shen Qingtan outside the palace?
After all, Emperor Jing'an loved Zhao Yi dearly, so how could he tolerate his wife's tarnished reputation?
"Your Majesty, please don't worry about Yi'er." Consort Ling placed her hand on the back of Emperor Jing'an's hand and spoke softly: "Jing'er has already arranged for someone to protect the imperial physician as he goes after Yi'er. He also has a highly skilled imperial physician to take care of him outside."
Emperor Jing'an frowned, about to warn the mother and son not to be so presumptuous.
Suddenly, he noticed that Consort Ling was wearing a blood-red jade bracelet on her wrist.
He recognized the blood jade bracelet as a gift from Empress Yuanrong to Consort Ling.
"Yi'er's matter will be handled by the Duke's Mansion." Emperor Jing'an's expression softened as he said in a deep voice, "Jing'er should focus her mind on important matters."
Emperor Jing'an's unspoken message was that Prince Yu should focus on his own duties and mind his own business.
Consort Ling realized that Emperor Jing'an was warning her, and her expression changed drastically. She dared not mention Zhao Yi again.
At this moment, she couldn't fathom Emperor Jing'an's thoughts.
It is unclear whether Emperor Jing'an was protecting Zhao Yi or was disappointed in him, and therefore no longer cared about Zhao Yi's life or death.
She lowered her head slightly, unconsciously rubbing the blood-red jade bracelet on her wrist, her eyes growing increasingly dark.
Whenever she tried to subtly inquire about information from Emperor Jing'an, even if she unintentionally crossed his line, he would not say a harsh word to her as long as he saw any old items that Empress Yuanrong had given her.
This tactic, however, was ineffective against Zhao Yi.
Emperor Jing'an rose and left Yanxiang Palace, returning to his study.
He sat on the dragon throne, his gaze fixed on a chair not far away, which was Zhao Yi's personal seat.
A while ago, Zhao Yi sat there with an unusually solemn expression.
"Your Majesty, you have appointed the Marquis of Chengen as the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Canal. Few people in this position can die peacefully. My wife comes from the Marquis of Chengen's family. I am worried that the Marquis of Chengen will not be able to control himself in the future and will go astray, thus implicating my wife."
His feelings were indescribable. Zhao Yi clearly knew his intention in appointing the Marquis of Chengen as the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Canal, yet he still chose to say it in a roundabout way. This shows that in Zhao Yi's mind, there was always a distinction between ruler and subject.
No matter how much he favored Zhao Yi, Zhao Yi always kept her distance and maintained a proper distance, never overstepping her bounds in front of him.
This realization left him feeling powerless.
"Your Majesty, I wish to protect her and keep her by my side pure and untainted." Zhao Yi rose from his seat, bowed to him, and said, "Your Majesty, I will do some things that may temporarily tarnish my wife's reputation. I hope Your Majesty will not intervene on my behalf."
He guessed what Zhao Yi wanted to do. Since the Marquis of Chengen had committed a crime, if he wanted to protect Shen Qingtan's reputation, he would definitely sever ties with the Marquis of Chengen's mansion.
Would the Marquis of Chengen easily sever ties?
Only if Shen Qingtan's existence would harm the Chengen Marquis's mansion would the Chengen Marquis take the initiative to sever ties.
As a result, Shen Qingtan will inevitably face criticism before severing ties with Marquis Chengen.
Immediately afterwards, Zhao Yi said, "Uncle, please grant my request."
He was deeply shaken when he suddenly heard this address.
This was the first time Zhao Yi had called him "uncle".
Putting aside the relationship between ruler and subject, he treated him as family.
Even though he was unwilling, he couldn't refuse Zhao Yi's request.
Emperor Jing'an pulled himself out of his thoughts and let out a long, melancholy sigh.
As expected, things unfolded exactly as he had predicted.
Emperor Jing'an rubbed his temples hard, deeply suspecting that a few more wrinkles had appeared on his forehead.
"Your Majesty," Eunuch Cao reassured him, "Young Master Zhao is a man of principle, careful and thorough in his actions, and will surely emerge unscathed."
“Since ancient times, women have valued chastity as their life. How can the current turmoil be easily quelled?” Emperor Jing’an said sternly. “A woman’s reputation is damaged, like a broken piece of porcelain. No matter how it is repaired, there will still be cracks. It will never be as perfect as before.”
Eunuch Cao was speechless, and couldn't help but worry whether Zhao Yi could turn the tide.
Emperor Jing'an ordered, "Go and bring Marquis En into the palace."
Eunuch Cao accepted the order and left.
-
After the Marquis of Chengen severed his father-daughter relationship with Shen Qingtan, rumors about Shen Qingtan intensified.
At first, the people suspected that someone was framing Shen Qingtan because before the news of their elopement spread, there were rumors that Shen Qingtan had been assassinated.
The actions of the Marquis of Chengen confirmed that Shen Qingtan was not a virtuous woman.
In an instant, she was thrust into the eye of the storm.
While Shen Qingtan was being condemned by thousands and cursed by tens of thousands, Marquis Chengen finally received a letter from Prince Yu, and his heart was finally at ease.
He was preparing to go to his appointment when he happened to meet a palace eunuch who was summoning him to the palace by imperial decree of Emperor Jing'an.
Marquis Chengen entered the palace and went to the Imperial Study.
He bowed to Emperor Jing'an while trying to guess the emperor's thoughts.
Emperor Jing'an cut to the chase: "Minister Shen, I've heard that you've severed your father-daughter relationship with Zhao Shenshi?"
“Your Majesty, as the head of the family, I must set an example in order to gain the trust of my clan. I cannot show more leniency to Tan’er just because she is my daughter.”
Marquis Chengen knelt on the ground, saying with trepidation, "This marriage to the Duke's mansion was personally requested by me. Now, I have failed to properly educate my daughter, bringing shame upon the Duke's mansion. I must give the Duke's mansion an explanation no matter what."
“Minister Shen, you have done very well. Whether you are the head of a family or an official appointed by the court, you must set an example and not show favoritism in order to establish authority.”
Seeing the sorrowful look on Marquis Chengen's face, Emperor Jing'an slowly said, "It is truly a blessing for the people of Great Zhou to have such an incorruptible and good official as you."
Marquis Chengen was stunned. Before entering the palace, he thought Emperor Jing'an was going to interrogate him.
Surprisingly, he was praised.
As the Marquis of Chengen's thoughts raced, he heard Emperor Jing'an say, "Minister Shen, I will bear witness for you. Today you sever ties with Shen Qingtan, and whatever she does in the future will have nothing to do with the Marquis of Chengen's mansion."