dkrc Chapter 171 She was finally given high hopes by her mother.
Chapter 171 She was finally given high hopes by her mother.
The gates of the Prince of Jin's mansion were blocked by twelve coffins.
Luckily it was winter, otherwise the smell would have been unbearable.
Prince Jin barely slept last night. The Princess Consort was really keeping him busy. It wasn't that she had been doing it for so long; the problem was that it hadn't even started.
Ever since that one time he failed, the princess was particularly unhappy, and he inevitably became nervous whenever he was with her.
He failed again this time.
The matter was dropped in an instant.
The princess didn't even get a proper meal, not even an appetizer.
The feeling of being hung up was incredibly stifling, so naturally they wouldn't let the Prince of Jin off the hook. However, despite their efforts, they ultimately failed.
The more unsuccessful the attempt, the more determined the princess became.
The Prince of Jin was exhausted, and the Princess Consort was still not happy. The couple went to sleep sulking.
Princess Jin said she wanted a legitimate son, but Prince Jin just thought she was utterly promiscuous.
He wasn't released until after midnight, but he was still preoccupied and didn't sleep well. He finally managed to doze off at dawn. When he heard that the gate of the mansion was blocked, his first thought was that Li Yuanke was defying the imperial decree and didn't intend to let him go.
"The late emperor left a will that Your Majesty must spare my life and not strip me of my title. How dare Your Majesty disobey this will?"
The messengers almost wanted to cover the prince's mouth as they rushed forward. "Your Highness, it's not the Emperor, it's the families of the concubines who died in our household, along with scholars and some onlookers!"
He dared not say there were still twelve coffins.
It's fortunate that it's freezing cold now, otherwise, with so many coffins blocking the entrance, the stench would permeate the entire capital.
The Prince of Jin was completely stunned. He rushed out and was met with twelve black coffins.
"Prince Jin! It's Prince Jin! Kill him! He doesn't care about the lives of ordinary people, forces women into slavery, and even tortures and kills his concubines! Prince Jin deserves to die!"
"The Prince of Jin, return the order!"
Someone shouted, and then the voices of "Prince Jin deserves to die!" and "Prince Jin, pay with your life!" echoed loudly and for a long time in the sky above the capital.
The King of Jin suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed.
The emperor, naturally, also learned of this news in the palace. It must be said that Shen Shixi's move was truly brilliant; even though Prince Jin was the legitimate son, his reputation was ruined.
Thanks to the late emperor's painstaking efforts and Empress Wenzhen's own impeccable virtue and gentleness, Empress Wenzhen's reputation remained very good.
But right now, Empress Wenzhen's fans wish she hadn't given birth to Prince Jin, that cursed fate.
Shen Shixi was lying in the palace sunbathing when Chaoyu, who was in charge of gathering news from outside, came to report, "Your Majesty, the Emperor has issued an edict that Prince An will lead the trial of the case of the concubine of Prince Jin's mansion, with the Ministry of Justice, the Court of Judicial Review, and the Censorate assisting in the handling. Princess Jin and her servants have all been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice's prison, and Prince Jin's mansion has been sealed off. No one is allowed to enter for the time being, and those inside are not allowed to collude with each other."
There was absolutely no need for collusion.
Since Shen Shixi handled this matter, the witnesses and physical evidence are all complete, and the chain of evidence is intact. No one can have any doubts about it.
Furthermore, which of the women in the backyard of the Prince of Jin's mansion didn't want to kill Lady Pei?
"Okay, keep an eye on things, and report back immediately if anything happens. Also, I hope my dad and the others are alright?"
"Everything is fine! The Second Young Master followed the Empress's instructions and put up a banner with huge, blood-stained characters that said things like the Prince of Jin's Mansion was disregarding human life and poisoning his concubines. Basically, everyone in the capital knows about it."
In the past, medical disputes and people seeking justice all used this method. It's just that the people are honest now and don't fight against officials. But if people have someone backing them up, why wouldn't they fight?
The dead cannot be brought back to life, but can't the living profit from it?
Therefore, it's not that the families of these concubines are heartless; as long as there's profit to be made, no one is afraid of death.
Moreover, there are always those who feel sorry for their daughters who died unjustly, and there are always conscientious parents and brothers who want to seek justice for their daughters.
The Prince of Jin's residence was completely surrounded.
Upon learning of this, the Empress ordered the imperial physician to be summoned.
It has been more than half a month since the Empress miscarried, but she is still bleeding and not clean. In her anxiety, it is said that she is showing signs of postpartum hemorrhage, which makes Shen Shixi very irritable.
She worried that if the Empress didn't recover by the end of the month, who would she hand over the reins of power to?
It's no wonder she's selfish and lacks compassion.
She's already sent the eldest sister to jail, and the Empress is constantly on guard against her trying to steal the Empress's position. Does she expect her to be considerate of the Empress?
The Empress had just summoned the imperial physician and managed to stop the bleeding, but her health was deteriorating rapidly. As a result, Lady Gao requested permission to enter the palace.
He was clearly after his eldest daughter.
When Gao saw the Empress's appearance, she was also startled. Knowing that her daughter was not clean, even a heart of stone would ask a few more questions.
The Empress, who had never received such care from her mother before, felt a surge of tenderness in her heart, and all the resentment that had been lingering in her mind vanished.
"My child, you still resent me and blame you? Even if you are the Empress, you are still my flesh and blood. How can I not feel sorry for you? I blame you, but it's all for your own good!"
Granny Qu took a step back.
The four-month-old fetus was so clearly identifiable by its gender that it was obviously a prince.
The Empress was heartbroken. On the first day of the Lunar New Year, the Lady did not say a word about it, blaming the Empress for being incompetent and falling into Fan's trap.
Who exactly is it that keeps saying that the Fan family is one of their own, and even asked the Empress to arrange for them to serve the Emperor in bed?
Otherwise, how could the Empress not be wary of her?
After all, they are mother and daughter. A few kind words from the lady made the Empress forget who she is!
But Lady Gao couldn't completely ignore her youngest daughter. "Has His Majesty come to see the Empress? After all, the Empress lost her son because of His Majesty."
The Empress, tears streaming down her face, shook her head, then nodded. "Mother, please don't talk about me. How is my sister? What did Father say?"
Mr. Gao didn't know what to say either. Some things just couldn't be taught no matter how hard you tried, so he simply gave up.
"Your father is also blaming your sister. It's one thing for a concubine in the manor to die, but the way it was handled was so superficial and careless."
That Lady Shen was never one to be trifled with. Now that she's seized on this and made it known throughout the city, even if your sister walks out of prison unscathed, how will she be able to maintain her position as Princess Consort of Jin in the future?"
"But what can we do? Things have come to this point. Are we just going to stand by and watch my sister be tried, sentenced, and beheaded? What face will the Pei family have left?"
What reputation does the Pei family's daughter still have?
How can she continue to be the empress?
The Empress was now filled with hatred for Consort Chen, and her actions were so ruthless. Even though her sister was eventually declared innocent, she had still lost face by going to prison.
"It's gotten out of hand. There are too many scholars and lowly commoners. They even carried twelve coffins and placed them at the entrance of Prince Jin's mansion. Even the concubine who died not long ago was brought out and displayed. There are huge crowds of onlookers. If your sister isn't locked up, those people won't let Prince Jin off the hook."
"The Imperial Guards? What do they do?" The Empress was shocked.
"The Imperial Guards only maintained order around the perimeter and didn't care at all. If the guards from the Prince of Jin's residence dared to make a move, they would attack the guards as well. Don't you know that they couldn't tolerate your sister and brother-in-law in the first place?"
"Your Majesty, this time, you must help your sister. If you refuse, your sister will have no chance of survival. That vile woman, Shen, will never let this go."
And the Emperor, having finally seized this opportunity, how could he possibly hesitate?
The Empress was now being placed on high expectations. Her elder sister was the one who was always being placed on high expectations. At this moment, she saw the heavy burden on her shoulders, but also a secret joy. Her mother cared about her, and she was finally needed by her mother.