Chapter 474
Fang Lao felt uneasy but couldn’t stop the Crown Prince from entering the palace. After all, the eunuch sent by the Emperor was still waiting; it wouldn’t be good to delay too long.
Fang Lao could only advise the Crown Prince, “Your Highness, if the Emperor asks how this matter should be handled, you must remember to play the role of a good elder brother well before the Emperor. Just say that King Liang was momentarily confused, and suggest to the Emperor… at this crucial moment of peace negotiations between Daliang and the Jin Kingdom, to keep this matter under wraps!”
“Don’t worry, Fang Lao! I’ll remember!” The Crown Prince straightened his sleeves, held Quan Yu’s hand, and got into the carriage.
Seeing the Crown Prince leave, Fang Lao immediately sent someone to Master Wang, the Minister of Rites’ residence, to investigate the situation.
The sky had already brightened. At the breakfast stalls, common folks gathered in small groups, discussing excitedly about someone reportedly having seen King Liang disheveled, being escorted out from the side door of the Minister of Rites Master Wang’s residence by Liu Ruofu, the Princess of Nandu. It was even said that the two were engaging in flirtatious behavior at the door.
“Is it true? Wasn’t the Princess of Nandu Liu Ruofu proposed to by the Fourth Prince of Daliang?”
“Sigh! Daliang has been beaten so badly by our Princess of Zhen that even their commander Xun Tianzhang is dead! How could the Princess of Nandu marry off to Daliang?!”
“That’s true…”
Not long after, Liu Ruofu woke up. When she saw herself in the mirror, she nearly collapsed.
Her cherished snow-white skin was full of marks, and there was glaring red on the bed. Her body felt like it had been beaten, the pain was unbearable.
Liu Ruofu’s two personal maids woke up in panic upon hearing her scream, only to find themselves lying by the back window. The two rushed to the front yard in a frenzy, but before they could enter, they saw Madam Wang and the three daughters-in-law of the Wang family hurriedly approaching.
However, just as Madam Wang and her party stepped into the courtyard, they heard Liu Ruofu’s continuous screams.
Madam Wang’s heart immediately raced. She shook off her eldest daughter-in-law who was supporting her and ordered, “Quick, go fetch the Imperial Physician!”
Liu Ruofu’s two personal maids knelt at the entrance in panic, bowing their heads, not daring to look up. “Greetings, Madam!”
“Baozhen… Baozhen!” Madam Wang, leaning on her cane, called Liu Ruofu’s childhood name as she hurriedly walked toward the main room.
The old nanny beside Madam Wang opened the door and quickly walked past the screen, only to see Liu Ruofu hurriedly wrapping herself in the quilt. The marks on her exposed neck shocked the nanny so much that her legs almost gave way.
Seeing this, Madam Wang fainted directly!
The Wang family was in chaos, while Bai Qingyan and her group were slowly making their way towards Shuoyang.
Dong Tingzhen cried on Bai Qingyan’s lap, soaking Bai Qingyan’s clothes with tears.
Bai Qingyan gently stroked Dong Tingzhen’s head and comforted her softly, “Alright Tingzhen, it’s not worth it to cry over a man who only wanted to use you. Spend some time with my mother in Shuoyang, relax for a while. When Dadu City stabilizes, if the Chen family is still interested, you can consider discussing marriage with them. I’ve met Chen Zhaolu… he’s a good, upright young man!”
Bai Jinzhi, seeing Dong Tingzhen still crying nonstop, gently patted her back, “Oh dear! Sister Tingzhen! You are actually quite lucky. If it weren’t for Eldest Young Lady’s timely intervention, you would have been harmed by King Liang. You should feel relieved!”
Dong Tingzhen finally realized, hurriedly got up, and with tears in her eyes, looked at Bai Qingyan, holding her hands tightly, “Cousin! This time… it’s all thanks to you. No matter how much you told me, I couldn’t be awakened. It must have been so hard for you to use such a method to make me see King Liang’s true face!”
“We are sisters, no need for formalities!” Bai Qingyan smiled, holding Dong Tingzhen’s hands.
In the previous life, due to the Bai family’s issues… even Dong Tingzhen got implicated.
In this life, Bai Qingyan vowed to use all her might to protect Dong Tingzhen, not letting her repeat the same mistakes.
Dong Tingzhen leaned onto Bai Qingyan and kept crying until they arrived at the posthouse for rest, where her emotions finally eased a bit.
Taking advantage of Dong Tingzhen’s time to reapply her makeup, Bai Jinzhi walked around nearby with Bai Qingyan.
“Eldest Young Lady… Do you really think King Liang will enter the palace and accuse the Crown Prince of setting him up with the Princess of Nandu Liu Ruofu?” Bai Jinzhi scratched her head, feeling uneasy. “What if the Emperor doesn’t believe it? If the Emperor does believe it, wouldn’t the Crown Prince be in trouble, and King Liang would gain the upper hand?”
“The matter was indeed done by the Crown Prince. As long as anyone has done it, there will be evidence left behind. The Emperor only needs to investigate to find out! The Crown Prince, who has always been deeply fearful of the Emperor, might spill everything without needing the Emperor to ask!”
“However, the Crown Prince’s original intention was to make the Emperor see that King Liang is not as weak as he appears. He wanted the Emperor to understand King Liang’s intention to use marital ties to seek military power. Besides, the Crown Prince is not foolish. Allowing King Liang to marry Liu Ruofu wouldn’t benefit him at all! The Emperor would understand this, and wouldn’t blame the Crown Prince!”
Bai Qingyan turned to Bai Jinzhi, who was full of curiosity, and said, “If you’re curious, wait until Dadu City sends news… you can listen in with me.”
“Alright!” Bai Jinzhi’s face was full of joy.
At this moment, things in Dadu City were just as Bai Qingyan had anticipated.
The Crown Prince, after being slightly pressured by the Emperor, confessed everything as if he was overturning a bamboo tube, spilling all the beans.
Including how his advisor had suggested using Commandery Princess Gaoyi, but fearing the Princess of Zhen might break King Liang’s legs, he instead thought of the Princess of Nandu.
The Crown Prince stated that he just wanted the Emperor to see King Liang’s intention to seek military power and to be cautious! He was afraid that the Emperor, being Liang’s father, might be blinded by emotions, so he resorted to this desperate measure.
The Emperor initially intended to cover up the matter, but who knew that as soon as the morning court ended, rumors about King Liang and Liu Ruofu’s scandal had spread like wildfire outside the palace.
The house of the Minister of Rites was in complete chaos, with servants coming and going in a state of panic.
The Wang residence had always been under the firm control of Madam Wang, but with her fainted from anger, the eldest daughter-in-law ordered everyone to keep their mouths shut. Her authority, however, was not as effective as Madam Wang’s, allowing a snippet of news to leak out.
The Minister of Rites, Master Wang, hurriedly entered the palace, requesting the Emperor to summon King Liang for questioning. He truthfully informed the Emperor that Liu Ruofu had lost her chastity the previous night.
The Emperor was caught off guard, learning that the scandal between King Liang and Liu Ruofu was already the talk of the town.
Before he could respond, the peace envoy from Daliang arrived, seeking an audience, which nearly triggered the Emperor’s headache again.
Once Master Wang stepped down, the outraged Emperor threw a teacup at the Crown Prince. “Look at the mess you’ve made!”
“Father Emperor! Father Emperor, I didn’t intend for this matter to escalate! If it grows too big… it won’t benefit our Jin Kingdom at all!” The Crown Prince knelt before the Emperor. “This son just wanted you to see King Liang’s true intention. I had no intention of letting King Liang marry the Princess of Nandu Liu Ruofu for real!”