nucmednet Chapter 313 Solitary Confinement
Chapter 313 Solitary Confinement
She said gently, "It is because the Emperor loves you that he has given you such a privilege. But how can you put the Emperor in a difficult position? How can you put your brother in such a difficult position?"
Feng Zizhou stubbornly said, "But..."
Princess Roushu said, "You are from the Dali Temple. You should know whether someone is guilty or not, and you need to investigate thoroughly, rather than letting someone else convict them with just a few words, right?"
“Yes…” Feng Zizhou was speechless; he seemed to have been too stubborn.
But he knew perfectly well that if he couldn't convict the second prince now, there would be no hope for the future.
In the end, Feng Ziheng still forcefully took Feng Zizhou away.
The Emperor paused for a moment and said to Eunuch Wu, "The eldest daughter of the Si family was frightened, so I bestow upon her two boxes of gold foil. I also bestow upon her the Shu brocade and moon-covered gauze that were recently sent from Jiangnan."
Although the Imperial Concubine knew that the Emperor was pacifying the Si family, she was still secretly surprised.
Gold leaf and Shu brocade are nothing special, but there were only two pieces of moon-covered gauze in total. One piece was sent to Consort Rong, and the other piece was actually given to Si Muyan?
She reasoned that since the Si family was so highly regarded, this marriage should definitely be arranged.
"Your Majesty, Ren'er has done something foolish. It's all my fault. I advised him to ask for his hand in marriage before the imperial concubine selection next year, so that he could have some contact with Miss Si. If they were mutually attracted, that would be perfect..."
The emperor lowered his eyes and did not respond.
The Imperial Concubine, emboldened, said, "I believe that Ren'er is, after all, your own son, and of marriageable age. The eldest daughter of the Si family is of similar age, so perhaps..."
"Um……"
The emperor didn't care too much and was about to respond when he heard a shout from the side.
"emperor!"
He looked up and saw Si Muwan kneeling there, tears welling in her eyes, as if she had endless grievances and sorrow.
She shook her head, two tears streaming down her face, and stammered, "Uncle..."
The emperor's heart trembled at the sound of that address to his uncle.
The Imperial Concubine was also startled. She felt that Si Muwan's behavior didn't seem like that of a junior towards an elder, but rather...
"Uncle, my sister doesn't want to!"
The Imperial Concubine's face darkened as she asked, "Si Muwan, how do you know your sister is unhappy? Since she went to the appointment today and was alone with the Second Prince, many people must know about this. If word gets out, it won't be good for her reputation."
“When have we sisters ever had a good reputation?” The younger sister said, head bowed, choking back tears. “We sisters grew up in the countryside, and many nobles in the capital looked down on us. We’ve long been… used to it. If it weren’t for our uncle’s pity, we…”
She covered her face and sobbed uncontrollably.
The Emperor frowned and said to the Consort, "I have already shown mercy by not holding your son accountable for the good deeds he has done. How dare you have such wishful thinking! Go back and convey my decree: Xiao Jingren has acted arrogantly and is hereby confined for three months. Without my permission, he is not to leave the East Third Palace even half a step!"
The Imperial Concubine was furious. How could her son's proposal to marry a woman from the Si family be considered wishful thinking?
Her son is a prince, while the Si family girl is just a country girl raised in the countryside, a lowly noble lady. Marrying her son is already an extra favor from her.
But the emperor was furious, so she dared not say a word. She could only suppress her anger, kneel down to express her gratitude, and leave.
The younger sister knelt there weakly, still looking up at the Emperor with her frail appearance and teary eyes: "Thank you, Uncle, for standing up for me."
She seemed to remember, but perhaps she had been kneeling for too long, and the moment she stood up, she fell down again.
"Be careful." The Emperor wished he could get up and help her up himself.
Unconsciously, he recalled that night: the girl's lingering fragrance, nestled in his arms, gently purring at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, her heart and eyes filled with nothing but adoration and love for him.
That pure and innocent feeling gave him an unprecedented thrill.
He was the emperor, and he was never short of women who flattered him, but those women all seemed to lack something compared to Si Muwan.
Just thinking about it made the emperor feel uneasy.
Si Muwan is more than twenty years younger than him; she's his nominal niece. How could he have such filthy thoughts?
However, the more the emperor thought about it, the more his heart itched.
When he realized his feelings for Rong Pin, he would go to her, his most beloved concubine, to distract himself.
It seems that even when he didn't see Si Muwan, he didn't feel anything amiss with Consort Rong by his side.
But every time he saw Si Muwan, that heart-wrenching feeling of wanting to do something even though he knew it was impossible only intensified.
"Si Muwan, are you alright?" Zhao Ning stepped forward to help his younger sister up. "Get up quickly."
The younger sister smiled at her and said, "Thank you, Your Highness."
Zhao Ning waved her hand: "No need to thank me. It's really enviable how you sisters help each other."
As she spoke, she ran up to the Emperor and recounted in detail what she had seen when she entered the palace: how the nanny beside the Imperial Concubine made things difficult for Feng Zizhou and Si Muwan.
The Emperor glanced at his younger sister every now and then, and finally said, "The Imperial Concubine is really too ignorant."
He then ordered that Consort Xin take charge of the inner palace, with Consort Rong assisting. This deprived the Imperial Consort of her power to manage the six palaces, infuriating her so much that she smashed two vases in the palace to vent her anger.
……
Meanwhile, Du Shangge took his second sister to the Dali Temple. The second sister hurriedly went to find Prince Ning, only to learn that Prince Ning had just left.
She was extremely anxious, worried about her eldest sister and also worried that those books hadn't been handed over to Prince Ning.
Just as I was getting worried, Feng Zizhou came out.
The second sister hurriedly told Feng Zizhou what had happened that morning: "Fourth Young Master Feng, I'm afraid something has happened to my eldest sister. I have no choice but to ask you for help."
Feng Zizhou, being the most loyal person, was about to go.
The second sister was still worried and instructed Du Shangge: "If the Fourth Young Master Feng can't find his way and is late, please ask Miss Du to take him there."
Du Shangge confidently agreed.
Feng Zizhou then gave his car to his second sister: "The case hasn't made much progress, so Prince Ning has decided to go to Mahe Village to see if he can find out anything."
"Mahe Village?" Second Sister was overjoyed. The Wan family's old house was located in Mahe Village.
Prince Ning rode his horse and led his entourage to Mahe Village. He got off the carriage to meet the head of the Wan family's collateral branch. Before he even saw the head of the clan, Jiang's mother ran over.
"Saburo."
When Prince Ning saw her, he showed no expression: "Foster Mother."
"Sanlang, you look thinner. Have you been working hard lately?"
"I'm busy with official business, but it's not too tiring."
Jiang's mother looked at him with feigned affection and smiled, "My Sanlang has become even more handsome, and I can finally put my mind at ease. Sanlang, I was wrong before, I misunderstood. Back then, it was your second brother who made a mistake, and it was right for you to punish him."
Prince Ning's expression softened slightly: "It's good that my foster mother has come to her senses."