vstars Chapter 383 Careful thinking
Chapter 383 Careful thinking
Lan Qingwu's heart trembled upon hearing this. She couldn't understand what the Jiang family was up to. Could it be that they were unhappy that the Emperor Shenwu had sent Jiang Yuxian back home, ruining her reputation and future? But such an action would only push the Jiang family to the bottom!
Lan Qingwu was puzzled.
Early the next morning, the head of the Jiang family and Mrs. Jiang arrived outside the Golden Throne Hall early to apologize. On both sides of them were court officials preparing to attend court. They seemed to be unable to see the two people kneeling on the ground, and walked towards the Golden Throne Hall step by step in an orderly and silent manner.
In the harem, Concubine Jiang knelt at the door of Fengqi Palace early in the morning. After receiving the news, Lan Qingwu had no intention of resting anymore, so he asked Ruping to invite Concubine Jiang into the main hall of Fengqi Palace.
After entering, Imperial Concubine Jiang knelt before Lan Qingwu. "Please forgive me, Your Majesty! This was absolutely not the intention of me or my brother. Moreover, I can testify that Your Majesty and my niece were only together for a quarter of an hour that night, and then your Majesty angrily rebuked my niece and sent her home. This is definitely someone else plotting against Your Majesty and the Jiang family! I am panicked and at a loss as to what to do. Please, Your Majesty, help me!"
After Concubine Jiang finished speaking, she bowed deeply.
Lan Qingwu glanced at Ruping, who hurried forward to help Concubine Jiang up.
Concubine Jiang stood up, but she was still nervous. After all, if she hadn't wanted to use Jiang Yuxian to test Emperor Shenwu, things wouldn't have turned out like this.
Lan Qingwu sighed, "I know your character well, but His Majesty is very angry about this incident. However, I will not let His Majesty implicate you and the Second Prince. I just don't know if your brother was involved. I don't know whether His Majesty will forgive your brother."
Imperial Concubine Jiang shook her head. "Your Majesty, I know my brother best. He is heartless and selfish, prioritizing his family and his own interests. He sent the ambitious Jiang Yuxian to my side, but after her failure, he abandoned her without hesitation, sending her to Qingjing Monastery. He would never do something like this, something that would offend Your Majesty and go against his own interests."
Lan Qingwu's frown deepened. Could it be that Jiang Yuxian, unable to understand the situation and harboring deep resentment towards the Emperor, had ruined his reputation? But could Jiang Yuxian alone command the eunuchs in the palace? Something was amiss with this matter. Unable to figure it out, Lan Qingwu stopped thinking about it.
She had the palace maid serve fragrant tea and directly asked Concubine Jiang to stay. "Just stay here! News comes quickly from me, and the Second Prince and the Sixth Prince went out for training together. They both sent me some letters and paintings. You can take a look at them together."
Concubine Jiang did not expect there would be an unexpected surprise. After thanking Lan Qingwu, she looked at the paintings of the Sixth Prince and the Second Prince together.
But within a few moments, a palace maid hurried into the hall. She knelt down in the hall and said in a trembling voice, "Empress, today, a minister in the previous court suggested that the royal bloodline be prioritized and that Your Majesty should take the daughter of the Jiang family into the palace! Another minister said that the Jiang daughter was not pregnant with Your Majesty's child. An imperial censor then made a desperate appeal, saying... that Your Majesty favored the Empress alone, causing her to become arrogant and jealous, and thus preventing women with royal blood from entering the Dasheng harem! Your Majesty was furious and rebuked the imperial censors for their indiscriminate and nonsense talk. But the more Your Majesty denied it and the angrier she became, the more those civil officials and imperial censors became convinced that Your Majesty was not taking the pregnant daughter of the Jiang family into the palace because of Your Majesty."
Lan Qingwu was stunned for a moment, then smiled bitterly and said, "I didn't expect that the matter would eventually turn around and come back to me. So this is the real purpose of the person behind the scenes."
Concubine Jiang was also surprised: "This..."
Lan Qingwu was in no mood to entertain Concubine Jiang anymore and said directly, "Go away! I'll invite you back another day."
Imperial Concubine Jiang stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I can go and testify for Your Majesty."
Lan Qingwu, however, thought more clearly: "I'm afraid the person behind the scenes has already made preparations. They will say that you and your niece are incompatible, which is why you say such words."
Imperial Concubine Jiang frowned, "We cannot allow those behind the scenes to slander Your Majesty and you like this... I will take my leave now."
After Imperial Concubine Jiang left, Lan Qingwu calmly instructed, "Go get the latest news. There are only a few people who can be called my enemies. I want to see who is so scheming!"
Over the next few days, things spiraled out of control. In Qianzheng Hall, several cabinet ministers gathered to urge Emperor Shenwu to marry the daughter of the Jiang family into the harem. The cabinet's chief minister, the Grand Tutor, had called in sick and hadn't attended court for the past few days.
Emperor Shenwu looked at the Grand Secretary Fu Ruixuan and said in a deep voice, "Grand Secretary, do you also think that I will disregard my own flesh and blood and not marry the child's mother?"
Emperor Shenwu frowned and said, "Am I such a foolish person in the eyes of you gentlemen, or have I ever ignored my other sons and let them fend for themselves?"
This was a serious matter, but the fact that Emperor Shenwu had favored the Empress over the past decade was too deeply rooted in people's minds. Even Lin Suzhi was skeptical about it. "Your Majesty, is the child in Jiang's womb really not..."
Emperor Shenwu summoned Concubine Jiang's brother, the head of the Jiang family, into Qianzheng Hall and said, "You can ask Lord Jiang and his wife."
The ministers were relieved to see Emperor Shenwu being so frank. After all, it was not a glorious thing for an emperor to have such an affair with a minister's daughter.
However, Grand Secretary Fu Ruixuan said, "Your Majesty, this matter is extremely difficult to clarify. It will damage the reputation of both Your Majesty and the Empress. Why not take this opportunity to hold a national selection? Rumors are swirling in the Imperial City lately, alleging that the Empress is jealous. Your Majesty has withheld selection for years for the Empress' sake, and now he's willing to sacrifice even his own flesh and blood. A national selection would be the quickest and most effective way to break the impasse."
Emperor Shenwu remained expressionless, but his ministers all agreed, believing that this method was feasible.
"This way, His Majesty will have a new member in the harem, and the rumors against His Majesty and the Empress will be self-defeating. Now we can reveal the truth, accuse that Jiang's daughter of attempting to confuse the royal bloodline, and then use this as an excuse to convict her!"
Lord Jiang, who was kneeling in the hall, trembled involuntarily. Emperor Shenwu glanced at Lord Jiang and said, "Let me think about this matter!"
All the ministers agreed, but Lan Shuren frowned tightly. If this came true, Lan Qingwu would suffer a huge blow and hurt.
Emperor Shenwu looked gravely at the Blue Tree Man, the only one with a worried look on his face, and tapped lightly on the armrest of the dragon throne with his fingers.
Deep in the phoenix eyes, there was a suppressed rage and suspicion that had never been completely eliminated deep in the heart.