allonlinenovel Chapter 372 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Chapter 372 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
How could Emperor Xinghe, such a good emperor, be seen by the Song family as someone who feared the Song family's overwhelming power?
There were also allegations of forcing Song Zhihua to enter the palace as a concubine and fabricating evidence that the Song family had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country.
Shen Mingze had personally asked Song Zhihua, and Song Zhihua's face was full of longing for entering the palace and her eyes were full of admiration for Emperor Xinghe. How could it be forced?
They even fabricated evidence, claiming that there were many more powerful and influential families in the Great Xia Dynasty than the Marquis of Wu'an, so why wasn't Emperor Xinghe wary of them?
Lord Shen had previously lamented the fate of the Song family, but upon hearing the Song family's endless lies and slander of Emperor Xinghe, he was enraged.
Lord Shen hurriedly raised his head and said to Shen Huaizhi, "Huaizhi, what the Song family said is wrong, don't believe it easily."
His Majesty is a benevolent and kind emperor. He had many ministers who supported him in the past, and they are all still doing well now.
His Majesty couldn't possibly be targeting the Song family alone; the Song family must have done something wrong to anger His Majesty..."
Seeing Lord Shen's anxious expression, Shen Huaizhi didn't want to put him in a difficult position, so he said, "I didn't believe the Song family's words. If I had, I wouldn't be sitting here today speaking frankly with Lord Shen."
Shen Huaizhi paused for a moment before finally revealing the purpose of his visit: "I summoned Lord Shen here today because I discovered some matters of great importance. As someone without power or influence, I simply cannot handle them, so I had no choice but to seek help from Lord Shen..."
Afterwards, Shen Huaizhi told Lord Shen without reservation about his contact with Song Ming, the Song Ming's stronghold in the capital that he found out afterward, and the Song family's next action plan that he and Su Jinyue had analyzed.
Of course, the most important thing is the pattern that resembles the emblem of the previous dynasty's royal family.
As he recounted his story, Shen Huaizhi presented the evidence he had gathered to Lord Shen one by one, and Lord Shen's expression grew increasingly grave with each listen.
If what Shen Huaizhi said is true, then the Song family is truly a wolf in sheep's clothing. For the former imperial family, the execution of the entire Song family by Emperor Xinghe would be the least of their worries.
No wonder the Song family handled the situation so quickly back then, without causing too much turmoil in the court...
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Shen Huaizhi went to Zuixianlou to see Lord Shen, while Su Jinyue went to the bookstore and teahouse to check the accounts. She also listened to a storyteller's tale at the teahouse for a while.
The stories told by the storyteller were all classics presented by Su Jinyue. After being revised by Shen Huaizhi, they were more in line with the national conditions of the Great Xia Dynasty. As soon as they were introduced to the teahouse, they became an instant hit. Every day, the teahouse was packed with distinguished guests.
After listening for a while, Su Jinyue saw that it was almost time, so she took Chuncao out and got into the carriage to go to Zuixianlou to meet up with Shen Huaizhi.
However, when they reached the street where Zuixianlou was located, the carriage could no longer move.
Chuncao hurriedly told the coachman to get out and inquire. Su Jinyue only learned after the coachman reported back that it was actually a group of spoiled young men from the capital causing trouble ahead.
The eldest prince Tang Ruibin's uncle had his eye on a piece of ornament at Qizhen Pavilion, but he didn't have enough money. When he came back to buy it today, he found that the ornament he wanted had been bought by someone else.
This infuriated the eldest prince's maternal uncle. Who was he? The current empress's younger brother, the emperor's brother-in-law, yet he couldn't buy what he wanted. The emperor's brother-in-law was immediately displeased.
When the manager of Qizhen Pavilion saw that something was wrong, he quickly sent someone to find the owner, Tang Ruihao, and his group.
Fortunately, Tang Ruihao and his group didn't leave the city today, so they arrived relatively quickly.
Logically speaking, Tang Ruihao and his group consisted of members of the royal family and young masters of marquises, so few people would be willing to cross them. But who would have thought that the one who would cause trouble was the current emperor's maternal relatives!
Although the Empress was not favored by Emperor Xinghe, she was still the Empress. Even for the sake of the eldest prince, Emperor Xinghe would not mistreat her openly and still gave her the respect she deserved.
Now that the eldest prince, Tang Ruibin, has entered the Ministry of Revenue, the arrogance of the Empress's maternal family has become even more rampant. The Imperial Uncle, who previously dared not confront Tang Ruihao and others, now has the confidence to be arrogant.
The identity of the emperor's brother-in-law was very intimidating to ordinary families in the capital, but it meant nothing to powerful and wealthy families like Tang Ruihao.
The other party knew perfectly well that they were the ones who were keeping things under control at Qizhen Pavilion, yet they still caused trouble there. It was clearly intentional, which is why Tang Ruihao and the others weren't afraid of them!
By the time Tang Ruihao and the others arrived, the emperor's brother-in-law's cronies, having heard the news, also came over.
After that, the two groups confronted each other. Since Qizhen Pavilion was not a large place, they went to the main street in front of Qizhen Pavilion to stand up, which naturally blocked the road.
Su Jinyue listened to the unfolding events and was somewhat speechless.
Su Jinyue waited in the carriage for a long time, but there was no sign of the road being evacuated.
She thought about it and realized that Zuixianlou was not far from here. Since the carriage couldn't get there, she might as well walk.
The carriage can be left with the driver; we can go over once the road is cleared.
Then, Su Jinyue and Chuncao got out of the car and carefully made their way towards Zuixianlou, avoiding the crowd.
As she approached the entrance of Zuixianlou, Su Jinyue glanced at the middle of the road and saw that two groups of people had already started fighting. The two sides were evenly matched and were exchanging blows.
However, in Su Jinyue's eyes, this level of fighting was just like children fighting, and since Tang Ruihao and the others were not in any danger, Su Jinyue did not intend to pay attention to it.
When the sons of the powerful and wealthy get into a fight, the onlookers dare not step forward to help. No matter who they help, offending either side is not a good thing.
The two groups were locked in fierce combat when someone on the outskirts of the crowd shouted, "The Infantry Commanders are here! Run!"
Su Jinyue couldn't help but turn her head to look in the direction from which the sound came. Sure enough, soldiers were rushing over at high speed in the distance, with the leader riding a horse.
The Infantry Commander's Office was responsible for maintaining order in the capital. The office would send people to patrol the inner city of the capital on a daily basis. Any fights, especially those between the sons of powerful and wealthy people, would fall under their jurisdiction.
The officials from the yamen had arrived, and the two groups stopped fighting.
The crowd made way for the officials, and the leader dismounted and led his men into the center of the fight to maintain order.
According to those around them, the person leading the infantry command this time was Qin Guannan, the deputy commander of the command.
Su Jinyue had heard of Qin Guannan before, but this was the first time she had met him.
Qin Guannan was also a privileged young man from a well-to-do family, but he was also the kind of child that his parents always talked about.
Qin Guannan was the grandson of Qin Wenzhong, a Grand Secretary of the Cabinet and a first-rank official. He was intelligent and studious from a young age, excelling in both literature and martial arts. He was handsome and refined, and was considered the most handsome man in the capital by the young ladies of the city.
He was also the ideal husband that many girls from wealthy families dreamed of.
Speaking of which, Qin Guannan also has some connection with the royal family. His aunt is the virtuous concubine Qin Lanxi in the palace, and he is also the cousin of the third prince.