Chapter 346: Chapter 344: Did you tell the Emperor Father that I forcibly took you?
"What?!" Lu Zhengliu’s face changed drastically. "Princess Zhaoning, we are about to go to the Imperial Study to meet the Emperor. If you have truly been wronged by the Crown Prince, you can come with us. We can all testify for you!"
Imperial Study.
Emperor Lu Yu suddenly rose, staring at Shen Yinning in disbelief: "Shen Family Girl, are you saying that the Crown Prince acted inappropriately towards you?!"
Shen Yinning bowed her head, sobbing: "I dare not deceive Your Majesty. Today, I entered the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager, and then went to the Lotus Pavilion in the Imperial Garden to admire the lotuses. Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince suddenly arrived and tightly embraced me from behind... I am merely a woman, how could I struggle against him? Seeing that I was powerless to resist, he then... he then..."
Shen Yinning’s tears fell like raindrops on a pear blossom, as she covered her snow-white neck with her hand.
In the scorching summer of the Capital, the fashionable dresses mostly had low collars. Even though she used her hand to cover part of her skin, the other red marks on her neck were clearly visible to everyone.
It was clear what Lu Ying had done to her.
Lu Yu’s brows were deeply furrowed.
He had been aware of his son’s feelings for the Shen Family Girl for many years.
He had thought that with Shen Yinning now exiled and married, his son would no longer harbor such thoughts for her. He hadn’t expected that in private...
In recent years, his son had shown exemplary conduct, so much so that he couldn’t find fault. He had even set beauty traps for him, only to find that he wasn’t indulging in women. Yet, unbelievably, his son still fell because of a woman.
Lu Yu had never liked Lu Ying and had always wished to dethrone him for Lu Zhengliu to take his place. Now that he had finally found a fault in him, how could he not act?
He sat down, fuming: "Send my order, have that scoundrel come here at once!"
When Lu Ying arrived, Lu Zhengliu, Cui Ji, and others were already seated on both sides of the Imperial Study.
Shen Yinning knelt on the floor, her delicate shoulders trembling slightly, her small face covered in tears, looking grievously wronged.
He withdrew his gaze and bowed: "Father."
"Don’t call me Father!" Lu Yu’s voice was stern. "Let me ask you, did you defile the Shen Family Girl?!"
Lu Ying remained expressionless: "I don’t understand what Father is saying."
"She’s come to the Emperor to file a complaint!" Lu Yu’s anger was uncontrollable, raising his voice, "The Crown Prince of a nation, yet secretly taking another man’s wife. Aren’t you afraid of others laughing at you? Where do you place our ancestors’ laws, where do you place ethical values?!"
Lu Ying’s gaze fell on Shen Yinning’s face.
Shen Yinning kept her gaze downcast, tears falling continuously, looking entirely pitiful as if bullied severely.
Lu Ying looked at her for a long time before asking: "Did you tell Father it was I who forced you?"
Shen Yinning whimpered, trembling, as if very afraid of him, hesitating: "I... I do not dare..."
"Wretched child!" Lu Yu scolded, "Look at how you’ve frightened the Shen Family Girl! The Crown Prince, taking another man’s wife, how could I have given birth to such a shameless scoundrel?! Where have you read all those books on rites and virtues, all those words of the sages?!"
Lu Ying remained expressionless, focusing solely on Shen Yinning.
Lu Zhengliu stood and bowed: "Father, if I may dare to say something, considering how the Crown Prince acts so recklessly even in the palace, one can only imagine his demeanor in private! Perhaps it would be wise to summon Prince Consort Gao Zheng to the palace; he might know some inside information."
Gao Zheng was quickly summoned.
He knelt on the ground, seeming prepared, and said without hesitation: "Reporting to Your Majesty, I have grievances in my heart! When I was serving as the Ganzhou County Magistrate, I was approached by one of the Crown Prince’s confidants. They presented two thousand taels of snowflake-patterned silver, urging me to marry Lady Shen as a fake couple. The Crown Prince promised that if I married Lady Shen, he would find an opportunity to promote me to a Capital Official.
"As a mere county magistrate, how could I dare oppose the Crown Prince? Forced by circumstances, I had no choice but to agree to marry Lady Shen. Over the years, Lady Shen and I have remained innocent. However, the Crown Prince frequently visited my residence to enjoy Lady Shen’s company, even summoning her to his private residence in the middle of the night. I have borne this silently for years and can finally air my grievances now!"
He cried out, bowing to the ground, as if indeed suffering great injustice.
Cui Ji stood and bowed, his voice extremely cold: "The Crown Prince not only took another man’s wife, but he also openly colluded with a court official, engaging in threats and bribery. According to the Ministry of Justice’s laws, he should be demoted to a commoner and confined to the Cold Palace!"
The Imperial Study was so silent that you could hear a pin drop.
Outside the window, the sky, which had just seen a heavy rainstorm, was once again overcast with dense clouds, like a net covering the entire Capital.
Lu Ying did not respond to anyone nor did he clarify or defend himself.
He remained standing, quietly gazing at Shen Yinning.
...
The events of the Imperial Study quickly spread throughout the Capital.
Eastern Palace.
Shen Yunxi had been in a state of despair for the past two days, staying in bed without venturing outside.
Hearing Lianxin recount the events of the Imperial Study, she jumped up in disbelief: "His Highness forced himself on Shen Yinning?! How is that possible?! It must have been Shen Yinning deliberately seducing him, or she is falsely accusing him! His Highness, a person of upright character, could never voluntarily force such a withered flower and fallen willow!"
Lianxin’s face was filled with worry: "What use is there in consoling His Highness? The crucial issue is whether the Emperor believes in His Highness. I heard that this time it was led by Prince Duan, with Cui Ji, Zhang Keyuan, and Gao Zheng among them, clearly premeditated against His Highness."
"Leave the palace!" Shen Yunxi couldn’t hold back, rushing out without even taking time to freshen up, "I must go see my father and brother now and beg them to save His Highness! It’s been such a difficult journey for His Highness to get where he is; I can’t let anything happen to him!"
Her heart set on saving Lu Ying, but she was punished with confinement, stopped at the gates of the Eastern Palace and turned back.
She was anxiously pacing, so she dispatched Lian Ye to leave the palace to seek help on her behalf.
"Mistress, don’t worry too much," Lianxin supported Shen Yunxi back to her chamber, "His Highness is blessed, and nothing will happen to him."
Shen Yunxi nodded heavily: "His Highness is so capable, he must have a plan... He won’t be hurt... Lianxin, let’s hurry back to pray to the Bodhisattva, ask for divine intervention to save His Highness!"
She gathered her skirts, rushing anxiously to the small temple to pray to the Bodhisattva.
Lianxin followed behind her, tentatively asking: "Mistress, if His Highness truly is deposed—"
"He is the Crown Prince, I am to be his Crown Princess Consort!" Shen Yunxi’s tone was firm. "If he’s deposed, then I’ll accompany him to the Cold Palace! Lianxin, he was the first to call me ’Miss Shen Yunxi’, my heart is tied to him, and I can’t let go for a lifetime!"
While Shen Yunxi was praying fervently, the Duke Mansion.
Mrs. Qin was extremely anxious upon hearing about Lu Ying’s predicament.
She wanted to see Shen Yan to inquire about the situation, but Shen Yan refused to meet anyone.
With no other option, she approached Shen Xinghan: "Hangu, our family has faced so many problems, and now even the Crown Prince is in trouble! If anything happens to him, what will become of our Xi’er? Although Xi’er has been deposed, she’s still in the Eastern Palace as one of his concubines. If he’s confined to the Cold Palace, won’t Xi’er be sent there too?! You only have this one sister, you can’t just watch her be ruined like this! Hangu, you’ve been smart since childhood, think of something quickly!"
Shen Xinghan was sitting by the pond in the backyard fishing.