After the cannon fodder father and daughter married into the family, the whole family regretted it

Chapter 930 Sincerity Mixed with Fakeness

"He is an official appointed by the imperial court; he should prioritize his official duties," said Grand Princess Mingzhu indifferently.

The nanny responded and hurried off to make the arrangements.

But I still felt something was off.

In the past, the eldest princess Mingzhu wished that the county horse would accompany the county princess at all times.

The county magistrate holds an official position, but it's a vacant post that has been in place for many years. He doesn't want to climb the ranks, and the Grand Princess turns a blind eye, not helping him to do so.

Everyone knows that the Grand Princess only wanted the young couple to live a simple and comfortable life.

Why is it that today, for the first time ever, the county magistrate is being asked to prioritize official duties?

The old woman was puzzled, but she didn't ask. She smiled and greeted the county princess.

She had a sweet tongue, praising how efficacious the temple was, saying that infertile women who prayed there every day gave birth to twins two years later.

Has the county princess ever thought about whether the child in her belly is a boy or a girl? Actually, it's fine whether it's a boy or a girl, the county magistrate must be very happy.

This old servant will accompany you and stay for a few more days to calm your mind, as things are in such a chaotic situation outside these days.

Although the Princess of Yiyang was spoiled, she still had some respect for her mother's personal nanny.

The other party flattered and coaxed her into chatting, and since she had been cooped up at home lately and couldn't stand it anymore, she happily agreed.

I only remembered the county horse when I got into the carriage.

Before the nanny could speak, the county princess's maid said, "Miss, the servants at home will inform the young master. However, the situation in the capital is not good right now, and all departments are investigating strictly. It is not appropriate for the young master to ask for leave at this time to accompany you to offer incense."

The county magistrate of Yiyang was somewhat displeased, but he understood.

I just find it annoying; how can a case be so complicated?

She never imagined that the person involved in this case was her own father.

The father and daughter had never met, and the Princess of Yiyang had no respect or concern for Chen Zijun whatsoever.

From a young age, people told her that her father had forced her mother to marry him, and Yiyang felt that she was the product of her mother's humiliation.

In addition, her cousin the emperor treated her very well, and she considered herself a member of the royal family, so of course she despised treacherous officials and rebels.

Furthermore, she had heard rumors that after Chen Zijun died and the Chen clan was exiled, someone suggested that her mother use abortion pills to terminate the pregnancy.

Firstly, it was to prevent Chen Zijun from having any offspring; secondly, it was to nip the problem in the bud, in case a boy was born and he could avenge his father later.

But the emperor reprimanded the woman, and Princess Mingzhu refused to have an abortion, as the child was always innocent.

Because of this, the Princess of Yiyang always felt as if she was born lacking something.

It's as if she has to despise Chen Zijun and ignore the Chen clan in order to prove that she and those bad people are not birds of a feather.

In short, Yiyang really didn't care about the outcome of the case.

As for his previous thoughts, like wanting to bully Fang Nanzhi, those are gone now.

She still didn't like Fang Nanzhi, but since he had saved her, she didn't hold it against him.

Furthermore, her wariness had disappeared during this period, and no matter how much her mother liked Fang Nanzhi, she couldn't surpass her.

She is her mother's only daughter.

It can be said that Princess Yiyang's current level of awareness is truly due to the guidance she received from Grand Princess Mingzhu during this period.

Grand Princess Mingzhu understood her daughter and knew that her daughter lacked fatherly love from a young age and was raised by her, so she was very dependent on her as her mother.

Or rather, it's the possessive mentality of a child.

When her daughter first got married, she sometimes praised her son-in-law for being more sensible than her daughter, but her daughter was unhappy and felt that her mother's love had been stolen.

Fortunately, the Grand Princess Mingzhu's love for her daughter is a lasting and genuine affection.

Yiyang's deep-seated insecurity can always be dispelled.

Not long after the carriage left, Xiang Wencai returned from his official duties. He had a gloomy and worried expression, but when he saw the gate of the princess's residence, he tried to adjust his expression and regain his gentle and cheerful demeanor.

He couldn't upset his wife, who was pregnant.

However, Xiang Wencai was tied up as soon as he stepped into the mansion.

At first, Xiang Wencai struggled subconsciously, but when he looked up and saw the butler standing in the distance, he stopped moving.

Meanwhile, even with my heart sinking to the bottom, was I still discovered?

My first reaction wasn't fear, but worry. He was afraid Yiyang wouldn't be able to accept it. How was he supposed to face Yiyang?

When he was brought before the Grand Princess and kicked to his knees, Xiang Wen hurriedly looked up. He seemed to breathe a sigh of relief when he didn't see Yi Yang's figure.

Grand Princess Mingzhu, with a stern face, noticed the change in his expression and calmly said, "Yiyang has left the mansion and will not be back for ten days."

Xiang Wencai smiled bitterly. How could he forget that the Grand Princess doted on her daughter? How could she let her suffer any shock?

“Mother,” he paused, then continued, “Grand Princess…”

He opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.

After Jin Ke confessed to the second master of the Xiang family, it was revealed that the Xiang family had participated in the assassination.

He felt it was wrong that his second uncle was forced to kneel in the palace every day as punishment.

He felt he might be suspected, and wondered how he would defend himself and feign innocence, but he never expected the Grand Princess to be so decisive.

Grand Princess Mingzhu came prepared.

"Yiyang was kidnapped as a child and saw you before, but did you do it intentionally?"

Both were young. Yiyang was tied to the tombstone and sobbed, saying that a little brother comforted her and gave her candy.

She knew it was Xiang Wencai at the time. The third master of the Xiang family took his son to worship their ancestors and found Yiyang had been kidnapped. It was they who sent someone to deliver the message, and that's how the guards of the princess's mansion found Yiyang.

Xiang Wencai hesitated, then finally lowered his head: "Yes."

is intentional.

Even though he was young at the time and didn't fully understand his father's schemes, he went with his father when his father took him out of the mansion.

But later, as I grew older, I understood.

The Xiang family conspired with others to kidnap Yiyang and bring him to Chen Zijun's tombstone, solely to force Chen's retainers to show themselves.

At that time, several prominent families did not want to offend Princess Mingzhu.

Princess Mingzhu is different. She is a princess and someone the emperor respects. Especially after Chen Zijun's death, her position is even more unshakeable.

Therefore, the Xiang family did not intend to kill Yiyang at the time; they were merely using him.

There are even backup plans.

The idea is to get him close to Yiyang. They are about the same age, and if they can become friends, the Xiang family can befriend the Princess.

If his father had a daughter, he should have taken a little girl to a better place.

Xiang Wencai knew the truth but never said it; it was a deliberate approach with ill intentions.

"Did you start the fire at the teahouse?" Grand Princess Mingzhu's tone sharpened, her phoenix eyes flashing with coldness, displaying the dignity of a princess.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Wencai's face turned somewhat pale.

"Grand Princess, I never intended to kill Yiyang. She is my wife. They clearly stated that they would only target Fang Nanzhi."

There's a lot of hidden meaning in those words.

He admitted that he was one of the informants hidden in the princess's residence.

He admitted that he was the one who leaked the county magistrate's movements during the teahouse assassination attempt.

But Xiang Wencai was telling the truth; he genuinely believed that Yiyang had only been used once.

Yiyang is the daughter of the Grand Princess and is not close to Chen Shi, unlike Fang Nanzhi.

Unexpectedly, those people showed no mercy, aiming to leave no survivors.

Princess Mingzhu saw the longing in his eyes and believed him.

But believing does not mean understanding, nor does it mean forgiving.

She wouldn't allow anyone to harm her daughter in the slightest, especially since Xiang Wencai was different; he should have been the closest person to her daughter.

Such an action is betrayal.

“You and Yiyang have been married for many years. Yiyang is spoiled and has a bad temper, but she has never deceived you, cheated on you, or let you down.”

Princess Mingzhu's eyes turned cold.

The question is, is it something a husband and wife should do to deceive, cheat, and betray her?

The faint light in Xiang Wencai's eyes faded, and he could no longer lift his head.

"Husbands and wives should treat each other with honesty. Since your relationship has been fake from beginning to end, it should end. Let's get a divorce."

Princess Mingzhu spoke these words with an unclear mood.

She felt a little regretful.

Her marriage was a mere pretense, which led to such a tragic ending.

She was extremely careful when choosing a husband for her daughter, but it seems that her daughter still followed in her footsteps.

Is this retribution?

A maidservant came forward with a tray, on which were placed writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones.

A guard released Xiang Wencai's right hand so that he could write.

Xiang Wencai stared at the blank paper, not writing for a long time.

He doesn't want a divorce.

He is sincere towards Yiyang. They already have children, and their future life should be about raising their children together and enjoying family life.

But a single tear fell, wetting the paper.

Xiang Wencai asked himself honestly, could he really distinguish between his true feelings and the many years of calculations for interests and the future of his family?

Is it fair to Yiyang to have such a messy mind?

He deserves it. He put the Xiang family first from the beginning. He made his choice long ago and has already let Yiyang down.

Xiang Wencai finally picked up his brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote the divorce agreement word by word.

But in her mind, Yiyang's smile, the way she threw a tantrum, her occasional coquettishness and dependence flashed by one after another.

He no longer deserves such beauty.

The assassination attempt at the teahouse alone made him unworthy of Yiyang.

Even if he was unaware beforehand, even if he returned to his clan and caused a scene afterward, even if he threatened to kill himself and forced his father to agree that if he were to attack Yiyang again, he could not protect him, but he would die with him.

After the divorce papers were written, a maid brought the county princess's seal and stamped it on. At that moment, the divorce papers became effective.

Princess Mingzhu was exhausted. She waved her hand and ordered someone to send Xiang Wencai to the Ministry of Justice.

She didn't want to proceed with the investigation. What information about the Princess's residence had she leaked over the years? Did the residence still have any spies?

I don't want to deal with this anymore, let's just hand it over to the Ministry of Justice.

Princess Mingzhu sat alone for a long time, her eyes vacant, lost in thought.

The maids were very worried, but dared not disturb them rashly.

The next day, the weather was excellent. Fang Nanzhi got up early and swept the snow with the maids in the courtyard.

Pile the snow into mounds to make a path.

It wasn't that she was diligent, it was that she was anxious. She knew how the Chen case was going in the next couple of days.

She longed to go to the palace to see it. She had a jade pendant, so she could go in. But even if she went to the palace, she couldn't attend the morning court session. She wished she could borrow her second uncle's official robes and wear them to go in his place.

Unfortunately not.

If your mind is restless, do some work. When your body is tired, your mind won't wander.

The imperial palace was a little late for the morning court session today.

What happened? The Emperor took the Crown Prince to Cining Palace to visit Prince Ning.

Prince Ning finally woke up, but he was so weak that he couldn't get out of bed.

The emperor exempted him from the formalities.

"It's good that you're awake. If I had known that the trip to Jinzhou Prefecture would be so dangerous, I should have sent more people to you."

The Empress Dowager sat to the side, wiping the corner of her eye with a handkerchief: "Emperor, how can this be blamed on you? It's his own carelessness."

"I was supposed to go out to share the emperor's burdens, but I ended up getting injured and wasted my time."

These words ostensibly express dissatisfaction with Prince Ning, wishing his own son would give his life for the emperor.

If someone with a straightforward personality heard this, they would say, "The Empress Dowager is truly righteous."

However, some fools might misunderstand the Empress Dowager's words, implying that Prince Ning was injured on duty and suffered for His Majesty's sake, and that His Majesty should remember this.

The emperor parted his thin lips slightly: "Mother, there are some things that are beyond human control."

"By the way, how's the investigation into the assassin going?"

This question was asked while looking at Prince Ning.

Prince Ning thought to himself, "He's been unconscious for many days, what does he know?"

Well, he really did know. As soon as he woke up, his confidant reported to him everything that had happened while he was unconscious.

They sent men to track down the assassin, but they lost track of him. The assassin disappeared at the garrison headquarters.

Whoever can mobilize the imperial guards, isn't that the emperor's authority?

Along the way, Qingmin took advantage of his unconsciousness to win over the hearts of the people. When the tiger is away, the monkey becomes king.

Furthermore, despite his serious injuries, Qing Min dared not report it to the capital, and the capital did not send any imperial physicians.

Do you want him to die on the bumpy road?

Was it the emperor's intention? Or the crown prince's?

Think about it again, wasn't the emperor planning this from the beginning when he sent him to Jinzhou Prefecture, not wanting him to come back?

After pretending to be brothers for so many years, is it that he can't keep up the act anymore? Or does the emperor feel that he no longer needs to worry about the Empress Dowager?

Prince Ning was unaware that he was currently experiencing chest and head pain.

The headache felt like when I was traveling in a carriage and my head hit the side of the carriage. When a person is in pain, they become irritable and aggressive.

The emperor asked, "Could it be that the salt smugglers in the two prefectures, cornered like dogs, are trying to retaliate against you?"

Prince Ning felt that the emperor was trying to frame the assassins as salt smugglers, and as Jin and Ying.

Perhaps his death in Jinzhou Prefecture would have been in the emperor's favor, giving him a legitimate reason to take strong measures against the Jin and Ying families.

Seeing her own son's pale face and dazed expression, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, Prince Ning has just woken up and probably doesn't know anything. It would be better to leave the matter of the assassin to the people below to investigate."

"I heard that Qingmin is the commander of this expedition?"

The prince is injured, so the official in charge must take responsibility.

Qingyan spoke up: "Grandmother, my cousin said that when Uncle Wang arrived in Jinzhou Prefecture, he became very close to Ying Shi and did not stay at the official post station."

This statement seems a bit disjointed.

There are two implications. First, Qingmin and his men stayed at the post station, while Prince Ning stayed at the Ying family's residence. Since they were not together, he was naturally unaware of the inside story.

Furthermore, the Ying family's wolfish ambitions were already a foregone conclusion, and they had even attempted to assassinate him, the crown prince.

Whether Prince Ning and Lady Ying were truly inseparable, or whether Prince Ning was being deceived and manipulated by Lady Ying, is entirely up to individual interpretation.

The emperor had clearly grasped the first level, and his expression was not good.

The Empress Dowager regretted her slip of the tongue; how could she have forgotten that Qingmin had the Crown Prince's support?

"vomit!"

Prince Ning gagged, and a palace maid quickly brought over a small basin. The room suddenly became bustling with activity.