"The little eunuch who came to summon said that the Tenth Princess was pushed down from the West Palace by Jinxun and drowned."
Yu Shu looked at Xue Rui's cold face and recalled Xin Liu's evasive attitude when he mentioned Xue Jinxun to her that day. Her intuition told her that the Tenth Princess's death was not simple. She was definitely not killed by Xue Sanmei as rumored.
"When the family heard the news, they were in a mess. I was even more at a loss. On one hand, I didn't believe that my sister would harm the Princess. On the other hand, I was worried about the Tenth Princess. My grandfather took me to the palace to ask for forgiveness. At dusk, we arrived at the Chengyuan Gate leading to the West Palace and saw Jinxun tied up and kneeling in front of the gate."
Xue Rui's face was as dark as water. He couldn't forget his sister, who was not even as tall as his chest, shivering and crying in the snow.
It was also at that time that he suddenly realized that no matter how bright his future was, when he was at the foot of the Emperor, life and death were just a matter of a thought.
"After the Tenth Princess fell into the water, she fell into a coma. She had a fever at night and passed away in the middle of the night."
Xue Rui took a breath and continued, "The Emperor was furious and didn't investigate carefully. He only listened to the testimony of a little eunuch and thought that it was Jinxun who killed the Princess. So he issued an edict, angrily reprimanding my grandfather for not being strict in the family and for not teaching his daughter properly. He ordered the Imperial Concubine and the women of the Xue family to go to the Tenth Princess' Su Liu Palace to apologize."
At that time, he and his grandfather waited outside the palace in fear. When he first heard the bad news, he was completely stunned. When he was in a daze, he saw a heavy slap on his face and saw his grandfather's gloomy face.
Since he was five years old, Xue Rui had always been by Xue Lingnan's side. Even though the old man was strict and serious in speech and manner, he still cared about everything in Xue Lingnan's life. Xue Rui had never thought that he would see resentment and resentment on the face of such a senior that he respected and loved. It was as if Xue Rui was not his grandson but his enemy.
When Xue Rui recalled that scene, his eyes couldn't help but turn gloomy and gloomy, hiding his emotions that no one knew.
In these three years, he often thought that if he had not insisted on becoming the Emperor's son-in-law, then the Tenth Princess would probably be living well, his younger sister would still be a clever and lively girl, his mother might not have gone mad, and he would never know the secret that had consigned him to eternal damnation.
Yu Shu was shocked when she heard this. This time, the Emperor not only slapped the Xue family's face, but also Old Minister Xue, who was in a high position, had never been scolded like this before. As an official, he was most afraid of the word 'disobedience'. Thinking about it, it was like a knife was placed on his neck and could be chopped off at any time.
"The Emperor's actions were too hasty," She couldn't help but feel injustice for Xue Rui and his sister. She wasn't afraid to complain about the Emperor and voiced her suspicions, "How old was Jin Xun at that time? Was he even twelve? Was the Princess someone that a gust of wind could blow over? Would she be pushed down from a building by a half-grown child like Jin Xun? I don't believe it. The little eunuch who testified must have something wrong. Who else was there at that time? Was he the only witness? Didn't several junzhu and young misses go to the palace to celebrate guifei niangniang's birthday? Why did the two of them go to that Sea-viewing Tower? Didn't you ask Jin Xun? "
Xue Rui had a trace of disdain on the corner of his mouth, "Jin Xun was very frightened and couldn't say anything. When the Tenth Princess had an accident, she was tied up. The little eunuch testified that he was cleaning the Sea-viewing Tower and saw Jin Xun and the Tenth Princess quarreling on the balcony that had just been repaired. Jin Xun pushed her and she fell from the building."
"Three days after the Princess passed away, Xiang Wang and several officials who were on good terms with grandfather entered the palace one after another to persuade him. After His Majesty's anger subsided, he ordered an investigation of the matter. That little eunuch drowned in the Imperial Garden for no reason. And because Jin Xun was agitated, whenever she mentioned what happened at Sea-viewing Tower that day, she would only cry and talk nonsense. Even now, she can't remember what happened at that time."
"Because there was no evidence, that little eunuch also died. Xiang Wang tried his best to persuade him. His Majesty also felt that there was something fishy about the matter. It probably involved the dark secrets of the palace and didn't want to investigate further. So he withdrew the blame on Jin Xun and ordered the palace to seal it. After appeasing grandfather, it was considered to have been left unsettled."
Yu Shu's brows were knotted. Now she was even more certain that the Tenth Princess' death was unusual. Thinking about it carefully, there were only a few people in the palace who had the ability to harm a princess under the Emperor's nose and did it so covertly.
"Once the Tenth Princess died, firstly, you can't be the son-in-law. Secondly, the Emperor will vent his anger on you. Thirdly, the Empress will lose her beloved daughter and will probably be at odds with guifei niangniang. Who will benefit from this?"
Xue Rui turned his head and saw that she was seriously thinking about his words. She was calm and sharp, not like the hypocritical and pointless comforting people around him in the past. She also didn't look down on him because of the mistakes he made when he was young and frivolous. His dark eyes couldn't help but have a glimmer of hope.
If one day she found out about his secret, would someone as sentimental as her laugh it off and not care about it at all?
Thinking of this, the heaviness in his heart lessened. He turned her soft palm over. Their palms were pressed against each other. The warm sweat made him feel at ease.
He told her in a low voice, "The concubines in the Inner Palace have never stopped fighting. The current Empress doesn't have an heir, which is a drawback. However, Count Zhongyong's family has been loyal for generations and is a great power in court. If I was still the Tenth Princess, the Empress and Aunt would have an extra layer of intimacy. When the day comes to choose the heir apparent, it is hard to guarantee that I won't be obstructed by some people. "
Yu Shu raised her head to look at him. It was the first time she heard the words "choose the heir apparent" from his mouth. Because she had already mentally prepared herself when she met the tiger in Huazhen Garden, her heart didn't waver.
Since she had the intention to be a couple with Xue Rui, then no matter how difficult the path ahead was, she had to work hard and give it a try.
"It's funny that I couldn't see clearly in the past and only thought about myself," Xue Rui didn't know how many times he had mocked himself. In terms of shrewdness, how could he compare to his grandfather Xue Lingnan in the past?
The old man was able to keep his composure. There was a grandson of an imperial prince who was sent to the mountains to learn, but he was told to get close to the Seventh Prince under Shu Fei's name. In the beginning, he had opposed him to marry a mistress because he was cautious. Who would have thought that because of his own initiative, it was almost destroyed in a day?
"You know, three years ago, the Emperor had the intention of summoning the Ninth Prince from Longhu Mountain. It was because of this matter that it was delayed. As a result, the Ninth Prince delayed his return to Jing for a few years."
He grew up smoothly until he was seventeen. However, he stumbled and implicated many people around him.
This lesson was harsh enough that when he did things now, no matter how big or small, he would be careful.
"The Empress and guifei are harmonious. The biggest threat … is Shu Fei and Ning Wang." Yu Shu remembered hearing someone say that three years ago, Xue Rui and Liu Hao were so close they could wear the same pants. But because of a certain reason, the two had a falling out.
Was it because of the matter of the Tenth Princess, Liu Hao was involved?
"There is no proof," Xue Rui did not hide anything from Yu Shu and said truthfully: "But I do suspect that Shu Fei did something, and because of this, I alienated Ning Wang."
Yu Shu said: "Last year at Ding Bo Hall, Xiang Wang shizi was gambling. Ning Wang came uninvited. I remember that he was entangled with you, but what happened three years ago?"
"When the Tenth Princess passed away, the Holy One punished me. I was afraid that Jin Xun would suffer and sent a letter to the Prince's fu outside the palace to ask for Ning Wang's help, hoping that he could say a few good words when he entered the palace. But he did not appear from beginning to end, that is all."
Xue Rui calmly narrated the reason why he and Liu Hao had parted ways. He did not seem to be dissatisfied because of Liu Hao's inaction, but only he knew —
What happened three years ago had caused him to be filled with regret and self-blame. But the more he blamed himself, the more he resented the culprit behind the scenes who caused the Tenth Princess' death and shifted the blame to his younger sister.
"It was originally my fault, but the innocent had to bear it. I have wronged them all my life, especially the Tenth Princess. If I did not have wishful thinking, she would not have lost her life in vain. Xue Rui was sad. He still could not let go of the Tenth Princess' death. Even though he did not love her, he was filled with regret.
"I once swore," he narrowed his eyes, his gaze deep, "that in my lifetime, I will find the culprit who caused her death."
At this time, Yu Shu's mood was somewhat subtle. At the beginning, she thought that Xue Rui did not have much longing for the Tenth Princess. In addition, the Tenth Princess was already dead, so there was nothing to be jealous of. But now it seemed that Xue Rui had clearly engraved that fairy-like Princess in his heart, and it became a knot in his heart.
Yu Shu knew that it was not interesting to bother about a dead person, not to mention that the Tenth Princess was indeed innocent and pitiful. She not only sympathized, but also admired a responsible man like Xue Rui.
But when she thought of how fragile and out of control Xue Rui had been previously, it could have been for another woman, she could not remain calm.
"You still haven't told me what Princess Xi Wen said to you before I came here that would make you so angry."
Xue Rui's breathing became heavy, and a small storm gathered in his eyes that had calmed down not long ago, "She said that she personally witnessed the truth of the Tenth Princess falling from the building three years ago, and that it was not Jin Xun's doing. Yu Shu's almond-shaped eyes widened. She was surprised at first, but after a moment, she sneered," Since she knew the truth, why didn't she stand out to testify back then? Why did she mention it today? I'm afraid that she has other intentions. If I'm not wrong, she must have used this as a reason to raise some conditions to you. "
Xue Rui also knew that she was so shrewd that he could not hide it from her, "She wanted me to do something, but said that it was not the right time yet, so she could not tell me for the time being."
Yu Shu gritted her teeth, feeling extremely unhappy in her heart. She could not think of what Xi Wen wanted, but as a person who had been through it, she certainly could see what that girl was thinking about Xue Rui. Of course, a man who dared to think about her really needed to be taught a lesson!
"You promised her?" Yu Shu held her breath, narrowed her eyes slightly, and looked at Xue Rui.
Xue Rui noticed her unhappiness, and hesitantly nodded. When he was about to explain again, his palms, which were clasped together, were firmly squeezed by her. The force was so fierce that even he felt a little pain.
"Why don't you ask me instead of her?" Yu Shu gritted her teeth and said. She wanted to bite the man in front of her who was too serious and responsible.
Xue Rui was stunned for a moment. Looking at her heroic and arrogant eyes, an idea flashed in his mind, and his eyes brightened, "You mean — with your divination skill? But, didn't you say that it would take a year and a half to master it? Can it work now? "
Yu Shu was angry in her heart. Her wrist twitched, and she pushed his hand away. She stood up and looked at his handsome facial features condescendingly, especially that pair of warm and attractive peach blossom eyes, and said domineeringly, "It has to work even if it can't."
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
