Five days later, in Suzhou.
"A bunch of useless fools!"
Xiao Jingheng threw everything on the desk to the ground.
Countless palace maids and guards were kneeling in front of him, each one looking extremely nervous and not daring to look him in the eye.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger..."
"If anything happens to Noble Consort Chen, I will have all of your heads!"
Xiao Jingheng was furious, his breathing also noticeably coarse and heavy.
Song Zhao brought a cup of green chrysanthemum tea to him and gently advised:
"Anger harms the body, Your Majesty must not be angry with them. Noble Consort's fortune runs deep, nothing will happen to her."
Although Xiao Jingheng took the tea from Song Zhao's hands, he didn't drink any. Instead, he threw it back onto the table.
The tea spilled all over the table, soaking the piles of memorials.
Xiao Jingheng pointed at the open door and angrily shouted:
"Still kneeling here? Get out!"
Everyone was terrified and scrambled to escape.
In fact, you couldn't blame Xiao Jingheng for being so angry.
The day before, a message was sent back from the capital saying that Noble Consort Chen had mysteriously disappeared from the old Ning family residence for no reason.
The disappearance of the current noble consort was a huge incident that shocked the heavens.
Vice General An had searched the capital to no avail. He left a squad of soldiers to keep searching the outskirts of the capital, and personally led another squad, travelling day and night from the capital back to Suzhou, hoping to find Noble Consort Chen along the way.
After Xiao Jingheng learned of this, he also dispatched a large number of people to search towards the Qinling Mountains, thinking that Noble Consort Chen might have gone back home to visit her mother.
But after all the chaos, she still couldn't be found anywhere, as if Noble Consort Chen had just vanished into thin air.
At the moment, Xiao Jingheng was anxiously pacing in the room.
Song Zhao could see that he was genuinely concerned about Noble Consort Chen this time, to the point that his attitude towards her had also cooled.
Song Zhao advised him, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Troops have been dispatched to search for her. Noble Consort will surely be safe and sound."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Her words of comfort were interrupted by the reckless shouting of Xiao Yinzi, who stumbled as he ran into the room.
Seeing that he had come without observing proper etiquette, Xiao Yinzi hurriedly reported to Xiao Jingheng:
"She's back! Noble Consort is back!"
"Where is she?" Xiao Jingheng eagerly asked.
Xiao Yinzi quickly replied: "Noble Consort has returned on horseback with her servants. She's currently on a boat heading to the island in the lake. Noble Consort said she has an important matter to discuss with Your Majesty."
"I'll go greet her."
After speaking, Xiao Jingheng turned to leave. Just as he was about to go out the door, he seemed to remember Song Zhao.
So he turned back and gently said to her: "You are unwell, rest well. I'll come see you again later."
"This subject pays her respects in sending off Your Majesty."
Song Zhao bowed ceremoniously towards Xiao Jingheng's dust-covered back as he left.
After he had left the courtyard, Song Zhao finally let out a held breath. Then she clutched her chest and couldn't help but retch again and again.
Yun Shang hurried over to pat her back, and said sympathetically: "Why didn't Noble Consort tell His Majesty about the pregnancy, but instead suffer so much trying to hide it?"
She fetched a cup of water for Song Zhao to rinse her mouth, and said, "This pregnancy seems to be much more difficult than the last time..."
After rinsing her mouth and spitting the water into an urn, Song Zhao finally spoke after catching her breath:
"The first three months are the most crucial. Consort Hui hasn't left yet. In a couple more days, after she and the Empress have returned to the palace, and the fetus becomes more stable, it won't be too late to say something."
Yun Shang said: "Noble Consort has really suffered... His Majesty's heart and eyes are full of the Noble Consort. I heard that even when Noble Consort was unwell and came to keep him company, he was still preoccupied."
Song Zhao laughed indifferently, "With Noble Consort's return this time, I guess someone is about to have terrible luck."
Yun Shang was curious: "Who?"
Song Zhao raised her eyebrows at her and said firmly:
"Prince Rui."
*
When Xiao Jingheng arrived at the shore, he saw Noble Consort being helped down from a flat boat.
After not seeing her for several days, she looked extremely haggard.
She had lost a lot of weight, and her eyes were also red and swollen from crying, no longer as bright and beautiful as before.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingheng also felt a stabbing pain in his heart.
Seeing Noble Consort Chen dragging her weary body towards him, Xiao Jingheng quickly stepped forward two steps.
"Go slowly, don't fall."
He held Noble Consort Chen's hand tightly. Seeing that she wanted to say something, she first had a violent coughing fit for a good while.
Noble Consort Chen's hand was burning hot. The scalding heat spread through Xiao Jingheng's palm all the way to his heaving chest, and burnt a hole in the tip of his heart.
"You still have a high fever. How could you be so reckless?"
"Your Majesty... *cough cough*! There's something wrong with Prince Rui! He's problematic!"
Noble Consort Chen held Xiao Jingheng's hand even tighter. Her eyes were full of resentment as she righteously declared:
"Vice General An was previously under Prince Rui. He deliberately led me astray, causing me to miss the chance to save my father and brothers! Moreover, afterwards he drank and celebrated joyously with Prince Rui, extremely delighted, as if my father and brothers' deaths brought them tremendous joy! Your Majesty! My father and brothers must have been wronged by Prince Rui. I beg Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and restore my father and brothers' innocence!"
Xiao Jingheng's eyes also moistened slightly, and he sighed:
"General Ning couldn't be saved, seeing you like this also makes me very sad. Actually, I didn't agree to pardon them because of your plea that day. Even without your plea, I felt there were many suspicious points about this matter. But at the time, with the ironclad evidence and pressure from the court, I had no choice but to provide an explanation to the world."
He embraced Noble Consort Chen and cried hot tears onto her forehead:
"I had the Minister of Justice investigate this matter repeatedly, and although the evidence was conclusive, I still had doubts. At the time when I agreed to spare your father and brothers' lives, I also secretly ordered the Vice Minister of Justice to overstep his authority and reinvestigate this matter. Believe me, if your father and brothers were really wronged, I will definitely restore justice for them!"
Noble Consort Chen nestled in Xiao Jingheng's arms, sobbing uncontrollably:
"Your Majesty... Prince Rui also holds authority over the Imperial Guards. That he insisted on falsely accusing and killing my father and brothers at this time of national peace and prosperity, his intentions must be suspect! It's evident that he harbors ulterior motives, his heart deserves punishment!"
Xiao Jingheng gently patted her slender shoulders and gently persuaded:
"This matter has not yet been concluded, we shouldn't speculate. You've travelled extensively and are still ill, let me take you back to your quarters and have the imperial physician treat you."
On the way back, they encountered Jiang Deshun, who hurriedly said to Xiao Jingheng:
"Your Majesty, the Vice Minister of Justice requests an audience."
"I see. Let him wait in the study, I'll go after I've settled the Noble Consort."
"Your Majesty! I want to go with you! I want to restore my father and brothers' innocence, they can't die in vain!"
Noble Consort Chen was quite emotional. Since she insisted, Xiao Jingheng couldn't refuse either, so he agreed to take her along to the study to listen to what the Minister of Justice had found out this time.
Five days later, in Suzhou.
"A bunch of useless fools!"
Xiao Jingheng threw everything on the desk to the ground.
Countless palace maids and guards were kneeling in front of him, each one looking extremely nervous and not daring to look him in the eye.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger..."
"If anything happens to Noble Consort Chen, I will have all of your heads!"
Xiao Jingheng was furious, his breathing also noticeably coarse and heavy.
Song Zhao brought a cup of green chrysanthemum tea to him and gently advised:
"Anger harms the body, Your Majesty must not be angry with them. Noble Consort's fortune runs deep, nothing will happen to her."
Although Xiao Jingheng took the tea from Song Zhao's hands, he didn't drink any. Instead, he threw it back onto the table.
The tea spilled all over the table, soaking the piles of memorials.
Xiao Jingheng pointed at the open door and angrily shouted:
"Still kneeling here? Get out!"
Everyone was terrified and scrambled to escape.
In fact, you couldn't blame Xiao Jingheng for being so angry.
The day before, a message was sent back from the capital saying that Noble Consort Chen had mysteriously disappeared from the old Ning family residence for no reason.
The disappearance of the current noble consort was a huge incident that shocked the heavens.
Vice General An had searched the capital to no avail. He left a squad of soldiers to keep searching the outskirts of the capital, and personally led another squad, travelling day and night from the capital back to Suzhou, hoping to find Noble Consort Chen along the way.
After Xiao Jingheng learned of this, he also dispatched a large number of people to search towards the Qinling Mountains, thinking that Noble Consort Chen might have gone back home to visit her mother.
But after all the chaos, she still couldn't be found anywhere, as if Noble Consort Chen had just vanished into thin air.
At the moment, Xiao Jingheng was anxiously pacing in the room.
Song Zhao could see that he was genuinely concerned about Noble Consort Chen this time, to the point that his attitude towards her had also cooled.
Song Zhao advised him, "Your Majesty, don't worry. Troops have been dispatched to search for her. Noble Consort will surely be safe and sound."
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!"
Her words of comfort were interrupted by the reckless shouting of Xiao Yinzi, who stumbled as he ran into the room.
Seeing that he had come without observing proper etiquette, Xiao Yinzi hurriedly reported to Xiao Jingheng:
"She's back! Noble Consort is back!"
"Where is she?" Xiao Jingheng eagerly asked.
Xiao Yinzi quickly replied: "Noble Consort has returned on horseback with her servants. She's currently on a boat heading to the island in the lake. Noble Consort said she has an important matter to discuss with Your Majesty."
"I'll go greet her."
After speaking, Xiao Jingheng turned to leave. Just as he was about to go out the door, he seemed to remember Song Zhao.
So he turned back and gently said to her: "You are unwell, rest well. I'll come see you again later."
"This subject pays her respects in sending off Your Majesty."
Song Zhao bowed ceremoniously towards Xiao Jingheng's dust-covered back as he left.
After he had left the courtyard, Song Zhao finally let out a held breath. Then she clutched her chest and couldn't help but retch again and again.
Yun Shang hurried over to pat her back, and said sympathetically: "Why didn't Noble Consort tell His Majesty about the pregnancy, but instead suffer so much trying to hide it?"
She fetched a cup of water for Song Zhao to rinse her mouth, and said, "This pregnancy seems to be much more difficult than the last time..."
After rinsing her mouth and spitting the water into an urn, Song Zhao finally spoke after catching her breath:
"The first three months are the most crucial. Consort Hui hasn't left yet. In a couple more days, after she and the Empress have returned to the palace, and the fetus becomes more stable, it won't be too late to say something."
Yun Shang said: "Noble Consort has really suffered... His Majesty's heart and eyes are full of the Noble Consort. I heard that even when Noble Consort was unwell and came to keep him company, he was still preoccupied."
Song Zhao laughed indifferently, "With Noble Consort's return this time, I guess someone is about to have terrible luck."
Yun Shang was curious: "Who?"
Song Zhao raised her eyebrows at her and said firmly:
"Prince Rui."
*
When Xiao Jingheng arrived at the shore, he saw Noble Consort being helped down from a flat boat.
After not seeing her for several days, she looked extremely haggard.
She had lost a lot of weight, and her eyes were also red and swollen from crying, no longer as bright and beautiful as before.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingheng also felt a stabbing pain in his heart.
Seeing Noble Consort Chen dragging her weary body towards him, Xiao Jingheng quickly stepped forward two steps.
"Go slowly, don't fall."
He held Noble Consort Chen's hand tightly. Seeing that she wanted to say something, she first had a violent coughing fit for a good while.
Noble Consort Chen's hand was burning hot. The scalding heat spread through Xiao Jingheng's palm all the way to his heaving chest, and burnt a hole in the tip of his heart.
"You still have a high fever. How could you be so reckless?"
"Your Majesty... *cough cough*! There's something wrong with Prince Rui! He's problematic!"
Noble Consort Chen held Xiao Jingheng's hand even tighter. Her eyes were full of resentment as she righteously declared:
"Vice General An was previously under Prince Rui. He deliberately led me astray, causing me to miss the chance to save my father and brothers! Moreover, afterwards he drank and celebrated joyously with Prince Rui, extremely delighted, as if my father and brothers' deaths brought them tremendous joy! Your Majesty! My father and brothers must have been wronged by Prince Rui. I beg Your Majesty to thoroughly investigate this matter and restore my father and brothers' innocence!"
Xiao Jingheng's eyes also moistened slightly, and he sighed:
"General Ning couldn't be saved, seeing you like this also makes me very sad. Actually, I didn't agree to pardon them because of your plea that day. Even without your plea, I felt there were many suspicious points about this matter. But at the time, with the ironclad evidence and pressure from the court, I had no choice but to provide an explanation to the world."
He embraced Noble Consort Chen and cried hot tears onto her forehead:
"I had the Minister of Justice investigate this matter repeatedly, and although the evidence was conclusive, I still had doubts. At the time when I agreed to spare your father and brothers' lives, I also secretly ordered the Vice Minister of Justice to overstep his authority and reinvestigate this matter. Believe me, if your father and brothers were really wronged, I will definitely restore justice for them!"
Noble Consort Chen nestled in Xiao Jingheng's arms, sobbing uncontrollably:
"Your Majesty... Prince Rui also holds authority over the Imperial Guards. That he insisted on falsely accusing and killing my father and brothers at this time of national peace and prosperity, his intentions must be suspect! It's evident that he harbors ulterior motives, his heart deserves punishment!"
Xiao Jingheng gently patted her slender shoulders and gently persuaded:
"This matter has not yet been concluded, we shouldn't speculate. You've travelled extensively and are still ill, let me take you back to your quarters and have the imperial physician treat you."
On the way back, they encountered Jiang Deshun, who hurriedly said to Xiao Jingheng:
"Your Majesty, the Vice Minister of Justice requests an audience."
"I see. Let him wait in the study, I'll go after I've settled the Noble Consort."
"Your Majesty! I want to go with you! I want to restore my father and brothers' innocence, they can't die in vain!"
Noble Consort Chen was quite emotional. Since she insisted, Xiao Jingheng couldn't refuse either, so he agreed to take her along to the study to listen to what the Minister of Justice had found out this time.
