Chapter 26 Your husband will never love you.

Chapter 26 Your husband will never love you.

Shen Nanzi knelt on the ground, wincing in pain. When she turned around, she saw Xie Yan stretching out his arm.

Xue Qingning held his sleeve firmly, patting her chest with lingering fear, her face pale.

"Thank you, Prince Jing. I was in a hurry just now and it was not intentional." As if speaking to Shen Nanzi who was lying on the ground, "Only now did I realize that it was Prince Jing and Nanzi."

She regained her composure, quickly slid over, and squatted down next to Shen Nanzi.

"Nanzi, I'm sorry I made you fall. Let me help you up."

Shen Nanzi was furious and shook off her hand. "Second sister-in-law really knows how to pick people. It's always like this. Who knows what she's up to!"

Xue Qingning's face turned pale at her words, and she said to Xie Yan, "Nan Zi seems to have misunderstood. I really didn't see clearly."

"The rats were running around everywhere, I was just terrified!" She seemed to have been wronged, her eyes welling up with tears.

"Shen Nanzi, this matter is out of control, don't be petty." Xie Yan spoke gently, as he came to her side to help her up.

"Are you blind?" Shen Nanzi was furious and kicked Xie Yan in the leg. Xie Yan was so close that he almost fell over.

Xie Yan steadied himself, his expression annoyed: "Shen Nanzi, you're being ridiculous again. The Emperor is watching today. If you're not afraid, then go ahead and cause trouble."

Having said that, he ignored her and left, flicking his sleeves.

Xue Qingning wanted to help her up, but Shen Nanzi said, "Stay away from me!"

After saying that, she took off her ice skates, carried them in her hand, and walked on the icy ice surface of the Iceman wearing cloth socks.

Lin Ruyi glided over to her side and teased, "How pathetic, your own prince has been snatched away by someone else."

“Prince Jing doesn’t even distinguish right from wrong, blindly protecting others and leaving without a word. You look so pathetic.”

"Oh dear! This life is not as comfortable as that of an ordinary couple."

“A single spark can start a prairie fire. Princess Jing, you’re living a truly pathetic life.”

"It's been eight years. If Prince Jing truly loved you, how could he let a wife be so blind to you?"

“If you walk back across this ice, your feet will probably get frostbite. Even I, a woman, know this, do you think he wouldn’t know and let you fall on the ice?”

"You have no hope in this life. You are destined to never win Prince Jing's heart and become a laughing stock in other people's mouths."

Shen Nanzi was speechless and stunned, unable to refute.

A moment later, my body felt light, and the icy cold soles of my feet were freed from the sea of ​​suffering.

"Madam of the County Marquis, please go away! If I hear your divisive words again, even if it is your County Marquis, I will still make his life difficult."

A deep, resonant voice, carrying a subtle warning.

Lin Ruyi shrank back.

Shen Nanzi looked up and saw Shen Minghan. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she hugged Shen Minghan, her voice choked with sobs, "Brother!"

Shen Minghan was so angry that he could only breathe heavily. He ripped off his already soaked socks and wrapped her in his cloak. "Xie Yan is too outrageous. She actually abandoned you and left."

Lin Ruyi took the opportunity to leave.

"Brother, it's my fault, don't blame him." She wanted Xie Yan back then, but now that things have turned out this way, she doesn't want her brother to worry.

"You're still protecting him? Do you think your brother doesn't know that all these years you've only reported good news and never bad, always saying he's a good person?"

"Do you think your brother is blind? He's bullied you to such an extent, and he still has an ambiguous relationship with the Second Princess."

"Your brother won't let you be bullied."

Shen Nanzi didn't want Shen Minghan to interfere in their marital affairs. "Brother, don't worry about me. Just focus on being a good Grand Commandant and don't cause any trouble because of me."

"I've worked so hard to get to where I am today, all for my family. If I can't protect you, what's the point of being a high-ranking official!"

“He is Prince Jing, my brother. He is a prince after all, and the emperor will eventually favor him.”

"So what? Even if I have to give up my position as Grand Commandant, I will protect you."

"Brother! You're not allowed to interfere. If you do, I'll never talk to you again!" Shen Nanzi said harshly, but her heart was bleeding.

Her brother was very protective of her, and if she did something that would implicate him because of her, she would feel even more guilty.

Shen Minghan said nothing more, carried her back to the tent, and covered her feet with a brocade quilt.

"Auntie, quickly go and have someone boil some water, Nanzi's feet are frozen!"

"It's alright, brother, it was just chilled for a little while, it's nothing serious." Shen Nanzi knew that Shen Minghan cared about her.

Shen Minghan scolded Xie Yan a few more times. His aunt brought over hot water and, after confirming that Xie Yan's feet weren't frostbitten, he left angrily.

＊

Everyone was frightened and stopped playing.

The ice skating event was ruined by a bunch of rats. This was supposed to be the last night, and the royal ice skating event would end tomorrow.

This commotion angered the Emperor, who felt there was no good outcome. He ordered an immediate investigation into how rats could have appeared in the frozen Hongchi Lake.

The Emperor gave the order, and people immediately began to work on the matter.

These rats were found to be foraging for food on the ice.

Upon closer inspection, the food the rats ate was found to be wax.

It was the dead of winter, and the mice had nothing to eat. Smelling the aroma of grease, they came in droves.

The emperor asked why there was wax on the ice.

The final conclusion was that someone had poured wax onto the ice!

The Emperor was furious, declaring that this was a deliberate attempt to harm members of the royal family and demanding a thorough investigation.

Those nearby who heard this knew that it was a suspected regicide, a crime punishable by death if investigated.

The moment the Emperor gave the order, Lin Ruyi immediately knelt down before him.

"Your Majesty, please calm down. This was not directed at Your Majesty."

The Emperor asked, "What happened?"

Lin Ruyi confessed, trembling, "Your Majesty, it was I who was petty and held a grudge against the Princess Consort of Jing for framing me back then."

After hearing what she said, everyone had a pretty good idea of ​​what was going on.

“I had a grudge against her and wanted to get revenge, so I soaked the soles of her shoes in wax.”

"I want her to fall down in front of you and then be punished."

"But Your Majesty is kind-hearted and did not punish her."

"When I discovered that someone was secretly inquiring about the wax, I was afraid that the truth would be exposed. Since the color of the wax was the same as that of the ice, I ordered someone to pour the wax onto the ice."

That's why we're in this situation today.

"This is already a remote place, but I never expected such a coincidence that everyone is ice skating here."

Everyone instantly realized that Princess Jing's fall that night was not accidental, but rather a result of Lin's underhanded tactics.

"Your Majesty, please punish me! I am narrow-minded and could not bear the resentment from back then, which is why I have committed such an absurd act of revenge."

Lin Ruyi kowtowed, filled with remorse.

Everyone began to sympathize with her, after all, if it weren't for the Princess Consort of Jing's encouragement back then, she wouldn't have married the elderly Marquis.

Now, at such a young age, she spends her days with an old marquis who is older than her father, making her undoubtedly a widow.

The emperor remembered what had happened back then and felt a great deal of sympathy for her.

He then asked Consort Wei in a low voice, "How is the county magistrate's condition now?"

Consort Wei: "She's still the same as before, paralyzed in bed, needing to be waited on hand and foot to eat and drink."

"It's normal for her to harbor resentment. The feud between Princess Jing and the Lin family is something that outsiders probably can't resolve. Your Majesty, please handle this matter accordingly!"

The Emperor looked at Xie Yan and asked, "Where is your Princess Jing?"

Xie Yan looked at the spot where Shen Nanzi had been standing, and said, "Your subject does not know either."

The Emperor snorted coldly, "You two are truly a headache, each one more troublesome than the other."

"This is the trouble caused by Princess Jing. Now that this has happened, it is up to you to deal with it."

Everyone looked at Xie Yan. The emperor, still holding onto old feelings, knew that this was all sordid business between women.

He dealt with it too harshly, which was inappropriate for the Lin family; he dealt with it too leniently, which wasn't enough of a deterrent, and it wouldn't be acceptable if others followed suit next time.

Let's just leave it to Xie Yan to handle.