Chapter 29 He Becomes an Enemy of His Brother for the Sake of His Second Sister-in-Law

Chapter 29 He Becomes an Enemy of His Brother for the Sake of His Second Sister-in-Law

Shen Nanzi was shocked. He was threatening her, saying that she would be at odds with her brother for the sake of her second sister-in-law!

Shen Nanzi looked at the man in front of her, hardly believing her ears.

She gave a bitter laugh, as if mocking her own ten years of youth, eight years of marriage, and the love and hate intertwined in the person before her.

"Xie Yan, if you dare to do this, I will not hesitate to spread rumors outside."

"You've embarrassed me, and I won't let you off the hook either. It's better to fight to the death."

Xie Yan released her, "Shen Nanzi, you'd better watch your mouth!"

Shen Nanzi pushed him away and left in anger.

Back at the mansion, she collapsed onto the bed, tears streaming down her face like a burst dam.

Although he did not directly acknowledge his relationship with Xue Qingning, he also did not deny her questioning.

This means that her guesses were correct; Xie Yan was to marry Xue Qingning before she married him.

Now that it was time to prepare the wedding attire, Shen Nanzi carefully recalled the events.

I remember Xue Qingning married the Second Prince three months earlier than them.

But she had clearly inquired at the time and found that Xie Yan had no sweetheart and no woman he was engaged to.

This means that the two of them have secretly pledged their lives to each other.

Moreover, the betrothal between the Second Prince and Xue Qingning came first, followed by her betrothal to Xie Yan.

Why should Xie Yan hate her?

Shen Nanzi grew angrier the more she thought about it. Lie Feng listened to her crying outside, looked at the sky, and hated his own lowly status.

Miss Mingming was unhappy, but because Xie Yan was Prince Jing, she was unable to sever this ill-fated relationship.

Finally, Lie Feng disappeared in front of the door. He was going to find Shen Nanzi's brother, because only Shen Minghan could rival Prince Jing's status.

What the young lady forbids, let this bad guy do.

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"Miss, news has arrived: Prince Jing and Grand Commandant Shen got into an argument during the morning court session!"

A biting wind swept into the room, and his expression turned solemn.

Shen Nanzi put down the lily and lotus seed soup in her hand and immediately stood up, saying, "Send me to the outside of Chongde Hall."

The aunt immediately picked up the bright red cloak. "Your Highness, put this on. It's still frozen outside, and it's snowing again. Don't catch a cold."

Shen Nanzi was already furious. Before her aunt could finish tying her skirt, she lifted it up and went out.

The wind outside was biting cold, carrying tiny snowflakes that stung my face.

Her pale white boots trod through the snow, splashing up bursts of snow water.

Lie Feng had already prepared a carriage and was waiting at the door. After she got on, the carriage sped towards the palace.

The Prince Jing's residence was located right next to the imperial city. In no time, she arrived at the palace, her fiery red cloak fluttering in the snow as she headed straight for the Chongde Hall.

Chongde Hall was where the emperor and his ministers held their morning court sessions.

Shen Nanzi was still at the bottom of the eighty-first step when she heard the commotion inside the main hall.

Guards immediately stopped her, saying, "Your Highness, this is a place for state affairs; you are not permitted to enter."

Shen Nanzi didn't say a word, she just kept walking upstairs until the guard held a knife to her neck.

The sounds from inside the hall reached her ears one by one.

"Your Majesty's objection to the Second Imperial Consort and the Imperial Grandson Xie Hongrui attending the sacrificial ceremony on the first day of the lunar month, including the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth, is based on sound reasoning and is not a deliberate attack."

Shen Nanzi's heart skipped a beat; it was her brother's voice.

"Although the sins should not be borne by family members, the Second Prince did not heed the advice of his generals and was stubborn and self-willed, which led to serious mistakes."

"It caused the tragic deaths of 100,000 soldiers and the loss of 11 border cities."

"He even lost his own life because of this. Such a grave mistake, which harms the country and its people and disregards the lives of his soldiers, cannot be atoned for by death alone."

"If the two imperial concubines and the grandson of the emperor were to appear at the sacrificial ceremony, the wives and children of the 100,000 fallen soldiers would be suffering."

"The prince's descendant, who was notorious for his crimes, is now living a life of luxury, indulging in wine, meat, and delicacies."

"They should not appear in front of the public again and provoke public anger. Nearly 90% of the respondents agreed, while the others remained silent."

"Only Prince Jing objected and agreed to allow the mother and son to appear at the sacrificial ceremony."

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask why Prince Jing is going against the majority opinion and insisting on standing by the side of the mother and son, opposing the ministers and soldiers. What is his intention?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Nanzi took a step back, her fingers gripping the edge of her cloak, her knuckles turning white.

Then she heard Xie Yan's voice, "Grand Commandant Shen, you all know that the sins of the family should not be visited upon the innocent. The Second Prince has already paid for his mistakes with his life."

"The Emperor also convicted him, and he was not even allowed to enter the imperial mausoleum. The Second Prince's wife and the Emperor's grandson were stripped of their stipends and demoted, and their expenses were reduced."

"After moving away from the palace, I have not seen the Emperor's face for three years."

"While they, an orphan and a widow, certainly do not deserve sympathy, the grandson of the emperor, Xie Hongrui, still carries the blood of the royal family."

“Even if an ordinary family commits a crime, their descendants can still enter the ancestral hall to pay homage to their ancestors.”

"Why are they so harsh on the royal family? Leaving them, a widow and her child, isolated and helpless, ostracized by everyone."

"Grandson Xie Hongrui has lost his father's protection. He is an orphan and a widow, with little power. What are you so afraid of?"

"The civil and military officials are here to govern the country and serve the court, not to make things difficult for a lonely and helpless royal mother and child."

"If Grand Commandant Shen insists on asking me why I stood against all the officials, defying the majority opinion."

"What I wanted to say was that I just couldn't stand seeing you bullying that mother and child."

The argument inside continued, but Shen Nanzi didn't want to listen anymore. She stared blankly at the sky and walked down the steps one by one.

The sky seemed to have had its colors stolen, leaving only a gray and white expanse.

The red palace walls are like shackles, encircling the most distinguished group of people in the world.

The vast plaza in front of the palace was covered with snow.

Shen Nanzi, dressed in fiery red, stepped onto the ground like an angry, speechless mute, having lost her fighting spirit and walking dejectedly out of the palace.

At the corner of the palace gate, Lin Ruyi held up an oil-paper umbrella, as if she were deliberately waiting for her.

"Haven't you always wanted to know the truth? Today, I've come specifically to tell you!"

Shen Nanzi looked at her and said, "I already know the truth."

"No, you only know part of the truth. Let me tell you the rest!"

Lin Ruyi looked unhappy, staring at her with an indescribable expression.

Regardless of whether she was listening or not, he continued talking to himself.

"One day, I ran into Prince Jing and the Second Princess outside the palace."

"They sat in their respective carriages, which were very close together, and the curtains were not even lifted."

"What a coincidence! My carriage was parked next to theirs. Perhaps they thought there was no one in my carriage! I overheard their conversation."

Shen Nanzi's face was pale, like a little white rabbit about to die in the snow, as she listened to Lin Ruyi's words.

"The Second Princess said you should live your life well and stop dwelling on the past."

"Prince Jing said, 'Those were the days before, now it's just about surviving.'"

"The Second Princess said it was all a cruel joke of fate that lovers could not be together. My father schemed his whole life, but he sent his own daughter into this cold cage. From now on, I can only live on Rui'er."

"Past events are like fireworks, brilliant and fleeting; having experienced them is enough for the rest of my life."

"May Prince Jing forget his future and live a peaceful life together."