Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 797: A famous teacher
As the King of Qin and his son were talking, the sound of a baby crying came from the side room. Thinking that his young son had lost his mother right after birth, the King of Qin's eyes reddened.

"Who are you? How did you get into the inner courtyard?"

The King of Qin heard his daughter's voice coming from the courtyard. He stood up with a sullen face and walked out, where he saw the imperial guards.

The Palace Guard Commander bowed to the Prince of Qin: "Your Highness, we heard a noise coming from the palace and were worried about your safety, so we came in to check."

Without speaking to the imperial guards, the King of Qin instead instructed his two daughters: "Go and see your mother!"

When the two daughters heard the news from the servants, they couldn't believe it at first. But when they saw their father like this, it was like being struck by lightning. They couldn't care about anything else and hurriedly went inside.

A moment later, the sound of two people crying could be heard from inside the house.

The commander was even more puzzled and bowed to the Prince of Qin again, saying, "Has something happened at the Prince's residence? If there is anything we can do for you, please give us your orders."

They spoke politely, but in reality, they were monitoring the Prince's mansion's every move.

"The Princess Consort has passed away." It took the Prince of Qin a long time to finally say these words through gritted teeth. Jiang Zhenru was forced to commit suicide by the Emperor, the Empress Dowager and others. With his family destroyed and his people dead, these people must be very happy.

The commander looked surprised. After a moment, he bowed and said, "There is no time to lose. I will immediately go and invite people from the Imperial Hospital to examine the princess's pulse."

Taking a pulse?

The King of Qin clenched his fist and stared intently at the Commander of the Capital. The man was already dead, so what was the point of taking his pulse? The real purpose was to verify his identity and make sure he wasn't lying.

The commander seemed oblivious to the King of Qin's anger, remaining polite as ever: "If Your Highness has any further instructions, just let us know... The Emperor has ordered us to come and protect the Prince's residence, and we are duty-bound to fulfill any needs the Prince's residence may have."

Without waiting for the King of Qin's reply, he glanced in the direction of the main house and quickly retreated.

The King of Qin immediately felt a sharp pain in his heart. He gritted his teeth, stopped, and turned back into the inner chamber.

The Prince's residence kept a physician. After the steward discovered that the Princess had hanged herself, he summoned the physician. After examining her, the physician determined that the Princess could not be saved. Otherwise, the steward would not have reported it in that way when he returned.

Hearing his children crying, the King of Qin ordered his servants to wash and change the Queen's clothes, and then instructed the steward to manage the mourning hall. He then went into a side room and called Zhao Mama aside to inquire about her.

"Did the princess say anything else to you?"

With so many people around and so many eyes watching, the King of Qin felt that Zhao Mama must be hiding something.

Sure enough, Zhao Mama responded, "The Princess said that Madam Wu will not implicate the Prince, so the Prince can rest assured."

Just as the King of Qin was about to take out Jiang Zhenru's letter to examine it, his hand froze upon hearing this.

He knew in his heart how much the Jiang family had done for the Prince's Mansion over the years. The Duke of Wei retired, Jiang Ruming died tragically, and now Zhen Ru had hanged herself for him. Madam Wu had been imprisoned and, if nothing unexpected happened, would also be facing certain death.

The only reason he can sit here peacefully is because the Jiang family is standing in his way.

"And another thing," Zhao Mama said, taking out a letter, "The Princess said that this was given to her by Lady Wu on behalf of the Duke of Wei. It contains the names of the officials that the Duke of Wei has secretly recruited for the Prince's mansion over the years, just in case... the Prince's mansion is short-handed if the Duke of Wei passes away one day. The Duke's intention is that these officials will follow the Prince as long as His Highness needs them."

"That's all."

The King of Qin first glanced at the list of officials sent by the Duke of Wei, and then opened Jiang Zhenru's letter.

This is Jiang Zhenru's last letter. She clearly stated that only with her death would the Emperor not hold the Prince's Mansion responsible. She only hoped that the Prince's Mansion could live in peace from then on.

“Fool,” the King of Qin couldn’t help but say, “If you die, they will find other ways to punish me. Where will I find peace? Even if the Emperor wants to let me go… that rebellious son will not give up easily.”

As the King of Qin continued reading, he discovered that Jiang Zhenru had thought of this for him.

The King of Qin's eyes widened, and after a moment he carefully put the letter away.

The King of Qin looked at Zhao Mama: "Who came to the mansion to deliver this message?"

“He is the steward by the Duke’s side,” Zhao Mama reported truthfully. “He came to Bianjing with Madam Wu. When Madam Wu was arrested, he was ordered to send the news back to the Prince’s mansion immediately.”

The King of Qin asked in a hoarse voice, "Where is that steward now?"

“The princess sent him away to prevent the court from coming to the mansion to investigate,” Zhao Mama said, her voice choked with emotion. “The princess had arranged everything… It’s all my fault for not realizing it sooner.”

Zhao Mama was a maidservant brought by Jiang Zhenru from her maiden home. She naturally mentioned the Jiang family: "The Duke of Wei has always been concerned about the Princess Consort. How can we explain this to the Duke?" Upon hearing this, the Prince of Qin recalled the words in Jiang Zhenru's letter and felt that there was no one else in the world who could think of him like this.

Soon, imperial physicians and coroners arrived at the door.

The imperial physician first pretended to examine the wounds, and then the coroner examined the injuries.

Apart from a deep ligature mark on her neck, Jiang Zhenru had no other injuries, suggesting that she died by hanging.

Officials from Kaifeng Prefecture, the Ministry of Justice, and the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs arrived at the Prince of Qin's residence one after another. The Prince of Qin sat in his study, showing no intention of leaving, clearly not wanting to meet with anyone.

After some time, someone knocked on the study door.

The steward pushed the door open, but before he could speak, a figure squeezed into the room and turned to close the door.

The man took off his cloak; he was none other than the Vice Minister of State Affairs who had entered the palace today on the Empress's orders.

The King of Qin was taken aback: "Why are you here?"

The Vice Chancellor sighed: "After I returned home, I was just thinking about how to write my retirement memorial when I heard that something had happened at the Prince of Qin's residence."

The Princess Consort of Qin had only recently been involved in an incident, so unless someone had exceptionally keen intelligence, they wouldn't know about it.

"Who did this?" the Vice Minister asked. "Could it be His Majesty...?"

The King of Qin shook his head, but did not offer any further explanation.

The Vice Minister of State sat down to the side: "So, the Princess Consort sacrificed her life to save the Prince?"

The King of Qin tacitly accepted this explanation.

The Vice Minister of State Affairs said, "The Princess Consort is devoted to the Prince wholeheartedly; she is truly a woman of unwavering virtue."

After speaking, the two remained silent for a long time. The Vice Minister of State Affairs looked at the King of Qin and said, "There is something I know I shouldn't say at this time, but the situation is urgent, and I should remind Your Highness as soon as possible."

The King of Qin roughly guessed what the Vice Minister of State Affairs was going to say and wanted to stop him, but ultimately failed to speak.

The Vice Minister of State rose and bowed: "Your Highness should not have betrayed the Princess's heart, and even less should you have allowed her to bear such a crime until her death."

The King of Qin asked blankly, "What can I do?"

"Every action must have a just cause. The Prince's Mansion was framed because there are treacherous officials around the Emperor. Your Highness should cleanse the court of these corrupt officials and take down those traitors for the Great Liang."

The King of Qin's eyes welled up with tears. What the Vice Minister of State had said was exactly what Jiang Zhenru had written in her letter. With her death, he could use this to protect the royal palace and their child.

“If the official family favors the Prince of Huai, then…” A venomous glint flashed in the Vice Chancellor’s eyes, “He forced his stepmother to death, violating human ethics. How can he inherit the throne?”

"If Your Highness feels guilty towards the Princess Consort, you only need to promise the Jiang family that after you inherit the throne, you will posthumously confer upon the Princess Consort the title of Empress and make her son the Crown Prince. This would not only vindicate the Princess Consort but also please the Jiang family. Wouldn't that be better?"

The King of Qin frowned and remained silent.

"Your Highness must make a decision as soon as possible. The Empress Dowager has seized power and will definitely start targeting our people one by one. By then, if Your Highness wants to resist," the Vice Minister of State Affairs gave a bitter smile, "I'm afraid there will be no one left to use."

When the King of Qin heard crying coming from the main house again, his hands trembled slightly.

"The Duke of Wei must be devastated by the sudden loss of his beloved daughter. If he were to step forward and persuade the founding nobles, they would surely stand by the Prince's side."

These words rekindled the Qin king's desolate heart.

Let me think about it more carefully.

……

Inside the Kaifeng Prefecture prison, Madam Wu looked up and gazed outside, wondering what the situation was like. If everything had gone smoothly, Jiang Zhenru should already be dead.

(End of this chapter)