Union

Chapter 157, Section 156 Revealed
With someone's help, Ms. Feng sat up from the ground.

"Miss."

"Speak your mind," the Empress said, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at the young Lady Feng, who had quickly regained her composure.

Although Lady Feng was physically weak and only had a pretty face, she managed to persuade the Duke of Rong to marry her as his second wife after her elder sister's death. While part of the reason for this was the Duke of Rong's desire to continue the marriage alliance with the Feng family, Lady Feng herself also had some commendable qualities.

For example, even now, though she can barely stand, her expression is calm. She is resilient and strong, like a pine tree that cannot be broken despite its many twists and turns.

With a hoarse voice, Madam Feng looked at the Empress and asked, "When Your Majesty's people discovered Lin, did they notice any other people in this palace?"

These words were a fatal blow, hitting the nail on the head.

No wonder that after the Duke of Rong remarried, he had no other desires and even dismissed the concubines from his household, devoting himself entirely to Xiao Fengshi. Even his children, apart from those born to his first wife, were all born to Xiao Fengshi.

With such shrewdness and resilience, coupled with her feigned frailty, it was no wonder that she could easily manipulate and control the Duke of Rong.
The Empress sighed inwardly: "Truly, one cannot judge a book by its cover."

Then, recalling what Lady Feng had said, the Empress had the answer in her heart, but she could not tell her.

From the Empress's hesitation, Lady Feng deduced that there had been another person in the palace earlier. If she wasn't mistaken, that person was Lin Shuqing's godfather!
That person must be one of the noble sons who came to the banquet, and what's more, he has already been captured by the Empress!
Lady Feng asked directly, "Please tell me, Your Majesty, who exactly is that person?"

The Empress hesitated, ultimately refraining from revealing the person's identity.

This further proves that the person was indeed captured by the Empress's people. However, given the person's background, it's difficult to say who this person is.

Who could be someone that even the Empress would hold a grudge against?

Lin Shuqing doesn't even care about her own Yan Zhou, so who else could possibly catch her eye?
Upon careful consideration, the number of suitable candidates was very small.

Of these few people, after filtering out those who had been away from the capital for the past two or three months, the remaining three were all princes and nobles.

It felt as if a huge boulder had sunk into Xiao Feng's heart, making it hard for her to breathe.

The main hall was extremely quiet. The Empress's eyes held a hint of worry and apology. The two palace maids were trying their best to suppress their breathing, as if they were invisible.

Lin Shuqing slept soundly, her chest heaving, completely oblivious to the future of the complicated situation caused by her absurdity and willfulness.

Because the floor was cold, her cheeks turned slightly pale. When Xiao Feng saw this, she reached out to help her up.

Seeing this, two palace maids, at the Empress's signal, quickly came to help. Finally, the three of them worked together to move Lin Shuqing to the couch nearby.

Madam Feng said, "She is pregnant after all. Even if it's not my child's, it's someone else's... Your Majesty, may I ask one last question: Is it possible to hand that person over to the Duke of Rong's mansion?"

It was handed over to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion; it was the Rongguo Duke's Mansion that wanted an explanation, not her personally.

The Empress could refuse her personally, but she could not refuse the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, as that would dishearten the important officials.

After hesitating for a long time, the Empress finally said, "I cannot make a decision on this matter. I have already ordered someone to inform His Majesty of what happened here. His Majesty should be able to explain the situation to the Duke of Rong later."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Feng breathed a slight sigh of relief.

The Duke of Rongguo will not stand idly by and watch his son suffer such humiliation. Regardless of who is behind it or whether Lin Shuqing was acting voluntarily or under duress, she will not agree to this until the Duke of Rongguo's family gives an explanation.

Furthermore, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion will no longer want Lin Shuqing as their daughter-in-law.

After processing these thoughts, Lady Feng bowed to the Empress and said, "Since things have come to this, I will not linger any longer and will return to Qingping Palace. I am grateful for Your Majesty's concern in handling these matters."

"It's no trouble at all. Someone, escort Lady Rongguo back to Qingping Palace."

……

Little Feng came in a hurry and left in a hurry.

She came and went in a hurry, and few people noticed this.

However, some with keen eyes noticed that Lady Feng and the Empress left one after the other, and then noticed that Lady Feng looked strange when she returned, and her spirits were obviously much lower.

The lady wondered to herself, "Could he have caught a chill outside?"

But it was just a casual thought; I didn't take it to heart.

As the banquet drew to a close, more people were moving around. Not only was Lady Feng absent, but the Lady of Chang'an Marquis, the Lady of Xuanguo Duke, and others had also disappeared from the hall, their whereabouts unknown.

Speaking of Lady Chang'an, it was quite a coincidence this year that her seat was not far from that of Lady Feng, only three or five seats apart.

At such a close distance, Lady Chang'an could naturally keep an eye on her daughter at all times.

Seeing that Lin Shuqing had been gone for a long time and had not returned, and that Madam Feng had just returned from outside, the Lady of Chang'an Marquis wanted to call Madam Feng to ask her if she had seen Shuqing outside.

However, even after calling out "mother-in-law" twice, there was no response from Ms. Feng.

A noblewoman nearby overheard this and assumed that Madam Feng hadn't heard it, so she teased her, "Your mother-in-law is calling you."

But Ms. Feng just smiled.

The smile was cool and dismissive, making those who had been joking about it immediately lose their temper and dare not meddle anymore.

Upon seeing this, Lady Chang'an frowned instinctively, a bad feeling creeping into her heart. But before she could confirm whether this premonition was related to Shuqing, a palace maid came with the Empress's waist token, inviting her to come over.

At such a palace banquet, no one would ever use the Empress's waist token to forge something. Since it was brought out, it meant that Her Majesty the Empress had truly invited them.

Then, recalling that just moments ago, Lady Feng and the Empress left one after the other, and Lady Feng ignored her calls, and now that Lady Feng has just returned, the Empress is calling her over again...

Lady Chang'an's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was about to jump out of her throat.

This palace banquet, on the surface, was filled with laughter and joy; beneath, however, tensions ran high and hysteria were palpable. The joy of some and the sorrow of others were but a fleeting moment. Just like the fireworks floating above the palace, they vanished in the blink of an eye.

After the palace banquet ended, everyone left the palace one after another.

Chen Yanxi belatedly realized that someone seemed to be missing from her team. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be her second sister-in-law.

Chen Yanxi tugged at Xiao Feng's clothes and asked sleepily, "Mother, where is Second Sister-in-law?"

"Your second sister-in-law wasn't feeling well, so she went home early."

"Oh, I see. I took a nap in the middle and didn't even know it."

"It has nothing to do with you. Cheer up and go back to sleep when you get home."

"it is good."

The mother and daughter were talking in hushed tones. Zhang Luxi, who was walking on the other side of Xiao Fengshi, did not interrupt, but subtly pulled his fox fur cloak down to his chin.

Whether Lin Shuqing had returned home to rest beforehand, Zhang Luxi didn't know. But Zhang Luxi, who had served her mother-in-law for several years, knew that her mother-in-law was in a very bad mood. She was clearly suppressing her anger, yet trying her best to act as if nothing had happened; something truly shocking must have occurred.

If nothing unexpected happens, this matter should be related to Lin Shuqing.

Now everyone was waiting to leave the palace. The crowd filed in, perhaps exhausted, or perhaps because they knew they would have to wait another two hours to enter the palace for the morning audience. They were truly weary both physically and mentally. So, they stopped talking and silently trudged along the palace's bluestone slabs toward the palace gate.

After the Rongguo Duke's family members left the palace, they saw the Rongguo Duke and his three sons already waiting at the palace gate.

The three brothers, Chen Yanqing, Chen Yanzhou, and Chen Yanhuai, stood together, while on the other side, the Duke of Rongguo was talking to a man who was thin, weathered, but had an air of refined elegance.

Upon seeing Madam Feng and her companions emerge, the three Chen brothers quickly came to greet them. Seeing Madam Feng looking at the Duke of Rong, Chen Yanqing hurriedly explained, "General Pingxi brought several jars of strong liquor for Father upon his return. The two are currently discussing when to drink together."

Madam Feng withdrew her gaze and replied, "Your father and General Pingxi have always been on good terms and have maintained contact over the years. That wine was specially brought over by General Pingxi on your father's behalf, and General Pingxi also extorted a few ginseng roots from your father."

Chen Yanqing laughed heartily, "So that's how it is."

Seeing that everyone was waiting, General Gu Wangchen didn't say much to Duke Rong. The two patted each other on the shoulder, agreed on a time for drinking next time, and then Duke Rong strode over.

Upon arriving, the Duke of Rong seemed completely unaware that one person was missing from the group. He simply helped Madam Feng into the carriage, saying, "Be careful, you're not young anymore, you must take good care of yourself."

Ms. Feng felt a pang of sadness, and at that moment, the grievances in her eyes almost turned into tears.

But in front of so many people, Madam Feng couldn't bring herself to do anything shameful. She simply responded softly, took Rongguo Gong's arm, and got into the carriage.

The couple's every word and action was under the watchful eyes of the younger generation. As perceptive as Chen Yanqing and Zhang Luxi were, they sensed something amiss once again. They exchanged a glance, seeing the same suspicion and contemplation in each other's eyes… then there was no doubt, something bad had happened without their knowledge.

What could it be?

The Chen Yanqing couple both composed themselves.

Chen Yanhuai was a simpleton, but he was extremely sensitive to people's emotions. His mother was unhappy, and after getting into the car, her eyes suddenly reddened. Chen Yanhuai didn't want to say much, lest his words be overheard. But he was anxiously rubbing his mother's hand, saying, "Mom, what's on your mind? Tell me later."

Ms. Feng shook her head.

The somber atmosphere persisted until everyone returned to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion.

After everyone entered the mansion, they escorted Madam Feng back to Wenhua Garden to rest, and sent Chen Yanxi and Chen Yanhuai away. Only the heir apparent and his wife and Chen Yanzhou remained. At that moment, the Duke of Rongguo kicked him without warning, shouting, "You unfilial son!"

Chen Yanqing and Zhang Luxi were quite startled.

Zhang Luxi quickly went to help his mother-in-law, while Chen Yanqing hurriedly stopped his father.

"Father, what are you doing? It's the New Year, why are you hitting Yan Zhou? Father, please stop! Don't hurt Yan Zhou. There's a grand court assembly in two hours."

The Duke of Rongguo was like a furious lion. Looking at his second son, who was kneeling on the ground without any remorse, he was so angry that his anger surged to the top of his head.

"I'll beat you to death, you bastard! What have you done, you unfilial son? Do you dare to tell your father to his face? Chen Yanqing, let go of me! If I don't beat this unfilial son to death today, I'm not a Chen!"

Such a commotion, threatening to expose family scandals, left Zhang Luxi in a dilemma: to stay or to leave. In the end, she reluctantly stayed, hoping to appease her heartbroken mother-in-law.

The Duke of Rong was furious. "I'm busy with affairs and don't have time to deal with things in your courtyard. But didn't I tell you to come and inform me immediately if anything went wrong? Chen Yanzhou, Chen Yanzhou, you treat your father's words like farts! You've become so capable, you can handle things yourself. Your father only got a few words from the Emperor."

It's no exaggeration to say that when the Duke of Rong heard from the Emperor's chief attendant today that Lin Shuqing was more than two months pregnant and that her lover was the Second Prince, he choked on his own saliva and almost passed out on the spot.

Such a big thing happened right inside the palace, and it just so happened that it was caught red-handed by the night patrol guards. The second prince was unlucky; when he pushed Lin Shuqing aside to escape, he happened to step on the hairpin that had fallen from Lin Shuqing's head, twisting his ankle and thus being caught red-handed.

Listening to this whole thing, if it hadn't actually happened, he would have thought someone was putting on a play on stage.

But this isn't a play; this is reality.

That's something more real than real gold.

If the Duke of Rong hadn't already told his second son that Lin's frequent incense offerings were inappropriate, he wouldn't have been so furious when he heard His Majesty's words.

Perhaps His Majesty believed his fury stemmed from Lin Shuqing's infidelity, from the Second Prince's taking another man's wife, and from their secret affair leaving the Rongguo Duke's mansion destitute. The Emperor spoke earnestly, repeatedly saying, "You rebellious second son, I will surely punish you severely." But the Rongguo Duke knew that his primary anger wasn't about the Second Prince's adultery with Lin, but rather that Chen Yanzhou, having already investigated the matter, hadn't immediately informed him, the father, but instead had chosen a partner to act secretly.

Isn't he afraid that person will scheme against him?
How much of a calculation is there in this matter? How can he ensure that no one makes a mistake and that no one uses this as leverage against him afterward?
He was completely confident that things would proceed as he predicted.
In that instant, the Duke of Rong thought of many things, even that if they didn't clean up the mess properly, the palace might pull the strings and overturn the whole affair.

At that time, the Second Prince and the Lin family will be held accountable, but what about Chen Yanzhou? What good will he gain?

To fool His Majesty, confuse the public, and scheme against the court will, at best, result in the stripping of all official positions and titles and a lifetime ban from entering the capital; at worst, it will be more than just losing one's life!
The Duke of Rong was so angry that his face contorted with rage, and his muscles trembled all over.

He swiftly pulled his belt from his waist and, before anyone could react, slapped it across Chen Yanzhou's back.

In just one blow, blood appeared on Chen Yanzhou's back, his skin torn and flesh ripped open!