Yan Lan and Ma Yucai were dragged down by their slaves and killed with canes.
The miserable cries and howls shocked the servants in the mansion into silence. As their howls became weaker and weaker, the three lives lost in Tingxue Hall made everyone sigh.
This matter was so big that Nanny Xue was afraid that the news would leak out, so she strictly ordered her slaves to keep their mouths shut.
Zhao Chengyan, who was in a state of rage, didn't wake up until the evening. The first thing he shouted when he opened his eyes was Hong'er.
Seeing that he was awake, Grandma Xue's eyes turned red and she said, "Is Mr. Lang awake?"
Zhao Chengyan looked at her with a pale face, his throat was bitter and he said hoarsely: "Where is my Hong'er, where has he gone?"
Nanny Xue wiped her tears and said, "Mr. Lang..."
Thinking of the child who was thrown to death by his own hands, Zhao Chengyan collapsed completely and couldn't help crying anymore.
For Zhao Hong, he cruelly abandoned his wife Cui in exchange for his safe birth, but now he was beaten to death by him. The child he once regarded as a treasure was strangled by his own hands.
This is a joke.
Zhao Chengyan cried heartbrokenly.
She cried that she had ruined her marriage and family because of that bastard, and she even cried that she was so happy for his arrival, but it was like a nightmare that dealt him a fatal blow.
I was so happy once, but now I hate it so much.
He hated Yan Lan and Ma Yucai so much that if they had not failed, they would have just coaxed him like this.
But the human heart is greedy, and he cannot tolerate this heinous crime, all because he has lost too much for Yan Lan and her son. His first wife, who he had been with for seven years, was lost and thrown away by him. Now that he thinks about it, it breaks his heart.
Hate deeply.
Zhao Chengyan only cried twice in his life, once when his biological mother Yan passed away, and then again this time.
Yan's death made him feel that his support collapsed, while Zhao Hong's death caused his spiritual support to collapse.
One was begotten of him, and the other was begotten of him.
At least that's what I thought.
How much he wanted to keep that child by his side. He really liked him, liked to see him smile and babbling, and was willing to do everything he could to protect him as he grew up.
The only relative in the world who was connected to him by blood, the closest relative he regarded as a treasure, turned out to be told to him that he was someone else's bastard.
No man could bear such shame and humiliation, let alone him, Zhao Chengyan, who had grown up as a noble prince.
The baby bump that was once so beloved ended up becoming his shame.
Seeing Zhao Hong was like seeing his embarrassment and stupidity being plotted against. The funny thing was that his parents had been interacting with each other for a year under his nose.
If the two of them were not so greedy and broke off the relationship early before he found out, he would have accepted the blame.
Unfortunately, the human heart is hateful and the human heart is sinister.
At night, Zhao Chengyan didn't drink any water or rice, so he just lay on the bed without saying a word. He suffered a huge blow both physically and mentally.
Nanny Xue was anxious, but she was helpless.
She couldn't help but regret that she had dug into the matter. She thought it was just some involvement, but she didn't know that the matter had reached a point where it could not be ended. She didn't know how she felt.
The master and servant were relatively speechless.
The next day, Zhao Chengyan took sick leave. It was as if his soul had been sucked out of him. He came to the wing room where Zhao Hong had lived in despair. There were still untouched Zhao Hong's belongings in it.
Zhao Chengyan sat on the stool, looked at the empty cradle, and slowly stretched out his hand to place it on the cradle, as if the child was still there. Thinking of Zhao Hong who had babbling at him, he could no longer stop crying. .
He was truly heartbroken. Hong'er, who once loved him so much, couldn't tolerate it anymore.
He could not keep Zhao Hong alive against his conscience. As long as Zhao Hong was alive, it would embarrass him.
It was a living shame, a ridiculous joke that went to the core.
He will be ridiculed by the world and unable to hold his head high for the rest of his life.
A person who once cared about face so much had made such a big joke. At a certain moment, Zhao Chengyan couldn't help but feel despair and felt utterly lonely.
If he had not been so persistent and had agreed to the Cui family's request to adopt a Zhao family child from the royal family to raise and teach under his knees, perhaps their marriage could still have been maintained, and he might not have been in such an embarrassing situation as he is now.
The child was gone, his wife was gone, and he couldn't start a family. He was left alone, guarding this huge family property, without any clue, and without any spiritual comfort and support.
Thinking of this, Zhao Chengyan regretted it even more.
He was hesitant in his heart and had many things to talk to, but there was no one to listen to him. He sat alone in the room for a long time, and then went to Yaoguang Garden.
That courtyard was once the place where Cui lived. It had been vacant since she left Prince Qing's Mansion. All the furnishings in it had not been touched and were exactly the same as when she left.
When Mrs. Cui first entered the mansion, she thought the courtyard was not good enough, so she personally built every plant and tree. She was very particular about everything and was as detailed as the royal garden.
Zhao Chengyan stood alone in the yard. It was spring now, and the green plants inside were revived, branches sprouted, and the place was full of life. But the people who were waiting for him here were no longer there.
He silently looked out the window at the magnolia tree planted by Cui herself. She loved magnolia and its white jade. In the past, whenever he came back from duty, she would always come out to greet him, and she would always give him a gentle smile.
She seemed to have no temper and was always cheerful and talkative.
That was his first wife, the girl who came with him when he was young, and the closest companion around him. She thought she would be gone forever, but she never thought she would be lost by him along the way.
Thinking of the day when he knelt down to beg Cui to reconcile, Zhao Chengyan felt filled with regret. He cared so much about that child that he was more important than his original wife and was almost controlled by Yan Lan.
He didn't know how Cui felt when she reconciled with him, but looking back now, she did do a lot of bad things.
They promised to be together for the rest of their lives, but he broke the promise halfway; they agreed to leave the mother and keep the son, but ended up keeping Yanlan behind, creating an irreversible situation.
It seems that he is in charge of everything, but in fact he is being led by the nose.
He was too eager to have a child of his own, a close relative with his own blood. If that kind of paranoia hadn't made him lose his mind, how could he have been in today's situation
Zhao Chengyan sat in front of the dressing table where Cui once sat, staring blankly at the frustrated face in the mirror.
He had become quite haggard overnight, his eyes were turning blue, and his bloodshot eyes were filled with the hatred of being plotted against.
His eyes fell on the dusty jade comb on the dressing table. Zhao Chengyan slowly picked it up and rubbed it gently with his thumb, wiping away the dusty marks bit by bit. Memories seemed to come flooding back.
Thinking of everything he had with Cui in the past, Zhao Chengyan couldn't help but feel sad.
Warm tears filled her eyes, and she couldn't help but fall. They dripped onto the jade comb and splashed with tiny splashes of water.
At that moment, he sat there alone, as if he felt the anger and helplessness in Cui's heart at that time.
It's really uncomfortable to be abandoned halfway. The promise made when you were young, the purest and most sincere faith, was so easily destroyed by him.
With tears in his eyes, Zhao Chengyan held the jade comb hard, even if it was bleeding from the tooth marks, he didn't know it.
The biggest mistake he ever made in his life was letting Mr. Cui leave the house, and he regretted it.
Seeing that he had been staying in Yaoguang Garden, Nanny Xue was worried.
When the sky darkened and Zhao Chengyan still hadn't come out, Nanny Xue quietly went in to see him. Seeing him sitting motionless in front of the dressing table, Nanny Xue felt distressed and said, "Please come back, Sir."
Zhao Chengyan mechanically turned his head to look at her and said to himself: "Mommy, I regret it."
Grandma Xue sighed, not knowing what to say.
Zhao Chengyan said quietly: "Why didn't you slap me awake back then? If I had listened to even half of your words, I wouldn't be in the situation I am in today."
Nanny Xue said sadly: "Let the past things pass by. Why should Mr. Lang be so difficult for himself?"
Zhao Chengyan shook his head and said sadly: "I can't help Yuanniang. We promised to be together for the rest of our lives, but she abandoned her halfway. She must have hated me at that time. We were once dependent on each other when we were young, but because of my The ghost’s mind is shattered.”
Aunt Xue advised, "You can't blame me for this. It was Yan Lan's evil intentions that led you to fall in love with her." She added, "People have to look forward. Lang Jun will be able to meet someone more considerate in the future." Girl company."
Zhao Chengyan shook his head and said with a despairing heart: "It used to be difficult to make a difference in the sea. After Yuan Niang's good things and Yan Lan's bad things, I will never marry another woman again in this life. Either I will look down on her or I will be afraid. Teach people to be afraid.”
"Mr. Lang..."
"I regret letting Yuan Niang go and letting down such a good girl."
Nanny Xue sighed softly, not knowing how to comfort her.
The atmosphere in the mansion was solemn and depressed these past two days. Pixiang Pavilion was sealed off, and the relevant personnel involved were held accountable one by one.
Although the government kept the news tightly under wraps, it still leaked out, because it was more explosive than when Yuan Wulang climbed the wall and broke into the Crown Prince and Cui.
It's because of the gambling shop that set him on fire, and he was still thinking about the gambling debt owed by Ma Yucai. Hearing that he had not been seen since he was invited into the palace by a slave of Prince Qing's Mansion, he sent someone to inquire secretly.
I originally thought that Ma Yucai ran away again, but I never thought that someone in the house quietly leaked the news that he was beaten to death with a stick.
This scared the people in the gambling house.
That Ma Yucai was a son of a good family. It was not a big deal if Prince Qing's palace beat someone to death. After all, he was a powerful person. When dealing with a pariah, he could just pay some money.
But why was such a good person beaten to death by Prince Qing's Mansion
There is no airtight wall in the world, and within a few days, the news that King Qing killed his concubine with his rod and threw his young son in anger spread secretly.
The gambling house was the first to know. After such a big incident, they no longer dare to chase Ma Yucai's debt.
Then again, this matter was brought about by the gambling shop. If they hadn't forced Ma Yucai to pay off the debt, they wouldn't have revealed the secrets in Prince Qing's palace.
The rumors about Cui and the prince had not yet ended, but the news that Prince Qing Huanxi's son was a bastard exploded like wildfire in the streets.
Overnight, everyone in the street was talking about this matter.
If Mrs. Cui and the prince were previously a drama of family ethics, now Prince Qing's affair is a taboo topic that all men cannot bear.
The funny thing is that there is a connection between the two.
The former aunt and the ex-nephew got together, but it turned out that when King Qing reconciled with the Cui family for the sake of the foreign wife, he never thought that the foreign wife actually wanted to be a bastard and put it on his head, hoping to become a father.
Now that the matter was revealed, King Qing was furious and threw his son and the adulterer and his wife to death with a stick. If it weren't for the Cui family, he would still be able to win the sympathy of everyone.
What's terrible is that Ms. Cui divorced him because of this, and the whole capital knew that Ms. Cui had no children. Now that this has happened, Prince Qing's child is not his biological child. People can't help but wonder, who is infertile
The two things mixed together are really exciting.
On the one hand, King Qing also encouraged the courtiers to impeach the prince for ignoring ethical principles, but on the other hand, the scandal of his adultery broke out, which really shocked the civil and military officials of the entire court.
No, people in the market gathered together to gossip. Everyone, men, women, old and young, were talking about this scandal.
A woman complained on Cui's behalf and pointed: "I heard that when King Qing made peace with Cui because of the foreign wife, the men in my family also said that Cui was a chicken that couldn't lay eggs and was intolerant. He couldn't blame King Qing. Why? I had thought that retribution would come out so soon. I thought I had raised a son, but instead I was taken advantage of and took the bastard as a treasure and became a green-headed turtle. If I were that Cui family, I would have to jump around at the door of Prince Qing's Mansion and scold him every day. It will take three days and three nights to give up."
Another woman also said: "Yes, Mrs. Cui is really unjust in this matter. King Qing abandoned his wife for seven years for an extramarital affair. No one can bear it, but it turned out to be a joke in the end."
"Which one of them do you think is infertile? At first, it was said that Mrs. Cui was infertile, but then King Qing changed the girl and gave birth to someone else's son. This slap in the face really hurts."
"Hey, this is not a slap in the face. To be slapped in the face, Cui has to be promising. If she is pregnant with the prince's child, Prince Qing will probably be so angry that he will hit the wall. That's called a slap in the face."
"That's interesting what you said. The front leg is married to the emperor's uncle and the back leg is married to the nephew. If she is really lucky enough to enter the East Palace, become the mistress of the palace and have children, Prince Qing probably won't even be able to stay in the capital. It’s really too embarrassing to gain a foothold.”
"Oh, I can't even look at this face."
The women were talking a lot, and they were extremely concerned about the consequences of this matter. They were really curious about how it would end.
The Cui family, who had been stabbed in the back by the public, suddenly became victims. Everyone in the public sympathized with Cui for being wronged and fought for her, especially the women, who felt unworthy when they took her place.
Originally, it was against ethics to hang out with the prince, but it suddenly turned into someone who would make Prince Qing angry to death. Find someone younger and more handsome than him, more powerful than him, and preferably someone who could have a litter of children and make him angry to death!
The news that King Qing killed his concubine with a stick reached the Cui family. The whole family was shocked. Their jaws dropped even more than when they heard about Cui Wenxi and the prince.
Jin's mood was extremely complicated for a moment. She looked at Cui Pingying and said, "What nonsense is this? Is my Yuan Niang wronged?"
Cui Pingying also looked embarrassed.
My sister-in-law, Mrs. Wang, gloated: "Yes! King Qing was so unkind to his wife, and now he has suffered, which is considered retribution." He added, "This time everyone in the capital will laugh at him."
Cui Wenjing also said: "I have been walking on thin ice these days. The civil and military officials of the whole dynasty are impeaching the prince and calling our Cui family shameless. I was worried about how it would end, but I never thought that it was King Qing himself who went wrong. I don't know what to say. what's good."
Cui Pingying looked at Jin and said, "Go to Changlingfang tomorrow to see Yuanniang. I don't know how she has been spending these days."
Jin nodded, "I'll be there early tomorrow morning."
Mrs. Wang said: "I will go with Aniang too."
Jin suppressed a smile and said, "Don't add fuel to the fire."
So the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law took a carriage to Changlingfang the next day. Cui Wenxi did not go out at that time. Even if the sunshine was very sunny in spring, she rarely went out. The main reason was that the rumors outside were really powerful and she did not want to hear anything unpleasant.
Fang Ling opened the door curtain and said to her: "Madam, madam and the others are here."
Cui Wenxi stood up and said, "Please come in quickly."
Now that the temperature is rising, the charcoal basin in the house has long been removed. Mrs. Wang is holding Jin's arm in high spirits, with a look of gloating on her face.
Naturally, Cui Wenxi invited them into the wing and asked, "Is the family peaceful these days?"
Jin: "Everyone is fine, young and old. I just don't worry about you. Come and have a look."
Cui Wenxi responded: "My daughter is fine with everything. She hides in the courtyard eating and drinking all day long and doesn't hear what is going on outside the window."
Wang stretched her neck and said secretly: "So Yuan Niang doesn't know about the rumors outside?"
Cui Wenxi was stunned and asked curiously: "What rumors?"
Mrs. Wang showed interest in gossip and said eloquently: "Let me tell you, a few days ago, King Qing threw his child to death, and also killed his concubine Yanlan with a stick. Do you know the specific reason?"
Cui Wenxi was so stunned by these words that even Fang Ling, who was standing by him, forgot to serve tea and couldn't help but interject: "That child is Prince Qing's treasure."
Mrs. Wang: "Hey, what a treasure. It's a bastard that Yan Lan had sex with other men. He pinned it on Prince Qing's head. When he discovered it, he was so angry that he threw his youngest son to death and killed the adulterer with a stick." □, I was so angry that I vomited blood.”
This rumor was so violent that Cui Wenxi couldn't digest it for a while.
She was not originally a person who liked to pry into other people's privacy, but she couldn't suppress her eagerness to do so. She quickly patted the back of Wang's hand and said, "Sister-in-law, please tell me carefully."
So Ms. Wang vividly recounted the rumors she heard in detail, which made Cui Wenxi startled and had a complicated expression.
Fang Ling listened happily and blurted out: "That's right! Prince Qing was so angry with his wife because of that concubine, and now he deserves to be punished for making such a ridiculous joke."
Cui Wenxi pushed her and said, "Hurry up and prepare tea."
Only then did Fang Ling go out.
Mrs. Wang looked a little excited and said secretly: "If I were Yuan Niang, I would have to sit at the door of Prince Qing's Mansion every day and scold him so much that I would become a green-headed turtle. Instead, he would come to control me." , Isn’t it a shame?”
Jin was also dissatisfied and said: "He really deceived people too much. He encouraged the courtiers to impeach the prince and ignored the ethical principles. As a result, our Cui family was stabbed in the back every day and could not hold our heads up in front of others. Now that such a scandal has been exposed, it is really humiliating. Face."
Mrs. Wang continued: "Yes, you are already your ex-wife, and she still cares about who you live with and who gives him face."
Cui Wenxi gently touched his palms and digested the news bit by bit. He felt incredible, "I know some of Yan Lan's tricks, but this fact is really unbelievable. He shouldn't be so confused."
Mrs. Wang: "This is like being possessed by a ghost. You have been married to him for seven years and you have not had a child. He is not willing to adopt from the Zhao family. He only thinks about having children on his own, and in the end he is wrong." He paused and thought to himself. He said, "At first it was said that Yuanniang was unable to have children, but now it seems that Prince Qing is also unable to do so."
Hearing this, Cui Wenxi raised his eyebrows and remained silent.
Jin was also confused and speculated: "Yuan Niang has been seeking medical advice for many years, but she hasn't even been able to diagnose her from the Imperial Hospital. Could it be that Prince Qing is unable to have children?"
Cui Wenxi raised his eyebrows and said calmly: "I don't know whether he can bear children. I only know that the child born to me, Mrs. Cui, is naturally my seed."
Mrs. Wang touched her and said, "If you want to scold him, I, the sister-in-law, will accompany you to scold him. We will scold him for three days and three nights, and invite everyone in the capital to come and see how big the green-headed turtle is." Shameful."
This made Cui Wenxi amused. She covered her mouth and said, "Sister-in-law, we are decent people. Don't do such vulgar things. Adding salt to the wound will make people look down on you."
Mrs. Wang curled her lips and said, "You are the only one who is open-minded and tolerant of others." She added, "I'm telling you, the women outside are fighting for you and saying you were wronged."
Cui Wenxi had already calmed down and said objectively: "Prince Qing is too obsessed with his children. If he had allowed me to adopt him from the Zhao family, how could these things have happened. But I didn't expect that he would be so stupid. I was fooled around by Yan Lan, and for such an important matter as an heir, I went to the capital to receive it without even checking it. It’s really arrogant.”
Wang: "That's why we say he was possessed by ghosts."
Jin looked at her and said: "Now that such things have been revealed in Prince Qing's Mansion, the Cui family has been able to avoid the limelight for the time being. However, I don't know how your matter will end yet. Auntie is really worried about your future and is afraid that you will be wronged again in the future." .”
Cui Wenxi held her hand and said, "Mom, you don't need to worry about me. You said that I am a blessed person, and a blessed person is never too bad." After a pause, "It's better than Prince Qing."
These words made both of them laugh.
Cui Wenxi smiled and said: "It's such a nice spring day, I should go out for a walk. If it were Prince Qing who would be huddled in his mansion, he wouldn't dare to see anyone."
Wang covered her mouth and said, "Let's see how he can use his dignity to interfere with you this time."
The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law returned home very late in the afternoon. After seeing them off, Cui Wenxi returned to the wing. Fang Ling couldn't help but said: "The people in the capital are having a lot of fun these days."
Cui Wenxi said calmly: "Who says it's not the case? Even I can't help but want to ask a few questions about how Prince Qing was blindly happy to be a father in the first place."
Fang Ling laughed.
Cui Wenxi had no sympathy for him at all, only ridicule.
I thought that Prince Qing would never dare to come to Changlingfang again after being so disgraced, but he never thought that that guy would have the shame to come here and want to see her.
Upon hearing the news of King Qing's arrival, Cui Wenxi almost choked on the rice cake, and Fang Ling hurriedly gave him water. She finally swallowed the rice cake and coughed for a long time before saying, "What did you say? Who is visiting?"
Fang Ling said with an ugly face: "Prince Qing is here."
Cui Wenxi: "..."
Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, Fang Ling frowned and said, "Shall I go and refuse him?"
Cui Wenxi waved his hand, "No need, someone came to my door to ask me to insert a knife. I, Mrs. Cui, am not a kind person. He came to my door to stab me in my heart. Naturally, I can't take advantage of him."
Fangling: "..."
Cui Wenxi ate the remaining rice cake and said, "Invite him in. I'm really curious how he got involved with Yan Lan in the first place." After a pause, "I also want to ask him if he can have children."
Fangling: "..."
To rub salt into the wound, my wife is too bad.
She pursed her lips and smiled and said, "Slave, please go and invite him in right now."