GBP Chapter 404 The Emperor is Ruthless
Chapter 404 The Emperor is Ruthless
Jiang Ningwan listened to his calm words and couldn't help but sigh, "You really understand him."
Qin Shuangchi smiled faintly, with a hint of self-mockery in his smile.
"After all, they are brothers."
As he spoke, his eyes were deep, and a hint of warmth appeared in his eyes as he recalled the past.
"I am the emperor's youngest son. My mother died of illness shortly after giving birth to me, so I received a lot of favor from the emperor. But when the emperor was away, I was lonely. My brothers didn't like to play with me, so I was often alone."
"Only Brother Hao Ling is willing to take me with him. I regard him as my only brother."
"Brother Hao Ling was appointed Crown Prince, and my father taught me to assist him and become his right-hand man. So I studied martial arts with all my might, trying to keep up with Brother Hao Ling."
"He sent me to the Northern Expedition, and I vowed to recapture the northern territory and relieve my brother's worries."
"But I never thought that he was the person who wanted me dead the most in this world."
Qin Shuangchi said this, his eyes becoming dark and cold.
After listening to him, Jiang Ningwan felt deeply moved. She wondered how painful Qin Shuangchi must have felt when his legs became disabled and he learned that he was harmed by his most beloved brother.
After a long silence, Jiang Ningwan couldn't help but ask, "The Empress Dowager is the Emperor's biological mother, but she loves you especially. Will the Emperor..."
Qin Shuangchi understood what she meant.
His eyes darkened.
"I didn't think so before, but now it seems that it is possible."
As soon as he finished speaking, a chill came over him.
Jiang Ningwan couldn't help but clench her palms. Now it seems that there was a reason why the emperor did not investigate the empress dowager's death.
It’s really... the emperor is ruthless.
"Speaking of which, the Empress and Qin Chengqian probably don't know that the Emperor harmed the Empress. If we want to take advantage of this, we have to find out what caused the Empress's headache."
"I guess it might be some special poison."
"The dosage is light and long-term use will not be detectable by pulse diagnosis."
However, it is very difficult to find out how the queen was poisoned. It is right under the emperor's nose, and there is a great risk of being exposed if one is not careful.
Qin Shuangchi pondered for a moment.
"If the Queen was poisoned, then Princess Yi's headache could also be caused by poisoning. We should start the investigation with Princess Yi."
Hearing this, Jiang Ningwan was shocked, "But Princess Yi is already dead."
The bodies have already rotted.
"If, as you speculate, this poison is to be administered over a long period of time, then the most likely person to have poisoned Princess Yi is someone from Prince Yi's Mansion. Everyone in Prince Yi's Mansion is still alive, so we'll definitely be able to find some clues."
Qin Shuangchi said this, and seeing Jiang Ningwan frowning, he knew her dilemma.
"I know you don't want to get close to Qin Beihuang anymore. I'll let Xiao Lan investigate this matter."
Jiang Ningwan nodded, "Alright, if he can't find it, we can find another way."
……
After returning to Beijing.
Jiang Ningwan took charge of Ling Jinlan's marriage.
Prepare the dowry.
According to the plan, the couple's wedding date was set for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Qin Huaizhao had his own mansion, so for convenience, the wedding was held in Kyoto.
However, as the wedding date approached, Qin Huaizhao came to discuss postponing the wedding.
Because Li Yang received a letter from home saying that his mother must attend, the journey was long and would take a long time, so the wedding date had to be postponed.
Ling Chaowen was a little dissatisfied. "This day is an auspicious day. Didn't we discuss it before? You said your mother wanted to come, so why didn't you leave earlier? If you leave earlier, you can arrive before Mid-Autumn Festival."
"Now that everything is ready, we have to postpone the wedding for her alone. This..."
Ling Jinlan quickly grabbed Ling Chaowen's arm to stop him from continuing.
Qin Huaizhao also knew that this was inappropriate.
Feeling very guilty, "I know changing the time like this will delay a lot of things, but I am my mother's only son. My marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event, and she wants to come and see it."
"So... I want to discuss this with you. If it's really not possible to postpone it, I'll write a letter and ask my mother to come back."
But he brought this up naturally hoping for a way to have the best of both worlds.
Ling Jinlan quickly said, "When children get married, their parents should be present. This is the norm. Let's postpone it for a while."
As he spoke, Ling Jinlan looked at Jiang Ningwan.
Jiang Ningwan nodded. "It's fine to postpone it, but I've checked and the later dates aren't as good as the current one. If you and your wife don't mind, then we can postpone it."
Ling Jinlan didn't hesitate, "Let's postpone it."
Qin Huaizhao was very grateful and clasped his fists towards Jiang Ningwan, "Thank you very much!"
Jiang Ningwan said in a deep voice: "The one you should thank is not me, but Jinlan."
"You also said that marriage is a once-in-a-lifetime event. If you can't get married on an auspicious day, it will always be a regret. You must treat her well from now on!"
Hearing this, Qin Huaizhao nodded firmly, "General Jiang, don't worry, I will double the compensation for Jinlan!"
Seeing that everyone agreed, Ling Chaowen had no choice but to agree as well. He patted Qin Huaizhao on the shoulder and said, "You'd better not forget these promises!"
"If Jinlan gets wronged after marrying into your family, I won't let you off easily!"
The wedding date of Qin Huaizhao and Ling Jinlan was postponed, but the wedding of Qin Chengqian and Fan Ruoshuang was brought forward and held with great fanfare.
Fan Ruoshuang became the eldest prince's wife, and the status of the Fan family also improved a lot.
As a result, the second son of the Fan family also got a good job. He was assigned to the Imperial Guard and served as deputy commander under Zhou Lin.
Jiang Xiru was demoted to a concubine, which made Jiang Bingde feel ashamed and dissatisfied.
After Fan Ruoshuang and Qin Chengqian got married, they had a very good relationship and were inseparable. Jiang Xiru took the opportunity to hide back in the Duke's Mansion, just hoping that the year would pass quickly.
However, on the day he returned home, Jiang Bingde appeared at the door, his face full of anger, without the expected joy.
"How many days will you stay here today? There are rumors circulating that you and His Highness have had a falling out. If you come home now, won't that just add to the gossip?"
"After lunch, return to the palace."
Jiang Xiru heard her father's words of dismissal before she even entered the house. She felt dissatisfied and said, "Dad, it's rare for your daughter to come back and show her filial piety, so you really have to chase me away?"
"Would you be happy if I cut off ties with you like Jiang Ningwan did?"
Unexpectedly, as soon as he said this, Jiang Bingde slapped him in anger.
Right in front of the gate, in front of so many people.
Don't give her any face at all.
"Don't compare yourself to Ning Wan!"
"Ning Wan is now General Ling Wei, deeply favored by the Emperor, and enjoys a loving and harmonious relationship with the King of Chu! Unlike you, you can't even hold the position of principal wife, bringing shame to the family!"
After saying that, Jiang Bingde turned away.
Jiang Xiru gritted her teeth, a sour feeling coming over her. Her father had never treated her like this before.
She wanted to turn around and leave, but when she thought of Qin Chengqian, she didn't want to face him even more.
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and enter the Duke's Mansion.
When she walked into the yard, she saw her mother coming to greet her with a happy face, but her mother's eyes were red, her face looked haggard, and there were many white hairs on her temples, making her look much older.
I haven’t seen you for just a few months, how come you’ve become like this?
"mother……"
"Xiru, mother has made your favorite dish for you, let's go."
Jiang Xiru was about to ask when a scene appeared in front of her, which made her head buzz and her whole body turn cold. She understood everything at once.
……