GBP Chapter 608 Suspicious Woman
Chapter 608 Suspicious Woman
On the day of Xiao Changshi's wedding, the emperor ordered a day of mourning, and the whole country celebrated.
The emperor and empress attended together, and almost all the civil and military officials came to offer their congratulations, making the Crown Prince's residence exceptionally lively.
Su Lingyue arrived not late, but by the time she arrived, the area outside the Crown Prince's residence was already crowded with people.
"Princess Consort Su has arrived!"
As the master of ceremonies announced the arrival of the ceremony, Su Lingyue, dressed in a long purple dress with wide sleeves, stepped down from the carriage, her white jade apricot blossom hairpin swaying with each step.
It's a pity that the princess's face was covered by a white veil, so others couldn't see her features, but her demeanor still surpassed all the fine clothes and jewelry.
As Su Lingyue stepped down from the carriage, holding Caiyi's hand, she glanced around and saw Jiang Siqi maintaining order not far away. He was still pale, probably because his injuries hadn't fully healed.
Seeing Su Lingyue looking at him, Jiang Siqi gave her a reassuring smile.
"Your Highness, please!" the master of ceremonies gestured.
The guards, disguised as servants, handed the list of gifts from the Prince's residence to officials of the Ministry of Rites. After the Imperial Guards searched the list, the gifts were allowed into the Crown Prince's residence.
Inside the Crown Prince's residence, officials gathered in small groups, and a slight nod from Su Lingyue was considered a greeting.
Upon arriving at the front hall, the Emperor and Empress were sitting in the main seats, talking to Xiao Changshi.
Su Lingyue stepped forward and respectfully curtsied to the Emperor and Empress, saying, "Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress. Long live Your Majesty, long live Your Majesty."
The hall fell silent instantly.
Almost everyone simultaneously recalled that not long ago, Princess Su had held up a petition at the south gate of the imperial city, accusing the Empress of murdering Prince Su.
Instead of filing a complaint, he was whipped twenty times, leaving his back a bloody mess, and he lost consciousness.
The emperor's gaze was deep as he scrutinized Su Lingyue and asked, "Did you come alone today?"
Su Lingyue maintained her curtsy posture and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
Why didn't Prince Su come?
"Your Majesty, the Prince's health has not improved since the time of my birthday, and he needs to rest in bed."
The empress, sitting beside the emperor, was initially in a good mood when she saw Su Lingyue, looking at her with a doting smile. However, upon hearing these words, her expression suddenly darkened.
The blame in Su Lingyue's words was too obvious.
Upon hearing this, the emperor's previously somber face broke into a pleased smile.
"It is understandable that Prince Su is not well and cannot come. If he needs any medicine, he can come to the palace to get it."
Su Lingyue thanked him again, then turned and nodded to Xiao Changshi, "Congratulations, Your Highness, on your marriage. May you have a happy marriage and many children."
As she spoke, Su Lingyue caught a glimpse of a maid not far away. Just as she looked up, the maid turned around and disappeared into the crowd.
Xiao Changshi looked in the direction Su Lingyue was looking, and after confirming that there was nothing there, he turned around and said with a scrutinizing gaze, "Thank you, Your Majesty. Your Majesty should drink more wedding wine later."
If Su Lingyue still loved him, if she hadn't been reborn, she would surely be heartbroken and in immense pain.
But now, hearing Xiao Changshi's words, which were deliberately meant to provoke her, Su Lingyue felt nothing; she only thought he was foolish.
"His Highness's wedding banquet is a rare occasion, I will certainly drink a few more cups."
After speaking, Su Lingyue took her leave of the Emperor and Empress, never once glancing at the Empress.
Watching Su Lingyue's departing figure, the Empress felt a deep sense of loss.
Yue'er still refused to forgive her.
Pressing her aching chest, the Empress comforted herself, "It's alright. As long as Xiao Yu is dead, everything will be done without anyone knowing, and everything will return to normal."
Just then, she heard a statement that struck her like a thunderbolt.
The emperor looked in the direction Su Lingyue had left, a meaningful smile playing on his lips.
"She used to be just a little girl, and in the blink of an eye she has grown into such a charming young woman. It's a real pity that she married Prince Su."
If someone else had said these words, the Empress might not have thought much of it, but it was very strange that the person beside her had said them.
The Empress knew the Emperor very well.
Every time he spoke with that expression, it meant he was interested in the person, but...
"Your Majesty!" The Empress could no longer care about anything else. She lowered her voice and said with a warning, "Yue'er grew up by my side since she was a child. She is a few hours younger than Shi'er. I have always raised her as my daughter. She even once mistakenly called Your Majesty 'father'."
His thoughts had been exposed, and the emperor sat up straight in embarrassment, saying nothing more.
Beside him, the Empress held a handkerchief, a chill running down her spine.
*
Xiao Changshi married both his principal wife and concubine at the same time. As the crown prince, he did not need to personally escort the brides; he only needed to wait for the bridal sedan chair to arrive at his residence.
According to the wedding ceremony, He Qianqian and Shen Bi walked through the main gate together, but He Qianqian, as the principal wife, had to walk in front, while Shen Bi, as the concubine, walked behind.
The route the bridal sedan chair would take was crowded with onlookers, some curious about the bride, others about the unusual story of a woman remarrying after only one year of marriage.
"I heard that the original Crown Princess was unable to have children, which is why she was divorced."
"I heard it was a false pregnancy."
"Isn't that the same thing? She couldn't have children, so she faked a pregnancy and was therefore laid off."
"Such a fine young lady, what a pity. Keeping her to warm the bed would be good too."
"Could the Crown Prince lack someone to warm his bed?"
Each word was like a sharp blade, piercing Su Nanxing.
But Xiao Changshi was standing right there in front of the Crown Prince's residence; she couldn't kill anyone there.
Su Nanxing summoned the bodyguard who was protecting her, "Go and deal with those few, you know what to do!"
"Don't worry, miss."
After saying that, he walked towards the group of people who were making fun of Su Nanxing.
Soon, screams of agony echoed from the nearby alleyways. Several severed tongues were thrown down before the masked man turned and left.
*
Inside the courtyard, Duan Xu, Zhang Zhong, and Li Huaizhi stood together talking.
Seeing that the time was right, Su Lingyue walked over to the three of them.
"Three adults."
Su Lingyue nodded to the three men, and the three men also bowed to Su Lingyue.
Seeing Su Lingyue's solemn expression, Zhang Zhong asked, "What is it, Your Highness?"
Su Lingyue said, "I just met a woman in the courtyard. That woman was a bit strange."
Li Huaizhi has always been persistent about cases, and his heart beats faster whenever he hears that there might be a case.
He asked urgently, "What's strange?"
Su Lingyue hesitated for a moment before saying, "The prince once told me about the people and events related to his time on the battlefield. He mentioned a remarkable woman named Chu Yin. She was a subordinate of Hu Yanping, the Prince of Linchuan. This woman's schemes were as numerous and ingenious as his."
"The woman I just saw looks exactly like the portrait of Chu Yin that the prince showed me. I heard that you gentlemen are looking for the Xiongnu people. I think this woman is the one you are looking for."
Even if Li Huaizhi was extremely persistent about the case, he was still clear-headed at this moment.
Today is the Crown Prince's wedding day, and the Emperor and Empress are both present. If a Xiongnu spy is found in the Crown Prince's residence, the implications are self-evident.
He looked at Duan Xu and Zhang Zhong and asked, "What do you two think?"
The atmosphere suddenly became extremely heavy, and the surrounding noise and laughter seemed to have nothing to do with them.
Zhang Zhong said in a deep voice, "If the princess is not mistaken, she may be the person we have been searching for these past few months. This woman is cunning, we cannot let this opportunity slip by."
But today is the Crown Prince's wedding, and the venue is the Crown Prince's residence. If we make a mistake, we might offend the Emperor.
Duan Xu asked Su Lingyue again, "Your Highness, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"
Su Lingyue summoned Caiyi and handed the two paintings from her hands to Duan Xu and Li Huaizhi.
"This is a portrait I drew after I saw that woman. I also drew the portrait that the prince showed me. Although the clothes are different, the eyebrows and expression are almost the same."
After Duan Xu finished looking at the portrait in his hand, he looked at the portrait in Li Huaizhi's hand, and a thought silently formed in his mind.
All of this seemed to have been planned in advance, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
He looked up at Su Lingyue, his eyes scrutinizing her.
Su Lingyue met Duan Xu's scrutinizing gaze without flinching and said, "Your Highness has allowed the Xiongnu to persecute us to this extent. I hate the Xiongnu to the bone. If I were a man with an official position, I would definitely capture them myself to avenge this grudge. But I am just a woman and have no right to speak on matters of the court. I can only tell the three of you what I know."
Seeing the doubt and hesitation still in Duan Xu's eyes, Su Lingyue added, "But if the three of you dare not take action because of your power and status, and allow the Xiongnu to enter our Great Ning Kingdom as if it were your own territory, then I will have misjudged you three."
She took a deep breath, and her gaze toward the three men was exceptionally resolute. "If the three of you dare not make a move, even if I die today, I will find this woman, avenge my lord, and protect the land and people of Da Ning for my lord."
After saying that, he turned around and left.
"Your Highness, wait!"
Duan Xu called out to her and nodded, "Please tell me, Your Highness, what I saw about her just now."