The Traitor Crown Princess (Transmigration) - Chapter 15

Shen Yi replied, “I don’t know.”

The history books only grandiosely stated that Chu Chen ascended the throne entrusted by the late Emperor, representing the will of the people and acting under the mandate of heaven.

However, for some reason, on the day of his ascension, a heavy snow fell—a phenomenon truly unheard of. This event was forcibly interpreted by the Prime Minister as a “propitious snow promising a bountiful year,” and no one was permitted to question it.

Now, hearing Chu Yun put it this way, Shen Yi felt there was more to the story.

Chu Yun sat down opposite Shen Yi. “He was originally the late Emperor’s sixth prince. By rights, his turn to ascend the throne should not have come. But during an archery competition, my mother fell in love with him at first sight and insisted on marrying him. At that time, my maternal grandfather the King of Danyang in the Turkic lands—had actually arranged a marriage for my mother, but seeing that she had someone she loved, he let the matter go.

“Later, my mother married Chu Chen as she wished. The late Emperor, out of respect for the King of Danyang, began to value him and enfeoffed him as the Prince of Duan.

“He also promised that once he ascended the throne, he would make her Empress.

“Yet, Chu Chen felt that wasn’t enough. Finally, one night, he killed all his brothers to ascend the throne. To prevent anyone from discovering his sordid deeds, he killed everyone who knew the means by which he had ascended—everyone except my mother.

“I had originally thought she might be spared, but later, she was executed by the Empress on charges of treason.

“The Empress had been a servant in her palace; she took advantage of my mother’s pregnancy to climb into the Emperor’s bed, later giving birth to the second prince.”

Shen Yi looked shocked. “What a pair of wolves and leopards—a ‘phoenix man’ [a man who marries up and forgets his roots] and a ‘mistress-turned-Empress.’ They are truly a match made in hell. No wonder Feng Xi reacted so strongly just now; it was a guilty conscience.”

Chu Yun added, “Her swordsmanship was actually taught to her by my mother.”

Shen Yi replied, “So they let you be the Crown Prince for the sole purpose of stabilizing the Turkic forces.”

Chu Yun said, “That is no lie.”

Shen Yi fell silent. It was truly rare that Chu Yun had been able to grow up successfully in such circumstances without becoming warped.

At that moment, the door was pushed open from the outside. An elderly woman with graying hair walked in carrying chicken soup, smiling gently. “Your Highness, this old servant made some chicken soup. I brought it for you to nourish your health.”

Chu Yun’s expression softened instantly. He stood up and took the bowl of soup, placing it on the table. “This is Nanny Chang Rong. I grew up under her care.”

Shen Yi stood up. “Hello.”

Nanny Chang Rong smiled kindly. “Hello, hello, everything is fine. I still have work to finish, so I will take my leave now. Your Highness, drink the chicken soup while it’s hot, or it won’t taste good once it cools.”

Chu Yun replied, “I understand.”

“Today’s matter is resolved, so I will head back first.” Shen Yi suddenly remembered something. “Your Highness, just give me the medicine for my cousin; I will pass it on to her.”

“Hmm.” Chu Yun took a small blue bottle from the table drawer and tossed it to Shen Yi.

Shen Yi caught it, turned, and left.

While halfway there, Shen Yi clearly felt someone following him. He suddenly quickened his pace, ducked into a nearby palace gate, and vanished into the night.

The young eunuch ran forward, searched the courtyard, and wandered around the vicinity for a long time before he finally left.

Feng Xi was lying on the chaise longue with her eyes closed, while Caixia knelt on the floor, gently pounding her thighs.

Several palace maids were working with clear divisions of labor; they first carried the corpse out and then soaked rags in water infused with rose petals to wipe away the blood on the floor.

Amidst the busyness, the young eunuch walked in, hunched over, and immediately knelt on the ground, prostrating his body, not daring to look at the person in the high seat.

“This servant deserves to die. I lost track of that guard. I beg Her Majesty to punish me.”

Feng Xi frowned, grabbed a teacup from the tea table, and threw it at the eunuch.

The beaded curtain swayed. The teacup smashed into pieces on the floor, and the tea splashed onto the young eunuch due to inertia.

The main hall fell silent instantly, and the maids hurriedly knelt on the floor.

Feng Xi: “Useless things! All of you are being fed for nothing! You can even lose track of a single person! What use do I have for you!”

Tap, tap, tap—

Footsteps came from the door. Li Dequan and a young eunuch entered. He performed a salute and spoke unhurriedly: “Greetings to the Empress. May Her Majesty enjoy ten thousand blessings.”

Feng Xi was still in a fit of rage, her tone filled with impatience: “Speak.”

Li Dequan glanced at the young eunuch behind him. The young eunuch walked up the steps with his head bowed, knelt outside the beaded curtain, and raised a piece of white paper.

Caixia stood up, lifted the beaded curtain, took the paper, and spread it out.

Li Dequan: “Your Majesty, this is the portrait submitted by Jiang Wuya—the likeness of the third young master of the Shen family.”

Feng Xi was annoyed: “Why are you giving this to me?”

Li Dequan: “Does Your Majesty not think this portrait looks very much like the guard by the Crown Prince’s side?”

Only then did Feng Xi look properly at the portrait: “I didn’t look closely at that guard.”

Li Dequan spoke in a shrill voice: “Your Majesty may not have seen clearly, but this servant has. That guard is the third young master of the Shen family. His family was raided by the Emperor, yet he dares to impersonate a guard to appear by the Crown Prince’s side and even dares to be disrespectful to Your Majesty. This is truly rebellious!”

Feng Xi narrowed her phoenix eyes: “You have really worked hard, Eunuch Li. Caixia.”

Caixia nodded, tucked the portrait away on the tea table, lifted the curtain, walked forward, and slipped a bag of silver into Li Dequan’s hand.

Li Dequan smiled as he put the money bag into his sleeve: “It is late, this servant takes his leave.”

Early the next morning.

A kite flew high in the blue sky. Feng Yushu kept letting out the line, and the maid beside her clapped: “Higher, Your Majesty, that is amazing.”

Feng Yushu laughed: “Of course I can.”

Amidst the laughter, Li Dequan appeared at the appropriate time, bowing his head respectfully: “This servant greets Consort Yue.”

The two maids stopped talking instantly. The smile on Feng Yushu’s face turned cold, and she replied peevishly: “Does Eunuch Li have something to say?”

Li Dequan: “Don’t worry, Your Majesty. Regarding this matter, this servant guarantees you will be 100% happy.”

He signaled to the young eunuch beside him. The young eunuch walked up with his head bowed, carrying a teapot, and stopped not far from Feng Yushu.

Li Dequan: “This wine is colorless and tasteless. If you drink it, you will die suddenly within an hour. Your Majesty knows what to do.”

Feng Yushu hesitated to take the wine.

She understood Eunuch Li’s meaning, but she couldn’t do it.

Although she and the Crown Princess were in a competitive relationship, the Crown Princess had always treated her well and had never made things difficult for her. She had no need nor did she want to eliminate her.

“The Crown Prince is currently cold toward the Crown Princess; I don’t need to eliminate her to gain the Crown Prince’s favor!” Feng Yushu said. “Eunuch Li, please return.”

Li Dequan would not take no for an answer, smiling dryly: “Your Majesty had better accept this wine. It is better to be safe than sorry.”

Feng Yushu continued to decline: “I said I don’t want it, so I don’t want it. Do you dare to order me around?”

Li Dequan gave a wry smile: “This old servant truly has the courage to order Your Majesty around. By the Empress’s decree, Consort Feng is confined starting today, and her salary will be deducted until she has thought it over.”

Feng Yushu: “Isn’t my aunt confined herself?”

Li Dequan: “This is a decree from before Her Majesty was confined. Consort Feng, please.”

Feng Yushu pursed her lips and stubbornly chose a different path to return, ignoring Eunuch Li’s attempts to curry favor.

Li Dequan smiled without a word. He looked up and saw the kite with the broken string flying further and further away, feeling deeply moved in his heart.

The sky was clear, and the vast expanse of the firmament was boundless.

Shen Yi was drawing on the ground with a small wooden stick. A goshawk flew over the wall, landed on Shen Yi’s shoulder, and rubbed against his face.

Shen Yi felt a bit ticklish, so he moved it to the withered tree branch beside him.

“What are you doing?”

Chu Yun stood unexpectedly behind Shen Yi, looking at the messy lines on the ground and asking, “What is this?”

“Strategy.” Shen Yi finished the last stroke and stuck the branch into the ground.

“Now, the Emperor is in the front court, and the Empress is in the inner palace. Their forces are complex and intertwined. To reverse the current plight, we must make the Emperor and Empress turn against each other. This will cause the ministers in the court to panic. Once we eliminate the prophecy of you being an ‘inauspicious omen,’ and your own ability becomes sufficiently powerful, those ministers will naturally defect to you. At that time, when your power and authority exceed those two, you can make your own decisions and ascend the throne!”

Chu Yun: “Do you have a plan then?”

Shen Yi: “The Grand Sacrifice Ceremony is coming up. I will arrange for people to create similar anomalies, and then I will break them one by one.”

Chu Yun: “You have thought it through quite thoroughly.”

Shen Yi: “Naturally.”

Chu Yun grabbed Shen Yi’s arm and pulled him up from the ground: “Come, I will take you to a place.”

Shen Yi looked confused: “What place?”

Chu Yun pulled him along as they walked out.

The two walked along the path to the side hall. There was no one on the road, and Shen Yi felt it was strange for two grown men to walk hand-in-hand, so he pulled his hand back and walked side-by-side with Chu Yun.

When they arrived at the gate of the Eastern Palace, Leng Feng’s voice suddenly came from behind: “Master, it is bad!”

Chu Yun frowned. Shen Yi advised: “It must be an urgent matter. You go handle it first; I will wait for you here.”

Chu Yun hesitated for a moment, then nodded: “Wait for me to return.”

He then disappeared down the palace path with Leng Feng, leaving Shen Yi alone.

The sunlight tilted down, and Shen Yi leaned against the wall to bask in the sun. Just then, Li Dequan passed by, walked up, and bowed his head: “Young Master Shen.”

Shen Yi joked: “Eunuch Li has probably found the wrong person.”

“Whether I found the wrong person or not, you will see in a moment. Take him.” With a wave of Li Dequan’s hand, two eunuchs behind him took Shen Yi into custody and hauled him toward Fengxiang Palace.

Shen Yi knelt on the ground with an unhappy expression: “What is the meaning of this, Your Majesty?”

Feng Xi: “Young Master Shen, are you still unwilling to admit it?”

Shen Yi: “This servant is confused; why should I admit it? And I am not Young Master Shen. Your Majesty and Eunuch Li have the wrong person.”

Feng Xi waved her hand, and two eunuchs dragged a beautiful woman in.

Shen Yue was thrown to the ground. A eunuch removed the cloth from her mouth, and she began to curse the moment she opened it: “What are you doing! You eunuchs!”

“Presumptuous! How dare you curse in front of the Empress!” Caixia scolded angrily.

“The Empress?” Shen Yue looked at the person in the main seat, then glanced at Shen Yi beside her, instantly understanding the situation. She began to play dumb: “I don’t know what Her Majesty is talking about.”

Caixia: “You have a lot of nerve! Daring to let the child of a convicted official take the place of your quota for the selection of palace maids! What crime should you be punished for!”

Shen Yue: “I don’t know what you are talking about. I don’t know her.”

Shen Yi: “Your Majesty cannot just make baseless accusations. There must be evidence.”

Caixia took out the portrait Li Dequan had given her and displayed it before everyone.

“This is the portrait! Are you still going to deny it!”

Shen Yi’s expression changed from shock to something intriguing, and finally to amusement: “I’m afraid you all are just joking with me.”