Transmigrated into a Scummy Alpha Playboy in Ancient Times - Chapter 117

Three more days passed, and Shen Yining’s condition had improved significantly. New skin was forming over her wound, and she was no longer dazed or sleepy all day. Still, the injury sometimes caused her to run a fever at night.

She woke up early that morning. The imperial physician had already changed her bandages and given her medicine. Right now, the little crown princess was quietly waiting for Zhou Zixuan, thinking about her with longing.

Even though she didn’t want Zhou Zixuan to wear herself out, she still wished she could see her every day.

Seeing his daughter get stronger day by day, Shen Kaiyuan’s smile had finally returned. She stepped into the resting chamber, sat on the round stool beside the bed, and gently teased her daughter, who now looked much healthier.

“What are you staring at? Missing your Sister Zixuan again?”

Shen Yining’s face instantly turned bright red. Her mother had seen right through her thoughts.

“Mother, don’t say things like that. We’re not even married yet. It’s not good for Sister’s reputation.”

Shen Kaiyuan had to hold back her laughter. Wasn’t it this very daughter who had once begged Zhou Zixuan for a kiss? Had she really forgotten what she did?

Shen Yining noticed the smile on her mother’s face and pouted. “Mother, why are you laughing?”

Shen Kaiyuan gave a small cough, pretending to be serious. “It’s nothing. I spoke out of turn. You’re right, Ning’er.”

Shen Yining looked closely at her mother, feeling like she had missed something important. But before she could think more about it, she spotted Zhou Zixuan walking toward the chamber. Her eyes lit up instantly.

Shen Kaiyuan saw her daughter’s reaction and couldn’t help smiling. Her little girl had grown up. She couldn’t take her eyes off the person she loved.

She stood up and told Zhou Zixuan there was no need to bow, then offered her the round stool. Her daughter needed her beloved more than she needed her mother hovering nearby. She could come by again later that evening.

Zhou Zixuan noticed Shen Yining’s healthy color and smiled. “How are you feeling today, Your Highness?”

“Not bad. I feel like I have more strength, but my shoulder still hurts,” Shen Yining replied after thinking for a moment.

“The wound on your shoulder needs more time. Give it another ten days or so, and you should be able to move it a little.”

“Thank you, Sister Zixuan. You’ve been visiting every day. I hope it hasn’t been too tiring,” Shen Yining said softly. She looked forward to seeing Zhou Zixuan every day but still worried about wearing her out.

Zhou Zixuan smiled, gently wiping the sweat from Shen Yining’s forehead with a handkerchief. “Not at all. As long as Your Highness is safe and well, I’m happy.”

Shen Yining smiled shyly. When the cloth brushed across her nose, she caught a faint scent of orchids. It reminded her of the dreams she used to have, but unlike in those dreams, she didn’t dare compliment the scent this time. She just quietly breathed in the fragrance, pretending nothing happened.

Now that her daughter’s condition had stabilized, Shen Kaiyuan turned her attention back to the problems that had been waiting. She planned to address the issues with Shen Yijia and Shen Yiqian at court the next day. As for any opposition from the officials, she had no intention of backing down.

She also recalled what Shen Xingyue had told her and sent someone to summon Su Changyuan to the palace.

For days now, Su Changyuan had been anxious ever since hearing what had happened with Shen Yijia. The Fifth Princess’s residence was still surrounded by guards, and his eldest daughter was one of her concubines. He was terrified that his family would be implicated. So when the imperial summons arrived, he was so frightened that he broke down crying.

Li Qinglan had been worrying constantly about their daughter. When she saw the palace official arrive with the decree, she knelt down and cried.

“Sir, is it true what they’re saying? What happened to my daughter? Is she alright? Please, tell me!”

“Lord Su, please follow me. Don’t keep Her Majesty waiting,” the attendant replied coldly, casting Su Changyuan a sharp look.

Tears still running down his face, Su Changyuan had no choice but to follow the eunuchs into the palace. Normally, a minor official like him would never be granted a private audience, but with everything going on, he felt no joy—only dread.

Inside the Hall of Diligent Governance, he knelt quickly and lowered his head.

“Your servant, Su Changyuan, greets Your Majesty.”

Shen Kaiyuan looked at him calmly. She didn’t tell him to rise. Instead, she leaned back in her seat and studied him carefully.

“Su Changyuan, is it?” she said quietly. “Look up.”

Su Changyuan trembled slightly, his head bowed low as he whispered, “Your Majesty, I am terrified.” He didn’t dare look the Empress in the eye. He lifted his head just slightly before quickly lowering it again, his body visibly shaking.

Shen Kaiyuan got straight to the point. “You’ve surely heard by now what happened these past few days. Shen Yijia committed treason and tried to harm the Crown Princess. She has already been executed by my order. I’ve also been told by the Shadow Guards that your Su family has always maintained close ties with the Fifth Princess’s household. I’m afraid your family may not be entirely innocent in this matter.”

“Your Majesty, please see the truth clearly. My family’s relationship with the Fifth Princess’s estate was nothing more than normal social interaction. I swear I had no part in any plot to harm the Crown Princess,” Su Changyuan said, his voice panicked as he knelt and repeatedly bowed to the floor. Cold sweat dripped from his face.

“Your daughter was her most favored concubine. And now you want to act like you have nothing to do with them? It’s too late for that,” Shen Kaiyuan said coldly. “By all rights, I should have your entire household detained and interrogated one by one. But thanks to Yue’er’s kindness—she came to plead on your behalf—I’m willing to give you a chance.”

Hearing this, Su Changyuan quickly kowtowed again. “Thank you, Your Majesty, thank you. The Grand Princess speaks the truth. I swear, I have never harbored any thoughts of rebellion.”

“Don’t thank me just yet,” Shen Kaiyuan said calmly. “Is Liu Xiang, Su Muyu’s mother, and her younger daughter still living in your household?”

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Su Changyuan replied quickly, though he was starting to feel confused about where this was going.

“I heard you’ve treated them poorly for years,” Shen Kaiyuan said, her voice icy. “You should divorce Liu Xiang immediately. As for Su Muzhi, since you’ve never cared about that daughter anyway, remove her from the family registry. Act as if she was never your child.”

Su Changyuan froze, then hesitated. “Your Majesty, I understand about Liu Xiang. I can divorce her and never see her again. But Su Muzhi is still my daughter. Removing her from the family records… that doesn’t feel right.”

He glanced up at Shen Kaiyuan cautiously, only to find her expression completely unreadable, cold as ice.

“Oh?” Shen Kaiyuan raised an eyebrow. “Su Changyuan, this isn’t a request. I’m not asking for your opinion. Since you’re unwilling, I’ll simply wait for the investigation into the Fifth Princess’s case. When that happens, we’ll have your entire household thoroughly examined as well. Do you really think I can’t find anything? One letter—just one—linking your family to hers would be enough to convict you all. If you don’t want to cooperate, I’ll send someone right now to put your household under guard.”

“Your Majesty, please don’t be angry. It was my foolishness. I misspoke,” Su Changyuan cried, now thoroughly panicked. “You’re absolutely right. I did treat them harshly. It’s better to divorce Liu Xiang and let her take Su Muzhi with her. I’ll take care of it right away. Please, Your Majesty, don’t worry—I’ll handle it today.”

He bowed again and again, no longer daring to argue. At this point, Shen Kaiyuan could have ordered him to give up his own son, and he would have done it. Everyone knew that even the slightest connection to treason could destroy a family. Even though Su Changyuan may not have known about Shen Yijia’s plot, his wife, Li Qinglan, and his eldest daughter, Su Muqiu, had exchanged letters with the Fifth Princess’s household regularly. There was no way to clear their name completely.

After dismissing Su Changyuan, Shen Kaiyuan sent someone to inform Shen Xingyue about what had just happened. Then, she summoned several of her most trusted ministers to begin preparing for the matters she would announce at the next court session.

The eunuchs from the palace soon arrived at the Wang Manor. The lead eunuch stepped forward, bowed politely to Shen Xingyue, and said, “Princess, Her Majesty sent me to inform you that the matter with the Su family has been settled. You may go today to bring them out.”

“Understood. I’ll visit the palace tomorrow to thank my aunt in person. Thank you for your trouble,” Shen Xingyue replied with a smile. Then she turned to her servant. “Wenyou, take our guests to have a cup of hot tea.”

The younger eunuchs were all smiles when Shen Xingyue respectfully called them “honored guests.” After accepting the tip Wenyou discreetly handed over, they cheerfully followed him to the front hall to enjoy their tea.

Shen Xingyue turned to Su Muyu, who stood nearby, and gently pulled her into her arms. “Now you can breathe easy, right? Her Majesty has handled everything. Want to come with me to bring your mother and Zhizhi back?”

“Yes.” Su Muyu leaned fully into Shen Xingyue, her heart finally at ease. Although she hadn’t talked much about it these days, she had constantly worried about her mother and younger sister. Now, at last, they could be rescued from that bitter life.

Shen Xingyue thought for a moment, then said, “After we bring them out, let’s take them to the estate outside the capital. The estate has plenty of rooms, and the conditions are just as good as here at the manor. We’ll take the maids and nannies who’ve been caring for your mother and Zhizhi and have them continue serving at the estate. And whenever you miss them, we can go stay there for a while. It’s not far.”

“Alright,” Su Muyu replied, her eyes shining with happiness. She leaned in and gave Shen Xingyue a soft kiss on the lips. “You treat me so well.”

Shen Xingyue wrapped her arms tightly around her little kitten and whispered, “You’re my wife. Of course I’ll take good care of you. Come on, let’s get ready and go bring your mother and sister home.”

“Okay.” Su Muyu gave her one more kiss before finally letting go.

At the Su residence, however, things were in chaos. Ever since Su Changyuan was summoned to the palace, everyone had been on edge.

Su Yuming was pacing back and forth restlessly. “Mother, why do you think His Majesty called Father into the palace? Could the rumors we’ve been hearing be true? The Fifth Princess’s estate really is under heavy guard. Do you think our family might be dragged into this?”

Li Qinglan’s eyes were swollen from crying. “My poor Qiu’er… what kind of misfortune has she fallen into? We thought our whole family was about to rise to glory. I was even hoping the Fifth Princess could help you find a good post in the capital. But now it’s all falling apart. If I had known it would come to this, I would have let Qiu’er marry Shen Xingyue instead.”

Su Yuming sighed heavily. “You’re right. Shen Xingyue is clearly favored by Her Majesty. I heard it was her who led the Yuning Guards to stop the riot at the South Gate a few days ago. She’s earned great merit again. If Qiu’er had married her, we would’ve been in a much better position.”

Just as the two of them were growing more anxious, a servant came running into the courtyard.

“Master is back! Madam, the master has returned!”

Li Qinglan and Su Yuming rushed out of the bedroom, eager to find out what had happened in the palace.

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