Chapter 95
At this thought, Zhu Jingchen sighed. Even if he admitted his mistakes today, Consort Jing would never return to how she once was.
The child he shared with Consort Jing was also gone forever.
Thinking of Consort Jing, Zhu Jingchen felt a pang of bitterness in his heart. He had visited her—she had truly lost her mind.
Back then, when Consort Jing was accused of plotting against the imperial heir, not only was she banished to the cold palace, but her elder brother, Song Zeyan, had also been demoted to a minor post as the prefect of Wuzhou.
Now, in the capital, Consort Jing stood alone, without support.
With another sigh, Zhu Jingchen decided to summon Song Zeyan back to the capital, hoping to make amends for the years of neglect toward Consort Jing.
As for Consort Jing herself, she could at least be cared for within the palace.
But then there was Liu Wan!
"Your Majesty, our investigation revealed that the reason Liu Wan entered the palace was because Prince An married Madam Zhou instead of her. She sought a better position to retaliate against Madam Zhou."
The guard’s words deepened Zhu Jingchen’s guilt.
What a twisted form of affection.
Did she intend to tear an entire family apart?
"Summon Prince An to the palace," Zhu Jingchen said with another sigh. Prince An was one of his most trusted officials.
This matter had wronged Prince An, and he deserved an explanation. The mastermind behind it all should also face judgment—by Prince An’s own decision.
"Your Majesty, Prince An might still be occupied at the moment," the shadow guard cautiously replied, recalling how he had witnessed Prince An leading troops to raid the Liu family residence during his investigation.
"What is Prince An doing?" Zhu Jingchen frowned, certain he hadn’t assigned any tasks to Prince An.
"Your Majesty, Prince An has taken men to investigate the Liu family," the shadow guard answered, stealing a glance at the emperor.
Zhu Jingchen was taken aback.
Raiding the Liu family?
So, Prince An had already uncovered the truth.
"Let him be," Zhu Jingchen finally conceded, reassuring himself that Xu Heming was a man of restraint. If the Liu family had done nothing wrong, they would remain unharmed.
After all, the Liu family’s daughter had caused the death of Prince An’s wife—letting him vent his anger wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
Xu Heming stormed into the Liu residence with his men.
Liu Zongcheng watched as Prince An barged in, his brows furrowed in displeasure.
"Your Highness, to what do we owe this unexpected visit?" Liu Zongcheng forced a smile, though inwardly he wondered if this had anything to do with the vacant position recently filled by Prince An’s future father-in-law.
Surely Prince An wasn’t here to arrest him?
If he dared, the censors would surely impeach him tomorrow. With that thought, Liu Zongcheng straightened his posture.
Though he no longer held an official post, his daughter was still the emperor’s favored concubine.
That alone should shield him.
No matter how powerful Prince An was, could he possibly defy the emperor?
If Prince An dared to act against him today, his wife would simply weep before their daughter tomorrow, and the emperor would surely intervene.
With that reassurance, Liu Zongcheng’s tension faded.
He had nothing to fear—Prince An wouldn’t dare cross him.
"Your Highness, what is the meaning of this?" Madam Lou asked nervously, aware of her daughter’s schemes.
Had they been exposed?
But if that were the case, wouldn’t the situation be far more chaotic?
"Search the premises!" Xu Heming ignored them both.
Parents who raised such a daughter were hardly respectable themselves.
"Prince An, how dare you?" Liu Zongcheng protested. His home was not a place to be ransacked at will.
"Minister Liu, isn’t my intention obvious?" Xu Heming replied with a mocking smile.
"Prince An, my daughter is Imperial Concubine Liu! Do you not fear the emperor’s wrath for acting so recklessly?" Madam Lou snapped.
"Imperial Concubine Liu? Not for long," Xu Heming retorted, signaling his men to proceed.
Liu Zongcheng grew uneasy—no one had ever dared to treat the Liu family with such disrespect.
Wei Family Residence
Lin Ziyi took several days to recover from the horrors of the palace banquet.
"Has Miss Li been found?" she asked, recalling how Li Zhiwei had still been missing when they left the palace. She had been too afraid to inquire until now.
"She has. Miss Li is safe," Wei Jing'an reassured her. He hadn’t left her side since their return.
Relieved, Lin Ziyi then thought of the strange performance her husband and Prince An had given.
"My lord, why did you and Prince An...?"
She trailed off, too embarrassed to continue.
By now, she no longer suspected him of infidelity.
But the truth was still hard to believe.
"It was just a joke between Wei Herui and Prince An's Heir that somehow reached the palace. The Emperor, amused by it, deliberately set us up for this whole spectacle. At the time, I was too embarrassed to even speak of it," Wei Jing'an sighed.
"What? Wei Herui!" Lin Ziyi hadn't expected this—her own son turned out to be the culprit. Furious, she leapt off the bed, grabbed a feather duster nearby, and charged outside where Wei Herui was happily playing.
"Mother, have you lost your mind?"
Wei Herui, who had been enjoying himself, suddenly found himself facing a furious mother intent on giving him a beating.
This terrified him.
After all, though his mother could be strict at times, she had never resorted to such violence before!
Wei Jing'an, who had been worried about Lin Ziyi, relaxed when he saw her so full of life again.
As for their son currently getting a thrashing?
Hmph, he deserved it. A beating was the least of it—he should be grateful Lin Ziyi was unharmed.
"Father, save me!" Wei Herui cried out when he spotted his father.
"Don’t call on me. You brought this on yourself. Learn your lesson—some words should never be spoken," Wei Jing'an said, thoroughly enjoying the scene.
But Wei Herui was just a child—how could he possibly understand the weight of those words?
At the Liu Family Residence
"Your Highness, we’ve discovered a suspicious room," a guard reported, emerging from one side of the Liu estate.
"What suspicious room?" Liu Zongcheng tensed, rising abruptly from his seat.
"Prince An, you’ve searched and found nothing. Now, kindly leave!" Madam Lou said impatiently.
As for why Liu Zongcheng was so nervous, she had no idea. The old man had no vices beyond his love for writing and painting—what harm could those things possibly bring?
"Let’s take a look," Xu Heming said, watching Liu Zongcheng’s unease with a cold smirk. He had known Liu Zongcheng couldn’t be entirely clean.
Now, he intended to find out what secrets that room held.
