Chapter 169: The Path of Enemies
In that house, Madam Leng was drinking with Marquis Fengxian.
A small brazier on the table was simmering mutton, Marquis Fengxian’s favorite winter dish.
“You women are truly ruthless with your words; you can kill with just your tongues,” Marquis Fengxian said, taking a sip of wine and narrowing his eyes. “I imagine in a few more days, that one surnamed Wen’s reputation will be completely ruined.”
“If her reputation is ruined, won’t your grand plan, Marquis, come to fruition?” Madam Leng smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Who told her to refuse a toast and instead accept a penalty! If she had agreed readily back then, she could have not only smoothed over past grievances but also received a lot of silver.”
“Indeed, in this world, both men and women should know when to yield,” Marquis Fengxian nodded. “If this matter is successful in the end, you will be a meritorious official.”
“Once Madam Wen’s reputation is completely ruined, and she becomes a rat crossing the street, no one will protect her, not even those nuns.
At that time, you, Marquis, can deal with them as you please; I don’t believe they will dare to resist again.”
Madam Leng smiled triumphantly. “Marquis, have another cup of this warm wine! This wine, paired with mutton, truly warms one from head to toe.”
While they were enjoying themselves with peace of mind, Sang Er had already delivered the letter to the Zhu Mansion.
Lord Zhu read Madam Wen’s letter, immediately asked his old servant to add more charcoal to the brazier, ground his ink, and began writing a memorial impeaching Marquis Fengxian and Cui Rong.
After several days of bad weather, a clear and windless day finally arrived.
Madam Wen calculated the days and knew it was time to visit the Grand Princess again.
So, she and Sang Er tidied themselves up and set out.
They arrived at Bowang Mountain and took a sedan chair up. Halfway up, the sedan chair pole suddenly broke.
Fortunately, it only swayed and did not fall.
“Mother, are you alright?” Sang Er quickly lifted the sedan curtain and asked.
“I’m fine,” Madam Wen said, slowly emerging from the sedan chair. “It seems we’ll have to walk the rest of the way.”
“Madam Wen, we will go down the mountain to get another sedan chair for you. At least you’ll have something to sit on when you descend,” the sedan bearer said apologetically.
“No need to rush. The weather is good today; a little walk won’t hurt,” Madam Wen replied.
Fortunately, the steps leading up the mountain had already been swept clean, and Madam Wen and Sang Er helped each other as they walked up.
After walking for about a mile, they saw people carrying a sedan chair coming down from the mountain.
The sedan chair stopped as it passed them, and the person inside lifted the curtain, saying with a hint of mockery, “Isn’t this the renowned Madam Wen? What a coincidence!”
Madam Wen recognized him as the Sir Soldier she had met at the tea house a few days prior.
Since he knew who she was, he must have investigated her in secret.
Therefore, he must have heard the rumors on the street, which was why he spoke to her in such a teasing tone.
“Mother, who is he?” Sang Er whispered.
“I don’t recognize him either,” Madam Wen said, ignoring the man. “Let’s go!”
“Madam Wen, are you walking up the mountain to show your sincerity?” the man asked, scrutinizing her. “You don’t need to go to such hardship just to please the Grand Princess, do you?”
“Our sedan chair broke down halfway. Otherwise, why would we be walking? You are so rude! It’s none of your business how our Madam behaves!” Sang Er said indignantly, unable to stand others speaking so sarcastically to Madam Wen.
“Sang Er, do not be rude. This Sir Soldier has likely just paid his respects to the Grand Princess,” Madam Wen said. At this moment, besides concluding that the man came from a military background, she also judged him to be of extraordinary status, otherwise, why would he be visiting the Grand Princess?
It was best to avoid provoking such a person and not create unnecessary trouble for herself.
“Perhaps I can be of service. Madam Wen, why don’t you ride in my sedan chair up the mountain?” the man said with a half-smile.
“Thank you, but no,” Madam Wen replied, unwilling to engage with him further. She pulled Sang Er along and continued up the mountain.
The man gave a slight cold laugh. He did not believe Madam Wen was pure and aloof at all; on the contrary, he was convinced she had ulterior motives and was not simple.
Such a person should stay far away from the Grand Princess.
Madam Wen and Sang Er walked for another two miles and finally arrived at the Grand Princess’s residence.
“Did you encounter Prince Changliu on your way up?” the Grand Princess asked with a smile.
“So that person was…” Sang Er was very surprised.
“This humble subject did not recognize the Prince,” Madam Wen said. “Therefore, I did not offer my greetings.”
“It’s alright. He often guards the border regions and doesn’t adhere to such rules,” the Grand Princess said with a smile. “Speaking of which, we haven’t seen each other for several years.”
Regarding Prince Changliu, Ying Wuchou, Madam Wen had never met him but did not find him unfamiliar.
He was one of the few imperial princes in the current Imperial Court who held military power, the Grand Princess’s nephew, and the current Emperor’s cousin.
The world said that from a young age, he aspired to ride horses on the battlefield and volunteered to go to the border before he was twenty.
He was indeed a capable general, and in the years he guarded Yunmen, he maintained peace on the border and was beloved by the local populace.
However, he was in his thirties and still unmarried. While there were various speculations as to why, no definitive explanation had ever emerged.
“I’ve been feeling a bit restless these past couple of days. Although I just played two games of chess with Wuchou, his moves were too aggressive, and I didn’t like them,” the Grand Princess said to Madam Wen with a smile. “It’s fortunate you’ve arrived.”
Madam Wen then accompanied the Grand Princess in playing chess.
The Grand Princess observed her several times in secret, seeing that her demeanor was calm and composed, showing no signs of being troubled by rumors. Furthermore, Lord Zhu had submitted his memorial. He was known in officialdom as a bane to officials; if he impeached someone, the punishment ranged from salary deduction and self-reflection to beheading and confiscation of property.
If the Emperor made a mistake, he would argue in court, causing the Emperor to avoid the main hall and observe fasting.
Marquis Fengxian never dreamed that he would be impeached on his way to court as usual.
The one impeaching him was none other than Zhu Hui.
Cui Rong was not qualified to attend the court discussions; he only heard about it later.
“Lord Zhu, you say that Marquis Fengxian allowed his son to abuse servants, and Cui Rong bribed his way into office and forced his daughter to become a nun. Are these matters all true?” the Emperor asked after reading the memorial.
“Every word is true; this old minister dares to stake his life on it,” Zhu Hui said loudly.
“If that is the case, I will entrust these two matters to you for thorough investigation!” the Emperor said. “I will also send someone to assist you.”
“If Your Majesty wishes to send someone to assist this humble minister, perhaps Duke Feng would be suitable,” Zhu Hui said. “He holds the title of Duke and need not fear Marquis Fengxian.”
Zhu Hui always spoke directly, so the Emperor did not mind and immediately agreed.
Marquis Fengxian naturally felt wronged. The Emperor merely said, “Do not be alarmed. The innocent will remain innocent. Once this matter is thoroughly investigated, it will be resolved. Zhu Hui and the others will not wrong you.”
Marquis Fengxian had no choice but to stand aside, secretly calculating how he could escape this calamity.
However, no matter how much he thought about it, he would never have imagined that Madam Wen had anything to do with this matter, only feeling that he was terribly unlucky.
