Chapter 189: She’ll Settle This Score Sooner Or Later
Wei Chang’s gaze chilled a few degrees, and Jiang Ruanxi shivered. “It’s not that I don’t like it, just that I don’t like it as much as the Fifth Princess does. I was just asking casually. If you don’t want to say, then pretend I didn’t ask.”
“Do you know how many sons and how many daughters the current Emperor has?” Wei Chang was not angry, but instead asked rhetorically.
Jiang Ruanxi nodded. “I know a bit. Four princes, five princesses.”
Although Wei Chang was born to the Empress, he was only ranked second, with the Eldest Prince Wei Ran above him.
However, the birth mother of the Eldest Prince Wei Ran was a lowly foot-washing maid who was unintentionally favored by the Emperor one night. After giving birth, she was only conferred as a Beauty.
The Eldest Prince’s status was humble and he was not favored. When he reached twenty years old, he went to his fief early.
As for the Third Prince Wei Lin, aged seventeen, his birth mother was the Imperial Consort, and he shared the same mother as the Fifth Princess, so he was quite favored.
There was also the last prince, the Fourth Prince Wei Xi, aged thirteen, who was the youngest son of Consort Qi.
Unfortunately, this prince was born weak and sickly. Even though the Emperor had sought various famous doctors to treat him, it was all to no avail.
As for the princesses, Jiang Ruanxi did not know the others, but only the Fifth Princess was arrogant and domineering, with no one in her eyes.
“Do you know why the Emperor made me Crown Prince?” Wei Chang’s gaze was distant.
This time, Jiang Ruanxi could only shake her head. The palace was complicated; neither in this life nor the previous one had she been involved with the Imperial Palace, so she did not know the information about the Imperial Palace.
Wei Chang’s expression was complicated. “Because he knows I have the Seven Killings Solitary Fate and won’t live past my twenties.”
He clearly knew he wouldn’t live past his twenties, yet still made him Crown Prince?
What was this intention?
Could it be that from the beginning, the Emperor had no intention of passing the imperial throne to him?
Jiang Ruanxi’s heart shook, feeling even more heartbroken for Wei Chang.
“He doesn’t want to pass the imperial throne to you, so who does he want to pass it to?” Jiang Ruanxi was also a bit curious.
“Could it be the Third Prince?”
After all, the Third Prince’s birth mother had the noblest status, and the Third Prince was originally quite favored.
Jiang Ruanxi felt he was the most likely.
Of course, if the Fourth Prince were healthy, this imperial throne falling on him would be the most likely.
“It was possible before, but now… it’s hard to say…”
Jiang Ruanxi was puzzled. Wei Chang smiled. “I have now lived past my twenties, so I will probably live to a hundred. Thus, no one who covets this position can have it.”
The two were talking when the carriage stopped shortly after.
“Your Highness, we have arrived.”
The guard’s voice pulled back their thoughts. Wei Chang took her hand in return. “You go back first. As for the Fifth Princess, I will give you an explanation.”
Jiang Ruanxi returned to the Grand Tutor’s Manor, and Ling Yu had also heard about what happened in the Imperial Palace. He was quite angry.
“The Fifth Princess has gone too far in bullying others. Father will not let this matter rest.”
Seeing Ling Yu’s sincere words and very genuine appearance, so wholeheartedly protecting her, how could she not be moved?
“Father, I see the Fifth Princess is arrogant and domineering, not easy to provoke. Why not just let it go?”
She already knew Ling Yu’s intentions, but she did not want him to be in a difficult position because of her matters.
According to what Jiang Ruanxi knew, he was now in a semi-retired state and no longer participated much in court affairs.
“Don’t worry. Although you are not my real daughter, you are now under my name, so you count as my daughter. I cannot let you be wronged. Although Father is semi-retired, I still have connections. The Fifth Princess is not easy to provoke, nor do I want to provoke her. But if she thinks our Ling Family is easy to bully, she is greatly mistaken.”
Seeing she could not persuade him, Jiang Ruanxi stopped trying.
After Ling Yu left, Jiang Ruanxi summoned Qi Momo. “I haven’t been in the Capital for a long time and am unclear about many things in the Capital. What’s the story with this First Madam Lin who popped up today?”
Jiang Ruanxi wanted to understand the situation in the Lin Family after she had been away from the Capital for half a year.
Especially He Sheng.
Qi Momo said, “Miss, you wouldn’t know, but the matter of Second Madam Lin was quite famous in the Capital recently.”
Jiang Ruanxi showed no ripples, and asked calmly, “Oh, the matter of Second Madam Lin becoming famous, what does it have to do with First Madam Lin?”
Since feigning death and going to Lingnan, Jiang Ruanxi had paid little attention to Capital information, though she occasionally heard some, but knew only limited details.
Plus, with time passing, some matters had gradually been forgotten.
“Miss, you don’t know how shameless the Lin Family is. That original Marquis of Dingning actually got together with his wife’s younger sister. After it was discovered, his wife’s sister was beaten to death directly. Yet he still didn’t restrain himself and took that concubine, always favoring her. That concubine, wanting to climb to the main wife position, teamed up with the original Marquis of Dingning’s sister and burned his wife alive.
Fortunately, Second Madam Lin was no pushover either. It was said that even in death, she arranged for someone to burn down the Lin Family’s Ancestral Hall, taking Old Madam Lin with her.”
At this point, Qi Momo showed a face full of contempt, then turned to one of regret.
“To speak of First Madam Lin, she is after all the legitimate daughter of Madam He from a scholarly family. To end up with such a person and such a sister-in-law not only ruined the Lin Family’s reputation but nearly ruined Master Lin too, so Madam He must have always harbored hatred toward this sister-in-law.”
After hearing this, Jiang Ruanxi’s eyes involuntarily darkened.
So after her feigned death, He Sheng had pushed everything onto her.
Back then in the Lin Family, she had indeed entertained this thought.
But at that time, between escaping and killing, she had chosen the former.
As for Madam Zhou being burned to death, in the Lin Family, besides her, He Sheng hated her the most.
Don’t think He Sheng usually acted so superior; it was just pretense of not wanting to get involved in matters. But if it harmed her interests, she could do anything.
She just hadn’t expected that even after her death, she still had to take the blame for He Sheng.
This account, she would settle sooner or later.
“This Second Madam Lin is truly a pitiful person.” Jiang Ruanxi sighed involuntarily.
“Who says otherwise? But people who do too many bad things will face retribution.”
Jiang Ruanxi was a bit unclear about her meaning, and Qi Momo smiled and explained.
“This Second Master Lin, perhaps from doing too many wicked deeds, was ultimately killed by his own favored concubine. That matter caused quite a stir, and everyone felt no pity, only that it was his retribution.”
Jiang Ruanxi knew about the later matters. It seemed Qi Momo only knew the surface and not much inside story.
Jiang Ruanxi said to Yushui, “You’ve worked hard, Momo. Get some food for Momo.”
