Phi-Fic Chapter 899 You decide what to do!
Chapter 899 You decide what to do!
When the Emperor and Empress left the General of the State's residence, it was already quite late.
During lunch, the old lady specially invited Mu Chang'an and Madam Li to come over, so the lunch was quite lively.
Back at Chengqian Palace, Xiao Zonghua spent some time cuddling with Mu Xinnuan before heading off to Fushou Palace.
"Aze, is there something you're hiding from me?"
Duanmu Chuze took off his outer robe and shook his head. "How could I possibly hide anything from you? I'm just having a bit of a headache right now. You know, this Zhuang family member is alright, but what should I do with this Duanmu Ya?"
Mu Xin Nuan was also stunned. No matter what, Duanmu Ya was Prince Su's biological daughter and of royal blood. It was indeed inappropriate to deal with her too harshly.
Now that all those titles have been taken back from her, let's leave it at that.
At worst, she could just have the Princess Consort of Su arrange a marriage for her as soon as possible, and that would be the end of it.
Without the titles of princess or county princess, she naturally couldn't marry well.
Now that news of troubles has been circulating about the bookmakers, it's unlikely they'll have time to care about Duanmu Ya anymore.
Besides, even if the Zhuang family wanted to take care of her, Princess Su wouldn't knowingly marry Duanmu Ya into the Zhuang family's family. Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble?
"I heard that Prince Su visited the palace a couple of days ago? Did he go to the Censorate to see Duanmu Ya?"
Duanmu Chuze hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "He went. However, he went at the wrong time. He happened to see the woman he once doted on serving several guards there, hoping to have a good life in prison."
"Huh?" Mu Xin Nuan was genuinely taken aback.
What is all this about? How did Zhuang Shi end up serving the guards again? Am I hallucinating?
"Aze, what did you just say? The Zhuang family?"
"Yes, that's what you heard. The Zhuang family was restless and tried to bribe some powerful people there. Unfortunately, when she was taken in, all her valuables were stolen. So, she had no choice but to sacrifice her so-called beauty."
Actually, Mrs. Zhuang is not that old, and having lived a life of luxury for many years, she is still in good condition.
Mu Xin Nuan felt a strange unease in her heart.
She was, after all, a prince's woman, yet she dared to do something so shameless. If she had been forced into it and had no other choice, that would be one thing, but to willingly offer herself up for humiliation—wasn't that just too despicable?
Mu Xin Nuan had no idea that all of this was actually the work of those servants who were deliberately tormenting Zhuang Shi on the orders of Steward De.
Why did she refuse to cooperate?
Perhaps she was convinced that she was Prince Su's woman and would be released sooner or later, so she didn't have much fear of the Censorate.
That's why Steward De came up with this idea.
“Anuan, you don’t need to worry about the Zhuang family’s affairs for now. But as for that Duanmu Ya, how about I have someone bring her here first, and you can ask her more questions? After all, she was also scheming against Mu Qingxuan back then. Consider it a way for you to vent your anger first.”
Although some time has passed, Mu Xin Nuan still truly hates Duanmu Ya!
If Duanmu Ya had succeeded back then, then no one could have changed reality. They could only let Duanmu Ya become Mu Qingxuan's wife. Even if he didn't admit it afterward and sentenced her to death, Duanmu Qing would still have some resentment when she married into the family in the future.
The best outcome would be if she acknowledged Duanmu Ya's identity. In that case, as the Empress and Mu Qingxuan's sister, she would not be able to ignore Zhuang's affairs.
They've been put in the Censorate, after all. They've been punished and beaten, so let's just let it go.
The worst-case scenario would be that he would deny the absurd marriage, thus imprisoning Duanmu Ya.
However, this might force Duanmu Qing, the victim, into a role of either cold-hearted bystander or someone with an iron will.
This is certainly not what Mu Xin Nuan wants to see.
So, Mu Xin Nuan is now thankful that Mu Qing Xuan noticed the bride's unusual behavior at the time; otherwise, she might have really gone crazy with anger.
"Very well. You are busy with state affairs, so I will handle this small matter."
The next day, Mu Xin Nuan sent Aunt Fang to the Shen Xing Si (a criminal investigation department), and then people from Fu Shou Gong (another criminal investigation department) arrived.
Mu Xin Nuan had no suspicions and, accompanied by several palace servants, went to Fu Shou Palace.
"Greetings to the Queen Mother."
"Greetings to the Queen."
"Alright, no need for formalities. We're family, no need to be so distant."
"Yes, Queen Mother."
Mu Xin Nuan sat down beside the Empress Dowager, and then took Zong Yao from the Empress Dowager's arms.
"Oh, why are Princess Ming and her sister-in-law coming to the palace together today?"
Mu Xin Nuan was rude to Consort Luo and Consort Na Li.
Princess Zhaoyang smiled faintly, "I haven't been to the palace to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager for the past few days. It just so happens that I went to talk to my second sister-in-law yesterday, so we decided that I would come to the palace today to keep the Empress Dowager company."
Mu Xin Nuan nodded. She had just finished comforting the child when Princess Su arrived.
Seeing this situation, Mu Xin Nuan felt that something was not right.
What day is it today? The princess and the queen have all come?
“Aunt Wang’s youngest daughter has found her ideal husband. Judging from her face, she is indeed very happy,” Princess Ming said with a smile.
Princess Su merely gave a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth. "What's so festive about it?"
Consort Nali was somewhat surprised. "That young princess married a famous young talent in the capital. Is Aunt Wang not happy about this?"
Princess Su glanced at her, recognizing her as someone from Prince Ming's residence, and simply chuckled, "The son-in-law is naturally excellent. It's just that there are some unpleasant matters at the residence."
At this point, naturally no woman would be foolish enough to ask what's bothering her.
"Why is Aunt Wang here today? Did you have an appointment with someone?"
Princess Su looked bewildered and said, "What agreement? There wasn't one. It's just that you sent two experienced nannies over yesterday, and I was grateful, so I came to the palace to express my gratitude."
Mu Xin Nuan's eyes flickered slightly. What the Princess Consort of Su said was true. It was perfectly normal for her to come to the palace to express her gratitude. It seemed that there was something wrong with the other people coming to the palace.
"The Crown Princess is about to give birth. Although she has given birth once before, a woman's childbirth is still a delicate matter. Aunt Wang will have to take extra care of her."
The Empress Dowager nodded in agreement, saying, "Anuan is right, sister-in-law, you can't be too careless. I think your daughter-in-law is a good one, you mustn't mistreat her."