Chapter 50: You’re Slandering Him!

    No matter what happens in the future, at least for now, they are a legitimate couple.

    They have become husband and wife, having bowed to Heaven and Earth.

    Whether there is affection or trust between them does not change this fact.

    The carriage slowly arrived outside the palace gates.

    The two sat quietly inside the carriage. Ji Yucang’s hand had already loosened from Shen Ning’s waist, but his gaze remained fixed on her face without wavering.

    “No matter the reason, I am now the Regent’s Princess Consort, your wife.” Shen Ning said in a calm voice, devoid of emotional fluctuations. “As long as you live, I will be your wife for a day. Whether we grow old together or part ways midway, all those possibilities hinge on you being alive.”

    Ji Yucang was silent for a moment, then the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. “So, you actually want me to live?”

    Shen Ning raised her eyes to glance at him, finding his question strange. “Your death brings me no benefit. If I don’t wish for you to live, does that mean I’m hoping for your death?”

    Ji Yucang’s gaze deepened, and eventually, he seemed to concede. “Give me two days to think about it.”

    Shen Ning responded with a sound of acknowledgment and rose to her feet, heading out the carriage first.

    No matter how he decides, she is determined to save him.

    The most burdensome thing in this world is the debt of human kindness.

    Having lived again, she does not wish to owe anyone.

    Nor does she want others to owe her.

    Those who once wronged her, those deep-seated hatreds, she will reclaim them one by one.

    ……

Upon stepping through the palace gates, the two quickly arrived at the Chonghua Palace.

After the morning court session ended, Ji Jin stayed in the Chonghua Palace reading, occasionally staring blankly out of the window, pondering things known only to himself.

He was not required to make decisions on major political affairs, the left and right chancellors and the important court officials would discuss them.

Even during the period when the Regent’s toxin flared up, political matters were not left to him, the young Emperor who had not yet assumed direct control of the government, making it seem as if he were merely a decorative figurehead.

The Regent was the true master of the Yong Kingdom’s land.

If it weren’t for the Qin family members frequently entering the palace to request this and that, he might have truly forgotten that he was the ruler of this imperial court.

“Your Majesty! Please, Your Majesty, you must uphold justice for Yanshu!” Madam Qin knelt on the ground, sobbing and complaining about the Regent’s misdeeds. “Yanshu has always been the treasure of the Qin family, from childhood to adulthood. I have never been willing to lay a finger on him, yet…”

“The Regent is truly lawless!” The Empress Dowager’s expression was icy. “Such a good child as Yanshu, gentle and courteous, always measured in his conduct, never overstepping his bounds. How could the Regent not tolerate him?”

Ji Jin’s eyes drooped slightly, his handsome and jade-like features bathed in the morning light, subtly revealing a sense of detachment and impatience.

His gaze fixed on the pages of the book, his voice was indifferent. “What was Yanshu doing at the Regent’s residence last night?”

“No matter what he was doing, the Regent had no right to use private punishment on him!” The Empress Dowager’s expression was one of anger, her brows and eyes shrouded in a layer of gloom. “As the legitimate son of the Imperial Uncle’s residence, even if the late Emperor were alive, he would not casually humiliate or harm him. The Regent is becoming more and more disrespectful towards me!”

With the Empress Dowager’s support, Madam Qin was full of confidence and cried even more angrily and aggrievedly. “Poor Yanshu, when he was sent home last night, his injuries were so horrific that even the experienced old physician dared not easily treat him. It’s clear that the Regent intended to beat him to death—”

“The Regent has arrived! The Regent’s Princess Consort has arrived!” Zhou Fang’s slightly urgent report rang out, accompanied by the sound of hurried footsteps entering the hall, his tone carrying a hint of unexpected unease. “Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, the Regent is here!”

Madam Qin stiffened on the ground, her accusations coming to an abrupt halt.

Seated on the bright yellow dragon-carved brocade couch, Ji Jin’s expression changed slightly upon hearing the report, his hand holding the book involuntarily tightening.

Why would the Regent come?

Although the edict he issued summoned both the Regent and the Princess Consort, the Regent, who had only taken the antidote yesterday, should be lying in bed, too groggy to get up, shouldn’t he?

He had anticipated that Shen Ning would be too afraid to come alone, or she might come with some guards for protection.

But certainly not with the Regent.

This thought flashed through his mind, but his vision was already filled with the familiar figures, and Ji Jin suddenly looked up.

The Regent and the Princess Consort entered the hall together, one exuding a noble and cold demeanor, peerlessly charming, the other indifferent and unparalleled, coldly beautiful.

They seemed like a perfect match, enviably compatible.

Madam Qin was still kneeling on the ground, instinctively avoiding the Regent’s gaze. “The… Regent…”

“Regent.” The Empress Dowager said coldly, sitting upright in her chair, her gaze fixed on him. “I heard that you had someone cane Yanshu last night. What is this all about?”

Ji Yucang’s expression was cold and hard. Before he could speak, Shen Ning had already begun, “The Empress Dowager is mistaken. The order to cane Yanshu was my doing. The Regent took the antidote yesterday and has been resting in the bedchamber.”

“You?” The Empress Dowager’s anger flared up instantly. “Regent’s Princess Consort, how dare you!”

Ji Yucang walked past Madam Qin and sat down in the second most honorable seat, his voice cold and stern. “Why doesn’t the Empress Dowager ask what Yanshu did?”

“No matter what he did, she had no right to use private punishment.” The Empress Dowager retorted angrily, her gaze still on Shen Ning. “Don’t think that marrying the Regent gives you the right to act lawlessly! Punishment does not extend to high officials, let alone Yanshu, who is the legitimate son of the Imperial Uncle’s residence—”

“Unfortunately, Yanshu is not a high official.” Shen Ning said as she walked over and sat down beside Ji Yucang. “Moreover, he committed a crime severe enough to warrant the extermination of his entire clan. Are thirty lashes really worth Madam Qin coming to the palace to complain?”

“What are you saying?” The Empress Dowager’s expression changed, and she frowned coldly. “Shen Ning, don’t spread false rumors here!”

Shen Ning leaned against the back of the chair, treating the Chonghua Palace as if it were the Regent’s residence. “Firstly, yesterday on the street, Yanshu addressed me by my given name, which is a great disrespect.”

“Secondly, I am already married, and he intercepted my carriage on the street. Not only is it disrespectful, but he also disregards the proper boundaries between men and women. He can hardly be called noble and pure, his behavior is more despicable and vulgar than anyone else’s.”

“You—”

“And there’s the most important point.” Shen Ning’s gaze turned cold, her voice as chilling as if it came from an ice cellar. “Last night, Yanshu came to the Regent’s residence. Do you know what he said? He admitted that the incident with the bandits was his doing. He ruined my reputation and killed over a dozen people from the Duke’s residence. I wonder how this account should be settled?”

As her words fell, a deathly silence filled the Chonghua Palace.

The air suddenly became frozen.

“What are you saying?” Madam Qin looked up in shock, her face a mix of surprise and anger. “Shen Ning, you’re slandering him! Yanshu couldn’t possibly have—”

“Yanshu admitted to this himself.” Shen Ning said, her gaze like an icicle, as if she could see through the malice in people’s hearts. “Before coming to complain, Madam Qin, did you not first ask your son what despicable acts he had committed?”

“You’re talking nonsense!” Madam Qin stood up and denied it fiercely. “Yanshu is upright and would never do such a thing! He likes you so much, wanting to marry you and no one else. What benefit would he gain from framing you?”

Ji Yucang’s expression suddenly darkened, his voice as cold as frost. “Madam Qin.”

Madam Qin’s face turned pale, and she swallowed nervously. “In any case, we cannot believe the words of the Regent’s Princess Consort alone…”

“Yanshu did this because it was beneficial to him, such as wanting to marry Princess Pingyao.” Shen Ning said in a clear, cold tone. “But even if he admitted it himself, you would not acknowledge this crime. So rest assured, I will continue to search for evidence, and I hope that the Imperial Uncle’s residence will be able to withstand the wrath of the Regent’s residence.”

Madam Qin’s face turned deathly pale, and she instinctively took a step back, feeling a chill throughout her body.

Was this a threat?

This was definitely a threat!

Shen Ning dared to brazenly threaten the Imperial Uncle’s residence in front of the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!