Chapter 13: Insurrection Against Superiors is a Capital Crime

Lan Zhi turned to Shen Ning, “Princess, should we chase him away?”

“Let him be.”

“Yes.”

Shen Shian indeed knelt outside the Begonia Courtyard for two days.

Despite the Duke of the State’s distaste for Shen Ning, they had to face the reality of her impending marriage to the Regent, so they dared not neglect her and busied themselves with preparing her dowry and wedding arrangements.

During this time, Mrs. Shen visited the Begonia Courtyard several times. Seeing Shen Shian kneeling there, she inquired about the reason once, but afterward, she said nothing, keeping the feelings in her heart to herself.

No one from the Shen family came to question Shen Ning again, as if they had tacitly accepted that Shen Yan’s matter had nothing to do with her, or even if they knew it was her, they had no evidence to prove it.

Moreover, with the wedding approaching, Mrs. Shen, as the birth mother, still had to prepare a generous dowry for her, and with time being short, she couldn’t afford to get entangled in Shen Yan’s affairs and could only order the nursemaid to take good care of her.

Shen Yan suffered for two full days, tormented by abdominal pain to the point of wishing for death. Shen Shian also knelt outside the Begonia Courtyard for two days, only getting up to eat and use the toilet.

It wasn’t until the third day, the day of the wedding, when Shen Ning, dressed in a phoenix crown and embroidered robe, walked out of the Shen family’s gate and boarded the sedan chair heading to the Regent’s residence, that Shen Yan’s suffering finally eased.

Although the wedding was hastily arranged, the scale was not small at all.

The sedan chair, carried by sixteen people, circled the streets of the imperial city, with petals flying in the air, filling the atmosphere with fragrance, and female officials lining the path, scattering coins and red dates, leading children to scramble and pick them up.

Inside the Regent’s residence, the wedding banquet was even more grand.

All the high-ranking officials who could attend were present, and no one dared to not show up for the Regent’s wedding.

The officiant was the Grand Empress Dowager, with the Empress Dowager only able to sit beside her, and the young Emperor, who had not yet come of age, was not qualified to be the officiant at this event.

The wedding was lively, but the newlyweds were quiet.

Shen Ning followed the ritual official’s instructions throughout, methodically completing the wedding ceremony with the Regent.

As the final declaration of “The ceremony is complete, escort to the bridal chamber” echoed, it all came to an end.

Finally, there was peace and quiet.

Shen Ning sat on the edge of the bed, taking off the phoenix crown from her head on her own. The female official in charge of the ceremony hurriedly tried to stop her: “Consort, this should wait for the Regent to personally remove it for you.”

Ignoring them, Shen Ning placed the crown aside: “It’s very heavy.”

Although wearing it didn’t require much effort, who wouldn’t want a moment of relaxation? Why sit there stiffly with a heavy phoenix crown on?

“But—”

A chaotic sound of footsteps came from outside, followed by the respectful greetings of the servants: “Greetings to Princess Jiahe!”

“Greetings to Princess Jiayu!”

“Make way!” An arrogant female voice rang out, “This princess has come to see what the eldest legitimate daughter of the Shen family looks like, capable of enchanting the dignified Regent to the point of losing his senses, disregarding her loss of purity and forcibly marrying her into the royal family!”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Shen Ning expressionlessly watched as two elaborately dressed women barged in, their expressions haughty and overbearing, looking like trouble.

Both were in their early twenties, one in a bright and vibrant red dress that trailed on the ground, the other in a striking blue dress, exuding arrogance and tyranny.

Behind them followed about a dozen palace maids, all standing in attendance at the door, with only two slightly older maids accompanying them.

“Shen Ning,” the woman in blue, with an air of superiority, walked in and sat down at a table not far from the new bed, speaking in a sarcastic tone, “I heard you were defiled by bandits. Would you care to tell this princess how they defiled you?”

The two female officials turned pale with shock: “Princess Jiahe…”

“All of you, be silent.” Princess Jiahe spoke coldly, her eyes fixed on Shen Ning, “A woman who is not pure dares not only to shamelessly live in this world but also to dream of marrying into the imperial family? Aren’t you afraid of being ridiculed by the world!”

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Shen Ning’s expression suddenly became calm, showing no reaction to her words.

The Princess Jiayu in the red dress stood by the window, expressionlessly watching the scene unfold, like a spectator detached from the situation, yet the darkness in her eyes clearly carried a hint of disdain and mockery.

Princess Jiahe slammed her hand on the table: “Shen Ning! This princess is speaking to you, are you mute?”

Shen Ning looked up at her, her gaze cold and sinister.

“You…” Princess Jiahe was irritated by her stare and suddenly stood up, angrily pointing at her, “Mama Wu!”

An elderly nursemaid approached and bowed her head: “Your Highness?”

“Slap her face.”

“Princess?” Mama Wu’s expression changed slightly, “She is now the Regent’s Wife, we cannot…”

“What are you afraid of?” Princess Jiahe glared at her, “The Regent didn’t marry her out of true feelings, but only to drive a wedge between the Shen and Qin families. An impure woman is not worthy of being the Regent’s wife!”

Mama Wu nodded fearfully: “Yes.”

“Your Highness,” the two female officials standing by the bed’s edge knelt down with a thud, pleading in fear, “Please calm down, Your Highness—”

Princess Jiahe kicked them away, furiously saying: “This doesn’t concern you, get lost.”

Mama Wu walked up to Shen Ning and raised her hand to slap her face, but the slap stopped midway and could not fall.

Shen Ning grabbed her wrist, her eyes fierce and menacing: “Insurrection against superiors is a capital crime.”

As soon as the words fell, Mama Wu’s sturdy body suddenly flew out like a kite with its string cut, hitting the pillar with a “bang,” spitting out fresh blood and dying on the spot.

The air seemed to suddenly freeze, and the surrounding temperature plummeted.

Princess Jiahe’s face turned pale, and she looked at Shen Ning in disbelief, her expression both shocked and furious: “You… you you you… you’re outrageous! Shen Ning, you’re simply audacious beyond belief! You…”

“I’m audacious beyond belief?” Shen Ning stood up and walked step by step towards Princess Jiahe, “Without the Regent’s consent, you brought people into the bridal chamber and ordered a servant to slap me. Who is truly being outrageous?”

Princess Jiahe was so frightened that she kept retreating: “You… what do you want to do? Guards! Stop her quickly!”

Two servants instinctively blocked their master’s path.

Shen Ning’s eyes turned cold, and her movements were as swift as a gale, throwing the two servants out in an instant.

Princess Jiahe’s legs went weak with fear, and she turned to flee, but in the next moment, Shen Ning grabbed her hair and slammed her head onto the table with a bang!

“Ah!” The pain from hitting the hard tabletop made Princess Jiahe scream in agony, “Shen Ning, let me go! I will definitely kill you, the Emperor and the Empress Mother will definitely kill you!”

Shen Ning was like a demon from hell, her face cold and murderous, her eyes filled with a killing aura.

She grabbed Princess Jiahe’s hair and repeatedly slammed her head onto the table. Before long, Princess Jiahe’s screams weakened.

The bridal chamber was eerily silent, with the maids and female officials all pale-faced and horrified.

Princess Jiayu, standing by the window, saw that the situation was dire and rushed into the inner room in three quick steps, shouting towards the door: “Guards! Protect Princess Jiahe!”

^[1]The Grand Empress Dowager is the mother of the previous Emperor, which is the father of the current Emperor, while the Empress Dowager is the mother of the current Emperor and is called Empress … Continue reading