strictlysupreme Chapter 391 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Chapter 391 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Emperor Xinghe announced Shen Huaizhi's true identity and restored his status as the fourth prince.
But when he thought of the seven-tenths resemblance between Shen Huaizhi and Qin Guannan, Grand Secretary Qin's heart trembled.
Grand Secretary Qin considered a possibility: if Shen Huaizhi was born to Consort De, Emperor Xinghe would not necessarily have to restore his identity.
Shen Huaizhi had always been in the capital, supported by the Marquis of Xuanping, a member of the royalist faction. Emperor Xinghe couldn't possibly be unaware of this.
What if Shen Huaizhi wasn't the prince born to Consort De?
Thinking back to the time when Emperor Xinghe arrested several elderly eunuchs and maids in Consort Xian's palace, Grand Secretary Qin felt that something must have happened, and it might be related to today's events.
Looking at Shen Huaizhi, who stood beside Emperor Xinghe in the main hall and was in no way inferior to him, Grand Secretary Qin understood that the matter was not over yet, and who knew what kind of storm would be stirred up next.
So many things happened at the birthday banquet that many people were no longer as relaxed as before. Emperor Xinghe understood everyone's feelings and quickly ended the banquet.
After the event, Prince Jing and Consort Hua returned to Prince Jing's residence.
The two returned to Consort Hua's residence together. Consort Hua went straight to the dressing table to remove her makeup, while Prince Jing, Tang Jingfan, drank tea on the side.
After everyone else in the room had left, Tang Jingfan finally spoke.
What are your thoughts on what happened at the birthday banquet?
Consort Hua, also known as Song Zhihua, paused in removing her earrings, then continued removing her makeup, answering as if nothing had happened.
"What can I say? Tang Jinxuan is a step ahead and not easy to deal with."
Tang Jingfan sneered: "Those assassins who tried to kill my brother claimed to be from the Song family. Shouldn't Ahua explain that to me?"
Song Zhihua lowered her eyes, combing her hair with a comb in her hand: "I have nothing to explain. They are indeed members of the Song family, but they do not obey my orders, and I was unaware of this operation."
Tang Jingfan took a sip of tea, then suddenly sighed and said, "Ahua, I'm not angry with you, I'm worried about you."
We grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and I've always loved you. Even though you were tricked and became my brother's concubine, I've always loved you.
Later, I even risked deceiving the emperor to steal you from the palace. Hua'er, you should know how I feel about you.
Tang Jingfan stood up, walked behind Song Zhihua, touched Song Zhihua's shoulder, and said softly, "Hua'er, I have already decided to betray my brother for your sake, so we should work together to achieve our goal."
If I had been involved, the Song family's actions today could have been handled much more thoroughly.
Instead of being caught in a trap set by the emperor's brother, we should have been able to escape.
It seems the Emperor has already seized control of the Song family's power in the capital, and all their efforts over the years have been in vain.
Thinking of all this, Song Zhihua felt a pang of heartache. The reason she was able to fake her death in the palace was twofold: first, she relied on the people the Song family had planted in the palace, and second, Tang Jingfan's inside help.
Song Zhihua only made contact with the remaining members of the Song family after she went to the fiefdom with Tang Jingfan. She knew about the Song family's operations in the capital over the years, and she had given her consent.
The person who had been in contact with Song Zhihua was Song Ming. Song Zhihua was aware that they were using Emperor Xinghe's birthday banquet to make a fuss. Song Ming said that he needed to use Shen Huaizhi for some things, and that letter was written by Song Zhihua himself.
But it was only today that Song Zhihua realized that what Song Ming had told her was not the whole plan.
Song Zhihua used her family connections to switch her child with Consort Xian's child, so Song Ming naturally knew Shen Huaizhi's true identity.
Song Ming wanted to use Shen Huaizhi to plot against Emperor Xinghe, but unexpectedly, Shen Huaizhi did not fall for the trap and even betrayed him, causing the entire operation to fail.
Finally, Song Ming also revealed that Shen Huaizhi was her child with Emperor Xinghe, intending to sow discord between Shen Huaizhi and Emperor Xinghe, or to create trouble for Emperor Xinghe.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Xinghe so directly acknowledged Shen Huaizhi's identity, and the final plan fell through.
Song Zhihua maintained a single-line contact with Song Ming, and no matter how hard Emperor Xinghe investigated, he couldn't trace her back to him, which is why Song Zhihua wasn't in a hurry.
With the loss of Song's old subordinates, Song Zhihua lost one of her allies. Moreover, Song Ming initiated the plan without her consent, which also displeased Song Zhihua.
However, Song Zhihua has little contact with the old Song family members in the capital, and it is now unknown whether they can escape from Emperor Xinghe's capture.
“Jingfan, the Song family did contact me, but I don’t have a deep connection with them. This time, they only asked me to write a letter to Shen Huaizhi.”
Tang Jingfan's eyes were deep: "Oh? Hua'er also wrote a letter to that child?"
"Yes, he is your and your elder brother's child, after all, he is your flesh and blood, so it's only natural that you care about him and worry about him."
Song Zhihua took Tang Jingfan's hand and said with disgust in her tone, "Jingfan, you know. Ever since Tang Jinxuan killed my whole family, I only have hatred for Tang Jinxuan, and I have no feelings for Shen Huaizhi at all."
When I escaped from the palace, I brought that child with me, not because I had any maternal feelings for him, but simply because I wanted to use him.
The intention of handing him over to Shen Mingze was to alienate Shen Mingze from Tang Jinxuan. Unexpectedly, Shen Mingze proved quite loyal to Tang Jinxuan, ruining his reputation, and even raised Shen Huaizhi well.
Speaking of Shen Mingze, Tang Jingfan's eyes still held jealousy and sourness: "Hua'er, it must be because you are too charming. Back then, Shen Mingze was deeply in love with you. Even though you ruined his reputation, he did his best to cover it up for you and even raised your son well in the mansion for eighteen years."
"Hmph, he wasn't doing it for me, he was doing it for Tang Jinxuan!"
Shen Huaizhi is, after all, a prince. Shen Mingze is very loyal to Tang Jinxuan. Back then, for the sake of the Song family, I begged him so much, but he refused to plead for the Song family in front of Tang Jinxuan. What feelings does he have for me?
Shen Mingze and Tang Jinxuan are cut from the same cloth; they are hard-hearted and cold-blooded, and they will do anything for power and status.
Jingfan, you're all I have left. Only you are truly sincere towards me.
Tang Jingfan held Song Zhihua, who was nestled in his arms, and smiled contentedly. No matter what, the person he loved still belonged to him.
Suddenly, as if she had thought of something, Song Zhihua looked up and said to Tang Jingfan.
"Jingfan, were you involved in the second wave of assassins who tried to kill Tang Jinxuan at today's birthday banquet?"
Song Zhihua recalled that before the second wave of assassinations against Tang Jinxuan, Tang Jingfan seemed to have made some kind of move.
Tang Jingfan didn't hide anything and admitted it directly.
"Yes, the second wave of assassins was arranged by me. They were pawns I planted by my brother. Today was the right time for them to make their move."
Unexpectedly, this perfect opportunity was ruined by the sudden appearance of Shen Huaizhi.
"What a pity. If the assassination had succeeded, even if my brother had only been seriously injured, those princes are incompetent, and the palace would definitely be in chaos. At that time, with my status, I would have had a chance to gain some influence."