Chapter 1131: Chapter 1122: The Plan (7)
Xie Jinyu hurried to the Ministry of Justice Prison and saw that Princess Nanzhang was so thin, her bones were visible, making her face a bit unfamiliar.
She knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.
At Ciyun Temple, she was watched, and every attempt to escape was thwarted.
Since childhood, she was protected too well by Princess Nanzhang and had hardly suffered.
A smooth upbringing left her with a lack of the necessary experience.
Confined at Ciyun Temple, there was no escape; even threatening with her life, no one cared.
She could only wait.
Wait for someone to rescue her.
She did not know who else could save her.
Her brother was killed.
Her mother was imprisoned, unable to help herself.
Her father was at war and had not returned, and even if he did, he likely wouldn’t think of her.
Day by day, her life was washed away with tears.
Today, while tearing scriptures in the room, the nun opened the door and told her she could leave.
She didn’t have time to rejoice before she learned of her mother’s death.
She was almost carried into the carriage.
From now on, there would be no one to love or cherish her.
Mrs. Wang sent someone to bring Xie Jinyu back to take care of the corpse of Princess Nanzhang.
Mrs. Wang had always been soft-hearted.
Even though Princess Nanzhang deserved her fate and was not worth grieving for.
She truly cared for Xie Jinyu, who was also a pitiful person, used by the Empress Dowager for nearly twenty years, still believing the Empress Dowager had her best interests at heart.
Letting her see her daughter one last time could be considered a blessing.
It was just unexpected that Princess Nanzhang had such a thin fate, perhaps unable to challenge the Empress Dowager in time.
If the Empress Dowager hadn’t loved her so much, she might have ended better.
But Xie Jinyu couldn’t bear the pain of losing her mother and fainted in the Ministry of Justice Prison.
The servant had to carry not only Princess Nanzhang’s body but also her.
Princess Nanzhang’s funeral was held in a small courtyard, the same place where Xie Jingchuan’s funeral was conducted.
Heartless and ruthless, harming the Young Master first, and poisoning the Little Princess afterward, such a person was unworthy of being buried in the ancestral grave of Prince Zhenbei Mansion.
She would be buried with those nameless concubines.
Xie Jinyu caused a scene when she awoke, insisting that even if her mother was wrong, it was because she was forced; her mother contributed to the Zhu Debei Mansion and should not end this way.
Though no one paid her any attention as she caused a commotion.
Did Princess Nanzhang raise such a good son who nearly ruined the ancestral foundation of Prince Zhenbei Mansion, and still claim credit?
Wrapping her in a straw mat and tossing her to a mass grave would already be benevolent from Prince Zhenbei Mansion!
During Princess Nanzhang’s funeral, Mrs. Wang did not even appear at the little courtyard.
After Princess Nanzhang’s burial, they sent Xie Jinyu back to Ciyun Temple.
Now, Mrs. Wang manages Prince Zhenbei Mansion, and her frail body cannot withstand Xie Jinyu’s antics, so it’s easier to send her back to Ciyun Temple.
But Xie Jinyu was not willing to comply, thrown into a room, and the nun locked the door directly.
Actually, the nun did not want to keep Xie Jinyu at Ciyun Temple, but the incense money given by Prince Zhenbei Mansion was generous.
For the sake of incense money, she had a bit more tolerance.
Xie Jinyu kicked and smashed around, with no trace of the demeanor of a noblewoman, but the nun was already used to it.
If she liked to break things, let her break them.
Anyway, the broken things would be compensated by Prince Zhenbei Mansion.
Xie Jinyu knelt on the ground crying, and the maid cried with her, "Miss, please, stop struggling...."
The Second Miss struggled with unfavorable outcomes.
The Third Miss did not struggle, and her life was relatively better.
The Eldest Miss, after all, is the biological daughter of the Prince; the Prince would not mistreat her even if he were heartless.
But now that the Prince is not in the Capital, who will pity you while you’re causing such a fuss?
It’s merely bringing trouble upon oneself.
Mentioning Xie Jinhuan, Xie Jinyu was momentarily dazed.
Indeed.
If she doesn’t shake off Prince Zhenbei Mansion, she’ll always be controlled by them, let alone seek revenge?
She may not marry into a wealthy, powerful family, but if only she gets married, she would still have her dowry.
Without money, who will listen to her commands?
Xie Jinyu wiped away her tears and said, "I was too stupid before, but that won’t happen again."
The maid cried tears of joy.
Thank heavens.
The Eldest Miss finally came around.
...
It was late autumn.
The leaves were withering.
The fields after the busy harvest season were bare.
At the foot of a mountain, Prince NanAn and Su Chong were on horseback.
The wind lifted their garments, blending them with the distant mountains like a painting.
They looked far towards the city walls.
Thirty-some civilians were hanging from the city walls.
In sieging, bows and arrows were commonly used, and even more so the crossbow cars designed by Su Jin, which were efficient siege weapons.
Although the city was easy to defend and hard to attack, it should have fallen by now.
But they had no opportunity for a siege.
They couldn’t disregard the lives of the civilians and could only remain there, waiting for the right time.
The army still formed a blockade, but Marquis Dongxiang had already joined forces with Old Prince and their group.
Duke Chong and Prince Qi did not care about the civilians; perhaps they could protect them for now, but doing so was like hanging a sword over their heads.
If this sword was used well, it might be possible to destroy Prince Qi effortlessly.
But the timing required patience, and Prince NanAn and his companions were restless, so instead of staying cooped up in the camp, they would rather take a break outside.
In the distance, the sound of hooves broke the tranquility of the mountain pass.
A man on horseback came over, saying, "Young Master, the Madam just sent a family letter."
Su Chong hadn’t received a family letter for many days.
Upon hearing about the family letter, Su Chong immediately rode back to the camp.
As soon as he arrived at the camp’s large tent, the guards looked at him with envy.
Su Chong was puzzled by their expressions.
He went straight inside.
Prince NanAn couldn’t help but ask, "Is there good news?"
"Princess Fu Yun is pregnant again," the guard replied.
"The Marquis is overjoyed."
"...!!!"
Prince NanAn and the Heir of Marquis Beining were dumbfounded.
Indeed.
They couldn’t suppress the urge to beat Brother Su to a pulp.
How could this be, at least give others a chance to catch up?
Excelling in both literature and martial arts was one thing, but becoming a father repeatedly, could they not get a breather?!
In their delight, their eagerness to enter the camp’s large tent faded.
The three looked at each other.
Su Chong was miles ahead, and they couldn’t catch up even if they tried.
The only consolation was that Chu Shun’s son was still in the womb and had never been met.
Fortunately, Chu Shun wasn’t present; already feeling frustrated, having his brothers using him as a source of consolation would certainly aggravated him.
Inside the tent, Marquis Dongxiang was delighted, and Old Duke Chong was even more so.
Su Chong was his own grandson, Princess Fu Yun had given him a great-grandson and was expecting another one.
Laughter filled the air, "This is a double blessing."
Prince NanAn, feeling overwhelmed, continued to gaze at the camp guards, "What is the other good news?"
"The Marquis’s plan has succeeded," the guards replied.
Upon hearing this, Prince NanAn and his companions were also filled with joy.
They were all impatient by nature, almost driven mad by the wait.
Now that the once impenetrable city walls had shown a breach, victory was within reach.
In their excitement, their envy for Su Chong was momentarily forgotten.
They lifted the tent flap and went inside; Marquis Dongxiang asked the servant, "Has anything happened in the Capital City?"
The servant shook his head, "Rest assured, Marquis, everything in the Capital City is well."
"All the nobles are safe too."
As he said this, the servant paused and added, "But when Madam sent the family letter out of the city, the court was dispatching people to search for the Eldest Prince in the city...
Upon hearing this, the smile on Marquis Dongxiang’s face froze, and he abruptly stood up.
The princes, the Old Prince, and others all had a dramatic change in their expressions.
Their expressions even frightened Prince NanAn and his companions.
This was definitely a major incident.
"Father, what happened?" Su Chong inquired.
Marquis Dongxiang clenched his fist and fiercely pounded the table.
