After being jilted, the entire neighboring village was filled with deep regret.

Chapter 357 Murong Xu's Secret Meeting with a Woman

The Empress Dowager wholeheartedly agreed, “This is the best way! The royal lineage is so small. The only healthy grandsons are the second, third, and fifth sons. The eldest died young, the fourth is sickly, and the sixth is ill. Of these grandsons, only the eldest, second, and fifth have wives and concubines, but their lineage is still dwindling. The fourth and sixth sons have yet to find wives.”

"We'll have the host do some calculations for them later, and choose a girl whose birth chart matches theirs."

The Empress frowned with worry, "Mother, those powerful and noble people are also worried about the health of the fourth and sixth princes, and they are concerned that their daughters will not be happy after marrying into the royal family. The Emperor also looks down on the other daughters of officials from humble backgrounds."

Fortunately, the Emperor has relented this time. As long as the matchmaker can find auspicious birth dates, it will definitely work out!

"That's right, that's right."

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law became more and more excited as they talked.

We arrived at the Buddhist temple.

The mountain gate was wide open.

Soldiers cleared the way, and pilgrims who came to offer incense were blocked on both sides. Except for the pilgrims who had stayed overnight in the temple, everyone else was temporarily asked to leave.

The Empress Dowager and the Empress offered incense and recited scriptures devoutly before the Buddha.

Murong Xu then took the opportunity to sneak out.

The third and fifth brothers saw this and secretly followed.

As they walked, they discovered that Murong Xu had gone to the women's quarters in the backyard of the Buddhist temple.

They all widened their eyes.

"Has Second Brother gone mad? He actually trespassed into a female guest's courtyard!"

"Could it be that they came here for a secret rendezvous?"

"Don't talk nonsense! If Mother and Grandmother find out, the Second Prince will have his legs broken!"

The two exchanged a glance, and a wicked smile crept onto their lips.

Murong Xu was stopped by two monks, frowning in displeasure. Just as he was about to get angry, a woman's voice suddenly came from behind him.

"Is it the Second Prince?" Cen Mingxue asked uncertainly. Seeing Murong Xu turn around, her expression fluttering, she quickly knelt down, "This humble woman, Cen Mingxue, greets the Second Prince!"

"Get up!" Murong Xu's attitude towards women was always quite good.

Cen Mingxue stood up shyly and asked hesitantly, "Second Prince, did you come here to look for someone?"

Murong Xu was just wondering how to get in when he heard this and said with a smile, "Miss Cen, would you please invite me in for a seat?"

"What's so difficult about that!" Cen Mingxue felt as if a pie had fallen from the sky and hit her on the head. Overjoyed, she ignored the little monk's advice and led Murong Xu inside.

Murong Xuzhen followed Cen Mingxue to her room.

The two had just sat down and hadn't exchanged more than a few words when the Empress Dowager and her entourage arrived.

The door was kicked open, and the Empress Dowager and the Empress glared angrily at Murong Xu.

"Second Prince! Have you gone mad? Today is an important day for the Empress Dowager to worship Buddha, and you actually had a secret rendezvous with a woman at the Buddhist temple! You have really angered me!" The Empress shook her head in disappointment.

The Empress Dowager coldly ordered, "Take them away and interrogate them thoroughly!"

Murong Xu realized what was happening and his expression changed drastically. "Grandmother, Mother, that's not how it is! Please let me explain. Miss Cen and I are completely innocent. We just happened to run into each other in the wrong place. Miss Cen invited me for a cup of tea. That's really all!"

"Second brother! Where can't you drink tea? This is a Buddhist temple, where you should avoid suspicion. Even if you encountered her, you should have avoided her, instead of resting in the women's courtyard with such an unruly woman. You have truly disappointed me!"

The Empress sighed and looked at the Empress Dowager. "Mother, leave this matter to your son. I will punish him severely and give the Buddhist temple an explanation." "Nonsense!" The Empress Dowager stormed off in anger.

Murong Xu slumped to the ground, utterly defeated! The Empress Dowager was furious; he was sure to face dire consequences upon returning to the palace!

He has no interest in thinking about Shen Tian now.

The Empress Dowager and her entourage arrived quickly and left just as quickly.

When the courtyard quieted down, the door to a side room in the back row quietly opened.

Shen Tian and Huang Xinghua calmly walked out and greeted the young novice monk guarding the courtyard, "Little monk, what happened just now? We heard some strange noises inside the house, so we came out to check."

The young novice monk dared not tell anyone about the royal family's affairs, and only said, "Amitabha, today is Laba Festival. Many distinguished guests have come to the temple, and the Empress Dowager is also distributing porridge and doing good deeds. The two ladies can go to the main hall to worship Buddha and eat vegetarian food."

"Didn't the kitchen prepare vegetarian meals separately today?" Huang Xinghua asked in surprise, as they had been eating vegetarian meals delivered from the kitchen for the past few days.

The young novice monk shook his head.

Shen Tian thanked the young novice monk and led Huang Xinghua to the front yard.

On the way, she whispered, "Mother, even if you ask the little monk about this, he wouldn't dare to say anything. The best way is to go to the front yard and talk to those ladies and young women. Maybe we can find some clues there. We'll see how things go before deciding whether to leave."

If they weren't afraid of offending powerful figures and causing trouble for Liu Laosan, his family would have run away long ago.

Huang Xinghua knew her daughter had her own ideas, so she naturally listened to her in everything.

The two met up with Shen Dagou in the front yard. Without them having to ask, Shen Dagou eagerly told them the information he had found out.

"It's the Second Prince. I heard that the Second Prince was caught red-handed by the Empress Dowager and the Empress while having a secret rendezvous with Miss Cen in the Women's Courtyard. It's a royal scandal, and the Empress Dowager is furious. She has no mind to worship Buddha anymore."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Shen Tian's eyes. "Which Miss Cen is it?"

Shen Dagou thought about it carefully, "It seems to be called Cen Xue something."

"Cen Mingxue, Cen Mingzhu's cousin."

"Yes, yes, yes! That's the name!" Shen Dagou's voice was a little loud because he was excited. When he saw the worshippers looking at him, he quickly covered his mouth.

Shen Tian slowly lowered her eyes, concealing the mockery at the corner of her mouth. In her previous life, she was betrothed to Murong Xu since birth. After three years of marriage without children, Murong Xu suddenly took Cen Mingxue as a concubine.

The Cen family was just an insignificant official family in the capital. She didn't even take Cen Mingxue seriously. But this woman gave birth to three sons in a row after entering the mansion. Although the first two did not survive, she was blessed with many children and was good at bearing children.

For a royal family with few heirs, this was a symbol of good fortune. After Murong Xu ascended the throne, he conferred the title of Consort on Cen Mingxue. She died tragically, while Cen Mingxue enjoyed wealth and glory.

Unexpectedly, the two of them became connected in this way in this lifetime.

The royal family values ​​reputation above all else. Cen Mingxue did such an outrageous thing while the Empress Dowager was doing charity and giving alms. Even if she really gave birth to three sons in the future, she would never be able to regain the glory of her previous life.

Thinking of this, Shen Tian felt much better.

She turned back and gave Huang Xinghua and Shen Dagou a sweet smile, "Mom, Big Brother, it seems I'm safe now. Let's pack our things and go back tomorrow."

"Great! Great!" Huang Xinghua was overjoyed, but as soon as she turned around, she bumped into something, making her howl in pain. "Ouch! Why don't you watch where you're going?"

"I'm so sorry, ma'am, are you alright?"

Huang Xinghua looked in the direction of the sound and saw a handsome young man looking at her with concern. He was dressed in gorgeous clothes and exuded nobility. Her gaze moved from top to bottom and fell on the cane the young man was leaning on, and her eyes showed a hint of regret.

"It's alright, it's alright." She quickly helped Shen Dagou and Shen Tian stand up.

I was initially furious, but I could forgive him because of his handsome appearance.