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

Chapter 469 The Emperor and Empress's Wrath

Master Zhu instinctively wanted to find Zhu Yixuan, but then he vaguely remembered that his son and Madam Cen had been taken to the capital by the Sixth Prince, their fates unknown. Who could he rely on now? His illegitimate sons were all spoiled rotten, utterly useless, and his grandson…
Thinking of his grandson, Master Zhu straightened up and hurriedly called over a servant, "Go, inform the steward that once he has recovered, he will personally lead a group to the Ice Plains to find Madam Ke and her son!"

After more than a month of travel, Murong Chen finally returned to the capital with Zhu Yixuan, Cen Mingzhu, and the child.

He didn't even return to the Sixth Prince's residence before rushing into the palace.

Upon receiving the news, the Empress came out early to greet her, watching her son hurrying towards her with his cane in the warm sunlight.

The Empress was overjoyed and wept, and hurried forward.

"You're finally back! I haven't had a moment's peace of mind while you were away from the capital!"

Murong Chen gave the Empress a solemn bow, "Mother, it is your unfilial son who has caused you worry."

The Empress shook her head, a smile still on her face. "Judging from your appearance, you haven't gone back yet. Do you know that Consort Shen has given birth to another son for you?"

Murong Chen's eyes lit up instantly. "Mother, I'll be back later. There's something I need to report to you and Father."

"What is it?" the emperor's voice came from around the corner.

Murong Chen and the Empress bowed in unison.

The emperor laughed. "Rise, all of you. Sixth Prince, what did you say you wanted to report to me? Is it related to the imperial examinations?"

Murong Chen shook his head, his expression becoming more solemn. "Father, Mother, when I was in Zhaohua County, I captured a woman. She was the daughter of General Cen Yingfan, who was stationed on the border. Back then, she abused her power and committed violence, seriously injuring the concubine and her brother, indirectly causing several deaths. She was sentenced to exile by the county magistrate."

After her mother-in-law passed away, Cen and her husband were supposed to observe a three-year mourning period. However, before the three years were up, Cen became pregnant, gave birth, and secretly returned to Zhaohua County.

"Outrageous!" The emperor was furious, flicking his long sleeves and his eyes becoming sharp and piercing. "To exile the Cen family to the border, did the county magistrate at the time not know the relationship between the border general and the Cen family?"

The emperor immediately guessed the key point.

Murong Chen shook his head. "Father, whether the county magistrate knew about the Cen family's situation is unknown. On the surface, the county magistrate's judgment is understandable, but it is worth discussing what kind of life the Cen family lived on the border."

After listening for a while, the Empress finally understood. "Sixth Prince, you want to deal with the Cen family, but you're worried about Cen Yingfan, so you asked your father for permission?"

Murong Chen still shook his head.

The emperor and empress were both stunned.

"If that's not the case, why did you bring this up?" The Empress gave her son a reproachful look, noticing something was off about Murong Chen's gaze and realizing that things weren't so simple.

Murong Chen hesitated for a while before slowly saying, "Father, Cen Shi secretly returned to Zhaohua County to give birth after becoming pregnant at the border. Cen Shi's husband, Zhu Yixuan, has already confessed that he did not share a room with Cen Shi during his three-year mourning period."

"The child of the Cen family is not his, but that of the second prince." "Nonsense! Sixth prince, is this really true?" The emperor's mind went blank, and he felt that his reason had vanished at this moment.

The Empress's face also paled, and she hurriedly asked, "Sixth Prince, could it be that Cen Shi is deliberately implicating your second brother in order to save her own life?"

Murong Chen smiled bitterly: "Mother, I also hope it is so, but Cen Shi is so certain of her words, and even made a poisonous oath. Zhu Yixuan also admitted that Cen Shi and the Second Prince had an affair. I know that this matter is of great importance and I dare not ignore it, but I cannot ignore it either. So I have no choice but to bring them all back to the capital for Father and Mother to decide."

The emperor had never felt things were so difficult.

The Empress was also at a loss, secretly wiping away her tears. After the Emperor left, she couldn't hold back her tears and cried, "How could the Second Prince be so foolish! It was one thing for him to have a secret rendezvous with Cen Mingxue at the Buddhist temple during the Laba Festival, but Cen Mingxue was still a virgin."

I never imagined he'd become so lawless at the border, even taking married women. Is he really that indiscriminate? He wasn't like this before!

She was truly heartbroken. The emperor only had a few surviving adult princes. The sixth prince was born with an illness and was destined to be ineligible for the throne. The only prince she had was the second prince, whom she had adopted, who could compete with the other princes.

She genuinely hoped that the Second Prince would live up to his potential and take the throne, because only then could she and the Sixth Prince live comfortably in the future.

Unexpectedly, the second son made one wrong step after another, ultimately ruining himself!
Murong Chen lovingly embraced the Empress as they returned to the palace, constantly comforting her, "Mother, what Cen said may not be true. Father will definitely investigate thoroughly and will not wrong Second Brother. If Second Brother really did such a thing, he would be letting down Father and Mother for their careful nurturing, and he should be punished accordingly."

His relationship with Murong Xu was so-so. When they were young, they competed for favor, and Murong Xu often bullied him, ridiculed him, and called him a little cripple. After they grew up, he could only be a wealthy idler because of his physical condition. Murong Xu's attitude towards him softened a bit, but it was still lukewarm. So when Murong Xu committed a crime, he would not help cover it up.

The empress wept bitterly and became listless.

Murong Chen was worried, so he did not leave the palace and stayed there to take care of the Empress. The next morning, he went to see the Emperor to report on the imperial examination before leaving the palace to return home.

Upon receiving the message, Shen Tian hurriedly carried the child out of the backyard, saying, "Your Highness! This humble servant greets Your Highness."

"Get up quickly! They say you don't need to bow in your own home." Murong Chen quickly helped Shen Tian up. After not seeing her for several months, Shen Tian's figure had returned to its pre-pregnancy state, slightly plump, which made her even more charming than before.

Murong Chen held her in his arms, greedily inhaling her scent: "I missed you!"

Shen Tian blushed, but still hugged Murong Chen back, saying, "I missed Your Highness too. Your Highness, look, this is our youngest son. Since you weren't in the capital, Father Emperor named him Murong Zuo."

Murong Chen carefully took the child, played with him for a bit, and when the child babbled a couple of times, his expression became even more loving.

The two returned to Shen Tian's courtyard. Murong Chen handed the child over to the wet nurse before telling Shen Tian about Granny Chen.

Shen Tian's joyful smile gradually faded from her face, and tears blurred her vision.

Murong Chen felt a pang of heartache and quickly hugged her to comfort her. "Grandma is old. When I went to see her, she was still talking to me. Something happened, and I had to return to the capital early. Tang Yu and Shen Yi helped with the funeral arrangements."

Tang Yu caught up with me after Grandma's funeral. He said, "Grandma passed away wearing the new clothes you made for her. She was healthy and without pain, surrounded by her children and grandchildren. The funeral was very grand. Don't be sad."

Shen Tian kept crying, "Grandma loved me. When I was injured, she stayed with me and talked to me. When I was in pain, she comforted me. Even though she couldn't see, she was very good at bringing me tea and water. No one will ever love me like that again!"