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

Chapter 538 Private Soldiers
He thought that the mastermind behind all this was Princess Qingkang, but he never expected it to be Princess Qingfeng. She was indeed a woman of great talent and cunning!

Princess Qingfeng bit her lip and knelt down, her face pale and swaying precariously. After a long while, she finally spoke, “Your Majesty, I have always had a very good relationship with Consort Wan. I am truly heartbroken that Consort Wan has fallen to this state. She made a mistake in a moment of weakness and has nothing to say about it.”

"Speechless indeed!" The emperor rose angrily and shouted, "Guards! Princess Qingfeng has deceived the emperor! Strip her of her title and immediately imprison her to await further orders! Confiscate the property of the Duke of Ji! No one from the Duke of Ji is to be allowed to enter or leave at will! Anyone who disobeys will be executed without exception!"

The court officials were all eagerly awaiting good news after hearing what Grand Tutor Zhao had said, and they all surrounded him, praising and flattering him.

Instead of good news, they received news of the Ji State Duke's mansion being raided and Princess Qingfeng being imprisoned.

In a short period of time, Grand Tutor Zhao went from being full of pride to being panicked and uneasy.

The court officials were also shocked and huddled together whispering among themselves.

"What serious crime has the Duke of Ji committed? Didn't we just see the Duke of Ji's carriage entering the palace this morning?"

"Yes! And Princess Qingfeng, what could she have done wrong that the Emperor punished her so severely!"

"No! That's not right, Princess Qingkang also seemed to have entered the palace this morning!"

Everyone turned to look at Grand Tutor Zhao.

Grand Tutor Zhao's face turned ashen, and he boarded the carriage without uttering a word.

When Princess Qingkang returned to the Zhao family, her hands and feet were still trembling, and she was completely distraught.

Zhao Qinghe patted her on the shoulder from behind.

Princess Qingkang was so frightened she almost lost her soul. "What are you doing?"

Zhao Qinghe frowned. "You've been acting strange ever since you came back. I called you from behind but you didn't hear me. Your father has something to ask you in the study."

Princess Qingkang looked at Zhao Qinghe walking in front of her, and her uneasy heart finally settled down, tears welling up in her eyes.

Upon entering Grand Tutor Zhao's study, Grand Tutor Zhao asked with a serious expression, "Didn't you go to the palace to request an imperial decree for your marriage? Why was Princess Qingfeng stripped of her title and imprisoned? And why was the Duke of Ji's mansion also raided? What exactly happened?"

Princess Qingfeng is a key figure in the Second Prince's faction. Her ability to win people's hearts is unparalleled. Without Princess Qingfeng, it's like the Second Prince has lost an arm. The Second Prince, who was already in a difficult situation, has even less chance of winning.

Princess Qingkang suddenly burst into violent sobs, her whole body trembling violently.

His terrified appearance startled both Grand Tutor Zhao and Zhao Qinghe.

Zhao Qinghe shook Princess Qingkang twice forcefully, "Come to your senses, you're already home, the Emperor didn't pursue the matter, you're fine!"

Princess Qingkang hugged her arms and continued to cry. "The Duchess of Ji State brought the Golden Phoenix and asked the Empress Dowager to bestow a marriage upon Murong Jue and Ruan Haizhu. They said that although Ruan Haizhu's family background is not prominent, she is a descendant of heroes. Originally, the Emperor and the Empress Dowager had already planned to follow the Duchess of Ji State's wishes and invite Shen Yi and Madam Shen into the palace."

Unexpectedly, Madam Shen knew Ruan Haizhu and said that she was not a descendant of any martyrs, nor was she from Langya Kingdom. Most importantly, Ruan Haizhu was a fugitive criminal who had committed theft.

How could Princess Huai'an tolerate the fact that the Duchess of Ji was asking the Empress Dowager to grant her a marriage with such a woman?

Madam Shen also listed all the servants in the mansion who knew Ruan Haizhu. The Emperor sent people to identify them one by one. The Duchess of Ji had no way to defend herself. When the Emperor interrogated her, she confessed without being asked.

Ruan Haizhu was even more spineless. After a few threats, she revealed her true colors. She was brought in by Qingfeng, and no matter the reason, Qingfeng couldn't escape.

The Emperor followed the trail and learned of the outrageous things the Duke of Ji had done. In a fit of rage, he confiscated the entire Duke of Ji's mansion. Now, even if the Ji family brings out the Golden Phoenix, it's useless. You have no idea how terrifying the Emperor and Empress Dowager looked at me when Ruan Haizhu's identity was exposed. It was as if I were the mastermind behind it all!
I... I almost didn't make it back, sob sob sob.

Through Princess Qingkang's intermittent narration, Grand Tutor Zhao had already learned what had happened.

After thinking for a moment, he had a carriage prepared and quietly left the capital.

In a remote little village in the capital.

Grand Tutor Zhao told the commoner Xu in detail about Princess Qingfeng.

“Your Highness, Princess Qingfeng planned to ruin the marriage between the Shen family and the Princess’s Mansion, but not only did it fail, she also got herself into trouble, and the Duke of Ji’s Mansion collapsed. We can’t wait any longer.”

The commoner Xu smashed the teacup in anger, his expression gradually turning sinister. "It's the Shen family again! Those surnamed Shen are born to bring misfortune upon me!"

First, because he couldn't get Shen Tian, ​​he was exiled to the frontier by a twist of fate. Then, because of Shen Congrong, he was demoted to a commoner. Now, because of the marriage with the Shen family, he has lost Princess Qingfeng and Duke Ji.

Without these two people, his connection with the royal family will be severed, and it's likely that no one will remember him in the future.

Zhao Taifu, who was originally skeptical of superstition, advised, "Your Highness, I believe the best course of action for us now is to use the emperor to command the feudal lords. On the twelfth of the twelfth lunar month, Murong Jue will marry the daughter of the Shen family, and on the eighth of the twelfth lunar month, the Empress Dowager and the Empress will make offerings at the Buddhist temple. These two opportunities are our chances."

The Buddhist temple can create chaos, and we can take the opportunity to kill the Empress Dowager or the Empress. During the period of national mourning, there will be plenty of opportunities to sneak into the palace. We can work together from the inside and outside. Once the Emperor dies, you can lead your five thousand private soldiers to attack the city and seize the throne.

If we take action on the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, the effect will be less, since we cannot guarantee that the emperor and empress will visit the Princess Huai'an's residence.

"If the Emperor and Empress go, our people can assassinate the Emperor at the Princess's residence, killing two birds with one stone: Princess Huai'an and the Shen family."

The five thousand private soldiers were secretly raised by Princess Qingfeng for the commoner Xu over the past few years. Only the three of them knew about this. Princess Qingfeng would definitely not leak the secret, otherwise, she would be guilty of a double crime and would only be subjected to slow slicing.

If they remain silent and do nothing, and their plan succeeds, Princess Qingfeng will have a chance to see the light of day again.

Without a second thought, the commoner Xu chose the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month.

Grand Tutor Zhao frowned. "If we choose the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, we must find a way to get the Emperor and Empress to appear at the Princess's residence."

"What's so difficult about that!" Shuren Xu's lips curled into a slight, contemptuous smile.

The incident involving Princess Qingfeng and the Duke of Jin's mansion caused another shockwave in the capital. Court officials who were originally focused on the allocation of the new batch of officials immediately shifted their attention to inquire about the inside story.

Shen Yi's family wouldn't say anything, and Princess Huai'an and Murong Jue kept their mouths shut, not revealing a single word.

Princess Qingkang claimed to be ill and refused to leave her home, declining all visits from guests.

This only fueled everyone's curiosity.

Two days later, the emperor personally issued an edict to confer the title of Earl of Ning'an upon Murong Jue and to arrange a marriage between the Earl of Ning'an and Shen Yuezhang, the eldest daughter of the Vice Minister of Works.

The Empress Dowager and the Empress also bestowed their rewards at the same time.

This investiture and marriage is really strange, especially after the incident involving the Duke of Ji's mansion and Princess Qingfeng. Everyone can't help but make connections. Even if they don't know exactly what happened, the Emperor's decree seems to have the intention of compensation. It seems that Princess Qingfeng and the Duke of Ji's mansion did something terrible to the Shen family and Princess Huai'an.

(End of this chapter)