Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 736 Admonition
The King of Qin held Jiang Zhenru in his arms, clearly feeling her body trembling uncontrollably. How similar this was to the situation when he was falsely accused of treason years ago! The couple outwardly feigned composure, but only when they were alone could they feel panic and fear.

The King of Qin didn't have much of an impression of his wife who had died young. She was short and easily overlooked. Perhaps because she was carrying a boy, and because her mother doted on this eldest grandson and fed her very well every day, her belly appeared unusually large when she was full-term.

Her small stature and protruding belly made him somewhat reluctant to stay in her room, as he knew she would suffer during childbirth.

Sure enough, she had an exceptionally difficult birth and fell seriously ill. She sought treatment from many renowned doctors, but to no avail. She endured for a few years before passing away.

After this marriage, when it came time to remarry, the King of Qin immediately took a liking to Jiang Zhenru.

This woman, who could laugh out loud in front of others and walked faster than others, had a cheerful personality and an exceptionally gentle face. In short, he was extremely satisfied with her in every way. For this reason, he did not hesitate to argue with his mother and reject the marriage that his mother had chosen.

Later, with the help of Jiang Zhenru's elder brother Jiang Ruming, he met with Jiang Zhenru privately several times. After some twists and turns, he finally managed to marry her.

Over the years, Jiang Zhenru had stood by him through thick and thin, and Jiang Ruming had even lost his life trying to uncover the truth. He owed the Jiang family and Jiang Ruming a debt. Even if Jiang Zhenru hadn't given birth at this time, he probably wouldn't have really punished her.

“I often dream about my elder brother,” Jiang Zhenru said. “In the past, whenever the prince encountered problems, my elder brother would help him come up with solutions. Now that my elder brother is gone, only I can help the prince.”

At this point, Jiang Zhenru's voice turned cold: "I don't trust any of those people outside. They look good at the Prince Qin's mansion now and work for the prince, but as soon as there's the slightest disturbance, many of them will turn against him. So the mansion's momentum cannot be weak, and the prince cannot lose."

"I've thought about it. At worst, I'll let the Emperor punish me."

The King of Qin looked at Jiang Zhenru and asked, "Besides these two things, what else have you done?"

Jiang Zhenru said, "I want to find faults in Wang Yan and Xie Yuyan. I haven't found anything yet, but I don't believe that a person can be completely without faults."

The King of Qin said, "Stop making trouble. This matter has already alarmed the Emperor. If you make any further moves, the Emperor will not stand idly by."

Jiang Zhenru looked at the Prince of Qin: "Is Your Majesty blaming the Prince? I kept it from the Prince because I thought that if something happened, it wouldn't be the Prince's fault."

The King of Qin sighed: "You and I are husband and wife, how can I remain uninvolved? Your Majesty has not summoned me to the inner palace these past few days, which means you have become suspicious. However, since you haven't asked about these matters in person, it's probably because you can't be sure that Wang Hanlin is working for me. As for the words spoken between women, they are not a serious mistake."

Just as the King of Qin was thinking about how to make amends, Jiang Zhenru hugged him tightly: "Your Highness, I am not afraid of punishment. As long as Your Highness and this family are safe and sound, I will do anything."

Something struck the King of Qin's heart, and it immediately softened.

After a while, Jiang Zhenru sensed that the prince had relaxed slightly, so she leaned close to the prince's ear and whispered, "His Majesty's illness is getting worse."

The King of Qin's eyes widened suddenly: "How do you know? Who told you?"

Jiang Zhenru's voice softened further: "They are my spies in the palace."

"A spy?" King Qin said, "How dare you? When did you start planning this? How did you choose these people? What makes you think they won't betray you?"

Jiang Zhenru's expression turned cold: "Those who betray me will also die."

The King of Qin felt that Jiang Zhenru was somewhat insane.

Jiang Zhenru said, "Besides, these people are already in the palace. There is no need for me to make arrangements. There are many families like the Jiang family. They were originally meritorious officials of the Great Liang, but in the end, they ended up in such a state. It is inevitable that some people are dissatisfied."

"With the imperial power about to change hands, they also had to do their part for the future."

The King of Qin suddenly stood up, creating distance between himself and Jiang Zhenru. He looked down at her and asked, "Who taught you to do this? Was it your father?"

Jiang Zhenru shook her head: "It's the Emperor." "Things are different now than they were a dozen years ago. The Emperor is getting old and still has no children. His health is deteriorating and his old illnesses are unlikely to be cured. If there are any changes in the political situation this time, it may be the last time the Emperor is on the throne."

“If we lose, we will not be banished back to the imperial clan... No matter who inherits the throne, it is impossible to allow a prince who was once an adopted son of an official to remain in the world.”

Jiang Zhenru collapsed back onto the pillow, exhausted, and closed her eyes wearily: "Your Highness, you decide what to do! I will obey Your Highness's will."

The sound of a baby crying came again.

How is Mother?

"Can we go in?"

"We just want to see our mother."

The voices of his second son and two daughters could be heard outside the door, and the King of Qin was immediately thrown into turmoil.

“It’s not that easy to deal with,” said the King of Qin. “The Prime Minister resigned from his post interrogating Xie Yizhi on behalf of Wang Yan. Whether it was to protect himself or to retire gracefully, it was a way of protecting Wang Yan. You want to find their faults and shut them up… how easy is that?”

Wang Yan did not claim all the credit. The officials who took over the case were naturally grateful to the Wang family, and the officials who benefited from the case would all stand with Prime Minister Wang.

Now that Wang Yan has extricated himself from this case, there is no reason for him to keep targeting him.

This is also the most troublesome part. Wang Yan is not involved in this case, but he can still offer advice to the emperor in private. After all, he is too familiar with this case, and it is easy to implicate him in his dealings with Xia Mengxian and Xie Yizhi.

The King of Qin frowned deeply.

He will be implicated by Xia Mengxian because Xia Mengxian helped Jiang Ruming when he was searching for the truth in Guangnan East Road. Over the years, Xia Mengxian has also contributed a lot of money to rebuild the Qin Prince's Mansion's network of connections.

Xia Mengxian fell from grace without implicating him, but Xie Yizhi knew some inside information. If Xie Yizhi were to reveal some information to protect herself…

The King of Qin dared not think further, for the consequences were unbearable for him.

Jiang Zhenru said, "Xia Mengxian is imprisoned, but those behind him have always been there; it just depends on whether Your Highness is willing to use them. I've also heard something else..."

"The Xie family is tracking down those people's identities at sea, and they've almost driven them into a corner."

“If we catch some more people, even if Xia Mengxian doesn’t say anything… some things will still be impossible to hide.”

Therefore, Xie and Wang Yan must be eliminated.

The King of Qin remained silent for a long time before saying, "You have just given birth, so it is not advisable for you to think too much... As for the rest, please allow me to think about it."

Before Jiang Zhenru could speak, the King of Qin strode towards the door.

Watching the King of Qin's retreating figure, Jiang Zhenru felt more at ease. The fact that the King hadn't made a decision yet meant he wasn't going to abandon her. If he wasn't going to abandon her, then she had no choice but to accept his proposal.

She felt that her plan was correct; only by using those people could she ensure that the prince could firmly sit on that throne.

If you do the math, Wang Yan and Xie Yuyan should be able to return to Bianjing soon. Once she gives birth to her child smoothly, she can then focus on dealing with the two of them.

(End of this chapter)