tallest building

Chapter 322 Each with their own intentions

Because of the three cases in Tiandu Prefecture, Dong Gang was taken outside the palace and sent to Tiandu Prefecture for joint trial with the Ministry of Justice and the Court of Judicial Review.

Because of the public outcry, in order to quell the anger, the emperor specially issued an edict to expedite the trial and make a swift decision, without any delay.

Once Dong Gang entered Tiandu Prefecture, even more people filed complaints against him.

There were countless cases of forced purchases of land and houses and abuse of power for personal gain; in less than ten days, there were hundreds of such cases.

The Empress fell ill upon hearing this, realizing that Dong Gang had no chance of turning the tide this time.

Alan's story was like opening a floodgate, unleashing a torrent of trouble.

Consort Hui was also caught off guard by this outcome. She had originally thought that once the matter of Alan was settled, everything would be fine.

Who would have thought that it would escalate so much that it eventually became uncontrollable.

"This is truly a case of everyone kicking someone when they're down. There's never a shortage of people who would take advantage of someone's misfortune in this world." The eldest princess sneered. "It's also his fault for being so dissolute. That woman from the Xu family wasn't exactly innocent either. She was just caught in the act, and her husband's family, disgusted by her, forced her to her death."

The Xu family woman she was referring to was the one who went to Tiandu Prefecture to accuse Dong Gang of forcibly taking a woman and then committed suicide.

Regardless of the circumstances, someone died, and she did indeed have an affair with Dong Gang.

"At this point, there's no point in saying anything more. Let's just wait and see what happens." Consort Hui knew she was powerless to change the situation. "Don't think too negatively. Always remember, there's always a way out!"

"Hmph! He should pay for the sins he committed himself!" The eldest princess was initially anxious, but after thinking it over these past few days, she realized it wasn't worth dying for Dong Gang.

Firstly, he wasn't particularly affectionate towards himself; he despised himself and preferred to go out and fool around with those filthy women.

Secondly, as a princess, she knew that whatever punishment Dong Gang received would not implicate her.

We can't just exile Dong Gang and then send ourselves out in the same way!

"In my opinion, he should be punished more severely so that I can settle things with him." The eldest princess already harbored resentment towards Dong Gang, and thinking about what he had done, she couldn't help but feel hatred turning into resentment. "Don't leave things in the middle; half-cooked rice is not tasty."

Her words startled Consort Hui, who quickly said, "Please keep your voice down, no one can hear this. You are husband and wife after all, and even if he made a mistake, the Empress is his aunt, there's no reason for her not to side with him."

"There's no one else in this house, and I haven't gone around telling everyone," the eldest princess said nonchalantly. "Mother, do you think I'm not pathetic enough? Even though I'm a princess, I still have to be mindful of the Dong family's feelings and save face for them. Who has ever thought about my face or yours?"

"Alright, alright, you're getting more and more excited. Go and see the Empress. The matter isn't over yet, so we need to keep up appearances." Consort Hui knew that her daughter wasn't exactly shrewd, so she had to remind her constantly.

"Your Highness, if I may say something, the eldest princess is right." After the eldest princess left, Granny Xia spoke up, "The prince consort has really treated our princess awfully. Now that he's in this situation, it's impossible for him to be clean. Even if he's lucky enough to stay in the capital, he probably won't be able to keep his official position. If he continues to act recklessly, what will we do? So we should make some plans as soon as possible."

"Do you think I haven't thought about these things? But the Empress is still there. If we sever ties with the Dong family, wouldn't that be the same as offending the Empress?" How could Consort Hui not have these concerns?

"Then it depends on the Emperor. The Emperor also loves his daughter, so he will definitely advocate for the princess to divorce the Dong family. The Emperor's daughter has no trouble getting married. Let the princess choose a suitable new consort and have more children while she is young. Isn't that better than anything else?" said Granny Xia. "After all, the Dong family is in the wrong, so what can the Empress say?" What Consort Hui cares about most is that Dong Gang refuses to go to the eldest princess's room. How can a couple act like this?
"It's too early to talk about these things now." Consort Hui felt her mind was already in turmoil enough. "Let me have some peace and quiet!"

"Your Majesty, the Imperial Brother-in-law has come to the palace." Chief Eunuch Hu walked in from outside, "He brought your favorite bamboo leaf cake."

When Consort Hui heard that her family had arrived, her brows relaxed a little, and she said, "Please come in quickly, and put two more ice creams in this room!"

She knew her brother must be very hot when he came in from outside.

Consort Hui's elder brother, Chen Shixian, was over forty years old. Although he had gained weight, he still looked very refined.

He served as Minister of Works and had recently inspected the dikes in Shanghuai. He had returned to the capital less than ten days prior, meaning he only returned after Dong Gang's incident.

"It's so hot outside right now, why did you come to the palace?" Consort Hui felt sorry for her brother when she saw him covered in sweat.

"I was late for the morning court session and then went to the Imperial Study for a private audience, which made me late." Chen Shixian took the handkerchief handed to him by a maid and wiped his face as he said, "I was thinking that I had to go to the palace to see Her Majesty no matter what, so it doesn't matter if it's hot or not."

"Have you heard anything from the court? I'm worried about the matter of the imperial son-in-law!" Consort Hui couldn't help but sigh. "I just have a bad feeling about it."

“It is indeed not a good situation,” Chen Shixian said. “I also advise Your Majesty to make plans as soon as possible.”

"Plans? What plans can I have? In this deep palace, everything is up to fate." Consort Hui felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

"Instead of worrying about how the consort will be dealt with, Your Majesty should think further ahead," Chen Shixian said, having come to the palace with a purpose: "to think of the Chen family."

Consort Hui was momentarily confused: "What do you want me to do?"

"Hasn't Your Majesty considered that once the Imperial Son-in-Law is punished, Prime Minister Dong will inevitably be implicated as well?" Chen Shixian was more concerned about the position of Prime Minister. "If the position of Prime Minister is also in jeopardy, then who will succeed him?"

In fact, people had been planning these things ever since Dong Gang got into trouble. The ministers of the previous dynasty didn't really pay much attention to the affairs of the inner palace.

Whether a concubine is insulted, dies, or becomes a nun, it is of little consequence.

But the situation in the previous dynasty was different. Dong Gang alone would implicate countless important officials in the court, and a change of dynasty was inevitable.

"What? You want to compete?" Consort Hui immediately sensed her brother's ambition.

“It’s a rare opportunity,” Chen Shixian said. “I know you can speak with the Empress, and if I really want to advance further, I can’t do without the Dong family’s support.”

The Dong family wouldn't allow someone unrelated to them to become prime minister, would they?

Consort Hui quickly weighed her brother's words in her mind several times; this matter was neither beneficial nor harmful to her.

The fact that her own brother became the prime minister meant that her family's status was more secure and prominent, which gave her more confidence.