Volume 1 Chapter 73 Scheming Changes

  "Mother!" Shen Zhong's eyebrows were furrowed into a knot.

  "Gu'er is not young anymore, and until now he doesn't even have a son. If it goes on for another two years, do you really want to give birth to an illegitimate eldest son and cause family conflicts in the future?" The old lady's voice suddenly paused, then continued firmly, "Even if we don't divorce, let her guarantee that if she can give you a son within a year, I will allow her to enter the General's Manor!" The old lady's eyes, full of wrinkles, shone brightly as she secretly admired her own quick wit.

  Have a son within a year?

  How could it be possible for Zhen Shiniang to have such a physique!

  Seeing his mother like this, Shen Zhongge's face turned from white to red and then to purple, unable to speak.

  The old lady's tone softened, "...... it's not that I can't tolerate her, but whenever I think of what she did to me back then, my heart still boils with anger. A dog will always eat shit, no matter how much you try to change it. Don't be fooled by her sweet words, look at how she beat up Chu Niang, she's still as arrogant as ever! What has changed?! Sighing, "Pian'er, don't be blinded by her flattery." Her eyes flashed, and she continued, "As long as you agree to the divorce, I won't stop you from marrying anyone, even if it's Chu Niang." First, convince your son to agree, and then worry about who he'll marry afterwards. That's always been up to the parents' arrangement, not his decision!

  The five aunts in the mansion didn't also take charge and bring their husbands in themselves? The old lady thought to herself, then saw Shen Zhongge looking over, and her heart felt guilty as she lowered her head.

  Is Auntie Chu here?

  For some reason, although he had been thinking about how to persuade his mother to agree to make Chu Xinyi legitimate after their separation, now that he heard his mother agree with his own ears, there wasn't a single thread of joy in his heart.

  "There is a voice in her heart that keeps asking herself, '...is she suitable as a wife?'"

  Husband and wife should support each other for a lifetime!

  After being fooled by Xian Shi Niang for so many years, the only thing he understood was that when marrying a wife, she must be virtuous. Even if it takes another two years, or even if he doesn't get married in this lifetime, he will absolutely not settle for anything less.

  After all, he is no longer the ignorant and reckless young man he once was, Shen Zhongke subconsciously shook his head.

  "Clang!"

  Seeing him shake his head, the old lady's voice suddenly became sharp and shrill.

  "Mother..." Shen Zhongke forcibly suppressed his restless mood, "I am a seven-foot-tall man after all."

  They were all young once. This marriage has not been entirely her fault, after all, it's a matter between husband and wife. Let alone that she is an orphan with no one to rely on, even if she had parents to depend on, he wouldn't have abandoned her when her life was in danger!

  "You..." The old lady's finger trembled slightly as she pointed at Shen Zhongge, unable to speak.

  The stalemate continued for a while. The green moon knocked on the door and came in, "...... Fu Gonggong has arrived."

  "Mother is tired, rest first." Shen Zhongge took the opportunity to stand up and quickly went to the door, then turned his head back, "Don't worry about this matter, Mother. I've already made up my mind." His tone was gentle but left no room for doubt.

  "It's all gone wrong! Everything has gone wrong!" The old lady's lips quivered with rage.

  A son is no longer yours once he grows up!

  The old lady's heart hated Zhen Shiniang even more as this thought flashed through her mind.

  She gritted her teeth. If she didn't drive this cheap person out of the Shen family today, she would follow this cheap person's surname!

  Chu Xinyi was sitting in front of a copper mirror painting her eyebrows.

  Delicate eyebrows like early spring willow leaves, ink-black eyebrow pencil slightly raised at the outer corner of the eye, and the beauty in the copper mirror immediately gained a few more...

  Spring Orchid pushed open the door and came in.

  "Has Madam convinced the General?" Chu Xinyi asked in a soft and gentle voice, her eyes fixed intently on him.

  Chun Lan shook her head, "Bi Yue said that General's tone was very firm and he resolutely disagreed with the divorce."

  Chu Xinyi suddenly stopped writing. "He actually disobeyed Old Lady?"

  Shen Zhong's filial piety is unprecedented.

  He suddenly remembered that he was actually rebelling against Old Lady Jiao for the sake of Zhen Shining. Chu Xinyi's face turned pale, and she slammed her eyebrow pencil onto the desk.

  Chun Lan hesitated for a moment, "The old lady was so angry that she didn't even eat dinner, and all the other concubines have gone to persuade her, why don't you go too?"

  "Persuade?" Chu Xinyi's voice was sharp and cutting, "Persuade what?" Glaring at Chunlan, "Persuade the old lady to follow the general and leave that cheap woman behind!?"

  Then isn't she going to be junior for her whole life?

  Chun Lan was so frightened that she didn't dare speak.

  "Go and prepare the carriage." Chu Xinyi suddenly stood up.

  "It's so late, where is Auntie going?"

  "Back to your mother's home!"

  A hint of gloom flashed in Chu Xinyi's eyes.

  All slogans have been shouted out, if she doesn't leave, wouldn't she be looked down upon by him?

  This time, if she didn't make a big fuss at the General's Mansion, Shen Zhongge would never know how important Chu Xinyi was to the General's Mansion!

  ……

  The Anqing Hou Mansion, a small council chamber shrouded in gloom.

  "...it's been two days and the case still hasn't been solved." Walking back and forth on the ground, Xue Yi, the Marquis of Anqing, suddenly stopped, "When did the efficiency of Shenxing Temple become so low? Do they have a few heads that can be chopped off by Wan Si!"

  "This move is called 'beating the mountain to shock the tiger'...". Minister Gao Mingyu deliberately made a profound tone, "The Empress and Zheng Guifei have both been banned from leaving the palace. The Emperor ignored the opposition of the courtiers and stayed in the Guan Yun Palace overnight. He's doing this for everyone to see, telling everyone how much he values this matter, forcing the Empress to compromise, forcing you to confess!"

  "So what does he want?" Anqing Hou stared at Gao Mingyu with a piercing gaze.

  "Force you to agree to the marriage with Sixth Princess." Gaoming Jade said word by word, "The year-end is approaching, but the matter of Sixth Princess's marriage has been discussed for a long time without a conclusion, and the Emperor is getting anxious..." He looked at Anqing Hou, "If you still don't agree, the hat of a jealous wife who plotted against the imperial family will be placed on the Empress's head. At best, she will be demoted to a concubine, and at worst, she will be sent to the Cold Palace."

  "How dare he!" The Marquis of Anqing's eyebrows shot up.

  "He's a thousand years old, what is he afraid of!" Gaoming Yu said with an overbearing tone.

  The power of Anqing Hou is getting bigger, but it's still not invincible.

  Throughout history, those who harm the imperial family's flesh and blood are to be put to death by slow slicing. Gao Mingyu considered Anqing Hou's power, which dominated the court, so the Emperor did not dare to put the Empress to death by slow slicing, and instead said that at best she would be demoted to a concubine.

  Once the queen is demoted to a concubine, the power of the Xue family will be gradually eroded.

  "...to take the princess and the prince, indecisive and weak, since ancient times there has never been such a useless master!" Anqing Hou slammed his fist on the table, "It's really a shame to our ancestors!"

  "What's the use of such an emperor!" Advisor Zhang slammed his hand on the table and stood up, "Your Lordship might as well lead the troops to storm into the Forbidden City, kill the Emperor and assist the Crown Prince in ascending to the throne!"

  The hall fell silent at once, and you could hear a pin drop.

  The eldest son of the empress was born, and he should have been made crown prince by right of birth, but because the emperor favored the fifth son, he delayed making a decision.

  Anqing Hou was extremely dissatisfied with this and became increasingly disheartened and disloyal, gradually harboring a rebellious heart.

  "How dare you say such rebellious words!" Anqing Hou's heart was stirred, and he saw that everyone was looking at him, so he immediately put on a stern face.

  He heard that he was already alive, and Gao Mingyu took the opportunity to persuade him, "...... Brother Zhang is right, it is often said that a good bird chooses a tree to perch on, and a good minister chooses a master to serve. Such a dull and incompetent ruler will not be preserved."

  Zhang Sheng took the opportunity to flatter, "Look around, Your Excellency, who in the imperial court does not look up to you? Even if there are a few who are unaware of the situation, they cannot shake the overall situation!"

  "It's...!" The nine-door commander, Gu Yin, stood up abruptly. "When it's time to cut off, don't hesitate or you'll suffer the consequences. Your Excellency, just give the order and I'll lead the guards from the Commander's Mansion to take the vanguard, guaranteeing that we capture the old emperor and force him to hand over the jade seal and write an abdication edict!"

  Gu Shi's sister Gu Yu was a concubine of the Marquis of Anqing, and she was highly favored. Gu Shi had a deep loyalty to Anqing.

  "With your few troops..." Anqing Hou disdainfully shook his head, "Not even enough for Shen Zhongge to cook a single dish!"

  "He's also quite enough!" Gu Ding snorted.

  "Fenggu's large camp is less than 40 miles away from the capital, and with just one imperial edict from the Emperor, Shen Zhongjie's army of 300,000 can reach the Forbidden City in just one hour...” Zhang Cheng let out a cold laugh, his eyes fixed intently on Gu Yu, “As long as the Imperial Guards within the Forbidden City can hold out for an hour, what do you have to counter Shen Zhongjie?!"

  ……

  "It's so late, how did Yier come back?" Seeing the maid bring in Chu Xinyi, Chu Song was shocked.

  Chu Xinyi burst into tears, "My daughter is not coming back."

  "What's wrong?" Madame Chu exclaimed with a start, "Has General Shen bullied you?"

  Chu Xinyi pursed her lips tightly.

  Chun Hong then told Shen Zhong Ge about his disagreement and separation.

  "Has he already sensed Anqing Hou's conspiracy?" Chu Song looked at Chu Xinyi.

  "He's been staying in the Fenggu Valley camp every day, and he still trusts Old Lady deeply, how would he discover these things?" Chu Xinyi snorted, "He must have been bewitched by that little demon Jiakuai!" She told him about Jiakuai's pregnancy, "...My daughter has already spoken to him, in the General's Manor there is no Zhen Niang without me, and no me without her, let him handle it." Shaking Chu Furen's sleeve, looking at Chu Song, "...This time my daughter really wants to stay home for a few days."

  "Nonsense!" Chu Song's face turned dark.

  "Sister!" Chu Xinyang suddenly jumped up from her seat with a loud cry.

  Chu Xinyi's face stiffened, and then she burst into tears. "Is Father going to let his daughter be a concubine for the rest of her life and let that cheap woman ride roughshod over her?" She continued to sob uncontrollably, "In the beginning, it was Father who insisted on marrying me off to him, saying that he would eventually make me his official wife. Now what's going on? You're actually letting him make me his official wife!"

  "Sister..." Chu Xinyang pulled Chu Xinyi over.

  "Shut up!" Chu Xinyi glared at him fiercely, "If it weren't for you causing trouble everywhere, General Shen wouldn't have treated me so poorly and kept a wild child outside!" When Chu Xinyang was killing people under Shen Zhongjie's banner, Shen Zhongjie hadn't visited her room for over a month.

  "What's it to him if I cause trouble? He's surnamed Zhong, I'm surnamed Chu, what right does he have to control me?" Originally a fearless and lawless person, Chu Xinyang was suddenly scolded by Chu Xinyi, and his face changed. "Don't think that just because you're a general, you're impressive," he shouted loudly, "If your title is useful, how could I be reported to the capital prefecture?" He yelled, "My younger brother-in-law has been reported to the authorities, if he's capable, let the authorities kill the person who reported him and withdraw the complaint! Why are they still coming to arrest me for questioning?"

  Chu Xinyi reached out and grabbed him, "What kind of trouble have you gotten into again?!"

  The background has been inaccessible for a long time, and after logging in for more than an hour, I finally got in.