RPAGF Chapter 439 The Old Madam Leaves the Mansion (1)
Chapter 439 The Old Madam Leaves the Mansion (1)
After entering the palace, Shen Fuhan went straight to Hanliang Palace.
However, the eunuch told him that the emperor was currently accompanied by Consort Yun and could not see him.
Shen Fuhan nodded slightly, preparing to sit in the side hall for a while, when the door to the main hall opened.
Yunxi came out of the hall and nodded to Shen Fuhan.
"Since Lord Shen requests an audience with the Emperor, I will not disturb him any longer."
"Thank you, Consort Yun."
Yunxi didn't rush to leave, but asked, "It's been a long time since I've seen Sister Jiayue. How is she?"
She had originally intended to invite her to the palace, but then changed her mind. At this critical juncture, it was better not to come.
"My wife has caught a cold and is currently recuperating. She should be better in a couple of days. Thank you for your concern, Consort."
Yunxi frowned slightly: "I hope Lord Shen will take good care of her. If the palace physician cannot cure her, please send the imperial physician over at any time."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will now enter the palace."
Yunxi stopped him, glanced at the palace gate, and lowered her voice, saying, "Because of the Princess's matter, His Majesty has been in a bad mood these past two days. Lord Shen, you must be careful with your words and actions."
Shen Fuhan was sensible, and what he wanted to talk about wasn't the Eldest Princess.
He thanked Consort Yun and then entered the palace.
A faint aroma of wine lingered in the hall, and the emperor was pouring himself a drink.
Seeing Shen Fuhan approach, he murmured, "Minister Shen, you've arrived. Have a couple of drinks with me."
Shen Fuhan bowed and sat down opposite him.
After a couple of drinks, Li Zhixu finally spoke: "A month ago, you said you had a lead and were willing to risk your life to investigate. Did you catch the person?"
Having failed to achieve anything in the past few years, Li Zhixu didn't have much hope this time either.
Unexpectedly, Shen Fuhan replied, "Your humble servant has not failed in his mission."
The gloom of the past few days was instantly dispelled by these words. Li Zhixu's eyes lit up, and he asked, "Did you see his face or fight him?"
Shen Fuhan calmly said, "I shot him with an arrow, and he fell off the cliff. When I found him, he had already been mostly eaten by wolves and was dead."
Li Zhixu exclaimed in astonishment, "What?"
The man who had troubled him since his ascension to the throne died just like that?
Shen Fuhan looked around and said, "Your Majesty, please dismiss everyone else."
Li Zhixu waved his hand, dismissing the palace maids and eunuchs, and hurriedly asked, "How exactly did you find him?"
Shen Fuhan asked, "Does Your Majesty remember Pei Huaijin, the heir of the Duke of Qi?"
"Why are you suddenly mentioning him?" Li Zhixu pondered for a moment. "I have some impression of him, but I've never met him."
“He is the person His Majesty is looking for,” Shen Fuhan said bluntly. “The Duke of Qi’s mansion is suspected of treason, and we hope His Majesty will arrest them as soon as possible!”
Li Zhixu was speechless, staring blankly at him.
"Minister Shen, you can't say such things carelessly. The Duke of Qi's family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, how could they possibly..."
Shen Fuhan then ordered the guards to bring over Pei Huaijin, along with the remaining surviving members of the gang, and Uncle Liang's confession.
With irrefutable evidence, Li Zhixu sat stiffly for a long time before finally ordering with a complicated expression, "Someone come here!"
Within half an hour, the Duke of Qi's mansion was surrounded like an impregnable fortress, and Consort Pei was also taken into custody.
Shen Fuhan personally conducted the interrogation, acting swiftly and decisively, and presented all the evidence overnight.
The following evening, the Emperor convicted everyone in the Duke of Qi's household and announced it to the world.
Shen Fuhan was more worried than pleased that the matter had been resolved so easily.
The matter concerning the eldest princess has been dragging on for a long time, yet the emperor has yet to take any further action.
Before leaving the palace, Shen Fuhan tentatively inquired about the matter.
After pondering for a long time, Li Zhixu finally said, "Minister Shen has had a long and tiring journey, and has done so much these past two days that he hasn't even had time to rest. Let's discuss this matter another day."
Shen Fuhan didn't mention it again, bowed, and left.
The sky had already darkened, and the heavy, inky blackness pressed down, making it hard to breathe.
Even though the palace was brightly lit, it still felt extremely oppressive.
A cold wind blew, and Shen Fuhan stood outside the palace coughing for a long time before finally wrapping his cloak tighter and leaving the palace.
Back at the Marquis's residence, Granny Zhao was waiting at the gate. When she saw him coming, she smiled broadly.
"Your Excellency has finally returned. The Old Madam has prepared a banquet to welcome you back. We hope Your Excellency will do us the honor of attending."
Shen Fuhan declined, saying, "I'm a little tired from working hard these past few days. Please tell Grandmother that I won't be going over tonight."
Zhao Mama's smile froze instantly. She wanted to say a few more words of advice, but the Marquis left so quickly that she could only return to Ninghui Hall first and then make further plans.
Upon hearing the reply, the old lady slammed her hand on the table and stood up.
"He doesn't even have time to eat a meal? Did he go back to the main courtyard to see that vixen again?!"
Granny Zhao quickly advised, "Madam, please don't be angry. What if your heart palpitations flare up?"
The old lady patted her chest to calm herself, when suddenly she remembered something else.
“I remember that Wen’s disease is contagious. If Fu Han goes there, won’t he also get infected?”
Granny Zhao remembered as well and asked worriedly, "Madam, what should we do?"
"What else can we do?" the old lady said sternly as she walked out. "I'll go stop him myself!"
Granny Zhao quickly helped the old lady up and offered a suggestion: "We can use this as an excuse to divorce her. How can a wife suffering from a serious illness be the wife of a marquis?"
"Why didn't you say so sooner!" the old lady said happily. "If Fuhan really didn't want to, it would be good for him to take a concubine. Either way, it would be beneficial for us!"
Granny Zhao gave a thumbs up: "The old lady is truly a woman of great wisdom and intelligence."
The master and servant walked toward the main courtyard while plotting their scheme.
The guards who had been stationed outside the courtyard had been withdrawn, and the old lady entered the courtyard without any hindrance.
The maidservant hurriedly went in to report.
Wen Jiayue was having a meal with Shen Fuhan when she heard this. She didn't say anything and just looked at Shen Fuhan.
“Let the old lady go back,” he said calmly. “Just tell her I’m going to retire.”
He had too many things to do these past two days and really didn't want to deal with these trivial matters.
The maidservant hurriedly went to report, but unexpectedly, the old lady barged in.
The maidservant lowered her head and said, "This servant couldn't stop the old lady..."
Shen Fuhan told her to leave and looked at her furious grandmother.
She raised her voice and asked, "Didn't you say you were going to rest? Why are you still eating?"
Shen Fuhan did not answer, but asked, "Grandmother, what brings you here so late at night?"
The old lady pointed at Wen Jiayue and said angrily, "She has a terrible disease, and you still eat and live with her. What if you get infected?"
“A-Yue’s illness has been cured,” Shen Fuhan said. “Thank you for your concern, Grandmother.”
The old lady choked, "All better? How come you're better so quickly?"
She didn't believe it at all: "I think she's lying! There's nothing a person like her wouldn't do. You've just been fooled by her!"
Shen Fuhan put down her chopsticks and asked calmly, "Grandmother, is it really that you can't tolerate A-Yue?"
The old lady was overjoyed, but then suddenly asked for her opinion. Was she planning to divorce her?
Then she'll play the villain so her grandson has no worries!
Thinking of this, the old lady immediately said, "Yes! I've disliked her for a long time. Fuhan, feel free to divorce her. If anything happens, come at this old woman. Let's see who dares to say a word against it!"
“Grandmother, you misunderstand,” Shen Fuhan said, emphasizing each word. “What I mean is, since you can’t tolerate A-Yue, why don’t you go back to your hometown? How about we set off tomorrow?”