Shi Ning'an knelt on the ground expressionlessly. There were many oddities in Rong Feichi's suicide out of fear of punishment. She couldn't figure it out before. And at this moment, the Crown Prince's misdeeds were exposed by his consort, He Mengzhen—even though the emperor was still suppressing the matter and hadn't made public the misdeeds written in that scroll.
She felt that everything was strange. It was not until Concubine Zhao motioned for her to step forward that she saw Concubine Zhao's hand soothing the emperor and suddenly understood. It wasn't Concubine Zhao colluding with the Third Prince to get them into the palace. Instead, it was the Third Prince's idea, and Concubine Zhao, or rather the Crown Prince, was simply turning the tables.
Yes, the Crown Prince was always very cautious. I'm afraid even the two side concubines who had accompanied him for three years had no chance to discover his secrets, let alone He Mengzhen, who had only entered the Eastern Palace not long ago.
Perhaps now, the Third Prince was riding high—even without Wei Hongmiao as his right - hand man, it was the Dong family's fault, and it didn't cause much damage to the Third Prince's faction. It might not be just that. In order to draw out the Third Prince, the Crown Prince surely wouldn't take just such a single move.
The stack of papers in the emperor's hand was not aimed at the Crown Prince, but at the Third Prince.
The Crown Prince knelt down calmly and said, "Your Majesty, your son has learned of the latest situation. Rong Feichi has subdued the Xia family, and evidence has been found that the Xia family colluded with the Mobei tribe and intended to frame the Rong family."
The Third Prince turned around in disbelief, looking at the Crown Prince, then at Rong Xuan and Rong Sui. Suddenly, he felt that he seemed to have missed something.
He turned back and stared fixedly at the stack of the Crown Prince's crimes in front of the emperor. At this moment, he felt that using He Mengzhen as a pawn was a wrong move. But he had no way back. She was his last hope.
"Where's the evidence?"
The Crown Prince raised his head, not looking at the Third Prince. He just kowtowed heavily and lay on the ground without getting up. "It's... in the scroll in front of Your Majesty."
The emperor took a deep breath. Without touching the scroll, he leaned back in his chair and asked, "You just said you had faults. What faults?"
The Crown Prince pondered for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty, your son is incompetent. As the crown prince, I can't command the respect of all. Your son is useless and doesn't understand the courtesy of brotherly love. Your son is unruly and has disregarded the common people for his own life."
His tone was sonorous and seemed extremely solemn. The whole hall was completely silent. Some women even had red eyes and shed tears.
After a long time, the emperor asked again, "How should you be punished?"
The Crown Prince looked up and replied, "Your Majesty, your son will be diligent and dedicated, always putting the country and the people first."
The emperor sneered and shook his head. "You're still too young."
The Crown Prince's eyes were firm. "I only beg Your Majesty to teach me."
Shi Ning'an got into the carriage back to the mansion, still feeling a bit dazed. Even more dazed than her was Mrs. Shao. Since the Empress Dowager was seriously ill, Princess Zhaoming had to attend to her and was left in the palace by the Empress Dowager.
The estate was not in the city and was far from the palace. By the time they left the palace, it was almost the second watch of the night. To take care of Mrs. Shao's health, the carriage slowly swayed towards the outside of the city.
Shi Ning'an and Mrs. Shao didn't say a word. The young Rong Han couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep in Shi Ning'an's arms.
When they saw the city gate, the guards came to check and then let them pass. Only then did Mrs. Shao look up and ask, "Is the crisis... over?"
Shi Ning'an looked up and smiled slightly. "Yes."
Mrs. Shao let out a long sigh and leaned against the carriage wall. "These past six months have been like a dream."
Shi Ning'an nodded. "It's all over. We... are all better now."
"Yes."
The carriage swayed slowly and didn't return to the estate until after the third watch. The maidservants had already come forward and wrapped Rong Han up and carried her in.
The Rong family members hadn't gone to bed yet. They were waiting in the main hall. But obviously, someone had sent a message back, so the whole Rong family was very calm.
Rong Jian was sitting in a chair. When he heard the servant report that they were back, he immediately stood up excitedly and walked out slowly. As soon as he saw Shi Ning'an, he pulled her in. "Ning'an, how was it today?"
Shi Ning'an nodded and smiled. "Grandfather, we're all fine. The emperor not only restored our family's dukedom but also bestowed many rewards on me."
Rong Jian lovingly stroked her head. "The title doesn't matter. What's important is that our Ning'an is happy."
"I'm happy." Shi Ning'an beamed.
Today, she finally understood why the emperor was so wary of the Duke's Mansion. It wasn't because of the emperor himself, but because of the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was too close to the Rong family. Maybe there was no problem for now, but in the long run, if there was someone with ulterior motives in the Rong Mansion, the Crown Prince's position in the future might not be guaranteed.
So the emperor could reward her generously but was reluctant to raise the Rong family's title. It might not be just that. In the future, Rong Heng would surely inherit the general's position, and Rong Xuan would probably, like Rong Feichi, stay in the capital as a carefree duke with an inherited position.
It was always the female members of the Rong family who received the rewards, like her.
Thinking about it this way, it was actually not bad.
Shi Ning'an's eyes curved. She persuaded everyone to go back and rest first. Her grandfather was old, and both Mrs. Shao and A Xi were pregnant and couldn't stay up late.
After they all went to bed, Shi Ning'an couldn't fall asleep. She went to sit in the pavilion in the front yard of the estate and waited.
Rong Zhuo came over with a lantern and draped a cloak over her. "It's late at night and the dew is heavy. You should wear an extra piece of clothing."
Shi Ning'an looked back at him. "Second cousin, it's so late. Don't you need to accompany your wife?"
Rong Zhuo sat opposite her. "She's asleep. I can't sleep. Such a big thing has happened to the Rong family. I couldn't stand side by side with them, but I also hope to always be by their side."
Shi Ning'an smiled. "I think so too."
Rong Zhuo said, "Only after traveling among the common people can we know how good our lives are. Last year, the bridge in Jiangdu collapsed. The year before last, there was a riot of a thousand people in Yucheng. Such things are countless. It's ridiculous that the capital seems to be a place of peace and prosperity."
Shi Ning'an was a delicate girl raised in the inner courtyard. She had some ways in dealing with the inner - house affairs but knew nothing about the outside world. Hearing Rong Zhuo say this, she couldn't help widening her eyes.
Seeing her surprised look, Rong Zhuo laughed. "Haven't you heard of it?"
Shi Ning'an nodded honestly. "I really haven't."
Rong Zhuo asked, "Ning'an, do you know why our grandfather is a loyal minister, but we're willing to assist the Crown Prince?"
Shi Ning'an certainly didn't know.
Rong Zhuo continued, "There are countless people in the countryside who profit from national disasters. Where do they get their confidence? It's nothing but officials protecting each other and forgetting righteousness for the sake of profit. It's not only the noble and powerful families like this. Even the local imperial examinations are controlled by some people. Only those who pay enough silver can take the higher - level exams. Otherwise, all their years of hard study will be in vain."
"Once upon a time, the Dong family had absolute power and deceived both the superiors and the inferiors. I've been in the countryside for a few years, and the more I see, the more shocked I am. It was not until I got in touch with elder brother that I realized how helpless the world was. Elder brother had great ambitions but was suppressed and couldn't do anything. The Dong family pressed on step by step, and the Rong family had no choice but to retreat step by step."
"Ning'an, when treacherous officials are in power, the common people have no way to resist. If someone like the First Prince comes to power, how can the common people have any hope of survival?"
The two of them fell silent and didn't say a word for a long time.
Suddenly, Shi Ning'an looked up. "Second cousin, do you know what the common people said when I first returned to the capital? They said that the Rong family was arrogant and that even the emperor had to avoid their sharpness. They said that the Rong family was the treacherous official."
It was really ridiculous.
Rong Zhuo chuckled. "The Rong family is a treacherous official. Yes, there are all kinds of rumors among the common people. All the evil deeds they committed were suddenly attributed to the Rong family."
"If the Rong family is eliminated, it's to purge the emperor's side."
Rong Zhuo looked up. The words "purge the emperor's side" were so heavy, but they sounded so calm when coming out of Shi Ning'an's mouth.
It was the same in her previous life. The emperor protected the Rong family's lives when he was alive, but he couldn't stop the gossiping mouths. Everyone wanted to get rid of the treacherous Rong family. After the emperor passed away, the Rong family could never rise again.
Shi Ning'an was silent. She hadn't thought it through before and thought that the emperor was heartless. Only today did she realize that in any relationship, one side would rise while the other would fall.
The candle on the table went out and was lit again. The tea got cold and was brewed again. Rong Zhuo opened his mouth several times, wanting to tell Shi Ning'an to go back and rest, but in the end, he just closed his mouth.
Rong Xuan and Rong Sui came back very quietly. The estate was different from the mansion. It was spacious, and in the morning, the sounds of chickens and ducks could be heard clearly. They were afraid that if they made too much noise, it would wake up those who slept lightly.
But as soon as they came over, they saw the candle in the pavilion. It wasn't for their convenience on the way, but there were two people sitting there.
The sky was full of stars. Under the candlelight, that delicate little face was so beautiful that it made one's heart flutter.
Rong Xuan only took one look and shouted, "Rong Zhuo? Aren't you going to sleep yet? Come on, come on. I'm still excited. How about having a few drinks with me?"
Before Rong Zhuo could react, Rong Xuan had already pulled him away. Without even looking at Shi Ning'an sitting beside the table, the two of them walked away playfully like children.
Rong Sui walked into the pavilion. He looked at the three stools left beside the stone table but didn't sit down. Instead, he turned around and sat on the railing beside Ning'an and asked, "It's so late. Why aren't you going to rest?"
The railing was high, and Shi Ning'an had to look up to see Rong Sui's face. "I came back late, so I can't fall asleep. How... is everything with you?"
Rong Sui's expression was calm. "The Third Prince has been demoted to a commoner and sent to the imperial mausoleum. The First Prince has been enfeoffed as a prince and given a fief. He can't return to the capital without a summons."
Shi Ning'an blinked.
Rong Sui knew that she didn't know many things and explained, "The incident of Wei Hongmiao's assassination of the emperor last time caused quite a stir and involved many people. Many families in the capital have been dismissed. The direct branch of the Shi family has all been demoted to slaves. The collateral branches, because they are in Nanling and the Zeng family pleaded for them, are only punished by being prohibited from entering officialdom for three generations."
His life wasn't taken.
Shi Ning'an thought that maybe this was better. For Shi Yongtang, losing his power and being demoted to a low - level slave, always having to rely on others, might be the most painful thing.
A cold wind blew. Maybe she had been sitting for too long. Even though she was wearing a thin cloak, she still felt a bit cold. Shi Ning'an unconsciously pulled the thin cloak closer.
Rong Sui stood up, pulled Shi Ning'an up, and held her hand, rubbing it in his palm. "Your hands are too cold. Let's go inside."
Shi Ning'an blushed. She looked around furtively like a thief, wanting to break free but couldn't.