roccoschili Chapter 168 Murong Mingkun crosses the river and burns the bridge, leaving Shen Chuanhai in the cold
Chapter 168 Murong Mingkun crosses the river and burns the bridge, leaving Shen Chuanhai in the cold
"No, that's not right. In fact, it's not even a conspiracy. This woman and Master Shen Chuanhai just happen to have similar interests. They want to seize the county lord's mansion that Madam Shen used to own."
As soon as the man said this, everyone was shocked.
Zhang Lan was quickly dragged away by the people from Xiaodong Palace.
Shen Rou had no choice but to face the "troublemaker" alone.
After seeing the man's appearance clearly, her face changed drastically.
Soon, she came up to the man pitifully again.
"Brother Du Heng, I know it was wrong of me to break off the engagement before, but...but you shouldn't have said such things and caused people to misunderstand me and my mother. We have always been innocent, and now..."
"Clear and innocent? Are you referring to the time when you innocently climbed into the bed of Grand Tutor Ming's grandson?" Du Heng sneered, "It's my fault that I was blind and believed your lies back then, which is why Xixi is so isolated and helpless in the Shen Mansion."
The crowd, who had not yet fully recovered from their shock, could not help but exclaim again.
"Oh my god! What did I hear?"
"If I remember correctly, this seems to be the Anping Marquis's son who was confiscated and stripped of his title not long ago. It seems that he was the one who initially broke off the engagement and refused to marry the eldest daughter of the Shen family, and instead married the second daughter of the Shen family."
"You have so much resentment, you must have really become a cuckold."
If it were someone else, having their true identity exposed so bluntly, they would have been ashamed and angry to death.
But Shen Rou is exceptionally strong.
Even in the face of such outrageous remarks, she bit her lip and straightened her back. "If you want to accuse someone of something, you'll always find a pretext. If you really want to wrongly accuse me, then it's actually my fault if I say anything else. If throwing mud at me can make your twisted heart feel better, then go ahead. I believe that God will judge who is right and who is wrong."
As she spoke, tears hung in her red eyes, and she looked so pitiful.
Du Heng laughed in anger, "I was really blind before. I actually thought you were innocent and harmless."
With just a few words, she can point the finger at him again. This "simple and weak" little girl is really scary.
Seeing that the farce was almost over, Shen Muxi directly ordered the servants around him, "Since the Second Miss Shen feels that she has been greatly wronged and that I am unfilial, you, 'escort' her to the Drum Court and help her beat the drum to report the matter. The Procuratorate will make the final judgment on who is right and who is wrong."
She naturally guessed why Shen Rou and Zhang Lan suddenly appeared.
She was the one who spread the rumor. Shen Chuanhai and Hong were in a coma but it had nothing to do with her. It was obvious that Shen Rou knew the inside story and wanted to drag her into it.
If we go back to the County Lord's Mansion at this time, once the door is closed, no one knows what will happen.
Besides, she had no plans to return to the County Lord's Mansion before she completely cut ties with the people in the Shen Mansion.
The reason why Shen Rou made a fuss here was simply to prove one thing.
Du Heng's appearance was beyond her expectations.
In order to avoid complications, she decided to move the "battlefield" to the Drum Courtyard.
Zhang Lan was already feeling uneasy when she heard Shen Muxi mention that she wanted Shen Rou to beat the drum to report the incident. Now that she saw that Shen Muxi seemed unwilling to pay attention to them, she felt even more uneasy.
Just as she was thinking about flying forward again, a sound coming from afar completely dispelled her idea of "making a scene".
Two rows of well-trained guards from the capital rushed open and walked up to the few people.
"The official is on duty, please give way."
The people who had been pushed away spontaneously made way for a gap.
"What on earth is going on? Why did the police get disturbed?"
"I don't know. Maybe there's something else going on?"
The leading officer showed his Yulin Guard badge and said politely to Shen Muxi, "Please trouble Miss Shen and the young lady from the Shen Mansion to accompany me."
Most of the guards now incorporated into the Yulin Guard were former members of the Gong family army.
Shen Muxi took a deep look at the guard who raised his badge and nodded obediently, "Okay."
...
Half an hour later.
The Hall of Nourishing Heart.
Murong Mingkun sat listlessly behind the imperial desk, pursing his lips, supporting his chin, and half-closing his eyes, as if he was suppressing some kind of joy.
After a moment, his body suddenly relaxed, and a palace concubine in a translucent gauze dress came out from under the imperial desk and retreated quietly.
The palace maid silently lit the incense in the hall before letting the people waiting outside into the hall.
When he saw Shen Muxi, a hint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
"The Crown Prince is still unconscious, and you and your group are arguing outside the Little East Palace. What's going on?"
"emperor..."
Shen Muxi had just started talking when Shen Rou started crying softly.
"I beg Your Majesty to make the decision for this subject."
The eunuch beside Murong Mingkun shrieked, "How dare you cry and interrupt others in the Yangxin Palace? What do you think this place is?"
Even though she was the stepdaughter of the Shen family, Shen Rou attended palace banquets only a few times, and she followed Hong into the palace and was placed in a corner, with almost no sense of existence.
Naturally, there is no chance to face the power of the king.
She only knew that her weakness had once given her every advantage in the Shen Mansion and other places. Now she just wanted to continue using this advantage to fight for what belonged to her in the palace.
Unexpectedly, I got off to a bad start right after I opened my mouth...
"Your Majesty, I also beg Your Majesty to make the decision for me," Shen Muxi took the opportunity to kneel on the ground and said, "Since I have entered the palace with the people from the Shen Mansion today, please allow me to explain all the problems at once."
Explain all the issues clearly?
Explain what the problem is?
When Shen Rou heard Shen Muxi's words, she instinctively felt that something was wrong.
Before she could speak, Murong Mingkun spoke first.
"You all want me to make the decision, or at least let me know what happened." He looked at Shen Rou, as if trying to recall, "You are Shen..."
Seeing this, Shen Rou immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I... my name is Shen Rou."
The eunuch standing next to Murong Mingkun wanted to scold him again, but was stopped by Murong Mingkun.
"Tell me first, what is it that requires me to make the decision?"
Shen Rou spoke immediately, fearing that Shen Muxi would interrupt her, "Your Majesty, this is what happened..."
She recounted everything that had happened during the spring hunt.
I don’t know whether Shen Rou did it intentionally or unintentionally.
Among those things, there was also Shen Muxi's undisguised hostility towards her, and other people from the Shen Mansion wanted to go to the Xiaodong Palace tent to find her but were turned away by Shen Muxi's maid. In the end, only a maid named "Hongdou" randomly sent them away with some trivial matters.
None of these things are worthy of being presented in a formal setting.
When others heard this, they just thought she was looking for trouble.
Yet, she said it with confidence.
Finally, she evaded the main issue and revealed the truth about Shen Chuanhai and the old lady of the Shen Mansion, Mrs. Hong, being in a coma.
"Ever since we returned to the County Lord's Mansion, the servants have been quite neglectful towards us...
My grandmother was already weak, and after she learned about what my sister had done to my Shen Mansion during the spring hunt, she was so angry that she fainted and never woke up again.
My father also fell into a coma the day after returning to the County Lord's Mansion. I suspect that someone in the County Lord's Mansion must have received my sister's instructions to harm my father and grandmother. Otherwise, why would my sister be so guilty as to not dare to return to the County Lord's Mansion?
After listening to Shen Rou's accusation, Murong Mingkun looked at Shen Muxi with a deep gaze, "Shen Muxi, what do you think?"
"I am a decent and upright person who doesn't cause trouble, but I'm not afraid of it either. If Shen Rou just keeps crying out for justice, Your Majesty will believe her one-sided story and question me. But I now have enough evidence to prove that Shen Chuanhai was plotting against my mother from the beginning, trying to steal her money and kill her. Can Your Majesty convict the people in the Shen Mansion right away?"
Her words were almost direct: Murong Mingkun is a tyrant.
The eunuch standing by was about to shout angrily on the spot, but Murong Mingkun raised his hand to stop him.
He looked at Shen Rou, his eyes full of inquiry, the meaning was self-evident.
Shen Rou bit her lip and wanted to refute, "Your Majesty, my sister..."
"Your Majesty, please help me." Shen Muxi interrupted Shen Rou's argument loudly and took out a roll of plain cloth from her sleeve pocket. "Shen Chuanhai is so cruel and cruel that he killed my mother. I hope Your Majesty will help me and give my mother justice. Allow me and my mother to draw a clear line between ourselves and Shen Chuanhai's family."
Things changed so suddenly that even Murong Mingkun was stunned for a while before he reacted.
"Nonsense! Your body and hair are inherited from your parents. Besides, your mother is already dead. How can you control her?"
Shen Muxi straightened her back and allowed the eunuch beside Murong Mingkun to take the roll of cloth from her hand.
As Murong Mingkun unfolded the cloth, she continued, "In my impression, my mother has always been in good health. Since her death, I have been searching for the cause of her death every day.
Later, after finding all the evidence, I asked the coroner to open the coffin and confirmed that my mother had indeed died tragically from poisoning. I have reason to suspect that someone from the Shen Mansion killed her for money, and..."
Shen Muxi glanced at Shen Rou, "Back then, when Shen Rou and her mother first entered the mansion, I saw Shen Chuanhai and Zhang having an affair with my own eyes. Unfortunately, my mother's health condition had already begun to show signs and the Shen Mansion was already under the control of Shen Chuanhai. Therefore, my mother had no choice but to send me away.
After that, my mother's health deteriorated.
If I hadn't been engaged to the prince of Anping Marquis's Mansion, I'm afraid I wouldn't even have the chance to come back and accompany my mother on her final journey.
In addition, I have been subjected to various harsh treatments since I returned to the mansion over the years.
I have every reason to suspect that Shen Rou and her daughter, together with Shen Chuanhai and even Shen Hong, had premeditated the murder of my mother, Gong.
If Your Majesty doesn't believe me, I've even found witnesses and will announce it at Your Majesty's command."
The information in Murong Mingkun's hand was carefully examined by Murong Jingyan, and combined with Shen Xi's previous memories, it can form a closed loop.
In addition, Murong Jingyan later found the witness for her, so Shen Muxi had the confidence to cut the Gordian knot in one go.
From the spread of rumors to the people in the Shen Mansion trying every possible way to pounce on her and bite her, everything was within her expectations.
Now Shen Muxi is betting on whether Murong Mingkun will cross the river and destroy the bridge.
The people from the Shen family lived in the County Lord's Mansion. For Shen Muxi, it was like being contaminated by maggots from a cesspool. Although it would not cause any harm to her, it made her feel very sick.
Murong Mingkun sat behind the imperial desk, his expression not changing much from beginning to end, except that his knuckles turned white from pinching the white silk.
He calmly glanced at Zhang Lan, who was kneeling beside him and trying to reduce her presence, and then looked at Shen Rou, who was trembling but still wanted to make a few excuses.
Finally, he turned his attention back to Shen Muxi.
After a while, he slowly uttered a word.
"pass."
With Murong Mingkun's approval.
The witness mentioned by Shen Muxi was quickly taken outside the Yangxin Palace.
When Zhang Lan saw who was coming, her face turned pale and she almost screamed.
Even though she didn't scream out loud now, her attitude was enough to make people think about the reason.
"Ms. Shen Zhang, do you know this person?"
Murong Mingkun spoke majestically.
Zhang Lan instinctively wanted to open her mouth to deny it, but Shen Muxi said indifferently, "The crime of deceiving the emperor is punishable by the death of all nine generations of the clan."
After hearing Shen Muxi's words, Zhang Lan couldn't say the words that were on the tip of her tongue.
The silence speaks.
Murong Mingkun looked outside the palace, and the personal eunuch immediately walked up to the middle-aged woman with a terrified face, and said with a forced smile, "Auntie, the emperor is kind and will give you a chance to tell the truth.
You are now in front of the palace, under the awe-inspiring authority of God. If you tell a lie, you will lose your head. You must think carefully before you speak."
That's right...
It's just like using force to oppress people.
This is a warning to the old woman not to talk nonsense.
Shen Muxi sneered in his heart.
The middle-aged woman kowtowed tremblingly towards the Yangxin Palace, "Your servant Hehua greets the emperor and all the nobles.
In response to the Emperor's question, it was the maid who served Miss Zhang back then. Lord Shen had known Miss Zhang long before he met Miss Gong. Miss Shen Rou may seem younger than Miss Shen, but in reality, she is two years older. Therefore... therefore...
Miss Shen Rou is Miss Shen's half-sister."
As soon as the words left his mouth.
Everyone present was shocked.
Especially Zhang Lan.
She never dreamed that the timid little maidservant who had been silenced by her side would actually stand in front of her alive and reveal her secret.
Things suddenly got out of control.
Murong Mingkun's face changed slightly. If looks could kill, Zhang Lan would have died a thousand times already.
But in front of Shen Muxi, he couldn't reveal any flaws.
He could only speak angrily, "Shen Chuanhai is really good. He actually dared to openly insult the orphan of Nanyuan Zhonglie. Someone come here."
His voice was unusually loud.
The eunuch who was in charge of serving Murong Mingkun hurried forward.
"I hereby declare that Shen Chuanhai has humiliated the orphan of a loyal and heroic man. I hereby grant Gong the right to divorce him and allow Gong's legitimate daughter, Shen Muxi, to sever her father-daughter relationship with him. I also remove Shen Chuanhai from his position as Assistant Minister of Personnel and demote him to the position of Magistrate of Nanqiong County. He must depart immediately without delay."
Nanqiong is the southernmost location of Nanyuan.
Moreover, because one has to take a direct water route, and water routes are not always safe, the county magistrate exiled there often disappears on the way.
Sending him to Nanqiong is actually no different from exile or execution.
Murong Mingkun convicted Shen Chuanhai quickly, even ignoring the fact that Shen Chuanhai was in a coma, and did not even give him a chance to turn the tables.
Zhang Lan and her daughter immediately sat down on the ground in dejection, allowing the guards to drag them away, unable to struggle any more.
Shen Muxi pretended not to know that Murong Jingyan also knew about it, and immediately looked at Murong Mingkun with tears in her eyes, as if she was grateful that her "great revenge had been redressed."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Murong Mingkun's expression eased slightly, and he looked at Shen Muxi with a guilty look on his face, "This is my negligence. If I had discovered it earlier, perhaps Gong Shi wouldn't have..."