Why would she try to hide it? An shi had spent the night with her husband in her chambers – she should have been furious.
She concealed it because she was clever. She knew this was Shen Xihe’s scheme. Her heart was loyal to the Emperor, and she knew the An clan were the Emperor’s people. She couldn’t let Shen Xihe’s plot succeed or let the Emperor be harmed. That’s why upon realizing this, she tried to hide or destroy the item, even quickly finding a similar object to try to deceive everyone.
With this understanding, Emperor Youning sheltered the teary-eyed Noble Consort behind him: “Liu Sanzhi, investigate the token yourself!”
“Your Majesty, this official requests to accompany Eunuch Liu,” Tao Zhuanxian stepped forward.
Fearing the Emperor would cover things up, Emperor Youning’s chest ached with anger, but he had no grounds to refuse.
So Tao Zhuanxian and Liu Sanzhi went to investigate together. This was a token unique to the An Bei Protectorate guards, with material and carving all done by the same craftsman, extremely difficult to counterfeit, and bearing hidden markings.
The An Bei Protectorate hadn’t brought many guards, so they were quickly gathered. Liu Sanzhi had them all place their tokens on a tray. One guard couldn’t produce his.
Just as Liu Sanzhi stepped forward to question him, the anxious guard suddenly vomited blood and collapsed, dying quickly from poison.
Emperor Youning and An Jingnan’s faces darkened as they looked at the corpse being carried in.
“Your Majesty, are there still any suspicious points?” Shen Xihe raised her eyes to ask.
Emperor Youning stared at his daughter-in-law. Her obsidian-like eyes showed neither triumph nor pressure, calm and waveless yet like an endless, hopeless deep sea impossible to break through.
Truly worthy of being Shen Yueshan’s daughter!
There certainly were suspicious points, but by now both Emperor Youning and An Jingnan understood clearly that Shen Xihe’s trap was unbreakable. Raising another suspicious point would only entangle the An clan deeper.
From deer antler blood to An Erlang, from Noble Consort to the An Bei Protectorate guard – if they kept questioning…
Emperor Youning looked at An Jingnan: “Jingnan, do you have anything to say?”
At this point, whether to stop here or continue arguing was An Jingnan’s choice.
An Jingnan struggled internally. He wanted to see just how far Shen Xihe could implicate their An family, yet dared not act rashly, fearing they couldn’t contain the situation and might truly destroy the An clan here.
He dared not gamble with the entire An clan.
Closing his eyes briefly, An Jingnan dropped to one knee: “Your Majesty, I… failed to teach my daughter properly. I accept punishment!”
An Zhengyi collapsed to the ground, knowing she was finished – her father had abandoned her.
When Prince Xin mentioned the An family token, she had already seen her fate. Shen Xihe was too ruthless, her influence too vast, able to take their An family token without anyone noticing!
“Your Majesty, the An Bei Protector has done more than fail to teach his daughter,” Tao Zhuanxian wouldn’t easily let these people off, targeting the Eastern Palace, their intentions condemnable. “An shi’s daughter’s ambition reached the heavens, coveting Your Majesty. Your Majesty fell victim to this scheme only because of your deep trust in the An family. The An father and daughter betrayed Your Majesty’s trust. Fortunately, they only harbored political ambition – if they had harbored evil intentions, Your Majesty would have been in danger!
“An shi’s daughter plotted against Your Majesty, manipulated the temporary palace guards, and could command An Bei Protectorate soldiers to serve her. The military guards must have lost their sense of propriety, daring to assist in plotting against Your Majesty. The An Bei Protector’s usual discipline was lax, his daughter’s behavior unchecked, and his loyalty to Your Majesty incomplete, leading to his accompanying guards’ lawlessness and contempt for their sovereign!”
Tao Zhuanxian’s words rang out forcefully. The officials and princes who came to “visit” the Crown Prince remained silent. In assigning blame, none would dare claim first place over Tao Zhuanxian, who had stood unshaken at the Censorate for over a decade.
Yet his accusations weren’t arbitrary – everything was reasonable and evidenced. Like his recent words, upon careful consideration, they truly couldn’t be refuted.
“Your Majesty, Official Tao speaks truly. This goes beyond a woman’s ambition to climb high. Without the Protector’s indulgence and abuse of power, how could An shi’s daughter, a mere woman of the inner quarters with no official position, command military guards?” Cui Zheng still remembered how they had rushed here about the Dengzhou matter, only to hear things they shouldn’t have, and remained somewhat angry.
Despite Cui Zheng’s cunning and understanding that there was more to the story, he didn’t care. At their level, they only looked at results – winners became kings, losers became bandits. If His Majesty lacked skill and was outmaneuvered, he should bear the consequences!
Minister Wei Song couldn’t oppose His Majesty but also dared not defend His Majesty’s people at this moment, so he could only remain silent.
“Your Majesty, I deeply agree with Officials Tao and Cui. Small signs reveal greater problems. If this matter isn’t severely punished, where is imperial authority?” Xiao Changqin bowed.
Behind his arms, his face wore an enchanting smile. He hadn’t felt such pleasure in a long time – even when he burned the imperial tombs, he hadn’t been this happy. Though that had embarrassed and angered His Majesty, how could it compare to Shen Xihe’s ruthlessness?
Shen Xihe’s move made His Majesty the apparent victim, forcing him to severely punish the An father and daughter. But they were His Majesty’s people, An Jingnan his trusted advisor. His Majesty was now on the hot seat, forced to move against his people or risk losing control of the situation. Once His Majesty struck hard, wouldn’t it plant a thorn in An Jingnan’s heart?
If Xiao Changqin could think of all this, how much more could Emperor Youning?
“An shi’s daughter… give her poisoned wine.” Emperor Youning didn’t even bother stating her crimes. His gaze fell on An Jingnan, “The An Bei Protector has fought battles with me, his military achievements glorious…”
“Your Majesty, I dare not deny An Protector’s glorious achievements,” Shen Xihe interrupted. “But doesn’t An Protector already enjoy a high position and generous salary for these achievements? Your Majesty has already rewarded him – to reward again now… He’s not the only one with glorious achievements. If people misunderstand that those who serve the state well can disregard laws, it might invite disaster.”
Emperor Youning stared deeply at Shen Xihe: “What do you suggest?”
“I dare not interfere in state affairs. An Protector is an important official, I merely worry that in the future, someone might harbor ill intentions toward Your Majesty, emboldened by An Protector’s example,” Shen Xihe spoke righteously, appearing genuinely concerned for His Majesty.
Xiao Changyin lowered his head, knowing he shouldn’t laugh – after all, His Majesty was still his imperial father – but he couldn’t help the amusement in his eyes.
Besides him, others trembled in fear, astounded by the Crown Prince Consort’s boldness.
Facing the submissive-looking Shen Xihe and the terrified officials, Emperor Youning finally spoke after great restraint: “The An Bei Grand Protector failed to teach his daughter and govern his subordinates. Considering his merits in governing An Bei, he is demoted to Deputy Protector as a warning to others!”
With that, Emperor Youning stormed off.
Shen Xihe led the respectful send-off: “Your Majesty is wise…”