Zheng An raised his head to meet Li Jiancheng’s cold gaze and said, “Though there was no knife, someone truly did threaten me.” Before Li Jiancheng could ask, he continued, “Since the Crown Princess married Your Highness, she has devoted all her thoughts to you, putting you first in everything. Even when she suffered grievances, she never complained before you. But what did she get in return? Your coldness, your suspicion. In Your Highness’s eyes, there has only ever been Consort Ji. In Your Highness’s view, whatever Consort Ji says is right, while the Crown Princess is always wrong. The matter with the heir is the best proof.”
“You still dare to mention that matter…” Before Li Jiancheng could finish, Zheng An had already said sternly, “Why shouldn’t I dare mention it? After the heir was born, the Crown Princess treated him as her own, loving and caring for him dearly. How could she bear to harm him? It was Consort Ji who used her own son as a pawn to frame the Crown Princess. Ha! Even tigers don’t eat their cubs, yet Consort Ji’s viciousness exceeds that of tigers!”
The more Li Jiancheng listened, the angrier he became. He shouted, “Insolent! Consort Ji is gentle, kind, and virtuous—how could she do such things? Nanny Tong was clearly a scapegoat you found for Zheng Shi.”
“Correct, Nanny Tong was indeed forced by this humble official to take the blame and commit suicide. But this humble official wasn’t trying to exonerate the Crown Princess—I was trying to protect her from being framed.” Zheng An said hatefully, “That day, Your Highness was deceived by Consort Ji and, disregarding the Crown Princess’s defense, insisted it was her doing. This humble official had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.”
“Though the Crown Princess was safe after Nanny Tong’s death, this humble official knew in my heart that as long as Consort Ji remained for even one day, the Crown Princess would never have true peace. So this humble official was determined to eliminate this calamity for the Crown Princess.”
Wan Shi’s willow eyebrows furrowed slightly. “On behalf of? Does this mean the Crown Princess was unaware?”
Zheng An said through gritted teeth, “The Crown Princess is kind-hearted. If she had known of this humble official’s plan, she would certainly have stopped it. So this plan was kept from the Crown Princess from the very beginning.”
Li Jiancheng would never believe his words. “Ridiculous! Zheng Shi was the greatest beneficiary—how could she not know of this matter?”
Before Zheng An could speak, Wan Shi had already said slowly, “It seems Zheng An was right just now. Your Highness indeed lacks trust in the Crown Princess. Perhaps in his worry, he took desperate risks.”
Li Jiancheng was stunned by her words, then said coldly, “Trust was there originally, but unfortunately Zheng Shi deceived me time and again. I truly don’t know how to trust her anymore.”
Wan Shi shook her head. “Your Highness repeatedly says the Crown Princess deceived you. Is this speculation or do you truly have ironclad evidence?”
“This…” Li Jiancheng found it difficult to answer for a moment, and his hesitation had already given everyone their answer. “It appears there’s no ironclad evidence—merely speculation. This palace believes that as husband and wife, you should treat each other with honesty and trust without doubt. Yet Your Highness, based on mere speculation and Consort Ji’s one-sided words, claims the Crown Princess deceived you. This is quite disheartening.” As she spoke, she turned her gaze to Zheng An. “Continue speaking.”
Zheng An nodded silently and continued, “I bribed Gaoqi with a residence and money to harm Consort Ji. Even if it couldn’t destroy Consort Ji completely, it could at least make Your Highness lose trust in her, allowing the Crown Princess to breathe easier. Who would have thought… it would fail at the crucial moment. As for the Crown Princess, she truly knew nothing.”
Wan Shi turned to Li Yuan and said, “Your Majesty, the Crown Princess was personally chosen by you and this subject. This subject knows the Crown Princess’s character well—she would never do such things. As for Zheng An, he was also worried about the Crown Princess, which led to his momentary confusion and foolish actions. Fortunately, it was stopped in time before any real disaster occurred—this is truly a blessing in misfortune.”
Li Jiancheng frowned secretly. What was Wan Shi doing? Didn’t she have a close private relationship with Jirong? Why was she constantly speaking in defense of Zheng Shi? While he was pondering, Li Yuan had already said coldly, “Zheng An, do you know your crime?”
Zheng An prostrated himself and said painfully, “This subject has failed Your Majesty’s high expectations and committed foolish acts. This subject willingly accepts punishment, only begging Your Majesty to investigate clearly and not implicate the innocent.”
Li Yuan naturally knew who the “innocent” he referred to was. Just as he was considering Zheng An’s crime, Wan Shi said softly, “Your Majesty, the Zheng family has been quite loyal to you. The offense committed is, first, understandable given the circumstances, and second, not really a major matter. Moreover, considering the Zheng clan… please deal with it leniently.”
Though Wan Shi spoke softly, Li Jiancheng was right there and heard every word clearly. He said with displeasure, “Zheng An deceived his superiors and framed an Eastern Palace consort. How can Your Ladyship call this a small matter?”
Wan Shi spread her sleeves and said unhurriedly, “Then according to Your Highness’s intention, you want to kill Zheng An and exterminate the entire Zheng clan while you’re at it?”
Li Jiancheng couldn’t answer for a moment. Though he detested Zheng An’s actions, it wasn’t serious enough to warrant exterminating the entire Zheng clan. He cupped his hands and said, “Father Emperor, this son believes he should be punished according to law. Furthermore, though Zheng An claims it has nothing to do with Zheng Shi, his one-sided testimony is insufficient to convince people. Your son feels that Zheng Shi is no longer suitable to be Crown Princess!”
Pale, almost invisible light smoke slowly rose from the pierced openings in the lid of the incense burner placed on one side of the desk, making Li Yuan’s features appear somewhat blurred. “So the Crown Prince is determined to depose the Crown Princess?”
Li Jiancheng cupped his hands. “Not that this son is determined, but that Zheng Shi lacks virtue.”
“The Noble Consort spoke correctly just now. Your so-called lack of virtue in the Crown Princess is all mere speculation without evidence. To speak so lightly of deposition—doesn’t the Crown Prince find this too frivolous?”
Hearing this, Li Jiancheng hurriedly said, “Though there’s temporarily no evidence at present, this son can be certain that Zheng Shi…”
Li Yuan coldly interrupted, “If Zheng Shi is unsuitable to remain as Crown Princess, then who is suitable? Consort Ji?”
Li Jiancheng sensed something was wrong and didn’t dare answer too quickly. After pondering, he carefully said, “Though Consort Ji comes from common origins, she is extremely sensible and well-behaved, unlike Zheng Shi’s willful behavior.”
“Willful behavior…” Li Yuan slowly repeated these words and said, “Are you saying that I was wrong in choosing the Crown Princess for you?”
“This son dare not!” As soon as Li Jiancheng finished speaking, he heard an extremely cold voice by his ear: “The Crown Princess has always been virtuous. I believe that if she had known of Zheng An’s actions, she would certainly have stopped them. Therefore, in the future, I don’t want to hear talk of deposing the Crown Princess again. Do you understand?”
Li Jiancheng was naturally extremely unwilling about this. Though Zheng Shi had borne him a son and daughter, he had no feelings for her whatsoever. Before entering the palace, he had already made up his mind to depose her. But Li Yuan clearly intended to protect Zheng Shi, and whether as son or subject, he couldn’t forcibly oppose him.
Thinking of this, Li Jiancheng said with complete helplessness, “This son understands!”
Li Yuan stared at him for a moment, then turned to look at Zheng An. “Zheng An received imperial favor yet committed such despicable acts. His crimes are unforgivable. He is hereby demoted to County Earl of the Fourth Rank, stripped of all court positions, and ordered to reflect behind closed doors!”
“Thank you for Your Majesty’s great kindness!” Zheng An prostrated himself in gratitude. He understood in his heart that Li Yuan was being as lenient as possible—otherwise, given his crimes, even stripping him of his title and reducing him to commoner status wouldn’t be excessive.