The daily life of a concubine's daughter

Chapter 391 Tang Family Betrayal

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief only after the Fourth Prince left.

Fu Nanjun whispered, "The Fourth Prince has been arguing with the Emperor these days, wanting to lead troops out of the capital to track down Zhuzhu's whereabouts."

Shi Yao asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, you must agree, right?"

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the city closure a few days ago was a deliberate attempt by the emperor to use Shi Mingzhu's disappearance as an excuse to conduct a thorough investigation of all the major families in the capital and to find out their assets.

Others did not know, but the Shi family knew that although the emperor looked healthy on the surface, he actually had only a few years left to live. He was taking advantage of his last few years to go crazy and clear the obstacles for the prince.

Fu Nanjun said, "I didn't give in a few days ago. I just heard from the servants that there was a large group of soldiers following the Fourth Prince's guard outside. Since they are not here to confiscate the property, then the Emperor has given someone and promised the Fourth Prince to leave the capital to look for him."

Shi Yao almost died of laughter.

No wonder the Shi family changed their expressions, it turned out that they thought Zhou Shao was here to confiscate their property!

These people are used to showing off their power and might on a daily basis. If the imperial court really sends people to search their homes, they will probably be scared to death.

But think about it and you will know that if the emperor wants to take action against the Shi family, he will not do so when the old Duke has just passed away, and certainly not when the second master who has been guarding the border for 18 years has just returned to Beijing. Otherwise, it would be like killing the donkey after it has done its work.

This emperor cared a lot about his reputation, and even more about how history books wrote about him.

"Sister-in-law, why did the second master and elder brother return to the capital so soon?"

If the Second Master wants to return to Beijing, he must ask for leave from the Emperor first, right?

Fu Nanjun sighed, "Before you got married, the old man and the old lady were no longer healthy. The old man probably had a premonition and submitted a petition to the emperor, asking to see the second master and the eldest grandson for the last time. The emperor was soft-hearted and approved it. On the second day after the seventh brother was engaged, they set off on their journey."

Shi Yao felt sad.

It turned out that the old man and the old woman had planned to die long ago and let their children and grandchildren go home to mourn.

No wonder the old lady spoke strangely the night before the wedding.

Everything is traceable.

In order to save the lives of these unfilial descendants, the old man and the old lady even sacrificed their lives.

The aunt and the sister-in-law both sighed, and went on to be filial daughters-in-law and good grandchildren.

Three days later, the Shi family packed their luggage and prepared to return to Nanjing to bury the old Duke, the Madame Dowager, Zheng, and Shi Mingwei in their hometown in Nanjing. The Shi family would also observe mourning in Nanjing.

After the morning court session that day, the Duke of Zhenguo, Shi Jizhen, Shi Jian'an and Shi Mingwu entered the palace to pay their respects to the emperor and tender their resignation.

The emperor shed two tears and said with emotion: "The old Duke has spent his whole life in the military, made countless contributions, and guarded the border for decades. I never thought that he would be gone like this. My heart is deeply broken."

The emperor glanced at the Duke of Zhenguo's head of white hair, and it seemed as if the old duke was standing in front of him.

However, he knew that Shi Jimian in front of him was a paper tiger, and the real tiger of the Shi family was dead.

After the old Duke passed away, he slept much more soundly these past few days and felt that his illness had improved.

After the Duke of Zhenguo said a few words of comfort, Shi Jizheng stepped forward and said solemnly, "Your Majesty, I have something to report."

The emperor turned his majestic gaze to Shi Jizhen, the general who looked like an old piece of meat due to the sandstorm at the border, but was still in good spirits.

"What is the matter? Please speak, my dear."

Shi Jizheng knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, last month someone reported to me that the Fifth Prince, Prince Duan, concealed his real name and joined my army. This year, he has been promoted to Xuanfu Qianshi and granted the title of Zhaoxin Xiaowei.

After I found out, I dared not speak out, let alone make my own decision. Today I come to report to the emperor, asking him to make the final decision and punish me for my negligence! "

The emperor's face suddenly darkened and he stared at Shi Jizhen with a frown.

The Shi family members didn't dare to breathe and fell to their knees with thuds.

Shi Mingwu used to have many fantasies. He imagined Zhuzhu becoming the empress and he becoming a royal relative and a powerful official. But when he actually saw the emperor's sudden change of face, he felt like he was falling into an icy cave. Only then did he realize how ridiculous his past fantasies were.

No matter how powerful a minister is, he cannot be powerful enough to overthrow the emperor, and the emperor can still kill him at will.

After a while, when Shi Jianan was almost scared out of his wits, the emperor threw several memorials in front of the Shi family. His tone no longer expressed remembrance of the old Duke's death, but was filled with endless chill:

"My dear ministers, please take a look. I am not the kind of person who would wait until the birds are gone and the good bows are hidden. But regarding the matter of Prince Duan, the general still needs to give me an explanation."

The Shi family members were busy opening the memorial with sweat on their foreheads.

One letter was written by a member of the Tang family, telling the whole story of the fifth prince joining the army.

One letter was written by an official of the fifth prince's fiefdom, accusing the Shi family of committing treason and secretly detaining the fifth prince.

One was an anonymous memorial, stating that the Shi family was colluding with the fifth prince and intended to rebel and usurp the throne.

The other few letters were written by the Imperial Censor, impeaching the Shi family for concealing the fact that the Fifth Prince had joined the army, and for allegedly colluding with the Fifth Prince to plot to assassinate the emperor and usurp the throne.

Shi Jian'an's knees weakened and he fainted on the spot: It's over! The truth has been revealed! Their entire family has been taken to the palace, and they have fallen into a trap. Now they are going to be beheaded again!

The Duke of Zhenguo's hands trembled, his eyes bloodshot: "Tang Family! How dare the Tang Family be so ungrateful!"

Before leaving, Shi Jizhen temporarily handed over the Northwest Army to the Tang family, and petitioned to let Tang Zhan's father Tang Jing temporarily take over the position of Northwest General. After the Shi family completed the three-year mourning period, he would see whether he could come back to continue leading the Northwest Army.

But as soon as the Shi family left the northwest, the Tang family exposed the matter of the fifth prince!

How dare they betray the Shi family?

Without the support of the Shi family, how could the Tang family have its current glory?

What an ungrateful bunch!

However, Shi Jizhen knew that it was Shi Mingzhu who destroyed the marriage between the two families, and the Shi family added fuel to the fire. The Tang family had some complaints against the Shi family on this matter.

Without a consolidated marriage, the interests of both parties cannot be tied together, and the Shi family is currently in trouble both internally and externally. The Tang family saw the opportunity to add insult to injury. In official circles, this is commonplace.

Moreover, his eldest brother and nephew were obviously planning to join hands with the fifth prince to usurp the throne and do something that would cost them their lives. He was not at all surprised that the Tang family would stab the Shi family in the back for various reasons.

Shi Jizheng kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty! Please listen to me! I would never dare to collude with the Fifth Prince, let alone have any other thoughts.

After I found out the identity of the Fifth Prince, I was afraid that it would spread and affect the reputation of the royal family, so I asked the Fifth Prince to temporarily live in a house that I had purchased temporarily and sent soldiers to guard it. I was ready to report this to the Emperor and let him make the final decision.

The Fifth Prince is not a criminal. I occasionally go to pay my respects and play chess with him. Apart from that, there is nothing else. My feelings for the Emperor are clear to the world. Please understand clearly!"

The Duke of Zhenguo and Shi Mingwu kowtowed tremblingly and said, "Your Majesty, please look into this matter!"

Shi Jizhen's words are also explainable.

The emperor asked coldly, "Why did you wait more than a month before reporting to me? Why didn't you write a secret memorial to tell me?"

At this moment, Shi Mingwu regretted it so much that his intestines turned green.

However, he did not dare to speak and admit that it was his selfish motives that caused him to hide the memorial written by his second uncle.

Shi Jizheng said sincerely, "It was my negligence. I was afraid that someone would see the memorial on the way and leak it out, which would ruin the relationship between the emperor and the prince. It would be irreparable, so I thought about it for a few more days.

Later, I received letters from my father and mother, and learned that they were seriously ill. When I was worried about not being able to take care of them, I received the emperor's decree to summon me to the capital, so I could report this matter to the emperor.

Daxing ruled the world with filial piety. I thank the emperor for his grace, which allowed me to see my parents for the last time, so that I would not regret it for the rest of my life. Your Majesty, I swear that I have no other intentions! "