webnovelfull Chapter 247 Shen Shuya Has Gone Mad!
Chapter 247 Shen Shuya Has Gone Mad!
Chapter 247 Shen Shuya Has Gone Mad!
In the afternoon, Lady Qiu Fangyun, wife of the Marquis of Zhenyuan, arrived at the door.
Zhou Wei was somewhat surprised to see Qiu Fangyun come alone. She thought that Qiu Fangyun would at least bring one of her daughters with her for the sake of the Third Prince's marriage.
Unexpectedly, neither Shen Shuya nor Shen Shuqing came along!
After Qiu Fangyun bowed to the eldest princess, she said a series of flattering words, all about He Jiangyue being named the Crown Princess.
The princess remained indifferent, showing only the most basic courtesy to Qiu Fangyun, without being overly affectionate.
Seeing the princess's attitude, Qiu Fangyun feared that she might be impatient, so she quickly explained her purpose.
"Your Highness, I have come here for two reasons. First, to congratulate you on being named Crown Princess. Second, as all parents do, I am here for my unmarried daughter."
The eldest princess looked at her and said, "I heard from Zhou Wei that after treating the leg ailment of the Duke of Qi's heir at the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence last time, the heir wanted to marry two beautiful women from the same family. The Duke of Qi even submitted a memorial to the palace. What? Has this matter not come to a conclusion?"
Knowing that Jiang Yueli was asking a question she already knew the answer to, Qiu Fangyun still smiled and said, "Your Highness, to be honest, His Majesty has kept the Duke's memorial, and the Empress is not taking sides either. Now the two sides are at an impasse, and I am in a very difficult position."
Zhou Wei smiled and said, "Madam Shen, the title of Duke's Mansion is tied to the fate of the nation. If the Shen family were to marry off two daughters, it would be a wonderful story!"
Qiu Fangyun was furious inside, but dared not show it on her face.
Now everyone in the court knows that Zhou Wei is the Princess's most trusted person, and offending her is equivalent to offending the Princess.
"Aunt Zhou's words make sense, but I also have my difficulties!"
As Qiu Fangyun spoke, she wiped away her tears: "Although the Duke of Qi's son's leg ailment has healed, he is now unable to take care of himself and his speech is slurred. Even Aunt Zhou's superb medical skills cannot cure him, let alone the imperial physicians in the palace."
"Although my Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion bears some responsibility for the young master's current state, I cannot bear to have both of my daughters marry into the Duke's mansion!"
As Qiu Fangyun spoke, she began to sob softly. Whether it was genuine or feigned, her acting was quite good.
The eldest princess could only offer words of comfort: "Madam Shen, don't be sad. The fact that Father Emperor suppressed the Duke of Qi's memorial means there is still room for maneuver in this matter."
Qiu Fangyun immediately stopped crying and looked at the Princess with hope: "Your Highness is right. I came here today for the same reason!"
"Back then, even when the eldest and second princes were sent to distant places, His Majesty specially selected good families to marry the two princes."
“The Crown Prince… no, the Fourth Prince, although he has not married a principal wife, he has concubines in his household. Among the princes, only the Third Prince does not have a single concubine.”
"Your Highness is now the Crown Princess, so I thought that Your Highness would be able to make the decision on the Third Prince's marriage. That's why I swallowed my pride and wanted to help my daughter secure a better future."
Qiu Fangyun's words were humble, and if Jiang Yueli were someone who enjoyed being flattered, she would have been very pleased.
The eldest princess said in a calm tone, "Although Yue Lin is my younger brother, my father and mother are still alive, and it is not my place to interfere in his marriage."
"If Madam Shen has any ideas, she can have the Marquis submit a memorial to the Emperor, or she can go to the palace in person to ask the Empress."
Qiu Fangyun looked embarrassed but didn't know how to respond.
The empress's sons have all been deposed; what good would it do to beg her?
If the Empress agrees but Jiang Yueli disagrees, wouldn't it be their Zhenyuan Marquis's mansion that loses face?
As for submitting memorials to the emperor, that's even more ridiculous.
If the emperor does not attend court for many days, even if a memorial is submitted, it will be like a stone sinking into the sea.
The atmosphere became somewhat tense for a moment. Zhou Wei then asked, "Madam Shen, I wonder which daughter of the Shen family you wish to marry to our Third Prince?"
That's a direct question, and a bit impolite.
But the princess made no attempt to stop her, and simply sipped her tea gracefully.
Seeing this, Qiu Fangyun could only smile and reply, "Yes...it is my daughter, Shuqing."
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess's eyes turned somewhat unfriendly.
“Madam Shen, although my younger brother does not hold any official position, when I was granted the title of Princess Protector of the Nation, my father also gave him the title of Prince.”
"Yue Lin is indeed a scoundrel, but Shen Shuqing, as the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's family, has long been engaged to the Duke of Qi's family. Now you are marrying one woman to two men. Are you insulting Yue Lin or insulting me?"
When the princess became angry, Qiu Fangyun immediately knelt on the ground to beg for forgiveness, adopting an extremely humble posture.
"Your Highness, please calm your anger. I had no intention of disgracing you, but rather... but rather..."
Qiu Fangyun's face turned red with anxiety, but Zhou Wei noticed something was wrong.
Shen Shuqing is the "official partner" of the Duke of Qi's heir; the two are the male and female leads in the story of "The Substitute Bride of the Heir".
Shen Shuya, the illegitimate daughter of the Shen family, is a typical scheming woman. After seeing that Qi Jingming is paralyzed on one side, she avoids him like the plague.
Even if she were to marry the Third Prince, it should be Shen Shuya who marries him!
When the eldest princess ascends the throne, Shen Shuya will follow the third prince and become a princess consort of unparalleled prestige.
Would Shen Shuya really let such a good opportunity fall into Shen Shuqing's hands?
Zhou Wei was puzzled and asked directly, "Madam Shen, your eldest daughter, Shuqing, is engaged to the heir apparent, but now she's demanding to marry the third prince. What about the heir apparent?"
Speaking of this, Qiu Fangyun's expression became even more bitter.
She looked like a parent whose savings for their funeral had been stolen by their children—there was no anger, only helplessness.
She wasn't just putting on an act; she was genuinely distressed!
It was clearly agreed beforehand that the entire Hou family would withstand the pressure and let Shen Shuqing marry that useless Qi Jingming.
Her beloved Shuya, on the other hand, set her sights on the Crown Prince and sought to marry him.
As a result, after the grand court assembly ended, a dramatic change occurred in the court, and the crown prince was actually deposed!
Qiu Fangyun was both shocked and relieved. Fortunately, when she hinted at it to Empress Jian Xiyan, Jian Xiyan had brushed it off.
The marriage between the two families was thus prevented from taking place; otherwise, with the crown prince being deposed, the marquis's family would have been implicated as well.
She thought it was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune, but unexpectedly, her precious daughter Shuya fell ill.
After taking a nap, she seemed like a completely different person, insisting on marrying Qi Jingming!
Qiu Fangyun spoke with tears streaming down her face, her words filled with heartache.
“Your Highness, I am not afraid of being laughed at, I have told you the whole truth.”
"When the news of the young master's leg ailment spread, it was Shuya who cried to her father, saying that she was not the true daughter of the Marquis's family and asked the Marquis to go to Qingzhou to bring Shuqing back and marry the young master in her place."
"The Marquis and his wife both feel sorry for Shuya. After all, she has been raised by his side for more than ten years. Even if she is not his biological daughter, she is better than his own. So, according to her wishes, we brought Shuqing back."
"As a result, the young master's leg ailment was cured, but he was crippled. The Duke's Mansion made the Marquis's Mansion take responsibility and insisted on marrying my two daughters. Shuya cried and made a scene, and she refused to marry the young master."
"That's why I've been thinking about getting married to the Crown Prince, but... given the Fourth Prince's current situation, Her Majesty the Empress probably isn't in the mood for marriage."
"I originally intended to look around for a while longer and find a good marriage for Shuya, so that she could be married off in a grand manner. Who would have thought that she would wake up one day and become like a madwoman, insisting on changing the engagement!"
"She also said that if she was not allowed to marry the prince, she would cut off her hair, become a nun, and hang herself with a three-foot-long white silk ribbon."