Chapter 1195
The Unfavored Princess 17
Azhen said, "Let Yinshuang come with me; I'm used to her serving me."
Dou Yuexin readily agreed. She glanced at Yinshuang and thought, since her daughter liked this girl, she might as well keep her. If she could serve her daughter well, she would be of some use.
But she will not let go of those who have wronged her daughter.
Even if we can't do anything to them right now, we'll find a chance to deal with them later.
Azhen was helped out of the house. Once outside, Dou Yuexin saw the Lady Hou waiting to the side and said coldly, "Before the Dowager Consort passed away, she repented and confessed something to me. It turns out that Zhen'er is my daughter. Back then, in a fit of anger, she switched my daughter with her daughter."
Lady Hou nearly collapsed to the ground; she never expected this truth!
But she was also somewhat relieved that, apart from her son's scheming and coldness towards the princess, their Marquis's mansion hadn't done anything else excessive.
Fortunately, they were all people who knew how to maintain their dignity, so they didn't cause a major disaster.
Thank goodness.
Given the current situation of their Marquis's mansion, even if the Empress Dowager and the Emperor are not very satisfied, they would not dare to easily touch them.
The Marquis is still guarding the border.
In recent years, there have been constant minor conflicts between the Liang and Chu states, and the Chu state still needs the Marquis.
Lady Hou gradually calmed down and uttered words of congratulations.
Dou Yuexin didn't want to stay here any longer. Just as Lady Hou had thought, she couldn't directly pursue the Hou family's mistakes. The border between Chu and Liang still needed Marquis Guangde to guard it. Judging from what Cheng'er said, she didn't know when trouble might arise in Liang.
Even after the palace staff left, the Lady of the Marquis still felt weak and unable to control herself.
"Has the Crown Prince returned?"
"Not yet, they should be at Qingfeng Pavilion today."
"Go and find him quickly. What are you doing still staying in Qingfeng Pavilion at a time like this?" Lady Hou said angrily.
She had to write a letter immediately and send it to the Marquis.
This turn of events was so unexpected that none of them had anticipated it.
"Explain what just happened to the heir apparent and tell him to come back immediately after he finds out." The Lady of the Marquis took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Go quickly."
Jiang Lijun, who was reading and drinking tea in Qingfeng Pavilion, did not look too happy when he saw that it was someone from the Marquis's residence who came to invite him back.
Seeing that the servant remained silent, he threw a teacup at him: "Speak clearly. There are no outsiders here, what can't you say?"
Li Gufang, sitting to the side, remained silent, wondering what had happened at the Marquis's residence that made this servant look so unwell.
It shouldn't be someone Jiang Lijun cares about who's in trouble, otherwise he wouldn't be so hesitant; he could just say it directly.
So what happened?
The servants knew the matter was urgent and dared not delay any longer, so they quickly recounted what had happened that day.
Jiang Lijun almost dropped the new teacup in his hand. What?
He jumped to his feet, a cold sweat breaking out on his back.
The Tenth Princess was actually the Ninth Princess; she was the Empress Dowager's daughter and the Emperor's biological sister.
What happened to him?
Jiang Lijun felt dizzy and almost collapsed, but Li Gufang caught him.
"I have to go back right away."
Jiang Lijun calmed down a bit and said to Li Gufang, "Gufang, I'll head back now. If this matter isn't handled properly, it could bring danger to the Marquis's mansion."
“Your Highness, there’s no need to worry,” Li Gufang said calmly. “Even if the Tenth Princess’s status is different now, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will not act rashly if they are not satisfied with the Marquis’s Mansion. Currently, there is constant friction between the Chu Kingdom and the Liang Kingdom, and they need the Marquis’s Mansion.”
Upon hearing Li Gufang's comment, Jiang Lijun felt a sense of relief. He had been caught off guard by the sudden news and hadn't considered this possibility.
Now that I've thought of it, I'm naturally not flustered anymore.
"However, I still have to go back. No matter what, the Tenth Princess's status is different now, so we still have to maintain appearances, otherwise it will tarnish the royal family's reputation." With that, he waved away the servant from the Marquis's residence. The servant was a confidant of the Marquis's wife, so there was nothing to worry about. However, there were some things he didn't want these servants to hear. "Even if her status has changed, I have no feelings for her."
"Gu Fang, please don't be angry with me because of this."
Li Gufang laughed and said, "How could that be? I have never been angry with the Crown Prince. As the Crown Prince, you still have some responsibilities to bear, otherwise you would be disloyal and unfilial."
"It's good that you understand."
"Then I'll head back now and come find you another day."
Normally, he would have taken Li Gufang back to the mansion without any problem.
But now that the Tenth Princess's status is different, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor must know his background. It's best not to bring Li Gufang back and incur their displeasure.
Otherwise, Li Gufang would be in trouble, he would be in trouble, and even the Marquis's mansion might be in trouble.
After watching Jiang Lijun leave, Li Gufang finally put away the tea set on the table after a long while. The smile on her face changed and became much colder.
"Does a change in status guarantee the enjoyment of the glory of a favored princess?"
"not necessarily."
Inside the palace, all the imperial physicians were summoned to diagnose Azhen.
The imperial physicians, who had been tense, relaxed their brows after examining Azhen.
"Perhaps it was because of the happy event today that the princess was in a good mood, and her condition has actually improved."
Dou Yuexin asked excitedly, "Does that mean it can be cured?"
“The princess is in poor health, and I cannot cure her completely in one go. However, the princess is out of danger for the time being and only needs proper care.”
For Dou Yuexin, this was an unexpected delight, and she rewarded all the imperial physicians.
The story of the Empress Dowager switching girls quickly spread throughout the capital, and people were discussing it privately.
However, few people would believe that the Dowager Consort, being a dying woman, spoke the truth to the Empress Dowager. The more common speculation is that the Empress Dowager knew the truth and secretly executed the Dowager Consort.
Even if someone has such a suspicion in their heart, no one would be foolish enough to say it out loud.
The next morning, Lady Hou went to the palace to visit Azhen, making a grand entrance.
The letter to Marquis Guangde has already been sent. If things are alright at the border, he can make an urgent trip back. Until then, she definitely needs to adopt a humble attitude.
Judging from the Emperor and Empress Dowager's attitude, even if they knew that the Marquis's family wouldn't face any immediate trouble, they would still have to adopt a humble stance. Otherwise, if they truly angered the imperial family, only disaster awaited the Marquis's family.
As expected, Marquis Guangde returned very quickly, and as soon as he arrived, he dragged Jiang Lijun into the palace to apologize.
Just as the client remembered, on the surface, Jiang Lijun was beaten up by the Marquis of Guangde.
Since the Marquis of Guangde has made such a gesture, it can be considered a sign of weakness. Under such circumstances, the Empress Dowager and the Emperor will certainly not pursue the matter.
In their view, given what the client has been through, it might not be a bad thing for Jiang Lijun to continue being her husband.
In reality, they had simply thought it through deeply and concluded that this was the best course of action, but they hadn't considered asking the client for their opinion.
Just as the client remembered, after the Guangdehou family left, Azhen brought up the matter of divorce, and nothing had changed.
Azhen left the palace and found Qingfeng Pavilion where Jiang Lijun was. She happened to run into Jiang Lijun and Li Gufang coming out; they seemed to be heading somewhere. (End of Chapter)