So she quickly followed up, stopped Zhen Qin, then backed away from the maid, and asked about the affairs in the palace with a stern expression.
Following Zhu Jinghong's instructions, Zhen Qin explained the situation while holding back tears, saying that she had been raped by Zhu Jinghong.
The reason why Zhu Jinghong would do such a ridiculous thing was that Zhen Qin bluntly said that he wanted to enjoy himself in time, and that living in a drunken dream every day was what a legitimate son of the royal family should do.
Every word here was what Zhu Jinghong wanted to say to the queen. The female official was so frightened that she was shaking. She didn't know how to convey these words to the queen.
But she had to report these words, and she had to say them herself.
"Remember...just tell the public that you were injured in a fall, and I will take you back to the palace right away!"
"Huh? Oh..." Zhen Qin was still a little confused at the moment, and she realized that things might not be simple.
But she was not afraid at all, because Zhu Jinghong had just said that he would let her enter the palace next.
Under the arrangement of the female official, Zhen Qin, who was injured in the fall, was taken out of the palace. Baochai was particularly surprised to learn the news.
So she immediately sent someone to ask. Finally, under his coercion, the eunuch of Yin'an Palace told the truth.
After learning about the situation, Baochai said in her heart that she had no objection, which was of course a lie. After all, doing so was both unruly and unfair to Zhen Qin.
Of course, neither of these things are important. The only important thing is that this matter cannot be spread.
So she went to the Yin'an Palace in person, summoned all the eunuchs on duty and lectured them, asking them to remember what happened today. Anyone who dared to spread rumors would be killed immediately.
These words can only be said by her. After all, Zhu Jinghong is in trouble now, so how can he say these "positive" words.
After giving these instructions, Baochai went to the bedroom and looked at his man rather complainingly. At this moment, Zhu Jinghong was still lying on the bed drinking.
"Did you have this plan in advance, or was it a last-minute idea?"
Zhu Jinghong smiled and replied: "She's already here, how can I let her go in vain!"
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Baochai said sarcastically: "I think I have already had this intention. After all, we have known each other since we were in Jinling. You have saved her life, so your relationship may be very good!"
Zhu Jinghong sat up and wanted to take Baochai into his arms, but the latter avoided him with disgust.
After smiling awkwardly, Zhu Jinghong replied: "How good would it be to have us?"
While they were talking, Zhen Qin had been sent to the palace, and the female officer had already informed the queen of the situation.
Sitting in front of the Buddha, Yang Qingyin was so angry that she even threw away the scriptures, which shows how angry she was at this time.
"Can you keep this matter a secret?"
Even at this time, Yang Qingyin was still concerned about her son's reputation, and the first thing she asked was whether the news could be hidden.
The female official replied: "Only the eunuchs on duty at Yin'an Palace and the people who accompanied the slaves back to the palace know about it. I don't think it will spread out!"
Feeling slightly relieved, Yang Qingyin continued: "Go...let...let Princess Xiang enter the palace!"
She originally wanted to call Zhu Jinghong, but she was worried that the little bastard would get entangled, so she simply called Baochai to question him.
If you can't bear to be angry with your son, it's okay to discipline your daughter-in-law.
Of course, the Queen would arrange this because Zhu Jinghong's mistake was not big enough.
Compared with other sect kings, Zhu Jinghong has been considered clean and self-sufficient. Now he only did some bad things occasionally. In the eyes of the queen, he is still a good boy in essence.
"Yes!" The female officer went down to deliver the message.
Half an hour later, Baochai's face suddenly turned ugly when he received the news.
"Did you see that you did something bad and your mother came to see me..." Baochai couldn't help complaining.
"Baochai... you have to choose the princess yourself that day. The princess's phoenix crown is so easy to wear!"
Hearing this, Baochai rolled her eyes at him and said, "Why...we have a new person today and you just say these things?"
"If you want to change someone, take away the life-giving woman's robe, phoenix crown, and gold book and seal, and give them to your sweetheart!"
"Hehe... you are my sweetheart. Since my mother has summoned you, go quickly. I'm going to sleep!"
After saying this, Zhu Jinghong lay back down again, covered himself with a quilt and stopped talking.
Baochai sighed helplessly, stood up and said, "If I marry you... don't expect to have a happy life!"
Despite what she said, Baochai had no complaints in her heart. Being able to help Zhu Jinghong was a blessing in itself for her.
After a brief tidying up, Baochai rushed to the palace by car, and half an hour later she entered Kunning Palace.
Kneeling in front of the queen, Baochai stated Zhu Jinghong's recent situation after the queen asked.
"Now he goes home every day. Sometimes he listens when he is in a good mood, but when he is unhappy he breaks things..."
"Now I no longer practice martial arts and archery. I drink until late at night every day, and sometimes I cry and scream in the middle of the night..."
"You said that your life will be ruined in the royal family, and that if you are in an ordinary family, parents will have long-term plans for their children..."
"My wife also tried to persuade him, but instead of listening, he even scolded her several times..."
"What happened today is all my fault for not taking good care of my daughter-in-law, which has ruined the life of Girl Qin. My daughter-in-law is willing to accept the punishment..."
From beginning to end, Baochai's narrative is straightforward, but it is so touching that it is difficult to criticize.
"You girl, you are really confused..." The queen continued to teach her a lesson.
"I told you, you have to show the bearing of a princess. You must not be intimidated by him. What if you get scolded by him a few times? Is it possible that he still dares to hit you?"
"My mother taught me that my daughter-in-law is indeed at fault!"
Seeing Baochai in tears, Yang Qingyin couldn't blame her any more.
"Okay, okay, my majestic princess, how behaving it is to cry and cry!"
After Baochai stopped speaking, Yang Qingyin asked, "How do you think we should handle the matter of Girl Qin?"
"This...daughter-in-law doesn't dare to speak nonsense!"
"Just say what you say, now is not the time to be polite!" The Queen looked unhappy.
"My daughter-in-law thinks that since the prince has neglected her, she must have an explanation!"
"It's better...it's better to send it to the prince's palace and just say it's your grace, Queen Mother, so others can't say anything!"
It is normal for the queen to reward her own son with a woman. This solution can indeed solve the problem very well. Baochai and her mother-in-law have thought of the same thing.
"What kind of status should I give?" Yang Qingyin asked again.
Of course, concubines cannot be given casually, and there are still choices for attendants and concubines.
"Since it is the grace of the queen, my daughter-in-law thinks... it would be better to make him the chosen servant!" Baochai replied.
Every word Baochai spoke spoke to the Queen's heart. This ability was indeed very rare.
"Just do as you say. Since Girl Qin has been injured in a fall in the past few days, she should be sent back to Ningshou Palace to rest. After she recovers, we can talk about entering the palace!"
Zhen Qin's aunt is in Ningshou Palace, so it is very suitable to send her to hide in Ningshou Palace. It is much more secluded than staying in Kunning Palace.
"Tomorrow is Old Thirteen's seventeenth birthday. You have to organize a celebration for him and make him happy!"
"You have to make it clear to him that it is for his own good not to let him go to the northwest. This is for his long-term consideration!"
"Yes!" Baochai replied.
Next, the queen mentioned Baochai again, and waited for a long time before letting her go.
After leaving Kunning Palace, Baochai felt a little gloomy. She didn't expect the queen to be so determined, and she had no intention of giving in under the current situation.
It seems that there is only one step to take... Baochai thought to himself.
Except for Zhen Qin's unexpected situation, Baochai, as Zhu Jinghong's adviser, helped Zhu Jinghong perfect the plan.
She was originally very confident in this plan, but after what happened today, her confidence dropped a lot.
"Take a step and see what happens!"
………………
It was March 15th, the twelfth year of Orthodoxy, and the weather was perfect.
At Baochai's urging, Zhu Jinghong got up early, put on the prince's robes and entered the palace. On this special day, they had to visit the emperor and empress.
Even though the emperor was very busy today, he still took time to go to Kunning Palace in the morning and accepted their worship together with the queen.
Today, Zhu Jinghong didn't behave too decadently, but he looked dull and lifeless. He spoke very little from beginning to end. He looked completely different from his normal self.
In this situation, it can be said that Zhu Jinghong was scorning the emperor and empress. No one else would dare to act like this, even the prince and Prince Rui.
However, what happened to Zhu Jinghong was nothing. On the contrary, the emperor and empress comforted him, hoping that he would be obedient and be a good boy.
Zhu Jinghong did not express his position on this, Baochai was still on the side to smooth things over.
There are so many royal rules that Zhu Jinghong stayed in the palace for nearly two hours before returning to Prince Xiang's Mansion with a large number of gifts.
"Have you really thought about it?"
In the carriage, Baochai looked worried, because what she was going to do next was too unorthodox, so she felt particularly uneasy.
Glancing at Baochai, Zhu Jinghong said firmly, "If I back down now that things have come to this, I will be so decadent that I die!"
"Sigh... It's just that I'm really uneasy. What if I offend my father, the emperor, and my empress and ground you or even depose you?" Baochai looked worried.
It's not that she doesn't want to give up wealth, but it's just that Zhu Jinghong will never be able to get ahead, and he will be even more helpless than the so-called decadence that leads to death.
Zhu Jinghong smiled calmly and said: "If this is true...then I will be a free prince, so you don't have to worry anymore!"
"You are really big-hearted!"
Baochai said this, but in her heart she admired Zhu Jinghong's determination and fearlessness, which can be called a hero more than the so-called superior martial arts.
So at this time, Baochai's eyes were full of respect for Zhu Jinghong.
The carriage returned to the palace. At this time, many people came to congratulate them. Wang Pei'an, the chief historian of the palace, was greeting them.
The eunuchs of the royal palace were not idle either. They arranged tables and chairs in front of the Chengyun Hall, where they would entertain guests today.
The space in front of Chengyun Hall was spacious, with twenty tables on each side. At this moment, people were already arriving and taking their seats, chatting with each other.
Although the people present were young people from various noble families, many of them had real jobs and they could still chat with each other.
Around noon, Zhu Jinghong appeared in dark blue uniforms, but his face, which looked ancient and unruffled, made everyone guess that he might not be happy.
In fact, it was only at the top of the scene that I knew what Zhu Jinghong wanted to do recently.
It's just that in these cases, insiders won't make trouble for themselves by making blind comments, so many people don't know the inside story.
After a ceremonial banquet, Zhu Jinghong just appeared in a hurry, said a few polite words and left, leaving the scene to Wang Pei'an to organize it.
Regarding Zhu Jinghong's recent changes, Wang Pei'an saw it in his eyes and was anxious in his heart, and he also did a lot to change it.
Various ancient and modern allusions, various philosophies of life...
Wang Pei'an chatted with Zhu Jinghong several times, but to no avail. Instead, he was asked twice and was left speechless.
"Sigh... The Ming Dynasty is already in chaos. Wouldn't it be nice to enjoy peace?" Wang Pei'an sighed again as he watched Zhu Jinghong leave.
From the time he entered school and became an official until now, few things could make Wang Pei'an feel frustrated, but Zhu Jinghong made him experience it today.
No matter how upright he is, no matter how strict his requirements, no matter how passionate he is about teaching... Zhu Jinghong's temperament cannot be changed.
Although Zhu Jinghong himself left, the guests still had a great time eating and drinking. No one stood up in advance and did not leave until Wang Pei'an greeted them.
In addition to entertaining congratulatory guests, there is also a family banquet at Prince Xiang's Mansion tonight. Zhu Jinghong entertains his brothers and sisters. These can be regarded as customary.
Of course, it is limited to his brothers and sisters. Clan members who are more distant are not invited, even if they have sent people to send congratulatory gifts.
Soon another two hours passed. The prince and Prince Rui arrived at the mansion respectively. According to etiquette, Zhu Jinghong should go out to greet them.
Of course Zhu Jinghong went to greet him, but his smell of alcohol really intoxicated his two brothers.
In addition to these two direct brothers, his concubine brothers also arrived one after another, including Zhu Jingchun who was farming in Shanglinyuan.
Since it was a family banquet, it was relatively casual, so the banquet was held in the back garden of the palace, within the balcony beside the small lake.
Everyone sat down at the table one after another, with the prince and his wife sitting in the middle, followed by Zhu Jinghong and Prince Rui respectively.
"Thirteenth brother, please drink less!" Zhu Jingyuan couldn't help but say.
From the time they sat down until now, before they even exchanged a few words, Zhu Jinghong had already drank seven or eight glasses of wine.
"Fourth brother, if you have wine tonight, why don't you get drunk tonight..."
After replying to this sentence, Zhu Jinghong started drinking again. Others tried to persuade him but they didn't know how to speak. After all, this one didn't even have the face of the prince.
At this time, Baochai was advising from the side: "Fourth brother asked you to drink less. Today is your birthday. Everyone is here to congratulate you. You must thank all brothers!"
But Zhu Jinghong picked up the jar, walked to the middle with shaky steps, held the jar in a circle, and then said: "Brothers, thank you very much!"
After saying this, he raised the jar and poured it into his mouth. The scene looked extremely exaggerated and shocked everyone present.
Zhu Jingyuan was watching the excitement when he was poked by Chen Zhi, who immediately understood and stood up.
"Thirteenth brother, what are you doing!"
When he came closer, Zhu Jingyuan was about to snatch the wine jar from him, but was pushed aside by Zhu Jinghong, who almost lost his footing and fell.
"Brother Six, just let me drink... I'm just a useless person, why do you need to care about me!"
"If you drink it to death... you'll be done with it!"
At this time, Zhu Jingyuan also took on the posture of an elder brother. After standing firm, he angrily shouted: "Thirteenth brother, what nonsense are you talking about? Who dares to say that you are a useless person?"
Zhu Jinghong immediately asked, "We, the royal bloodline, are just doing nothing and waiting to die. What else can we be if we are not trash?"
The prince and Prince Rui knew very well why Zhu Jinghong became like this, but because they were concerned about their mother's face, they could not persuade him directly at this time.
As for the other princes present, they were completely in the background at the moment. They did not dare or were unwilling to get involved in this matter. They could only look worried and listen to what was going on.
"I am a person with no ambitions. I just want to do something I like, but I am always restrained and controlled by my mother. I can't even achieve this little wish..."
"Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother, brothers... I feel so miserable!"
"You don't understand this kind of depression, and no one will understand it... I can only rely on this thing to relieve my boredom. What's wrong with me drinking some wine?"
Zhu Jinghong was walking while talking. At this moment, he was standing on the railing. Outside the white marble railing was the lake.
Seeing him coming here, Baochai also grasped the corner of her clothes tightly. She knew that she had come to the last step.
At this time, Zhu Jinghong poured another sip of wine into his mouth. The next moment, he jumped up and jumped onto the white marble railing.
Seeing his swaying appearance, everyone present was frightened. What would happen if he fell.
Everyone stood up one after another and surrounded Zhu Jinghong. The eunuchs and maids on the scene were also in chaos.
"Hurry up and take care of the lake, be careful of the prince falling into the water!" Baochai ordered the servants.
On Zhu Jinghong's side, when he saw people gathering around him, he pointed at them and ordered them to move back.
Zhu Jingyuan and others were also afraid of pushing him into a hurry, so they took a few steps back, with worried looks on their faces.
"Brother Thirteen, come down quickly...it's dangerous up there!" Zhu Yunsheng said urgently.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Jinghong asked: "Dangerous? How dangerous? If you fall, you will just drown!"
After pouring himself another sip of wine, Zhu Jinghong made an effort to maintain balance and said with a smile: "Today is my birthday. You all came to congratulate me. You are wrong..."
"You are wrong..."
Looking up at the sky, Zhu Jinghong said sadly: "I... am already dead!"
"I was so pressed that I couldn't breathe, and I was suffocated to death!"
He almost shouted this last sentence, which shows his grief, anger and despair.
"Thirteenth, don't talk nonsense, come down quickly!"
Zhu Jingyuan also scolded him. After all, this guy was getting more and more outrageous. As an elder brother, how could he ignore it?
"Thirteenth brother, come down quickly. Let's come down and talk if you have anything to say!"
"Brother Thirteen, we know that you are feeling bitter, please come down first..."
After hearing everyone's persuasion, Zhu Jinghong threw away the wine jar in his hand, and the jar fell to the ground and shattered into pieces with a clang.
Everyone thought he was going to come down, but he actually said calmly: "The year I die is...seventeen!"
Then, Zhu Jinghong opened his arms and fell backwards. The next moment, water splashed outside the railing.
(End of chapter)
