As ordered, Wang Qin and the others were locked in the side hall. Liang Fang returned to the inner room and saw that Zhu Jianshen had already stood up and started to change clothes with the help of the palace maid.
A thought flashed through his mind, he stepped forward and said.
"Your Highness, the servants have imprisoned the princes and the others, but..."
While speaking, Liang Fang glanced at Wan Zhen'er, who was also silent but still pale, hesitated for a moment, and then said.
"But I am worried that this is just a way to delay time after all. If the prince does not return for a long time, the Holy Mother will definitely send someone to question him again. If he knows that you ordered the detention, the Holy Mother will definitely be furious. At that time, only I’m afraid that I will blame Captain Wan even more!”
Although this was a situation that Wan Zhen'er herself could foresee, when she heard Liang Fang say it directly, her face became more and more frightened, and her whole face became bloodless.
Seeing this situation, Zhu Jian sighed deeply, held her hand and said warmly.
"Zhen'er, don't worry, Gu won't let anything happen to you."
This look finally relieved Wan Zhen'er's nervousness a little, allowing her to force out an ugly smile and said.
"This slave trusts Your Highness..."
So, Zhu Jianshen let go of Wan Zhen'er, breathed out gently, a hint of majesty appeared on his slightly immature face, his eyes fell on Liang Fang beside him, and said.
"Liang Fang, I have to go out now. You should stay in the East Palace and protect the safety of Captain Wan. I promise you a warrant to call on all the guards on duty in the East Palace today."
"Remember, before Gu comes back, no matter who comes to ask for someone or what kind of decree they have, they are not allowed to hand him over. During Gu's absence in the East Palace, if there is anything wrong with Commander Wan, then you just wait. Commit suicide!"
These words were said with great solemnity and no hint of joking, causing a trace of cold sweat to break out on Liang Fang's forehead.
He didn't even dare to raise his head to look at Zhu Jianshen, and immediately fell to his knees and said.
"Don't worry, Your Highness, I will protect the safety of Captain Wan to the death."
Wan Zhen'er naturally heard what Zhu Jianshen said. For a moment, she felt temporarily relieved and touched, but also worried about Zhu Jianshen's upcoming adventure. Tears filled her eyes and she cried out worriedly.
"Your Highness..."
So, Zhu Jianshen gave her a comforting look, then stopped staying and spoke.
"Get ready and go to Qianqing Palace."
…………
Not long after, Zhu Jianshen arrived at the gate of Qianqing Palace in a ceremonial vehicle, handed in the invitation letter and went in. He stood quietly at the gate of the palace, his expression as usual, making it difficult to tell whether he was happy or angry. However, if you look closely, , you can still see a touch of sadness between his eyebrows.
He knew very well what the current situation was like. As a prince of the Eastern Palace, he had a concubine before he was married. Moreover, he even fainted due to lack of energy. Whether he was in the palace or in the court, he had a concubine. An explosive event.
In this situation, Wan Zhen'er must be the first to be blamed.
Zhu Jianshen's feelings for Wan Zhen'er are very complicated. Wan Zhen'er has been by his side since he was young. He went out to study when he was three years old. The people around him who have the most contact are Wan Zhen'er and Qin Chang. Liang Fang and these three people.
Among these three people, Qin Chang is strict and has very strict requirements on his studies, while Liang Fang is flattering and will collect a lot of gadgets to please him when he is irritable. Although these two people are good to him, they are very It's hard for him to truly relax.
Only by Wan Zhen'er's side can he get the long-lost comfort and peace of mind. He doesn't know when this feeling began to change, and he doesn't know whether he is attached to Wan Zhen'er today or something else. emotion.
But the only thing he knew clearly was that he couldn't live without Wan Zhen'er. He left the cabinet at a young age, and he was burdened with too many things. There were expectations from his parents and the imperial grandmother, and constraints from the subordinates of the East Palace. As we age, no day can be spent easily.
Therefore, he longs to live freely, and also envies Liu Yuer, who can always bloom in suffering. If Liu Yuer is his unattainable dream under pressure, then Wan Zhen'er is like his reality. The only comfort under pressure.
In the past few years, with the chaos in Nangong, the situation inside and outside the palace, up and down the court, suddenly changed drastically. Although he had survived the chaos safely, various overt and covert attacks continued. Stops come one after another.
The imperial grandmother was very indifferent to him because of his choice in the Nangong Incident. His mother lived in Nangong and he could not see him a few times a year. There were countless ministers in the court who stared at him all the time, and from time to time they would say one word. When the Taoist impeachment memorial appears, whether he did something right or wrong, he must admit his mistake, say it in a nice way, correct it if he has it, and encourage him if he doesn't. If he says something that doesn't sound good, he is actually feeling aggrieved.
To put it bluntly, although he, the prince, has the position of heir apparent, he lives a life of walking on thin ice, always on tenterhooks. Sometimes he even thinks that this kind of life may not be much better than being abolished.
On the day of the winter solstice, he was not so drunk that he fell unconscious. However, as he was feeling dizzy, he suddenly felt that living like this was meaningless. Wan Zhen'er happened to be looking after him in a state of undress. Somehow, things happened. It just happened. When he woke up the next day and looked at everything that was a foregone conclusion, unexpectedly, he felt no fear in his heart, but instead felt a sense of relief after venting the pressure.
Reason told him that this was a cup of poison that would destroy him... But, so what?
"His Royal Highness, Your Majesty has summoned you."
A gust of cold wind blew by, causing Zhu Jianshen to wrap himself in a cloak. At the same time, two chamberlains came out of the palace, bowed respectfully and spoke.
So, Zhu Jianshen breathed a long sigh of relief, looked up at the plaque of Qianqing Palace, and followed the two chamberlains towards the palace.
It's time for everything to end...
"My nephew, I would like to pay my respects to the imperial uncle."
Entering the palace, Zhu Jianshen was as meticulous as ever.
"Excuse me. The prince is here in a hurry. Why?"
For some reason, Zhu Jianshen felt that the emperor's uncle's tone today was a bit unusual. However, since he had made up his mind, he naturally had no intention of caring about these details anymore.
Continuing to kneel on the ground and kowtow solemnly, Zhu Jianshen reached out and took off the crown prince's crown from his head, and said.
"My nephew has lost his moral character and came here to ask my uncle to depose my nephew as the crown prince!"
As soon as he said this, the palace suddenly became quiet. Even the waiters around him couldn't help but hold their breath and didn't even dare to breathe out.
Soon, the voice of the emperor came down and said.
"I heard that the prince suddenly fainted when he heard that a commoner in the town had died of illness. Now, as soon as the prince got up, he came to tell me that he asked to be deposed from the throne. Do you think I am a cold person?"
"My nephew doesn't dare."
Feeling the faint dissatisfaction in the emperor's tone, Zhu Jianshen had no fear in his heart and kowtowed again and said.
"Your Majesty, the reason why my nephew asked to be deposed was not because of his father's death, but because of his unethical behavior. He felt that he could not bear the weight of the world and was the hope of all people, so he made this request."
The hall fell into silence again. Zhu Qiyu gently tapped the handrail, looked at the young man below with stern eyes, and asked.
"Is it...for the palace maid named Wan Zhen'er?"
As soon as these words came out, Zhu Jianshen raised his head suddenly, but soon his expression calmed down again. He came here this time and had no intention of concealing this matter. Although he didn't know who leaked the news in advance, but , it doesn’t matter anymore...
He kowtowed and spoke.
"Returning to the emperor's uncle, my nephew is the heir of a rebellious person. He has been able to live in the Eastern Palace for many years. In fact, he has tried his best to protect you. However, my nephew's moral character is shallow and it is difficult to live up to his behavior. At the winter solstice last year, I got drunk and had an affair with the palace maid Wan Zhen'er. A personal matter."
"After a few months, my nephew felt increasingly uneasy. The crown prince of a country should not indulge in sensual things. However, my nephew has repeatedly violated the prohibition, which is really unworthy of his position. Therefore, I have asked to be deposed. I hope that my uncle will choose another one." Keep the virtuous as a reserve to bring peace to the world."
Looking at Zhu Jianshen who was calm and didn't seem to be talking about himself, Zhu Qiyu's expression was a little complicated.
"Just for such a palace maid?"
Zhu Jianshen lowered his head and remained silent, making the atmosphere in the hall become even more stagnant.
After an unknown period of time, Zhu Qiyu sighed heavily and said.
"Then what if...I am willing to help you save her life?"
After the words fell, Zhu Jianshen raised his head suddenly, with deep shock on his face, as if he couldn't believe what he heard.
After all, this is just a teenage boy. Even after many overt and covert attacks, he still can't hide his emotions in the face of such a situation.
After a brief shock, what appeared on Zhu Jianshen's face was deep confusion and confusion...
Seeing this situation, Zhu Qiyu stood up, walked forward slowly, walked to the door of the palace, looked into the distance, stood with his hands behind his back, his back to Zhu Jianshen, but there was a hint of sadness in his voice as he said.
"The prince actually...has been resenting me in his heart, right?"
The sunlight penetrated through the palace door, stretching Zhu Qiyu's figure, just enough to cover Zhu Jianshen. Zhu Jianshen was still kneeling on the same spot, but after hearing these words, he involuntarily raised his head and looked at the emperor who was standing with his hands behind his back. The fists in his sleeves were clenched tightly, and in the end, he did not speak.
However, in this case, silence also means recognition.
So, Zhu Qiyu turned around, looked down at the other party, and said.
"You came today to protect Wan Zhen'er, but it's not just because of this, right?"
He stepped forward, walking towards Zhu Jianshen step by step, and continued.
"You've been complaining about me!"
"I blame you for indulging your father's ambition, which eventually led to brotherly fratricide and put you in a situation where everyone in the dynasty is your enemy."
"I resent you even more for allowing the officials in the court to criticize you wantonly, impeaching you all day long, making the East Palace very difficult, but turning a blind eye."
"Perhaps you still blame me, why didn't I destroy you early, so that you don't have to live such a difficult life, and you can put all the faults on me as you should."
Zhu Jianshen's face turned a little pale, and the fists in his hands were clenched tighter and tighter, and his palms were filled with sweat. Even when he confessed his affair with Wan Zhen'er just now, he was not nervous, but at this moment, he was indeed nervous. ...Because what the imperial uncle said was exactly the most secret thought in his heart.
He is indeed complaining, hating everyone!
He resented the Empress Dowager Sun and why she pushed a child like him to the front desk and shouldered such a big responsibility; he also resented Zhu Qizhen and resented him for being ambitious and lacking in talent. Resenting that even though he had made such a big mistake, he still refused to settle down in Nangong and insisted on rebelling.
Of course, he also complained about Zhu Qiyu, why he didn't imprison Zhu Qizhen early, but let him live in Nangong as the emperor, which finally gave him the opportunity to rebel.
He also complained about Zhu Qiyu, why he had been cultivating him carefully, treating him as his own son, and even retained his position as prince after the Nangong Incident... which made him feel deeply guilty even when he resented the other person.
So many years of depression and pain made him unable to stop having these dark thoughts, but it was also the years of careful care and training that made him want to slap himself every time he had such thoughts.
Therefore, he blamed the emperor's uncle for why he didn't destroy him earlier, why he didn't just send him away after dealing with Nangong...
In this way, he can resent the other party without any psychological burden, and treat the other party as a pure hypocrite, without making himself so painful, wandering between morality and selfishness, and suffering...
However, seeing Zhu Jianshen's appearance, Zhu Qiyu did not stop talking. He lowered his head with a trace of sadness in his eyes, but he still spoke directly.
"You came today not only to protect Wan Zhen'er, but more importantly, you have always felt in your heart that I have wanted to destroy you for a long time. I just lacked an excuse."
"Prince Rong made such a big noise in the East Palace. Even the Holy Mother sent people to ask questions. If the news gets out, I and the officials in the court will definitely get to the bottom of it."
"When the time comes, your affair with Wan Zhen'er will be exposed in the court, and your position in the East Palace will inevitably be lost. Therefore, it is better to come before me and ask for deposedness. In this way, you can still save some dignity for yourself. ...Brother Shen, is that what you think?"
These words directly exposed the most secret thoughts in Zhu Jianshen's heart, making him lower his head involuntarily.
Yes, that's what he thought. After so many years, the criticisms from above and below the court, and the discussions inside and outside the palace, made him always fearful and walking on thin ice. More importantly, he himself actually felt that he would eventually have a chance. Ri was going to be abolished, so after Wan Zhen'er's incident came out this time, he felt relieved.
Just like what the emperor said just now, he came to ask for deposing and gave the emperor a step down, which could be regarded as leaving some dignity for himself. However, what he didn't expect was that his thoughts would be seen by the emperor. It was clear, and it was put on the table without mercy.
For a moment, Zhu Jianshen didn't want to think about why the emperor did this. He just kowtowed deeply and said.
"Chen Wan died..."
