Chapter 172 Common People
"You are the child's father, you know it best."

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the court was shocked!

Shen Yurong? Princess Yongning? Are these two related?

King Cheng's mind was in a mess, and he angrily said, "Li Xian, don't say that!" Although he also protected the Li family and didn't want the Li family to have a grudge against him, it didn't mean that the Li family could tell Yongning's secret here. Once Yongning became a person who didn't love himself and had an affair with others before getting married, even his reputation would be affected.

The Li family is not such an impulsive person. Why would they expose each other's shame in the Golden Palace today, hurting both sides? !
Li Xian knew very well in his heart that Princess Yongning had told others about his affairs anyway. If he did not fight back, the whole world would believe her and the Li family would become a laughing stock. If she did it on the first day of the month, he would not be afraid of doing it on the fifteenth. The world's tolerance for his actions was probably higher than that of Princess Yongning.

And Shen Yurong, who had been standing in the crowd, was very good at protecting herself. The fire could not burn him, so he just watched from the sidelines. But why, why should the Li family raise Shen Yurong's bastard? They were not the ones who were taken advantage of. All of this was caused by Shen Yurong. If Princess Yongning had not been pregnant with Shen Yurong's child and wanted to protect the child, how could Concubine Liu ask the Queen Mother to grant the marriage earlier, causing the Li family to suffer such a disaster.

In short, they have all become a joke among the officials, so no one can escape, all of them will be dragged into this!
Shen Yurong never expected that he would suddenly become the target of public criticism. Everyone's eyes were fixed on him. The gazes of scrutiny, ridicule, and gloating made him feel a little overwhelmed. What he didn't know was how Li Xian knew that Princess Yongning's child was his. Looking at Princess Yongning's expression, she was obviously also surprised. It should not be Princess Yongning who told others. As for the others, I believe that Princess Yongning would not take the initiative to tell others about this unless she was hopelessly stupid.

What should he do? Shen Yurong, who was always smart, was really helpless at this moment. According to his original dislike of arguing with others, he should have stood there, smiled, and let others look at him, pretending to be "upright and not afraid of shadows". But with Princess Yongning present today, no one knew what shocking thing this brainless woman would do next, making everything worse.

So his nonchalant smile could no longer be sustained, and he had to speak up for himself: "Master Li, what you said is untrue, it is slander..."

"Sir Shen knows whether it is slander or not," Li Xian also said, "If you are willing to investigate, you will always be able to find some clues. Sir Shen does not need to rush to prove his innocence. There will be evidence to do all this."

Originally, Li Xian only knew that Princess Yongning's child was not his, but he could not find out whose child it was. It was not until the second night after Princess Yongning's miscarriage that he inexplicably received a letter from a servant, saying that someone had left it on the servant's desk, and it was addressed to Master Li. The servant handed it to Li Xian, and when Li Xian opened it, there was only a note inside, which said that Shen Yurong was the father of the bastard in Princess Yongning's belly.

Li Xian didn't know who sent the letter, nor did he know whether what was said in the letter was true or false. But when he recalled carefully, it seemed that Princess Yongning would go to every banquet where Shen Yurong was present. Even if Princess Yongning was not invited, she would show up for various reasons. When people recall, they always think of some small details that they usually ignore. When Li Xian knew about this relationship and recalled it with doubt, he found that there was indeed some unclear relationship between Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong.

Besides, apart from Shen Yurong, there seems to be no more suitable candidate.

Provoked by Princess Yongning just now, Li Xian told Princess Yongning's secret, but even at that time, Shen Yurong still looked as if she was out of the matter. However, Li Xian sensitively noticed that Princess Yongning secretly glanced at Shen Yurong in panic.

It was this one look that made Li Xian no longer hesitate and say Shen Yurong's name. Shen Yurong was indeed not innocent. Although he tried his best to cover it up, it was still seen that he was reluctant. Even his rebuttal seemed so weak.

They were all smart people, and it was something that they all knew. There were so many old foxes in the court that they could see some clues. I was afraid that what Princess Yongning said was true, and what Master Li said was also true. Master Li was indeed a bastard with a beastly heart, and Princess Yongning was really pregnant with Master Shen, and she married into the Li family to avoid being seen.

Everyone was shocked and thought it was a joke. Jiang Yuanbai stood quietly with a smile on his face, as if he was watching a play. He remembered what Jiang Li had said to him, why Princess Yongning should be married to the Li family. He was convinced by Jiang Li, and now it was confirmed that Jiang Li was right. In less than three months, the Li family was in chaos. Princess Yongning and the Li family had a falling out. Regardless of Princess Yongning's behavior, Li Zhongnan was completely embarrassed this time.

The more unlucky the Li family is, the happiest Jiang Yuanbai, as the Li family's rival, will be.

All this happened just because Jiang Li heard a few more words from others at the Duke's Mansion at General Ji's birthday banquet that day. It was these few words that completely changed the fate of Li Xian and Princess Yongning. Thinking about it, Jiang Yuanbai looked towards Duke Su.

Ji Heng stood on one side of the crowd. Even when there was such a commotion, it had no effect on him. He stood there calmly, watching with interest, obviously treating the chaotic scene in the court as if it were a performance on the stage, and he was just an outsider watching.

Jiang Yuanbai couldn't help but feel a little confused. It seemed that King Cheng and the Right Prime Minister were not in the same group as Ji Heng, otherwise why would Ji Heng watch the show so nonchalantly? He might have already made some moves.

After all, King Cheng’s rebellion is imminent, and we must be careful to distinguish who is the enemy and who is the friend, so as not to let anything go wrong at this critical juncture.

When everything was in chaos in the Golden Palace, there was another person who was also a spectator, watching the actions of the people below without making a sound. That person was Emperor Hong Xiao.

He did not stop Princess Yongning from speaking, nor did he stop Li Xian from speaking, and he did not even protect Shen Yurong, whom he had been very optimistic about. He did not say anything, just watched these people tear each other apart, like a statue, high and mighty, contemptuous.

It was not until Eunuch Su drew out his voice to signal everyone to stop that everyone suddenly realized that the emperor had not spoken a word and was just watching silently.

What does this mean? Does it mean to ignore it? Everyone found that no one could see what Emperor Hong Xiao was thinking, and King Cheng was also suspicious. His power was growing day by day, but he was more and more wary of his brother. He was so eager to start the rebellion this year because of this concern. He always felt that if he waited any longer, it would be too late.

This emperor is also growing at a very fast pace.

In the Golden Palace, it became quiet again without knowing when, so quiet that even a pin drop could be heard. In the center of the vortex, Shen Yurong stood, looking extremely embarrassed, while Li Xian and Princess Yongning blamed each other, and their image was completely ruined.

Emperor Hong Xiao looked at Yongning and suddenly smiled.

This smile was even more unfathomable, making it difficult to understand what he meant. Even Jiang Yuanbo, who had followed the emperor for many years, shuddered involuntarily.

"In that case," Emperor Hong Xiao said, "You want to divorce Li Xian. I approve it."

……

The affair between Princess Yongning and Li Xian eventually spread.

There were so many civil and military officials in the Golden Palace at that time that it was impossible to keep it secret. Princess Yongning once said that only the dead could keep a secret. But with so many court officials, she had no way of turning all of them into dead people. This dirty secret was destined to be untold. Overnight, the scandal of the Li family and Princess Yongning, along with the champion Shen who had always been praised for his deep love, became the object of everyone's scorn.

Princess Yongning got the divorce letter as she wished, but this letter cost her a huge price. Not only did she fail to take revenge on Li Xian for killing her son, but she also got herself involved. Li Xian even involved Shen Yurong. Although Emperor Hong Xiao's attitude was intriguing, he only approved the divorce without going into details, such as whether Li Xian had raised a boy or whether Princess Yongning had conceived a child with Shen Yurong. But three people can make a tiger, and things without any basis are still talked about, as if they were true. Such a true thing is naturally a fact that is set in stone.

For a time, rumors spread throughout Yanjing City.

Princess Yongning could not do what she said this time, "I will kill anyone who dares to talk behind her back," because she was under house arrest by King Cheng. King Cheng was furious. Princess Yongning's disturbance in the Golden Palace not only damaged his reputation, but also caused the Li family to be alienated from him at this critical juncture. Another confidant of his who was favored by him, Shen Yurong, was also involved. Originally, Shen Yurong could be a chess piece placed beside the emperor, but Emperor Hong Xiao liked Shen Yurong anyway, so this idea had to be abandoned now. After this incident, it was unknown whether Shen Yurong's official career could continue, let alone being valued by Emperor Hong Xiao as before. Forget it.

Jiang Li was in the Jiang family. Did she know all this through Tong'er? It was Jiang Yuanbai who told her. Princess Yongning and Li Xian had a big fight in the Jinluan Palace that day. After the court session, Jiang Yuanbai returned to the mansion. The first thing he did was to call Jiang Li to the study and tell her everything that happened in the Jinluan Palace. At the end, Jiang Yuanbai asked Jiang Li if she had known about the relationship between Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong for a long time, and even whether Jiang Li had known that Princess Yongning was pregnant before marrying into the Li family.

Jiang Li denied it naturally, and used the words she had prepared before to cover it up. Although Jiang Yuanbai was still skeptical, Jiang Li didn't care. This matter was a secret between her and the Duke's Mansion, and even if Jiang Yuanbai investigated again, he would not find anything.

Tong'er asked: "Miss, is it true that Princess Yongning and Lord Shen have been pregnant for a long time?"

Jiang Li said: "Yes."

Tong'er said angrily, "This is really shameless. She married someone else while pregnant. But Li Xian from the Li family is not a good guy either. People say that Li Xian is looking for pretty orphans everywhere, bringing them back to the Li family and making... Anyway, how can they get divorced? They should harm each other."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "If they are not getting divorced, how can Shen Yurong be involved?"

"Yes, and Shen Yurong." Tong'er said, "He was so affectionate before, and others scolded his wife, but they didn't know that while he was acting so affectionate, he was having an affair with Princess Yongning, seeking fame and reputation. Pah."

Jiang Li smiled and said, "You still know how to gain fame and reputation."

"Of course." Tong'er said to herself as she sorted out her clothes, "But I don't know what deep hatred Li Xian and Princess Yongning have that they have to expose each other's shortcomings in the Golden Palace. If they hadn't said it themselves, I'm afraid that people would never know about the ugly things they did in their lifetime."

Jiang Li smiled slightly. The conflict between Li Xian and Princess Yongning was naturally about the "child" that did not exist at all. In the eyes of Princess Yongning, nothing was more important than her and Shen Yurong's child. For this child, she married into the Li family and learned that it was Li Xian who killed her child. Princess Yongning would never let Li Xian go. She happened to know Li Xian's secret, so she wanted to make Li Xian's secret public.

But even Jiang Li didn't expect that Princess Yongning would actually break into the Golden Palace. Perhaps in her past life, Princess Yongning was used to smooth sailing. She thought that the Li family had no handle on her, so she could only swallow her bitterness. Little did she know that the Li family was not a pushover and would definitely take revenge. And the secrets that the Li family knew were more important.

However, the current situation where both parties suffer losses is exactly what Jiang Li is happy to see.

Bai Xue asked, "But the emperor didn't get angry with Li Xian or Shen Zhuangyuan. Apart from damaging their reputations, what else can they do?"

"It seems so, but I'm afraid that Master Li and Shen Zhuangyuan can no longer hold their posts. I think they will resign within three days." Jiang Li smiled and said, "The emperor has predicted this, so he did not take any action against them."

Needless to say, the censors' impeachments would fly to the emperor's desk like snowflakes. Even if Shen Yurong and Li Xian wanted to hold on, they would soon realize that "people's words are scary" and their official positions would end. In this way, Li Xian, who lost his official position, would hate Princess Yongning even more in his heart. No matter how much King Cheng tried to appease him, there would be a rift. Shen Yurong, who lost her official position, was just an ordinary commoner. The Shen family, who were selfish in their bones, would blame all this on Princess Yongning.

An ordinary Shen Yurong and a notorious Princess Yongning, if they were together, there would only be endless troubles and resentment. Jiang Li didn't need to do anything, they could wear out their enthusiasm by themselves, and only resentment would replace it.

By that time, the cases of Xue Fangfei and Xue Zhao will be able to see the light of day again.

This was her goal. She had been planning for a long time. From the dark and rainy night when she woke up, she finally reached a place where there was light.

……

The news about Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning's affair spread throughout Yanjing City and naturally reached the ears of the Ye family.

Ye Mingyu and Ye Shijie had long known that Xue Huaiyuan's daughter was the wife of Shen Zhuangyuan, but Jiang Li had always shown her support for the Xue family, and seeing Xue Huaiyuan, everyone did not believe that Xue Fangfei was the person the rumors said. They always thought that there might be something behind Xue Fangfei's affair with someone. So when this matter came out, Ye Shijie and Ye Mingyu seemed to have finally found evidence. Ye Mingyu said, "I have long felt that something was wrong back then. Now it seems that Madam Shen's bad reputation is also related to this princess. I am afraid they did something about it."

"It's possible." Ye Shijie also sighed: "Since I entered the court as an official, I have seen that this young Shen has a good reputation and no one has said anything bad about him. No matter whether it is the Prime Minister or the Right Prime Minister, no one has ever made things difficult for him. Although he is also very kind, I always feel that I am not very willing to get close to him. Now I finally know the reason. It's hard for him to pretend for so long. It's just that the word affectionate is not quite appropriate to describe him."

"That's right. Those officials always say that we businessmen are smart and powerful. At least I didn't do such hypocritical things. I said I was in mourning for my wife while I was seducing the princess and even had a child. I also asked someone to marry someone else with the child. The officialdom is really messy. Fortunately, I don't have enough brains and I can't be an official in this life. But Shijie, listen to me, you can't learn these bad habits. You know that there is no such chaos in our Ye family. Although I, your third uncle, have been in the midst of many flowers, I have never been touched by a single leaf. At least I didn't harm any decent women. If you make trouble outside, I will break your legs and make you unable to get out of bed for the rest of your life!"

He spoke so fiercely that Ye Shijie could only respond helplessly: "...I know, Third Uncle."

Ye Shijie glanced at the other side of the yard again and asked softly, "Uncle San, does Mr. Xue know about this?"

"I know," Ye Mingyu said, "Haitang just went in. Oh, poor Miss Xue, if she was really killed by that couple, I would be miserable if I were you."

In the room, Haitang stood beside Xue Huaiyuan. She had just told Xue Huaiyuan in detail what she had learned from outside about Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong. Before that, she had also told Xue Huaiyuan about the sneaky actions of Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong when Xue Fangfei was still alive.

Although Jiang Li had long insisted that Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong had been having an affair, and that it was for this reason that the two killed Xue Fangfei to make way for Princess Yongning's wife Shen, there was no evidence. Now that everyone in Yanjing City knew about it, Haitang was very excited and wanted to cry for no reason.

"Master," Haitang said softly, "Since their true colors have been exposed, wait a few more days. Miss Jiang said that once all the evidence is collected, we can avenge the young lady and the young master."

Xue Huaiyuan listened to Haitang's words quietly. His expression was very calm and composed, but his eyes were very sad, but he suppressed the sadness tightly. He said, "Yes, Ah Li and Ah Zhao have waited for this day for too long. It's my fault as a father. I didn't take good care of them."

"No," Haitang said, "It's because those people are too hateful. Master, please don't blame yourself. If the young master and the young lady are still alive, they will feel sorry for you when they see you like this."

"Don't worry." Xue Huaiyuan straightened his face, "I will live well, for Ali and Zhao... At least I want to see with my own eyes that Shen Yurong and Princess Yongning get the punishment they deserve."

Haitang nodded.

……

In the end, the most talked about issue of the Li family affair was not about Li Jing, but when Princess Yongning and Shen Yurong got together. They even had a child, and they were so bold as to marry the child into the residence of the Right Prime Minister, and Shen Yurong did not stop them. Although the marriage was granted by Emperor Hong Xiao, the emperor granted the marriage without her knowledge, so Princess Yongning could have had many solutions, such as not having the child first, or explaining it to the emperor, but she ended up using this method, which shows that she wanted to save Shen Yurong.

Because once Emperor Hong Xiao knew that his minister had such a thing with the princess of the time, Shen Yurong's official position would definitely be useless. Although now, his position is also in jeopardy.

In the Shen Mansion, Shen Ruyun and Shen's mother were both there, and Shen Yurong was sitting in the room. He had been attending court as usual these past two days. The emperor had not expressed any opinion about him, and Shen Yurong could guess how many impeachments the censors had made against him. Emperor Hong Xiao said nothing, and Shen Yurong wanted to pretend that nothing had happened, but how was that possible?

Not to mention the mocking looks those people gave him, and after court dismissal, they would laugh and talk about this matter as he passed by on the road, and some even came to ask him what it felt like to be with the princess and when they could drink the wedding wine of him and Princess Yongning.
Shen Yurong knew it well. These people thought that after such an incident, Shen Yurong would lose her official position sooner or later. For someone who would become an ordinary person sooner or later, there was no need to flatter or pretend to be calm. When a wall falls, everyone pushes it; when a tree falls, monkeys scatter. This truth is even more profound in the officialdom.

Therefore, in the past two days, going out and returning home from home, from the court to the Shen residence, required great courage. And his courage had been exhausted.

Seeing him coming back, Shen Ruyun asked, "Brother, does the emperor have anything to say today?"

Shen Yurong said: "No."

Shen Ruyun patted her chest, as if she was relieved, and said, "It's okay, it's okay. I thought you would lose your position this time. It seems that Princess Yongning spoke for you in front of the emperor, so you are safe this time."

Shen's mother also said: "That's right, you should find an opportunity to meet the princess and comfort her. She is a woman and must be very hurt after such a thing happened."

Shen Yurong just felt deeply tired. He really didn't understand why Shen's mother and Shen Ruyun still had expectations for Princess Yongning. Didn't they understand that after this incident, not only he, not only Li Xian, but even Princess Yongning, would probably have no chance of turning over.

Emperor Hong Xiao said nothing, not because he favored him as a minister and could not bear to punish him even if something like this happened, but because he knew that even if he did not say anything, Shen Yurong and Li Xian would resign on their own initiative.

Yes, he was ready to resign. He also wanted to stay in the court, but after these two days, Shen Yurong found that it was too difficult. If he had to live like this day after day, year after year, as long as he was in the officialdom, people would bring this up again and again, and even use it as a reason to attack him. He couldn't live like this.

"Tomorrow I will explain to the emperor that I want to resign." Shen Yurong said.

"What?" Shen Ruyun and Shen's mother screamed at the same time. Shen's mother stood up and looked at Shen Yurong and asked, "What did you just say?"

"I want to resign." Shen Yurong said very calmly.

"You're crazy," Shen's mother said excitedly, "Even the emperor didn't punish you, why did you take the initiative to resign? What you should do now is not to resign, but to have a good talk with Princess Yongning. Since she has divorced Li Xian, and others know about your relationship with her, you can just marry her, isn't that great!"

Shen Yurong suddenly found it a little funny. If Princess Yongning heard this, she would definitely feel very happy. Princess Yongning wanted to marry into the Shen family, and Shen's mother wanted to marry Princess Yongning. It seemed very happy, except for him.

Although Shen Yurong had brought this peach blossom debt upon herself, he now felt that he could avoid it if he couldn't afford to offend her, and he didn't want this peach blossom debt anymore.

"Brother, you have to think carefully," Shen Ruyun said, "If you resign, all of this will be gone. All your previous efforts will be in vain. How will our Shen family live in the future? You can't let mother do needlework for others! I'm afraid I won't be able to survive in Ningyuan Marquis' Mansion!"

Shen Yurong was also somewhat bewildered. He had been working so hard all his life just to get ahead. After he entered the officialdom and rose through the ranks, everything suddenly came to an abrupt end. He resigned from his post, and everything went back to the beginning. He had nothing left.

All wealth and glory become a bubble, and all grudges and love are gone in an instant.

And Xue Fangfei...

He thought in a daze.

"Brother, what are you thinking about? Don't just stand there and say nothing." Seeing Shen Yurong silent, Shen Ruyun couldn't help but urge him.

At this moment, the servant of the Shen Mansion ran in from outside, looking hurried. When he saw Shen Yurong, he said, "Master, something happened."

"What's the matter?" Shen Yurong asked.

"It's rumored outside that Princess Yongning was demoted to a commoner by the Emperor today!"

Demoted to a commoner? It means that she is no longer a high and mighty princess, but is no different from the common people in the world. She has become the ant, the commoner, whom she despises the most.

(End of this chapter)