Unparalleled Beauty

Chapter C065

In her panicked state, auntie Shuyu's reckless accusations against Prince Wei caused Fusheng's expression to change drastically, and he was about to reprimand her.

Prince Wei raised a hand, stopping him, though his own face had also turned cold.

"At that time, this Prince had not yet been enfeoffed; I was merely an imperial prince."

Therefore, the 'Princess Consort Xi' that Granny Shuyu spoke of was not actually a princess consort, but merely a prince's consort. The prince himself had no title, so how could his consort have one?

"But…"

Granny Shuyu was completely stunned.

"This Prince does not wish to speak further of the events of that day, but you should be well aware of the inside story. Neither in sentiment, reason, nor law was there any justification for her to pay respects at Xi Fu's memorial tablet."

"This Prince will say this only once. Prince Wei's mansion has only one Princess Consort. You, and you all..." Prince Wei swept his gaze across everyone, "must remember this. Now, all of you, leave."

Fusheng quickly stepped forward and signaled for others to help the dazed auntie Shuyu away.

The room was emptied in an instant. Fusheng then hurried to the door, pretending to supervise the others, but in reality, he was clearing the space for Prince Wei.

The room fell silent. Wushuang, regaining her senses, realized that Prince Wei's arm was still around her waist. She quickly lowered her head and tried to retreat.

But Prince Wei did not release her.

Seeing her movement, Prince Wei's eyes darkened. "Is there nothing you wish to say to this Prince?"

Wushuang thought, was he merely giving her face in public, but privately still angry that she had caused trouble, and so had come to settle old scores? She then recounted the general situation, including how auntie Shuyu had acted as if she were teaching her how to manage things, her suggestion to set up a kitchen in the back courtyard, and the events that had occurred after the other woman's arrival today.

Since things had already come to this, she did not conceal anything and told him everything, one by one.

"You were right not to listen to her about setting up a kitchen in the back courtyard," Prince Wei said.

Wushuang looked up at him.

"This mansion may seem calm on the surface, but it is not. Although this Prince has eliminated them countless times, there are still spies and agents from other places who have infiltrated. At times like these, it is best not to create unnecessary complications."

Prince Wei slowly said, "From now on, your meals will still be delivered from the small kitchen in the study. If you want to eat something, tell the maidservants by your side. There is no need to restrain yourself."

Perhaps it was because Prince Wei was casually holding her while speaking that made Wushuang feel a little shy. She lowered her head, "I was not restraining myself."

"If there is anything, send someone to tell this Prince, or tell me yourself when I come. There is no need to be afraid." If someone had not reported that something had happened at Luanxiang Courtyard today, he would not have come so quickly.

"I was not afraid either."

"Then why, after this Prince arrived, without saying a word, did you start acting up with this Prince?"

Prince Wei spoke slowly and deliberately, and Wushuang's heart pounded like a drum. She stammered, "I was not acting up with you."

"Then why are you crying so aggrievedly? Anyone who didn't know better would think this Prince had bullied you."

"I…"

Wushuang turned her eyes away, not looking at him, and tried to retreat a little, but he, oblivious, was still holding her waist. Wushuang pondered, earlier, Prince Wei had held her waist to demonstrate his favor for her, his Princess Consort. Now that everyone had left, there was no need to demonstrate it anymore, so why hadn't he let go?

"If you want to cry, there must be another reason. It certainly isn't because you are acting up."

Her eyes darted about, yet her actions and expressions were so charmingly naive that it made one's heart ache. Prince Wei had been somewhat annoyed that she had used him and then discarded him, but he didn't know who to vent his anger on, and it inexplicably dissipated.

"By the way, what did you mean earlier by 'in sentiment, reason, and law'?"

In truth, Wushuang was quite happy at this moment. There was not a single second wife who was willing to admit that she was a second wife, much less willing to follow some order of precedence to pay respects at a dead person's memorial tablet. Yet, according to etiquette, there was this requirement.

Therefore, Wushuang had not expected Prince Wei to stand on her side at all. He had even fundamentally eliminated the possibility of her going to worship the spirit tablet in the future. She was extremely curious about what Prince Wei meant by "according to reason, according to propriety, and according to law."

Prince Wei glanced at her, thought for a moment, and said, "Back then, this Prince had not yet been granted a title, so she was, in name, only a prince's consort. After this Prince was granted a title, for certain reasons, Father Emperor did not posthumously confer a title upon her, and her name was not entered into the imperial genealogy."

Without a formal conferment, without being granted the golden book of a princess consort, she was not a princess consort. If even her name was not entered into the imperial genealogy, it meant that the imperial family did not acknowledge her.

In other words, the only one truly acknowledged by the imperial family as Prince Wei's princess consort and Prince Wei's wife was Wushuang.

Wushuang detected something unusual, but seeing that Prince Wei was unwilling to say more, she naturally did not press further. She could only change the subject, "What does the imperial genealogy look like? Is it a book made of jade? Has my name been entered into the imperial genealogy?"

"The imperial genealogy is the imperial family's family tree, recording all members of the imperial family. It is further divided into the direct line and the collateral lines. As for your name," Prince Wei paused, and seeing her actively grasp his arm, he continued, "the imperial genealogy is revised every ten years…"

Very well, so it had not been entered yet. Wushuang dejectedly withdrew her hand.

"Although it is revised every ten years, there are four times each year for recording names. The second day after we entered the palace to pay respects to Father Emperor and the Empress Dowager, Father Emperor had someone send your recorded name to the Court of the Imperial Clan."

"So, it's been entered?"

Prince Wei slightly nodded.

"Then how is the name recorded in the imperial genealogy? Is my name written below Your Highness's?" Her small face was flushed, and her eyes were shining.

Prince Wei had indeed seen what a real imperial genealogy looked like.

"It is filled in with vermilion ink, written to the right and slightly below this Prince's name."

Wushuang finally satisfied her curiosity. At this moment, she also realized that her posture with Prince Wei was too intimate, and she quickly took a step back.

Prince Wei timely withdrew his hand and stood up.

"This Prince has other matters to attend to. You sit here, there is no need to see me off."

After Prince Wei left, Xiaohong, Meifang, and Linglong all entered. However, Qiutong and the others did not dare to enter. After all, they were second-class maids and were not yet qualified to serve by Wushuang's side. Without being called, they did not dare to enter.

Xiaohong's small face was flushed with excitement, "Princess Consort."

Wushuang, on the other hand, felt a little embarrassed and changed the subject, "Where is that person?"

"Chamberlain Fu had someone send her away, but he didn't say how she would be dealt with," Linglong said.

"If they didn't say how she would be dealt with, then they didn't say. In any case, after today, she shouldn't be foolish enough to come looking for me again."

Xiaohong said, "If she comes looking for trouble again, Princess Consort, you should report it to Your Highness and have Your Highness chase her out."

At this moment, Granny Gong walked in from outside.

"I didn't expect that so many things would happen just while this old servant was away for a short while."

Wushuang asked, "Granny, do you know about that Consort Xi? Just now, His Highness..."

Granny Gong thought for a moment, then helped Wushuang into the side room and chased everyone else out.

"This matter is considered an imperial secret. Back then, His Majesty specifically issued a gag order. Many people died that night. Not many people know about it, and even those who do know don't dare to speak carelessly. They even have to cover their mouths when they sleep, for fear of being overheard in their sleep…"

Granny Gong's words completely piqued Wushuang's curiosity. Next, she heard this old story from Granny Gong's mouth.

***

This Consort Xi was surnamed Xi, and her given name was Fu. She was the daughter of Princess Long'an.

Princess Long'an was Emperor Taihe's younger sister. Unlike Princess Changhe, Princess Changhe and Emperor Taihe shared the same father and mother, while Princess Long'an was the twelfth daughter of the late Emperor.

After Princess Long'an came of age, she married a jinshi* surnamed Xi. This Imperial Son-in-Law Commandant surnamed Xi was Xi Fu's father. Princess Long'an was gentle and had been frail since childhood. Emperor Taihe had always been quite considerate of her, so Xi Fu was also a frequent guest in the palace.

TN: successful candidate in the highest imperial civil service examination

When the Third Prince reached the age for marriage, Emperor Taihe betrothed Xi Fu to him.

In principle, this was a wonderful match, but something went wrong on the very night of their wedding.

At that time, Prince Wei was still just a prince. Princes generally only left the palace to establish their own mansions after their wedding. Being within the imperial palace, the wedding naturally took place there as well.

The entire process was smooth until the new couple was sent to the bridal chamber. After the veil was lifted, Prince Wei was pulled away by his brothers to drink, leaving the new bride alone in the bridal chamber.

It was during this time that the incident occurred. The new bride was found dead on the wedding bed, with a knife wound to her neck.

According to granny Gong, the scene was extremely bloody and frightening. Prince Wei had rushed out with his sword in hand.

"When Your Highness rushed out with his sword, did he know who the culprit was?" Wushuang keenly noticed the suspicious point.

Granny Gong hesitated for a moment, then said, "It should have been related to the other princes. These servants do not know the details. In any case, His Majesty issued a gag order that night, forbidding anyone from mentioning the matter again. The fact that the Princess Consort died on her wedding day was also concealed, and it was later reported as a sudden death."

"Is that why His Majesty did not grant her a posthumous title after Your Highness was enfeoffed as a Prince, and did not even allow her name to be entered into the imperial genealogy?"

Wushuang always felt that the imperial family should not be so harsh. Moreover, it was not as if the bride had wanted to die tragically on her wedding day. There must have been something else that led to such a result.

Granny Gong sighed and said, "In principle, death is the greatest matter, and this servant should not speak ill of others behind their backs. When she died, she was naked on the wedding bed. Because of this, the imperial physician examined her body afterward and found..."

"Found what?"

"Found that she was not a virgin!"

Granny Gongblurted out, "The death itself was already suspicious, and it was this kind of death. His Majesty was extremely furious. He also learned that besides the wound, there were no other suspicious marks on her body when she was killed. This meant that she had lost her virginity before the wedding."

"At the time, the matter had already caused a great uproar. Then, this result came out. Some people said that it was because this woman was not chaste that she was killed. Otherwise, she would not have died so silently on her wedding night. Even the palace servants waiting outside the bridal chamber did not hear a sound. The killer must have been familiar with her and had a private affair with her, which is why she was killed without any defense."

Wushuang swallowed her astonishment. She clenched her hands for a long while before saying, "Those who spread such a theory might also be trying to exonerate the real killer."

Granny Gong said with a wry smile, "Who knows? At that time, the situation was such that His Majesty was enraged. Although this theory had the suspicion of exonerating the real killer, it was not entirely baseless. In any case, it doesn't matter whether others believe it or not, as long as His Majesty believes it."

Emperor Taihe was already furious because of the infighting among his sons and brothers, so he would naturally vent his anger, thinking that if Xi Fu had not been unchaste, this incident would not have happened.

Some might say that the two were not directly related. The person had already died tragically and was being slandered in this way. But the situation at the time was such that people could not help but speculate. If the killer was just killing, why would they strip her naked before killing her? If they were after her beauty, why did they not violate her? And why was she found to be not a virgin?

Thus, everyone's attention was drawn to this matter.

Wushuang even suspected that the killer had deliberately arranged such a scene, perhaps to take the opportunity to exonerate themselves. Then there was another suspicious point: how did the killer know that Xi Fu was not a virgin? Could it be that...

Therefore, as granny Gong said, sometimes some speculations are not baseless. It is not difficult to understand why Emperor Taihe vented his anger.

"After this incident, Princess Long'an could not withstand the blow and passed away not long after. The palace, concerned about the imperial family's reputation, could only conceal the matter. Later, Your Highness went to the border, and did not even manage the matter of establishing his mansion. After the Prince's mansion was built, the palace servants of Yongyan Palace were divided into two groups. One group came to the Prince's mansion, and the other group remained in Yongyan Palace. This Shuyu was sent to the Prince's mansion at this time. Perhaps because Your Highness was not in the capital for many years, and the mansion was full of servants, she took advantage of her title…"

The rest of the words were left unsaid, but Wushuang understood what granny Gong meant.

She was using her title to bully others.

For a moment, she felt extremely complicated. At the same time, she felt that Prince Wei's fate was full of twists and turns. He had lost two Princess Consorts in a row, resulting in the slanderous reputation of being a wife-killer. He had not remarried for more than ten years afterward.

Then, thinking again, if Prince Wei had not remained unmarried, it would not have been her turn.

Then, thinking of her own death in her previous life, could it be that her death in her previous life was also related to these matters? Was there someone behind the scenes who did not want Prince Wei's women to live? But that did not seem right. Even if they were to kill, they should kill the Empress, not her, the Lady Fengtian who had caused chaos in the harem.

Thinking of what Prince Wei had said about the kitchen earlier, it seemed that Prince Wei's mansion was not as peaceful as it appeared on the surface. She had to be careful in the future.