The Splendid Brocade of the Painting Physician – Chapter 141

Chapter 141: The Death of Princess Yunyin

Seeing that it was Prince of Lanling who had arrived, Xiao Xian returned a warm and polite smile, then turned and walked into the residence.

Xiao Jinyu also looked at Prince of Lanling and smiled slightly.

After entering the residence, Xiao Jinyu took him to a secluded pavilion to rest.

“Is this the path you have paved for your family?” After a long while, Prince of Lanling looked at the girl’s crystal clear face under the setting sun and asked with a smile, “Is it paved already?”

“Yes, I’m very sorry, I’ve also involved Your Highness in this, making you a bargaining chip for me to pave the way for the Xiao family and negotiate with Chen Xu.”

“Don’t say that, Xiao Jinyu. I know you’re not that kind of person. It’s just that Princess Yunyin’s words were too vicious, making you a target and making the Emperor of your Southern Dynasty even more wary of the Xiao family. This was a choice you had to make.”

Saying this, he also looked into Xiao Jinyu’s eyes and smiled brightly.

“But I’m happy that you chose me at the last moment. Your trust in me is already invaluable!”

“Xiao Jinyu, it is my fortune to be able to marry you!”

These words made her heart skip a beat. Unconsciously, a wave of warmth surged into her heart, and even she herself did not notice that her eyes were already shimmering with tears.

Prince of Lanling was lost in thought.

“Thank you, Your Highness!”

After a pause, she asked again, “Your Highness is about to leave for Northern Qi, right?”

“Yes, I recently received a letter from Qi. My grandmother, Empress Dowager Lou, is not in good health and has been bedridden. I’m afraid…”

Lou Zhaojun?

Hearing this name, Xiao Jinyu’s heart felt a slight sense of respect. She had heard in her past life that Lou Zhaojun was a Xianbei woman with a great sense of the overall situation and foresight. In her own marriage, she did not choose a family of noble lineage and status to match, but chose Gao Huan, who was only a soldier at the time. Despite her family’s opposition, she resolutely married him and then devoted herself to assisting her husband in his great cause, often offering him advice and suggestions.

Later, Gao Huan became the Prince of Bohai. In order to expand his power, he arranged a marriage with the Rouran. Lou Zhaojun even gave up her position as the principal wife to accommodate the Rouran princess. When she gave birth, she was in critical condition, but she still prevented her attendants from sending a message to Gao Huan, who was on a western expedition, just so as not to add even the slightest burden or worry to her husband.

With such a virtuous wife, what more could a husband ask for? Therefore, some people say that Gao Huan’s great achievements are inseparable from Lou Zhaojun’s contribution as his virtuous helper!

Thinking of this, Xiao Jinyu nodded and said, “Alright, when does Your Highness plan to depart? I will go to Northern Qi with you.”

Gao Changgong was overjoyed, but he also considered that she would be reluctant to part with her family, so he said, “Let’s do it after your coming-of-age ceremony!”

After a moment of silence, Xiao Jinyu said calmly:

“Alright, I have already discussed with Uncle Xian. The coming-of-age ceremony will be held tomorrow!”

Gao Changgong nodded and was about to leave, but just as he was about to go, he suddenly asked in a low voice:

“Xiao Jinyu, may I kiss you?”

His eyes were like bright stars, full of playfulness and anticipation.

She also smiled slightly.

“Yes, you may,” she said.

Unexpectedly, she raised her head generously and closed her eyes. Gao Changgong smiled inwardly, cupped her cheeks, and kissed her forehead, then slid down the graceful curve of her nose bridge, landing on her red lips.

“Xiao Jinyu, I know my country is not a good place for you, but since you have chosen to trust me, I will do my best to make you feel that as long as I am here, I can give you the happiness you desire!”

“I will protect you with my life!”

After whispering these words in her ear, he quietly left. When Xiao Jinyu opened her eyes, he was already gone.

Xiao Xian also saw everything that happened in the pavilion. After silently watching Prince of Lanling leave, he also came to Xiao Jinyu’s side and saw that she was still lost in thought, as if she was still reminiscing about something.

He also stood with her for a moment before saying, “A’yu, he is indeed a good man, but the Gao family of Northern Qi… people like him are a minority after all. You still need to be extra careful…”

Xiao Jinyu came back to her senses and nodded.

“Uncle Xian, I’ll go see Princess Yunyin again. There’s something I still don’t understand!”

✿✿✿

Princess Yunyin was imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. When Xiao Jinyu was led by the jailer to the cell where Princess Yunyin was held, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity, as if in that dream, the place where Han Zigao drank the poisoned wine was here.

Seeing Xiao Jinyu arrive, Princess Yunyin glared at her with extreme resentment and cursed, “What are you doing here, you little wretch? To laugh at me?”

“Chen Jianchen, have you ever thought about why your imperial brother doesn’t care about you and won’t save you? And why did you change your identity and marry into the Xiao family as Princess Yunyin?”

“Haha… why should I tell you?”

“Xiao Jian has already confessed all his crimes in the Ministry of Justice. Even if you don’t tell me, I can guess.”

Chen Jianchen’s face turned pale, and suspicion flashed in her eyes.

“What did he say? What did he tell you?”

“He said that you were infatuated with Han Zigao and sent him poems. You made an appointment at the Qinxiao Pavilion and wanted to use aphrodisiac wine to have a night of passion with him. But unexpectedly, General Han had something to do and left, so he switched the wine you prepared for General Han to your table. After you drank it, you mistook him for General Han, so…”

✿✿✿

“Then Xiao Yun was born. The Empress Dowager Zhang felt that this matter would damage the royal family’s reputation, so she simply said that you were dead and then gave you a new identity, marrying you into the Xiao family, is that right?”

Chen Jianchen’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this.

“What did you say? It was he who switched the wine, not Han Zigao? It was him?”

She seemed unwilling to believe it, as if she was recalling the humiliation of that day. She woke up naked in a man’s arms, surrounded by whispers, contempt, and ridicule.

They ridiculed her, a princess, for seeking pleasure with a man in a brothel like a courtesan!

At that moment, humiliation made her lose her mind, and she killed all those who mocked her. This incident caused a great sensation, and even the censors wanted to impeach her and sentence her to death!

So she attributed all her hatred to Xiao Luan and Han Zigao. It was originally she who asked Xiao Luan to write a letter to Han Zigao on her behalf, but in the end, these two fell in love behind her back. When they met at the Qinxiao Pavilion, Han Zigao discovered that the person he was meeting was not Xiao Luan but her, Chen Jianchen. He actually found an excuse and turned around to leave.

If he hadn’t switched that glass of wine… she wouldn’t have ended up like that, being ridiculed by a group of lowly commoners!

Therefore, she also wanted to make that woman, who always seemed so high and mighty and inviolable, fall hard into the dust, just like her!

She also wanted Han Zigao to live forever in the pain of hurting the woman he loved most!

Let them be ridiculed by the world and never see each other again!

This was her revenge!

But now… the person who made her mistakenly drink that glass of wine was not him? But… Xiao Jian!

“Why are you telling me this? Why?”

Xiao Jinyu let her roar hysterically. Only after she calmed down did she ask:

“Chen Jianchen, who taught you the art of disguise? And why did you collude with Lady Lu of Northern Qi? Did you and Lady Lu conspire to kill my mother?”

This series of questions made the madly laughing Chen Jianchen suddenly calm down. She sneered a few times, and a few strands of hair fell down to cover her eyes.

Laughing and laughing, she looked at Xiao Jinyu and said triumphantly, “Yes, I conspired with Lady Lu, so what?”

“If you have the ability, go to Northern Qi and kill Lady Lu!”

After saying that, she laughed even more crazily.

Xiao Jinyu felt pity in her heart and left the Ministry of Justice with a cold face. Just as she walked out of the government office, Emperor Chen Xu arrived at the prison.

Originally, Chen Jianchen, as a princess, should not have been imprisoned in the Ministry of Justice. Even if she were to die, she should die with dignity, either with a cup of poisoned wine or a white silk scarf.

But Xiao Jinyu had already announced all her crimes in front of many scholars. If he still showed favoritism, it would be as “Xie Zhen” said, a foolish ruler who favored the royal family and was unjust in law enforcement!

This would chill the hearts of scholars all over the world!

He was a man who knew how to make choices, the ruler of a country!

Seeing Chen Xu, Chen Jianchen was overjoyed and crawled over from the cell.

“Imperial brother, you’re here. Are you here to let me out?”

“You know, everything I did was for our Chen imperial family. Let these people release me, I want to kill that wretch!”

Chen Xu remained silent with a cold face for a long while, and finally said lightly, “A’chen, you’ve lost control!”

“Alright, I’ll calm down, I’ll calm down!” She tried her best to suppress her fear and anxiety, reaching out from the iron bars, “Imperial brother, believe me, the death of Prince of Shixing must be the work of that wretch. It must be her who bewitched the Empress. It was the Empress who summoned her to the palace to treat you. No one knows what she said to the Empress.

This wretch, like her mother, has won the hearts of the people, and she is also good at scheming. No, she is even more terrifying than her mother. She has been in Jiankang for only a few months, but she can already turn her hand into clouds and cover her hand with rain. If you don’t kill her, she will become a disaster in the future!”

Chen Xu’s expression changed, but he remained calm.

Seeing that he seemed unmoved, Chen Jianchen said again, “Otherwise, you can send her to Northern Qi and give her to Prince of Lanling, Gao Changgong. The ruler of Northern Qi is cruel and debauched. If you send her there, someone will take care of her and make sure she dies without a burial place!”

Only then did Chen Xu reply indifferently, “She has already requested to marry into Northern Qi, to Prince of Lanling, Gao Changgong.”

“What?”

Chen Jianchen was stunned for a moment.

Then she heard Chen Xu inexplicably change the subject, “A’chen, this is where Han Zigao died.”

Not knowing why he said this, Chen Jianchen suddenly felt a bad premonition, and the crazy and agitated look on her face suddenly subsided.

“What do you mean by that, imperial brother?” she asked.

“Before you die, I can grant you one wish! I will ensure your son’s safety for life!”

Chen Xu said, then raised his hand to signal Eunuch Wu to bring a cup of wine.

“He drank this wine too.”

As Chen Jianchen watched in astonishment and fear, he added solemnly:

“Gold dust wine!”