Chapter 355: The Empress Dowager's Injustice Means She Is Unkind

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort indeed stiffened for a moment, sighed lightly, and looked at the Empress, choking, "Empress, you are unaware. My daughter‑in‑law has a stubborn temperament; ever since she entered the house she has not gotten along with Prince Shou, and the couple quarrel often. Later, after Ruan Shi entered the mansion, the relationship grew even more tense, and just recently she accidentally fell and suffered a miscarriage, insisting that someone harmed her. Isn't this nonsense?"

Rong Luoge heard this and her expression also darkened; she looked seriously at the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort and said, "Your words have merit. I only heard Princess Consort Shou's words at the time and felt she was truly pitiful, which made me want to get to the bottom of the matter. I didn't expect Princess Consort Shou couldn't wait a moment and actually struck the proclamation drum. Now I am also in a dilemma."

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort does not trust the Empress's words, but she cannot question the Empress, and immediately says, "What the Empress says is that this is a family matter of the Shou Shou Prince's Mansion's mansion; a family's affairs should be handled behind closed doors. Why make it known to the world, causing even the royal house to lose face?"

Rong Luoge nodded, "Your words have merit, Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort, but now the matter has already escalated, Princess Consort Shou has also been placed in the Great Prison; once the Ministry of Justice intervenes to adjudicate this case, even I will be powerless. State affairs are major, the Hou Gong must not meddle in politics; you know that."

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort heard the implication: the Empress does not want to help; not only does she not want to help, she even favors He Wan.

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort's heart sank, she trembled and stood up, looked at the Empress and said, "What the Empress says is that I have indeed caused trouble for Your Majesty. Since that's the case, I will not disturb Your Majesty's purity any longer and will take my leave. After finally managing to enter the palace once, I wish to go and pay my respects to the Empress Dowager."

Rong Luoge smiled and said, "Of course." As she spoke, she looked at Que Cai, "You escort the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort over."

Que Cai smiled and replied, looking at the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort, "Your Majesty, please."

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort hesitated a moment, said nothing further, and turned to walk out.

The Empress cannot be persuaded here, but the Empress Dowager and the Empress have long been at odds; perhaps there is still a chance.

These past few days, the Empress Dowager's days in Funing Palace have not been peaceful; the Emperor's successive actions have made her old bones tremble with fear, and the Su family is not that clean either; she knows this.

Moreover, Su Ying is also deeply worried; the aunt and niece have not been able to sleep well these days.

Upon hearing that the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort is coming, the Empress Dowager is naturally displeased; the incidents caused by Prince Shou could, with a slight misstep, perhaps even involve the Su family.

However, she also wants to know the situation outside, so she had someone call the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort in.

When the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort entered, she immediately bowed and began to cry, "Empress Dowager, you must save Prince Shou. He has always been honest, has never done any evil; this is all a false accusation against him. Please, Empress Dowager, make a judgment."

The Empress Dowager's brain ached from the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort's crying, and she hurriedly had someone help her up.

"Why are you crying? Speak properly. Whether Prince Shou is truly wronged, you know better than anyone; you need not wail here like a grieving widow." The Empress Dowager said angrily to the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort.

Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort: …

Indeed, everyone knows the background. The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort wiped her tears and sat down, but her face showed a look of being deeply wronged, "Empress Dowager, Prince Shou also grew up under your watch; you know his temperament, he truly would not do such a thing…"

"Will you guarantee with your life?" the Empress Dowager asked the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort.

Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort: …

Cannot!

Seeing the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort's demeanor, the Empress Dowager's expression turned sour and said, "You know exactly how things stand in your heart. Let me tell you frankly, this time Prince Shou's mess is not small. You have been in the palace for so many years; I have heard that after you left the palace you devoted yourself solely to Buddhist rites and ignored worldly affairs; I even thought you truly intended to ascend to immortality. In fact, that's just a pretense. As for the deeds done by Ruan Shi, you turned a blind eye, and now she hasn't done well herself, causing many people to suffer misfortune. Think about it: is the Ruan family just one person? Do you know how many people stand behind the Ruan family? If all those people suffer misfortune because of Prince Shou, think of the consequences."

Their Su family could be implicated, and the Empress Dowager now looks at the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort, fuming.

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort knew this, which is why she entered the palace; she looked at the Empress Dowager and said, "Empress Dowager, to be honest, Prince Shou is still young; it's those aristocratic families that say this and that. He trusted them wholeheartedly, never suspecting…"

The Empress Dowager didn't believe a single word, and said to the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort, "Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort, you are a wise person; you must know to cut losses in time. Prince Shou, in my eyes, cannot be rescued. For the future, think about how to wrap up this matter. Don't forget, you don't only have Prince Shou as a son; you also have a daughter awaiting marriage."

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort's face changed drastically, and for a moment anger piled in her heart, "Empress Dowager, what do you mean by that?"

The Empress Dowager looked at the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort, "You are a wise person, so you naturally understand my meaning. Go back and think it over. As long as the green mountains remain, there will be firewood; if you offend all the aristocratic families, the road ahead will be gone."

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort's face turned as white as a ghost; is the Empress Dowager asking her son to bear all the accusations?

Isn't this asking for his life?

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort left the palace with a sullen face; on the carriage returning to the palace, her mood was unsettled.

The Empress refuses to help, yet she does not intend to add insult to injury; from the Empress's words, she mostly just wants to seek justice for He Wan.

When she arrived at the Empress Dowager's side, she still hoped there might be room for negotiation, but the Empress Dowager demanded her son to die!

How can this be allowed?

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort suppressed her anger and went to the Ministry of Justice's prison; she wanted to see her son.

But the Minister of Justice, lacking an order from above, dared not arbitrarily let her in; the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort could not see her son and had to return to Shou Shou Prince's Mansion's Mansion, holding her breath.

As soon as she entered the mansion, Princess Chang'an hurried forward, "Mother Consort, how is it?"

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort looked at her daughter and shook her head, "We'll discuss after we go inside."

Returning to the courtyard where the Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort lived, Princess Chang'an, after hearing her mother's words, had a mood that shifted between gloom and brightness; after a while she said, "How could this happen? How could the Empress Dowager be so ruthless? She speaks grandly, but isn't she just afraid of implicating the Su family?"

The Virtuous Imperial Noble Consort looked at her daughter, "How did your meeting with Princess Zhaoqing go?"

Princess Chang'an shook her head, "Zhaoqing is much smarter now; I tried to gather information from her but got nothing. Mother Consort, what should we do now?"

How could Princess Chang'an not be anxious? Her brother is now in trouble; if he cannot return safely, she fears this princess will also suffer misfortune,

She is about to get married, yet it comes at this critical moment.

Princess Chang'an, holding her breath, said to her mother, "Mother Consort, the Empress Dowager is unjust; don't blame us for being unkind. She wants to protect the Su family, but perhaps the Emperor and Empress most want to see the Su family fall."