in2ebook Chapter 61 Losing his wife and losing his troops
Chapter 61 Losing his wife and losing his troops
Zheng Antong's heart was pounding.
The wet nurse is always steady and reliable; she shouldn't give herself away.
Before long, the shadow returned.
When he returned, Zheng Antong's wet nurse was not with him; instead, his clothes were covered in a large pool of blood.
Zhao Yunzheng frowned slightly: "What's going on?"
Yingyi immediately knelt down: "On the way, when the old woman heard that the prince had summoned her because of the witchcraft matter, she drew my knife and slit her own throat. I was caught off guard and couldn't stop her, so she died on the spot."
"Your subordinate has failed in his duties; I beg Your Highness to punish me!"
As Shadow One spoke, a flurry of discussion erupted inside the room.
"Was this suicide out of fear of punishment?"
"I think so, otherwise why would they be in such a hurry to die?"
"Could this really have been done by Consort Zheng at the behest of her servants?"
"Be careful what you say, be careful what you say..."
"..."
Zheng Antong's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.
How could this be?
Why would a wet nurse want to commit suicide?
What should she do now?
Zheng Antong was so anxious that tears streamed down her face. She stood up and lunged at Ying Yi: "You're talking nonsense! The wet nurse would never try to kill herself! You must be trying to frame me, that's why you killed her! You're definitely in cahoots with Xu Jiaojiao!"
Unable to retaliate, Yingyi could only frown and silently endure Zheng Antong's slaps and fists.
The maidservant following Zheng Antong was shocked and immediately stepped forward to pull the person away.
Yingyi's expression turned ugly: "Please, Consort Zheng, watch your words. I have absolutely no relationship with Master Xu! I have no reason to help her!"
Seeing that Zheng Antong was about to cause trouble again, Zhao Yunzheng said in a low voice, "Enough!"
Everyone in the room shuddered.
Zhao Yunzheng's brows furrowed with barely concealed anger: "What a loyal servant! He's actually resorting to the 'dead and no one can testify' tactic! Consort Zheng, I'll give you one more chance. Think carefully about whether this matter has anything to do with you."
Zheng Antong shook his head repeatedly, stammering, "It wasn't me, I didn't, it wasn't me, I didn't do it..."
Suddenly, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes: "Your Highness, I was indeed unaware of this matter. However, I was confined to my quarters recently, and my wet nurse has been resentful and has been saying that she wants to avenge me."
Just a few days ago, the wet nurse excitedly told the concubine that she had found a solution. The concubine was uneasy and pressed her for details, but the wet nurse wouldn't tell her.
As she spoke, she knelt down softly, crying sadly: "I really didn't expect that the wet nurse would use such a foolish and ruthless method."
"Your Highness, the wet nurse already knows she was wrong, otherwise she wouldn't have committed suicide out of guilt. I beg Your Highness not to be angry with me. I will definitely discipline the servants properly in the future and never let such a thing happen again!"
Since the wet nurse is already dead, it's better to make her bear all the blame to avoid the prince's wrath.
Zheng Antong spoke such a long string of words, but Zhao Yunzheng just watched coldly. Upon closer inspection, it wasn't hard to spot a hint of mockery in his eyes.
After Zheng Antong finished speaking, the mockery in his eyes deepened.
Even Zheng Antong, who was as dull-witted as a pig, noticed the strangeness of Prince Chen at this moment.
She stared blankly at Prince Chen, feeling inexplicably flustered.
Sure enough, Prince Chen chuckled and said, "Bring them in."
As soon as he finished speaking, a masked bodyguard pushed a middle-aged woman into the room.
This person was none other than the wet nurse who, according to Zheng Antong, committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
Zheng Antong was struck dumb, staring at the wet nurse in disbelief, unable to recover for a long time.
What do you mean?
Try to get information out of her?
Zheng Antong looked at Prince Chen in disbelief, and a surge of emotions, including anger, frustration, loss, unease, and helplessness, welled up in her heart.
Her voice trembled as she slowly spoke, "Is Your Highness testing me?"
Zhao Yunzheng curled his lips in a mocking smile: "You've tested them out, haven't you?"
Zheng Antong shook her head in despair: "No, that's not it..."
Once words are spoken, they are like water spilled; it's too late for her to retract them now.
Zhao Yunzheng looked at the wet nurse: "Your master has confessed everything, do you have anything to say?"
The wet nurse had overheard everything from outside the door.
She knew she was doomed to die.
She watched the young lady grow up and treated her like her own daughter. She never expected that she would raise such a stupid and wicked ingrate.
The wet nurse was extremely disappointed, but she still had feelings for the young lady, so she chose to take all the blame on herself.
This was the last time she would protect the young lady; from now on, the young lady would have to walk alone.
The wet nurse took a deep breath and knelt down heavily: "This was entirely my own idea, and has nothing to do with anyone else."
Xu Jiaojiao narrowed her eyes, a hint of annoyance flashing in them.
Damn it, this wet nurse took all the blame, which means Zheng Antong has escaped another disaster.
Zheng Antong has hurt her time and time again; he deserves to die!
Just as she was pondering how to bring down Zheng Antong, Zhao Yunzheng's voice interrupted her thoughts: "Guards, drag this ruthless and vile slave away and beat her to death. As for Consort Zheng..."
Zhao Yunzheng paused, fiddled with the jade thumb ring with his fingertip, and said coldly, "Consort Zheng failed to discipline her servants properly, which led to the witchcraft incident in the mansion. She is hereby demoted to a concubine as punishment."
The crowd was in an uproar.
Was he demoted simply because of poor discipline?
Your Highness is simply using this as an opportunity to suppress us!
Zheng Antong's eyes instantly reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes: "No, no, you can't... you can't do this to me..."
My father is the Marquis of Yongkang!
My mother is the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor of the previous dynasty!
I am the beloved legitimate daughter of the Marquis's mansion!
You can't do this to me!
Zheng Antong immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Your Highness, I know I was wrong, please don't demote me!"
Xu Jiaojiao's eyes darkened slightly.
Simply lowering his rank would actually benefit Zheng Antong.
Zhao Yunzheng, who was standing to the side, ignored Zheng Antong and looked directly at the servants serving in the room: "What are you all standing there for? Take him away!"
The servants stepped forward to pull him away, and Zheng Antong's cries grew even more pitiful.
Just as she was about to leave the room, she suddenly remembered something and, with a surge of brute force, broke free from the two servants' grasp. She rushed to Zhao Yunzheng, pointed fiercely at Xu Jiaojiao, her eyes bloodshot: "Your Highness, although the witchcraft doll was carved by the wet nurse, the talismans on it were written by this slut! This slut herself admitted it!"
Zheng Antong was unwilling to accept this.
She went to great lengths to plan this, but in the end she lost everything, while Xu Jiaojiao was completely unharmed!
The prince is so biased!
"If this vile woman had no intention of harming the prince, why would she have written this talisman?"
Zheng Antong's eyes were so red they looked like they were about to bleed, filled with both hatred and resentment.
If she's not having a good time, Xu Jiaojiao won't have one either!
All the women the prince loves, except for himself, should die!
Go to hell!
Zhao Yunzheng frowned slightly, his eyes showing impatience.
The servants who caught up with Zheng Antong dragged him away.
Only after Zheng Antong was dragged away and the room fell silent did everyone's attention turn to Zhao Yunzheng and Xu Jiaojiao.
Prince Chen's face was gloomy, and his eyes were like deep pools.
The princess, adding fuel to the fire, scoffed, "I had no idea there were so many treacherous people in this backyard."