12dz Chapter 133: Rumors and Slander
Chapter 133: Rumors and Slander
As the days passed, Shen Qingwan felt very uneasy in the Prince's Mansion.
She was always paying attention to the Queen's selection of a wife for the Crown Prince, and at the same time she was working hard to improve her status in the Crown Prince's heart.
One day, Shen Qingwan heard that the queen had invited several famous ladies to the palace, and alarm bells immediately rang in her heart.
She knew that this was most likely the Queen selecting a candidate for the Crown Prince's principal wife.
Shen Qingwan was extremely anxious and she decided not to just sit there and wait for death.
She dressed up carefully and went to the study where the prince handled government affairs.
The prince frowned slightly when he saw her. "What are you doing here?" The prince asked with a hint of impatience.
Shen Qingwan forced a smile and said softly, "Your Highness, I heard that the Queen invited several ladies to the palace. I am worried, so I came to ask your opinion."
The prince glanced at her and said, "This matter has nothing to do with you. You don't need to worry about it."
Shen Qingwan bit her lip and continued, "Your Highness, I know that I am of low status, but I am sincere to Your Highness. I beg Your Highness not to agree to marry a concubine so easily."
The prince said angrily, "Don't push your luck. The decision on who will be the principal wife is made by my father and mother, and I can do nothing about it."
Shen Qingwan felt a chill in her heart, she knew that the prince's patience with her was running out.
But she was unwilling to give up, so she decided to find another way.
At the same time, Shen Tangan also learned in the palace that the queen had invited the ladies to enter the palace.
This matter could have been foreseen. The Queen didn't like Shen Qingwan in the first place. After all, she was just a concubine and there was no need to take her seriously.
After all that happened before, I'm afraid the prince's feelings for Shen Qingwan have faded to some extent.
If we choose a concubine for him at this time, the resistance will definitely not be as fierce as before.
What's more, during the trip to Jizhou, the prince has indeed grown a lot, and he must have already understood what is more important.
If he aspires to a high position, he should know that love affairs are of no importance.
"Your Majesty."
Shen Tangan raised his head, looked at the person above his head, and found a comfortable position on his legs.
"Have you ever had any ambitions?"
"This is not my intention."
Mu Chenye lowered his eyes and smiled softly, then raised his hand to stroke her eyebrows, his eyes filled with tenderness.
He didn't like the intrigues in Kyoto, and it would be best if he could take her on a tour around the world.
He knew that his princess was a freedom-loving person and would never be content to stay within the walls of a palace.
"My Lord, once you have finished your work, shall we go see the world?"
Shen Tangan curled his lips and smiled, then held his hand and played with it.
"Okay, that's what I meant."
…………
Shen Qingwan felt on pins and needles every day in the Prince's Mansion. On the one hand, she tried her best to show her courtesy to the Prince in an attempt to make him love her more. On the other hand, she sent people everywhere to inquire about news. She became extremely nervous as soon as there was any sign of trouble.
As for the Queen, although she gave the Prince some time, the process of selecting a Princess was also carried out in secret.
She sent people to investigate many women of marriageable age in the families of ministers in the court, and the portraits and information of those women filled the queen's desk.
One day, Shen Qingwan's spy came to report that the queen seemed to be very satisfied with the daughter of the Minister of Rites.
The woman was proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and had an outstanding appearance and graceful manners.
Shen Qingwan was shocked when she heard the news. She knew that the Minister of Rites was quite prestigious in the court. If his daughter became the Crown Princess, then her days in the Crown Prince's Mansion would be over.
Shen Qingwan decided to strike first. She began to speak ill of the daughter of the Minister of Rites in front of the Crown Prince, intentionally or unintentionally.
She said that she heard that although the woman seemed well-educated and well-mannered on the surface, she was extremely domineering behind the scenes and had even been harsh on the servants in her home.
The prince didn't care at first, thinking that Shen Qingwan was just making random suspicions because she was worried about her position.
But Shen Qingwan did not give up. She became more aggressive and even bribed some people to spread rumors about the daughter of the Minister of Rites near the Prince's Mansion.
The rumor spread more and more fiercely, and gradually reached the ears of the queen.
The Queen was very angry when she heard this. She felt that someone was deliberately trying to discredit the daughter of the Minister of Rites, so she ordered a thorough investigation of the matter.
When Shen Qingwan learned about the Queen's thorough investigation, she felt a little flustered, but she still pretended to be calm.
She thought that as long as there was no evidence pointing to her, it would be fine. However, what she didn't know was that one of the people she bribed had secretly leaked the news to the steward of the Prince's Mansion for fear of being discovered.
When the prince found out that Shen Qingwan was responsible, he became furious.
His face was as gloomy as the sky before a storm, and his eyes were burning with flames of anger.
The prince slammed the table so hard that the teacups on the table shook and the tea splashed out, forming a small stain on the table.
"I thought you were just a little bit petty and occasionally played some tricks, but I didn't expect you to be so vicious!"
The prince's voice was filled with disappointment and anger. Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, cold and sharp.
He stood up and paced back and forth in the room, his steps quick and heavy, as if every step was stepping on Shen Qingwan's heart.
"How can I, the Crown Prince, gain a foothold in the court if you do this? Don't you know that the situation in the court is complicated and that one move can affect the whole body? My every move is watched closely. Now that you have done such a despicable thing, if my father and mother find out, how can I explain it to them?"
The prince glared at Shen Qingwan who was kneeling on the ground, his eyes seemed to be spewing fire.
His hands were clenched into fists, the knuckles turning white, revealing his extreme anger.
"The Minister of Rites is quite prestigious in the court, and his daughter is also a famous lady, but you wantonly slander her for your own selfish desires. Do you think you can keep your position this way? What you are doing is not only damaging the reputation of others, but also the reputation of this prince and the reputation of the royal family!"
The prince became more and more excited as he spoke. He stopped and stood in front of Shen Qingwan. His tall figure loomed over her, bringing an invisible sense of oppression.
"Do you know how the ministers in the court will view me once this matter gets out? They will think that I condone the evil deeds of those around me, that I am intolerant, and that I am unworthy of being the crown prince! Have you ever thought about how much support I might lose due to your foolish behavior?"
His voice echoed in the room, and every word was like a heavy slap on Shen Qingwan's face.
Shen Qingwan knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face, her body trembling like a fallen leaf in the wind.
She cried and explained: "Your Highness, I was just too afraid of losing you, so I did such a stupid thing. I know I was wrong, please forgive me."
Her voice was tearful, full of despair and helplessness. Tears kept sliding down her cheeks, dripping onto the ground, forming a small water stain.
The prince looked at Shen Qingwan, feeling a little hesitant.
Although he was angry, he still had some feelings for Shen Qingwan.
He recalled some of the good times they had spent together, those gentle looks, sweet words, but now they were like thorns piercing his heart.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down.
"Get up now. This matter ends here. You are not allowed to do such a thing again in the future."
Although the prince's voice still contained a hint of coldness, it no longer had the fury from before.
Shen Qingwan felt relieved, she thought the prince had forgiven her.
But what she didn't know was that this incident had left a shadow in the prince's heart, and the prince's attitude towards her gradually became cold.