binnovel Chapter 489 British Public
Chapter 489 British Public
"Mingyu's eldest son died young?"
Shen Ningyue was half leaning against the head of the bed with her hair loose. She sat up slightly and her eyes fell on the tear-stained face of Shunpin Shi Qingzhang. Her heart tightened.
"Why did he die suddenly?"
The eldest prince Qin Mingyu became a monk and lived away from home, but the eldest prince's palace was not removed. The eldest son born to concubine Zhang was named Duke of Ying by His Majesty and was given to the eldest prince's wife Zheng to raise.
Now that the eldest prince has become a monk, the eldest prince's wife Zheng not only has no reason to take action against the Duke of England, but will instead be able to take better care of him and raise him up.
...So it must have been an accident?
Shen Ningyue looked at Shi Qingzhang with a questioning look.
"The eldest prince's wife reported that he had an acute illness at night. The nurse who accompanied him found that the Duke of England was breathing rapidly, his face was red, and he couldn't breathe. The palace doctor was at a loss. By the time the imperial physician arrived, the Duke of England had already passed away."
Shi Qingzhang grabbed a handkerchief to wipe away the tears that kept coming out, his eyes were red and he choked with sobs.
Shen Ningyue frowned and remained silent for a long time.
Shi Qingzhang took a deep breath and said softly, "The eldest prince's wife wrote a letter to express her grievances, and then she tore a three-foot-long white silk and hanged herself. But she was lucky and was saved by the mansion's chief official."
"The Duke of Ying's biological mother, Concubine Zhang, hit her head on the Duke of Ying's small coffin and died, and then she died with him."
"It happened a while ago. I still feel sad when I mention it. His Majesty said that you should take good care of the twins you gave birth to. Don't disturb you with these unlucky things. It won't be too late to tell you after you are out of the confinement period."
"How could you hide this from me?" Shen Ningyue was helpless. The red jade bracelet on her wrist knocked against the wood of the bedside with a dull sound. "The eldest prince has only one son. Now the Duke of England is gone. Does His Majesty have anything to say?"
Thinking back to when she was still in confinement, her children all acted as if nothing had happened and didn't say a word, Shen Ningyue became furious.
"When Duke Ying passed away, His Majesty ordered that he be buried beside Prince Zhaohui with the rites of a duke. His birth mother, Zhang, was posthumously named the Grand Lady of Duke Ying and given the posthumous title of 'Cijie'. She and Duke Ying shared the four-seasonal ancestral temple sacrifices."
"As for the eldest prince's consort, His Majesty has officially issued an order to dismantle all the structures in the eldest prince's mansion. All the subordinate officials, chief historians, and ceremonial officials in the mansion have been dismissed, and all the palace maids and eunuchs have been sent back to their hometowns. Now Zheng lives alone in the empty eldest prince's mansion, and His Majesty has not said how to deal with her."
Shen Ningyue nodded.
"Is this matter over? The eldest prince..."
Shunpin Shi Qingzhang pressed her chest and shook her head, "I went to ask His Majesty, but His Majesty did not answer me, so I did not dare to take the initiative to send a letter to the eldest prince to explain the matter."
"Well, wait until His Majesty comes over and I'll ask him one more question."
Shen Ningyue rubbed her eyebrows and thought.
This matter cannot be settled so hastily. The explanation given to the eldest prince cannot be neglected. Mingyu cannot be left with only resentment towards His Majesty, her and Qingzhang.
"Pu Jie, you need to sort out everything and tell me later. Someone, go to Anchu Palace and ask Concubine Zhang to come over to me."
Concubine Zhang is the aunt of the former eldest prince's concubine and the current Lady Dowager Cijie Duke of Yingguo, Zhang.
"Yes, Queen."
"By the way, you didn't explain clearly to me about the eldest prince's legitimate daughter."
"Your Highness, Zheng has someone send Kunde to me. She will stay with me for the time being. Her aunt Jingshu is looking after her now."
"I have issued an imperial decree. From now on, Kunde will be raised by you."
"Thank you, Queen."