ebookland Chapter 168 Attending a Banquet 1
Chapter 168 Attending a Banquet 1
Su Yinhan turned deathly pale upon hearing the words of the concubine from the Marquis's mansion. She screamed, "I don't owe you 300,000 taels of silver! Don't slander me!"
The princess sneered, "You have committed so many evil deeds, and now you still dare to try to make excuses."
The leading concubine presented the IOU, which clearly bore Su Yinhan's handprint.
The key point is that the loan was made in the name of the Yong'an Prince's Mansion. Therefore, it is only natural that the Yong'an Prince should repay it.
"Your Highness, Your Highness, our Marquis said that Consort Su told you that Your Highness needs this money to maintain some kind of relationship."
Prince Yong'an, losing his temper, roared in a rage, "Ahhh, Su Yinhan, what else do you have to say?"
Princess Yong'an, standing to the side, grasped the prince's hand and comforted him, "Your Highness, calm down. Let's clear up the misunderstanding. We can't let him take the blame."
Prince Yong'an finally calmed down and thought that it would be better for the Princess to handle this matter: "I will listen to the Princess."
After nodding to the Prince, the Princess said to the concubine of the Marquis's residence, "Although this IOU has Su Yinhan's fingerprint on it, it was borrowed in the name of the Prince's residence and is invalid without the Prince's permission. However, since Su Yinhan is in the Prince's residence, the Prince's residence will not completely ignore her debts."
After saying that, he looked at Su Yinhan and said, "Your monthly allowance in the Prince's mansion is quite high, and you've sold many of your possessions, but it's still not enough for your extravagant spending. You'll have to repay this 300,000 taels yourself. If that's not enough, you'll have to spend the rest of your life as a slave in the Marquis's mansion to pay off the debt." Su Yinhan collapsed to the ground, her face filled with despair.
Su Yinyin then gracefully stood up. "Today's matter can be considered settled. However, Su Yinhan has committed too many evil deeds, and I'm afraid keeping her around will only cause more trouble."
Zhou Yuan chuckled, "The princess is absolutely right. I suggest sending her to a remote place to become a nun, never to step out of the temple again for the rest of her life. That would be a punishment." The Prince of Yong'an and his princess exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.
Su Yinyin stared at Zhou Yuan, her eyes probing. She suddenly felt speechless; she seriously doubted whether the Zhou Yuan before her was a genuine person. Because in such a short time, Zhou Yuan had made two different judgments. It seemed rather frivolous.
Su Yinyin's suspicion that Zhou Yuan was an imposter was indeed correct. That said, Zhou Yuan was the real person before he entered the palace; the person who came out of the palace was an imposter.
Why did it become fake? Only the Imperial Noble Consort and the real Zhou Yuan knew the secret behind it.
Su Yinyin had no time to ponder her own thoughts: "Regent, you speak so lightly. What about my mother's dowry?"
Zhou Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, "The princess's mother's dowry should naturally be returned to its rightful owner, the princess."
Su Yinyin curtsied. "Your Highness, didn't you hear them just now? Su Yinhan has squandered everything. What should we do?"
Just then, a young eunuch rushed over and whispered a few words in Zhou Yuan's ear. Zhou Yuan's expression changed slightly, but he quickly returned to normal.
The young eunuch then told Prince Yong'an and his wife, "His Majesty is aware of Su Yinhan's misdeeds and has deposed her. From now on, Su Yinhan is no longer a member of the royal family."
Su Yinyin smiled and said to Su Yinhan, "Su Yinhan, aren't you going to accept the imperial decree?"
Zhou Yuan glanced at Su Yinyin, a deep meaning flashing in his eyes.
"Why should I accept any imperial decree? I won't accept it, I won't accept it!" Su Yinhan pointed at Su Yinyin and said, "As long as I don't accept it, I'll still be a concubine in name only. Su Yinyin, you're truly pathetic. The marriage you were betrothed since childhood was still stolen by me. What do you have? You have a bastard child!"
Zhou Yuan frowned and scolded, "Su Yinhan, stop talking nonsense. His Majesty's decree has been issued, and you have no choice but to accept it."
After speaking, he gave a wink, and the guards beside him stepped forward and forcibly restrained the struggling Su Yinhan, making her accept the imperial edict.
When Su Yinyin heard the words "bastard," her face instantly turned cold.
A flash of murderous intent crossed her eyes, then she took a deep breath and said calmly, "Su Yinhan, do you think you can provoke me like this?"
He shouted loudly towards the door, "Jin, bring me the whip!"
As soon as Su Yinyin finished speaking, a man in black, wearing a mask, stood beside her and handed her a whip.
Holding the whip, Su Yinyin walked step by step toward Su Yinhan.
Seeing the whip, Lady Hou trembled all over. She dared not plead for Su Yinhan. If she did, she would also be beaten. It was better for Su Yinhan to bear the punishment alone. Having made her decision, Lady Hou slowly closed her eyes.
Su Yinhan crawled backward in terror, pleading repeatedly, "Su Yinyin, if you dare touch me, my father will not let you get away with this."
Su Yinyin sneered, "Your father can barely protect himself, how can he care about you?" With that, the whip in her hand fell hard, and Su Yinhan screamed in agony.
Zhou Yuan looked at Su Yinyin, secretly surprised by her ruthlessness, yet inexplicably finding her captivating. No wonder she had him completely mesmerized.
After a few lashes, Su Yinhan fainted. Su Yinyin then stopped and said to Prince Yong'an, "Today, Su Yinhan is no longer a member of the royal family. She has no money to repay this princess. This princess will use her and the Lady of the Marquis to settle the debt. Regent Prince, Prince Yong'an, what do you think?"
Zhou Yuan spoke first: "I think the princess's move is very appropriate." Prince Yong'an also nodded in agreement.
Upon hearing this, Lady Hou was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, crying out, "Princess, spare my life! I know I was wrong!" She was truly terrified of the whip in Su Yinyin's hand.
Su Yinyin remained unmoved. "Hmph, when you aided and abetted evil back then, did you ever think of this day?"
At this moment, Su Yinhan, who had been unconscious, suddenly burst into maniacal laughter. "Su Yinyin, even if I've fallen to this state, do you think you can rest easy?" Everyone frowned, wondering what trick she was up to now.
Su Yinyin bent down, a half-smile on her face: "Su Yinhan, I look forward to seeing the people behind you show themselves. I will definitely wipe them out in one fell swoop."
Su Yinyin stood up, looking down at the two people, and said to Lao Yi, "Jin, take them both away!"
The atmosphere at the banquet was slightly somber. Su Yinyin turned to the crowd and said with a light smile, "I apologize for disturbing you all today. I hope it hasn't dampened your spirits." Everyone quickly assured her that it was no problem.
At this moment, Princess Yong'an, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Today's events have caused quite a stir and exhausted everyone. Why don't we call it a day?" Everyone nodded in agreement.
After bidding farewell to Prince Yong'an and his consort, Su Yinyin turned to Zhou Yuan and said, "Regent, thank you for upholding justice today."
Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Your Highness is too kind. I am merely following the will of the people."
Zhou Yuan stepped forward and whispered to Su Yinyin, "The princess's decisive methods are admirable."
Su Yinyin looked up at him, a half-smile on her face, and said, "Regent, your behavior today is a bit strange, as if you've become a different person."
After saying this, Su Yinyin led Su Yue and the others away without looking back.