ebookland Chapter 103 She agreed to stay
Chapter 103 She agreed to stay
"Lan Zhi..."
Mo Ning quickly grabbed her hand and shook her head vigorously.
"Lan Zhi, don't reject me, and don't leave me. Some things can't be explained in a few words. I'll explain it to you properly later..."
Consort Liang stepped forward at this moment.
"Ning'er, Lan Zhi doesn't belong in the palace, so why force her to stay? Let her go!"
"mother……"
Mourning's tone turned cold.
"How could you say such a thing? You abandoned me back then. If it weren't for Lan Zhi, how would I be standing here? How would I be alive now? Lan Zhi is a woman more important than my life. If she wants to leave, I won't stay any longer, no matter what the reason."
His tone was firm, leaving no room for doubt.
The Emperor was already somewhat wary of Lan Zhi's identity, but after hearing Mo Ning's words, he remained silent. The Empress, however, then spoke up:
"Lan Zhi is just a country girl. I'm afraid she has no other skills besides washing clothes and cooking. How could she be worthy of being the Crown Princess?"
Consort Zhen also chimed in with a sneer.
"Exactly, she looks so rustic. She's not even worthy of being the Crown Princess or a concubine."
It's rare that Consort Zhen and the Empress were so in cahoots on this matter.
Seeing this, the other concubines also offered their suggestions.
"The Crown Princess should at least be the daughter of an official of the second rank or above in the court, or at the very least, the daughter of a wealthy merchant or noble family. She's just a country girl, and she's not even qualified to be a concubine."
"She's so rustic, she's not even as good as a palace maid, how could she possibly be the Crown Princess?"
"Even if the Crown Princess is not proficient in all the arts, she must at least be able to rule the country like the Empress. A rough and uncouth girl like her would probably be looked down upon even if she were to work as a maid in a wealthy family."
"..."
The whispers and jeers of these people reached Lan Zhi's ears, causing her to suddenly change her mind, which had been determined to leave this place of trouble.
Why can't she be the Crown Princess? Why is she even less than a maid?
If these foolish women knew that she knew things they could never learn in their next life, they would be terrified.
She usually despises people who look down on others.
She comes from a new century thousands of years in the future, so why would she be afraid of these ancient, pedantic women who only know how to be jealous?
They said she couldn't do it, but she refused to believe it.
A slight smile curved her lips as she looked up at Mo Ning.
"I want the position of Crown Princess."
Upon hearing this, a look of joy appeared in Mo Ning's eyes, while the others all wore cold expressions.
They never imagined that their sarcastic remarks, intended to discourage the Emperor from granting Lan Zhi the position of Crown Princess, would actually provoke the Emperor's approval. Instead, their words only fueled Lan Zhi's resentment.
The Empress immediately snorted.
"Your Majesty, your appointment of the Crown Prince has already aroused dissatisfaction among everyone. If you then agree to make this country girl the Crown Princess, I'm afraid the officials will laugh their heads off."
Seeing the Empress's strong hostility towards her, Lan Zhi didn't want to be polite and simply spoke frankly.
"Your Majesty, when you brought me into the palace, you promised me a reward of ten thousand taels of silver if I cured the Empress Dowager's illness. Now that you have fulfilled your promise, I can become a wealthy merchant and no longer be a country girl."
At this point, she looked at the Emperor and bowed, saying:
"Your Majesty, please grant me this request and make the Empress fulfill her promise."
Her tone was firm, and the Empress immediately turned cold.
"Lan Zhi, you've been in the palace for less than a month, and you already want to take away ten thousand taels of silver from me? You have quite the appetite."
Lan Zhi retorted without hesitation:
"When I went to Changshou Palace, the Empress did not say how long I was to treat the Empress Dowager. She only asked that I cure the Empress Dowager's illness. Is Your Majesty going back on your word?"
"you……"
The Empress was speechless at her question, while the Emperor nodded and praised her:
"Lan Zhi's medical skills are indeed very high. If it weren't for her, I would have been poisoned to death by that rebellious son Wei Jian'an long ago. Empress, since you have made a promise, you should keep it!"
Although the Empress was extremely reluctant, she could only swallow her anger and bear it when the Emperor spoke up.
"I will have someone bring it to you later."
Lan Zhi immediately curtsied to her in delight.
"Thank you, Queen."
She then looked at Mo Ning.
"Did you hear that? I'll soon have ten thousand taels of silver. Now I can be considered your Crown Princess with a dowry."
Mo Ning looked at her with doting eyes, a smile playing on his lips, and nodded.
"We've lived together for so long, don't you know me well enough? I don't care about anything else, only you. From now on, everything I have is yours..."
This sarcastic remark made everyone present grit their teeth in hatred, but only Yu Jie was genuinely happy for them.
When Wei Jian'an was deposed as crown prince and imprisoned in the imperial prison, the entire crown prince's residence was filled with wailing. The servants scattered like monkeys when the tree fell, and they all packed their bags and left the crown prince's residence.
The concubines Wei Jian'an had married were afraid that they would be implicated if Wei Jian'an were beheaded, so they secretly took their valuables and ran away in the middle of the night.
Jiang Yaru held the hand of her six-year-old son, Wei Ming, and stood in the yard, looking at the dark sky, feeling an indescribable sadness.
"Mother, what happened to our family? Why did they all leave? Where did Father go?"
Jiang Yaru looked down at her six-year-old son and shook her head with heartache.
"Your father is in trouble, our family... is gone."
"Where are we going? Will Dad come back?"
"I don't know, let's just wait and see. We have to go wherever they tell us to go."
As she said those words, Jiang Yaru burst into tears.
Back then, her family went to great lengths to secure her position as the Crown Princess.
Now, however, this position is going to implicate her family.
She served as the Crown Princess for five years, enjoying immense prestige in front of outsiders, but who knew what kind of life she led behind the scenes?
She originally thought that she should endure it until he ascended the throne, then she could have the life she wanted.
But before that day could come, she faced the fate of being beheaded, having her home confiscated, or being exiled.
However, she was still grateful that the entire Crown Prince's residence had not been executed, and that the Emperor had given them a chance to escape, which could be considered a great act of kindness.
What she didn't know was that the Crown Prince's residence was able to escape this calamity because the Empress Dowager pleaded for Wei Jian'an.
After all, he grew up by the Empress Dowager's side since childhood. No matter how many evil things he did, his filial piety towards the Empress Dowager was genuine. Therefore, the Empress Dowager still favored him.
Ministry of Justice Prison
Wei Jian'an sat blankly on the haystack, a smile plastered on his face, feeling an inexplicable sense of ease.
'Squeak!'
The cell door opened, and someone ran in carrying a torch.
The area was instantly illuminated as brightly as day.
Wei Jianning walked in slowly, surrounded by a crowd.
The cell door was opened by the cell boss, and Wei Jianning strode in, standing condescendingly before Wei Jian'an, and gave a soft snort.
"How does it feel to be a prisoner kidnapper? Pretty comfortable, huh?"
Wei Jian'an didn't look up, but coldly replied:
"Comfortable, of course it's comfortable. Only now do I realize how easy it is to be single-minded."