usatvline Chapter 277 Entering the Palace to Confess
Chapter 277 Entering the Palace to Confess
"What are you doing?" Emperor Jing sat on the dragon throne, looking majestically at the people kneeling in front of him, and asked in a low and serious voice.
Xiao Jinhuan trembled and kowtowed heavily, tears pouring out like a dam breaking. She said in a sobbing voice, "I am guilty. Please punish me, father."
Emperor Jing raised his eyebrows slightly, a hint of doubt flashed in his eyes, and he said in a deep voice: "What crime have you committed? Tell me in detail."
Two days ago, Shen Huaizhong brought Jiang Ping to meet Emperor Jing.
The two of them accused Xiao Jinhuan of everything she had done.
After hearing this, Emperor Jing was shocked, but out of consideration for Xiao Jinhuan's reputation and the face of the royal family, he still forced the matter to be suppressed on the surface.
However, privately, he knew very well that this matter could not be let go so easily, and he had to give Jiang Ping an explanation.
Xiao Jinhuan committed such a big mistake this time, so naturally she cannot escape punishment.
However, it was really difficult for Emperor Jing to talk to his daughter about such an unbearable thing as keeping a male favorite.
So, the first thing he thought of was to ask the Empress Dowager for help.
Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother politely refused to intervene in the matter on the grounds of being unwell.
In desperation, Emperor Jing had to turn to his sister Princess Xuanhui for help.
Unexpectedly, Princess Xuanhui believed that Xiao Jinhuan was not at fault in this matter.
Emperor Jing also considered whether to let Concubine Qin come forward to discipline Xiao Jinhuan.
But all along, Concubine Qin doted on Xiao Jinhuan and was unable to restrain her at all.
Just when Emperor Jing was in a dilemma, he saw Concubine Qin coming with Xiao Jinhuan.
When Emperor Jing saw this scene, his originally frowned brows relaxed slightly.
When Emperor Jing heard that Xiao Jinhuan came forward to confess her guilt, his anger instantly subsided a little.
He thought that this might just be his little daughter's mischief. He only needed to give her a little punishment to make her realize the situation.
At this moment, Xiao Jinhuan was heard to say softly, "I have been careless in choosing friends, and I have also failed to properly discipline those around me."
As soon as she finished speaking, Emperor Jing couldn't help but frowned slightly, thinking to himself: Isn't she talking about the incident involving Jiang Ping?
Thinking of this, Emperor Jing's expression instantly turned cold, and he asked sternly, "What mistakes did the people around you make?"
Upon seeing this, Xiao Jinhuan quickly took up the handkerchief in her hand and gently wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. Then, she choked back tears and replied, "Your Majesty, it's Shen Jingwan, the daughter of the third wife of Prime Minister Shen's family. She had previously fallen for a servant in my household, but due to the huge disparity in their status, she didn't dare to tell her elders about her feelings. So, she often came to my household to meet the servant. Seeing her miserable life, I felt pity for her, so I turned a blind eye and allowed her to do as she pleased."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Jing asked in confusion, "How could the young lady of the Prime Minister's residence have such a miserable life? Why should you pity her?"
"Your Majesty, you don't know this, but Shen Jingwan is actually the daughter of the Third Master of the Shen Mansion and his concubine. She wasn't brought back to the Shen family until she was ten years old. However, ever since she returned to the Shen family, Shen Chuning, the original eldest daughter of the Shen family, has been worried that Jingwan would take away everyone's love from her, so she has been making things difficult for her."
"I know Aning, she is definitely not such a narrow-minded person." Emperor Jing immediately retorted.
After all, when Concubine Hui was in the palace, she praised Shen Chuning highly.
What’s more important is that the construction of the newly selected imperial mausoleum was able to start smoothly, all thanks to the money raised by Shen Chuning.
Therefore, when Xiao Jinhuan commented on Shen Chuning in this way, Emperor Jing couldn't help but feel a little unhappy.
Xiao Jinhuan and Shen Chuning have always been at odds since they were young.
Back then, I had only given her a small gift, but she turned around and reported the matter to the Queen Mother, causing me to be confined to my room for three whole months!
Later, Shen Chuning became quite close to Xiao Jinyu, and as a result, Xiao Jinyu's dislike for her became even deeper.
Who would have thought that today, even the emperor, the father who had always loved him so much, would stand up and speak for Shen Chuning.
Xiao Jinhuan sobbed, tears falling like beads from a broken string, as she choked back tears and sobbed to Emperor Jing, "Father, you've only met Shen Chuning a few times. As the saying goes, you can only know a person's face, not their heart! If she had a kind heart, how could my aunt, who is always gentle and kind, have the heart to expel her from the third wife and adopt Jingwan as her legitimate daughter instead?"
Upon hearing his daughter's words, Emperor Jing's face darkened and he coldly rebuked her, "As a princess of the royal family, you should strictly observe your duties and refrain from interfering in other people's affairs. Even if you pity her, you must not tolerate her doing such vile things in your mansion. Since she has fallen in love with your servant, at most you can reward her."
Xiao Jinhuan's face was filled with sorrow, and he sighed as he continued, "But Father, Jingwan has been constantly bullied and oppressed by Shen Chuning, to the point where she doesn't even have a single property to her name. Even if I gave her the girl as a reward, given her current situation, where could she take her? Alas, it's all my fault for being too soft-hearted. I always thought of her as my cousin and her former study partner, and I couldn't bear to see lovers part, so I indulged her and acquiesced in her many ways. However, now that I think about it carefully, I know that what I did was inappropriate, and I regret it deeply. That's why I've come all this way to apologize to you, Father. Please punish me!"
Emperor Jing nodded slightly. "This is an internal matter of the Shen family. They should handle it properly. As for you, you must never have any dealings with such a person of bad character again."
Xiao Jinhuan kowtowed respectfully to Emperor Jing, then replied in a clear and firm voice, "I will definitely keep your teachings in mind."
Emperor Jing looked at Xiao Jinhuan in front of him and couldn't help but wonder if there were people with bad character around her who were influencing her.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and finally decided to ask about Jiang Ping's matter.
So, he slowly asked, "Jinhua, do you know Jiang Ping?"