She referred to herself as a princess, not a consort.
Situ Jue clenched his fist tighter and stared into her eyes, asking, "Should this king not doubt you?"
Aisha didn't necessarily love Situ Jue, but he was her husband, the only person she could rely on after marrying into a foreign land. Yet, Situ Jue had never shown her an ounce of trust. His indifferent gaze sent a chill through her heart. Aisha closed her eyes and asked, "What does Your Highness intend to do?"
"Heh, what can this king do to you? However, Aisha, this king tells you, the identity of a princess of Hehe can protect you for a while, but not for a lifetime."
"At least for now, this identity ensures I will not suffer injustice. The death of the young lord has nothing to do with this princess. If Your Highness does not believe me, you can have Dali Temple investigate. Isn't your brother particularly skilled at investigating cases? We can invite him over if necessary."
Situ Jue's expression grew increasingly grim.
An investigation was out of the question.
Any findings from such sordid affairs would bring shame. Even ordinary noble families would not air their dirty laundry, let alone royalty. For a prince to be unable to manage his own household would surely earn him the charge of lax governance from the censors if the matter were exposed.
Moreover, what good would it do even if Aisha were found guilty? The Emperor would never shatter the peace with Hehe for a deceased imperial grandson.
And he, too, would not argue right from wrong with the Emperor over his deceased son.
The dead were gone, and how could the living be dragged down by them?
Although Nanzhen and Beijiang had temporarily ceased hostilities, their troops had not withdrawn to their strongholds. Instead, they had encamped a hundred miles from the border, ready to strike again at any moment. Coupled with the persistent Japanese pirates, the Emperor could only endure, no matter how enraged he might be.
Situ Jue considered the advantages and disadvantages, and in the end, he could only smash things in Aisha's chambers. He dared not lay a hand on her.
However, he immediately sent Zeng Weiyang back to the Pingning Count's manor, urging her to rest and await her confinement. If the child she carried were to be harmed again, Aisha would have no son to inherit the throne, even if she gave birth to one.
Ever since Mei Yiniang had met with misfortune, Zeng Weiyang had been terrified that Aisha would harm her unborn child. She had been extremely cautious and rarely left her quarters. Apart from receiving a wet nurse from Prince Rui's manor every few days, she had not seen anyone else. Therefore, besides Situ Jue and his personal attendants Yin Zhu and Yin Qiao, even the other servants in her courtyard were unaware of her pregnancy.
She had been worried about her condition being discovered once her pregnancy became visible, but then the young lord met with misfortune.
Situ Jue now treated the child she carried like a golden treasure. Although he sent her back to her maiden home, he ensured she lacked nothing in terms of tonics and riches, and he visited her every few days. This infuriated Aisha to the point of nearly miscarrying.
Meanwhile, in a corner of Prince Ning's manor, Mei Yiniang's once voluptuous figure had withered to mere skin and bones. Her gaunt cheeks, devoid of makeup, made her resemble a yak. Not a trace of her former allure remained.
Who would have imagined that in just over two months, a vivacious beauty could be reduced to such a state?
She burned yellow paper into a bronze basin, saying, "Child, mother is useless. In the end, I couldn't get rid of that woman. But rest assured, mother will not give up. As long as mother is alive, she will make that wicked woman pay with her blood."
Qing Ya's grapevine was as efficient as ever. She recounted the events at Prince Ning's manor with vivid detail, even including the servants' gossip. However, she couldn't uncover the truth. After all, who would have thought that a woman banished to the cold palace, with only a broken body left, could cause such a stir?
After finishing her account, Qing Ya began to excitedly speculate about the killer's identity.
Lu Nianfu sighed, "What's there to guess? It's just the usual affairs of the inner quarters. When there are many women in a household, which one can be without such intrigues?"
"Consort, please do try to guess. Ah, it's a pity. Why doesn't Prince Ning report it to the authorities? If he did, our Prince would surely uncover the truth, and we wouldn't have to make wild guesses here."
And more importantly, they couldn't guess correctly.