latelenovela Chapter 371 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Chapter 371 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Chapter 371 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis's Marquisate VS The Frail and Early-Dying Eldest Son of the Marquis's Family (46)
Lord Shen was initially frightened by the sudden appearance of the Song family, but upon reflection, he realized that the Song family had been a marquisate before, so it was normal for some of them to survive.
Lord Shen regained his composure and asked, "Did the Song family tell you about your background? What do you want to know by coming to me?"
Shen Huaizhi nodded and then shook his head: "I had my suspicions before the Song family appeared. The Song family's visit only confirmed my guess."
I have two things to discuss with Lord Shen. First, I want to know the truth behind the execution of the entire Song family eighteen years ago, and second, where is Song Zhihua now?
Lord Shen looked dejected. He could have chosen not to speak, but Shen Huaizhi already knew the truth, so there was no point in hiding it anymore.
"I don't know where Song Zhihua is now. Back then, after she left you at the gate of the Marquis's mansion, I never saw her again. She just disappeared."
I've been looking for her all these years, but I've never heard from her.
As for the Song family…
Thinking back to what happened eighteen years ago, Lord Shen also felt that life is unpredictable.
Back then, he, Song Zhihua, and Prince Jing, Tang Jingfan, were all of similar age and were all loyal supporters of Tang Jinxuan, who was then the Crown Prince.
The three of them grew up together like childhood sweethearts, so it was only natural that he would fall in love with Song Zhihua.
At that time, Song Zhihua was bright, flamboyant, innocent, and enthusiastic, which made Shen Mingze fall deeply in love with her.
Shen Mingze once told Song Zhihua that he wanted to propose marriage to the Marquis of Wu'an, but Song Zhihua refused, saying that it was not appropriate now and they should talk about it later.
At that time, Shen Mingze naively believed that Song Zhihua was just shy. In addition, it was a critical period for the previous dynasty. The late emperor was seriously ill and Crown Prince Tang Jinxuan was overseeing the country. They really couldn't care less about personal feelings.
But who would have thought that once Crown Prince Tang Jinxuan ascended the throne, Song Zhihua would enter the palace!
It wasn't until then that Shen Mingze learned that Song Zhihua was in love with Tang Jinxuan, who was ten years older than them!
Shen Mingze was heartbroken after his first love ended in heartbreak, but Song Zhihua had already become the new emperor's concubine, so Shen Mingze could only suppress his love and sorrow deep in his heart.
Not long after Song Zhihua entered the palace, she became pregnant and gave birth to a prince after ten months of pregnancy.
After Song Zhihua entered the palace, Shen Mingze gave up hope and soon married a wife in accordance with his parents' wishes, and their life was relatively harmonious.
However, just as things were going well, a major event occurred in the previous dynasty.
At the time, Marquis Wu'an was stationed at the northern border. However, one of his deputy generals entered the capital covered in wounds, carrying evidence of Marquis Wu'an's treason!
The deputy general was loyal to the emperor. He had been stationed at the border for several years and had noticed something amiss with Marquis Wu'an. He secretly gathered evidence.
However, he was outnumbered and outmatched by Marquis Wu'an, who had been operating on the border for years. In the end, he decided to leave the military camp under the pretext of illness and personally deliver the evidence to the capital.
Unexpectedly, the lieutenant's whereabouts were exposed, and he was eventually chased and forced to hide until he finally escaped to the capital.
When the evidence of Marquis Wu'an's treason was reported, Emperor Xinghe, Tang Jinxuan, was furious and ordered a thorough investigation.
Marquis Wu'an was a loyal subject during the reign of the late emperor, and Emperor Xinghe did not believe that Marquis Wu'an would betray the Great Xia Dynasty. Moreover, the eldest daughter of the Song family was his concubine, and she had just given birth to a prince for him.
However, the imperial court's investigation revealed that the Marquis of Wu'an's family harbored treacherous intentions. Because Shen Mingze had previously been close to Song Zhihua, the thorough investigation of the Song family was not Shen Mingze's responsibility.
Shen Mingze didn't know exactly what was found, but Emperor Xinghe's order was issued very quickly.
Emperor Xinghe acted swiftly, dispatching a general with troops on a rapid march to the border to take over the border army, and then capturing Marquis Wu'an and bringing him back to the capital.
During the reign of the late emperor, officers from different factions were placed in the border troops to prevent any single army from becoming too powerful and disobeying imperial orders.
Emperor Xinghe secretly ordered officers from different factions within the border army to cooperate with the generals he dispatched to capture the Marquis of Wu'an.
Marquis Wu'an had been managing the border for several years and had no shortage of loyal followers, but when the evidence of treason was presented, even those who supported him had to waver.
In the end, Marquis Wu'an failed in his mission and became a prisoner.
When the enemy forces, who had been secretly in contact with Marquis Wu'an, led their army to attack the border, they were utterly defeated by the newly appointed and well-prepared general, and the border was thus stabilized.
Marquis Wu'an was escorted back to the capital, and Emperor Xinghe quickly ordered the execution of Marquis Wu'an's entire family, including all descendants of the Song family.
Upon learning the news that she had given birth to a prince in the palace, Song Zhihua immediately went to Emperor Xinghe to plead for mercy, but Emperor Xinghe refused to see her.
What happened next is what Shen Huaizhi knows: in despair, Song Zhihua embraced the prince and set himself on fire in the palace, but in reality, he faked his death and escaped.
After listening to Lord Shen's account of what happened back then, Shen Huaizhi felt that although the Song family's official crime was treason, and the execution of the entire family was reasonable, Emperor Xinghe's swift and decisive handling of the Song family without any mercy was also unreasonable.
Shen Huaizhi thought of the Song family crest. Perhaps Emperor Xinghe knew that the Song family were descendants of the previous dynasty, which is why he ruthlessly killed them.
The Great Xia Dynasty has been ruled by three generations of emperors for over a hundred years, yet the descendants of the previous dynasty's royal family are still causing trouble in the Great Xia Dynasty, which no emperor can tolerate!
Lord Shen was somewhat tired. After recounting his past, he asked Shen Huaizhi listlessly, "What else do you want to know?"
Shen Huaizhi ended his contemplation and said with an ambiguous smile, "Doesn't Lord Shen want to know what the Song family told me?"
According to the Song family, after Emperor Xinghe ascended the throne, he was wary of Marquis Wu'an's growing military power and his overwhelming achievements. He not only forced Song Zhihua to enter the palace, but also fabricated evidence of the Song family's treason and ultimately killed the entire Song family.
Song Zhihua faked his death in the palace to protect me, and even the poison in my body was administered by Emperor Xinghe!
Lord Shen was furious upon hearing this. He slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Nonsense! Even tigers don't eat their cubs, how could His Majesty harm his own son?!"
Lord Shen was saddened by Song Zhihua's plight, and his decision to take Shen Huaizhi in was also driven by his compassion for Song Zhihua.
However, Lord Shen was loyal to the emperor and loved his country to the core. The Xuanping Marquis's Mansion had always been a royalist party. Shen Mingze followed Crown Prince Tang Jinxuan because the late emperor had appointed Tang Jinxuan as the crown prince.
Moreover, Crown Prince Tang Jinxuan's character, personality, and abilities are evident to all. After ascending the throne, Tang Jinxuan indeed lived up to the late emperor's expectations and was a qualified emperor.
After Emperor Xinghe ascended the throne, he always treated the former emperor's ministers with great kindness, combining grace with severity, and clearly distinguishing between rewards and punishments.
With the rules established by the late emperor, Emperor Xinghe followed the precedent, but his methods were more lenient than those of the late emperor. Even when he modified some of the unreasonable regulations of the late emperor, he did not encounter much resistance.