672 Going to Prison (5)
If it were any other time, Shen Wan would definitely say some comforting words to Chang Zaiqing. However, when he thought of the news he had received from Liuzhou that Chang Zaiqing actually had a husband and son, he felt disgusted. Looking at Chang Zaiqing now in this state, Shen Wan did not know why, but he actually felt a little happy. Chang Zaiqing was bent on pursuing wealth and status, so she hid herself well. However, now that everything was gone, she was probably painfully regretful.
He waved his hand and said impatiently, “No idea.”
However, he thought of the letter that his assistant gave him.
The letter was written by an official who was very close to him. The official received a piece of news from somewhere that Shen Wan’s sworn enemy had handed in a memorial to the emperor. On this memorial was evidence of the relationship between Shen Wan and Fu Xiuyi over the past few years.
Although Shen Wan had not really begun to work for Fu Xiuyi, he had been wavering all these years and did not want to draw a clear line between him and Prince Ding. His attitude was a little ambiguous. In the eyes of others, it was as if he and Prince Ding had long formed an alliance. When Emperor Wen Hui saw the evidence, it was no surprise that he was furious.
As for why his sworn enemy suddenly had all the evidence, Shen Wan could actually vaguely guess who it was. Chen Ruoqiu had been his wife for so many years. If Chen Ruoqiu was the one who stabbed him in the back, everything would make sense.
At the thought of how considerate and understanding a person Chen Ruoqiu was in the past, Shen Wan’s gaze landed on Chang Zaiqing, and his expression gradually darkened. If not for Chang Zaiqing, he and Chen Ruoqiu would not have divorced. With this in mind, Shen Wan even started to hate the child in Chang Zaiqing’s stomach.
…
On the surface, Shen Wan and his family were sent to prison because Shen Wan failed to do his job. However, everyone who had discerning eyes knew that Emperor Wen Hui was angry with Shen Wan being too close to Fu Xiuyi in private. Of course, Prince Ding, Fu Xiuyi, couldn’t get away with it unscathed either.
Fu Xiuyi had many spies in the palace, so he quickly found out the whole story. Fu Xiuyi did not expect him to be involved in the matter between Shen Wan and Chen Ruoqiu. This was a critical moment. He could not let Emperor Wen Hui be suspicious of him at this time.
At the same time, Fu Xiuyi was also very puzzled. This year, Emperor Wen Hui’s health was not as good as before, so he was much more sensitive to the relationship between the princes and the officials than in the past. At this sensitive moment, it seemed too coincidental for Emperor Wen Hui to know that he was close to Shen Wan. Although the person who took the brunt of Emperor Wen Hui’s wrath was Shen Wan, in fact, the losses he suffered were no less than Shen Wan’s. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Fu Xiuyi said coldly, “A good for nothing!”
Pei Lang thought for a moment and said, “Your Highness, the most urgent thing is to distance yourself from Shen Wan as soon as possible. No matter what, you have to prove your innocence.”
“Of course I know.” Fu Xiuyi said, “Sir, what do you think?”
“The evidence is conclusive. Instead of denying it, which will make you look more suspicious, Your Highness, why don’t you admit it and push the blame to Shen Wan? Although His Majesty doesn’t want the princes to form an alliance with the officials, if Shen Wan took the initiative to join us and you could not refuse, His Majesty might not take the anger out on you.”
Fu Xiuyi nodded. “Sir, it’s exactly as I thought. I can only sacrifice Shen Wan. Anyway, it will be troublesome to keep such a useless piece. It’s good to get rid of him as soon as possible.” What he meant was that he was going to sacrifice Shen Wan. The things written on the memorial could not be denied. There was evidence, and anyone who wanted to investigate could find out. However, if this was all Shen Wan’s idea because he wanted to curry favor with Fu Xiuyi, Fu Xiuyi could get away with it without being punished.
