Chapter 624 Chen Hexiang Leaves the Capital

A commotion swept through the capital as soon as the sun rose as another major incident followed the discovery of Prince Xiang’s concubine having an affair with other men. There were assassins infiltrating Prince Yi’s Manor, Prince Xiang’s Manor, and Prince Fu’s Manor. It was said that quite a few were injured but the biggest number of dead bodies were found in Prince Yi’s Manor. Prince Yi was so badly injured that he was still in a coma and the guards were left without a leader. The assassins were able to take advantage of the lack of leadership and exploited the loopholes.

Fortunately, the three princes were well-protected and stayed safe.

There was, however, another scandal. It was said that Grand Tutor Ya’s granddaughter and Prince Fu’s soon-to-be consort, Ya Moqin, was found beside Prince Xiang’s bed. When the Emperor’s men rushed to Prince Xiang’s bed, they found Ya Moqin leaning against Prince Xiang’s bed. What was most coincidental was that Prince Xiang was awake at that time.

Though this scandal wasn’t as alarming as the adultery of Prince Xiang’s concubine, it nevertheless made everyone feel speechless. Ya Moqin was about to become Ao Mingwan’s consort. How could she stay in Ao Mingyu’s room without any companion? Even though they couldn’t do anything because of Ao Mingyu’s injury, no man could have accepted this.

Thus, Ao Mingwan didn’t spare them either. He went straight to the Emperor’s study, knelt, and asked for the marriage to be called off.

If he could endure such a scandal, especially when the world already knew about it, he would lose the right to the throne. No man could accept it. Calling off the marriage was inevitable.

It went without saying that the Emperor couldn’t refute anything, not after such a scandal. Still, he had to save the face of Honored Consort Ya and Grand Tutor Ya. He couldn’t just decide that Ya Moqin was indeed having an affair with Ao Mingyu. So, it wasn’t easy to make a judgment.

Still, Ya Moqin’s shameless behavior had smeared the reputation of the imperial family. The Emperor was so annoyed that he ordered someone to head to Grand Tutor Ya’s Manor and reprimand her. He would deal with the matter later, for when it was more suitable. He would ignore it for now.

Ning Qingshan, on the other hand, would be executed!

She was supposed to be escorted to Prince Xiang’s Manor and detained there until Ao Mingyu woke up and executed her. That was the Emperor’s decision. He chose to wait for Ao Mingyu to wake up because he wanted Ao Mingyu to punish Ning Qingshan himself. A man would have to handle being cuckolded himself. However, Ning Qingshan somehow sneaked to Ao Mingyu’s room and pleaded tearfully until he gave in.

Ao Mingyu wrote a letter to the Emperor, pleading him to forgive Ning Qingshan and spare her life. When the letter arrived, a still-wounded Ao Chenyi happened to be in the palace to explain the assassination last night. When the eunuch brought the letter in, it fell next to Ao Chenyi’s feet. Ao Chenyi picked it up and glanced at it before breaking into laughter. He then gave it to the Emperor.

The Emperor read the letter with a dark expression.

How could he not be angry? His son was pleading for forgiveness for a woman who cuckolded him! He remembered how Honored Consort Ya had repeatedly said that Ning Qingshan was a good woman and that she might be framed by another. Taking a look at Ao Chenyi’s mocking smile, the Emperor became furious.

He immediately ordered his men to head to Prince Xiang’s Manor and execute Ning Qingshan on the spot.

Was there anything more embarrassing than having Ao Chenyi witness his son willingly being cuckolded?

Meanwhile, there were also results for Ning Ziying’s murder. It had been proved that Xia Yuhang and Ning Ziying were engaged. Although Madam Ling and Ning Ziyan were the ones to kill her, Xia Manor and Xia Yuhang were not completely clueless about it. They were so greedy for wealth that they stood by and watched them kill Ning Ziying.

It was Minister Xia who proposed the engagement and he was also aware when he broke it off. Naturally, he also knew about Ning Ziying’s murder. Thus, he was removed from his office as the minister and exiled to his hometown. Xia Yuhang’s titles were all removed and he was barred from becoming an official for life.

Meanwhile, Ning Zu’an was also blamed for not reporting about the murder. He was stripped from his posts and his title as the Lord Protector was also passed on to Ning Huaijing, his heir in the first place.

For the crime of stealing her sister’s marriage and killing her, the ruthless Ning Ziyan was sentenced to beheading.

Chen Hexiang was granted freedom for her contribution in exposing the truth, as well as money to return to her hometown.

With Ning Qingshan dead, no one cared about Xia Yudong’s murder anymore. No one gave Chen Hexiang any instructions, so she stopped pursuing it. She was very happy to not only escape with her life intact but also obtain a large sum of money. This was the best result she could get.

With the victim gone, no one would pursue her case anymore. Not even Xia Manor said anything. Those in the Ministry of Justice, naturally, wouldn’t seek trouble for themselves and try a case without evidence. Besides, the victim in question had already been executed. Even if they wanted to arrest her, they couldn’t anymore.

Thus, the matter was as good as over!

The attempted assassinations of the three princes, one after another, caused a massive stir. The cases were studied over and over, but what the residents of the capital discussed the most was the adultery of Prince Xiang’s concubine and the affair between Prince Xiang and Prince Fu’s soon-to-be consort. With so many scandals up in the air, no one paid attention to a case without any evidence.

It was under such circumstances that Chen Hexiang walked out of the Ministry of Justice with a large package on her back. Inside the package were five hundred taels of silver. This money was enough for her to live well without doing anything for the rest of her life. Besides, she was still young and beautiful. It was easy for her to find another husband.

If Ning Ziyan’s family wasn’t so much better than hers, she could have become Xia Yuhang’s wife without any trouble. She believed that it wouldn’t take long for her to find an outstanding man. What did it matter if this man was married? With her beauty, she wouldn’t lose to anyone!

With such a thought, she entered a carriage nearby. She asked the help of an officer in the Ministry of Justice to find her a carriage yesterday so that she could travel all the way home in it. The price had been negotiated beforehand.

The only one in the carriage was a coachman wearing a hat. She didn’t pay him any attention. Why should she care what the coachman looked like? She was destined to be a wealthy person, marry a rich husband, and live a prosperous life in the future. She dared not to step inside the capital anymore.

At first, she thought she would be able to live a worry-free life after getting her hands on Xia Yuhang. Who knew that she would almost lose her life in the end? The whole thing frightened her.

The carriage was quite clean and was of a decent size. Even with her package, she would be able to lie down and rest inside. She told the coachman, “You can go now.”

The carriage started moving slowly but steadily.

Chen Hexiang lifted the window curtain and looked at the scenery outside. The prosperity of the capital was a great temptation for her. That was also the main reason why she seduced Xia Yuhang in the first place. Her beauty was enough to take pride in. Naturally, she had to marry a rich and handsome man.

Gradually, the carriage left the capital and moved slowly down the road. Chen Hexiang put down the curtain and sighed. She would have nothing to do with the prosperous capital in the future, and this was quite lamentable. Thus, she sighed with considerable regret.

“What’s wrong? Do you think it’s a pity?”

Before she knew it, Chen Hexiang nodded. “Yeah, it’s a pity indeed. It’ll be even better if I can stay here and find a rich and powerful husband!”

Chen Hexiang was feeling relaxed, knowing that her involvement with the Ministry of Justice was over, so she answered subconsciously. It wasn’t until she finished speaking that she covered her mouth in shock. Her body began to shake. How could she forget that familiar voice?

The coachman slowly lifted the carriage curtain and took off his hat. It was a gloomy-looking Xia Yuhang. He had lost his usual grace and splendor. The man in front of her was exuding an intense coldness not only from his expression but from deep within.

The whip in his hand had long been replaced with a long sword, and the tip of the sword was pointed at Chen Hexiang’s throat. A drop of blood trickled down her neck.

“Bitch, how dare you think of going home safely after ruining my life!”

“It’s not my fault. I didn’t want to do this…” Chen Hexiang was so scared that she was shuddering. The muscles in her neck were stretched taut. She dared not move.

“Who sent you?” Xia Yuhang asked coldly.

“Someone from Xia Yudong’s side. It’s a woman that I don’t know. She has something to do with Xia Yudong. She told me to report the matter…” Chen Hexiang was so desperate to save herself that she answered every question he asked. She didn’t care for anything else. All she knew was that she couldn’t provoke Xia Yuhang.

In the end, she didn’t manage to return home safely. Once Xia Yuhang got his answer, he brought her to the most vulgar of brothels. That place was only visited by laborers. No one treated her as a human. It didn’t take long for her to die there…

Honored Consort Ya’s palace.

There were only two people in the spacious palace, Grand Tutor Ya and his daughter Honored Consort Ya. The others were driven out.

“Father, His Majesty hasn’t been visiting me lately. I knelt in front of his study until I fainted the other day, but he still won’t see me,” Honored Consort Ya said, looking sad. She was not just a woman now, but a mother. Losing favor in the harem wasn’t just a problem for her alone. It would also impact her son’s chance at succeeding to the throne. How could she not be anxious? That was why she invited her father over.

“Don’t be so worried. The whole thing is suspicious no matter how you think about it!” Grand Tutor Ya was deeply worried for the past few days as well. He was frowning, looking much older than before.

“What was wrong with Moqin? Why did he show up at Yu’er’s room? How could you let her leave the manor?” Honored Consort Ya became furious at the thought of her son’s two scandals. Both Ning Qingshan and Ya Moqin were her nieces and yet, they caused her such trouble.

One cuckolded her son and the other cuckolded her fiancee with her son. Whichever it was, the damage on her son’s reputation was tremendous. How could she not be angry?

If this continued, her son’s reputation would be completely ruined. He could forget about inheriting the throne then and all of his efforts would be wasted.