RWNEFE -Chapter 349 Two Hundred Thousand Taels to Placate Shen Lanxi!

Emperor Renxiao had been angered by news sent back from Dongchuan. If what was written in the secret report was true, the Great Zhou—only just stabilized—might fall into turmoil again.

“I’m fine. It’s just that state affairs have been busy lately, and I’m a bit fatigued,” Emperor Renxiao said. He had already ordered that news of his fainting be strictly sealed. At such a critical moment, nothing could go wrong.

“You wretch! If not for Lanxi’s sake, I would never have spared you!” the emperor shouted angrily at Zhou Ruan.

“I know I was wrong. I won’t dare conceal anything again. Father Emperor, please spare me this time. I won’t act on my own cleverness again,” Zhou Ruan pleaded pitifully, kneeling on the ground and begging repeatedly.

Shen Lanxi looked worried. “Uncle, why don’t I personally go to Medicine King Valley and seek medicine for you?”

The emperor was very pleased to see her concern.

“No need. I’ve just been drinking too little water lately and have too much internal heat. Some cooling tea will be enough.”

Shen Lanxi, still looking anxious, hurried to pour tea for him.

“Lanxi, I called you here so late because I want to discuss a countermeasure with you.”

Zhou Ruan knew that his life now lay entirely in Shen Lanxi’s hands. He knelt obediently, hardly daring to breathe.

“Uncle, you overestimate me. What countermeasure could I possibly have?” Shen Lanxi said casually.

After a moment’s thought, Emperor Renxiao said, “Today an urgent report arrived from Jinmen. The naval transport fleet has colluded with sea bandits and intends to seize all of Dongchuan.”

Shen Lanxi was shocked.

“That can’t be! Isn’t the Jinmen naval transport force from the family of the princess’s son-in-law? Are they really planning rebellion?”

A vicious light flashed in the emperor’s eyes. “Zhou Qiwou helped outsiders scheme against an imperial prince, betraying her own people. I will not spare her.”

“Uncle, the Third Princess and her children are all in the capital. Surely the Jinmen side wouldn’t dare act recklessly,” Shen Lanxi said.

“I’m afraid Zhou Qiwou may already have sent word to Jinmen, asking them to pressure the court,” the emperor said worriedly.

Shen Lanxi snorted coldly. “Then we absolutely cannot let Zhou Qiwou and the others return. Letting them go back would be like releasing a tiger to the mountains.”

The emperor glanced at Shen Lanxi, who was filled with righteous anger, then at his son kneeling on the ground without a shred of backbone. His irritation only grew.

“They certainly won’t be allowed to return. But they also cannot remain confined in their residences forever.”

“Lanxi, Wang Xiangrong sent assassins to kill you. I can no longer give you a satisfactory explanation. You’ve been wronged.” This was the real reason the emperor had summoned her—to placate her.

“Uncle, for the sake of the court’s greater good, what is a little grievance? I don’t mind,” Shen Lanxi replied.

The emperor nodded. “Tomorrow I will issue an order to lift their house arrest. There’s still one night left. If you feel wronged, you may go speak with them—but remember, don’t go too far.”

Shen Lanxi’s eyes lit up. She happily took her leave and hurried straight to the princess’s residence.

“What are you doing here?” Wang Xiangyi looked coldly at the suddenly arrived Shen Lanxi.

Shen Lanxi had come openly under imperial orders.

“Two hundred thousand taels. I will plead with His Majesty to spare you and your two children.”

Wang Xiangyi eyed her suspiciously. “Would you really be so kind?”

Shen Lanxi let out a cold laugh. “Two hundred thousand taels to buy your brother’s life—very worthwhile.”

Wang Xiangyi didn’t believe her and sneered. “Even without you, His Majesty wouldn’t do anything to us.”

Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow. “Not buying? Very well. I’ll submit the evidence of your collusion with Zhou Ruan to His Majesty right now.”

Seeing Shen Lanxi stand up to leave, Wang Xiangyi hurriedly called out, “Wait.”

Shen Lanxi didn’t even slow down.

Realizing she couldn’t take chances, Wang Xiangyi quickly ran forward and blocked her path.

“You can have the money. But after taking it, you must guarantee you won’t reveal our dealings with Zhou Ruan.”

“I want to see the money immediately,” Shen Lanxi said.

“And you must sign a written guarantee,” Wang Xiangyi insisted.

Shen Lanxi smiled. “I dare to sign it—but would you dare show it to the world?”

Wang Xiangyi flushed with anger and snorted. “Wait here!” She strode quickly into the inner chamber.

A quarter of an hour later, Shen Lanxi left the princess’s residence carrying a box.

The next day, both Zhou Qiwou’s and Zhou Ruan’s households received imperial edicts lifting their confinement. The reason given to both families was the same: Zhou Ruyuan would soon be taking a secondary consort, and both households were to help with the preparations.

Although the title “secondary consort” sounded prestigious, in reality she was still a concubine.

Even in the imperial family, taking a concubine meant being carried in by a small sedan chair, holding only a modest banquet, and even the dowry brought with her was strictly regulated in amount.

Before Shen Yuantang left home, the Shen family kept a tight watch on her. Old Madam Shen personally kept an unblinking eye on her, afraid something might go wrong again.

At last, on the eve of her departure, Shen Yuantang began making a scene again—this time over her wedding clothes and dowry.

“When my elder sister married, there was a ten-li red dowry procession. Why do I only get twenty chests—and all worthless things? Even the silver notes in the bottom trunks amount to only a few thousand taels!”

“Where is Mother? I want to see Mother…”

Shen Yuantang was being restrained by two women as she shouted, giving Old Madam Shen a splitting headache.

“If you keep making trouble like this and His Majesty blames us, do you want our whole family exiled again?” Old Madam Shen shouted angrily.

Shen Yuantang felt her grievances had nowhere to go. She was the daughter of Princess Minrou, the emperor’s niece.

Not marrying into a great family as a principal wife was one thing—but now she was being made a concubine.

A concubine was nothing but a lowly plaything. If she had to marry, she wanted to be a principal consort.

“Mother! I want to see my mother!”

Old Madam Shen, irritated by her shouting, sent someone to fetch Zhou Xinrou.

The servant soon returned. “The princess is unwell and is being treated by the household physician.”

Old Madam Shen made up her mind. “Then go call Lanxi. Let Lanxi treat her!”

Hearing her elder sister’s name, Shen Yuantang trembled slightly. They were sisters of the same mother—surely her elder sister would side with her.

“Yes, go call her. I want my elder sister to stand up for me!”

Old Madam Shen nearly coughed up blood from anger.

“You ungrateful thing! You speak as if I were bullying you. You’ve already damaged the reputation of the family’s daughters, and I haven’t even settled that account with you yet—and now you bite the family in return!”

Old Madam Shen wished she could immediately send Shen Yuantang off to the prince’s residence in a small sedan chair and be done with it.

Meanwhile, Shen Lanxi had prepared several items to add to Shen Yuantang’s dowry and was just about to have them delivered when someone from the Shen residence came to summon her.

“Lanxi, you’ve come at last. Your sister—that wretched girl—is making a scene again!”

Why not earlier or later—why make trouble on the very night before leaving? Clearly she wanted the family to give more silver for her dowry.

Old Madam Shen had originally intended to give some of her private savings, but after this outburst, she wouldn’t give even a single extra tael.

“So? I hear you’re unwilling to marry?” Shen Lanxi looked at the disheveled, hysterical Shen Yuantang, her gaze dark and heavy.