RWNEFE -Chapter 9 Zhou Ruyuan Stripped of His Military Authority!

Shen Lanxi drifted away gracefully while Bai Qingling was left in helpless, furious rage, utterly unable to do anything about it.

After talking for so long, it was enough time for Nanny Li’s family to get far away.

Bai Qingling was clearly narrow-minded. If she couldn’t deal with Shen Lanxi directly, she would definitely turn her hand against the people around her!

Sure enough, as soon as Shen Lanxi left, Bai Qingling gave the order.

“Master, that woman has ordered people to go capture Nanny Li’s family.”

Shen Lanxi had long instructed Nanny Li’s family to quickly find a place to hide after leaving the residence. The people Bai Qingling sent out would absolutely not dare conduct a large-scale search!

Zhou Ruyuan had a seven-day wedding leave and did not need to attend court. On the second day, he was supposed to take Shen Lanxi into the palace to give thanks. Who would have thought that something like the Shen family incident would occur? After arranging matters in the Prince’s residence, he immediately entered the palace.

He stood at the palace gates for a full two hours before being summoned. The moment he entered, he was harshly reprimanded. The Emperor even ordered General Hu Wei to temporarily take over all military affairs in the southwest, effectively emptying Zhou Ruyuan of his military authority.

With a dark expression, Zhou Ruyuan galloped all the way back to the Prince’s residence and headed straight for the rear courtyard!

“Shen Lanxi!”

A roaring shout rang out. Shen Lanxi was holding a long staff, carefully wiping the auspicious cloud spiral patterns carved into it.

“Zhou Ruyuan, have you forgotten the oath you swore this morning? Do you want to be a wretch, or do you want to be struck by heavenly lightning?”

In his rush of anger just now, Zhou Ruyuan had completely forgotten about the venomous oath he had sworn.

“You jealous shrew! It’s all because of you that Father Emperor stripped me of my military authority. My command has fallen into another’s hands—what benefit is that to you?!”

Shen Lanxi stood up, gripping the staff in her right hand and pointing it straight at Zhou Ruyuan.

“Was it me who made you spend your wedding night in your kept woman’s room?”

“Was it me who made you call for water three times in one night?”

“Was it me who failed to cultivate private virtue and let a kept woman become pregnant?”

Zhou Ruyuan’s face was full of fury, his fists clenched tight, looking as though he wanted to devour someone alive. “Qingling is the woman I love! I won’t allow you to insult her like this!”

“How ridiculous. I insult her? The one insulting her is clearly you. You keep calling her the woman you love—then why didn’t you ask His Majesty to withdraw the decree when the imperial marriage was bestowed?”

“You had so much time and so many opportunities to refuse this marriage, yet you said nothing and married me anyway. All you wanted was my maternal family’s power and my generous dowry. That just shows that in your heart, your so-called beloved woman is far inferior to power and wealth.” Shen Lanxi’s stunning face was filled with mockery.

“Playing the whore while still wanting a chastity arch—that’s exactly the kind of person you are!”

Zhou Ruyuan’s heart surged with monstrous rage. Just as he was about to erupt, he heard Shen Lanxi speak again.

“I’ve already ordered someone to go to the palace to summon an imperial physician to examine Bai Qingling.”

Zhou Ruyuan’s heart jolted. He couldn’t let an imperial physician come—absolutely could not let an imperial physician examine Qingling!

Thinking of this, he no longer cared about confronting Shen Lanxi and immediately turned to leave.

“Heavenly lightning has no eyes—it didn’t strike you. That means you can only be a wretch!”

Zhou Ruyuan shot Shen Lanxi a vicious glance. The verdict on the Shen family had not yet been handed down; now was not the time to deal with her.

She had caused him to lose his military authority and had insulted the woman he loved. He would never let this vicious woman off lightly.

Zhou Ruyuan hurried into the side courtyard. Bai Qingling had long received news of his return and knew that the moment he came back, he had angrily gone to confront Shen Lanxi.

Seeing that his face was still full of rage, clearly not yet vented, she immediately stepped forward with concern.

“Your Highness must be tired. I brewed the spring tea you like best.”

Seeing Bai Qingling bustling about, pouring tea for him, Zhou Ruyuan felt deeply moved.

“Qingling, you’ve suffered.”

Bai Qingling smiled gently. “For Your Highness, no hardship is too much.”

These words pleased Zhou Ruyuan greatly.

“Did Shen Lanxi send anyone into the palace today?”

Bai Qingling’s heart skipped a beat, and she quickly said, “No. I followed Your Highness’s instructions and kept the servants under control—no one was allowed to go out. Your Highness, did something happen?” Could it be that the few servants Shen Lanxi released had caused trouble?

Zhou Ruyuan placed his hand on Bai Qingling’s belly. “She said she had already sent someone to summon an imperial physician.”

Hearing that it wasn’t about those servants, Bai Qingling finally relaxed.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I didn’t let anyone go out.”

Zhou Ruyuan nodded in satisfaction. “From now on, all affairs of the Prince’s residence will be handed over to you.”

Bai Qingling put on a hesitant, troubled expression. “Your Highness, the Princess Consort is still here. Wouldn’t it be inappropriate to give me control over the household, bypassing her?”

Thinking of the information he had heard, Zhou Ruyuan sneered. “The Shen family has no chance of turning things around. From now on, she’ll only be a Princess Consort in name, but not in reality!”

Behind Bai Qingling’s smile, her expression twisted slightly. The entire Shen family had been thrown into the Heavenly Prison, yet His Majesty hadn’t punished Shen Lanxi at all—how could her luck be so good?!

“Your Highness, now that the Shen family is in trouble, will it implicate you?”

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Ruyuan’s face darkened.

“Father Emperor ordered General Hu Wei to temporarily take over my command of the southwest!”

Bai Qingling’s eyes widened in shock. Shen Lanxi had actually implicated the Prince to the point that he was stripped of his military authority—she truly deserved to die!

“The Shen family’s downfall isn’t Your Highness’s fault. If anything, it was a mistake to marry Shen Lanxi. Besides, this marriage was bestowed by His Majesty himself. His Majesty shouldn’t implicate Your Highness because of the Shen family. It’s unfair!”

Zhou Ruyuan immediately looked around warily. After confirming no one was nearby, he scolded in a low voice, “Is the Emperor someone you can casually criticize? Don’t you want to live anymore?”

Bai Qingling spoke softly, sounding aggrieved. “I just feel it’s unfair for Your Highness. If it weren’t for the Shen family, you wouldn’t have been dragged down like this!”

Zhou Ruyuan didn’t explain that, aside from the Shen family, another reason was his spending the wedding night in Bai Qingling’s room. In his view, whom he stayed with on a given night was merely an internal matter of the Prince’s residence. Even if it spread, at most he’d be scolded—it wouldn’t cost him his military authority.

The most important reason was that the Shen family’s crime was simply too great. Shen Lanxi was the Shen family’s most beloved daughter, and Father Emperor had taken out his anger on him because of Shen Lanxi, causing him to lose his command.

“Your Highness, Shen Lanxi is a daughter of the Shen family—this will never change. The forty thousand fallen souls of the northwest and the guilt of losing territory will weigh on the Shen family as long as they live. Did His Majesty say how the Shen family would be dealt with?” Bai Qingling’s face was full of worry, though in truth she was fishing for information.

Zhou Ruyuan shook his head. “Judging by Father Emperor’s intent, they’ll probably be dealt with leniently.”

Bai Qingling muttered unhappily, “If that’s the case, His Majesty likely won’t punish Shen Lanxi either. If she remains the Princess Consort of Zhen’nan, won’t all the Shen family’s sins end up being borne by Your Highness?”

Zhou Ruyuan’s face was filled with anger, his gaze dark and sinister. “If Father Emperor refuses to deal with Shen Lanxi, then she can only die of illness!”

Bai Qingling tried her best to suppress the smile curling at the corners of her lips.

“The matter in the northwest caused such an uproar—I suspect His Majesty does intend to deal with the Shen family. It’s just that he’s constrained by the Empress Dowager’s feelings. After all, the Empress Dowager is advanced in age and can’t endure great emotional shocks.”

Zhou Ruyuan’s expression gradually relaxed, his eyes gloomy. “The imperial physicians have diagnosed that the Empress Dowager already shows signs of her oil running dry—she won’t live more than half a year at most.”

Half a year later would be Shen Lanxi’s death date.