Chapter 291: Chapter 263: You Traitorous Thing
"It is not so," Xu Yin said. "The princess thinks I am still useful. Right now, your own son is tied to the Zhang Family, and your own daughter, who is of no use, has had her title taken away, been placed under house arrest, and has angered the Empress.
"Your own nephew is gravely injured and bedridden. Although your husband still respects you, he has other children with concubines, and it is impossible for him to be of one mind with you. You are practically in a situation where everyone is against you.
"Now, the only person by your side capable of reversing this situation for you is me. I, Xu Yin, though not talented, have become a high-ranking official on my own, becoming a capable minister in the emperor’s eyes.
"Yongping’s fall has caused you to lose a daughter who could continue to enjoy the Empress’s favor. I have lost a wife who once held the position of Commandery Princess. You and I both need each other’s strength.
"The princess is scheming in her mind; a stiff and low-ranking nephew compared to a son-in-law in a high position, you naturally know how to weigh these matters."
He spoke with such composure, yet Princess Rong’s breathing was unsteady, her breath fluctuated.
Previously, she only knew he was deep and hard to grasp, but she did not expect his insight to be so sharp, piercing right through to her true intentions!
Indeed, she is currently caught in such a predicament.
First, Zhe Yu suddenly had an accident, making her feel as if she had lost an arm.
Then there was Yongping.
Everyone says Yongping is useless, but she still carries the title of the foremost Commandery Princess of the court, the only noble daughter of the Great Zhou, and is indispensable at many Imperial Family events.
The Empress often criticizes her for her narrow perspective, but generally, she still had some dignity in the palace.
Now that she has committed such a major crime, lost her title, and become a commoner, she is of no use at all!
Princess Rong heartaches for her daughter, but the consequences of losing power worry her even more.
After meeting Yongping a few days ago, Princess Rong has been pondering over her words in her mind; maybe she is right. Now, to reverse the situation, she can only strive to ally with Xu Yin.
Xu Yin, though hard to tame, ultimately is her son-in-law; her daughter is still here, her grandson is still here, no matter how much she resents him, grinding her teeth, Princess Rong cannot but weigh the situation.
But who knew that it was he who plotted the murder of Zhe Yu?
Thus, after receiving Zhe Yu’s complaint and the evidence he submitted, Princess Rong did want to strike him down in one blow. It was just unexpected that her own hesitation let him see through a flaw.
She took a deep breath, calmed herself, and said, "You say this, do you intend to rely on me?"
Xu Yin tugged at the corners of his mouth: "To speak of reliance now shows the princess is still too confident. Does the princess know if all the forces in her hands added together, are inferior or superior to her son-in-law?"
Princess Rong, angered by his words, raised her eyebrows and slapped the table!
What power does she have left besides the guards around her now?
Isn’t this a slap in the face?
Xu Yin’s expression remained unchanged: "The son-in-law doesn’t want to beat around the bush. If the princess has sincerity for peace talks, please first release my two guards."
The missing guard from last night is ultimately his major threat, and the urgent matter now is to settle this before having the strength to deal with the unforeseen.
Who on earth is the one who caught that guard behind the scenes? He still needs to find him through Princess Rong!
Princess Rong said: "I can release them, but you must first tell me the origin of the fan you asked Yongping to find?"
The serious injury of Zhe Yu is a major loss, but after all, he is not dead yet; securing Xu Yin is much more important, and Princess Rong does not want to trouble herself.
As for Zhe Yu, she could find a way to comfort him later.
Xu Yin said: "It is just an inconspicuous fan. This is actually not important to the princess."
Princess Rong sneered: "Do you think I will believe it?"
As she finished speaking, a guard suddenly entered from outside: "Reporting to the princess! There is a situation outside!"
Princess Rong’s face dropped: "What is it?"
"General Zhe caught an assassin last night. He was just taken away by the Princely Heir’s wife and directly escorted to the Dali Temple!"
The two in the room changed their expressions upon hearing this.
Xu Yin said coldly: "The princess is good at manipulating, fooling me here while stabbing in the back! Given this, let everything the son-in-law said earlier be for nothing!"
With that said, he shrugged his sleeves and turned around.
"Wait!" Princess Rong immediately called him to stop, then turned to the guard: "What is happening? Why didn’t I know about him catching an assassin? You better explain yourself!"
The guard bowed: "I just received the news as well. It is said that two quarters of an hour ago, the Princely Heir’s wife suddenly went to the Zhe Family and then took an assassin from General Zhe to the Dali Temple."
Xu Yin heard this, turned to Princess Rong with a frown: "It seems General Zhe doesn’t trust you as his Aunt either. Having caught an assassin, why did he hand him over to the Princely Heir’s wife and not to you?"
When Princess Rong heard that Zhe Yu had an assassin in his hands that he didn’t give her, she was furious; even more, she was seething to think that negotiations with Xu Yin had reached a crucial moment, yet he handed the assassin to Mrs. Zhang, causing such trouble!
She immediately roared: "Go! Follow me to the Zhe Family!"
...
Mrs. Zhang came in person to take the assassin away, after which Zhe Yu, upon knowing that Xu Yin was the true culprit, gradually calmed his raging heart.
This morning, when he invited Princess Rong to the mansion, he did not reveal that an assassin had been captured because the assassin wasn’t brought down by him; whether to disclose it or not needed to be discussed with Fu Zhen.
And when Mrs. Zhang sent people over, Fu Zhen happened to be present, so it can only be said Mrs. Zhang was lucky.
For so many years past, he and Yang Zhan seldom interacted in private, let alone with Mrs. Zhang?
But Zhe Yu believes that handing over the person to Mrs. Zhang is not problematic.
In this matter, Princess Rong and Mrs. Zhang should be considered victims; it is Xu Yin who sowed dissent between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and Princess Rong surely wants, just like Mrs. Zhang, to send Xu Yin to the Judicial Hall for punishment immediately.
Even though mother-in-law and daughter-in-law have discord, Princess Rong has no reason to refuse Mrs. Zhang’s action at this time.
Zhe Yu is clearer than anyone about his existence at Prince Rong’s Mansion. Since he can remember, Princess Rong has often admonished him that, as a member of the Zhe Family, his mission is to depend on her, utilizing her power and status to revitalize this family.
Correspondingly, he must offer absolute loyalty and absolute obedience.
From this perspective, Princess Rong indeed holds a vested interest in him, yet because he is her only choice, he believes there is genuine affection from her.
Now, concerning the matter of Xu Yin’s assassination attempt on him, he has done everything possible, providing both material and eyewitness evidence to Princess Rong. He firmly believes Princess Rong will offer him an explanation and seek justice from Xu Yin on his behalf.
This confidence gave him an unprovoked surge of vigor. He adjusted his position on the bed, and he didn’t know if it was that Doctor Lu’s excellent medical skills, but he actually managed to sit up a bit at this moment.
"Ah Fu..."
Just as he began to call a servant’s name, a loud commotion erupted outside the door. A string of chaotic footsteps hurried towards his room, accompanied by some voices fraught with panic.
Zhe Yu looked towards the door with suspicion, only for it to slam open with a bang; Princess Rong entered, her face cold and icy, striding fiercely towards him! And trailing closely behind her was Xu Yin!
He hesitated, "Aunt..."
Princess Rong walked up to him and slapped him across the face: "You ungrateful thing!"
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