novelhk Chapter 287: The True Face Revealed
Chapter 287: The True Face Revealed
Xie Jinghan caught a glimpse of the coldness in Wen Shuyao's eyes out of the corner of his eye and immediately said, "Send someone to drive him away."
He didn't want to see Wen Shuyao troubled by a beast like Duke Wen.
Since he's going to be the bad guy, let him be the bad guy.
He knew that the world was often more harsh on women, and he didn't want to see Wen Shuyao being pointed at and gossiped about by the world.
Since his reputation in the capital was already that of a demon capable of stopping children from crying at night, one more bad reputation for disrespecting elders was insignificant.
After Xie Jinghan finished speaking, he looked at Si Qing with a cold gaze.
Si Qing swallowed hard and immediately understood Xie Jinghan's intention.
He hurriedly tried to leave, but Wen Shuyao stopped him: "I need to see him."
Seeing Xie Jinghan's undisguised worry, Wen Shuyao felt a warmth in her heart. She took a few steps forward and gently took Xie Jinghan's hand.
As soon as her soft hands approached, Xie Jinghan noticed and grabbed Wen Shuyao's hands tightly: "Do you really want to see him? But he is still your biological father."
If Wen Shuyao were to stand by and do nothing, even if there were extenuating circumstances, it would be difficult to guarantee that someone wouldn't secretly harm her.
Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao gently shook her head: "I know what Your Highness is worried about, but with Zhang Shi beating the drum to appeal first, everyone knows that there are other hidden reasons for my mother's death. Even if I stand by and do not help, no one will dare to criticize me openly."
"As for those whispers behind my back..." Wen Shuyao chuckled softly, her eyes sparkling like stars. Her beautiful eyes met Xie Jinghan's, a hint of cunning in them. "I am the Princess Consort of Jing. As long as the Prince remains my support, they won't dare to spout nonsense in front of me. Just pretend you don't know about these things."
She wanted to see Duke Wen, and she wanted to shatter his illusion after he thought he had found hope for survival, leaving him disappointed and devastated.
She couldn't wait to see the Duke of Wen's pathetic state after his hopes were dashed.
"That's all."
After listening to Wen Shuyao's words, Xie Jinghan stopped talking and instead had Si Qing bring the person in.
“I’m right outside the door,” he said softly. “If anything happens, just call me and I’ll come right away.”
He worried that the Duke of Wen might act desperately and do something to harm Wen Shuyao.
“Granny Qi is here.” Wen Shuyao shook her head. “You should go and handle your official business.”
She knew that Xie Jinghan still had many matters to attend to after the palace coup, and spending the last few days helping her sort out things from more than ten years ago had already taken up a lot of his energy.
"Your Highness, please rest assured!" Granny Qi chimed in from the side, "With me here, no one can bully the Princess!"
Granny Qi was skilled in martial arts and had a keen and shrewd eye. She was confident that Duke Wen would never be her match.
Upon hearing this, Xie Jinghan paused for a moment.
Under the watchful eyes of the young man and the old man, he finally nodded and left.
A short while later, Duke Wen hurriedly walked in.
His hair was disheveled, and his clothes reeked of alcohol, which, combined with his sweat, made him truly stinky.
Upon seeing Wen Shuyao, he was about to rush over when Si Qing grabbed him.
Granny Qi helped Wen Shuyao back a few steps, frowning as she scolded, "Duke Wen, you must not be disrespectful in front of the Princess."
Upon hearing this, Duke Wen barely managed to calm himself down. He looked around and frowned as well. He didn't want outsiders to see him pleading with his daughter, especially since he considered Granny Qi and Si Qing to be nothing more than servants.
How could his disheveled appearance be seen by his servants?
Wen Shuyao immediately saw his concerns and said, "Duke Wen, Granny Qi and Si Qing are not outsiders. You can say what you have to say here."
"You..." Duke Wen immediately noticed the strangeness in Wen Shuyao's way of addressing him, but before he could speak, he was glared back by Granny Qi's sharp eyes.
He came to his senses and realized that Wen Shuyao was already the Princess Consort of Jing, so even if she called him by his name, it would be in accordance with etiquette.
After a moment, he suppressed his resentment and said in a deep voice, "Have you heard about what happened in Yingtian Prefecture?"
Wen Shuyao asked in surprise, "What is it?"
Seeing that Wen Shuyao was unaware of the situation, Duke Wen was overjoyed and quickly distanced himself from Madam Wen.
"You have no idea! Zhang is a vicious woman! In order to drag me down, she actually went to Yingtian Prefecture and beat the Dengwen Drum, spouting nonsense, saying that I killed your mother!"
“You know that,” he said, eager to prove his feelings for Chu Wanqing, then continued, “I am deeply in love with your mother. If Zhang hadn’t taken advantage of me while I was drunk and impersonated your mother, I would never have been with her…”
"There were indeed suspicious circumstances surrounding your mother's death back then, but I was so grief-stricken at the time that I didn't notice anything amiss. Now that I think about it, it was probably her doing!"
"Seeing that I have lost power and that Consort Zhang has fallen from grace, she has resorted to desperate measures, even framing me! Shu Yao, you must stand up for your father!"
Every word Duke Wen spoke was earnest. He looked at Wen Shuyao, eagerly awaiting her reply.
However, Wen Shuyao's reaction was not what he expected.
“Shuyao.” He looked at Wen Shuyao’s calm and beautiful face, and his heart sank. His intuition told him that Wen Shuyao’s actions were somewhat strange.
Under his gaze, Wen Shuyao tilted her head: "Duke Wen, do you think I'm a fool?"
“Zhang is vicious, but you’re no less so.”
As Wen Shuyao said this, a mocking glint flashed in her eyes.
Upon hearing this, Duke Wen's heart sank completely.
He subconsciously tried not to think about the meaning behind Wen Shuyao's words, but the mocking look in Wen Shuyao's eyes was something he couldn't ignore.
"What do you mean by that?"
Wen Shuyao smiled gently: "Duke Wen, do you think you can hide what you've done from me?"
"Because your mother discovered the truth about Prince Xin's feigned disability, you chose to poison your mother with Zhang in order to climb up to Prince Xin's powerful backing."
Wen Shuyao spoke slowly, each word clear enough for the Duke of Wen to hear clearly.
Because of her words, Duke Wen's face gradually turned pale. He opened his mouth and retorted, "This must all be what that bitch Zhang told you! You believe her? She used countless tricks to marry me! She lied to you!"
Wen Shuyao slowly shook her head: "You're wrong. These aren't things Zhang Shi said. These are things you told Aunt Hua yourself."
Her words caused Duke Wen's mind to go blank for a moment.
Duke Wen kept trying to recall the moments he had spent with Concubine Hua, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't remember them.
After a moment, he looked at Wen Shuyao with a panicked expression: "When did you find out?"
Wen Shuyao smiled and said, "Before I get married."