This affair concerned the royal family's reputation, so the guards reported to their superiors, who in turn reported to theirs.
By the time Shen Lanxi reached the Empress Dowager's Sleeping Quarters, the head eunuch had just received the news.
"Your Majesty, bad news! Something's happened!"
Emperor Zhou Chengqian hadn't slept well the previous night. Hearing bad news early in the morning instantly made him furious. He picked up a teacup and smashed it on the ground with force.
"Bold!"
The head eunuch, Wang Bao, immediately knelt down, terrified and silent.
"This old servant deserves ten thousand deaths! This old servant will slap this unlucky mouth!" Wang Bao said, slapping his face hard.
After a dozen slaps, Emperor Zhou Chengqian gradually calmed his anger, his fingers pressing hard on his throbbing temples as he asked, "What's the matter so early in the morning?"
Wang Bao hurried to say, "Shen Lanxi from the Shen family has entered the palace, saying that the King of the South didn't enter the wedding chamber last night, and instead spent the whole night with a concubine. And, and..."
Emperor Zhou Chengqian's voice was filled with anger, "And what else?"
Wang Bao's head was practically touching the ground. He took a deep breath and trembling, said, "And, he called for water three times…"
"Nonsense…" Emperor Zhou Chengqian swept the entire tea tray onto the floor.
With a loud crash, Wang Bao curled up into a ball!
"Did she go to the Empress Dowager?"
Wang Bao whispered, trembling, "She said she was going to complain to the Empress Dowager, and to complain to you…"
Emperor Zhou Chengqian, who hadn't slept all night because of the Shen family case, was even more furious after hearing about his son's absurd behavior!
Regardless of what happened to the Shen family, and whether it would implicate Shen Lanxi, his son, as a prince and a general guarding a region, absolutely could not commit such a disgraceful act of favoring a concubine and neglecting his wife!
"Wang Bao, you personally lead people to the King of the South's residence to investigate. If the situation is true, bring Zhou Ruyuan here, and that concubine, give her the death penalty!"
Wang Bao immediately accepted the order: "This servant will go and handle it immediately!"
The Great Zhou Dynasty revered filial piety, and Emperor Zhou Chengqian even used himself as an example to promote filial righteousness. The Empress Dowager was advanced in years and had recently been confined to her sickbed. If Shen Lanxi were to offend her, even if Shen Lanxi died a thousand times, it wouldn't be enough to atone for it!
Zhou Chengqian immediately rushed with his people to the Empress Dowager's Sleeping Quarters!
"Empress Dowager, I can't bear to leave you, I won't get married, I want to stay and accompany you!" Shen Lanxi knelt before the kind old woman's bed, weeping uncontrollably.
The Empress Dowager's health had been poor lately, and she slept more than she was awake. It was also a coincidence that Shen Lanxi happened to encounter the Empress Dowager awake.
"Xixi, dear child, what's wrong?" The Empress Dowager affectionately stroked Shen Lanxi's hair and asked.
Shen Lanxi held the Empress Dowager's hand and cried even harder.
In her previous life, when she was about to die, she heard the funeral bells in the Imperial Palace. She vaguely remembered someone mentioning that there was a six-month gap between her first and second bouts of vomiting blood. In other words, the Empress Dowager's lifespan was only a maximum of six months!
This time, it was very likely her last meeting with the Empress Dowager. How could she not be heartbroken?
By the time Zhou Chengqian arrived at the Empress Dowager's Sleeping Quarters, the Empress Dowager had already comforted Shen Lanxi.
"You little rascal, you should have told me you liked this Night Pearl sooner. If you had, I would have given it to you as part of your dowry long ago."
Shen Lanxi held the box quietly, a shy expression on her face, like a young girl.
"Empress Dowager, how can you say such things~"
"Your Majesty the Emperor is here~"
She quickly got up from the couch and curtsied to the Emperor.
"No need for formalities. Why did you come so early? You disturbed the Empress Dowager's sleep. See how I punish you!"
Shen Lanxi glanced at the old man, whose face was etched with fatigue, but who was still trying to maintain his cheerful demeanor and joke with her.
"Empress Dowager, I just suddenly missed you and wanted you to see if my wedding dress looked good. Now that you've said it's beautiful, I'll go back. I'll visit you again next time!"
The Empress Dowager waved at her with a smile.
"Go on, go on. Chunlan, get Lanxi some Walnut Cake. This child loves to eat the Walnut Cake from my palace the most!"
Chunlan curtsied, "Yes, this servant will go get it right away!"
Shen Lanxi walked out of the Sleeping Quarters door and stood to the side, waiting for Emperor Zhou Chengqian to come out.
It took less than half an hour for him to emerge.
Emperor Zhou Chengqian no longer wore the gentle expression he had inside. He looked at Shen Lanxi with a cold and stern face.
"Do you know that the Empress Dowager has been feeling unwell recently?"
Shen Lanxi immediately knelt on the ground, filled with fear and trepidation.
"Your Majesty, Uncle," she said, tears streaming down her face, "I just felt wronged!"
Emperor Zhou Chengqian watched Shen Lanxi's body tremble with sobs, and he sighed deeply.
"Follow me to the Side Hall!"
As soon as Emperor Zhou Chengqian walked out four or five meters, she immediately wiped her tears and followed, clutching the box.
Wang Bao returned in a hurry, a bruise on his face.
"Your Majesty..."
Emperor Zhou Chengqian glanced at the space behind him. "Where's the Third Prince?"
Wang Bao lowered his head and said, "This servant is incompetent; I didn't bring the Third Prince back!"
Emperor Zhou Chengqian realized something was amiss and immediately asked, "What happened to your face?"
Wang Bao raised his sleeve to partially cover his face and looked up, stating truthfully, "This servant went to the King of the South's residence to inquire, and it… it is indeed true. The King of the South was originally willing to come to the Imperial Palace with this servant, but upon hearing that his concubine was to be put to death, he… he beat this servant like this!"
Emperor Zhou Chengqian was instantly enraged, slamming his hand on the desk.
"He's simply lawless! Is he trying to rebel against Me?"
Rebellion was a crime punishable by execution of all nine familial generations. If a prince was labeled a rebel, his life was over.
"Your Majesty, please calm down!"
Everyone in the room was terrified and knelt on the ground, including Shen Lanxi.
Who would have thought that the war god, praised by all, would defy imperial authority for the sake of a woman! How love-struck must he be! "Your Majesty, Uncle, the King of the South treats me like this, and treats you like this, all for a woman of unknown origins. I don't want to marry him anymore. I want a divorce!"
Emperor Zhou Chengqian was about to order the Imperial Guard to arrest Zhou Ruyuan when he heard Shen Lanxi say this. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone hesitant and contemplative.
"You want a divorce?"
Shen Lanxi knelt respectfully on the ground. "Your Majesty, my uncle, I know you think this is absurd. But I'm not being absurd. The King didn't step into the bridal chamber on our wedding night; everyone in the Prince's mansion saw it. He didn't even try to hide it, he spent the night in that woman's room, and he even... I'm embarrassed to say it. Everyone in the Prince's mansion knows that he doesn't like me, that he doesn't want me. If I stay in the mansion, I'll be the laughingstock of the world. I'd rather stay in the Imperial Palace for the rest of my life, serving the Empress Dowager!"
Emperor Zhou Chengqian looked at Shen Lanxi with scrutiny and suspicion. It was at least a half-hour walk from the King of the South's mansion to the Imperial City. She, a weak woman, couldn't have walked that far.
There was a curfew in the Capital City after nightfall, and riding horses was forbidden. If she had come by carriage, she would be arrogant and disregard the law. After entering the palace, she then brazenly spread royal secrets, which was to disregard the royal family's dignity. A person like that couldn't be allowed to stay in the palace.
"I ask you, how did you get to the Imperial City?" The people who were investigating the Shen family had just left, and then Shen Lanxi entered the Imperial City. It was too coincidental.