Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 237 Secret Scandal
In the Mingyuexuan box, the Xiangfei bamboo curtain was half rolled up. Raindrops dripped onto the lake through the raised window sash.

The sound of raindrops hitting the lake can calm people down. Prince Consort Xie's face was gloomy for a long time, and finally returned to loneliness.

There is no greater sorrow than the loneliness of a dead heart.

"Yes, normally, if the fate of one's only son is uncertain, one would not react like me." He smiled bitterly and broke the silence, "You are so perceptive at such a young age. You are not like your father, but like your grandfather."

"I'd like to hear the details." Ren Yuan was too lazy to correct him and just asked him to tell the truth.

"Oh, it's really hard to say it." Prince Consort Xie looked at A Yao who had been silent.

"Don't worry, we will keep it a secret for you." Ren Yuan assured again.

"Okay..." Prince Consort Xie had actually wanted to find someone to talk to for a long time. He took a sip of the rich tea and then told a shocking secret.

"The princess is actually very miserable. She was abused by her brothers before she even got married."

"Ah?" Although Ren Yuan's cognitive limits had been repeatedly refreshed by the princes and nobles, he was still surprised.

"Which...brothers?"

"Who else could it be? The third brother Xiao Zhengde and the fourth brother Xiao Zhengze!" Xie Xi's eyes were filled with hatred, and he gritted his teeth and said, "They ruined the princess and also ruined my life."

"..." Ren Yuan and his senior sister exchanged a glance. They were not surprised to hear Xiao Zhengze's name. But they did not expect that Xiao Zhengde also did it.

These beasts are just beasts.

"They are two lawless and immoral beasts! After the princess married me, they didn't stop. Not only did they continue to harass the princess, they also forbade her to sleep with me. Later, they even went so far as to not allow me to come to their house!" Xie Xi said to Ren Yuan with tears in his eyes.
"You said I was indifferent to the prince. That's right, because he is not my son at all, why should I care?!"

"You have been enduring it silently for so many years?" Ren Yuan asked softly.

"What else can we do? The royal family can't afford to lose that person, and neither can our Xie family!" Xie Xi said helplessly, "The princess is weak in character and was completely bullied by that villain. What can I do if she doesn't want to make it public?"

"Besides you two, who else knows about this?" Ren Yuan asked again.

"In fact, there is no such thing as a wall that is impenetrable. As time goes by, the news gradually spreads. Many people know about it, but they just don't dare to meddle in other people's business." Xie Xi sighed and said:

"Last year, Zhang Zhun, the rear eunuch, raised a pheasant trap to catch pheasants. He was very proud of it and often brought it with him to show off. But the two brothers saw it and took it away."

"Not long after, the Emperor was going to hold a ceremony in Chongyun Hall, and all the important officials from the royal family, including the Crown Prince, were waiting in front of the hall. Zhang Zhun scolded Xiao Zhengde and Xiao Zhengze in public, saying, 'Zhang Zhun is the matchmaker, not the owner of Changle, you can't occupy her!' It was obvious that he was the insider."

Xie Xi slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "Zhang Zhun can speak up for a pheasant, but I can't speak up for the princess. I am so cowardly."

"Did the prince hear that?" Ren Yuan asked again.

"He was there too, so of course he heard it."

"What's the prince's reaction?"

"The prince was afraid that the emperor would hear about it, so he asked Prince Wuling to quickly take Zhang Zhun out to persuade him, and also helped him get the pheasant matchmaker back."

"And then what?" "Then the prince asked them privately, and they naturally refused to admit it." Xie Xi shook his head and said gloomily:
"The prince gave them a lecture and forbade them to set foot in the princess's mansion again. They did restrain themselves for a while, but as time went on, they returned to their old ways. I thought they just ignored the prince's words, but I didn't expect them to respond to him in this way!"

"You said that the princess's disappearance is a response to the prince?" Ren Yuan asked in a deep voice.

"That's right. The more you don't let them do it, the more they will do it. That's their style." Xie Xi said hatefully, "That's why the people of the capital have suffered from this brother for a long time."

"..." Ren Yuan finally understood. No wonder Princess Yongkang was so angry that day. She obviously knew about the brothers' evil deeds. She just couldn't bring herself to say it...

Thinking again, the Fifth Guard Leader repeatedly reminded himself that when dealing with Xiao Zhengze, he should also take Xiao Zhengde into consideration. Apparently, he had also heard rumors in this regard.

There's nothing surprising about this. Gossip is the most contagious type of news, not to mention the incident in Chongyun Palace. It would be strange if Gouchensi didn't know about it.

It’s all because I came to Beijing too late, and I can only realize many things afterward.

~~
"You mean, the prince's biological father is actually one of the two brothers?" Ren Yuan sorted out his thoughts and asked softly.

"Well, I don't know who it is, but it's definitely not me." Xie Xi laughed at himself and said, "Only this point, there is absolutely no mistake."

The senior sister looked at Xie Xi with some sympathy in her eyes. He was such a pitiful person.

"It seems that it is very likely that the two brothers hid the princess and the prince?" Ren Yuan said slowly.

"Yes. I knew it the other day. It must be like this. Because the necklace was given by Xiao Zhengze, the princess hates it very much. How could she wear it to sleep?" Xie Xi said coldly, "And Xiao Zhengze has a magic weapon like a mustard seed containing the Sumeru Mountain. He can take the two out of the princess's house without anyone noticing."

"Oh?" Ren Yuan's eyes lit up when he heard that. People say 'the person who knows you best is your enemy', and that's absolutely true. "Could it be that we can't find the princess because she has been hidden in that magic weapon?"

"It shouldn't be." Xie Xi shook his head and said, "His magic weapon is a leather bag. People inside it are in darkness and will suffocate to death if they can't endure it for a few hours, so it can only be used to bring people out. I don't know where he hides it afterwards."

"I understand." Ren Yuan nodded.

Then he asked one last question: "After so many years, and since you hate them so much, why don't you think of a way to deal with them?"

"Of course I do. I dream about it!" Xie Xi said without hesitation.

After saying that, he said with a bitter face: "But what's the use of just thinking? The emperor is too tolerant of them. Even the prince doesn't want to get involved with them, what can I do?"

"Okay then, thank you..." Upon hearing this, Ren Yuan decided to end the conversation and stood up to say goodbye.

"Wait a minute." Xie Xi stopped him again and whispered, "I remembered an old case. Maybe I can make them pay for it. And it has a lot to do with you!"

"Oh? What case?" Ren Yuan sat down again after hearing that.

"The case of Xi Mei's disappearance." Xie Xi said word by word, "Your grandfather was wrongly accused because of this case. I was very close to your father, so I have a deep impression of this case."

"Good fellow." Ren Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly: "Another missing person case."

(End of this chapter)