Dad, open the door. I'll bring your mistress back for you.

"So the rumors are true?" Shen Chuning asked in surprise.

"Which rumor is true?" Concubine Hui asked curiously.

Shen Chuning hesitated for a moment, but still replied, "I heard... I heard that the Crown Prince has contracted a serious illness, which is why he hasn't been attending court for such a long time, and he hasn't allowed anyone to visit him."

She spoke hesitantly, seeming a little embarrassed.

Concubine Hui frowned and asked, "What kind of illness is it?"

However, when she saw Shen Chuning's red cheeks, she suddenly understood. Her eyes widened and she said angrily, "Yuan Qi is a good boy who knows his place and observes etiquette. How could he have contracted that disease?"

Shen Chuning whispered, "I heard it was a plot. Someone specifically trained sick women to seduce the prince. With so many women prepared, there was always one that the prince would like."

After hearing this, Concubine Hui was so shocked that she opened her mouth wide and couldn't close it for a long time.

Her eyes widened and she said angrily, "How could there be such a vicious person? Who on earth wants to murder Yuan Qi?"

Shen Chuning shook her head helplessly, "I don't know about this, An Ning."

Concubine Hui frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly asked another question: "But, if such a thing really happened, His Majesty would have sent people to investigate long ago. How could such a rumor be allowed to spread?" She felt very confused.

Shen Chuning nodded and said, "That's right, so we can only treat this as a rumor. Who knows, maybe His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will be fully recovered tomorrow."

Concubine Hui shook her head. "Yuan Qi is a child who values friendship. He will definitely do his utmost to protect the person who could infect him with the disease and will not let that person be found out."

"Then will you follow the Crown Prince's wishes?" Shen Chuning asked cautiously.

Concubine Hui snorted coldly, "He's about to be murdered, and you're still going along with his wishes? Wouldn't that just let the person behind it go unpunished?"

"Empress Hui, please don't be impulsive. This is just a rumor and our speculation. It can't be counted."

"Yuan Qi has been raised by me for the past few years, and I have always treated him as my own child. How can I watch him being murdered like this?" Empress Hui said gritting her teeth.

"If you really want to investigate, Aning has some clues. There is a girl living in a house in the west of the city. She used to have close contacts with the prince. You can send someone to ask her." Shen Chuning said.

Sisi had been transferred from Kangyuan Hutong to the west of the city by Zhou Lin. If Shen Chuning hadn't sent people to keep a close eye on her, this clue might have been lost.

Concubine Hui stared at Shen Chuning intently, her tone cold: "Have you known about this for a long time?"

Shen Chuning knelt hurriedly, her expression terrified. "A Ning just happened to see His Royal Highness the Crown Prince appear at the entrance of Hibiscus Pavilion at the beginning of the year, so I paid more attention to it. I didn't tell Concubine Hui about these things earlier. It's all my fault!"

Concubine Hui took a deep breath, rubbed her temples, and sighed tiredly, "Forget it, get up. How can you, a young girl who hasn't even married yet, understand all this? I'm already deeply grateful that you told me this today."

……

A few days after Shen Chuning left the palace, Zhou Lin came to question her, asking if she had sent someone to take Sisi away.

Shen Chuning denied it. After all, she was not the one who took Sisi away. She just informed Concubine Hui of Sisi's existence.

When someone asked about the relationship between His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Sisi, the Crown Prince knew that Sisi could not be saved, and he vomited blood and fainted on the spot.

Then his health deteriorated.

He passed away suddenly a few days later, without even living to see the New Year.

Shen Chuning didn't know whether she had any reason for this, because the prince in his previous life lived until the first month of the next year.

Until the prince died, Xiao Yuanlang had not received any punishment, and Shen Chuning felt a sense of frustration in her heart.

She realized that her abilities were nothing compared to the imperial power.

The prince died and the whole country mourned.

All marriages are prohibited within 100 days.

But after the prince passed away, Mrs. Shen smiled more often.

Because the prince is much older than the two daughters of the Shen family, and has been married off by His Majesty.

Even if the two daughters of the Shen family can enter the Prince's Mansion or the Imperial Palace in the future, they will only be concubines and empresses.

After the death of the crown prince, the third prince was the only prince who could be of great use.

According to the current status of the Shen family, it is not impossible for the emperor to directly issue an order to grant marriage and for her to become the third prince's principal wife.

However, Shen Chuning and Shen Jingwan are not yet of marriageable age, so she still has to see which of the two granddaughters is more suitable.

When they reach marriageable age, they must go to the palace early to ask the Empress Dowager to decide the marriage.

On the third day after the prince's death, a little beggar suddenly stuffed a piece of information into the hands of Birui who was out, and then hurried away.

Birui came back and gave it to Shen Chuning, and inside it was evidence that the third prince was raising young children and girls.

Shen Chuning gave the evidence to Shen Huaizhong.

"Grandfather, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was murdered by the Third Prince. Please present this evidence to His Majesty."

Shen Huaizhong threw the stack of papers into the charcoal brazier beside him without even looking at it.

"Grandfather!" Shen Chuning shouted.

Shen Huaizhong patted his ash-stained hands and said, "This evidence is all fake. You've been keeping this to yourself."

Shen Chuning's eyes were red. "Grandfather, you didn't even look at it, and you said this evidence is fake."

Shen Huaizhong stared at Shen Chuning, "Then Grandfather asks you, where did you get this evidence?"

"A little beggar on the road yesterday stuffed it into Birui's hands." Shen Chuning replied.

"You dare to let my grandfather present something of unknown origin to His Majesty. How do you know that someone doesn't want to use our Shen family as a pawn?" Shen Huaizhong said.

"But...but shouldn't we investigate first?" Shen Chuning stammered.

"Investigate? Who will investigate? Do you think His Majesty wants outsiders to know about the prince's scandals? Or do you think that as a subject, you can investigate the prince at will?" Shen Huaizhong said sternly.

"But are we just going to let the Third Prince go unpunished?" Shen Chuning asked unwillingly.

"Regardless of whether the evidence you have is true or false, even if it is true, it is an open conspiracy. As long as His Majesty does not issue an order, no one can accuse the Third Prince of any wrongdoing."

After listening to Shen Huaizhong's words, Shen Chuning could only reluctantly give up this path.

Although she wanted revenge, she couldn't bury the entire Shen family with her.