sbdcsierra Chapter 603: Forcing Her to Commit Suicide
Chapter 603: Forcing Her to Commit Suicide
Cuizhu had no idea what the Queen Mother was thinking, so she could only comfort her: "My Queen, I think the Queen Mother is just worried, so she asked you to go over and ask a few questions."
"Now that you've said that the assassination of Consort Xian has nothing to do with you, the Empress Dowager will have a clue in her mind."
"I think the Queen Mother trusts you, so she didn't ask any further questions."
Apart from this, Concubine Shu couldn't think of any other reason and could only nod.
But the uneasiness in her heart still did not disappear...
Concubine Shu could only comfort herself in her heart as she had done countless times in the past, that no matter what happened, Duke Dingguo's Mansion and her aunt would cover for her!
Because apart from her, they couldn't find anyone else in the entire Liu family to support.
Thinking of this, Concubine Shu felt relieved. She looked at Xiao Huazi and ordered, "Keep watching for news about Concubine Xian's assassination!"
If anything unexpected happens, she can respond in time.
Xiao Huazi nodded and said, "I obey your command!"
……
Zhongcui Palace.
After Fuqiu came in, she asked everyone else to leave, leaving only her trusted confidants to serve in the inner room.
"…Madam, the master just sent someone to deliver this brocade box, saying that someone found your lost handkerchief on the night of the Lantern Festival, and the other party specially returned it to its original owner."
After returning to the palace that night, Shen Zhinian discovered that the handkerchief he carried with him had disappeared at some point.
But the handkerchief, like the dress she was wearing, was a very common style outside. Even if someone picked it up, it would not cause any trouble.
Shen Zhinian put the matter behind him.
At this moment, she took the brocade box and opened it, and inside it lay the handkerchief that was lost that night.
The only person Shen Zhinian had come into contact with at that time, apart from the Shen family guards, was Jiang Lingzhou.
Father Shen mentioned this specifically, and it goes without saying that everyone knows who picked up the handkerchief.
as predicted.
The secret letter that Shen's father sent along with the brocade box was specially processed, and the text revealed clearly explained the whole story.
Jiang Lingzhou would not tell anyone about what happened to her that night.
After reading it, Shen Zhinian threw the secret letter and the handkerchief into the incense burner and burned them to ashes.
Fuqiu stood aside and bowed her head and said, "My lady, I have something else to report."
"What's the matter?"
Fuqiu said seriously, "The person who was responsible for delivering the secret letter came out of the Shen family yesterday and passed through a small alley in the capital and accidentally saved a noble lady."
"That person... is Miss Lin, the daughter of the Minister of the Imperial Household and Commander Zhan's fiancée."
Handan suddenly looked up, her eyes full of surprise and curiosity.
"Oh?"
Shen Zhinian raised his eyes and asked, "What's the story?"
If Miss Lin was accompanied by maids and guards, it would not be Shen Zhinian's turn to rescue her.
So she was also curious, why would a noble lady from a wealthy family appear alone in the alley?
Fuqiu had already figured out the whole story. She sighed and said, "The story all started on the night of the Lantern Festival..."
"After the assassin showed up, the busiest streets in the capital became a mess, with people fleeing in panic everywhere."
"Ms. Lin, her maid, and her guards were separated by the chaotic crowd, and unfortunately she fell into the water."
"Although Miss Lin was rescued in the end, the one who rescued her was a butcher who was over 40 years old."
"This matter has caused a sensation in the capital. Many people are accusing Miss Lin of being hugged and touched by a strange man, which has ruined her innocence..."
"Ms. Lin said that not only outsiders think so, but also the Lin family members think so."
"For the sake of the Lin family's reputation and to prevent her marriage with other women in the Lin family from being affected, the Minister of the Ministry of Rites forced Miss Lin to commit suicide to preserve her reputation..."
"Ms. Lin was unwilling to die like this, so she escaped from the Lin family under the protection of her maid, and that's how she met our people."
After knowing that His Majesty had arranged a marriage for Commander Zhan, the person Handan envied the most was the daughter of the Minister of Taichang Temple.
She even had a wild thought: if she had such a family background, would she be able to get what she wanted?
But as a woman, after hearing what Fuqiu said, Handan felt angry: "How could the Lin family be like this?"
"Summer clothes are thin and will get soaked once they get wet. If Miss Lin was rescued from the river in public, it would be understandable that they felt that Miss Lin had lost her innocence."
"But wearing such thick clothes in early spring, what impact will it have?"
"Besides, when it comes to saving people, is it divided into men or women? The Queen always says that we only have one life. Are those things more important than life?"
Xiao Zhouzi shook his head: "This is how people always see things."
"The bigger the family, the more they care about their reputation. Compared to the family's reputation, a woman's life is naturally worthless in their eyes..."
"It's just that Miss Lin and Commander Zhan were married by His Majesty after all. If the Minister of the Imperial Household forced Miss Lin to commit suicide, aren't you afraid that His Majesty will blame you?"
Fuqiu sighed, "It is precisely because it was His Majesty who granted the marriage, and because the Lin family knew that His Majesty valued Commander Zhan, that they naturally did not dare to marry a daughter who had lost her reputation to him."
"The imperial edict only said that the daughter of the Lin family was to be made Commander Zhan's legal wife, but it did not specify which lady it was."
"Ms. Lin said that the Lin family planned to have her commit suicide to preserve her reputation and then let her sister marry him."
Handan sighed, "Miss Lin fell into the water in such a cold weather and almost lost her life. When she returned, what awaited her was not the care of her family, but they all forced her to die..."
"I dare not imagine how desperate Miss Lin was at that time."
"How innocent is she in this matter? She is really pitiful..."
In the past, she always envied the ladies from noble families, but now it seems that those ladies also have many things that are beyond their control.
At least for a maid like her, even if she was rescued by a man after falling into the water, no one would care. No one would force her to commit suicide in the name of preserving the family's reputation.
Shen Zhinian didn't like to meddle in other people's business, but after listening to Fuqiu's story, she suddenly began to admire Miss Lin.
This is the way the world is, and women are always made to bear the brunt of things that are not their fault.
If other noble ladies from aristocratic families were faced with this situation, they would either be extremely stupid or commit suicide for the sake of their reputation as chaste and heroic women.
Or they could just accept their fate and hang themselves on the beam with a white silk.
There are not many women like Miss Lin who are not swayed by the words of others and have the courage to fight back.
Women should respect and love themselves.
But self-respect and self-love do not mean that you can throw away your life at will.
Shen Zhinian also believed that Miss Lin was not wrong in this matter.
She raised her eyes to look at Fuqiu and asked, "What is the current situation of the Lin family?"
Fuqiu said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the Lin family only told the public that Miss Lin fell into the water and caught a cold, and she is recovering from her illness and not seeing anyone."