Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 783 - 781

Chapter 783: Chapter 781

The next day, Du Yijin regained consciousness, and only then was Shangguan Ruixi free to seek justice for her.

First, he sent people to investigate who had poisoned Du Yijin. Then, Shangguan Ruixi prepared to enter the palace to seek punishment. Although he couldn’t do much to the Empress Dowager, he would definitely not spare the maid who attended to Du Yijin that night. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to swallow his resentment.

But before entering the palace, he had to take care of something first.

Shangguan Ruixi made a trip to the Du Mansion first, apologizing and explaining the situation to his father-in-law, while asking for his assistance.

Long ago, Du Zhongkai had suspected that because of the bracelet incident, Du Yijin couldn’t go back to her parents’ house. Now knowing that the Empress Dowager had punished her with copying Buddhist scriptures, leading her to become delirious with a high fever, his heart was profoundly grieved.

This was all because of Mrs. Gu. If she hadn’t stolen Yijin’s dowry, would his own daughter have had to endure such torment – even to the extent of almost losing her life?

"Father-in-law, I know Yijin has been wronged. I won’t let the palace maids off. As for the Empress Dowager, I’m worried that after this incident, she may find other opportunities to make life difficult for Yijin. That’s why I need a favor from you."

"What can I do for you? You need only speak it," the father-in-law replied. His son-in-law was asking for a favor for the sake of his own daughter. Even if required him to scale mountains of knives or plunge into a sea of fire, he would grant him that favor.

Shangguan Ruixi whispered a few words, and Du Zhongkai agreed immediately.

After bringing up this matter and discussing the chief culprit, Shangguan Ruixi looked at Du Zhongkai, hesitated a moment, but then said: "Father-in-law, Mrs. Gu has stolen the jade bracelet of the Great Empress Dowager..."

"You should do what you think is best! No need to consider me! I have already divorced her!" recalled Du Zhongkai, and he was enraged anew.

Mrs. Gu not only failed to retrieve the 2,000 taels, but also couldn’t stop talking about Gu Hongxia and Gu Honggen, always prioritizing her natal family. She showed no signs of remorse, adding to the fact that Yijin has fallen seriously ill and couldn’t even return home, Du Zhongkai angrily served Mrs. Gu with the divorce letter!

Upon hearing that, Shangguan Ruixi finally felt relieved on one matter.

That woman, after bullying Yijin for so many years, will no longer appear before him under the title of ’Mother-in-law’, to his disgust!

Dared to steal his wife’s dowry! Dared to scheme against his wife and ruin her reputation! They deserve to rot in jail!

But for now, he will let them roam freely for a few more days. When the Emperor’s birthday is over and the customary amnesty is granted, then he’ll have them thrown into heavenly prison and arranged to work in the most exhausting and toughest places! Let them spend the rest of their lives doing the toughest jobs during the day, eating food worse than pigs, and sleeping in jail at night!

A few days later, Du Yijin recovered. However, the news that the Empress Dowager had tortured the newly married bride to the point of severe illness had spread throughout the Imperial Capital. The people were whispering, thinking that the Empress Dowager was too cruel, inflicting a high fever and unconsciousness on the new bride. How vicious must she be!

There are many stories of wicked mothers-in-law out there, but they had never witnessed one as malicious as the Empress Dowager.

It was surprising to find out that the Empress Dowager was such a narrow-minded and vindictive person. Was she even fit to be hailed as the model mother of the world?

...

In short, none of the rumors were flattering!

Cining Palace

The Empress Dowager felt a hint of uneasiness when she heard that Shangguan Ruixi was requesting to see her. She wanted to refuse, but as the eldest princess was present, she was forced to meet him.

Shangguan Ruixi paid his respects to the two and then said: "Empress Dowager, I unintentionally overheard people talking behind your back and I was worried that you would be upset. That’s why I came into the palace to keep you company. Are you all right, Empress Dowager?"

The Empress Dowager was a little confused after hearing this: "Why would I be upset? What did these people say about me?"

"Empress Dowager, I know that you meant well when you punished the Crown Princess. Losing the jade bracelet passed down by the great Empress Dowager was indeed wrong. Even if the Empress Dowager didn’t pursue it, I would still punish the Crown Princess to remind her of her faults. Moreover, I would not let Mrs. Gu off, who stole my wife’s dowry. As a person known for her strict self-discipline, you naturally wouldn’t tolerate and condone such misconduct. The Crown Princess should have been cautious given her stepmother’s questionable character – this is a big mistake on her part. The Empress Dowager punishing her by having her copy Buddhist scriptures is a way of reminding her to be beware of others, and also a tribute to the late great Empress Dowager. It’s a pity that your intentions were horribly distorted by the public..." Shangguan Ruixi hesitated for a moment before continuing.

The Empress Dowager nodded along with Shangguan Ruixi’s words. Her own grandson understanding her anguish was a relief to her, sparing her from playing the villain. However, her countenance changed as the conversation went on, and she anxiously asked, "What did people say about me?"

Shangguan Ruixi avoided direct eye contact: "What they said was truly unspeakable. Empress Dowager, you must promise not to get angry when hearing this!"

The Empress Dowager’s anxiety escalated upon hearing this. Would her lifelong reputation be ruined like this? She urgently inquired, "What did they say? Hurry up and tell me!"

The eldest princess had entered the palace a bit earlier than Shangguan Ruixi. She too wanted to discuss this issue with the Empress Dowager, but before she had a chance, Shangguan Ruixi arrived for his audience.

Seeing that Shangguan Ruixi was struggling to find the right words, she intervened, "Mother, I came into the palace to tell you about this today. There are rumors among the people saying that you ..."

The eldest princess found it difficult to utter the words herself, glancing at Shangguan Ruixi to signal him to continue.

"Just say it! Are you trying to worry me to death?" The Empress Dowager was nearly driven mad with their hesitations and their game of passing the buck. Were they trying to give her a heart attack?

Seeing this, Shangguan Ruixi clenched his jaw and spilled all the rumors.

Vicious? The model mother of the world was fake? The Empress Dowager fainted from rage as soon as she heard the words.

Cining Palace was in chaos.

Some palace maids ran to call for the imperial doctor, others for the Emperor.

The eldest princess quickly massaged the Empress Dowager’s vital points to revive her.

The Empress Dowager quickly woke up, and her first words were, "Punish... Punish those gossipy people! Behead them! This is totally... totally outrageous!"

Shangguan Ruixi didn’t expect the Empress Dowager’s fighting spirit to be so strong, yet her ability to handle stress to be so weak. Seeing her regain consciousness, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Mother, the rumors are just misunderstandings of your good intentions. Besides, the law does not punish the multitude. The rumors are all over the Imperial City, how many heads can you chop off?" said the eldest princess.

"Criticism of a country’s Empress Dowager is a serious matter. Even if they aren’t beheaded, they can’t be let off easily! Find out who started the rumor and behead him!" The Empress Dowager was not the one to swallow this resentment!