Wen Yuwei smiled. She had actually stumbled upon it by chance.
At the time, she had merely spoken a few words, urging the Prince to be more careful, especially regarding His Majesty's safety. Who knew that they would actually encounter assassins, and that a series of events would unfold afterwards.
Therefore, if the Crown Prince attributed these matters to her, she would not refuse.
She even felt that the more such news and attitudes there were, the better. Because only then would her position in the Crown Prince's heart become more secure, and her future status more stable.
Thus, she leaned gently against the Crown Prince and said obediently.
"How could I possess any good fortune? If I did, it would all be for encountering Your Highness. Yuwei cares for nothing else, only hoping that Your Highness will forever keep me and the child in your heart."
"Rest assured, as long as I am Crown Prince, I will never mistreat you and your child."
He then brought up the matter of her returning to the Crown Prince's mansion. Unfortunately, Wen Yuwei refused again this time.
"I am not the Crown Princess, and I cannot be a magnanimous person. Here, Your Highness belongs only to me. But if we were to return to the Crown Prince's mansion, Your Highness would belong to all the sisters in the inner chambers. I fear I would become consumed by jealousy and do something outrageous, displeasing Your Highness, which would not be good."
She portrayed herself as a jealous woman, yet behind it all was her deep attachment to the Crown Prince.
Such an attitude made the Crown Prince cherish her even more.
"Rest assured, when I ascend the throne, although the position of Empress must be reserved for the Crown Princess, I will indulge you in everything else! Even bestowing upon you the title of Yuan Fei, I will not refuse!"
Yuan Fei!
This was equivalent to announcing to the world that Wen Yuwei was practically on par with the Crown Princess.
This title was even more resounding than that of Imperial Noble Consort.
Wen Yuwei looked at the Crown Prince with tears welling up in her eyes, so moved that the Crown Prince felt a pang of heartache.
"Alright, alright, let's not speak of it anymore. Just take good care of yourself. When the child is born, I will give him a resounding name!"
"Yes, thank you for Your Highness's favor."
In the small courtyard, the two were deeply affectionate. However, their fates were vastly different.
While Wen Yuwei was enjoying the Crown Prince's pampering in his arms, Wen Xinglu was barely clinging to life at the Changlin Grand Princess's mansion.
Due to their association with the Wei family, the Changlin Grand Princess's mansion was thoroughly investigated by Prime Minister Bai and Elder Xu.
Her scheme to sabotage the marriage between Xiao Muqian and Bai Siruo was even exposed, and the matter was brought before Emperor Qi. Without the protection of Emperor Qi, the Changlin Grand Princess was immediately stripped of her title, and all her honors and powers were revoked.
Now, even the plaque of the princess's mansion had been removed, and her male consorts were all dismissed one by one.
With only a dozen servants remaining in the entire mansion, living on her meager savings was akin to depleting her fortune.
And for all of this, Changlin blamed Wen Xinglu.
"If it weren't for you relentlessly instigating this princess to seek refuge with the Wei family and the Ninth Prince, why would we have fallen into such a desperate situation today? Truly, my good驸马, you always put your heart into your endeavors!"
As she spoke, she pressed a red-hot iron brand onto Wen Xinglu's body.
The smell of burnt flesh accompanied his screams. Wen Xinglu had no good flesh left on his body, and even his face was branded. The pain made it difficult for him to speak coherently.
However, even in such a state, Wen Xinglu continued to laugh and curse.
"What kind of princess are you? A faded woman, shamelessly abducting men into your mansion, squandering extravagantly, cruel and vicious, cunning and treacherous. Heaven created you, I fear, only to show the world the face of a wicked person. I curse you to descend to the eighteenth level of hell and never find peace!"
Before he could finish speaking, the branding iron was directly pressed onto his left eye.
His eye was immediately blinded, and the pain made him wail.
"驸马's mouth is indeed sharp. Why didn't this princess notice your spirited nature and great skill back then! Guards, stuff all these red-hot coals into his mouth. He curses this princess, does he? Then I will show him whose retribution comes faster!"
The servants attending the Changlin Grand Princess were all terrified.
"What? Afraid? Whoever doesn't act will be next!"
Hearing this, the servants, terrified, stepped forward and, closing their eyes, stuffed the coals into Wen Xinglu's mouth.
Before long, the little breath he had left was completely extinguished.
He died a most tragic death.
Changlin looked at his mangled corpse and sneered.
"Drag him away to be fertilizer for the flowers!"
"Yes!"
After she left, the servants, terrified, collapsed on the ground, fearing they would be next.
The news of Wen Xinglu's tragic death first reached the Crown Prince.
He knew little about this concubine's brother, only that Wen Yuwei always spoke of him with great affection.
Therefore, it could be imagined that he was extremely good to his sister, Wen Yuwei.
"Aunt Changlin is too foolish. Father Emperor had just ordered her to reflect in seclusion, and yet she immediately brutally murdered the驸马. Such a madwoman, where is the dignity of royalty? If this matter leaks out, wouldn't Father Emperor's reputation and the reputation of Da Jin be ruined by her!"
These words also angered Emperor Qi.
Changlin no longer served a purpose for him, so her life or death was of no importance.
"Since she is ungrateful, then the Crown Prince should find a way to deal with her. Be sure to be careful and not let anyone see through the ruse."
"Father Emperor, rest assured, your son will handle it properly."
Half a month later, the Changlin Grand Princess, who had been indulging in alcohol, unfortunately fell into a hot spring and drowned. By the time she was discovered, her body had already begun to decompose.
The royal family found the matter quite taboo, so they merely handled her funeral perfunctorily and then sealed the princess's mansion completely.
As for the servants who served within, they naturally disappeared.
However, their lives were as insignificant as ants; no one cared, and no one pursued the matter.
The once glorious Changlin Grand Princess's mansion, like the Wei family and the Prince Li's mansion, vanished from the eyes of the world.
What remained were merely stories that the common people would chat about over tea and conversation.
After the Crown Prince had finished dealing with the matter, he informed Wen Yuwei.
However, he omitted the part about Wen Xinglu's torture, only saying that he and the Changlin Grand Princess had unfortunately drowned together.
Wen Yuwei was naturally heartbroken. However, for the sake of the child in her womb, she still had some reservations. After lighting a long-burning lamp for Wen Xinglu at Fahua Temple and performing several grand rituals, her inner pain was somewhat soothed.
In the Feng family, when Xiao Tingyi told Feng Jinyao about this, she was not surprised.
She felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction regarding the fate of these siblings.
Even though Wen Yuwei was living comfortably now, her good days were yet to come.
If nothing else, she would have a difficult time with the Empress and the Crown Princess. Without needing to act herself, she could simply watch the show!