Their Fate

Princess Duanmin had sent the second prince consort and the others to the Ministry of Justice, instantly stirring towering waves throughout the Capital.

Lin, the wife of Marquis Changning, immediately submitted a visiting token to the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, hoping to complain to the Empress Dowager. To her surprise, the Empress Dowager refused to concern herself with the matter.

Marquis Changning's estate.

"My lord, hurry and think of something!" Lin urged anxiously.

Before Marquis Changning could speak, his eldest son, Zheng Zhili, said, "Father, shouldn't we first find out exactly what happened?"

Lin snapped, "Whatever happened, the princess had no right to send Zhiyi to the Ministry of Justice!"

Marquis Changning frowned. "Zhili is right. My lady, do you know what led to this?"

Lin's gaze flickered, and she said guiltily, "It was merely Zhiyi's affection for that concubine that angered her. If you ask me, the princess is being utterly unreasonable. She cannot tolerate anyone!"

"Mother, mind your words," Zheng Zhili said. "The princess would not send Zhiyi to the Ministry of Justice over such a trivial matter."

Lin glared fiercely at him and blurted out, "You're just jealous that Zhiyi married a princess and will inherit the title!"

Zheng Zhili gave a self-mocking smile. "You worry too much, Mother. I will earn my own honors and wealth. I will not fight my younger brother for them."

Ever since childhood, he had understood that once his father had a new wife and another son, he had begun playing favorites. No matter how outstanding Zheng Zhili was, he could never compete with his younger brother.

Zheng Zhili had long since abandoned any hope of inheriting the title and resolved to forge a future through his own efforts.

"Remember what you said!" Lin hurriedly replied. "The family's title will have nothing to do with you!"

Marquis Changning coughed, papering over the discord. "Why bring that up now? We should first figure out what to do about Zhiyi."

Yet however much they pondered it, the family remained utterly at a loss.

Lin could never have imagined that just a few days later, Marquis Changning's title would indeed have nothing to do with Zheng Zhili. More precisely, it would have nothing to do with any of them.

Under the Ministry of Justice's harsh interrogation, the maids and serving women were the first to break, each confessing everything she knew.

Ye and the prince consort were old acquaintances who had reunited in the Capital three years earlier.

The prince consort had housed Ye outside the estate, deliberately taken medicine for two years to keep the princess from conceiving, then found a fake Taoist priest to trick the princess into accepting Ye as his concubine.

Later, some of the servants had been bought off with large sums by the prince consort, while others had been threatened through their families. When Princess Duanmin and Ye gave birth, they had helped him switch the two women's children.

Based on their statements, the Ministry of Justice uncovered further evidence.

Faced with irrefutable proof, Zheng Zhiyi and Ye knew denial was futile and could only confess their crimes.

Once the truth came to light, Emperor Chu Ming flew into a rage and issued an edict punishing the prince consort's family.

For corrupting the imperial bloodline, the crimes of Prince Consort Zheng Zhiyi and Ye were beyond pardon. They were to be publicly beheaded. Marquis Changning, for failing to discipline his son, was stripped of his title and office and reduced to a commoner.

The moment the imperial edict arrived, Lin fainted.

Not only had the title she had coveted so dearly vanished, but she had also lost the son closest to her heart.

Marquis Changning swayed on his feet as well, and Zheng Zhili hurried to support him.

Watching it all with a cold eye, he could only reflect that human schemes were no match for Heaven's plans.

The younger brother his father and stepmother had favored since childhood, the one to whom he had even been expected to yield the title, had committed a grave crime and dragged the whole family down with him. Now his brother was dead and the title was gone. Fate truly made fools of people!

Before his execution, Zheng Zhiyi repeatedly demanded to see the princess. Princess Duanmin was happy to go and enjoy his disgrace, so she agreed.

In his cell, Zheng Zhiyi spent his days disheveled and filthy, without a trace of his former dashing bearing as prince consort.

"I hear you wished to see me," Princess Duanmin said coldly.

Zheng Zhiyi hastily dropped to his knees and begged, "Princess, Princess, please spare my life! It was Ye who bewitched me. I never meant to do it!"

Princess Duanmin almost laughed in anger. She must have been blind to have fallen for such a rotten man.

Had Zheng Zhiyi begged her to spare Ye's life, she might at least have thought a little better of him.

Yet even at the final moment, this scoundrel still tried to wash his hands of everything and heap all the blame on Ye.

It just went to show that no matter how deeply devoted men seemed, when their lives were at stake, they still loved themselves most.

Seeing that Princess Duanmin remained unmoved, Zheng Zhiyi had a sudden flash of inspiration and said tenderly, "Princess, we still have a daughter. I'm her father. You cannot let her grow up without a father!"

He would have been better off not mentioning their daughter. The moment Princess Duanmin thought of the mistreatment her daughter had suffered, she wished she could slice these two vile creatures into a thousand pieces!

If not for her younger cousin's inner thoughts, she might never have learned that her own daughter had been switched away, while she cherished those two wretches' son like a treasure!

Princess Duanmin decided to make this scumbag suffer once more on the last day of his life.

Nothing caused greater agony than being given hope, only to have it immediately shattered.

"I do want to spare you, my consort," Princess Duanmin said with a gentle smile.

Zheng Zhiyi believed her. Overwhelmed by the joy of escaping death, he could not help weeping with relief.

He knocked his forehead against the floor with heavy thuds. "Thank you, Princess! Thank you, Princess! From now on, I'll serve you like an ox or a horse to repay you-and our child!"

Princess Duanmin waited until he had kowtowed enough to leave bloody marks on his forehead before approaching him and deliberately saying, "Unfortunately, my imperial father wants you dead. There is nothing I can do."

Zheng Zhiyi instantly went rigid, his eyes blank, as though he had not yet grasped what she meant.

He slowly raised his head and asked quietly, his voice carrying one last shred of hope, "Do you mean for me to take a drug that will fake my death?"

Princess Duanmin could not help laughing, but her smile brimmed with malice. "No. I want you to die. The more thoroughly dead, the better!"

Unable to believe it, Zheng Zhiyi still tried to salvage the situation. "Princess, Princess, if I die, what will become of our daughter?"

"She will only live well without you," Princess Duanmin said icily. "Zheng Zhiyi, go to your death in peace!"

With that, she left without looking back.

Left alone in his cell, Zheng Zhiyi shouted over and over, "Impossible! None of this is real! Princess! Princess! Come back!"

The head jailer grew thoroughly irritated by the noise and muttered, "Damned lunatic. What a racket."

He ordered someone to beat Zheng Zhiyi until he could no longer shout.

Prince Yu's Residence.

System: [Congratulations, host. You have successfully helped Princess Duanmin see the scumbag for what he was and recover her biological daughter. Points +300]

Chu Siqing's eyes flew open. [Huh? Does that mean my cousin found out that the second prince consort switched the children?]

System: [Yes. The second prince consort and that concubine have been beheaded, and his family has also been implicated.]

Chu Siqing could not help clapping in delight. [Good riddance to that scumbag! Thank goodness my cousin dealt with this now. If it had dragged on any longer, who knows how much her daughter would have suffered!]

Actually, the system had been about to say that he felt the recent increases in points had all been rather inexplicable.

But Chu Siqing was already congratulating herself. [They have me to thank for this! Mother must have heard my inner thoughts and secretly told my cousin.]

System: ...

Well, that was possible too.

More points benefited him anyway, so he kept his mouth shut.