SFL Chapter 21

“What happened to the Su family?” the Fourth Prince asked nonchalantly.

Why did he form a marriage alliance with the Su family? Wasn’t it to secure the position of the heir?

Now that the position of the Crown Prince was settled, his influence had diminished, and achieving success seemed almost out of reach. The importance of the Su family’s alliance was not as significant as before.

Anxiously, Su Qianhuan shared, “My father and several of my elder brothers’ incriminating evidence regarding your Highness’s affairs was discovered and brought to the Third Prince’s attention.”

The Fourth Prince, who had initially adopted a carefree attitude, suddenly turned serious and glared at Su Qianhuan. He reprimanded, “Why is your Su family so careless?”

Su Qianhuan couldn’t help but feel wronged. She had not been involved in this matter from the beginning, yet she was the one being scolded. But for her family’s sake, she had to endure.

During this period, she had become well-acquainted with her husband’s ruthless nature. She knew that if the Su family fell, her position as the consort would also be compromised. The Su family might have other charges against them, but she knew that telling the Fourth Prince would make him intervene because the Su family had been working for him.

So, by implicating the Su family and linking them to the Fourth Prince, he would have to address this issue, even if he didn’t want to. After all, the Su family had been working on his behalf.

The Su family had done many things for the Fourth Prince. Apart from the basic operation of suppressing critics and attacking officials from other factions, the Su family, as the Fourth Prince’s in-laws, had been helping him accumulate wealth to buy more support.

The Su family had officials among their ranks, and they had their wealth. But while they supported the Fourth Prince, they didn’t want to use their own money. Instead, they exploited the wealth of those under their jurisdiction and handed it over to the Fourth Prince.

This was a common practice among officials from various factions. Those whose wealth was taken away were the lucky ones; others lost not just their wealth but their lives as well.

So, when this matter was exposed, it couldn’t be handled privately. The Fourth Prince didn’t believe that the Third Prince, his third brother, would cover this up. If these matters weren’t used against him, he should consider himself fortunate.

“Isn’t the Crown Princess also your Su family’s daughter? You should go and find a solution there. I’ll go talk to the eldest brother and the second brother,” the Fourth Prince suggested after a moment of thought.

Mu Yunfeng was known for his favoritism toward his wife. He didn’t believe Mu Yunfeng would let his wife’s maternal family bear the blame. The most crucial step was to get the Su family out of this predicament. Even if the First and Second Princes were the main culprits behind involving the Su family, it didn’t hinder the Fourth Prince from discussing the matter with them.

Su Qianhuan watched in dismay as the Fourth Prince walked away. He actually expected her to go and bow to Su Qianluo. Did the Fourth Prince understand what that meant? If this were the Third Prince’s residence, Mu Yunfeng would not treat Su Qianluo like this.

‘But, if it were Su Qianluo, she wouldn’t be as anxious as I am now. Even if the Su family is gone, she can still be your Crown Princess. But why? Why do I have to work for my family’s future while Su Qianluo doesn’t have to do anything? We’re both daughters of the Su family. It’s time for her to contribute,’ Su Qianhuan thought.

Inside the palace, Su Qianluo, upon hearing the news of Su Qianhuan’s visit, raised her eyes slightly. She instructed someone to bring the Fourth Princess to the living room and quickly changed into a different outfit before greeting her guest.

Since becoming pregnant, Su Qianluo’s clothing choices had leaned towards comfort. Her pregnant belly eliminated the curve of her waist, and her once graceful figure had transformed into the gentle form of a mother.

Su Qianhuan was taken aback by Su Qianluo’s calm demeanor, especially when Su Qianluo touched her own belly. It was a stark contrast to her own emotions. “Crown Princess, please help our Su family and persuade the Third Prince to show mercy to our family.”

“Dear sister, please rise. If the Su family is innocent, the Third Prince will surely ensure they don’t suffer unjustly,” Su Qianluo responded with a gentle and calm voice.

In reality, Su Qianluo had received information about the situation a bit earlier and in more detail than Su Qianhuan. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising for Su Qianhuan to see Su Qianluo taking this approach. After all, the Su family’s major charges were related to accumulating wealth and taking lives. All the wealth they collected had been sent to the Fourth Prince’s side through the Su family’s main branch. The Su family was essentially acting as the Fourth Prince’s cannon fodder.

“Crown Princess…” Su Qianhuan looked at Su Qianluo. If the Su family was clean, she wouldn’t be here, begging for help from the Crown Princess.

“You and I share the same blood as the Su family. Even though you’re not from the main branch, you can’t just watch as the Su family faces destruction. What if your second uncle was also involved? Please, Crown Princess, if you ask the Crown Prince for help, he will surely spare the Su family,” Su Qianhuan pleaded with a hint of tears in her voice.

With Su Qianluo’s influence on Mu Yunfeng, if she stepped in, the Su family would undoubtedly be safe.

After hearing Su Qianhuan’s words, Su Qianluo sighed and said, “Do you know about the Marquis’ residence?”

“What does that have to do with the Marquis’ residence?” Su Qianhuan was confused.

The Marquis’ residence was the maternal family of the Empress, but what did it have to do with the Su family?

Su Qianluo explained, “When the Crown Prince was still working in the Ministry of Punishments, a collateral descendant of the Marquis’ residence got into trouble and was taken to the Ministry. He was well-regarded in his family, and the Marquis’ residence tried to take him back. However, all they took back was his corpse.”

“Even the Empress’s maternal family was treated like this. I am just a Crown Princess, and our family cannot compare to the Marquis’ residence. So, sister, you are putting me in a difficult position.”

Su Qianluo’s expression remained calm, something Su Qianhuan had never seen before. Su Qianluo was not worried because she had Mu Yunfeng. Even if her maternal family fell, her situation would not change. If anything, losing her burden of a maternal family might help her rise even further.

However, Su Qianhuan had none of Su Qianluo’s confidence. The Fourth Prince was undoubtedly a pragmatic person. Leaving aside the fact that the Su family’s existence was irrelevant to him if they ceased to exist, there were also women in the Fourth Prince’s residence, who came from equally prestigious backgrounds and would not tolerate her holding onto the position of the Fourth Princess when her status was inferior to theirs.

The worse Su Qianhuan’s situation became, the more she resented Su Qianluo. As she watched Su Qianluo, who was pregnant, a wicked thought crossed her mind.

“Fourth Sister, what’s with that look?” Su Qianluo’s voice turned cold.

Su Qianhuan’s malicious intent was so blunt that it disgusted Su Qianluo. Her eldest sister, who she had always looked up to, was slowly showing her true colors.

Su Qianhuan snapped out of it and hastily fled from Su Qianluo’s increasingly imposing presence.

Su Qianluo gazed at Su Qianhuan’s retreating figure with a calm expression, caressing her belly. She recalled that moment of discomfort. If it weren’t for their current identities and the watchful eyes, she wouldn’t have let Su Qianhuan leave alive.

On the same day, Su Qianluo sent a letter to Mu Yunfeng about this matter.

Mu Yunfeng wasn’t surprised by Su Qianhuan’s “darkening” character. The original story was written from the perspective of the male and female leads, and no matter how much they tried to put a “love” facade on their relationship, they couldn’t conceal the fact that the male lead killed his wife and children while the female lead found happiness by stepping on her own cousin’s dead body.

Now that Su Qianhuan had developed ill intentions toward her family and her own children, Mu Yunfeng wouldn’t pretend otherwise. Su Qianhuan was the Fourth Prince’s Consort, so her sins would naturally be counted against the Fourth Prince.

In addition to the evidence they had previously collected, Mu Yunfeng didn’t spend too much time away from the capital. He promptly presented the evidence to the Emperor.

The evidence implicated not only the Fourth Prince but also the First Prince and the Second Prince. Seeing the Emperor’s furious and unsettled reaction, Mu Yunfeng couldn’t help but speak up.

“Yunfeng, I know you’re also very angry about this, but these things can’t be brought to light,” the Emperor said calmly after regaining his composure.

Mu Yunfeng was well-prepared for this. After all, in a way, the First Prince and the Second Prince represented the Emperor’s dignity. If they encountered trouble, it would inevitably affect the Emperor’s reputation. If they enforced punishment too harshly, it might damage the Emperor’s image.

“Father, I am not a rigid person. As long as the victims receive compensation and my brothers pay a sufficient price, I am willing to turn a blind eye to this,” Mu Yunfeng replied reasonably.

The Emperor felt uneasy, “Crown Prince, I know this is difficult for you…” What a good son he had, capable and considerate, and yet, those few others still weren’t satisfied.

Mu Yunfeng’s idea of “sealing the information” was mainly about not publicly shaming the First Prince and the Second Prince. Many of the incidents were not their directives, but rather the doings of people further down the chain who were driven by their own desires. They were just unfortunate to be affiliated with the First Prince and the Second Prince’s camps, bearing the consequences.

The fact that the First Prince and his brothers weren’t in trouble didn’t mean the same for their followers. In reality, the Emperor had already abandoned the lower-ranking officials when trying to preserve the reputation of his three sons.

Although the Su Family was the in-law, the Fourth Prince abandoned the Su family as well.

No one would intervene, and the Su family’s condemned members were sentenced while their banished members were exiled. In the end, only those who had nothing to do with the cases and their families remained, spending their days in fear.

When the Fourth Prince returned to the mansion, he heard Su Qianhuan’s desperate cries. He said impatiently, “Why are you crying? The female members of your Su family are still alive.”

With the exception of those officials involved in the case, the women would be reduced to the status of commoners and lose any chance of ever rising up again.

But these cases were handled by Mu Yunfeng, and he wouldn’t send those women to such places. Instead, he provided them with some money to live as civilians. Whether the wealthy noblewomen and young ladies, who were accustomed to luxury, could survive on that money was no longer his concern.

Compared to how these matters were typically dealt with in the past, Mu Yunfeng had undoubtedly shown much more compassion. Those women who hadn’t been pushed to a dead end were all grateful to him.

Not to mention that there were in-law relationships everywhere at this time, and Mu Yunfeng didn’t forbid them from seeking refuge with relatives. There were many opportunities for survival.

“Fourth Prince, if it weren’t for you, my Su family wouldn’t be in this situation now,” Su Qianhuan said bitterly.

The Fourth Prince, upon hearing her words, couldn’t help but sneer, “It was your Su family who wanted to benefit from this prince’s achievements. Now that you’ve failed, you blame me. But don’t forget, once I succeed, the Su family will experience unparalleled glory.”

There was no such thing as a risk-free deal in this world. The Su family’s expectations were simply too high.

Tears filled Su Qianhuan’s eyes, and she regretfully said, “If I hadn’t run away at the time, I would have been the Third Prince’s Consort, the Crown Prince’s Consort, or even a potential Empress…”

After hearing her words, something in the Fourth Prince’s mind snapped like a tense wire. He grabbed Su Qianhuan’s neck with bloodshot eyes and said, “Su Qianhuan, you’ve gone too far.”

His dignity as a prince should not be trampled on in this manner.