The princess regretted it.

Chapter 331 The Zhang Family is in Chaos

Jin'an's mention of her brother seemed unintentional, but it was actually intentional. With her skillful guidance, her father's guilt towards her would undoubtedly deepen. This sense of guilt would undoubtedly provide her with an invisible boost. Perhaps in the future, at some point or another, it would translate into his favoritism and protection, becoming a solid support for her.

The corners of her mouth curled up slightly, then quickly retreated, returning to her dignified and proper expression. She looked up at her father, her eyes filled with admiration, as if the previous thought had never existed.

When the news of Zhang's banishment to the cold palace reached the Zhang residence, the entire place was thrown into chaos. Upon hearing the news, Zhang's mother, Yao, felt a blackout, her body swayed, and she fell backwards, fainting on the spot.

Zhang Hengrui was so anxious upon seeing this that his eyes instantly turned red. He turned abruptly and rushed towards the palace, shouting, "I want to go into the palace and ask the emperor for an explanation!"

At the same time, Zhang Hengrui's wife, Tian, hurriedly arranged for the servants to call a doctor, and ran over crying. She stretched out her hands and grabbed her husband's sleeves tightly, pleading in a sobbing voice: "You can't go. If you go, I'm afraid you will never come back!" For a moment, everyone in the room was talking to each other, as chaotic as ants on a hot pan.

Zhang Chengde stood aside, watching the chaotic scene unfold. He felt a surge of rage rising to his head. His eyes widened, veins bulging on his forehead. He suddenly reached out and swung the teacup on the table to the ground. With a crisp "bang", it suddenly exploded in the room.

The sound was like an order, and the servants turned pale with fear. They all knelt on the ground in unison. Zhang Hengrui was also shocked by the sudden loud noise. He paused and slowly turned his head to look at his father.

Zhang Chengde panted heavily, his eyes bloodshot, and like an angry lion, he scanned the crowd. Finally, his gaze, like a sharp sword, fell on his son. His daughter-in-law, Tian, was still clutching her son's sleeve tightly, as if afraid that if she let go, Zhang Hengrui would disappear.

Zhang Chengde tried hard to suppress his rapid breathing, his chest heaving violently. He gritted his teeth and said, "Tian, let him go! If he's determined to die, then let him go!"

Tian fell to her knees with a thud, but her hand still tightly grasped her husband's sleeve. She cried to Zhang Chengde, "Father-in-law! He was just anxious for a moment, and he's really worried about my sister. You can't just watch him take risks and leave him alone."

"He's the only one worried?" Zhang Chengde's face was filled with anger, and he glared at Zhang Hengrui with dismay. "Don't your mother and I feel bad? You and your sister are the only two children we have. You want us to send your son off, don't you? You thought you could get away with entering the palace, but you're trying to drag the entire Zhang family into hell! Do you understand?"

Zhang Hengrui was filled with shame at his father's questioning, his head drooping lower and lower. He knew in his heart that his actions had been too reckless. Going to the palace to question the emperor not only had no chance of success, but also had the high possibility of bringing disaster to the entire family.

However, during this period, he was truly overwhelmed and suffocated. First, his son's life or death was uncertain, and this matter had to be kept secret from everyone, not even his wife. The feeling of suffocation and frustration was like a huge stone, weighing heavily on his heart.

Now, his sister had suddenly suffered another misfortune and been banished to the cold palace. These unpleasant things came flooding back like a tide, leaving him with no outlet to vent. Just now, he had only acted impulsively, his mind racing, thinking of rushing into the palace and questioning the emperor's intentions, even preparing to die.

Now, listening to his father's questioning, it was like a heavy hammer hitting his heart, gradually waking him up from the fog of impulsiveness. His thoughts became clearer and clearer, and he suddenly realized that if he really put his reckless behavior into action, the consequences would be disastrous.

If only he lost his life, he would be lucky. But if he offended the emperor, he would undoubtedly be handing the evidence to the emperor, giving him a perfect excuse to plunge the entire Zhang family into irretrievable ruin and bring disaster upon the family.

Zhang Hengrui felt a chill run down his spine at the thought, his clothes instantly soaked with sweat. His legs gave way, and with a thud, he fell to his knees. He spoke, his voice choking with tears, "Father, you were right. I was too impulsive and nearly caused such a disaster."

Seeing that his son had realized his mistake, Zhang Chengde stopped scolding him. He turned around and, facing the maids and servants who were frantically supporting the unconscious Yao, ordered with a stern look, "You guys, hurry up and take the old lady back to the courtyard and take good care of her." The maids and servants dared not delay. They quickly worked together, carefully lifted Yao up, and hurried away.

Then, Zhang Chengde looked at Tian and the housekeeper and arranged in an orderly manner: "Tian, you should immediately arrange for someone to invite the best doctor in the city. In the next two days, you should spend more time and effort to take good care of your mother-in-law." Tian nodded hurriedly, responded with "yes", stood up and started to make arrangements.

Zhang Chengde paused, turned his gaze to the housekeeper, and warned him seriously: "Housekeeper, you have to keep a close eye on everyone in the mansion. During this period of time, you must not cause any trouble and do not allow anyone to gossip. If anything goes wrong, you will be the only one to be held accountable." The housekeeper shuddered with fear and quickly accepted the order respectfully, promising to strictly abide by the rules of the mansion.

Then he stood up and walked out of the house, saying to Zhang Hengrui, "Get up and follow me."

Then, Zhang Chengde straightened his back, stood up, and strode out of the house while saying to Zhang Hengrui in a deep voice, "Get up and follow me." Zhang Hengrui did not dare to slack off at all. He quickly got up from the ground and followed his father closely. Together, they walked towards the courtyard of their grandfather, Old Master Zhang.

Judging from the situation, the three generations of the Zhang family were about to close themselves off for another confidential discussion. No one knew what kind of response they would come up with to this sudden incident. However, after experiencing this series of events, everyone could sense that this new year was destined to be turbulent for the Zhang family.

This news left some devastated and others secretly delighted. The third prince, Zhangsun Wuwang, was the latter. Previously, he had meticulously planned and attempted to scheme against the second prince, but his plan had failed miserably, leaving him frustrated for quite some time. Unexpectedly, Concubine Zhang had lost her composure and personally pushed herself into the abyss of the cold palace.