Soon, news spread that the Eldest Princess Consort had been beaten to death by Emperor Yongguang’s order after his illicit affair with Shao Yan and their illegitimate child were exposed.
Everyone was shocked; the Eldest Princess Consort had always worn a mask of respectability, and no one imagined that he had secretly fathered a child. While it was common for men of status to keep mistresses, the imperial family was not a place where such things were tolerated. Furthermore, this concerned the Eldest Princess. Though her birth mother had died early, she had been doted upon by the Empress Dowager since childhood, and even the Empress treated her with caution. That the Eldest Princess Consort dared to cheat on her struck many as audaciously reckless.
Once it was learned that both the Shao and Liu families had been demoted three ranks, and that the Empress had personally issued an imperial decree rebuking the wives of both households, the public clearly understood Emperor Yongguang’s stance.
Chapter 66