Chapter 36 036 The Fourth Prince Ling Zizhan

Heavy snow blocked the gates, and the palace rules clerk brought word that no one was allowed to leave the palace unless there was a reason.

Qingli then had some free time. Tang Shuqing would occasionally come to her room to sit for a while. Until the third day, when Tang Shuqing did not come, a palace maid hurriedly knocked on the door.

Her ankles were still covered in thick snow. She glanced at Qingli in the room, whose black hair cascaded down her back and whose features were exquisite. The palace maid blushed instantly. "Miss Tang has sent me to deliver a letter to you."

Jiang Yue took the money, casually pulled out some loose silver from her sleeve and placed it in the maid's hand. She then escorted the maid to the door and, before Jiang Yue could ask any questions, turned and disappeared into the snowstorm.

The smoke from the exhaust turned into white smoke. The Jing Si Hall was quiet, and only the occasional footsteps outside made it clear that we were not deep in the wilderness.

Within the bustling palace, the Hall of Contemplation seemed to have been forgotten, with even the thick snow left untouched.

Qingli took it and said only two brief sentences: Tang Shuqing was taken away by the nanny this morning and did not have a chance to say goodbye in person. She only found out that she had been sent to the Fourth Princess when she had some free time. Moreover, everyone in Jingsi Palace had been arranged. Feng Yuchan and Chen Lihui went to the First Princess's place, and the Third Princess and Fourth Princess had also been assigned companions.

The second princess fell ill with a cold on a snowy night and there has been no news of her since.

It all started because of her, but she didn't get it, so Qingli felt sorry for her, worrying about how serious her illness was and whether she was feeling depressed.

When Hua Ying's nanny took the letter from her young mistress, she was so shocked that she couldn't speak for a moment. Although she hadn't known her for long, her young mistress was cautious, clever and quick-witted, and would never do anything rash.

Moreover, Granny Hua Ying thought that a lot of money had been sent out to make friends, and since no one had come to report it, it must be the will of the higher-ups.

Should we go find the general?

As Hua Ying was lost in thought, Qing Li also pondered. If she had any doubts before, now it was almost certain. Song Zhang had said that she looked very much like her father and grandfather. The fact that he lost his composure when he saw her and even treated her so coldly must be because of her father's matter.

It's unclear whether it's the Empress, the Noble Consort, or the Virtuous Consort, or perhaps someone else entirely.

She felt as if she had unwittingly stumbled into a maze. Not only were the people behind her caught off guard, but she herself was also somewhat at a loss. However, she could no longer suppress the eagerness in her heart.

If she could do without it before, now she is destined to forge ahead.

She suddenly became curious about her aunt. If her aunt met her, would she also lose her composure? After all, she had heard a lot about the name of the cold beauty, Consort Mu.

Did the aunt enter the palace to avoid trouble, or to compete for power?

Jiang Yue didn't believe it. She went out and walked around the palace before returning, weak and exhausted. "Only Miss An is left. There is really no one else."

Qingli really didn't expect that An Shulan would also be sidelined.

interesting.

An Shulan sat on a stool by the window, watching the maid running around in the room, and sneered twice, "What an idiot, only realizing this now."

The maid Xuezhi draped the fox fur cloak over her mistress, exhaling a puff of white breath as she spoke, "Miss, be careful not to catch a cold."

An Shulan had lost weight rapidly in just a few days, her figure becoming excessively slender. She had lost her former arrogance and appeared delicate and graceful, like a willow swaying in the wind. Upon hearing the words, she didn't even move, her cloak sliding down her thin shoulders.

Xuezhi hurriedly bent down to pick it up, and when she covered it again, she felt her shoulders tremble slightly. Xuezhi's eyes reddened. After the young master lost power, those young ladies and women did not care about their past relationship at all. They treated the young lady like this, and those servants even dared to cut back on the charcoal in their room.

Xuezhi was indeed wronged regarding the charcoal. They weren't withholding it; none of the young ladies had any. Whoever had some simply meant that person had been paid more money.

Hearing the maid sobbing, An Shulan suddenly became angry and shouted wildly, "Stop crying!"

He threw the handkerchief in his hand heavily onto Xuezhi's face, which calmed the nameless anger in his heart a little. He said in a gloomy tone, "A merchant's daughter can be my equal, so how can I feel sorry for myself!"

He wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes with his fingers, which turned bluish-white from the cold, a truly horrifying sight. Yet, he felt it wasn't enough and pounded his legs fiercely. "I can't give up. As long as my brother's crime hasn't been proven, there's still a chance for a turnaround. As long as my brother is released, everything will return to normal."

Xuezhi knelt down with heartache and held the young lady's hand, but the hand seemed colder than the snow outside, causing a sharp pain in Xuezhi's palm.

"Yes, we must find a way to rescue my brother." An Shulan murmured, "As long as I follow that person's instructions, they will arrange for me to see my brother."

"At worst, there's still the Emperor. He once praised me for my virtuous and gentle character. Xuezhi, tell me, isn't this a path?"

Xuezhi fell to the ground in shock, still holding her mistress's hand. The mistress was pulled down as well, a smile on her lips, tears welling in her eyes, looking extremely distressed.

Xuezhi murmured, unable to utter a sound.

An Shulan seemed to be stuck in her stubbornness. She suddenly pulled her hand out, looked at herself in the bronze mirror on the table, and said sarcastically, "Qingli is living so well, isn't it all because of Meng Qingshan's support? The two of them have no relatives or kinship. I don't believe there's nothing fishy between them. What she did, why can't I do it too!"

The last syllable was shrill and piercing, making the ears ache.

Inside Yingcui Palace, Consort Mu sat quietly in a round-backed chair, watching her daughter sip her medicine. She had been ill for several days, her face was pale, and her usual lively expression had faded. She leaned listlessly against the soft quilt.

The palace maid Yu Jue, dressed in a pale yellow palace dress, quickly entered the hall with her hands clasped. The entire Yingcui Palace exuded a solemn atmosphere, and even the palace maids were not smiling, but rather cold and distant. She bowed to Consort Mu's side and whispered, "Your Highness, the Second Prince has entered the palace, and His Majesty is summoning him."

Ling Shuyao, with her sharp ears, quickly pushed the medicine to the nanny upon hearing this and asked in surprise, "Brother really came?"

Having said that, she ignored the medicine that the nanny offered again, slipped on her soft-soled embroidered shoes and got up. Seeing that the Empress's expression remained unchanged, Yu Jue got up to help the Second Princess and slowly explained, "The Princess has just recovered from her illness, so it is best for her to rest more. The Fourth Prince has important matters to attend to and will not be able to come for some time."

The fourth prince, Ling Zizhan, is already twenty years old. Above him is the eldest prince, born of the empress, and in the middle is the second prince, who is favored by his mother. The fourth prince is aloof and doesn't know how to be charming, so he has never been valued. This time, the task of training horses, which no one else wanted to do, was assigned to the fourth prince.

Since taking up his post, the Fourth Prince has been diligent and conscientious, staying in the outskirts of the capital and rarely returning to the palace. However, even when he was in the palace, he did not often visit Yingcui Palace.

The fourth prince is indifferent, while the second princess is willful. The two siblings have completely different personalities, one cold and the other warm, but they get along extremely harmoniously.

Yu Jue then thought, this is the bond between blood relatives.

Outside the council hall, Ling Zizhan took the gray squirrel fur cloak handed to him by the guard Xuan Ye. Standing on the steps, he looked around and saw that the walls and tiles were covered in white snow, which was dazzling. He couldn't help but squint.

A line of imperial guards entered through the palace gates, clad in dark armor, their right hands gripping the hilts of swords wrapped in black animal hide, seemingly ready to draw their swords at the slightest provocation.

The imposing aura grew even more majestic with the approaching, uniform footsteps. Ling Zizhan raised an eyebrow slightly, a single thought running through his mind: it really was him.

It was Meng Qingshan, a general surrounded by a murderous aura that dared not be looked at directly, or a bandit-like aura that was ruthless and intimidating. He had fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He would stand there with only his sword in hand, and any enemy who came to attack would immediately think of retreating three feet away.

His cold aura was far superior to that of Anping Tai, who was tainted by power and sycophancy.

Meng Qingshan waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards behind him stood in place. He stepped forward and said calmly, "Fourth Prince."

"Commander Meng, has your injury fully healed?"

Meng Qingshan looked dejected and slowly said, "It's just a minor injury, thank you for your concern, Fourth Prince."

Ling Zizhan was also a dull and uninteresting person. When the two icebergs collided, the surrounding area felt cold. The officials who were usually obsequious were afraid of the Fourth Prince's taciturn nature and would never approach him unless there was something wrong. Now that they sensed that something was wrong, they all hid far away, and it was quiet in the air.

Ling Zizhan lowered his brows and said directly, "I wouldn't say I'm worried, I'm just curious about what's going on in the camp outside the capital. Everyone here is either in prison or injured."

"This humble subject is unaware; does the Fourth Prince know?"

The anger suddenly stopped, and only the sparks seemed to be buzzing in my ears.

Their gazes locked in mid-air. After a long while, Ling Zizhan looked past him and behind him. The Emperor's personal eunuch, Dexi, directed the eunuchs to carry a sedan chair into the palace gate.

The shrill voice scolded, "Watch your step, everyone!"

Meng Qingshan turned around and saw an old man with silver hair and a white beard sitting on the sedan chair. He wore a fox fur felt hat and a brocade robe that was as brown as withered branches. He coughed softly from time to time, and his complexion was not good.

When Dexi saw the two of them, he stopped in his tracks, wondering why the Fourth Prince was here. The little eunuch who was always watching Dexi's every move also stopped.

For a moment, everyone was a little confused.

The old man on the palanquin lowered his gaze to the two below, then suddenly let out a heavy snort. Dexi snapped back to his senses, gave a signal to a young eunuch, and led the palanquin a few steps away to the side. When they reached the palace gate, Dexi carefully helped the old man into the council hall without waiting for an announcement.

"Fourth Prince, this servant greets you. The snow has blocked the roads, and the journey has been bumpy. Are you alright?"

Ling Zizhan: "It's alright."

"Commander Meng, you bear heavy responsibilities and have been working tirelessly. Is your body still able to handle it?"

Meng Qingshan: "It's alright."

......

Dexi was speechless for a moment. He shook his neck to shake off the cold. How could he warm up when he touched these two blocks of ice? He chuckled twice and took his leave.

Let whoever wants to keep this ice block covered.

Meng Qingshan nodded slightly. His intuition was usually accurate, and the dissatisfaction just now was probably directed at him. He just didn't know when he had offended Mr. Huang Pu.

Ling Zizhan felt a bitter taste in his mouth. His maternal grandfather was in front of him, but he couldn't go to greet him. His grandfather scolded him, probably because he was already dissatisfied with him.

Even after entering the Yingcui Palace, Ling Zizhan still looked ashamed.

However, before seeing his mother, he put on a calm expression and said, "Greetings to Mother. How have you been these days?"

Consort Mu had just finished the last stitch in her hand, a dark blue robe with cloud and thunder patterns, the stitches were fine and dense, very similar to the clothes her maternal grandfather had just worn.

Ling Zizhan paused slightly. He could sense that the relationship between his maternal grandfather and mother was not as hostile as it appeared on the surface. All signs indicated that the two had an unspoken understanding.

He guessed it might be related to his uncle's family.