Chapter 2 The Second Miss is Back

Ten years later, Prince Liang's Mansion.

"The Second Miss is back!"

A little maid came running in with the news. Princess Nie of Prince Liang was about to stand up when she heard it, but her sister Nie Qionghua held her back and said, "She's back. Does she still need you, her mother, to greet her in person?"

Princess Liang thought the same and leaned back on the pillow again.

A moment later, the eldest princess Zhao Yunnuan and Zhao Shiqing, who had changed into mourning clothes, walked in together.

A few days ago, King Liang died suddenly after drinking. At that time, Zhao Shiqing was still in Baihe Mountain.

She was brought to Baihe Mountain by Murong Linlang when she was six years old. Although Baihe Mountain was also in Liangdi, Zhao Shiqing only returned to the palace during the holidays, and therefore she could not even see her father for the last time.

Seeing Zhao Shiqing, Princess Liang's eyes turned red: "Why did you come back just now? Your father loved you in vain..."

"Mother, I am unfilial. I came back late..." Zhao Shiqing choked and couldn't continue.

Nie Qionghua sneered at the side: "Everyone is dead, what's the point of talking about this now?"

Zhao Shiqing glanced at her and said indifferently, "If you keep talking too much, you'll get mouth ulcers."

Nie Qionghua was furious: "What did you say?"

This time, Zhao Shiqing didn't even glance at her: "If your ears are not feeling well, go see a doctor."

"You..." Nie Qionghua was about to retort, but Princess Liang coughed lightly. Nie Qionghua had to swallow the words that were on the tip of her tongue. She rolled her eyes at Zhao Shiqing and turned away, not looking at her.

Princess Liang sighed and said to Zhao Shiqing, "Since you're back, you should go to keep vigil for the prince tonight. It will be worth his love for you."

Zhao Shiqing replied, "Yes."

Seeing her well-behaved attitude, Princess Liang finally felt a little better: "Go, all of you leave..."

After leaving Suining Palace, where Princess Liang lived, Zhao Yunnuan held Zhao Shiqing's hand. "Don't worry. Father passed away so suddenly that Mother found it hard to accept. She wasn't just like this to you, she was also like this to me and Axuan. As for Second Aunt, she's always been like this. There's no need to bother with her."

Having said that, everyone in Prince Liang's Mansion knew that Princess Liang had always been lukewarm towards the Second Miss Zhao Shiqing. After all, the Second Miss seldom came back, and in terms of closeness, she was certainly not as close as the children raised by her side. Besides, the Second Miss was not Princess Liang's biological daughter.

Zhao Shiqing asked, "When will Big Brother come back?"

Zhao Yunnuan said, "The Left Chief Secretary has written a memorial and has sent someone to deliver it 600 miles to the capital. If Your Majesty still has regard for ethics and moral principles, he will allow my brother to return."

Prince Zhao Tinghan of Liang and Princess Zhao Yunnuan are twins, a boy and a girl. Zhao Tinghan has been a hostage in the capital since he was five years old, and it has been fourteen years now. Zhao Shiqing has never even seen this elder brother.

At night, Zhao Yunnuan and his second brother Zhao Tingxuan wanted to accompany his younger sister to keep vigil. Zhao Shiqing knew that they had already been keeping vigil for several nights, so she politely declined and went to the mourning hall alone with her maid Lingbo.

Looking at his father's coffin, Zhao Shiqing burst into tears.

She didn't blame Princess Liang for being cold to her. After all, she was just an adopted daughter.

The youngest daughter of Princess Liang was abducted by a kidnapper when she was five years old. The palace sent out the royal guards to search for her everywhere with great fanfare. The kidnapper then realized that the little girl was actually the princess of the palace. If she was caught, she would be executed by slow slicing.

The kidnapper knew that he would be too conspicuous if he took the child with him, so he immediately threw the child into the dry well and ran away.

When King Liang and his personal guards came looking for clues, they saw only a small corpse lying in a dry well.

In the next few days, King Liang searched everywhere for the kidnapper and captured a group of kidnappers.

One of the kidnappers confessed that a few days ago he was outside the city and took over a blind girl from a colleague. He sold the girl to a beggar in the city who specialized in cutting and dismembering living things.

The so-called "caisheng zhejia" means making the abducted children disabled and sending them out to beg in order to deceive kind-hearted people.

Whether in the imperial court or in Liang, mutilation was a capital crime, so these evil people targeted the poor children who were already disabled.

Upon hearing that there was someone in the city who specialized in this kind of business, King Liang was furious. He personally led people to capture the evil beggar and rescue four children, one of whom was the blind girl the kidnapper had mentioned.

The girl was blind, had several broken ribs, and had many abrasions on her body. She was torn into pieces like a rag doll.

When King Liang saw that she was somewhat similar to his dead little daughter, he felt pity for her.

He brought the girl back to the palace. Nie just took a look at her and left.

The girl was Zhao Shiqing. She didn't remember her last name or where she lived. The doctor said she was drugged by the kidnapper. She was young and fortunately she didn't become stupid.

Fortunately, not long after she entered the palace, her eyesight regained. King Liang was overjoyed and named her Zhao Shiqing. The word "Qing" means the clouds and fog have dispersed, and the word "Shi" comes from the fact that when Zhao Shiqing was rescued, there was a small "Shi" embroidered on her tattered clothes.

Zhao was the royal surname, and King Liang not only let her take the surname Zhao, but also reported her name to the clan office. Although she did not have the title of princess, she was a daughter of the royal family who had a bright future.

A year later, King Liang entertained his benefactor Murong Xiang and his daughter Murong Linlang in his mansion. Murong Linlang took a liking to Zhao Shiqing at first sight and insisted on taking her as her disciple. So Zhao Shiqing followed Murong Linlang to Baihe Mountain. The mansion would send people to deliver things to her every month, and even Baihe Mountain was registered under her name.

Over the years, although she only returned to the palace during festivals, Prince Liang treated her as his own daughter, and her brothers and sisters also treated her as their own sister. Even Princess Liang was only slightly distant from her and never spoke harshly to her...

If we were to say who in the mansion had the greatest malice towards her, it would be Nie Qionghua. This second aunt became a widow at a young age, and had a bad relationship with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, so she returned to her parents' home. She only lived there for a month, but she disturbed the peace of the family. Her father and brother insisted on sending her to a nunnery. Life in the nunnery was hard, so Nie Qionghua asked someone to send a letter to her sister who was far away in Liangdi for help. The Princess of Liang felt sorry for her sister, so she sent someone to take her to Liangdi.

When Nie Qionghua first arrived in Liangdi, she also wanted to get married. After looking at several girls, she was not satisfied with any of them, so she refused to get married no matter what.

Nie Qionghua has lived in Prince Liang's Mansion for fifteen years, and usually stays by the side of Princess Liang. After all, this is a prince's mansion, and the rules are strict. Although Nie Qionghua has been a gossip and unpopular over the years, she has not openly stirred up trouble.

Zhao Shiqing collected his thoughts, took the yellow paper from Lingbo and put it in the brazier. In the firelight, he seemed to see his father's majestic yet kind face again.

At this moment, there were soft footsteps. Zhao Yunnuan walked into the mourning hall. She burned incense in front of the coffin, then walked over to Zhao Shiqing and knelt down. She asked softly, "You've been traveling all day. You must be tired. I'll take your place. You can go to sleep."

Zhao Shiqing shook her head: "I want to spend more time with my father."

Zhao Yunnuan did not try to persuade her anymore and just burned paper silently.

Zhao Shiqing lowered her voice and asked, "Sister, how did father die? Did they ask the coroner to perform an autopsy?"

Zhao Yunnuan raised his head abruptly: "You also doubt the cause of father's death?"

She said "also".

"Sister, you're also suspicious, right? Was there an autopsy? Father hasn't drunk alcohol in years, so why did he die suddenly from drinking?"

Zhao Shiqing knew that excessive drinking could be fatal, but since he made a mistake due to drinking once, King Liang stopped drinking. Even during the New Year, he drank tea instead of wine.

Zhao Yunnuan sighed, leaned close to Zhao Shiqing's ear, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear, "In fact, father did drink.

That day, Princess Jiayi and Prince Consort Xiao returned to Liang to visit their relatives. Before leaving, my father held a farewell banquet for them. The wine was brought by them and was brewed by Prince Consort Xiao's mother herself, so my father had a drink.

My mother, Axuan and I were all present at the time. My father had the seizure after returning to his study after the banquet, which was an hour later. From the onset of the seizure to his death, it took less than a cup of tea. He passed away before Imperial Physician Han arrived.

Imperial Physician Han and Coroner Zhang have examined everything and both agree that Father's heart disease was caused by drinking."

Zhao Shiqing looked at Zhao Yunnuan. The two sisters faced each other and saw their own shadows in each other's eyes.

"Sister, I know there's a medicine that can induce heart disease. The former prince of Wu died of this disease. Sister, you know that, too, don't you?"

Zhao Yunnuan didn't say anything, which meant she agreed.

In the past, after Emperor Yong established his dynasty and appointed a crown prince, he divided the land into eight parts and gave them to his other six sons and two kings of different surnames, who were known in history as the Eight Great Kings.

The Eight Great Kings have inherited the throne for one hundred and twenty years. Those who now govern these vassal states, including the King of Liang, are all descendants of the Eight Great Kings.

After Taizu granted himself a fiefdom, he asked each prince to send his eldest son or grandson to study in Beijing.

It was said that they were studying, but in fact they were being held as hostages. However, Taizu still loved his children and grandchildren. Most of these princes would return home after they came of age and learn how to manage their fiefdoms from their father.

However, this unwritten rule was broken when the retired emperor was still in power. At that time, the Crown Prince of Wu had reached adulthood and should have returned to Wu, but the retired emperor instead arranged for him to marry the empress dowager's niece, Wang, and allowed them to get married in the capital.

Only seven months after Wang's marriage, she gave birth to a healthy baby boy who was "premature". Shortly afterwards, the Prince of Wu died of a sudden heart attack after drinking.

The King of Wu was furious and personally led 5,000 personal soldiers to the capital. Wang took all the blame on herself and admitted that she had an affair with a man outside her husband before her marriage. After giving birth to a son, she poisoned her husband because he suspected her.

The incident ended with Wang being handed over to King Wu for disposal, Queen Wang being deposed, the male members of the Wang family being exiled, and the female members of the Wang family being sent to the Jiaofangsi.

Although no one dared to question the retired emperor, it was no secret that Wang often went to the palace to accompany the queen before her marriage, and the retired emperor lost all face.

Although the royal family announced that the Prince of Wu died of a sudden heart attack after drinking, with Wang's confession, the fact that the Prince of Wu died of poisoning became an open secret.

"Shh—be careful, the walls have ears." Zhao Yunnuan lowered his voice.

Emperor Yongjia was suspicious by nature, so who could guarantee that he didn't have any secret agents in Prince Liang's mansion?

Besides, it wasn’t just the Prince of Wu who died of a heart attack after drinking, but also Emperor Xiaokang!

The two sisters fell silent again. In the huge mourning hall, the only sound was the flickering sound of the flames.

After a long while, Zhao Shiqing spoke again: "The emperor will not let my brother come back."

Zhao Yunnuan was stunned. "Isn't it natural for a son or daughter to come back for the funeral? Besides, my father has passed away, and as the crown prince, my eldest brother should return to take over the fiefdom."

Zhao Shiqing did not continue the topic, but she still felt that the eldest brother's journey to the funeral would not be smooth.

"Where are Princess Jiayi and Prince Consort Xiao now?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

Zhao Shiqing put a few more gold ingots into the brazier. The flames shot up and the blazing fire illuminated the surroundings as if they were unreal.

"On the night my father passed away, Zuo Changshi settled them in Ziteng Villa. I heard that Prince Consort Xiao was ill, so Princess Jiayi stayed with him at Ziteng Villa to recuperate. He won't be returning to the capital for the time being."

Zhao Yunnuan spoke in a relaxed tone, as if the two people who were under house arrest by Zuo Changshi were not a princess and her husband, but just an ordinary couple.

Zhao Yunnuan paused and continued, "Princess Jiayi's only son, Xiao Zhen, did not travel with them. Before they left the capital, the Emperor took Xiao Zhen into the palace to accompany the Crown Prince in his studies."

"What about the Xiao family? Did they send anyone to express condolences to father?" Zhao Shiqing asked.

Zhao Yunnuan shook his head: "No, the news of my father's death may not have reached Qingquan yet, or perhaps the Xiao family is still on the way."

Zhao Shiqing stood up and said, "Whether the Xiao family knows about this or not, I will go to the Xiao family. I have beaten Xiao Su from the Xiao family."

In the solemn mourning hall, the young girl's tender voice actually added a bit of humor.

Zhao Yunnuan was at a loss for words. Xiao Su was the eldest grandson of the Xiao family and the next head of the family.

During last year's Lantern Festival, Zhao Shiqing had a fight with a young man over a lantern. That young man was Xiao Su.

Xiao Su was beaten black and blue, and he told others that he fell down.

The Xiao family was once a famous military family with great military achievements and brought honor to the family.

Not only in Liangdi, but also in the entire Dayong Dynasty, the Xiao family is a wealthy and prestigious family.

More than thirty years ago, the retired emperor, who was still Emperor Xuanqing, led the army to fight in person and was nearly captured. In order to protect the emperor, the eight sons of the Xiao family went to the battle, but only two of them came back alive, and both were seriously injured.

From then on, the Xiao family withdrew from officialdom, returned to their ancestral home in Qingquan, gave up military service and turned to literature, and multiplied and prospered.

Twenty years ago, Xiao Jingyan, the most outstanding member of the Xiao family, went to Beijing to take the imperial examination and was selected as the third place in the imperial examination. However, before he entered the officialdom, he was recruited as a prince consort and could only accompany the princess cautiously from then on.

During the Yong Dynasty, the imperial consort was a third-rank official who only received a salary but had no real job. His duty was to be gentle and considerate to the princess.

There are still legends about the Xiao family in the court, but there are no longer any members of the Xiao family in the court.

Although the Qingquan Xiao family is now prosperous, among the younger generation, except for Xiao Su and Xiao Zhen who is far away in the capital, all other children are not yet adults.

"Regardless of whether my father was killed by Princess Jiayi and Prince Consort Xiao, the Xiao family cannot stand idly by!"

Neither Princess Jiayi nor Prince Consort Xiao had any reason to murder King Liang, so they were just being used.

In the whole world, the number of people who have the courage to kill King Liang can be counted on five fingers.

Now that the Xiao family is involved, we must bring them in completely!

Zhao Shiqing left as soon as she said she would. She took off her mourning clothes, changed into night clothes, left the palace, and mounted her horse. A civet cat suddenly appeared from nowhere and jumped lightly into her arms. The man, the horse, and the cat disappeared into the night. The clatter of horse hooves broke the silence of the night.