Chapter 103 Ordered to Find Fault: In Reality, a Secret Meeting in the Open

After a while, Xun Suihuang felt something was wrong, looked up, and indeed saw Xi Congshuang outside the cell.

The person standing in front of the door had his wide sleeves lightly gathered and his black hair tied up, transforming from his former refined demeanor into one of unparalleled nobility.

She was surrounded by several people, some dressed in official robes and others in palace attire, all bowing and scraping before her.

At first glance, Xun Suihuang almost couldn't recognize who it was, but after another look, she felt that Xi Congshuang should look just like this.

Xi Congshuang: "Everyone, step down."

The accompanying official hesitated slightly: "But..."

Xi Congshuang raised her chin: "The door is locked, she can't get out. Do you want to see her?"

Xun Suihuang: "?"

What are you looking at?

Everyone was startled and quickly said they didn't want to watch and left.

Who wants to hear this? The princess is ordered to cause trouble, or is she causing trouble for the Marquis of Pingding?

No one knows what the future holds. Perhaps when the Marquis of Pingding is released from prison, she might turn around and find all those who witnessed her misfortune to cause trouble for her.

Even if she didn't, this princess is not someone to be trifled with, and it's not impossible that she would find someone who had previously caused trouble for her and cause trouble again.

We ordinary people should stay away from conflict.

Even His Highness Prince Xin suffered at her hands, becoming her stepping stone willingly throughout. Once the deed was done, he could only swallow his bitter pill and dare not utter a word.

If they were to fall into the princess's hands, who knows what their fate would be?

Either of them is someone to be trifled with.

After everyone had left, Xun Suihuang put down her chopsticks and walked to the railing. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly remembered something, took out a key from her sleeve, and reached her hand through the gap in the railing to unlock it.

The lock fell to the ground with a thud. Just as Xi Congshuang was about to move, she saw Xun Suihuang holding onto the railing with one hand and pulling on the padlock chain with the other to prevent the door from opening.

Xi Congshuang: "?"

They won't let me in?

Xun Suihuang said earnestly, "This place isn't very clean. The Rat Sister's family just left. Do you want to come in?"

"..." Xi Congshuang raised her hand, placed it on the back of her hand, and took it, then used her other hand to open the door and go inside.

Xun Suihuang shuddered at the sight of her expression and kept calling out, "Hands! Hands! Your hands, my hands!"

The man holding her hand ignored him, disregarding his fine clothes, and stepped into the prison cell.

Apart from the rat girl who was always on Xun Suihuang's mind, the place was cleaned quite well. Although the items were not complete sets and were all different, everything was quite complete.

She had bedding, pillows, a teapot, teacups, a basin, towels, and even a storybook to keep her entertained. She was practically ready to move in.

These past two days, a new jailer has been bringing meals, played by a cook from the Dali Temple. Taking advantage of her age, she's become even more brazen in her service.

The jailers of the Dali Temple were all vying to pretend to be blind, and since the old cook hadn't released the person anyway, they just let her be.

Besides, this is a great general!

In a lifetime, how many opportunities does one have to speak a few words with a great general and even send her some gifts to help her out?

If we defeat the barbarian Marquis of Pingding, what harm is there in doing him a favor?

Xi Congshuang took everything in, then looked back at Xun Suihuang, her head fixed on their clasped hands.

A pair of fair, jade-like fingers emerged from beneath the wide sleeves and clasped together with hers. The warm sleeves covered their intertwined hands, much like their relationship that could not be made public.

Even if Xi Congshuang wanted to see her, she had to find a reason. Xun Suihuang wasn't stupid; she could tell what the strange expressions of these officials meant.

Noticing Xi Congshuang's gaze, Xun Suihuang looked up and met her eyes. Her first words were, "Did you take your Chinese medicine today?"

"..." Xi Congshuang took a deep breath. "No, but I have a lot of experience in suppressing my emotions. I can use my past recovery experience on this. I feel good for now."

In fact, Xun Suihuang couldn't understand what she was saying, but since she was a doctor, everything she said made sense.

No, now he's not just a doctor, he has another identity.

"Then what about you..."

"It's a long story, and I can't explain it all in a short time. So I'll keep it short: my current title is Ruiguo, the Rui of auspiciousness."

"Princess Rui, Princess Rui?" Xun Suihuang was speechless for a long time, then raised her other hand. "Give me your other hand."

Xi Congshuang didn't understand, but she did as instructed.

Then Xun Suihuang grabbed her other hand; she needed to calm down.

She said she would go out and think of a solution, and ended up coming up with the idea of ​​becoming a princess.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that he could rise to the top in one step.

No way! This is way too much!

"..."

I don’t know if I’m dreaming or if Emperor Jianxing has gone mad in his old age, but the person is standing right in front of me.

"Has a long time passed outside?" Xun Suihuang asked in a sleepwalking voice.

Xi Congshuang: "It's quite long, five days."

If the emperor hadn't been so indecisive, things would have progressed much faster.

Five days?

Only five days?

In five days, he transformed himself into a princess with a title, and openly went to the Dali Temple prison to meet her in secret.

Xun Suihuang asked, "Are you a deity?"

“How could I be?” Xi Congshuang said, expressing her incomprehension.

Time was of the essence, and she couldn't stay any longer. It was probably because the previous rounds of deception had left a psychological scar on the emperor. He treated her as a doctor and medicine maker, and as a talisman sent by the deceased Consort Liang. She wouldn't take any medicine sent by anyone else, only the one sent by Xi Congshuang.

There's no need to tell Xun Suihuang about these trivial matters; we can talk about them later.

Xun Suihuang: "Then..."

"Chengzhi, don't worry, the emperor is too busy to deal with this matter." Xi Congshuang calmly dropped another bombshell on Xun Suihuang.

It was as if a thunderbolt had struck Xun Suihuang's head. Her first thought was that Xi Congshuang had done something earth-shattering, something that even the emperor couldn't get involved in.

At this time, she was unaware that the King of Wu had been secretly put to death.

Not only was she unaware, but the civil and military officials were also unaware, only speculating in private.

This is a royal secret, and it's normal that it's not told to outsiders.

Xi Congshuang noticed her confusion and suddenly smiled, finding Xun Suihuang's shocked and bewildered expression adorable. She leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

Xun Suihuang was startled and subconsciously looked behind Xi Congshuang. Seeing that there was no one outside, she was relieved: "You have to hold back. Have you forgotten where you are?"

Xi Congshuang: "I remember, in exchange, I'll tell you a little secret. The King of Wu was ordered to commit suicide by the emperor, but he is currently suspicious of the Prince of Xin and has no time to do anything else."

Xi Congshuang readily took on the task of sowing discord.

Xun Suihuang had already suffered quite a bit of shock today, so in front of Princess Xi Congshuang, the death of anyone wouldn't seem so surprising.

She still had the energy to ask, "Why?"

She knew it was most likely Xi Congshuang who did it, but she didn't know how she did it.

Xi Congshuang: "Because I had someone present the emperor with evidence that the King of Wu might be innocent, that the witchcraft was not planted by the King of Wu, and that the guard who dug up the doll seemed to have a close personal relationship with the Prince of Xin."

Witchcraft? There's even talk of witchcraft? Did the King of Wu die because of witchcraft?

It hasn't been many years since Empress Fang's incident, and Xun Suihuang witnessed it firsthand, so how could she not know how serious it was?

The shock of being kissed was instantly washed away by the overwhelming amount of information. She looked up and met Xi Congshuang's gaze.

It was at this moment that Xun Suihuang noticed something: Xi Congshuang had been watching her, and especially now, she seemed a little nervous.

Why am I nervous?

Xi Congshuang: "If I let them fight each other so badly, and they are all your cousins ​​and nephews, don't you... think I've gone too far?"

At this moment, Xi Congshuang completely forgot that she was actually related to them by blood.

"..." If this topic hadn't been brought up, Xun Suihuang would have forgotten that she seemed to be related to the emperor, and not only her, but also her mother.

However, Xi Congshuang did this for her sake, out of necessity.

I wonder if her mother would beat her in the afterlife. Even if she were beaten, she would accept it. Xi Congshuang is in poor health, so it's best not to beat her.

After hesitating for a long time, Xun Suihuang said, "At worst, I'll go to my mother's grave and kowtow a few more times to explain that you didn't do it on purpose. Given the current situation, you also have many difficulties..."

To protect the Thirteen Battalions of Northern Yan, to ensure her safety, and to ensure Gu Daifang's safety... even a true god would be overwhelmed. Don't really treat Xi Congshuang like a god and rely on her competence to dump all the burdens on her.

Xun Suihuang sighed. As the commander-in-chief of Northern Yan, if the crime of deceiving the emperor were truly suppressed, the soldiers who had risked their lives with her would also suffer.

This is also why she stubbornly refuses to admit it. If she dies, the rest of the people will likely be saved. If she admits it, it will implicate many people.

Hearing her sigh, Xi Congshuang's heart tightened, thinking that she had gone too far and upset her.

She could easily reveal that the King of Wu had sent someone to hide the dragon robe in the Marquis of Pingding's residence, thus giving herself more legitimate grounds.

But she refused.

However, the next moment, Xun Suihuang released her hand and hugged her: "How could I bear to blame you?"

"You've done so much, you must be exhausted."

She suspected that Xi Congshuang was completely unaware that the weariness in her eyes was impossible to hide, and that she was just taking advantage of the fact that no one dared to look her in the eye, burning herself out like a lamp oil.

Xi Congshuang silently hugged him back, making another promise: "I won't keep you waiting too long, I'll come pick you up soon."

She couldn't stay long; less than an hour after leaving the palace, someone from the palace sent her back.

The palace servant who was delivering the message did not dare to approach and instead announced it loudly from around the corner.

After waiting for a while, Xi Congshuang finally appeared in the palace. She boarded the carriage, and the grand procession returned to the palace along the same route they had come from.

The emperor forbade adult princesses from leaving the palace to establish their own residences, and instead granted them the privilege of living in Zhaohua Palace.

He announced to the world the princess who had been lost among the common people and bestowed upon her the title of the Kingdom of Rui.

Judging from the emperor's superstition about auspicious omens and longevity, it is clear that this title was very much to his liking and also conveyed his concern for her.

This concern alone wouldn't have attracted the attention of the civil and military officials, but it might have been a different story for the anxious and indecisive Prince Xin.

He instinctively felt that his sister, who was using him as a stepping stone and had become a monk later in life, was a great threat.

Emperor Jianxing had few children to begin with, and was obsessed with immortality, so in the end he only had four princes.

The eldest son was confined to the mansion, the second son died young, and the third son made the same mistake as the deposed empress, even contradicting him and saying that he deserved to be alone and deceived.

Now he only has one son left, but his people have discovered a different clue—his third son, whom his beloved concubine asked him to take good care of before she died, seems to have been wronged.

He was wrongly accused by his youngest son.

This aroused new suspicions in Emperor Jianxing, who wondered if Prince Xin's recent success was due to his confidence and certainty that he would pass the throne to him after his death.

If he doesn't do it himself, will he do it himself?

Xi Congshuang coldly observed all of this.

Suddenly, the carriage carrying Xi Congshuang stopped, and someone spoke from the front.

The maid in the same carriage turned her head to lift the curtain and look outside, asking what was going on.

Xi Congshuang opened her eyes. This was the princess's carriage, and few dared to stop it; to do so was a capital offense.

The only person who could stop her at that moment was Prince Xin.

Just then, the maid turned her head and said, "Your Highness, it was Prince Xin who stopped the carriage. He said he wants to see you."

If you were to ask Xi Congshuang for her answer, it would naturally be: "I won't see her."

"It's not up to you to decide things." Prince Xin ordered his palace guards to restrain the palace guards, strode to the carriage, snatched the curtain from the maid's hand, and lifted it.

Sure enough, he saw Xi Congshuang sitting high in the carriage. He had never seen the person in front of him so repulsive: "Xi Yan, you really know how to betray your own people and turn your back on them. You used me as a stepping stone, and now that I want to say something to you, you're putting on airs?"

"Your Highness is mistaken. How could you be accused of betraying me and turning your back on me? It's just that it's getting late, and I'm in a hurry to get back to the palace to prepare medicine," Xi Congshuang said indifferently.

In fact, Xi Congshuang's attitude has always been like this. Whether as a guest or as a princess, she rarely agrees with what he says. If she only agrees with what Prince Xin says, she really can't become a trusted retainer of his.

Those are sycophants, not capable of solving problems.

But now that their status has changed and they are equals, Prince Xin feels that something is wrong and that he has been used.

Prince Xin: "You must give me an explanation. What exactly did you say to my father that he refuses to see me?"

Xi Congshuang asked, "Do you want to hear it?"

Prince Xin: "Yes, tell me, do you have the guts to do it but not the guts to say it?"

"Alright." Xi Congshuang agreed, and she truly repeated what she had told the emperor, "Your Majesty's health is currently too weak to tolerate tonics, so you should not take any more pills. You should rest and recuperate, and eat less fatty and greasy food..."

Xi Congshuang wasn't stupid. She knew that in the emperor's heart, she was a talisman sent by a cherished memory, and she should do what a talisman should do.

Ideally, she should be like Consort Liang, who knows nothing about court politics, doesn't care about things inside or outside the palace, and devotes herself entirely to the pharmacy, dealing with medicinal herbs all day long.

That's the kind of person she is in front of Emperor Jianxing. Xi Congshuang is very clear about her own position. She is here to sow discord, and there is no need to do anything unnecessary.

The more Prince Xin listened, the more his expression changed: "Are you playing me?"

Xi Congshuang looked quietly at Prince Xin, then suddenly asked, "What does Your Highness wish me to say before His Majesty? Tell me, what does Prince Xin think about the position of Crown Prince..."

"Shut up! If you keep talking nonsense, believe me, I'll go to the palace and report to the Emperor!" Prince Xin panicked. He hadn't expected this man to be so outspoken.

“Go ahead, I’m not stopping you. Why don’t you go to the palace to meet the emperor? Is it because you don’t want to?” Xi Congshuang continued to add fuel to the fire.

King Xin: "..."

It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he can't!

The emperor was unwilling to see him at all, suspecting that he had framed the King of Wu, when he clearly hadn't.

Yongchao was once home to the Holy Ancestor Empress. Now, his father, the Emperor, neither kills him nor wants to see him. With a new princess whispering in his ear, he really doesn't know how things will turn out.

Xi Congshuang took in Prince Xin's expression. While Prince Xin was indeed cowardly, he was cautious and not arrogant enough to think he was the emperor's only son and become complacent.

The emperor hesitated about the punishment of Prince Xin because of this very point. Prince Xin seemed very panicked. Did he still have any remorse?

He couldn't afford to lose his last son.

Xi Congshuang said, "If Your Highness has nothing else to say, I must go back to prepare medicine for His Majesty."

"Wait!" Prince Xin believed he still held leverage over Xi Congshuang, "Your Zhuohua Poison..."

"What's so difficult about that? There are so many medicinal herbs in the palace. Do I look like I have something on my mind?" Xi Congshuang interrupted her.

"..."

Prince Xin's expression suddenly changed. The emperor had even cured her poison! Didn't that mean...?

The palace servants grew anxious as Prince Xin kept stopping them: "Your Highness, please be lenient. His Majesty is still waiting for the princess to return to the palace."

Prince Xin released his grip and watched as Xi Congshuang's carriage drove away. Finally, he made up his mind that he could not continue to sit and wait for death, and should ask to see the emperor.

Only when he met the emperor would he have a chance to explain.

But he arrived too late; a palace servant relayed the message: "Your Highness, please return."

"Father will not see me, Father will still not see me?" Prince Xin had lost count of how many times he had come to request an audience with the Emperor, and how many times he had received this answer.

The palace maid shook her head in distress, only saying, "His Majesty is asleep. He said he doesn't want to see anyone."

"..."

The bond between father and son was shallow. Prince Xin had only been in favor for a year when the emperor killed even his beloved Prince Wu. He himself was merely born to an unfavored palace maid, and in terms of status, he was no match for Prince Wu.

Prince Xin staggered away, persuaded by the palace servants. He was in a daze the whole way, and a thought suddenly came to mind:

"What else can I do? The King of Wu is dead. Will he really let me go?"

Prince Xin looked back at the palace gate and silently made a decision.

Now he only has one path left: either he rebels or he dies.

That night, news of Prince Xin's secret contact with the Imperial Army stationed at Dongshan outside the city reached the palace.

The letter was written by He Yiyun, the second master of the hall.

The reply she received was: help Prince Xin keep it a secret and don't let it leak out.

He Yiyun didn't understand. Shouldn't this have made his mistake obvious and gotten back to the emperor immediately?

Lu Hongdou provided the correct answer to this question: "Perhaps the sect leader didn't want the emperor to think that Prince Xin was still salvageable. I remember the second hall master saying that the Allergic True Taoist had lost all his family fortune but was not kicked out of the house until he stole his nephew to sell in order to pay off his debts, at which point he was kicked out of the house."

Everything is not yet beyond repair, and those involved find it difficult to make the final decision, including emperors who have experienced countless trials.

He Yiyun suddenly realized that she had overcomplicated things.

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