Chapter 283 If that person in Kunning Palace finds out, won't they go berserk?

If there really is a day when the throne is contested, I hope that at least some leeway should be left.

Because everyone here is such a wonderful person, and they are her family whom she cherishes dearly.

Xie Yun was moved by Sheng Sheng's words and was speechless with emotion. He softened his voice and gently patted her back, telling her, "No, that day will never come."

Because they are also people he cherishes.

*

After learning the truth, Sheng Sheng felt relieved, but she felt that Xie Yunchuan was unfair for not informing her beforehand, which made her worry for a long time.

However, Sheng Sheng only occasionally throws a childish tantrum. She naturally understands that Xie Yunchuan doesn't tell anyone about such important matters because he's afraid that the more people who know, the greater the risk.

Although she could be aloof at times when facing Xie Yunchuan, when Xie Yunjia and Xie Yunqi heard rumors and came to inquire, she still subtly revealed some information to reassure them.

Xie Yunchuan and Xie Yunyang acted swiftly. In less than ten days, Sheng Sheng heard that Xie Yunyang had personally handed over evidence of collusion between the second branch of the Zheng family and the magistrate of Haijin County to Xie Yuxiao in front of all the officials during the morning court session.

"I heard that His Majesty was very angry and intended to punish the entire Zheng family. Madam Zheng is quite old, and His Highness the Crown Prince begged His Majesty to show leniency. Perhaps out of consideration for His Highness the Crown Prince and His Majesty the Empress, His Majesty ultimately only punished the second branch of the Zheng family."

While tidying up Sheng Sheng's hair, Zijuan told her the information she had found out.

Sheng Sheng wasn't surprised by the result; Xie Yunchuan and Xie Yunyang had been planning for so long, and this was exactly the outcome they wanted.

What she cares about most is how public opinion is.

"What did the officials say about the Crown Prince? Did they praise him for putting the greater good before personal interests, or did they say he put aside his own family for the greater good?"

“Both are true. His Highness the Crown Prince’s actions are bound to be criticized. Grand Tutor Liu, on the other hand, praised His Highness the Crown Prince for being reasonable and discerning, saying that he was putting the country first.” Zijuan hesitated for a moment, “However, compared to this… didn’t everyone think that His Highness the Crown Prince and the Second Prince had fallen out a while ago? Now that the truth about their alliance has spread, people are starting to say all sorts of things, that His Highness the Crown Prince is going to… that His Highness the Crown Prince is going to give the position of Crown Prince to the Second Prince.”

"What?"

Sheng Sheng, on the verge of death, sat bolt upright in her sleep, turning her head. "Really? How could such a rumor spread? Who deliberately leaked this information?"

If the person in Kunning Palace heard this rumor, wouldn't they go berserk?

Zijuan nodded, also somewhat worried: "Yes, I don't know where this came from, it's really outrageous. Do our Second Prince and Crown Prince even know about this news?"

She sighed, "Forget it, let's not worry about it. My brother and the others will take care of it."

All the rumors and controversies are just that—rumors. The facts are what matter most.

"That's true, His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Second Prince have a very good relationship."

Zijuan smiled, seeing that even her princess didn't care, so she didn't care either.

Sheng Sheng laughed.

Sheng Sheng propped her chin up and looked out the window. The weather was starting to warm up, and she had taken off her thick winter clothes. The little dumpling's tender green figure was reflected in the mirror, just like the early spring that had just arrived, fresh and peaceful.

Sheng Sheng stared blankly at the bare crape myrtle tree for a while, thinking about the rejuvenating grass in the corner of the garden.

"Spring is here," she blurted out.

Spring has arrived, a season of growth for all things. Surely the rejuvenating grass will also thrive.

Now, Sheng Sheng's only hope is that the Rejuvenating Herb can help Xie Yunwen's leg ailment.

Zijuan put a lotus-shaped hairpin on her head. The more she looked at Shengsheng, the more adorable she seemed. She happily replied, "Yes, Princess, spring is here, and soon it will be early summer. Our princess's birthday will also be coming soon."

"Uh-huh."

She smiled gently, a hint of anticipation in her voice.

Will things become clear then?

...

Kunning Palace.

The door to the small Buddhist shrine was slowly opened, the wooden door creaking open. The sunlight cast long shadows on the ground, obscuring the woman kneeling on the prayer mat.

Empress Zheng, dressed in a magnificent phoenix robe, closed her eyes and gently fiddled with a string of smooth Buddhist prayer beads in her hand.

Xie Yun looked around, then stepped inside and slowly stood next to Empress Zheng.

Xie Yunyang stared at the memorial tablet in front of the Buddha statue for a while, then took three sticks of incense, bowed, and placed the incense in front of the tablet.

Empress Zheng opened her eyes, her gaze calm and expressionless, and said mockingly, "You still have the nerve to come see your brother? I thought you had long forgotten you had such a brother."

Xie Yunyang didn't move, as if he hadn't noticed the sarcasm in Empress Zheng's tone at all, and replied calmly, "Mother, Yang'er is my own younger brother, how could I forget him?"

"shut up!"

The prayer beads were forcefully thrown at Xie Yunyang's back, hitting her spine squarely. It didn't actually hurt much, but Xie Yunyang still felt a tightness in her chest.

The prayer beads slipped off his back and fell straight to the ground with a snap. The string broke, and the beads scattered and bounced on the ground for a while before stopping.

The broken Buddhist prayer beads were scattered everywhere. Xie Yun glanced at them, then turned around and looked at the furious Empress Zheng.

"You still know he's your brother, but do you still know I'm your mother, and the Zheng family is your maternal family!"

Empress Zheng stood up at some point and, just like she had scolded Xie Yunyang when he was a child many years ago, pointed at him and said.

But Xie Yunyang had grown up long ago, and his tall, slender figure was no longer what it was when he was a child.

Xie Yunyang straightened his back and said indifferently, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to."

Empress Zheng was taken aback.

Xie Yunyang looked at her and said, word by word, "Do you know that the money your uncle and his cronies embezzled was the hard-earned money of the people?"

While in Haijin, Sheng Sheng and Xie Yunqi pooled their money to buy medicine for the local people, ensuring that those who were sick had access to medication.

Could the money that the Zheng family embezzled have originally been the money that ordinary people used to buy medicine?

Even the playful fifth brother knows how to have good intentions, but how can he, as the crown prince, tolerate his maternal family embezzling the people's life-saving money? Is he even human?

Empress Zheng sneered, as if mocking his ignorance: "You're so naive. The Zheng family is no longer what it used to be, don't you know that? If we don't rely on merchants, are we going to rely on that mediocre scholar from the first branch who failed the imperial examinations four times, or that good-for-nothing from the third branch who only knows how to seek pleasure? If it weren't for my constant support for the second branch all these years, the Zheng family wouldn't even have any money. How could they be your backing, Crown Prince?"