Chapter 199 Clever People vs. Clever People

This will only contain two things, clearly showing what the Empress Dowager cared about during her lifetime. If it weren't for the fourteenth prince, or the Crown Princess, or the Wuya family, she certainly wouldn't have left the emperor a single word.

After much deliberation, Hongzhao concluded that the latter possibility was more likely. After all, if it were truly left to save the fourteenth prince's life, it might very well become a death warrant.

His own mother wouldn't say a single kind word to him on her deathbed, and every sentence in her will was for the benefit of others. One can only imagine how Yinzhen would feel if he knew this.

Hongzhao has seen how busy his father is. Every day, when he goes to sleep, the lights in the main hall are still on. When he wakes up, his father has already set off for court. People come and go in the Imperial Study and the Hall of Mental Cultivation every day. It seems that only he can sleep in until the sun is high in the sky under his father's protection when everyone outside is in a state of panic.

Hongzhao could truly feel how much his father cared for him, and there was no need to trouble him with matters like the will.

We need to find a way to make that imperial edict disappear quietly.

Hongzhao was still undecided on how to make it disappear. The will must be kept close by Zhuxi every day, or stored in a specific place, and she never saw any strangers under the guise of protecting the Empress Dowager. Since he didn't know where it was, the method of stealing it out was out of the question.

If all else fails... Hongzhao lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes gently sweeping across his eyes to conceal the sharp emotions within. Zhuxi was destined to follow the Empress Dowager in death anyway. It didn't matter whether it was a day sooner or later; with the confiscation of property and demotion underway, no one would care. Since making the imperial edict disappear was impossible for the time being, then he would nip it in the bud and simply pretend it had never happened.

Even if it is discovered somewhere in the future, without witnesses, forging the Empress Dowager's edict is still a capital offense.

This is much easier to do, since even if you don't see any strangers, you still need to eat, drink, and relieve yourself, so there's always somewhere you can get your hands dirty.

Hongzhao tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, making a "tap, tap" sound that was regular but not annoying. On the contrary, it gave him the urge to calm down and think. Just as his thoughts were drifting off to somewhere, an unexpected announcement came from outside.

"Your Highness, Princess Huifa Nara has arrived, bringing with her a medicinal cuisine feast and requesting an audience outside the palace."

Hui-fa-na-la? Shu-shen?

Hongzhao turned his head to look at the blurry figures outside, raising an eyebrow slightly with amusement.

He naturally remembered that this "successor" of Qingying was brought into the palace when the Empress Dowager was still alive. On the auspicious day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, she was willing to quarrel with the Emperor to bring her into the palace. The Empress Dowager must have had high hopes for her at that time. She must have realized that her body was really about to give out, so she needed to find a successor as soon as possible.

However, it must be said that Shushen is far better than Qingying.

Hongzhao remembered that not long after she entered the palace, her maternal grandmother passed away. She dutifully kept vigil, dutifully mourned, dutifully followed Hongjin to school, and dutifully went to pay her respects to her maternal mother every day. Even Hongjin and Fucha said that Shushen was a smart woman who did not like to compete.

Hongzhao had only seen her twice at his mother's place, and had never seen her anywhere else. The two of them had only exchanged greetings and had not spoken anything else. Today, her sudden uninvited appearance piqued Hongzhao's interest.

"Come in."

Hongzhao remained seated in the same languid posture. Since he was recuperating, his clothes were loose, with a thin cloak over them—not so much for wind protection, but primarily for looking good. If the couch beneath him were replaced with a chair draped in tiger skin, he would certainly look like a leader.

When Shushen entered, this was the Crown Prince she saw. She only glanced at him briefly before bowing her head respectfully. She carefully placed the food box she was carrying on the couch next to Hongzhao, and then bowed to him.

"This humble woman greets Your Highness the Crown Prince." Her voice was gentle but not cloying, which gave a glimpse into her personality.

Hongzhao slightly raised his hand to let her stand up, "No need for formalities, this soup looks good, thank you for your trouble."

Although Hongzhao was praising her, Shushen was someone who could hear the unspoken message. The Crown Prince's tone clearly indicated that if she couldn't say what I wanted to hear within three sentences, she should leave and turn right.

A thoughtful look flashed across her delicate brows. After a moment of contemplation, she spoke, “Your Highness may not know, but the recipe for this medicinal diet is not my own. I obtained it from Aunt Zhuxi. I thought that since Aunt Zhuxi has been by the Empress Dowager’s side for many years, she must have seen a lot about this and it must be better.”

"Oh?" It's so convenient to talk to a smart person. Hongzhao immediately followed up on her words and asked, "Do you often interact with Aunt Zhuxi? That makes sense, after all, you were brought into the palace by the Empress Dowager, so naturally you would receive more care from Zhuxi."

Shushen then raised her head. There was no one else in the hall except the two of them, one sitting and one standing. Seeing this, she spoke boldly, "I dare not hide it from Your Highness, Aunt Zhuxi has indeed been taking care of me often. Since I entered the palace, the Empress Dowager has been ill and has not been able to wake up many times. Many of the Empress Dowager's wishes were conveyed by Aunt Zhuxi."

“Including…” Her gaze met the Crown Prince’s eyes, which seemed to see into people’s hearts. Although she was prepared, she still couldn’t help but be shocked. But since she was already here, she had to make these things clear.

"Including Aunt Zhuxi, who has revealed to me more than once that the Empress Dowager has secretly made arrangements."

Seeing that the Crown Prince was not surprised by this, Shushen knew that she had come to the right place.

She knew that before her, the Empress Dowager had brought Princess Ulanara, with whom she was closer, into the palace. She also knew that this princess had committed a serious offense and was still unable to leave the Imperial Clan Court. The Empress Dowager had no other choice but to select her from among her distant relatives.

But Princess Qingying had set a terrible precedent for her. As soon as she entered the palace and sensed the subtle attitudes of the people, Shushen understood that it would always take some time for everyone to truly understand her.

It was quite a coincidence that a few days ago, she saw Eunuch Xiao Dezi, who was by the Crown Prince's side, passing by various locations in Shou Kang Palace several times, carrying different things in his hands. Considering that the Emperor was dealing with the bondservant families and the Empress Dowager was also of bondservant origin, it was likely that Aunt Zhu Xi was getting restless and making a move.

But she wasn't from the Uya clan, nor was she directly related to the Baoyi family by marriage. Her kinship with the Ulanara family was only indirect. This was clearly a murky situation, and if she waded in, she wouldn't be able to get anyone else out, but would only get herself covered in mud. She had always been clear-headed about this. No matter what tricks the Empress Dowager had up her sleeve, they were all going to fail. Even if she entered the Crown Prince's harem, she would never be a candidate for Empress in the eyes of the Emperor and the Crown Prince.

After nearly a year of getting to know each other, she could even guess that the future empress might come from her side. Since the outcome of her entering the palace was unchangeable, she had to plan for her future.

If the Empress Dowager were to forcefully compel the Crown Prince to submit, regardless of whether it would succeed, my future days would likely be truly difficult.

"I am confident that I can get what Your Highness desires, but I have a favor to ask. If I succeed, I beg Your Highness to grant me a reward."