Chapter 55 Is the Crown Prince hiding something...?

After Yao Qingxi finished speaking, Wei Zhaorong's eyes showed astonishment and disbelief, which finally turned into grief and indignation. She forced herself to sit up and smashed the porcelain bowl on the side table.

"Nonsense! I clearly saw that the young prince and I were both safe and sound. When did I die? You... were you sent by the Empress? It is the Empress who wants to kill me! The Empress wants to take my prince away!"

After saying this, he grabbed the bed curtains and tried to get off the bed. The palace maid who was stunned realized what was happening and hurriedly stepped forward to help him.

Consort Wei staggered towards the exit, glaring at Yao Qingxi with hatred in her eyes. "I want to see the Emperor! I am safe and sound! If His Majesty finds out that you bunch of dog slaves are outwardly compliant but secretly siding with the Empress, he will surely have you all beaten to death!"

The palace maid turned pale with fright, and cold sweat trickled down her neck.

The Empress has lost her mind. Yao Qingxi clearly intends to kill her. Instead of asking for mercy, she utters harsh words. How can Eunuch Yao let her leave?

As expected, Yao Qingxi's expression hardened, and he silently turned his face. With just a glance, two eunuchs behind him stepped forward, each clutching a piece of snow-white silk.

That's white silk.

Before Consort Wei could even reach the door, her path was completely blocked by the eunuchs.

"Your Majesty, this is His Majesty's decree. Please don't make things difficult for us servants. If you have any instructions for your family, think about them carefully now and save yourself some face."

Although the eunuch was physically disabled, he was still a man. Wei Zhaorong was at her weakest at this moment, and she could not withstand the strength of three men.

Dragged back to the bed by a brute force, Wei Zhaorong's eyes finally revealed terror, and the fear of death overwhelmed her heart like a tidal wave.

In an instant, she softened her tone, her eyes brimming with tears as she looked at the indifferent figure at the door. "Eunuch Yao! Let me see the little prince. He is the child I carried for ten months before giving birth to. I have never seen what he looks like... Just one look, please?"

Faced with a mother's desperate pleas, Yao Qingxi was momentarily moved.

"Your Majesty, the young prince has been taken to the Kunyi Palace and will be raised by the Empress. He will be treated as the Empress's son in all aspects, so you can rest assured."

Wei Zhaorong stared intently at his face, but could not find the slightest flaw in his eyes.

Yao Qingxi has been with His Majesty since he was eight years old. They have shared hardships and joys, and he has lived in the Cold Palace and guarded the border. Such a servant cannot be bought off by the Empress with a little bit of benefit.

Overwhelmed with anxiety and fear, her lips twitched involuntarily, and she gradually came to understand.

The Crown Prince is older and already capable of handling things independently. Even if she gives birth to a prince, what threat could he pose to the Empress and her child? The one who wants her life is His Majesty.

But she came from a humble background, so what reason did His Majesty have to take her life?

Despair mixed with sorrow almost overwhelmed her mind. Wei Zhaorong swayed, forcing herself to calm down, her thoughts racing.

The three people in front of her stood there like stone pillars, their expressions indifferent, looking at her as if she were a dead body.

Wei Zhaorong struggled to her feet, using all her remaining strength to shake off the eunuch who was trying to hold her down. Suddenly, her eyes flashed with a sharp light as she met the eyes of the person in the distance.

"Yao Qingxi, aren't you afraid at all?"

“My son will one day rise to prominence. If he finds out that his birth mother died at the hands of a eunuch, what do you think he will do?”

The two eunuchs in front frowned subconsciously and gasped silently.

Eunuch Yao was deeply favored by the Emperor, so perhaps he had no scruples. But they were just nameless servants in the inner court, whose lives could be decided by the mere flick of a finger from any master.

Today, the two of them strangled Consort Wei with their own hands. If the young prince seeks revenge in the future, he will first target them...

Wei Zhaorong suddenly returned to the bedside, pressing her fair hands against the shoulders of the two men, her voice shrill and ghostly, "And you too!"

"Now that you know His Majesty has harmed innocent concubines and personally killed the little prince's birth mother, do you think he will spare you until tomorrow?"

A similar look of fear flashed in their eyes as they turned back for help.

Consort Wei did not miss the subtle change in the eunuch's face. She suddenly looked up and stared intently at Yao Qingxi: "Eunuch Yao, please let me see His Majesty. If His Majesty truly has no regard for our past relationship, I will have no more complaints."

Yao Qingxi clenched his wrist, and after a long while, nodded.

…

That evening, the news of His Majesty's birth of twins, a boy and a girl, spread throughout the capital.

Yu Mingshu initially didn't understand why his colleagues were happier than the emperor himself when the emperor's concubine gave birth.

It wasn't until their immediate superior, He Wenfang, gathered everyone together and announced loudly, "His Majesty is overjoyed to have a son and wishes to share the celebration with all of you. He has granted all officials in the capital a three-day leave and will reward each of you with two bolts of silk as a sign of His Majesty's favor."

Upon hearing the news, Yu Mingshu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. She had only been on the job for three days and already received three days off. She had really managed to snag this lucky streak of working three days on and resting three days off.

But his colleagues around him were somewhat disappointed.

At the beginning of the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, silk cloth was more valuable than copper coins. It could be used for trade and tax deduction. At that time, the court's salary included cloth cloth, and the palace often used silk as a reward.

With the political situation stabilized and copper coins were issued regularly, the monetary value of silk had greatly diminished. Nowadays, perhaps only the foreign merchants in the West Market of Chang'an are willing to exchange silk for other goods.

"Why are you giving us cloth again? We're always wearing official robes, what's the use of hoarding so much silk? We'd be better off with some money and grain, at least that would be enough to make a living!"

"Well, something is better than nothing. We can get some money and grain by taking this silk to the West Market."

"You're still young, brother. You'll understand once you've settled down and started your own family. My wife will be overjoyed to receive these two bolts of cloth!"

"My wife is hardworking and frugal; she prefers rice or wheat flour."

"Don't even think about it. Didn't you hear that the Duke of Yingguo and the Earl of Anyuan rushed into the palace today? They are all veteran generals who have been through many battles! It's obvious that the court is going to war again."

"Once this war starts, it will probably take at least two or three years to calm down. The national treasury is already short of money and grain, and the hard times ahead are far from over..."

Yu Mingshu listened casually to a few complaints and frowned slightly.

Her colleagues left one after another, and she packed her things and headed back. For the past two days, she had been going to and from work with He Zheng, and as usual, she would head towards the Right Guard's residence after leaving the Bureau of Justice.

Outside the government office, Jing Hong leaned against the red wall with his arms crossed, kicking a round pebble listlessly. When he saw Yu Mingshu approaching, his eyes lit up, and he hurried forward to deliver a message.

“Miss Yu, my husband just went to the palace to meet the Crown Prince, and we don’t know when he will be able to come out. He asked me to pass on a message to you: you should go back now.”

"Is there fighting on the border?"

"You know that too?"

"I heard it from my colleagues."

There are no secrets in the imperial city. Jinghong was only surprised for a moment, and then said nothing more.

On the way from the East Palace to the Vermilion Bird Gate, Yu Mingshu caught a glimpse of a vermilion figure rushing from the direction of the palace. He felt that the figure looked familiar, so he squinted and carefully examined it, and finally recognized the person.

"Fuling, is that you?"

Zhou Fuling was in a panic, her eyes darting around aimlessly, not knowing where she was going. Hearing this call, she seemed to wake up from a dream and suddenly stopped.

"Sister Yu, are you preparing to leave the city and go home?"

"Yes." Yu Mingshu noticed that her behavior was strange and asked, "Why are you in such a panic? What happened?"

Zhou Fuling seemed to recall something terrifying. Her face turned pale, and after hesitating for a moment with her lips pursed, she took her hand and said, "Let's get out of the city first."

Considering there was still more than an hour before curfew, Yu Mingshu originally wanted to take her to Fengyang Tower for a nice meal, but Zhou Fuling said, "The East Market is crowded and noisy; it's not a place to talk."

So, nothing stays secret forever. If you really want to keep it a secret, you'll have to talk about it at home.

Since starting her job, Yu Mingshu had never ridden in a carriage, commuting on horseback every day. Being a beginner, she rode slowly and had never carried anyone before. Now, as she was about to take Zhou Fuling along, she couldn't help but feel apprehensive.

"Are you seated?"

"Um."

"Hold onto my waist, it'll make you less scared." Actually, it was Yu Mingshu himself who was scared.

After taking a few steps, Yu Mingshu suddenly remembered something, "I haven't asked you where you live yet?"

Zhou Fuling said, "Most of the time I live in the duty room, and occasionally I go back to Tongjifang, where I rent a humble house."

"So far?" Yu Mingshu pondered for a moment. "If you don't mind, stay at my place tonight and go back tomorrow."

Once she received a positive reply, she spurred her horse and headed towards Yongningfang.

Back home, when her family heard that the two wanted to talk behind closed doors, no one came to disturb them. Luo Yan brought the food to the room and then sensibly withdrew.

Zhou Fuling closed all the doors and windows tightly, calmed her racing heart, and sat down to say, "Consort Wei is having a difficult childbirth. She has been struggling since yesterday evening until noon today. The imperial physicians in the palace are extremely busy, so they have transferred female physicians from the Eastern Palace to help. I also went and helped prepare the medicine in the kitchen."

Yu Mingshu was taken aback. "I only heard that Consort Wei gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl, but I didn't know that she had a difficult childbirth... Is Consort Wei alright?"

Zhou Fuling did not respond directly, but instead frowned in pain, her voice trembling involuntarily.

"This afternoon, after Consort Wei gave birth to the little prince, all the other imperial physicians left. I thought there was still a dose of tonic left on the stove, almost ready, so I went back to check on it and left a little later than my colleagues. Who knew that I would hear some things I shouldn't have heard from afar in the kitchen..."

Seeing that she was too frightened to get up, Yu Mingshu softened his voice and said, "Don't be anxious, tell me slowly, what did you hear?"

Zhou Fuling poured herself a glass of cold water, calmed herself, and said with bated breath, "Your Majesty, do you wish to keep the child and remove the mother?"

The voice beside her was still repeating the dialogue she had heard intermittently. Yu Mingshu was stunned by her previous sentence, her mind blank, and she couldn't come back to her senses for a long time.

Under what circumstances would an emperor consider keeping the son and abandoning the mother?

Firstly, they feared interference in politics by the emperor's relatives.

Putting aside the fact that the Wei family came from humble beginnings, with only one elder brother holding a position in the Ministry of Agriculture, he only obtained that position thanks to Consort Wei.

The Crown Prince had already come of age, while the Second Prince had just been born. With such a large age gap between them, the younger prince had virtually no chance of succeeding to the throne, so how could there be any trouble from the maternal relatives?

Secondly, the emperor favored the empress, and after having a child through a surrogate mother, he kept the child and discarded the mother.

This makes even less sense.

The Empress has a son, who is the eldest son who is firmly in the position of Crown Prince and has already begun to participate in court affairs. Why would she need to snatch Wei Zhaorong's prince?

Putting aside the turmoil in her mind for the moment, Yu Mingshu looked at Zhou Fuling with concern and asked, "You overheard these words. Has anyone noticed?"

Zhou Fuling hurriedly shook her head, then said somewhat uncertainly, "I was terrified at the time. I covered my mouth and hid under the stove, afraid to make a sound. Later, when I saw that there was no more movement in the main hall, I slipped out through the back door. I should not have been seen by anyone."

"That's good." Yu Mingshu solemnly instructed, "In the next few days, try to distract yourself and forget about this as soon as possible. Be calm in front of others, and whatever you do, don't let a third person know that you heard it."

Zhou Fuling nodded emphatically, repeatedly assuring everyone that she would never spread rumors. She was only willing to be honest with Yu Mingshu because he had done her a great favor.

It's always easier to persuade others than to persuade yourself.

The next day, Zhou Fuling went back to the East Palace to be on duty, but Yu Mingshu was troubled by the doubts left over from the previous day for the entire holiday.

She had a very secret suspicion that was difficult to verify, and she dared not verify it.

…

In the quiet of the night, the carriage traveled through the streets and stopped in front of Yuan Yi and Zhang Niangzi's house.

A knock sounded at the door, and Madam Zhang, who was reading, was slightly startled. Yuan Yi had said earlier that he had business at the Zhang family's house today and wouldn't be back tonight. Who would be visiting so late?

The knocking grew louder, and she hurried out. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Yao Qingxi standing on the steps with two eunuchs, smiling broadly. Madam Zhang was startled, and immediately tried to close the door.

Yao Qingxi stopped the door first and said softly, "I apologize for disturbing Madam Zhang's quiet cultivation. The master recently found a musical score and, remembering that Madam Zhang was skilled at playing the konghou, ordered me to bring the score here."

After he finished speaking, the two eunuchs behind him stepped forward and handed over the brocade boxes.

Yao Qingxi pointed to the brocade box on the other side and said, "These jade ornaments are all a token of the master's goodwill. I hope Lady Zhang will accept them."

Madam Zhang pursed her lips and nodded slightly to Yao Qingxi, "Eunuch Yao, please return."

Yao Qingxi remained silent for a moment, then loosened the door panel, took a step back, and watched Zhang Niangzi close the door.

Two eunuchs behind him asked in a low voice, "Master, should we still send this gift?"

“This isn’t the first time.” Yao Qingxi casually flicked his sleeves, turned around and got into the carriage to return to the palace. “Let’s go, go back and report the truth.”

…

On the morning of the last day of the holiday, Yu Mingshu opened the door and squinted as the wind blew. She looked around but did not see any familiar figures.

Seeing her stop at the door as if looking for someone, Luo Yan couldn't help but chuckle and stepped forward to explain, "Miss, don't bother looking. He Erlang has already gone to the Lishan camp to train troops."

Yu Mingshu was slightly taken aback. Was He Zheng going to go to war to train troops at this time?

Why didn't he tell me before he left?

Luo Yan said helplessly, "The day before yesterday afternoon, there were three knocks on the back wall, but the young lady was thinking about something and didn't hear them! He Erlang was in a hurry to pack his bags and leave the city, so he couldn't wait too long and finally sent Jing Hong to deliver the message."

Okay.

Yu Mingshu felt somewhat disappointed, not only because he had lost a commuting partner, but also because he had nowhere to confide his secret suspicions.

Upon arriving at the Bureau of Justice, the idle colleagues, as expected, gathered together to chat idly. Chen Qingyue, seemingly worried that she might be out of the loop, specifically called her over to listen in.

"Consort Wei's health was damaged during the birth of twins. After her confinement period, she will be moved to the Hot Spring Palace to recuperate. At that time, the little prince and princess will be taken to the Phoenix Palace to be looked after by the Empress."

"What Wei Zhaorong? She should be called Xianfei now."

"I heard that His Majesty named the little prince Tianrui. I thought that Consort Xian would be able to rise in status and become the most favored concubine in the palace because of her son... But I didn't expect that she would be dragged down by her health and give away the precious child she carried for ten months to the Empress."

Upon hearing that Consort Wei had only injured her body and needed to leave the palace to recuperate, rather than dying from postpartum hemorrhage, Yu Mingshu felt a tension ease in his heart.

She had never met Lady Wei and didn't know what kind of person she was; she simply felt an instinctive disgust for the emperor killing the mother of his child.

Even now, she still cannot understand why the emperor is so insistent on giving Wei's child to the empress.

The name Tianrui is also quite unusual.

But the crown prince is alive and well, so what reason does the emperor have to want to practice playing the trumpet?

The thought of the Crown Prince being unmarried at such an advanced age sparked a rebellious idea in Yu Mingshu's mind.

Does the Crown Prince have some hidden illness?

"Ming Shu, His Highness the Crown Prince wishes to see you."

An unknown female official suddenly barged in, startling Yu Mingshu so much that she nearly ruined the book she had just opened.

Coming to his senses, he felt a little guilty and quickly agreed, hurriedly following the lady-in-waiting's footsteps.

Inside Zhaohua Palace, Liang Yuanjun sat at a table, on which sat a black lacquered ornament.

The female official led Yu Mingshu inside, where she briefly met Yang Leyi, who was standing guard beside the Crown Prince, before quietly withdrawing.

Yu Mingshu bowed to the Crown Prince, and after standing up, he looked directly at the person in front of him and realized that what was on the table was not an ornament at all, but clearly a black cat.

“I have read Yu Xiaoshu’s essay ‘On Cultivating Talent’ many times and have gained some insights. I have summoned you here today to ask you a few questions.”

Liang Yuanjun smiled and said this, but seeing that her gaze remained fixed on the ink stick, she asked, "Are you afraid of cats?"

Yu Mingshu quickly replied, "No, I'm not afraid."

"That's good. Come forward and talk," Liang Yuanjun said.

Even Yang Leyi had left, leaving only the two of them in the empty hall.

Why can't you say it out loud? Why do you have to whisper it in someone's ear? Yu Mingshu only dared to mutter to himself, while outwardly maintaining a submissive posture.

She stepped forward with her head down and saw Liang Yuanjun move a soft cushion to the opposite side of the table. She then knelt down, pressing down on her clothes. Her gaze fell on the table, where a scroll of handwriting, both unfamiliar and familiar, came into view.

The content was familiar, but the handwriting was unfamiliar. This was indeed her provincial examination paper, which must have been copied several times and kept in many places.

The document in front of the Crown Prince had many red ink circles, showing that he had indeed read it carefully.

In an instant, many stories of mutual understanding between ruler and subject, and of a talented horse meeting its discerning owner, flashed through Yu Mingshu's mind.

What followed was his own contempt for his actions in speculating that the crown prince had a hidden illness.

It's to the point where I'd wake up in the middle of the night and sit up to slap myself.

"I discussed the 'educational reform' mentioned in this article with Yang Leyi. Regarding your point about the refinement and standardization of subject specialization, I still have some questions..."

Yu Mingshu only realized today that His Highness the Crown Prince's voice was clear and gentle, completely lacking the sharpness of a superior, and unlike the majestic and powerful emperor who fought his way out of the battlefield in the Taiji Palace.

He turned the exam paper on the table over and pushed it in front of her. The silk cuffs, which had been scented with some kind of fragrance, emitted a faint, refreshing scent on the breeze.

The Crown Prince's expression was extremely serious at this moment, a stark contrast to his dashing and unrestrained demeanor when they first met at Fengyang Tower. Because of his unusual seriousness, Yu Mingshu's gaze involuntarily moved upwards, catching sight of a handsome face with jade-like bones and icy skin.

When talking to such a noble and refined person, Yu Mingshu couldn't help but feel a momentary distraction.

It wasn't until the other party asked her in detail about her thoughts on the subject-based reform that she turned her attention back to the policy discussion in front of her.

As dusk approached, a palace maid came in to light the lamps and subtly reminded Yu, the Imperial Secretary, that it was time to go home. Only then did the two men in the hall reluctantly stop their conversation.

Liang Yuanjun sent someone to see her off. Yang Leyi watched her figure disappear into the sunset, then returned to the palace and tidied up the scattered writing brushes and ink on the table.

"Your Highness and Scholar Yu get along very well?"

"I have always valued talent, as you know."

Yang Leyi's eyes darkened, and she picked up the escaped ink stick and put it back on the table. "His Majesty has been guarding the Second Prince in the Phoenix Palace these past few days. Your Highness should also go and see him, so that His Majesty knows that he cares about his brother."

Liang Yuanjun stroked a handful of the cat's glossy black fur and said calmly, "I understand. I'll go tomorrow."