Yun Yanze knew in his heart that even if the "real culprit" was found, he might not be the real mastermind behind all the complicated conspiracies in the harem.
He knew it, Su Hou knew it, and even Yun Duqing might know it too.
Now he was summoned here by Queen Su, and Queen Su was making her attitude clear to him. She did not doubt him, but at the same time she also wanted him to show sincerity.
"The mastermind behind this is ruthless and has disturbed the peace of the harem. His crime is unforgivable. I beg you to investigate this matter thoroughly." He stood up and bowed, "Please help me."
"How can you worry about these troublesome things?" Empress Su smiled and said, "Let the Palace Department or the Dragon Guard investigate."
Unless the affairs in the palace are really too ugly, officials in the court will not be allowed to interfere.
"It is my honor to share the worries of my father and mother."
"Then I'll leave this matter to you." Emperor Longfeng said, "The Queen is tired, you all leave."
This "you" does not seem to include Prince Chen and his wife.
Sun Caiyao stood up and said, "My daughter-in-law, please take your leave."
When she reached the door, she turned around and glanced at Ming Jiuzhu, who was fiddling with the doll on the tray. Her nonchalant expression made her feel a chill down her spine.
"Caiyao, be careful on the stairs." Yun Yanze held her arm and said, "Watch your feet, don't fall."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Sun Caiyao came back to her senses and smiled sweetly at Yun Yanze.
"Some people are just good-looking for nothing." Concubine Zhang didn't dare to offend Prince Chen, but she had no scruples about mocking Yun Yanze: "Someone was stabbed by an assassin with a knife, which was less serious than a cat bite. After so long, the assassin was not caught, but many princes and princesses were implicated."
"Could it be..." Zhang Concubine mocked: "The thief crying thief?"
Sun Caiyao couldn't help but wanted to retort, but Yun Yanze held her hand to prevent her from speaking.
"Madam Zhang." Yun Yanze smiled and asked, "I was assassinated at the home of Princess Roude's husband. This man bought official positions and titles, and also hid the assassin. He was so bold and reckless. I wonder who relied on his influence?"
"The prince consort? The princess? Or a lady in the palace?"
"I don't know whose power he relied on. But if the Fourth Prince suspects someone, he should produce the evidence first." If Yun Yanze had said these words before he lost his title, Concubine Zhang would have been scared and dared not say anything.
However, things are different now. Zhang, who knows the ways of the harem, bullies the weak and fears the strong, and immediately retorted: "I still suspect that the one who framed me might be a prince who harbors hatred."
Yun Yanze's misfortune seemed to have started after he was assassinated.
To be precise, the person who hated her and Princess Chen the most was Yun Yanze.
“Who knows whether some people who volunteered to investigate the mastermind behind the incident really wanted to help investigate the case or to cover up evidence.”
"Mrs. Zhang, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say anything you want." Sun Caiyao couldn't stand it any longer: "If you have any suspicions, you can go directly to our father and mother and tell them. There's no need to be so weird in front of us."
"How dare you! Although my position is not very high, I am still the head of a palace. I can call myself an elder in front of you. As the fourth imperial concubine, you are the younger generation and the legitimate daughter of the Sun family. Don't you know the rules of respecting elders?" Concubine Zhang glanced at her coldly and said, "If your mother-in-law didn't teach you the rules, I would be willing to teach you."
Sun Caiyao's face turned pale and she took two deep breaths: "Madam Zhang is right."
His Highness is now losing power, and in order not to cause more trouble for His Highness, she must swallow her anger.
"Empress Zhang."
Zhang Concubine's arrogant expression turned into a flattering smile the moment she heard Ming Jiuzhu's voice. She turned around and said in a very sweet voice: "What do you want, Princess?"
"It's not about giving orders." Jiuzhu walked up to her and handed her a wooden box. "The Queen Mother said that you were frightened today. Good jade is good for you. Take these jade bracelets back and wear them."
"Thank you, Her Majesty, and thank you, Princess." Concubine Zhang took the wooden box and expressed her gratitude before opening it.
"You're welcome." Jiuzhu nodded slightly to her, then turned to look at Yun Yanze and Sun Caiyao: "Fourth brother, fourth sister-in-law, I'll take you out."
Sun Caiyao looked at Ming Jiuzhu in a daze. Did she hear everything that Zhang Concubine had just said, so she came out specially to help them out?
Concubine Zhang glanced at Ming Jiuzhu, then at Yun Yanze and his wife, and found an excuse to slip away quickly, walking faster than a cat.
"Fourth brother, fourth sister-in-law, please." Jiuzhu walked in front to lead the way, and Sun Caiyao followed silently behind her. For some reason, she turned her head and looked at Yun Yanze.
Your Highness, what is thinking in your heart as you look at Ming Jiuzhu's back?
The prince in her dream must have liked Ming Jiuzhu, because he smiled so happily at the wedding in the dream.
Unfortunately, Ming Jiuzhu's face was hidden behind the round fan, and she didn't know whether she was happy or sad.
But compared to the wedding that Prince Chen prepared for her, the wedding in her dream pales in comparison.
After walking out of the gate of Mingyue Palace, Yun Yanze stopped and said, "Thank you, my brother and sister-in-law, for seeing me off. Please stay."
Jiuzhu stopped and turned to look at them: "Brother and sister-in-law, take care."
Yun Yanze glanced at her, bowed, and left gracefully.
Jiuzhu looked at their backs with little expression on her face.
"I knew you were here to help them out." Prince Chen walked to her side, wrapped her hand in his palm, and didn't even look at the direction where Yun Yanze left: "Let's go back and have dinner."
After the two finished their meal at Mingyue Palace, Jiuzhu didn't want to ride in the sedan chair, so the two walked slowly on the palace road, shoulder to shoulder.
"Your Highness, are all the people in the palace like this?"
"Are you talking about Concubine Zhang?" Prince Chen knew what Jiuzhu was talking about and laughed. "There is always a lack of people in the palace who flatter the powerful and bully the weak. Concubine Zhang is just a villain and is not to be feared. The truly frightening thing is the seemingly harmless, man-eating venomous snake."
"This is not only the imperial palace, but also the pinnacle of power in Dacheng." Prince Chen held Jiuzhu's hand and walked forward slowly. "In the later years of the late emperor, the concubines used various means to harm people in order to help their sons and daughters fight for the throne. Countless innocent men and women were involved, some died, some were disabled, and the worst was that the entire family was implicated, and blood flowed like a river."
The wind was a little cold, so Jiuzhu moved closer to him.
"My uncles who used to have gentle smiles have become twisted evil spirits in the struggle for imperial power and have lost their human ethics and rationality." Prince Chen sighed, "So over the years, I have kept my distance from the throne."
"Sixteen years ago, I had a dog. Wherever I went, it would follow me, wagging its tail. Until one day, I accidentally dropped a snack on the plate, and the dog ate it..."
"What happened next?"
"It's dead." Prince Chen still remembers that it was a little white dog with very short legs, and it ran like a little ball of fur.
"There's poison... in the snacks?" Jiuzhu widened her eyes.
"Yes, it's poisonous." The King of Chen sneered: "From then on, anything that enters my mouth will be eaten by the people around me first."
Jiuzhu suddenly remembered that the mints and snacks she gave to His Highness had never been tasted by anyone else.
"You are not someone else. Why should I be afraid to take what you bring?" The Prince of Chen saw her expression and knew what she was thinking: "Besides, when have you ever brought more food with you than I have eaten?"
"What if I decide to die with you? Wouldn't that mean you've been fooled?" Jiuzhu chuckled softly, "Your Highness, you're still not vigilant enough."
"I'm confident." Prince Chen raised his eyebrows: "I believe in my own judgment and believe that you won't hurt me."
Jiuzhu laughed out loud, and the two of them looked up at the moon hanging in the sky.
"Your Highness, the peach blossom season is almost here."
"Um."
"So when are we going to paint together?"
“…”
"Your Highness, why don't you speak?"
"Oh, I was wondering where the most beautiful scenery would be more suitable for painting."
Zhangpin's sudden move to another palace aroused the curiosity of other concubines. Since His Majesty ascended the throne, Zhangpin had lived in this palace, so why did she suddenly move to another palace?
When a concubine sent someone to inquire about the news, the maidservant beside Zhang said mysteriously, "This is the order of His Majesty and the Empress."
The scenery of Qingfeng Tower is indeed better, but Concubine Zhang has an unpleasant personality and has a daughter who has offended Prince Chen. Why would the Queen move her to another palace?
They should be more favored by the Queen than Concubine Zhang.
"Master, Mingyue Palace suddenly moved Concubine Zhang to another palace. Did they find out that there is something wrong with Concubine Zhang?"
"When did Su Meidai become so smart? She figured out our plan just as it was beginning."
"So what do we do now?"
"What can we do? Of course we can only wait. Not only does she have His Majesty's support, but the Ming family is also on their side."
"Ming family?"
"At the New Year's Eve banquet, the two brothers Ming Jinghai and Ming Jingzhou, in unison, crushed the Yun Yanze faction completely. What do you think they did that for?"
"To pave the way for Prince Chen?"
"Apart from this reason, what else could make them press on step by step and not give Yun Yanze any room? This move is equivalent to them standing on the opposite side of Yun Yanze. As long as the Ming family does not fall, it will be impossible for Yun Yanze to ascend the throne."
"But there have been rumors that the Ming family doesn't like Prince Chen, so why did they start helping him?"
"Perhaps, the unlearned Prince Chen is easier to control than other princes."
"But I thought..."
"Do you think the Ming family isn't like this? Oh, the three brothers of the Ming family back then were very proud. It's a pity that people change."
"People change." Prince Huai said to his two younger brothers, "Maybe the fifth brother can really recite the "Nongsang Ji"."
It has become an open secret in the court that Your Majesty is unwilling to agree to Prince Chen's proposal to hold an additional special examination unless Prince Chen can recite "Nong Sang Ji" within five days.
Not only did the officials in the court know about this, but even the common people had heard the rumors.
Compared with the uneasy civil officials, the common people are full of confidence in Prince Chen, and this confidence is given to them by the series of stories about the Overbearing Prince.
The scholars who had secretly cursed the King Chen in the past no longer cursed him. Some scholars even secretly burned incense to the statue of Confucius, asking him to bless the King Chen to memorize the "Nongsangji" in its entirety.
The "Nongmulian Ji" in various bookstores also became a best-seller within just a few days, because many readers speculated that His Majesty would let the prince recite this book, which showed that His Majesty attached great importance to the content of this book.
The worst thing is that some gambling houses also took advantage of this matter to make bets.
Some people who thought they understood Prince Chen bet that he couldn't recite it.
The people were so busy that they almost forced him to carry it out.
"It's outrageous, too outrageous." Yun Qirong strolled around the major casinos and said to his other friends after he came out, "The odds of betting on the prince not being able to recite the jackpot are actually higher."
"It seems that the people of our capital have great confidence in the prince." A playboy asked, "What did you bet on?"
"Why ask? Of course we bet that the prince can do it." Yun Qirong put his hands on his hips and said, "It doesn't matter whether we make money or not. The most important thing is that we must have enough momentum to support the prince."
"Qi Rong is right. Let's bet that the prince can recite it."
What lackey wouldn't cheer for his boss?
It's just money, they have it!
After they deposited the money, they saw that it was still early and asked, "Qi Rong, where are we going now?"
"Let's go to the Nursery Hall." Yun Qirong said, "His Highness asked us to do more good deeds, so we should listen to him."
Several of their brothers had all received the positions of third-class guards, and they were all promoted to second-class in the past two days. These were all the benefits of their obedience to His Highness's orders.
"We can't go to the nursery empty-handed."
"Yes, buy some food, oil, toys and so on."
"Educational books can also bring back some memories. It's a good thing for children to recognize a few words."
"Brothers, let's go."
At this moment, several heads of noble families gathered together, looking forward to the success of their plan.
"Everything has been arranged. Are you sure there is no problem?"
"Don't worry, there will be no more accidents."
"What are those lackeys of the King Chen doing?"
"They are betting in the casino."
"Very good. I don't believe that anyone can come and mess things up today!"
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