As the instigator of this court turmoil, Yuan Zhao has been staying at home since returning from the palace that day, observing how the situation develops.
Yuan Cheng quietly sent Song Yunci, who was about to give birth, to the princess's residence and handed her over to Yuan Zhao for care.
Song Yunci was feeling heavy and had been feeling tired lately. Yuan Cheng and Yuan Zhao had already reached a tacit understanding not to let her know about the turmoil outside so that she could rest in peace.
She was very smart and naturally noticed some clues, but she didn't ask any more questions.
Fortunately, the children were all by her side. Yuan Xuan talked to her every day, Yuan Qiyu made her happy from time to time, and Yuan Zhizhi even pestered her and acted coquettishly all day long, so that her thoughts would not wander too far.
However, the palace was in turmoil, and the unrest in the court was far from over.
Faced with the joint impeachment of civil and military officials in the court, Yuan Cheng suppressed it with force, reprimanded the officials with thundering means, and warned the court not to make any more groundless speculations.
But contrary to expectations, this tough suppression made the opponents even more dissatisfied and caused even greater unrest.
All kinds of rumors are spreading and even getting more and more intense.
"It's said that Your Highness has completely broken off relations with Concubine Shu and Prince Jin with this incident. When Your Highness Prince Jin returns to the capital, he will definitely stand up for your mother!"
Under the flamboyant tree, Yuan Zhao was trimming the dead branches. Gan Tang stood by, helping to pick up the cut branches and leaves while whispering about the rumors from the outside world.
Hearing this, Yuan Zhao paused slightly with the scissors in his hand, but said nothing and only gestured for her to continue.
Gan Tang paused and said,
"Some people also say that upon returning to the capital, the Crown Prince transferred the Prince of Jin to patrol the western suburbs. It's clear that this was a deliberate move to keep him away from the capital and prevent him from participating in state affairs..."
When she said this, a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes, as if the next words were too absurd and difficult to say.
Yuan Zhao gently snipped the branches, and a dead branch fell off. His voice was calm and unwavering, "Go ahead."
Gan Tang pursed his lips and finally whispered:
"There are rumors out there that the reason His Majesty is in a coma is because His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was dissatisfied with the ministers' instigation for the princess to marry, so..."
She hesitated for a moment before continuing,
——"I did it myself."
Yuan Zhao raised his eyebrows, his expression unchanged, as if he had just heard some insignificant gossip, and asked casually,
"Anything else?"
Looking at her expression, Gan Tang felt a surge of courage in his heart, and simply blurted out all the most absurd and harsh words.
"They also said that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has long been dissatisfied with Your Majesty and is eager to ascend the throne, so he took the opportunity to make Your Majesty unconscious and confined Concubine Shu to restrain Prince Jin..."
She took a deep breath and finally uttered the most taboo and shocking words among the powerful people in the capital:
"This is... treason and usurpation of the throne."
As soon as he finished speaking, the world was silent. Only the cold wind blew through the branches, blowing off a yellow leaf, which swirled and landed on Yuan Zhao's clothes.
Gan Tang's heart was pounding and he didn't dare look up at Yuan Zhao's expression.
But Yuan Zhao just sneered faintly, brushed away the fallen leaves with his fingertips, and said softly,
"They really are...very brave."
…
After a while, Yuan Zhao asked again, "Has the letter to the western suburbs been delivered?"
Gan Tang nodded, "Biyun went there in person, but... His Royal Highness Prince Jin received the letter, but I don't know whether he read it or not."
Yuan Zhao nodded, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, and sighed softly.
"No problem, we can only decide what we can do."
"Whether he sees it or not, whether he is willing to believe it or not, all depends on him."
…
Letters sent from the capital to the western suburbs camp came in like snowflakes and piled up into a mountain.
Yuan Heng sat at the desk, his eyes fixed on the stack of letters, his brows slightly furrowed, his expression tired.
More letters were sent from Linhua Palace.
He casually picked up one of the letters, opened it and took a look, and then he had no interest in reading the second one.
The contents of the letters were pretty much the same.
He rubbed his brows, feeling tired.
At this moment, footsteps were heard outside the tent.
"Your Highness, another letter has arrived from the capital."
Yuan Heng was about to wave his hand to ask someone to put down the letter, unwilling to pay any more attention to these noisy letters.
But the visitor added,
——"It was delivered personally by Biyun from the Princess's Mansion."
Yuan Heng paused and his expression changed slightly.
He raised his head and looked at the letter with a serious look.
The visitor gently placed the letter on the table and then left the tent.
Yuan Heng stared at the letter, stroking the familiar handwriting with his fingertips, but he did not have the courage to open it.
He knew everything that happened in the palace, from beginning to end.
The pile of letters at hand are all from my mother complaining about how arrogant my sister was and how she bullied her.
What would the imperial sister say if she wrote to me at this time?
Should I explain it to him? Or accuse my mother? Or should I ask him to take sides?
He wanted to know, but was afraid to know.
After hesitating for a long time, he slowly opened the letter.
The letter paper was thick, without any lengthy text, just four simple words.
“Just follow your heart.”
He stared at these four words in silence for a long time, then suddenly chuckled.
His fingertips gently stroked the familiar handwriting. He was about to fold the letter when he suddenly realized there was another piece of paper folded underneath.
He frowned, pulled out the paper and unfolded it.
The handwriting is crooked, the ink depth is uneven, and the horizontal and vertical lines are not straight.
He recognized it at a glance; it was Yuan Qiyu's handwriting.
The letter reads:
"Third brother,
A day without seeing you feels like three years.
Come back to Beijing soon and wait for you during the New Year."
Yuan Heng's fingers paused slightly.
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