Chapter 721 The Empress Dowager's Reward for Calming the Fright
Princess Rongqing resided in the Empress Dowager's palace.
She was carried back, which naturally alarmed the Empress Dowager.
As dusk fell, Rongqing slowly awoke, and upon opening her eyes, she saw the Empress Dowager sitting on the edge of her bed.
Her eyes reddened, and she burst into tears.
"What happened?" The Empress Dowager pulled her into her arms. "I heard you and the Sixth Prince had a fight at the palace gate. You know he's a troublemaker, he talks nonsense all the time. Why are you arguing with him? Stop crying..."
"The Empress Dowager must have heard about what happened in Linxi, right?" Rongqing choked up as he spoke. "Sui Shuren was assassinated, and Sixth Brother investigated and investigated until he found out about me. He then concluded that I was the one who targeted Sui Shuren... Since I was ten years old, I have lived deep within the inner palace and rarely interacted with people outside. I only met Sui Shuren once before, at my sister-in-law's Kunning Palace. Apart from that, we had no other contact. I don't understand why Sixth Brother would think that I was the one who harmed Sui Shuren..."
The Empress Dowager naturally sent people to investigate this matter, and the evidence indeed pointed directly to Rongqing.
But Rongqing is a kind and good boy. Everyone in the palace praises Rongqing as a tolerant and moderate person. How could he possibly lay a hand on Consort Sui?
Something must have gone wrong in the middle.
"Sixth Brother invited over a hundred people to the Linxi Hunting Party, plus their entourage and maids, making a total of seven or eight hundred. Even if someone truly hated Consort Sui, they wouldn't choose such a setting to make their move, would they?" Rong Qing pursed his lips and spoke slowly. "Besides, Consort Sui's claim of being assassinated is only one side of the story. Who really saw it? Perhaps Consort Sui herself planted the hidden weapon in the horse's rump..."
The Empress Dowager frowned: "Rongqing, you're mistaken. You can suspect someone is smearing you, but you cannot suspect Consort Sui. Although I have never summoned Consort Sui to pay her respects, I can tell from the Emperor and Empress's words that Consort Sui is a great philanthropist throughout history. The word 'philanthropist' alone is not enough to elevate her to the rank of a third-rank Consort Sui. Besides her great philanthropy, she also possesses great talent and has done many things that benefit the country and its people. She devotes all her energy to important matters and would never resort to such underhanded tactics within the inner palace. Furthermore, Consort Sui has no reason to frame you..."
Rong Qing's words caught in his throat.
The three people with the most power in the palace—the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress—all have unwavering faith in Su Su-in.
If one day these three people find out about Sixth Brother's feelings, they probably won't object to him marrying a widow into the royal family...
She hadn't even started, yet it felt like she'd already lost.
Moreover, he lost to a widow.
Rong Qing lowered his eyes: "I'm sorry, I was just confused and overthinking things."
"It's snowing heavily today, so it's normal for you to have a headache and overthink things," the Empress Dowager said kindly. "The medicine has already been prepared. Take it and go to sleep. You'll be fine by tomorrow morning."
Rongqing nodded obediently and huddled under the covers.
The Empress Dowager got up and went out to her own courtyard, then ordered someone to summon the Prince of Qin to the palace.
It was already dark, but the heavy snow had not stopped. When the King of Qin entered, he was covered in cold air, and the palace servants helped him brush the snow off his shoulders.
He went inside, sat down by the fireplace, and casually asked, "Mother, you summoned me to the palace at this hour because of Lin Xi, right?"
"It's good that you know." The Empress Dowager took a sip of warm tea. "Those lotus-shaped hidden weapons, many daughters of prominent families who are skilled in riding and archery would have some made for them to play with. You can't pin all the blame on Rongqing. You must have misunderstood Rongqing."
"Let's leave the hidden weapons aside for now." The King of Qin raised his peach blossom eyes. "At the time of the incident, the most skilled guard by Rong Qing's side was nowhere to be found. Later, someone saw this guard follow Consort Sui towards the West Mountain. Doesn't that prove anything?"
"Perhaps it's just a coincidence." The Empress Dowager waved her hand. "Sixth Prince, I know you've never liked Rongqing, feeling she's not a member of the Xiao family. But you must know, more than ten years ago, on a snowy winter day like this, your younger sister Duanmin was kidnapped. It was Rongqing who risked her life to protect Duanmin... Although she didn't survive, it at least proves that Rongqing is a kind and innocent child. Her health suffered as a result, and she falls ill every time it snows heavily. Our Xiao family owes her a debt..."
The King of Qin's lips pressed into a straight line. He stood up and said, "I understand what Mother means. It's getting late, I'll go back now."
"Wait a moment." The Empress Dowager beckoned to the person behind her, and the nanny behind her brought over two lacquer trays. "Sui Shuren has been frightened. Please deliver some gifts to calm her nerves on my behalf."
The King of Qin initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought that he could take the opportunity to slip in some rewards.
Every time he sent something, it was rejected. Since it was mixed with the Empress Dowager's gifts, Lady Sui probably wouldn't have the guts to return it the way it came.
He nodded and had his trusted aide take the lacquer tray from behind him.
The heavy snow in Beijing showed no signs of stopping. When I woke up the next morning, there was a thick layer of snow on the ground, and the snow in the sky was still falling.
However, for northerners, this little bit of snow is nothing; it wouldn't be unusual for it to last for a month straight.
Zhao Sidan is someone who loves playing in the snow, but right now, he has no interest in doing that. He is focused on his books, preparing for the imperial examination in the spring.
Cheng Wanwan didn't get up until noon. Right after lunch, Old Madam Shen and Madam Zhang came to visit.
Yesterday's incident involving Lin Xi has been making headlines in the capital. No one knows who was behind it, but everyone knows that Sui Shuren almost lost her life.
However, seeing that Cheng Wanwan was unharmed, Madam Shen and Madam Zhang breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank you both for your concern," Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. "I only had a minor scrape on the back of my hand. If you had come a day later, the wound would have healed by now."
Madam Shen was not amused by her words and said seriously, "Is it really impossible to find out who is behind this?"
Madam Zhang frowned: "If we can't find out, how can we prevent this person from striking again?"
Cheng Wanwan naturally wouldn't tell the two ladies anything she shouldn't. She said casually, "I've always been lucky, blessed by heaven, nothing will happen..."
As they were talking, Granny Qi hurriedly entered the warm room: "Shuren, the King of Qin has sent someone over."
Cheng Wanwan had anticipated that the King of Qin would come, and said, "Let the King of Qin's men in."
Granny Qi went out and brought in the King of Qin's confidant. Besides the confidant, there were four attendants, each carrying a lacquer tray.
"Greetings, Consort Sui." The leader curtsied. "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager heard that Consort Sui had been frightened during her trip to Linxi, and specially sent the Prince to deliver some gifts to soothe her nerves. These are all gifts carefully selected by Her Majesty the Empress Dowager..."
He reached out and lifted the red cloth covering the tray.
The first tray contained gold and silver jewelry, the second tray contained a jade ruyi (a type of scepter), the third tray contained the finest silks, and the fourth tray contained some exotic items presented as tribute from foreign countries.
These things are quite precious.
As a court official, Cheng Wanwan naturally had no right to refuse the Empress Dowager's reward.
She ordered someone to accept it, saying, "Thank you for the Empress Dowager's gift."
After the King of Qin's men finished delivering the rewards, they took their leave.
Cheng Wanwan's expression, however, was not relaxed.
The Empress Dowager's grand display of so many gifts seemed less like a way to calm her nerves and more like a warning.
He warned her not to investigate Lin Xi's matter any further.
In other words, the Empress Dowager knew that this matter was related to Princess Rongqing, but she still chose to protect the princess.
With the Empress Dowager protecting her, she couldn't lay a hand on Rongqing.
However, since the Empress Dowager is paying attention to this matter, Rongqing is unlikely to resort to assassination again anytime soon.
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