To outsiders, this matter appears to be a power struggle between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince.
Throughout history, those who failed in the struggle for the throne have always met a tragic end, and naturally, they would resort to all sorts of means.
However, judging from the Third Prince's reaction, the collusion with foreign powers is indeed true.
The regent was aware of this matter and had probably been keeping an eye on things. Therefore, during the battle with the barbarians, the deputy general had no opportunity to cause trouble. The prince only got into trouble after the battle ended. With him in control of the overall situation, the traitorous general naturally could not escape to the southern border.
He seemed to remain detached from the whole thing.
He was in the capital, recuperating in seclusion, and no one suspected him.
The prince's poison was the same as his...
Was it really an accident?
His Majesty loves him so much; after all, the Crown Prince and the Third Prince are his own nephews.
The more Shen Zhiyi thought about it, the more frightened she became. Suddenly, a palace servant knocked on the door, startling her so much that she trembled. "Please come in!"
“Miss Shen,” a palace maid entered, “His Majesty and the young master have important matters to discuss and have sent us to escort you back to your residence first.”
"good."
When Shen Zhiyi left the palace, she saw many ministers entering the palace late at night. Although she didn't know much about the court, she knew that some of them were members of the Empress's family, so she guessed they were from the Third Prince's faction and had come to the palace to plead for mercy.
Among them was Song Yuxiu.
"Zhiyi!" He saw Shen Zhiyi and rushed forward. "Do you know that something terrible has happened in the palace? The Third Prince..."
“Young Master Song!” Shen Zhiyi interrupted him, “Since it’s a matter of the palace, it’s not our business. Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know.”
After saying that, she turned and left.
Song Yuxiu was stunned for a few seconds.
Shen Zhiyi is right, he shouldn't have gotten involved in this matter.
So he turned around and said, "Zhiyi, it's late, let me see you off."
“Young Master Song, we are now divorced. Please address me as Miss Shen or Miss Shen.”
"I……"
After Shen Zhiyi finished speaking, she left directly with the palace servants, completely ignoring Song Yuxiu's calls from behind.
The palace is in chaos tonight.
The third prince was placed under house arrest, and the empress was also confined to her quarters.
The palace servants were all unaware of what had happened, and everyone was in a state of panic. It was inevitable that some people would gossip about it, and Shen Zhiyi couldn't help but overhear a few idle words.
"I heard that the Empress was furious when she returned to the palace. His Majesty punished the Third Prince too severely this time, and he may be out of the running for the throne. The Empress must not be able to bear it."
"But at least the Third Prince is alright, at least he's still alive. Unlike the Crown Prince, whose symptoms I heard are very similar to those of the Regent back then..."
"Shh!"
The palace servants all looked serious when the regent was mentioned.
"This one is truly tragic. The late emperor doted on Consort Xiao, and after she gave birth to the Regent, no other children were born in the palace, which shows how much he loved her. If the late emperor hadn't suddenly passed away, then..."
"Stop talking!"
The palace was in chaos tonight, and the palace maid leading Shen Zhiyi coughed a few times.
The group of palace maids who had gathered dispersed, and he smiled at Shen Zhiyi: "Miss Shen, these scoundrels are talking nonsense, please don't take it seriously."
Shen Zhiyi asked, puzzled, "Did they say anything?"
The palace attendant smiled and continued to lead her out of the palace gate.
But Chen Zhiyi was alarmed by what she heard.
It was common knowledge that the late emperor favored Consort Xiao. The late emperor did not have many children to begin with, and after Consort Xiao entered the palace and gave birth to the regent, no other children were born in the palace.
Consort Xiao's suicide to follow him in death became a legendary tale.
However, if the late emperor had ever considered changing the heir apparent, the matter would have taken a different turn.
Because Shen Zhiyi had previously overheard her father casually mentioning in his spare time:
It is said that Consort Xiao was more than ten years younger than the late emperor, and in order to stay with her forever, the late emperor took great care of his health.
His sudden death sparked numerous rumors at the time.
The most common reason was that the late emperor took excessive amounts of elixirs in order to improve his health.
Even within the inner courtyard of a marquis's residence, fierce infighting rages; how much more so in the imperial palace.
Once she was in the carriage and had left the palace, Shen Zhiyi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Those who came to the palace tonight to plead for mercy were all rebuked by His Majesty.
They were reprimanded for interfering in royal affairs!
Song Yuxiu, who left midway, escaped unscathed. Upon hearing the news, he felt a lingering fear. Song Maozhang was also shaken. "Yuxiu, it's fortunate you came back midway. Otherwise, you would have lost the military merit you just earned."
"Thanks to Chen Zhiyi."
What do you mean by that?
Song Yuxiu told his father about his encounter with Shen Zhiyi, "Father, thanks to her reminder, she's just being stubborn, but she still cares about me."
After discussing it, the Song father and son concluded that even a strong woman can be won over by persistent pursuit. As long as Song Yuxiu used some methods, Shen Zhiyi would still obediently listen to him.
——
In the Duke's Mansion
On her way back to the manor, Shen Zhiyi felt increasingly anxious and flustered as she thought about what had happened that day. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Xiao Zhongxuan sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, holding five-colored silk threads in his hand, seemingly studying how to weave them.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, there is a long-standing custom of tying colorful silk threads.
"You're back so late?" His voice was as gentle as ever.
"Why aren't you resting yet?"
"Wait for you."
"..."
Xiao Zhongxuan's eyes were always gentle and affectionate.
"How's the competition going?" he asked with a smile.
"Luckily, I hit one. I almost made a fool of myself and embarrassed my brother." Shen Zhiyi pursed her lips. "But something happened tonight, so I didn't eat much."
“I went to the night market and bought some food on my way back.”
When Xiao Zhongxuan placed the food on the table, it was almost all her favorite food, along with a pot of realgar wine for the Dragon Boat Festival, and a small bottle for her to try.
When Chen Zhiyi is drunk, she is prone to doing foolish things, so she restrained herself and only took a small sip.
It has a rich and smooth taste, unlike other wines.
But it was still alcohol, and it tasted spicy as it went down her throat. A blush instantly rose to her face as she rested her chin on her hand and looked at Xiao Zhongxuan: "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
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