The young eunuch wasn't afraid at all; instead, he smiled and whispered a few words in Eunuch Feng's ear.
Hearing this, Eunuch Feng frowned and couldn't help but ask, "Are you telling the truth? Or have you embellished it?"
"Oh dear, Steward, how could I dare? This concerns His Highness, I cannot lie no matter what!" the little eunuch complained, which earned him a glare from Eunuch Feng, who then picked up the food box and went inside.
The food box was covered with a layer of ice, and it dripped water as it was being carried. But when it was taken to the gazebo and the lid was opened, a blast of cold air hit everyone, making them take a second look.
The crown prince was drinking tea when he saw this, so he put down his teacup and asked, "You've been gone for so long, did something happen?"
Eunuch Feng quickly took out the pastries from the food box, and lastly, a pot of jade-green melon juice with ice crystals.
He smiled and replied, "Your Highness is wise. The eunuch who left the palace did indeed encounter some trouble."
"This kid accepted a bribe from a palace maid and went to the jewelry store to help bring back some things. He happened to witness the commotion."
"It is said that Princess Kang Le and her sister-in-law were also buying jewelry at the jewelry store. As a result, they sat in the next private room with the young lady from the Chen family of the Ministry of Personnel. For some reason, the young lady from the Chen family started arguing with the princess."
"Miss Chen spoke rudely, saying that once she becomes the Crown Princess, she will make the Princess come to the palace to kowtow to her every day!"
The prince paused, his hand holding the plum juice cup still, and sneered, "Did she really say that?"
"It shouldn't be wrong. The young eunuch wouldn't dare to deceive this old servant. Besides, there were quite a few guests present at the time, so it can't be faked." Eunuch Feng's favorite was Princess Kangle, and at this moment he couldn't help but secretly speak up for the princess.
"Miss Chen is really... Oh dear, the princess is such a good person, even the princess says she is intelligent and kind, and wishes she could stick to her every day. But this Miss Chen is always targeting the princess!"
"No wonder the princess wanted to leave the palace, otherwise who knows how Miss Chen would have gossiped about her!"
This old servant feels a pang of regret whenever I think of the princess. You see, when the princess was in the palace, she had ice cream and cold drinks made every day; there was no need to send someone out specifically to buy them.”
The prince lowered his eyes, slowly drinking the jade melon juice, without responding.
At this moment, the emperor, having finished reviewing the memorials, also came over to cool off.
The prince personally poured him some jade melon juice and picked up a piece of cold rice cake filled with red bean paste.
The Emperor enjoyed his son's filial piety. He pulled him down to sit, took a sip of the jade melon juice, and praised, "This jade melon juice doesn't taste like the one from the Imperial Kitchen. Did you buy it from outside?"
The Crown Prince laughed and said, "Yes, Father. The little eunuch went to Baiyun Mountain to fetch them. There were two jars in total. One jar was sent to Zhilan Palace for my third sister."
"Your Majesty, I made the decision not to share this with you. This stuff is too cold and would upset your spleen and stomach. But I didn't expect that Your Majesty would be so lucky as to get to drink it."
The emperor laughed heartily, a hint of smugness in his expression.
"Good, you siblings get along well. It doesn't matter if I, your father, don't drink this jade melon juice."
After exchanging a few words with the Emperor, the Crown Prince got straight to the point, saying, "Father, there is one person on the list that I want to remove."
The emperor paused for a moment before realizing which list it was.
So he asked, "Which one do you want to remove? Is it something you particularly dislike?"
The Crown Prince nodded and replied, "The eldest daughter of Vice Minister Chen of the Ministry of Personnel, the one who tried to steal the spotlight at the Imperial Concubine's summer banquet but ended up being humiliated by the Third Princess and the Princess."
"I heard that she was making a big fuss outside today, saying that once she enters the palace and becomes the Crown Princess, the Third Princess and the Princess will have to kowtow to her and apologize every day."
"Insolence!" The Emperor glared and shouted, "Who gave the daughter of a mere Vice Minister the audacity to speak such nonsense!"
"Let alone the Crown Princess, even if she were selected, she would only be a concubine, not even a secondary consort!"
The crown prince nodded, but his face was full of displeasure.
“Even if I can tolerate such character, the princess is very straightforward! If she really bullies the princess in front of her, the princess will think that I, as her older brother, am instigating it behind her back, which will ruin our sibling relationship!”
The Crown Prince's words struck a nerve with the Emperor. From childhood, he and his brothers had fought each other openly and secretly for the throne, and there was no question of brotherly affection between them.
Now that he's a father, he doesn't have many children, and the throne hasn't become a source of hatred between them.
Especially these days, seeing that the Crown Prince is willing to send a portion of any delicious food or fun items to Zhilan Palace, he is particularly happy.
When he's gone one day, I can finally rest easy.
Unexpectedly, before I knew it, some brat appeared with such a shameless attitude!
"Send word to Vice Minister Chen of the Ministry of Personnel, and tell him to send a different daughter to participate in the selection. If he dares to let his ill-mannered daughter talk nonsense outside again, he can forget about being a vice minister and can stay at home all day to teach his daughter!" Steward Yi quickly stepped forward to respond, and then personally led people to the yamen to find Vice Minister Chen.
The crown prince lowered his head, took a sip of the jade melon juice, and concealed the mockery in his eyes.
In the Emperor's heart, power was always the most important thing.
Today's situation is merely to exchange the Chen family for another daughter, not to exclude the Chen family altogether.
It's all because they can't bear to give up the Chen family's power...
Standing outside the pavilion, Eunuch Feng humbly bowed his head, inwardly giving the Crown Prince a thousand thumbs up.
As expected of the Crown Prince, he managed to drag the Third Princess into the matter with just a few words, not only avenging the princess but also removing a troublesome troublemaker from the palace!
Leaving aside what was happening in the palace, let's talk about the Chen family mansion. Miss Chen was hugging her mother, wiping away tears, and stomping her feet in a spoiled manner.
"Waaah, Mother, you must stand up for your daughter! That Princess Kang Le is just too much!"
"Last time at the summer banquet, she slapped my daughter, and my daughter was ridiculed by others for days. She really didn't want to live anymore. Now that she's finally going to enter the palace to be selected as a concubine, she's bullying me again!"
"What kind of noble lady am I? A peasant can beat me and bully me at will! Waaah, I'd rather be dead!"
Madam Chen had a son and a daughter. When her son was six years old, he was moved to the front yard and taught by her husband. She could no longer get involved and could only see him once a day at most.
It's normal to not see each other for a few days when we're busy with our studies.
This youngest daughter is the only one who has been by her side since birth. Although she has been spoiled and a bit clumsy, she was born from her own womb, so it is only right that she loves her more.
Seeing her daughter crying so pitifully, she couldn't bear to see her like this, so she hugged her and comforted her, "Okay, okay, don't cry, tell Mommy what happened?"
Miss Chen gave her cousin a wink, and her cousin quickly took over the conversation.
On the way, the two had already discussed everything in the carriage.
The fault, of course, lies with the monarch of Kang Le; they were the innocent victims who were bullied.
So, the younger cousin embellished the story and pulled it together. Princess Kang Le deliberately provoked them, and when she failed to snatch the jewelry they wanted, she deliberately humiliated them in public.
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