When leaving the Imperial Palace, Su Rong bid farewell to the eldest Princess Sheng An and Rui’an King, then directly boarded Yan Huisheng’s carriage.
The eldest Princess Sheng An seemed to want to say something to Su Rong, but she just rubbed her tired forehead, didn’t speak, nodded instead, and asked her to visit the Duke Residence whenever she has a chance. She then got in her carriage and left.
The Rui’an King got rather scared today, so he followed the eldest Princess Sheng An’s carriage to safely deliver her back to the Duke Residence before he had his carriage turned around to return to the Rui’an King’s manor.
In the Crown Prince’s carriage, Su Rong said to Yan Huisheng, "At that moment, I could have stopped that palace maid who bit off Lipin’s hairpin and committed suicide by cutting her throat, but I didn’t."
Yan Huisheng nodded, "I understand."
Given Su Rong’s capabilities, she could have prevented the palace maid from ingesting Lipin’s hairpin and committing suicide. There could be only one reason why she didn’t do such a thing: she didn’t want to.
Su Rong looked at him, "Even though I don’t know what the mastermind intended, given the current situation, concluding the case with Lipin would be most advantageous to you, Crown Prince. You can take down the eldest Prince, the second Prince, and the fourth Prince in one fell swoop. Although it wouldn’t lead to their complete downfall, as long as the case ends here, none of them can extricate themselves, and that will be most beneficial to you."
Yan Huisheng nodded his head in agreement, "Indeed."
He rubbed his forehead, smiling at Su Rong, "I can see that my aunt also thought the same way. The investigation would not benefit me at all, should there be any remote connection to me."
Su Rong nodded and looked at Yan Huisheng, "Who do you think is the person behind the scenes? Lipin is evidently the scapegoat designated by the mastermind. Such a scapegoat must have been set up years ago."
Yan Huisheng shook his head, "I don’t have any leads yet, but...", he paused, pursed his brows, then pondered, "The scheme of using Lipin as a scapegoat mimics the case of the former deputy censor Qin Yuan; it seems like the same modus operandi."
Su Rong exclaimed curiously, "What was the case with Qin Yuan?"
Yan Huisheng suggested, "Why don’t you visit my Eastern Palace tomorrow? It would be too complicated to explain at the moment. Generally speaking, Qin Yuan’s case closely resembles this one."
Su Rong nodded, then mentioned another matter, "The technique I learned for using golden needles was taught to me by the famous assassin Fang Wuying thirty years ago. However, the technique of the little maid earlier does not resemble his techniques."
That was the reason she decisively severed the hands of the little palace maid. There was no need to show mercy to someone she didn’t recognize as a student of Fang Wuying. Furthermore, if she hadn’t severed the maid’s hands, the latter would have assassinated the eldest Princess Sheng An and the Queen Mother on the spot and faced death regardless.
Yan Huisheng nodded.
Su Rong continued, "But it must have some connection with my mentor, Fang Wuying. That little maid is so young, about thirteen or fourteen. I’m afraid there is still someone hiding in the palace who taught her. Their age could be hard to determine."
After all, she had never investigated Fang Wuying’s background; she was only learning how to use golden needles to kill, and showed little interest in his past. If Xie Yuan hadn’t been suspicious and checked the old doctor, they wouldn’t have discovered that he was in fact the infamous Fang Wuying.
Yan Huisheng stated, "I will increase security around my mother."
Su Rong nodded, "For now, that’s the only option. It’s best to deploy a master. If necessary, I can lend Queen Mother Fen Ling for a few days."
When she spoke of Fen Ling, she thought it was a good idea, "How about letting Fen Ling stay with the Queen Mother? Maybe he might find some clues with the abilities he possesses once he enters the palace."
Yan Huisheng said, "Your safety is more important."
Su Rong laughed, "If I lend you Fen Ling, can’t you simply lend me one of your four closest guards in return? The Queen Mother cannot have any mishaps. Without the Queen Mother in the palace, you would be at a disadvantage."
Upon hearing this, Yan Huisheng chuckled, "Alright, I’ll assign Yun Ze to you."
Yan Huisheng’s carriage dropped Su Rong off at the Shen Residence. When they arrived, Su Rong stepped out of the carriage and waved goodbye to Yan Huisheng.
Yan Huisheng also waved back, pulled down the carriage curtain and left the Shen Residence.
Lady Shen, seeing that Su Rong had returned, held her hand anxiously and asked, "What happened that you had to enter the palace suddenly? Did the Emperor give you a hard time?"
Su Rong shook her head and briefly explained why she went to the palace and what happened there. Lady Shen breathed a sigh of relief and simultaneously turned to Su Rong, "You’ve saved the people in Duke Residence repeatedly, be careful not to let the Second Young Master Ye have any thoughts."
Su Rong shook her head, "I will explain it to him. After all, if I want to help the Crown Prince, I must ensure the safety of the Duke Residence. It is unfortunate to deliberately ignore the danger when I am aware of it. Especially for Zhou Gu, the eldest Princess Sheng An, and old Duke. If any of them were to encounter any mishaps, it would be a major blow for the Duke Residence and also disadvantageous to the Crown Prince."
Lady Shen nodded, "During the betrothal, cultivating trust is crucial. You should indeed explain all the necessary details, so he doesn’t get any misunderstandings. Someone like the Second Young Master Ye tends to keep things to himself, which isn’t beneficial for either of you."
Su Rong agreed with this statement, "Don’t worry, aunt. In the capital city of Daliang, in order to help out the Crown Prince, I cannot avoid dealing with the Duke Residence. I can’t ignore the danger they face. I can’t get past that in my heart. Even though I’m not a kind and soft-hearted benevolent person, I can’t stand by and watch when it comes to saving the people around me."
Lady Shen patted her hand, "You’re right."
After discussing for a while, Su Rong asked, "Where’s my brother? Is he not at the residence?" 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦
If it were any other day, once he knew she had entered the palace and returned, he would have asked about the details immediately just like Lady Shen did.
Lady Shen informed, "Your elder brother went to the Duke Residence to accompany Zhou Gu, and he has been gone for quite a while."
Su Rong thought that her brother was indeed obedient. When she told him to spend more time with Zhou Gu, he actually spent every day with him. It was better this way, as he wouldn’t be concerned about her all the time.
In the evening, Su Xingze didn’t return to Shen Residence; he stayed at the Duke Residence for dinner.
Shen Xian, Lady Shen, and Su Rong dined together. After dinner, Su Rong said to Shen Xian, "Uncle Shen, you must already be aware of what happened at the palace. This major case is probably going to close with this conclusion. Regarding the eldest Prince, the second Prince, the fourth Prince, if the Emperor seeks your advice, advise him to punish them more severely." Before Shen Xian could answer, she continued, "After seeing the Emperor today, I noticed that he rubbed his head often which could be a symptom of a headache. His condition isn’t a minor problem."
Shen Xian’s face changed slightly, "Really?"
Su Rong nodded.
With a somber face, Shen Xian pondered for a while then nodded, "Alright!"
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