The next day, after breakfast, Xie Jingyan went to his study and read for a while before leisurely leaving to deliver a gift to the eldest prince.
I arrived at the Prince of Qin's residence at just the right time, just as the eldest prince came out.
Upon seeing Xie Jingyan arrive, the eldest prince was taken aback at first, then smiled and said, "Sixth brother, you're probably just passing by my Prince Qin's residence, aren't you?"
Xie Jingyan also smiled, "Did I come at an inopportune time, or at the perfect time? Does my eldest brother have something to do and need to leave the residence?"
Xie Jingyan's arrival at the Prince of Qin's residence was already surprising enough for the eldest prince, but his address of "elder brother" completely stunned him.
They had never been brothers in harmony.
The eldest prince smiled and said, "I do have some matters to attend to outside the residence, but since my sixth brother is here, even the most important matters must take a backseat. Please come inside and let's talk."
Xie Jingyan dismounted from his horse, and the eldest prince asked, "Sixth brother, you are a rare guest of my Qin Prince's mansion. I don't even remember when you last came here. Is there something you need from me today?"
Xie Jingyan said, "I came to bring you something."
The eldest prince, "...???"
Should I send him something?
Why would I send him something out of the blue?
The eldest prince then asked, "What good things have you brought me?"
Just then, the sound of wheels rolling came from behind. Xie Jingyan turned around and looked over. The eldest prince followed and saw a servant pulling a carriage over. There were three large boxes on the carriage.
That big box looked somewhat familiar.
The eldest prince was completely bewildered. "What is this...?"
Xie Jingyan said calmly, "My father sent me to deliver it."
The eldest prince was even more confused. "Why did Father send my sixth brother to deliver this to me?"
Such a trivial matter could be handled by any palace servant.
And when will Father Emperor be able to order Sixth Prince around?
For some reason, a sense of unease flashed through the Crown Prince's heart.
Xie Jingyan said, "A month ago, the palace sent a lot of silk to my Lingwang Mansion. My wife thought it was a gift from the Emperor. Yesterday, she went to the palace to thank the Emperor, only to find out that it was not. The Emperor guessed that the palace servants delivered it to the wrong place. It should have been a gift from the Empress Dowager to you, my eldest brother."
The eldest prince's eyes flickered with panic, but he tried his best to remain calm, saying, "Even if it was delivered to the wrong person, it's not a big deal. You can keep it; why did you have to bring it to me all the way?"
Xie Jingyan said, "My Lingwang Mansion has no shortage of silk."
“I don’t need it either,” the eldest prince blurted out.
Xie Jingyan instructed Chen Feng, "Carry the things into the Prince of Qin's residence."
The servant untied the ropes binding the box and lifted it off the carriage.
Seeing the box being carried over, the eldest prince quickly stopped him, saying, "Sixth brother saved my life, there's no need to be so formal."
Xie Jingyan smiled, a faint smile that didn't reach his eyes, "I've already sent it all, and my eldest brother still wants me to take it back exactly as it is. That's really being too polite."
Indeed, if they hadn't sent it at all, that would have been one thing, but since they've already sent it all the way, and they're asking them to take it back, given their status, they wouldn't care so much about a few bolts of silk.
The more unusual something is, the more suspicious it becomes.
The eldest prince said, "Since my sixth brother insists that I accept it, I will accept it."
At worst, we can just burn the box along with it.
The eldest prince had a good plan, but the servants of the Ling Prince's mansion were clumsy. When unloading the second box from the carriage, they accidentally dropped it, and the box fell to the ground, spilling the silk.
Chen Feng scolded, "What kind of work is this? You can't even lift a box properly! Aren't you disgracing the Prince?!"
The servant quickly admitted his mistake.
Chen Feng instructed the servants of the Prince of Qin's residence to help him collect the silk.
The sight made the eldest prince's forehead throb. Xie Jingyan said, "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, eldest brother."
The eldest prince tried his best to maintain a smile and invited Xie Jingyan into the residence.
Upon entering the mansion, he gave his guards a meaningful look.
The two walked towards the study. Just as they reached the door, a servant ran up behind them and said, "Your Highness, your guards and Prince Ling's guards are fighting."
The eldest prince's face was very grim. "How did they start fighting?!"
The servant said, "The guards wanted to deliver the silk and carriage to the backyard, but the Prince of Ling's guards said that since it was a gift from the Empress Dowager, it wouldn't be proper not to enter the mansion through the main gate. They insisted on carrying it inside, but the guards blocked the gate, and then the two started fighting..."
The servants all found it very strange.
Why are the prince's guards stopping Ling Wang's men from carrying the silk into the mansion through the main gate? Isn't this just making trouble for no reason?
The guards of Prince Ling were right; it was indeed inappropriate for the Empress Dowager's gifts to enter the mansion through the backyard.
The eldest prince was furious, while Xie Jingyan said, "Are you so afraid of these silks entering your Prince Qin's residence?"
The eldest prince said awkwardly, "I heard that there was a smallpox outbreak at your Lingwang Mansion, and several embroiderers in the embroidery workshop died. I was a little worried..."
Xie Jingyan said indifferently, "Everyone knows that my Lingwang Mansion had a smallpox outbreak. If I were to send silk to your Qinwang Mansion and infect it, I would be guilty. No one has touched these silks since they were delivered to your mansion, so you can rest assured."
The eldest prince said, "I'm not worried, but it's always better to be safe than sorry..."
Before the Crown Prince could finish speaking, a guard rushed over and whispered a few words in his ear.
The eldest prince suddenly looked at Xie Jingyan, a murderous glint flashing in his eyes.
Xie Jingyan said, "Not pretending anymore?"
The eldest prince's eyes were icy.
He didn't want to openly break ties with Xie Jingyan, but Xie Jingyan not only sent those silks, but also tied up the palace maids from the Empress Dowager's palace, packed them in boxes, and sent them over. He had already found out that the smallpox outbreak at the Ling Prince's residence was his doing.
However, he wasn't afraid of being caught. Since he dared to do it, he was naturally prepared for failure.
The eldest prince said, "I do not wish to be your enemy, but I am determined to obtain the position of crown prince."
"You saved my life. If you're willing to give it up, I'll guarantee you a position second only to the emperor."
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