When Princess Jing heard her mother-in-law praising her, she quickly expressed her modesty again, then said seriously, "I haven't found anything. Your Highness guessed that it must be a matter between Prince Duan and his wife."
"What could have caused Princess Duan to go after Meng?" Xianfei frowned, then said after a moment, "Forget it, don't even think about it. It's all just a quarrel between women. The more they fight, the better it is for us. Don't be reluctant. Reputation is nothing; benefits are what matter most. When Hai'er takes that position, your third brother will have everything he wants."
Princess Jing's heart skipped a beat, knowing that this was Concubine Xian's warning to her. She was afraid that her family was unhappy because they heard that everyone was always talking about Hongzhe and Meng Qi.
"Yes, my daughter-in-law knows her limits. It's rare for my third brother to be able to help. Let alone the impact on reputation, even if there is something substantial, what difference does it make? We are men, and we will never be the ones to suffer losses."
"It's good that you think this way. After we deal with the second brother, it will be the sixth brother's turn. The sixth brother, the prince's dog, won't need the same trouble as we did with the second brother. We can just drag out Madam Meng. Start planning now. It would be best if you could set up a trap to trap your third brother and Madam Meng together. Humph, I wonder how Madam Sixth can still walk around the capital with dignity. By then, Meng Hai will have made his arrangements and found evidence against the fifth brother, and we'll only have one prince left."
Although Princess Jing felt uncomfortable with Concubine Xian's tone of disregard for her brother Hongzhe's reputation, she did not dare to show it on her face and replied respectfully, "Don't worry, mother. Your daughter-in-law will sacrifice her life for the great cause of the Baron's mansion."
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"I'm telling you, put away your little thoughts. Don't act rashly while you're staying in the palace these days. I didn't put you in that time period to find fault with you. Watch carefully for me, see who the emperor brings, how long he stays, and if you can find out a little, even better."
Princess Duan nodded timidly. Just as she was about to reply to express her loyalty, she said to the Imperial Concubine, "We both came to the palace. Look at the Fourth and Fifth Princes' wives. Not a single trip was wasted. But you, aside from causing trouble with Madam Meng, have never done anything serious. Every time you leave a pile of troubles for me to deal with. I'm puzzled. We're both daughters-in-law of the royal family. Can't you learn from them? Even if you can't be as slippery as those two, it's good to learn from Madam Meng. At least you can get the Emperor to look at you differently."
Princess Duan clutched the handkerchief in her hand fiercely, trying to regulate her breathing, not letting it show. She admitted that she was not as good as those two, but how could she swallow the fact that she was not as good as Meng Shi?
"You must keep a close eye on anyone entering or leaving Kunning Palace during the day. Watch them closely, understand?"
"Yes, daughter-in-law understands."
Concubine Xiang looked at her daughter-in-law who was standing there timidly but obviously unconvinced, and thought to herself, I'll just wait until my son takes that position and I'll be the first one to divorce you.
"Okay, go change your clothes and we'll be there after lunch."
"Don't we need to wait for someone from Kunning Palace to call us?" Princess Duan asked, looking up.
He gave the imperial concubine a cold look and said, "Call? Yes, they will even send a sedan chair with eight bearers to carry you." After saying that, he waved his hand irritably.
After watching Princess Duan leave, she stepped forward and handed tea to the maidservant beside the Imperial Concubine. "Your Majesty, please don't be angry with the Princess. Your health is more important. The Prince's plan still needs your planning."
"Why did you marry such a thing? She doesn't understand a word people say. She only cares about her own interests and is short-sighted. We were the ones who told her about targeting Meng. Although she didn't do a very good job, she met our expectations. But what happened next? She can't stop talking."
Mammy said softly, "After all, he is too young and still needs your guidance and training."
"She's a hopeless case. Let's just let her live happily for a year or two with the title of Princess Duan."
"Your Highness also thinks it's only been a year or two?"
She nodded to the imperial concubine and said, "Have you not seen that the emperor has become increasingly confused recently? He even brushed aside the last incident because of Gao's illness."
The housekeeper thought for a moment and said, "It seems the Empress's illness is just a delaying tactic."
Imperial Concubine Xiang tapped the table lightly. "It's a pity we haven't found any more useful information. I don't know if Gao didn't arrange it well or if someone betrayed or framed her. What exactly is going on?"
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. Hasn't the Prince already gone to investigate?"
"It's not that easy to check. Brother Zhi has been paying attention to the Western Six Palaces for a long time. You know that he hasn't collected any useful information." Concubine Xiang sighed.
The Prince of Duan was named Song Chengzhi.
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