After the two of them finished dinner, Meng Qi poured them some scented tea. "Your Highness, please try this scented tea and get used to it. This was prepared by my second sister. She's the best at making these. She makes different scented teas for different seasons. Although it's still tea, it won't make you sleepy if you drink too much at night."
Song Chengze hummed and took a sip. It was sweet with a hint of sourness, and then a bit of bitterness after entering the mouth. It tasted quite good.
After watching Song Chengze drink a glass, Meng Qi poured another one, "If your Highness is used to it, I'll ask Yuan Dong to send the recipe to Zhang Decheng."
"No need to be so troublesome. Once you have prepared it, you can take it directly to the outer courtyard." Song Chengze said softly.
Meng Qi nodded and sat on the kang by the window across the table from Song Chengze. "Your Highness, I have something to ask you."
"you say."
"Did you agree to arrange for Baochun to live in the eldest young master's courtyard?"
Song Chengze was stunned at first, and seemed to think for a while before saying, "Well, it was Madam Hai who came to me. I originally wanted to let Madam Hai go to Brother Mo's courtyard to be the housekeeper. Firstly, Madam Hai is old, and secondly, if she became Brother Mo's housekeeper, she would definitely have more contact with you. I'm afraid she thought the same thing, so she told me that she wanted Baochun to go."
Song Chengze looked at Meng Qi's slightly frowned brows and asked, "What's wrong? Is there something wrong?"
Meng Qi shook her head. She was not going to move now because she had a hunch that Baochun was not Nanny Hai's person and there must be someone else behind her, so she needed to observe further.
"Let me first tell you about the news that Jiang Wu found out?" Meng Qi changed the subject.
Song Chengze said, "Let me first tell you what I didn't finish telling you that day."
Seeing Meng Qi's puzzled look, Song Chengze smiled. The light cast a soft glow on his face, and his smile made Meng Qi feel warm.
"You forgot what I told you about Hanyuan when we went to Qionghua Palace a few days ago."
Meng Qi regained her composure and said, "Oh, that's right, I forgot. You said that the Empress started this incident because I was in Hanyuan."
Song Chengze nodded and said, "Do you still remember the guy with the hoarse voice who chased you?"
Meng Qi nodded, "Did you find him?"
"Yes, she is the queen. To be more precise, she is the secret agent arranged by my fifth brother in the palace."
“Just like Jongdae?”
"That's right. After that incident, in order to prevent them from placing suspicion on you, Zhong Da investigated the women in the palace for a long time. In the end, he found that a woman named Hu Niang who was close to Concubine Xian was very similar to you. So he drew their attention to Hu Niang."
"They thought Hu Niang was me, so they killed her?"
"No, it was Zhong Da who killed her." Song Chengze looked at Meng Qi and said lightly.
What? Meng Qi was in disbelief, but then she realized that if the Queen had secretly captured Hu Niang, there was no way she would be killed. She would definitely be captured and tortured. Therefore, killing her would confirm Prince Cheng's suspicions.
Seeing Song Chengze's emotionless expression as he spoke of his men killing Hu Niang, as if it were just a cat or a dog, she suddenly had a different understanding of Song Chengze. Was this his true character? As a prince, a prince constantly seeking self-preservation, decisive indifference should be more of a quality they possess.
"Does the virtuous concubine think that Hu Niang was killed by Prince Cheng?" Meng Qi asked.
"Yes, that's not what she thought. I asked Jongdae to deliver the evidence to her. So, she wants to take revenge on the Queen."
Meng Qi nodded. "Did she reveal the Queen's secrets in the palace to the Emperor?"
"It's half and half. Father did know a little about Fifth Brother's secret plan, but he and the Empress thought it was the work of Concubine Xiang and Second Brother."
Meng Qi opened her mouth in surprise. This virtuous concubine was trying to divert the trouble away.
"How did she do it?" Meng Qi asked.
Song Chengze shook his head. "The struggle between the Empress, Noble Consort Xiang, and Consort Xian began in Qiandi. They all hold high positions, have given birth to sons, and disregard the Crown Prince. They all have strong support from their families. Therefore, many people believe that the future successor will be one of their sons. Both outside the court and within the inner palace, they each have numerous supporters. This has allowed them to deploy numerous spies and undercover agents within the palace. Therefore, it wouldn't be difficult for Consort Xian to fabricate a few incidents to convince the Empress that Noble Consort Xiang was responsible."
Meng Qi nodded. "It also happened that Prince Duan was very concerned about the six western palaces, especially the area around Hanyuan. He even went there twice in person. You are aware of this information, and the Empress must be aware of it."
Song Chengze nodded approvingly, "But I still don't understand why Father is so angry with the Queen this time. Logically, Father would not be unaware of their little tricks. Letting them make trouble is also a way for Father to maintain balance."
Meng Qi wondered, "Could it be that the Empress and Prince Cheng did something to anger the Emperor, and he's using this incident to vent his anger?"
Song Chengze hummed a sigh of relief. Lu Jinzhou and the others shared the same analysis, but they couldn't find any more useful information. They did have contacts in Chengtian Palace, but the Emperor's temper had become increasingly erratic and unpredictable since his headache last year. Even though his mother had more opportunities to visit Chengtian Palace than before, she didn't dare act rashly or inquire about it.
"Let's investigate this matter slowly, but no matter what, because of this incident, the fifth brother and the second brother had a fight, and the result was what we wanted." Song Chengze said with a smile.
Meng Qi was very happy when she heard him say this. She felt more and more that she was slowly entering Song Chengze's circle. Now Song Chengze no longer avoided her when analyzing the situation in the palace. These were all the results of her own efforts, and it also proved that the previous hard work and grievances were not in vain.
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