After the Crown Prince and several other princes followed the Emperor out of the Kunning Palace, the Empress took Fanghua's hand, tapped her nose, and asked with a smile, "Tell me, was this your idea?"
Fanghua tilted her head and said, "I'm already this old, and the Queen has to worry about me every day. At least I have the opportunity to show my filial piety to the Queen this time."
Fanghua had never called the Empress "Mother" except in front of the Emperor, and the Empress was used to her saying that. However, the way she said this was not something she had ever said before. Without giving it much thought, the Empress patted Fanghua's hand and said, "Your filial piety is enough. There is no need for you to do anything yourself. If you have any ideas or how to do it, just tell Madam Sang and ask her to go."
Fanghua pulled her hand away and turned back to grab Princess Yong'an's hand, saying, "That won't do. Father just made it very clear. I'll discuss with Yong'an how to organize the Qianqiu Banquet later. Your Majesty, just wait."
After saying that, he turned his head and looked at the princesses, "Maybe we still need some help from the sisters-in-law. Let's make it clear here first, don't hesitate to ask any of you when the time comes."
Princess Cheng looked at the Empress's forced smile and stepped forward, saying, "Sisters all know how to be filial to their mother, so how could we possibly hinder her? Don't worry, Fanghua, if there's anything we can do, just ask. There's nothing we can't do."
Princess Jing also laughed and said, "That's right. Even if my sister goes to knock on the door of Prince Jing's mansion in the middle of the night, it will be fine."
This sentence caused everyone to cover their mouths and laugh. Fanghua smiled nonchalantly, looking at Meng Qi who was whispering with the Crown Princess, and slowly walked over, "Where's Sixth Sister-in-law?"
Meng Qi was talking to the Crown Princess about the day when Prince Duan came to the palace. The Crown Princess asked very detailed questions, such as when he arrived, what the two people looked like, what their expressions were, etc. She seemed to be concerned about her brothers, but in fact she was prying into his affairs.
In her previous life, she knew that Prince Rui relied on the Crown Prince, so she felt at ease when the Crown Princess protected her. She even told the Crown Princess about the things that happened in Prince Rui's mansion every time she entered the palace. Or what she knew about the things that happened between Song Chengze and Concubine Lian, she treated the Crown Princess like a close sister.
Thinking about the three years he had spent lying there, especially the various news he had heard in the last year, he realized that the Crown Prince had been using Song Chengze the entire time. The Crown Princess's kindness to him was all based on personal gain. Even the Crown Prince's suppression of Song Chengze during the last year of his reign stemmed largely from some "intimate conversations" between him and the Crown Princess.
Meng Qi replied cautiously. It seemed that Song Chengze had not told the Crown Prince why Prince Duan had visited Prince Rui's mansion that day, or rather, he had not told the truth. She was confused: who had told the Crown Prince about Prince Duan's night visit to Prince Rui's mansion?
Song Chengze was unlikely to do that. After all, his behavior that night was something he didn't want anyone to know about. In order not to arouse suspicion, he had deliberately used his right hand no matter what he did.
So, it must be Prince Duan. What does Prince Duan mean?
Now the Crown Princess came to ask herself in detail again. It must be the Crown Prince's instigation. Everyone knows that Song Chengze and the Crown Prince are good friends, and those princes even regard Song Chengze as the Crown Prince's pawn. Otherwise, Song Chengze would not have attracted everyone's attention and hostility like this.
But no matter how good it is, there are things that are kept secret. She believes that the reason why Prince Duan came to Prince Rui's Mansion is probably only known by the two parties involved.
"I had no idea Second Brother was here. I just heard the servants talking about it, and I went there in a fit of rage. It wasn't that I had drunk anything, it was just that it was cold, and I felt a bit chilly after going to the back garden to admire the snow during the day. I thought I'd drink a few sips to sweat it out, so I wouldn't catch another cold. I didn't intend to drink too much, and that led to everyone misunderstanding me."
The Crown Princess laughed and said, "You, please don't do that again. You need to be more careful. You should ask the Second Brother what he was doing in your house, and whether your sudden appearance disturbed their brothers' meetings. That way you will appear to be well-educated and sensible."
Meng Qi knelt down and said, "What the Crown Princess said is absolutely right. I understand. I also know that the prince is angry. Didn't you see that he didn't say a word to me just now? The next time my second brother goes there, I will definitely ask him about it and apologize to him for what happened last time."
Seeing she couldn't get anything out of him, the Crown Princess sighed, saying that the man had been drunk that night and was a bit of a jerk to begin with, so how could he have observed so carefully? But since the Crown Prince had asked her to get some information, she had to ask, even though she knew it would yield no results.
Fang Hua saw that Meng Qi didn't respond after she asked, so she walked over and asked, "What are the Crown Princess and Sixth Sister-in-law talking about? They were so engrossed that they didn't even hear me ask?"
Meng Qi looked up at Fang Hua. This was the second time she had seen Fang Hua since her rebirth. The first time was when the Queen summoned her to stay in the palace before she got married. After her marriage, Fang Hua didn't come out on both occasions, saying it was cold and her legs hurt so she didn't want to move.
Just as the emperor made that suggestion, Meng Qi went to see Fanghua. Her smug expression made it clear to everyone that it was her idea.
Meng Qi recalled her previous life. At that time, the Queen's Thousand Years Banquet was not organized by Fanghua and Yong'an, but was held by the Ministry of Internal Affairs according to the procedures.
Meng Qi had a hunch that Fanghua was going to use the swing party to do something. She had always felt that Fanghua's personality was somewhat similar to her own in her previous life, the difference being that Fanghua was spoiled by her father, while she had her mother's support.
"What did the princess ask me?" Meng Qi neither tried to please nor acted affectionately.
Fang Hua looked Meng Qi up and down and said, "Just now, the sisters-in-law all said that they would cooperate with Yong An and me to properly organize the Qianqiu Banquet for the Queen. They are available at any time if there is anything. What about you?"
Meng Qi glanced at the crowd. Everyone was chatting in their own little circles. The lower-ranking concubines were all gathered around the empress, paying their respects. Xian Fei, however, was holding Xiu Fei's hand, saying something incomprehensible. Xiang Gui Fei was speaking coldly to Duan Wangfei. Seeing Concubine Xu standing not far away after changing her clothes, Meng Qi understood.
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