The Queen nodded. "I'm afraid he's just trying to use this as an excuse to make a point."
"You mean Princess Duan?"
The Queen rubbed her forehead. "It's no wonder that Imperial Concubine Xiang and Prince Duan look down on her. She wants others to respect her, but she acts so unpresentable in everything she does. She wants to be the best among her sisters-in-law, but she doesn't have the ability or resources. She wants to please her mother-in-law and husband, but her actions always backfire. Well, they thought that because Meng married in with that title, they could trample her underfoot, but they didn't expect Meng to throw a tantrum and not give anyone face."
"Princess Duan just can't let it go." Nanny Sang adjusted the queen's collar.
"What can she risk? Even if she is willing to risk it, someone has to give her a chance, idiot."
"Being an idiot also has its advantages. With her in the lead to keep Princess Rui in the spotlight, Princess Cheng doesn't have to worry too much."
The Queen listened to Nanny Sang mention her daughter-in-law and sighed slightly. "She's not a smart girl. She doesn't have the ability to help Brother Hao at all. Fortunately, she's obedient and her family can help. I heard that she's very close to that Meng from Prince Cheng's palace."
The Hao brother mentioned by the queen is Prince Cheng Song Chenghao, and Meng is the little girl named Meng Zhi from the branch of the Huainan Marquisate who was given to Prince Cheng by Meng Hai.
Nanny Sang followed the Queen out and said, "Yes, after the incident where Concubine Meng helped the Sixth Miss, the Princess became much closer to her."
The Queen nodded and said, "Remember to remind the Fifth Prince's wife not to let this Meng from her mansion get involved with the Meng from Prince Rui's mansion."
Nanny Sang whispered, "Yes, I will find a chance to speak to Princess Cheng today. I think the Queen doesn't have to worry about this. The one in the Fifth Master's Mansion hates the people in the Huainan Marquis' Mansion to death."
The Queen thought about how Meng Zhi was sent to the Fifth Prince's residence, and some subsequent events in her family, and said nothing more. She thought that the Emperor would come to have dinner with her soon, and wondered if she should add fuel to Meng Qi's fire.
Because of what happened during the day, the palace banquet in the evening was very dull, and the program originally planned by Fanghua and Yongan was also cancelled.
It is not known what the two princesses said to the emperor. The emperor did not ask many questions throughout the whole process. He just frowned slightly when looking at Concubine Lian and Song Chengze. Concubine Xiang looked very proud, while Prince Duan frequently toasted Prince Rui.
What everyone didn't expect was that after dinner, the Emperor said to Song Chengze in a deep voice, "Ms. Meng is young, and the Hanyuan hasn't been inhabited for a long time, so it's natural that she's afraid. Although she made a mistake today, and your mother's punishment is not excessive, it would be bad if she gets scared or something unexpected happens. Bring her back with you, and send someone to check on her every few days to avoid letting her down."
Prince Duan, whose smile had been rising all evening, froze on his lips when he heard the emperor's words.
Song Chengze was also very surprised. He first glanced at Concubine Lian, and seeing his mother's surprise, he quickly calmed himself and stepped forward, saying, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Meng's behavior today is truly unbecoming of a daughter-in-law, let alone on such an important day for Your Majesty. I learned this too late. If it weren't for Your Majesty's mercy, I would have sent her to a temple to repent for a period of time."
The emperor waved his hand. "A child who has only been married to you for a few days is bound to make mistakes. Go back later today and see how she is settled."
Concubine Xiang tugged at the handkerchief in her hand, unable to grasp the main point of the emperor's words. Could it be that the emperor knew that this matter was caused by his daughter-in-law? Or did he guess that she was behind it?
If that were the case, it wouldn't be good. On second thought, it wasn't necessarily the case. Perhaps the Emperor simply thought that Meng was young and the punishment was too severe, but he had to punish her because she had made a mistake? Otherwise, if he really wanted to stand up for her, he could have just let the Sixth Prince take Meng back.
For a moment, everyone respectfully escorted the emperor and the empress to the East Main Hall of Kunning Palace. On the empress's birthday, the emperor naturally had to stay here.
Prince Duan walked over to Prince Rui and said, "Your sister-in-law is quite capable. She slapped your second sister-in-law and was locked up for a few days, but she attracted the attention of the emperor. When she comes out, teach that idiot of ours a lesson on how she did it."
His tone was full of displeasure, as if Song Chengze had done something in private.
Song Chengze was also confused after hearing what the emperor said. He was originally thinking about how to talk to the queen tomorrow to allow Wang Chenghai to be brought in to serve Meng Qi, but he didn't expect the emperor to say what he just said.
No matter who heard this, it was clear that Meng Qi was defending him. Regardless of how things started or how they progressed, the only thing that mattered was that Meng Qi had hit Princess Duan, and that was wrong. Yet, the Emperor didn't ask a single question about the person who had been hit, but instead cared about the person who had hit her. What was going on?
However, since the emperor had ordered him to go see Meng Qi, Song Chengze was still very happy. After listening to Hu Changsheng's account of what happened during the day, Song Chengze felt both hatred and joy.
What made me hate him was that Prince Duan actually attacked his own child. There were so many princes and grandchildren today, but he picked on Brother Ran, and used such cruel means. The child didn't know how to control his feet. If he had fallen harder, what would have happened if Brother Ran had been disfigured.
She was delighted that Meng Qi had reacted so quickly, quickly capitalizing on this opportunity and using it as a pretext to vent her anger. If she tried to find another opportunity at the banquet that evening, the Emperor's presence would make it difficult for her to easily seize upon it. Furthermore, judging by what the Emperor had just said, even if she did find another opportunity that evening, he wouldn't allow her to be confined to Hanyuan.
Hatred aside, joy was also present, but Song Chengze felt more anger and self-blame. His power was still too limited. No matter what Prince Duan's motives were, whether they were simply dislike for him and a way to provoke the Crown Prince, or a warning or a signal to warn him, the fact that he had shown it so blatantly was simply trampling on him.
But he couldn't fight back immediately, as a lack of patience could ruin a big plan. However, now that he had Meng Qi, he could use her to do some "little tricks". In the past few times, Meng Qi had successfully packaged herself into the way they thought she was, so it wouldn't be too much for her to do a few more extraordinary things.
Thinking of this, Song Chengze's lips curled up slightly as he walked towards Hanyuan.
It was already dark, and the eunuch leading the way had lit a lantern. Hu Changsheng followed beside him, and two older palace maids followed closely behind.
Song Chengze sighed and then exhaled. He looked up at the sky. The stars were hanging in the sky. It would be another good day tomorrow.
He didn't want to think too much about it. He had endured it all these years. Now the time was ripe. He couldn't make a mistake and let Prince Duan lose his composure. But he was also determined to deal with Prince Duan first. Regardless of whether the Crown Prince meant it or not, he would do it according to his own ideas.
What his mother had said the other day was correct. No matter how well the Crown Prince treated him, it was only because he could help the Crown Prince, and more importantly, he was simply a target for the Crown Prince to attack. The Crown Prince might have a brotherly bond with him, but he wouldn't care that much about his son.
After a while, the gate of Hanyuan appeared in front of them. The young eunuch stepped forward and knocked on the door. With a creak, a palace maid opened the door.
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