Meng Qi looked up at him in surprise. This was the first time she heard Song Chengze take the initiative to talk to her about the women in the inner house.
Song Chengze smiled slightly. "I'm sure you've already found out how I married Lin and Gong, and how I took in the others. These things are almost exactly the same as what you've found out. My family isn't prominent, and I'm not a prince favored by the Emperor. I'm not old, so it's not time for them to fight for the throne yet. Therefore, in my eyes, these people's fights are just petty quarrels."
Meng Qi understood. It wasn't that Song Chengze was completely clueless, but rather that he didn't care. He saw it as just jealousy between women. In fact, the small inner court was just like the previous dynasty. The emperor never liked to see two ministers he valued acting like one person. That was a taboo.
"But I neglected to discipline the children. They weren't even ten yet, so I wasn't in a hurry. I thought they'd have food, drink, and love, and I'd find a good teacher to teach them the basic skills and etiquette of a royal descendant. Once they went to the outer courtyard, Uncle Lu and Chu Yong would teach them well, one in literature and one in martial arts, and everything would be fine. Thank you very much for this. If you hadn't reminded me, I don't know what Brother Mo would have become in Xiaolin's hands in three years. After all, this palace would be handed over to him. As the future crown prince, a reputation for loyalty and kindness is definitely not enough."
Meng Qi said softly, "Your Highness, there's no need to blame yourself. We've talked about this before. The inner chambers of the palace have been turbulent for years, and the palace has been undergoing sudden changes in recent years. Even if you had three heads and six arms, you couldn't possibly take care of everything. Just look at the behavior of the few people in Kunning Palace that day, especially the eldest young master and the eldest young lady. They bravely stood up and told the truth to defend the second young master in front of so many people. This shows that they are kind-hearted and that your daily teachings are correct."
Song Chengze nodded. "Yes, I saw this too, so I moved Ran Ge to your courtyard when I came back. As I said before, Mo Ge went to the outer courtyard, and Yu Er is being taken care of by Wu Shi herself. It's best for Ran Ge to stay with you."
Meng Qi didn't understand at first, but after looking into Song Chengze's eyes for a while, she realized that he wanted her to develop a relationship with Song Bairan?
But why? She had clearly made it clear to him that once his requirements were met, they would proceed according to that agreement. Once the plan was fulfilled and she received the divorce papers, she would pat her skirt and turn around and leave. There was no need to cultivate any relationship with any of his children.
Could it be that Song Chengze changed his mind? Meng Qi thought so in her heart, but she did not show it on her face. She smiled and said, "Thank you for your trust, Your Highness. As long as you rest assured, I will do my best."
Song Chengze picked up the tea and took a sip. "You said you had something important for me. What is it?"
After hearing this, Meng Qi stood up and walked towards the closet, took out the small clothes she had changed out of, took out the sewing box and sat back down.
Song Chengze watched her place a small lilac-colored dress on the kang table, picked up a pair of scissors and gently picked at the bottom thread. As he picked, he said, "Your Highness, I suspect Ms. Zhang is from Prince Jing's Mansion."
Song Chengze was watching intently. When he heard Meng Qi's words, he suddenly raised his head and asked, "Who are you talking about?"
"Ms. Zhang." Meng Qi put down the scissors and, using the cut she had just made, exerted her hands and with a forceful "rip," the hem of the dress was torn open, and a palm-sized piece of paper fell out with a "click."
"How do you know? When did you discover it? When did you become suspicious?" Song Chengze frowned.
"Your Highness, don't you suspect that there are spies from other mansions in this mansion?"
"Of course there is. No one's house is impenetrable. We have things from other houses, and other houses have things from us. I just didn't expect her to be from Prince Jing's side. I always thought she was sent by the Crown Prince, so most of the time, I didn't pay too much attention to her."
Meng Qi paused as she picked up the paper. "The prince's people? Did the prince give Ms. Zhang to you?"
Song Chengze nodded. "When I first opened the palace, apart from Zhang Decheng, Madam Hai and Li were always by my side. The others were set up by the Imperial Clan Court and the Ministry of Rites according to regulations."
Song Chengze thought for a moment and continued, "Ms. Zhang was sent here by the Crown Princess, while Ms. Li and Li Mancang were sent here by the Empress. So, I always thought Ms. Zhang was the Crown Prince's person. How did you find out?"
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