Doubts
As the southern tour fleet was moving away, Li Qingping and the others were about to set off to return to the palace.
On the way, Concubine An and Concubine Jing asked her anxiously, "Empress Ding, since the Empress is not here, do we still need to go to the Cining Palace to pay our respects to the Grand Empress Dowager?"
Even when Empress Li led the imperial harem to the Cining Palace, the Grand Empress Dowager wouldn't necessarily see her. The Grand Empress Dowager, who had served under Emperor Gaozong, Emperor Wenzong, and Emperor Yongping, was now eighty-seven years old and in poor health. She rarely saw anyone. Even when she did, it was only with Emperor Yongping and Empress Li.
"It's imperative to be polite, so as to avoid gossip." Li Qingping actually sympathized with the old lady. At her age, she probably didn't have the time to deal with so many people. "Just go outside and kowtow every day."
Concubine An and Concubine Jing thought about it and agreed.
The palace was now much quieter, and Li Qingping was happy and at ease. After a good rest, he began to invite the ladies and noble ladies of various families to the palace to visit him.
Li Qingping was not familiar with the noble ladies of the capital at the time, so Yu Lang and Ping An followed him into the palace. Others like the Princess of Qin, the wife of the Marquis of Qing'an, and the wife of the Marquis of Zhongyi (the mother of Yu Xi's consort) were also invited into the palace to accompany him.
After looking around, it turned out that Li Qingping didn't have many noble ladies that he was particularly satisfied with.
In fact, everyone knew that Concubine Ding in the palace was currently looking for the Fifth Prince. Her every move was quite artificial, which made Li Qingping frown.
After all, that's the position of a prince's consort! Looking at the four princes now, the lowest title is a county prince. If the girl marries him, she will be a county prince's consort. There is also a mother who ranks among the four concubines in the palace. Which family can't help but be tempted.
The wife of the Marquis of Loyalty stayed until last that day and said hesitantly, "I do know a good girl. But she won't be old enough for the selection until next year. And she has a close relationship with a certain lady in the palace."
Li Qingping raised his eyebrows with interest: "Which girl has earned such high praise from her in-laws?"
"She's a girl from the Cui clan of Fanyang. Her grandmother was Princess Jinchong during the reign of Emperor Sejong. She grew up with the princess and was personally raised by her. Countless nobles from Fanyang would love to marry her." The wife of the Marquis of Loyalty observed Li Qingping and said, "If your majesty would like to see her, I have a portrait of Miss Cui at home."
Li Qingping pondered and said, "The Cui family of Fanyang..."
A girl from a prominent family is worthy of being the prince's consort, but it would be a shame if Cui from Fanyang was related to Concubine Zhuang in the palace.
"Bring the portrait back later."
After the wife of the Marquis of Loyalty left, He Chang sneaked his head in from outside. He was glared at by Li Qingping before he trotted in.
"Mom." He Chang smiled guiltily at Li Qingping.
Li Qingping tried to scare him at first with a serious face, but He Chang wasn't afraid of her. Li Qingping looked at him helplessly, "Why did you sneak out of the study again? Thank goodness your father isn't here, otherwise you'd be punished to copy books again."
None of her three children could sit still; they were all naughty little monkeys. He Chang was actually quite well-behaved when he was young, but his true nature began to show after he recovered.
On the contrary, it was Concubine Ke's son He Zheng who was the most able to concentrate on studying. Concubine Ke would often wonder why she gave birth to such a nerd.
He Chang smiled and said, "I came to see mother choose a wife for my brother."
Li Qingping tapped his head and said, "It's not a selection for you, why are you just joining in the fun? In a few years, the time will come for you. Don't be like your brother who doesn't care what his wife chooses."
Thinking of what He Xuan always said, "As long as mother likes it," and "Sons always listen to their mothers," Li Qingping felt a headache.
It's not her who is getting married, so what's the point of her liking it?
She still didn't know what He Xuan really liked. Although marriages between noble families were just so-so, it would be best if the couple had something in common to talk about. At least they should be able to get along, right?
Li Qingping touched He Chang's face and muttered, "Since your brother doesn't like any of the noble ladies in the capital, then find him one from outside the capital."
He Chang didn't hear clearly: "?"
After sending He Chang back to the study, Li Qingping sat by the window and looked through the accounts of the Imperial Household Department. Even if the emperor went on a southern tour, the accounts of the various palaces would not be interrupted, and Li Qingping wanted to see these.
"Prince Gong's Mansion also took two extra hundred-year-old ginsengs before its southern tour?" Li Qingping hesitantly pointed to this record.
Although two hundred-year-old ginsengs were rare and precious, they were nothing in the palace, where so many rare treasures abound. Even though they were few, they were still within reach. Even though adult princes had established residences outside the palace, they were still considered precious, and it was not uncommon for them to take things from the Imperial Household Department. Although two hundred-year-old ginsengs were valuable, Prince Gong still had the dignity of being the eldest son of the emperor.
But it didn't seem like Prince Gong's mansion was short of two ginsengs, and the Imperial Hospital would carry all the pills and herbs that might be used with him during his southern tour. Ginseng soup was something that could save lives at a critical moment, so it was impossible for the Imperial Hospital to not have it.
It would be understandable if it was for the Princess of Gong who had just given birth, but she happened to be accompanying Prince Gong on his southern tour.
Li Qingping flipped through the pages again and discovered that during the time of Princess Gong's childbirth, she had only taken a single several-decade-old ginseng. Concubine Yi, following past custom, had granted her another fifty-year-old ginseng. Ginseng is a tonic, so it's best not to use too much, whether in medicine or in soups. The one ginseng Princess Gong had taken, combined with the one Concubine Yi had granted, was more than enough for the Gong Mansion's needs during this time.
Li Qingping frowned and ordered, "Go and invite the head of the Internal Affairs Department."
The chief steward of the Imperial Household Department quickly arrived at Yonghe Palace, kowtowed three times with a forced smile, and then stood respectfully below waiting for the Empress's instructions.
"Don't be nervous. I just want to ask why Prince Gong's mansion took two extra hundred-year-old ginsengs."
They actually came for this matter. The steward was a little nervous for some reason, sweat beading on his forehead. He hunched over and replied, "I'm reporting to Concubine Ding. It was Mao Deshun, the chief eunuch at the side of Prince Gong, who came to get it. He said that Miss Su from the mansion was weak and needed tonic. He felt embarrassed to keep asking the Imperial Hospital for it, so he went to the Ministry of Internal Affairs to get two."
"Su?" Li Qingping thought for a long time before he remembered who Su was. He sneered, "A concubine is worthy of using a hundred-year-old ginseng?"
It turned out to be Su, who was promoted from a concubine to a maid, had an affair with a foreign man and had a miscarriage, but was still favored by Prince Gong.
She picked up the teacup, took a sip, and put it down with great force. "I saw that Princess Gong took a ginseng right after giving birth, and Concubine Yi also gave it away as a reward. It's only fifty years. How can she, a concubine without even a proper status, be more noble than the Princess? Isn't ten years of ginseng enough for her?"
Sure enough, it's not a good thing! The steward's face turned even paler: "I, I don't know about this. Mao Deshun said that it was Prince Gong who specifically ordered that the Ministry of Internal Affairs just record it directly."
"This Su family is quite capable. They have even bewitched Prince Gong."
Li Qingping had a nagging feeling that something was wrong. With a cold expression, he waved his hand at the head steward of the Imperial Household Department and said, "Go back. I know about this."
The head of the Imperial Household Department hurriedly took his leave as if he had been pardoned.
Yun Su frowned and said, "What kind of seductive woman is this Su? She actually let Prince Gong easily take two hundred-year-old ginsengs for her?"
"I originally thought Prince Gong was just partial, but now it seems he's truly lost in thought." Li Qingping pondered, "No matter how foolish Prince Gong is, he should know the rules. Hundred-year-old ginseng is a life-saving ingredient, yet he casually gave it to a concubine as a daily tonic. Isn't he worried about shortening Su's lifespan?"
Yun Su and Yun Zao both had pale faces and whispered, "Master, do you suspect that Su gave Prince Gong something he shouldn't have used?"
Otherwise, why would Prince Gong act so absurdly? He only used fifty-year-old ginseng for the face of his wife, but gave a hundred-year-old ginseng to a concubine.
Li Qingping asked, "How many women did Prince Gong bring with him on this southern tour?"
The imperial carriages for the southern tour all had names on their list, so it wasn't hard to find them. Yun Su quickly returned to report, "We only brought one person from the Su family."
Li Qingping recalled the scene at the prince's side when he was escorting the emperor, and murmured, "The female members of Prince Gong's family used the concubine's carriage... Did Prince Gong have a concubine with the surname Su?"
Although this was a matter of the adult prince's household, even if there was any need for intervention, it should be handled by Concubine Yi, his biological mother, and Li Qingping should not interfere too much. But now it looked very wrong.
"Go check. Send a message to the Wei family to tell my uncle to help investigate."
Over at Kunning Palace, Wang Rongqing learned of the actions of Yonghe Palace and ordered the secret agent outside the palace who was responsible for delivering information: cooperate with Yonghe Palace.
Although he had already investigated most of the case, the Empress was still holding back before her southern tour. It seemed she was going to force Yonghe Palace to take action at this very moment… Wang Rongqing, guarding the gates of Kunning Palace, felt as if something had slipped away. What was the Empress planning?
When the things she found were placed in front of Li Qingping, her face suddenly turned ugly.
"Prince Duan?! How is he related to Prince Duan?!"
Prince Duan Hesheng, the eldest son of Emperor Qianyuan... was also the one who was almost named the Crown Prince at that time.
Li Qingping stared at the secret report intently. "Please ask Prince Yue, Prince E, and Prince Yong to come to the Jiaotai Palace to discuss this matter... No, let's go to the Cining Palace first. We're going to pay our respects to the Empress Dowager."
The threshold of the Cining Palace seemed higher than usual, and every step was extremely difficult.
Li Qingping kowtowed outside and asked the head aunt of the Cining Palace to see the Empress Dowager. The head aunt thought that Concubine Ding was just here to pay her respects as usual and tried to persuade her to leave at first, but when she saw that Concubine Ding did not move a step and had a serious expression, the head aunt realized something was wrong.
Li Qingping finally entered the Cining Palace, and the faint scent of sandalwood filled the entire palace.
The Grand Empress Dowager leaned back on the couch, twirling her Buddhist beads, looking somewhat weary. After receiving Li Qingping's greeting, she began, "I remember you, the young lady who entered the palace with Princess Mingjing. I never thought that more than twenty years later, you would become a palace mistress. I remember that you were always a sensible person. What's the matter this time?"
"I am deeply troubled by the disturbance of the old ancestor's peace. However, this matter is of great importance. The Emperor and the Empress are not in the palace, so I dare not act rashly."
Li Qingping lowered his voice and presented the secret report, which was then taken by the aunt in charge and read softly to the Empress Dowager.
But the more she read, the uglier the head aunt's face became. The Empress Dowager, who was twisting her Buddhist beads on the couch, also paused. She opened her cloudy eyes and stared at Li Qingping, who was kneeling below, as if she could see through him.
"So, Concubine Ding, what do you want to do?"
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