Liu Yi went to the East Courtyard to visit Liu Zhao who was recuperating after being beaten.
Xiao Qin'er insisted on following.
Liu Yi stared at her, "What are you going to do? It's inconvenient for you as a woman."
"I'm going to talk to my sister-in-law." Xiao Qin'er said as a matter of course.
Liu Yi frowned slightly, "You can talk to sister-in-law anytime, why does it have to be today?"
"It's rare for me to go to the East Courtyard with you, so take me with you. I won't embarrass you."
Liu Yi was a little disgusted. "If you want to follow me, then follow me. Don't say anything that might offend others."
Xiao Qin'er pursed her lips and smiled, "I know, don't worry, I know my limits! I heard that my sister-in-law's brother has returned to Beijing, so I think he'll come over today."
Liu Yi glanced at her and said, "Don't you already know?"
Xiao Qin'er smiled and said, "I heard that my sister-in-law asked the kitchen to prepare a banquet. I think that General Gu will come to the palace to pay his respects soon. I don't know how he got lucky enough to marry Pei Man. I thought my mother would betroth Pei Man to a member of the royal family."
"Don't talk nonsense. When will the Queen Mother marry Pei Man to a member of the royal family? Don't believe everything you hear." Liu Yi scolded softly.
Xiao Qin'er rolled her eyes secretly, "I was just saying it casually. Look how nervous you are. We're not in the palace."
"Just because we're not in the palace, you can say whatever you want? Be careful if someone in the palace finds out or you'll be punished with a beating."
"Don't scare me. Mother won't beat me." Xiao Qin'er looked proud.
She has the capital to be arrogant.
Just relying on her family background and the support of Empress Dowager Xiao, she can look down upon all her sisters-in-law.
However, Gu Jiu never fell for her tricks.
Even Ouyang Fu followed suit, refusing to give her face at least seven times out of ten.
Now, Xiao Qin'er can only suppress the third wife Cui.
Third Madam Cui: "..." This lady doesn't want to argue with someone who doesn't know the rules, not that this lady is really afraid of Xiao Qin'er.
Xiao Qin'er followed Liu Yi to the East Courtyard to visit Liu Zhao.
In the Wenshuyuan, Gu Jiu stayed beside Liu Zhao.
Upon learning that the Fourth Prince and his wife were coming, she went out to greet them.
When Liu Yi saw Gu Jiu, his heart started beating rapidly.
He looked calm on the outside, but his heart was already turbulent and he was upset.
He didn't dare reveal any true feelings and could only hide himself with an expressionless face.
"Hello, sister-in-law! Qin'er and I came to visit brother."
"Sister-in-law won't reject us, will she?" Xiao Qin'er continued.
Liu Yi controlled his temper and secretly pinched Xiao Qin'er to remind her not to talk nonsense.
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Your Highness the Fourth Prince and your sister-in-law are so thoughtful. My prince is bedridden right now, so please forgive me for any impoliteness. Lin Shuping will take your Highness the Fourth Prince in to visit the First Prince. Your sister-in-law, please come with me over here. It's filthy inside, so please don't go in."
Gu Jiu led Xiao Qin'er to the side hall and sat down.
Liu Yi was invited into the bedroom to visit Liu Zhao.
Liu Zhao was lying on the head of the bed, where a chessboard was placed.
Seeing this, Liu Yi smiled and said, "Brother, you are in a very refined mood. Did you play chess with your sister-in-law before?"
"Boring! Playing chess. Fourth brother just came over the other day, why is he here again today?"
Liu Yi was stunned for a moment.
He was a prince, and he was not busy with his duties, but he took time out to visit Liu Zhao, but was still disliked for visiting too often.
Who can he go to for justice?
No wonder people say that Liu Zhao can make people angry to death with just one word.
Liu Yi reminded himself not to argue with Liu Zhao.
He sat down on the stool beside the bed, "Brother, don't you want to see me, your younger brother?"
"Your arrival has interrupted the game between me and your sister-in-law." After saying that, Liu Zhao glanced at Liu Yi, letting him understand the situation himself.
Liu Zhao was never polite to his brothers, and never concealed his dissatisfaction.
Liu Yi laughed and said, "I came at the wrong time, brother. But since we're here, we two brothers can chat and kill time."
Liu Zhao's lips curled up slightly, staring at the chessboard, and asked casually, "What do you want to talk about? The second and third brothers?"
Liu Yi nodded repeatedly, "Big brother is wise! Last time Big brother was imprisoned in Zongzheng Temple, Second and Third brothers kept making small moves. Especially Second brother, who always thought that when Big brother was in trouble, he was the first among the brothers. It was really annoying.
But the emperor repeatedly praised him in public, which only made him even more arrogant. After my eldest brother came out of the Zongzheng Temple, he behaved himself for a while. But now that my eldest brother has been caned in the court, I think he's going to be restless again."
Liu Yi spoke with disdain, clearly looking down on His Royal Highness the Second Prince.
Liu Zhao sneered, "He's restless, isn't that what you wished for?"
"I don't understand what you're saying, brother."
"Okay, no need to hide in front of me." Liu Zhao waved his hand and told Liu Yi to stop pretending.
My dear brother, playing these tricks is boring.
Liu Zhao stared at him. "After the New Year, your sister-in-law and I will go to the villa outside the city to recuperate. We are not sure when we will return to the court. If the second son wants to stand out and show off, then let him do so. A tree that stands out in the forest will be destroyed by the wind. You must understand this truth. The emperor is in his prime. If you put too much effort into it now, it will only make him wary. Do you understand?"
Liu Yi nodded repeatedly, "I understand what Big Brother said. I just don't like the way he acts like an older brother, as if he has the right to discipline all the brothers when Big Brother is not around."
Liu Zhao smiled and said, "When I'm not around, he can really act like a brother. You can also not give him face and embarrass him in public a few times.
But I don't think you need to do that. Just ignore him. There's no need to undermine him. You know, in the eyes of the world, you've always been a humble and polite prince.
"It doesn't suit your image to sabotage someone. I'm the right person to do it, but it's a pity that the second brother won't put on airs in front of me, so I don't have the chance to sabotage him."
Liu Yi was speechless.
After coughing twice, he said awkwardly, "Thank you for the reminder, big brother. I will be careful."
Liu Zhao stared at him and said solemnly, "I hope you can always remember that we are brothers from the same mother. Don't do anything foolish."
Liu Yi panicked, feeling guilty. He forced himself to remain calm, "Even if Big Brother doesn't tell me, I remember we're brothers from the same mother, and our interests are tied together. I definitely won't do anything foolish."
Liu Zhao stared at Liu Yi in silence for a long time.
Liu Yi was nervous and bewildered, yet he had to maintain composure on the surface. Cold sweat had already begun to form on his back.
When he was about to be overwhelmed, Liu Zhao spoke again, "I believe you this time. After your sister-in-law and I move to the villa outside the city, you should also be more obedient and do your job honestly. Don't think too much, and it's best not to do anything tricky. The court is never short of smart people."
"I know!" Liu Yi lowered his head. "Brother, do you really have to recuperate outside the city? Isn't it better to recuperate in the palace?"
Liu Zhao smiled proudly, "Your sister-in-law built a separate courtyard on the hill outside the city, which has a very Jiangnan style. She has always wanted to live there for a while, so I'll just take her to relax."
Liu Yi said with envy: "Big brother and sister-in-law have such a good relationship, it's really enviable."
Liu Zhao had a smug look on his face, his eyebrows and eyes showing envy for me, "Of course! If you take in fewer concubines, you and your fourth brother's wife can live a happy life together."
Liu Yi smiled bitterly, "At this point, it's not just a question of whether to take a concubine or not."
Over the years, Liu Yi has had several illegitimate sons and daughters, and it is indeed no longer just a matter of taking a concubine.
All in all, Liu Yi and Xiao Qin'er can never return to the sweet days of their honeymoon.
He did not hide his envy of Liu Zhao, "If Qin'er was half as considerate and capable as my sister-in-law, she wouldn't be in this situation."
Liu Zhao sneered, "Your sister-in-law is a jealous person."
Liu Yi said silently in his heart: If he had married his eldest sister-in-law back then, he could have done without taking a concubine and only favored her.
However, he did not think about how he could have possibly been interested in Gu Jiu, who was unknown and had an unremarkable family background.
When Gu Jiu was at her mother's house, she had limited resources and she always hid her abilities, so the world didn't know how good she was.
Only Liu Zhao, among all the people, fell in love with Gu Jiu at first sight and successfully married her home.
"I think my eldest brother is happy with it. Even if my eldest sister-in-law is jealous, my eldest brother will be satisfied."
Liu Zhao laughed heartily, "You have good taste."
For the first time, Liu Zhao found Liu Yi pleasing to the eye.
What you said is very pleasant.
He said to Liu Yi, "Just focus on your work. Leave the affairs of the inner court to your sister-in-law. Don't interfere in the affairs of the inner court. Train Zheng Ge'er well."
"I listen to my eldest brother."
…
In the side hall, Xiao Qin'er exclaimed, "After the New Year, is sister-in-law really going to live in the other courtyard?"
Gu Jiu nodded and said, "I have already discussed it with His Highness."
"Then, how long will you stay?"
"The time is uncertain."
Xiao Qin'er's eyes darted around, all sorts of guesses running through her mind, "Is His Highness alright?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Thank you for your help, Your Highness, the wounds are just superficial and will heal soon."
"That's good, that's good."
Xiao Qin'er was still immersed in the news that Gu Jiu and Liu Zhao were going to live in the villa permanently, and she couldn't recover from her shock.
Are the rumors outside true?
Has His Highness really lost the trust and respect of His Majesty?
No way!
Your Majesty was able to obtain the throne, and His Highness played a great role.
Your Majesty has only been on the throne for a few years, and you are already demolishing the bridge after crossing it. This is not right!
In Xiao Qin'er's impression, although Emperor Wende was not very good, he was not someone who ignored the achievements of his subjects.
Liu Zhao had made such great contributions, but he had to leave the court just because he was beaten with a stick in the court. She always felt that this was too fantastic and unbelievable.
She lowered her voice and asked, "Sister-in-law, have you ever thought about going to the palace to apologize for the crime committed by the prince?"
Gu Jiu smiled knowingly, then said, "My prince has already been beaten with a stick in the court, how can I go to the palace to apologize?"
"But if the eldest prince goes with you to live in the other courtyard permanently, doesn't that mean... that my sister-in-law isn't afraid of criticism from the court? Isn't she afraid that the eldest prince will fall out of favor from now on?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "Hasn't my prince endured enough criticism over the years?"
Xiao Qin'er smiled awkwardly. Liu Zhao had indeed endured a lot of criticism over the years.
She touched her cheek and said, "I just find it incredible."
Even Liu Zhao lost the trust and attention of His Majesty, who can guarantee that he will be luckier than Liu Zhao?
Xiao Qin'er was a little panicked.
Does Liu Zhao's withdrawal from the court mean that the queen's legitimate descendants have fallen out of favor?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
