Emperor Yuanhe asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with you today? Where has your usual composure gone?"
The princess choked slightly, her brows furrowing: "I..."
"What if it's discovered before you can poison it? Wouldn't all your efforts have been for nothing?"
Not only will their efforts be in vain, but it will also make them more vigilant.
Emperor Yuanhe had always wanted to severely injure Yu Nanqing, and it would be even better if he could take his life directly. He also realized that the previous minor skirmishes had not harmed him at all.
He waved his hand and said in a deep voice, taking the memorial: "You'd better not make any moves recently, lest you be bitten in return, which would be a loss."
The eldest princess had never felt so aggrieved.
They were being bullied to the point of exhaustion, yet there was nothing they could do.
Fearing she might disobey, Emperor Yuanhe added, "I've come to realize that Su Wanyan was just pretending to be stupid in front of us to lower our guard. Now that Prince Gong's mansion has a steward, servants, guards, and even its annual salary has been taken back, we can no longer be as careless as before."
Otherwise, it's really uncertain who will emerge victorious.
"Them!" the princess retorted.
Emperor Yuanhe replied, "Even if you're not convinced, you have to recognize the current situation."
The situation is that Prince Gong's Mansion is getting better and better, and becoming increasingly difficult to deal with.
He frowned and said, "I often think now whether I made a mistake in arranging the marriage for Yu Nanqing. I shouldn't have made that decision in a fit of anger."
“Your Majesty is not wrong. If it weren’t for Marquis Yuanning’s substitution, Su Wanyan wouldn’t be in Prince Gong’s mansion today, and we wouldn’t be in this situation.”
It's much easier to manipulate Su Muqing than Su Wanyan!
After saying that, the eldest princess's eyes suddenly lit up: "Your Majesty told me not to make any more moves, do you have a plan?"
Emperor Yuanhe was reviewing memorials when he heard this. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but decided to tell her anyway: "The spring hunt after the New Year."
"Spring hunt?" The princess understood. The hunting grounds were outside the capital city, and the area was spacious, with mountains, forests, and hills. In particular, there were many people participating in the hunt, making it an excellent place to start.
only……
"I'm afraid he won't go." He's already refused two palace banquets, so he probably won't attend any future banquets either.
"On that day, I will personally go to invite him."
The eldest princess's eyes flickered slightly. If her elder brother was going to invite him, then it wouldn't be his turn not to go.
Ultimately, it was because the Prince Gong's family held such a high status that, apart from her and her brother, no one in the capital could surpass them.
"I understand." The princess seemed to have calmed down a lot. She raised her eyes and curtsied, "Your Majesty, I have troubled you for a long time. It is time for me to go. Please take care of yourself and do not overwork yourself."
"Don't rush." Emperor Yuanhe glanced at her. "You've said what you wanted to say, but I still have something to say."
"Is there anything else, Your Majesty?"
"I heard you've placed the prince consort under house arrest, forbidding him from coming or going. Is that true?"
The moment Si Yang was mentioned, the princess's good mood vanished instantly, and she pursed her lips without saying a word.
“Look at you. When your father was alive, he doted on you the most, which made you so unruly.”
The eldest princess sneered: "He dotes on me? If he truly doted on me, he wouldn't have disregarded my wishes and made Si Yang my consort!"
Her good father knew perfectly well that she liked gentle and refined young men, yet he still insisted on betrothing Si Yang to her.
A commoner with no background and no literacy, she became the top martial arts champion simply because she learned a little bit of martial arts, and that's why she has been living in this world ever since.
She thought it was a huge joke that her father doted on her!
Emperor Yuanhe was troubled. Unable to persuade him otherwise, he could only say, "Don't go too far. After all, he is the son-in-law that your father has chosen for you. You must not let this cause the people to criticize you."
The eldest princess was unconvinced.
Emperor Yuanhe ignored her: "On the tenth day of the eleventh month, a temple fair will be held at Miaotong Mountain. You and your husband will go and make an appearance."
"The tenth of the eleventh month?" the eldest princess protested. "How can there be a temple fair on the tenth of the eleventh month?"
Temple fairs are usually held from January to March, so what kind of temple fair is it in November?
Emperor Yuanhe said irritably, "Isn't it all because of you? You've taken in a new male favorite and locked your consort in a room. If it weren't for that, why would I have allowed the temple fair to be held at Miaotong Mountain?"
She had to let the people see Si Yang, to let them know that he was still doing well, even if it was just for show!
The temple on Mount Myotong is a royal temple, where many of the imperial concubines went for meditation.
Upon hearing this, the eldest princess felt even more frustrated, but she still listened to Emperor Yuanhe's words and reluctantly said "Yes."
Emperor Yuanhe then waved his hand and said, "Go."
Su Wanyan had no way of knowing how they were plotting in the palace.
That day, Su Wanyan was tending to the small medicinal herb field. Now that winter had arrived, she needed to put a layer of cloth over the field to keep it warm, and then cover it with some straw.
It also can't be kept completely dry, lest the seedlings that have finally sprouted die.
Over in the vegetable garden, people are busy with autumn leaves and yellow leaves.
Just as she was concentrating, she heard Wang Zhang's voice: "Your Majesty."
Su Wanyan turned around and saw Wang Zhang's worried face. She asked Qiu Ye to come and help her, and then led Wang Zhang into the main courtyard's flower hall.
"What's wrong?" Su Wanyan sat on the daybed and poured herself a cup of tea.
Wang Zhang reported with a worried expression: "Your Majesty... our caravan... has encountered bandits."
Su Wanyan paused in her drinking water: "Are you alright? Were there any casualties?"
"No, but a lot of the goods were stolen."
"That's good. Money is just an external thing. As long as you're alive, that's all that matters."
"Your Majesty," Wang Zhang said, his face still troubled, "this is the fifth time the caravan has encountered bandits."
The caravan had only been gone from the capital for a little over a month and had already encountered bandits five times. He knew that it was not unusual for caravans to encounter bandits, but he couldn't just target one caravan at a time.
Su Wanyan understood the implication: "You mean someone is interfering?"
“At first, this old servant did not pay much attention. Wei Xiang’s letter said that at first, we were able to handle it, but the bandits who came later became more and more troublesome. It seems that they are not ordinary bandits. They are well-trained and have a clear division of labor. This old servant felt that there was something fishy about this matter and had to report to Your Majesty.”
He actually suspected that it might have been Emperor Yuanhe who did it.
But he had no evidence, and he dared not say such things lightly.
Su Wanyan hesitated for a moment after hearing this, and said, "In another half month it will be deep winter. The mountain roads are difficult to travel in winter. You should write to Wei Xiang and ask them to find a town to settle down in. This merchant will not run away."
“Yes, that’s right,” Wang Zhang replied.
"During this rest period, have Wei Xiang send someone to investigate the origins of these bandits."
"yes."
She didn't know if this matter had anything to do with Emperor Yuanhe. Would it be too disrespectful for the emperor to collude with bandits or have someone impersonate them?
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