The more triumphant and joyful the Third Princess Consort was before entering the palace that day, the more dejected and heartbroken she became when she left.
Perhaps unwilling to be seen or ridiculed, the Third Princess Consort Dong E covered her face as soon as she left the palace, ignoring Consort Zhao Jia and Consort Cao behind her, and the carriage set off immediately.
Although the Fourth Prince was not in the Hall of Preserving Harmony, it did not mean that his wife and Li Chenjiao were out of the loop. After all, Consort De was there, and such a big thing had happened before. Moreover, His Majesty did not seem to have any intention of keeping it a secret. The news spread like wildfire, and in less than a quarter of an hour, the entire Forbidden City knew that His Majesty had reprimanded the Third Prince.
Naturally, it wouldn't be long before the news reached every household in the capital.
When Li Chenjiao was at the palace gate, she noticed the bewildered expression on Zhao Jia's face. Cao Shi was supporting her the whole time. In comparison, Cao Shi's expression was much calmer, and she even nodded slightly to Li Chenjiao as she passed by.
However, Li Chenjiao could still read a sense of confusion or bewilderment in Cao Shi's expression and eyes.
Even Li Chenjiao, an outsider, found the news somewhat unbelievable when she heard it in Yonghe Palace, let alone the Cao family.
This is the imperial family; thunder and rain are all expressions of the emperor's grace.
However, she felt that something didn't make sense.
Lin Mama helped her mistress into the carriage: "It's dark at night, mistress, please watch your step."
Li Chenjiao silently tightened her grip on her hand.
The second princess was already sleepy, hugging her knees and taking a nap against her mother. Li Chenjiao covered the little girl's ears, just like when the second princess was still a child.
"Granny, something doesn't seem right." Li Chenjiao's pregnancy was progressing, and she shifted to a more comfortable position.
Lin Mama was puzzled. She had not gone to Changchun Garden with him, so she did not know the reason why His Majesty had punished the Third Master this time. However, having spent many years in the palace, she knew that such a reprimand was definitely not a trivial matter.
Li Chenjiao suddenly narrowed her eyes, a suspicious and strange look in them. She said softly, "At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet at Changchun Garden that day, I was with Madam Zhaojia and Madam Cao from the Third Master's residence. Because there were many assassins at night, not to mention Madam Cao, the panic on Madam Zhaojia's face was absolutely genuine..."
The master and servant exchanged a glance, and then Granny Lin spoke.
"What you mean is, if the assassination attempt at the banquet was indeed orchestrated by the Third Prince, then Consort Zhao and Consort Cao shouldn't be in such a panic. But you're not wrong either. Perhaps Consort Zhao and Consort Cao were just putting on an act... or perhaps the Third Prince... didn't tell his bedmates about this for fear of leaking the news."
That's a plausible explanation.
However, Li Chenjiao agreed with the latter statement, and shook her head at Lin Mama's former statement: "Zhaojia and Cao are not that kind of people. Besides, after the banquet that night, their Hongxi and Hongsheng princes both fell seriously ill, as did Arong. But if Third Master didn't tell anyone, then what you said makes sense... However, that's still a bit strange..."
Lin Mama asked, "Is there anything strange about it?" This time, she was a little puzzled.
"If all of this was really done by Third Master alone, then on Mid-Autumn Festival night... why was Third Master the one who ran away with his tail between his legs when he saw the assassin? Could that have been an act too?"
If it was truly Third Prince's doing, then he could have stepped forward to save the Emperor when he was assassinated, and become a favorite of the Emperor like Eighth Prince...
Eighth Master...
Li Chenjiao suddenly paused.
What if all of this is a frame-up?
Li Chenjiao felt a chill run down her spine as she thought about it, and her breathing became somewhat difficult.
In the October heat, goosebumps instantly rose on her exposed arms.
Was it because His Majesty dined at the Third Prince's residence on the day he returned to the capital, or... was it earlier?
The person behind this may have already found a scapegoat before arranging all of this.
At this moment, many questions suddenly popped into Li Chenjiao's mind.
For example, did the person behind this really want to kill His Majesty? If not, then the Eighth Prince is very suspicious. If this assassination attempt was an accident, will there be a next time, and who will be implicated next time?
However, whether all of this was done by the Third Master is probably only known to the Third Master himself. But at this moment, none of this matters anymore, since the evidence in the Hall of Preserving Harmony is irrefutable, and the Third Master has no way to defend himself.
Attempting to assassinate the Emperor is tantamount to treason, and in this situation, it will be very difficult for the Third Master to turn things around.
Unless this matter can be put on hold and it can be proven that it was not done by Third Master, then if it wasn't Third Master, then it must have been someone else, and then it would just be another dog-eat-dog situation.
As for trying to turn things around by relying on His Majesty's soft heart? Go to sleep. Do you think everyone is the deposed Crown Prince Yinreng? Do you really think everyone has an outstanding son like Prince Hongxi? Besides, although the deposed Crown Prince Yinreng was muddle-headed, it was mostly due to the crimes committed by members of the Hesheli clan and even his subordinates, which is completely different from what happened to the Third Prince this time.
The Emperor's heart is unfathomable. How glorious Third Master was just a while ago, but now...
Li Chenjiao felt a chill run down her spine just thinking about it. The position of Crown Prince was vacant, and all the princes were ambitious. One wrong move and everything would be lost.
When Li Chenjiao got off the carriage after returning to the manor, her legs were still a little weak. Fortunately, Granny Lin held her firmly. The little girl was being led by Madam Chen and looked like she hadn't woken up yet.
Li Chenjiao suppressed the wild thoughts in her mind and looked down at the road beneath her feet.
She waited a moment, waiting for the lady-in-waiting in front to go first.
She paced back and forth in front of the carriage for a few steps, trying to relax her tense nerves, when she suddenly heard a startled cry from what seemed to be Yu Ru, the lady of the main courtyard.
Li Chenjiao didn't let the maids go to join in the fun, but only sent a small path to watch from a distance.
Xiao Luzi returned with a pale face and reported: "It is said that the Princess Consort missed a step when she got off the carriage. Fortunately, someone caught her, but the Princess Consort still fainted."
This is all very confusing. First it says the princess slipped and fell, then it says she was caught, which means she was alright, but then it says she fainted. It all sounds completely nonsensical.
It was obviously something the Fujin (princess's wife) was saying to fool them.
Li Chenjiao frowned slightly and beckoned Qiu Hu to go: "Go and see if you need our help."
Qiu Hu took the hexagonal lantern and went away. She returned shortly afterward and shook her head, saying, "She said to let the master go back first."
In other words, they didn't need to help, and Li Chenjiao was happy to relax. However, she still left Qiu Hu behind: "You stay and see if there's anyone who can lend a hand. Let's head back now."
The commotion would soon alert the Fourth Master in the front yard. Li Chenjiao was also a little tired; the auspicious robes were quite cumbersome, making it hard for her to breathe.
As for the Fujin (wife of the emperor), since she was unwilling to reveal anything, she naturally wouldn't pry.
They're too busy to even think about others.
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