"Does Uncle have any ideas?" Chu Tan'er asked expectantly.
"Then have Xun'er pretend to be sick, and those ministers who took your money can say a few words to His Majesty. He's such a young child, what kind of harmful intentions could he have? He's just playing around and accidentally stumbled upon this. With the pressure those ministers put on His Majesty, and Xun'er being sick in prison, His Majesty won't keep him locked up for long."
When the Empress Dowager and Chu Tan'er heard the Prime Minister say this, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
That's good.
“However…” the prime minister said, but then suddenly changed the subject, “His Majesty did not attend court today, so the method of having ministers meet with His Majesty to offer advice should probably be postponed for a few days.”
"The emperor didn't attend court? Why?" The Empress Dowager was extremely shocked.
"You don't know? I heard that the Imperial Noble Consort was frightened and her pregnancy was unstable. He was uneasy and therefore unable to attend court. The memorials he submitted were all delivered to Jinghe Palace by Eunuch Liu, who was by his side."
The Empress Dowager looked dazed. "I did not hear about this when I left the palace."
"Oh, I suppose His Majesty has a rift with you and deliberately didn't let this message reach you. It's a good thing that the Imperial Noble Consort's pregnancy is unstable due to the fright; it would be abnormal if she hadn't been frightened."
The Empress Dowager was still somewhat lost in thought and did not speak for a moment.
Chu Tan'er bowed to the Prime Minister and said, "I'll have to trouble you with Xun'er's matter, Uncle."
The prime minister nodded, looking as if he had entrusted everything to him, "With me here, Xun'er will be fine."
He was confident and had everything under control.
————
The Heavenly Prison.
It was dark and damp, and the air was filled with a sour, foul smell.
Gu Jiangli stood at the entrance of the prison and felt somewhat uncomfortable from the smell.
Although she felt uncomfortable, she still covered her nose and went inside.
She sat down in the cell closest to the exit of the prison.
The place has been cleaned very thoroughly by the jailers, and is spotless.
Seeing that she had sat down, a jailer thoughtfully brought her tea. "Your Highness, please sit for a moment. My men have already gone to fetch the person."
She smiled gently, "No rush, I didn't come here to cause you any trouble."
She was approachable and down-to-earth, which earned her the respect of the prison guards.
"Oh, right." Gu Jiangli suddenly remembered something and asked the jailer, "Have any people come to give you gifts these past few days, asking you to treat the people in the prison better?"
The jailer's smile faded, and he said seriously, "Your Majesty, it is true, they are the Prime Minister's men. But Your Majesty, please rest assured, we understand. We did accept the silver, but we did our duty as jailers."
Gu Jiangli nodded.
The prison guards had dealt with many people and were very sensible.
They did accept the silver from the prime minister, but they didn't "take good care" of the young prince. This was because she had previously sent Xiao Anzi and Hehua to give instructions.
In the eyes of these prison guards, she, as the emperor's favorite concubine and pregnant with a prince, was more worthy of their following than the arrogant and domineering princess and the high-ranking prime minister.
Gu Jiangli was very satisfied.
"Well done. When I return, I will make sure His Majesty rewards you handsomely."
Upon hearing this, the jailer beamed with delight, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Thank you, Your Majesty!"
As the two talked, their shouts and curses reached Gu Jiangli's ears from afar.
They used foul language and the insults were extremely offensive.
Fang Xun was in good spirits; she could hear his cursing even before she saw him.
Has he been like this all this time?
The jailer nodded and said with a wry smile, "Hey, that's right. He scolds everyone he can get his hands on. Every jailer in our prison has been scolded by the young prince."
"It wasn't just cursing you, was it?" Gu Jiangli asked, seemingly unsurprised.
The jailer, somewhat embarrassed, stammered, "Indeed... he cursed the Empress and His Majesty quite a bit..."
As he spoke, he cautiously observed the expression on the face of the Imperial Noble Consort before him. Only when he saw that she showed no anger did he feel relieved.
Gu Jiangli maintained a faint smile throughout, seemingly unconcerned about being scolded.
She then said to the jailer, "I hope that no more people will know that I came to see the young prince today, understand?"
"Understood, understood! I understand!" He nodded vigorously.
In the blink of an eye, Fang Xun had been brought before Gu Jiangli.
The moment Fang Xun saw her, he immediately launched into a tirade: "You vile woman! You just wait! Once I get out of this hellhole, I'll tear you to pieces! I'll make sure you suffer a horrible death!"
"I'm going to cut the baby out of your belly alive! I'll fry him in oil! I'll make him suffer all kinds of torture, so he'll regret being born into your womb! You just wait!"
His harsh words were so vicious that even the jailer standing nearby frowned.
A child like this wouldn't be born knowing such vicious words; it must be because someone around him taught him by example.
It is said that the eldest princess was an arrogant and ruthless person, so it is not surprising that she could raise such a child.
But Gu Jiangli didn't even frown when she heard these words.
She raised her hand and said to the jailers beside her, "Thank you for your hard work. Let me have a talk with him."
"Your Highness, the young prince is so excited, I'm still worried he might hurt you."
"It's alright. He has chains on his hands and can't hurt me. Besides, Lotus is here too, so nothing will happen."
"Alright, the servants are right outside the door. Just call out if you need anything."
They left briskly, leaving the clean cell to Gu Jiangli and Fang Xun.
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