Chapter 203 The King Who Lost His Country 3
The reign of the current emperor is Yongqing.
The Yongqing Emperor had a fairly abundant number of offspring, with a total of six princes and five princesses.
Among the princes, the eldest and second princes died young, and the fourth prince's mother was of low status.
The fifth prince was born to Concubine Li, and the sixth prince was born to Concubine Gui.
The birth dates of the latter two princes were only half a month apart, but everyone in the palace knew that Emperor Yongqing loved the fifth prince more than the sixth prince, so the two princes had been at odds since childhood.
Their mothers were also at odds.
Concubine Li was given the title "Li", which shows how beautiful she was. She was the legitimate daughter of a sixth-rank official, and she stood firm in the harem thanks to Emperor Yongqing's doting for more than a dozen years.
The Imperial Concubine is the niece of the powerful official Ji Yushan. She has a distinguished family background. After the death of the Empress, she has been in charge of the Phoenix Seal and managing the harem. She is the Empress in the palace, except that she does not have the title of Empress.
Some time ago, the ministers attached to the Ji family brought up the issue of establishing an Empress again, and wanted to push the Imperial Concubine to the position of Empress. Emperor Yongqing rejected it on the spot.
The next day happened to be the birthday of the Fifth Prince. Emperor Yongqing took off the jade pendant from his waist and gave it to the Fifth Prince as a birthday gift.
...
Speaking of this, Yao Rong paused.
The Third Prince asked: "Then what?"
Yao Rong looked at the Third Prince quietly. There was no jealousy or resentment on his face, as if Emperor Yongqing was just a stranger.
[Test you.] Yao Rong said, [What do you think will happen next? ］
"Does that jade pendant have any special meaning?"
[When Emperor Yongqing was still a prince, the late emperor gave him that jade pendant. Over the years, Emperor Yongqing has been wearing it with him. ]
The third prince frowned slightly. The symbolic meaning of this jade pendant is extraordinary. It accompanied Emperor Yongqing from prince to crown prince and then to emperor: "Did the fifth prince accept it?"
[Concubine Li was short-sighted and let the fifth prince accept it. ]
"I remember that the sixth prince's birthday is close to the fifth prince. Then..." The third prince paused and shouted like Yao Rong, "Did Emperor Yongqing give the sixth prince any birthday gift?"
[No. ]
The third prince affirmed: "The concubine must be mad."
The son is noble because of the mother, so the status of the sixth prince must be slightly more noble than that of the fifth prince.
But just when someone in the previous dynasty proposed the matter of establishing a queen, Emperor Yongqing began to promote the fifth prince, which was obviously intended to embarrass Concubine Gui.
However, in order to slap Concubine Gui and the Ji family, he pushed the fifth prince to the front, making the fifth prince a thorn in the eyes of Concubine Gui and the Ji family... Isn't this approach too extreme?
In the eyes of the third prince, even if Emperor Yongqing loves the fifth prince, this love has its limits.
[Given Concubine Gui's family background, do you think she would look down on Concubine Li? ]
"No."
[That's right, she looks down on Concubine Li, and even less on Emperor Yongqing. ]
The third prince: "..."
[The sixth prince is Concubine Gui's favorite, and has been raised by Concubine Gui since he was a child. He can get whatever he wants. The only thing that the sixth prince doesn't win over the fifth prince is Emperor Yongqing's love. ]
[Perhaps Emperor Yongqing really loves the fifth prince, but there is another possibility that Emperor Yongqing deliberately makes everyone think that he loves the fifth prince. ]
This statement coincides with the third prince's previous guess. What the third prince doesn't understand is: "Why do you do this on purpose?"
[First, with his support, Concubine Li can compete with Concubine Gui, and the harem will not become a one-man show of Concubine Gui. ]
[Second, doing so can hurt the sixth prince and then Concubine Gui. ]
[When someone you look down on slaps you in the face and hurts your child, do you think Concubine Gui will remain indifferent? ]
The third prince lowered his eyes and thought seriously.
There is no doubt that Concubine Gui will retaliate.
Could it be that the two eunuchs are people in Concubine Gui's palace?
The third prince first had such a guess in his mind, but he denied it.
If the two eunuchs were from the imperial concubine's palace, there was no need for them to come to the Changxin Palace to meet.
They deliberately came to a remote place to meet, and then killed Guisheng who was passing by. It is very likely that the two eunuchs did not want to reveal their identities and did not want Guisheng to see their faces clearly.
Combining all the above information...
"One eunuch is from the imperial concubine's side."
"The other... should be Concubine Li..." The third prince had a flash of inspiration in his mind, and quickly changed his words, "It's someone from the fifth prince's palace!"
Yao Rong smiled: [Why is it the fifth prince and not Concubine Li? ］
The third prince expressed his thoughts: "No matter how favored Concubine Li is, she can never surpass Concubine Gui. Without Concubine Li, there will be other concubines. Concubine Gui doesn't need to spend a lot of effort to deal with Concubine Li."
"But the fifth prince is different. The existence of the fifth prince will definitely block the path of Concubine Gui and the sixth prince. Concubine Gui is in charge of the six palaces. It is easy for her to place someone in the fifth prince's palace or bribe someone in the fifth prince's palace."
[Your analysis is correct.] Yao Rong affirmed, [The two eunuchs, one is responsible for tending flowers and plants in Concubine Gui's palace, and the other is responsible for food in the fifth prince's palace. ］
Food...
The Third Prince felt his heart pounding with fear: What did the Imperial Concubine want to do by bribing the eunuch in charge of food in the Fifth Prince's palace?
——What else could she do!
Of course, she wanted to attack the Fifth Prince!
The Sixth Prince is at an age when he is full of admiration for his father. Emperor Yongqing took advantage of the Sixth Prince's admiration for him and hurt him wantonly. The Imperial Concubine could no longer tolerate it.
Emperor Yongqing dared to hurt her child, so she dared to take revenge on his child.
In the original plot, not long after Guisheng drowned by the lake, the Fifth Prince died suddenly, and the eunuch in charge of the Fifth Prince's food committed suicide on the spot, leaving no evidence.
From then on, the situation in the palace became increasingly out of control.
Eventually, a palace coup broke out, countless people died, and the Third Prince was pushed onto the throne by Ji Yushan in a panic...
It can be said that the death of the Fifth Prince was the fuse of the palace coup.
The Third Prince is still too young, and has no foundation in or outside the palace. He needs enough time to grow. So for now, the Fifth Prince cannot get into trouble.
[Now releasing the second main mission: Please use this known information to destroy the Concubine's plan and protect yourself and Guisheng. The time limit is three days.
After completing the mission, the "Classics" section will be opened and 100 points will be obtained. There is no punishment for failure.]
***
October is not the season for plum blossoms to bloom, so few palace people will come to the Plum Garden.
But at this moment, in a corner of the Plum Garden, two eunuchs are meeting quietly.
The eunuch in charge of tending the flowers and plants in the Imperial Concubine's palace said impatiently, "Didn't I tell you that we should not meet recently if we can?"
The eunuch in charge of food in the Fifth Prince's palace did not waste words and said directly, "The old eunuch is not dead. He was rescued by the one in the cold palace."
The eunuch in charge of flowers and plants was startled and cursed in a low voice, "What's the matter? Didn't you see him sinking into the lake with your own eyes before you left?"
The food eunuch said, "Now is not the time to talk about this. What do you think we should do next?"
A ruthless look flashed across the eyes of the eunuch in charge of flowers and plants: "With the temper of the Imperial Concubine, if she knew that we had made such a big mistake in our work, neither you nor I would be able to get away with it. That old eunuch must die."
"What about the one in the cold palace?"
"At this juncture, it would be too conspicuous if two princes died in a row. Let's spare his life first and wait until the storm has passed."
"Okay, a new maid named Que'er came to Concubine Li's palace yesterday. I've asked around, she used to serve in the cold palace, we can use her to get rid of the old eunuch."
***
The third prince sat in the yard and thought for a long time, still not knowing how to complete the task.
Just when he was at a loss, someone knocked on the door gently.
The third prince raised his head abruptly and looked towards the door.
Changxin Palace has always been deserted. Who is knocking on the door at this juncture?
"Your Highness, Eunuch Gui, I'm back."
It was Que'er's voice.
"I used the remaining silver in my hand to exchange for some food and cotton cloth, all of which Your Highness could use..."
"I know you are angry with me and don't want to see me. I'll put the things at the door. You can come out and get them after I leave."
[The timing of her appearance was too coincidental. I went to open the door to see what she wanted to do.]
The third prince was surprised: "You mean..."
[I just think it's a little strange, and I can't be sure.]
Que'er put down the basket, turned around and left. After taking a few steps, she heard the sound of a door opening behind her.
She turned around and said in surprise: "Your Highness, it's great that you are still willing to see me."
The third emperor lowered his head and looked at the basket full of supplies at his feet. His mood was a little complicated.
Jue'er had taken care of him for a while, and even if Jue'er abandoned him and tried to go to another palace, he was just a little sad, and he didn't blame Jue'er in his heart.
But if Jue'er came this time, not just to send supplies, but to do something under the name of sending supplies...
On the other side, Jue'er was still talking to herself, constantly telling her own difficulties. Finally, she poked her head inside and said, "Your Highness, where is Eunuch Gui? Why haven't we seen him come out?"
The third prince was confused and could only say, "Gui is sick and has caught a cold."
"What?" Que'er exclaimed, and said nervously, "It must be because I said too much yesterday and made Eunuch Gui angry, so he got sick. It's all my fault, all my fault. Your Highness, how is Eunuch Gui?"
Watching Que'er's exaggerated performance, the third prince's heart sank a little bit, "The situation is not good. We don't have any medicine in the cold palace, so we can only use a towel to apply to the forehead to cool down. Do you want to go in and see Guisheng?"
"I'm not going in." The third prince's voice was very cold, but Que'er didn't think much about it. "A severe cold can be fatal. How can we not take medicine? I'll think of a way to see if I can get the right medicine for Eunuch Gui."
After saying this, Que'er left in a hurry.
The third prince stood there, watching Que'er leave quietly with a sad expression.
If he hadn't known the truth in advance, he would have been very happy to see Que'er coming over with a basket and heard Que'er say that she would help get the herbs, regardless of whether they could be used...
He guessed that those people would take action, but what he didn't guess was that those people would send Que'er here.
Que'er might not know what those people were going to do specifically, but...
could she really not guess what those people were planning at all?
"Are you sure now?" The third prince said angrily.
Yao Rong did not reply immediately.
His reason returned a little, and the third prince realized that he was impulsive. No matter how angry he was, he should not vent it on the system.
The system suddenly stopped talking. Could it be that it felt that his words and deeds offended her? Thinking of this, the third prince suddenly became nervous and the words of apology almost came out of his mouth.
Then he was the first to hear the apology -
[Sorry.]
Yao Rong knew that he was wronged and very sad.
That angry word with a hint of arrogance was just to cover up his sadness.
Being abandoned and betrayed by someone who once depended on each other is too cruel for an adult.
Not to mention a teenager.
[If possible, I don't want you to face these directly.]
[But no. ]
[Your situation is too dangerous. If you delay for a moment, it may be more dangerous. You must grow up as soon as possible.]
The third prince was inexplicably flustered. Yao Rong's reaction was completely beyond his expectation: "I hope you don't blame me."
[How can I blame you? This is not your fault.]
Yes, he did nothing wrong, and Guisheng did nothing wrong. They just wanted to stay in the cold palace, but someone was unwilling to let them go.
Why should they be manipulated by others? As a small person, are they destined to become the sacrifice in the big man's plan? Don't they even have the qualifications to live?
If this matter must end with death, then the ones who die will definitely not be him and Guisheng.
The Third Prince lowered his eyes. He knew how to complete the second main mission.
As long as Concubine Li knew that Concubine Gui had bribed the eunuchs around the Fifth Prince, Concubine Li would definitely take action. Although Concubine Gui could not be dealt with for the time being, it would be easy for Concubine Li to deal with the two eunuchs.
In this way, Concubine Gui's plan was ruined, and the crisis for him and Guisheng was resolved.
The real difficulty was how he could let Concubine Li know about this without exposing himself.