Over the years, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess have been seen as a model couple in the eyes of outsiders, living in harmony and loving relationships. If this news were to break in the future, one can imagine the kind of impact the Crown Prince would face in the court.
This is absolutely a royal scandal! In her past life, the Crown Princess wrote a tearful letter accusing the Empress of kidnapping people and her background, and in the end, she even committed suicide by crashing into the gate of the Crown Prince's residence.
The reason why the Crown Princess was so intense was that she was raised in an official's family during her childhood. Everyone in that family doted on her, but later she committed a crime and ended up being beheaded and having her family's property confiscated.
The entire matter was overseen by the Crown Prince, who had just entered politics at the time. The young man was full of vigor and hated evil. After finding out the truth, he dealt with the family according to the law.
The imperial concubine's maternal family used their status to steal the crown princess away and arrange for her to live in the home of a minor official of the fourth rank. Later, she was even used as the legitimate daughter to compete for the crown princess position.
Later, when she met and recognized the child with the Imperial Concubine in the palace, the whole palace knew how much the Imperial Concubine missed that child.
First, he was kidnapped at birth, then his adoptive parents' entire family lost their lives. It can be said that he endured for many years just to seek revenge.
After the Crown Princess died in the accident, the Crown Prince was unable to defend himself. Then, the well-prepared aristocratic families immediately invoked the clan rules to condemn him for his lack of virtue.
The old emperor knew very well whether his son had done those things, but the fierce attacks from the court forced him to reluctantly give them up.
Once the crown prince was deposed, things spiraled out of control like dominoes.
Pulling himself out of his thoughts, Xie Ming took a sip of tea, rolled up his sleeves, and continued writing and drawing at his desk.
The winter solstice has arrived, nearly two months after Xie Ming returned.
February was incredibly lively throughout the capital, with the most bustling place being the "Little Academy" of the Kang Prince's Mansion.
After Xie Ming "sold" several children back home, he kept a few problematic heir candidates out of the public eye.
Every day, people want to go and see it, but unfortunately, half of the palace's guards are stationed there, and several small courtyards are surrounded by high walls.
No one who tried to infiltrate the Prince's mansion in any way could get close, but Eunuch Fuquan managed to get rid of quite a few rats.
The time was almost right for Xie Ming to enter the palace. Every autumn, the palace would exempt him from paying his respects until the following spring.
His health was alright this year, so he went to the palace to see his parents.
Dressed in princely attire, Xie Ming stood tall and appeared noble and dignified. The color of his fox fur cloak was perfectly chosen, and the eunuch standing next to him couldn't help but feel the dignity of a prince.
As Xie Ming passed by a palace, he glanced at it casually and saw that "Eunuch Shu" was kneeling on the stone road!
The young eunuch serving the prince noticed the prince's pause and immediately stood by the roadside to wait.
"That little eunuch is quite good; have someone send him to me."
Xie Ming casually instructed the people beside him, his hands tucked into his sleeves. After speaking, he ignored the arrangements and headed straight for Ningren Palace, where the Empress resided.
The Empress may seem to be living a glamorous life these days, but she is also feeling very uneasy.
Needless to say, the matter of the Crown Prince was so compelling that she felt like killing the Imperial Concubine. Even though the Emperor intended to abdicate, she was still incredibly frustrated.
After the emperor neglected his concubine, that woman came to Ningren Palace every day to cause trouble.
And then there's the matter of the youngest son. Because of the adoption of the child, he caused a huge uproar among most of the clan members, with female relatives from the clan coming over to cry and complain almost every day.
She was already extremely annoyed, but unfortunately her youngest son refused to let him go, so she could only pretend to be deaf and dumb and not respond.
"Mother, I have already arranged things with the Crown Princess, so you don't need to worry about it."
Seeing his mother's worried expression, the crown prince knew she was upset about his situation. Now that the worst of it was over, he wouldn't avoid the topic.
Thinking back to the merits bestowed upon him by the Imperial Concubine's maternal clan, the Crown Prince felt immense regret, deeply regretting that he hadn't considered the shady dealings involved.
"What did your father say?"
The Empress was also very worried that the Crown Prince's methods might displease the Emperor, after all, that child was also his own flesh and blood.
"After Father gave me the Black Feather Token, he withdrew all the informants from the Crown Prince's residence." He said with a wry smile, "What the old emperor really meant was, 'I'm already in this situation, so you'd better figure it out yourself!'"
What can be done? That person is temporarily unable to move. Fortunately, his plan will also be delayed, as cultivating a stand-in who is 80-90% similar is not an easy task.
"But if it weren't for his promotion of the Imperial Concubine, you wouldn't have had to suffer such injustice. That bitch is also heartless, treating her own daughter like a prostitute."
The Empress could never understand the Consort's thought process. Even if she had married into the royal family, she was still the birth mother of a prince.
Does she think her son will survive after her maternal clan succeeds? Even if she is a princess, she can't possibly have the same status as a prince's mother.
The eldest princess was also sent to marry a foreign ruler; she was so convinced that her maternal clan would bring her even greater glory.
"Your Majesty, Prince Kang has arrived."
The Empress's personal maidservant stepped forward, bowed, and reported.
"Hurry up and send someone out to fetch them. Go heat up a cup of goat milk and bring two heaters from the side hall."
"Mother, no need to answer, I've arrived. Granny Yu, I don't drink that gamey stuff, just give me a cup of hot tea."
Before the Empress could finish giving her instructions, Xie Ming entered.
Xie Ming stepped forward and bowed deeply to his mother, then turned to greet the Crown Prince.
When the crown prince saw his younger brother approaching, he immediately got up and began to scrutinize him closely.
"Brother, didn't you just see me the day before yesterday...?"
“In previous years, things would change every day we didn’t see each other. How could we not worry?” the Crown Prince said irritably.
"It's my younger brother's fault."
Having been empress for so long, she had too many unpleasant things to do. The only thing that comforted her was that her two biological children had a really good relationship.
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