Chapter 945 The Second Prince was pulled out of the water
She said coldly, "Have people intensify the search of the ponds near Jinghe Palace. Send more people to search any place with water. People cannot simply disappear without a trace if they are in the palace."
"Send someone to Consort Song in the Eastern Palace to inquire whether she took the person away. If the Second Prince is not with Consort Song, do not disturb her."
She was worried that the second prince might run away on his own, and with the heavy rain, it would be almost impossible for him to survive if he fell into the pond. There were ponds near Yongle Palace and Jinghe Palace, and the ponds were usually not very deep, but after such a long period of rain, the ponds had long been filled with water.
At this moment, she actually hoped that the Second Prince had been taken away and hidden away. Who had a grudge against Consort Song? Song Qing was very shrewd and adept at making friends in the palace, and she almost never made enemies.
For a moment, Jiang Fenghua was at a loss for what to do.
Following the Empress's instructions, the group left one after another; if anything happened to the Second Prince, none of them would survive.
Jiang Fenghua was also afraid that something might happen to the Second Prince. There were already few imperial heirs, and if the Second Prince were to die, there would only be the First Prince and the Fourth Prince by her side.
Gao Qingtong was so anxious that tears streamed down her face. "It's all my fault. I should have brought him to my bedchamber last night and stayed with him. Your Majesty, please believe me. I really want to raise the Second Prince properly. No matter how much I dislike Song Qing, the Second Prince is still just a child. I..."
Gao Qingtong was afraid that the Empress would not believe her. She had indeed neglected the child when he was delivered, and she had never thought that he would disappear!
"Don't worry, the Second Prince is new to Yongle Palace. He probably misses his mother and ran out to look for her but got lost. Keep looking." Jiang Fenghua comforted Consort Gao, and also comforted herself.
Just then, Wuxin sent a eunuch to deliver a message to the Empress: "The Second Prince has been brought before the Emperor."
Jiang Fenghua felt a bad premonition rise in her heart, "Who brought the Second Prince before the Emperor?"
The young eunuch said, "It's Miss Bai."
Gao Qingtong asked in confusion, "Bai Zhiyan? Why would she bring the Second Prince to His Majesty's presence?"
Jiang Fenghua didn't know what was going on either. Someone had been monitoring Bai Zhiyan's every move. How could the Second Prince be with her?
"Come with me to take a look!" Jiang Fenghua then said to Gao Qingtong, "The Second Prince is missing. Although he is alright, you should be prepared for the Emperor's anger."
Gao Qingtong never expected that such a thing would happen so soon after the Second Prince was sent to her palace. "How could he have gone to the Emperor? Could it be that Bai Zhiyan stole the Second Prince and deliberately brought him to the Emperor to curry favor?"
"You've been in the palace for so many years, are all the people you've kept around useless? You managed to sneak in during the day and take someone away without anyone noticing." Jiang Fenghua thought that the Second Prince might have secretly left Yongle Palace and then been encountered by Bai Zhiyan. It would be almost impossible for Bai Zhiyan to enter Yongle Palace quietly.
Gao Qingtong said, "If she sneaked in, there would be a reason why no one knew. So it seems that the Second Prince ran out on his own."
Jiang Fenghua reminded him, "No matter what, the Second Prince got lost in your palace. He should admit his mistake and accept punishment when he is in front of the Emperor."
Gao Qingtong was startled. "How will Your Majesty punish me?"
Jiang Fenghua said, "You've been disrespectful to the prince, and now you're afraid. Since the person has been sent to Jinghe Palace, it means the Emperor trusts you. Don't take your grudges with Song Qing out on the child."
Gao Qingtong replied, "Your Majesty, I understand."
She just couldn't stand Song Qing. She didn't know why, but she could be calm and collected with everyone else, except for Song Qing. She admitted that she really didn't want to take care of Song Qing's child. In the future, when the emperor wanted to establish a crown prince, he could only choose the empress's son. Wasn't Song Qing working so hard to cultivate the second prince just so that he could compete for that position? Gao Qingtong kept these words to herself and didn't dare to say them out loud.
Is she also just an ordinary person, a petty and narrow-minded woman? How can she possibly be as magnanimous as the Empress?
Jiang Fenghua took her hand and said gently, "I understand what you mean. You think Song Qing's intentions in teaching the Second Prince are impure, but she is also a mother. A mother's love for her child does not discriminate between good and bad people. She is the Second Prince's mother, and it is her duty to teach him to be successful. Haven't you been planning and scheming for the Second Princess all along?"
Gao Qingtong suddenly blushed and her heart pounded, "Your Majesty, I just wanted to..."
"Stop thinking about it, let's go!" Jiang Fenghua took her hand. The rain outside kept pouring down, and she used her cloak to cover most of Gao Qingtong's body.
Gao Qingtong smelled the faint fragrance on the Empress and thought it smelled very nice and liked it very much. Later, she asked someone to make a fragrance similar to the one the Empress wore.
When Jiang Fenghua and Gao Qingtong arrived at the door of the Imperial Study, Wuxin stepped forward to greet them. He whispered a few words to Jiang Fenghua before saying, "His Majesty said that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine have arrived and instructed this servant to lead you in directly."
Jiang Fenghua nodded and smiled, "Thank you for your help, Steward Wuxin."
"Please, Your Highness," Wuxin said again.
Upon entering the main hall, Xie Shang was seen sitting at his desk, engrossed in handling official documents. On the other side, at a low table, Qin Yunyan was holding the Second Prince in her arms, teaching him to write with a "loving" expression. It seemed that both the Second Prince and Qin Yunyan had changed their clothes.
"Your Majesty, we pay our respects." Jiang Fenghua and Gao Qingtong both greeted him.
Xie Shang's hands never stopped moving. He glanced at Gao Qingtong's direction and continued reviewing the memorials. The memorials on his desk were already piled up like a mountain. He also had to help deal with the affairs of the inner palace, and his expression was not good.
He said in a deep voice, "The Imperial Concubine is unwilling to keep the Second Prince by her side."
Gao Qingtong quickly replied, "Of course I'm willing. Who said I'm unwilling to raise the Second Prince? His Majesty has asked her to stand up and confront me face to face."
It must be Bai Zhiyan gossiping in the Emperor's ear. I didn't expect her to be so scheming before even being officially named a concubine, trying to use the Second Prince to rise in rank. This woman is too blatant.
Gao Qingtong glanced at the Empress subconsciously.
Jiang Fenghua remained calm. Wuxin had already told them the gist of what had happened outside the palace: Bai Zhiyan had suddenly become the Second Prince's savior.
Xie Shang continued, “Your Highness, there’s no need to look at the Empress or doubt who said those words. I know that Your Highness is dignified and composed, a lady from a prominent family, and very knowledgeable. That’s why I entrusted the Second Prince to your care. I never expected that just a few hours later, the Second Prince would be pulled out of the water.”
Gao Qingtong immediately knelt on the ground, "It's all my fault for not watching the Second Prince properly. He was sleeping soundly in his palace, how could he have fallen into the water?"
"I am also puzzled, which is why I asked the Imperial Concubine."
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