People in the palace will never forget this rather heavy day. One of the most powerful concubines of the dynasty retired sadly, and a princess lost her child. The emperor also severely punished the real culprit, but people always feel that this matter is not over yet.
After all, no one would forget that Zhou Shuren had a son who was trusted far away in Qibei, and also the emperor's grandson. Qibei was far away, and it would probably take fifteen days for the news to go there and then come back.
Those older and more experienced concubines quietly hid themselves so as not to attract the emperor's attention; while those new concubines, especially the newcomers who had just entered the palace in the general election last autumn, were trying their best to curry favor with the emperor. After all, the loss of a favorite concubine meant that their chance had come.
After hearing that the Fourth Princess had returned to her residence, Xu Yixing immediately went to visit her with valuable gifts. The Fourth Princess's residence was a little far from the Seventh Prince's residence, and this was her first time there, so it looked a little unfamiliar.
After entering the mansion, she was guided through various channels and finally arrived at her bedroom. She saw her husband standing in front of the door, as if waiting for her.
"Your Excellency is polite."
"Hello, sister-in-law." The fourth princess's husband is one of the most talented writers in the Imperial College. He has now joined the Ministry of Rites, in charge of royal etiquette, and has a leisurely and respectable life.
"Is Your Highness here? Why didn't I see anyone else visiting the mansion when I came in?"
"Xi'er doesn't want to see anyone else, but she wants to see you. Please come in, I won't disturb you."
Huh? The consort left after saying that, leaving Xu Yixing standing at the door, bewildered. He didn't want to see anyone else, but he wanted to see me? What was the process?
Before she could think, a palace maid came out and took her into the inner room. The fourth princess leaned against the headboard, holding an apple in her hand and tossing it back and forth in the air for fun.
"Now that you are here, please sit down. You all can go out, there is no need to serve." The Fourth Princess had a bench placed in front of the bed very close to her, but Xu Yixing did not dare to sit on it.
Seeing her worry, the fourth princess smiled brightly: "What are you afraid of? Now that my child is gone, there is nothing for you to be responsible for."
That’s right… Xu Yixing sat on the stool with peace of mind: “So Princess, when you asked me to follow you to the Dharma Flower Hall that day, did you really have some ulterior motive?”
The Fourth Princess snorted with a cold smile, "I thought you hated Concubine Ying and would help me testify. What a pity, you are too timid and unwilling to cherish this opportunity I gave you. You are really not like your sister at all!"
Xu Yixing saw the Fourth Princess even roll her eyes, expressing her displeasure at his lack of cooperation. "Are you kidding me? Do you know me well? I'm just straightforward, not stupid. Why would I jump into this trap knowing it was a trap?"
"So, it wasn't Concubine Ying who caused you to lose your child?"
"Of course not!" The Fourth Princess raised her eyes and glared. "That's a bitch, so vicious, she framed my brother and even killed my eldest brother! I just revealed a little flaw to her, and she became evil. Damn it! Why didn't the Emperor execute her?"
The Fourth Princess covered her stomach with her hands, her expression showing pain, but she did not allow Xu Yixing to call the imperial physician, so she endured it herself. It took a long time before she could speak normally.
Xu Yixing poured a bucket of cold water on her head: "Your Highness, Concubine Ying has the Second Prince. The Emperor will not sentence her to death no matter what. If you are using the child as a bargaining chip to gamble her life, I bet you are really stupid."
"Tsk!" The Fourth Princess chuckled and wiped the sweat from her forehead, her expression seeming to laugh at her ignorance. "Actually, if you go, with your testimony, it might not be impossible."
"If I were here, and you and I, the Third Prince's Consort, were to simultaneously testify against Concubine Ying, the Emperor would be even less convinced. Please consider this carefully." All three of them had a grudge against Concubine Ying, and the Emperor would undoubtedly suspect they were simultaneously framing his favorite concubine. Even with the current treatment of Concubine Ying, it's likely the Emperor didn't fully believe his daughter's words.
After hearing this, the fourth princess's eyes were distracted for a moment, and then she suddenly laughed: "You're right, it's the same with or without you. Well, if that's the case, then go away. I don't want to see you anymore."
"Uh..." What's wrong with this? He chased people away just because they disagreed with him? However, Xu Yixing still stood up and left on his own.
When she left, she saw her husband writing quickly in the pavilion next to her. When he saw her leaving, he just greeted her from a distance and did not come closer.
This family is so strange!
After getting on the carriage, Xu Yixing told Yingwu that he was going to Wansong Academy. His father had not yet told Xu Yiwen about his engagement, so it was time to tell him.
Thinking back to the conversation with the Fourth Princess just now, the only thing that is certain now is that the fact that Concubine Ying was accused of being the murderer and demoted to a commoner this time is closely related to the victim herself, the Fourth Princess.
I just don’t understand why the Fourth Princess would use her own child to frame her enemy. Isn’t this price too high?
But nothing is perfect. Forget about the long-term consequences. For example, if she didn't want children, and the Fourth Princess felt the same way, wouldn't this be a perfect opportunity? Or perhaps the child had some illness and couldn't survive, or perhaps the Fourth Princess simply hated Concubine Ying and was determined to have her killed. In any case, her actions must have been logically consistent, but others simply couldn't understand them.
"Alas!" Xu Yixing leaned against the back of the carriage, feeling somewhat emotional. Actually, when the Fourth Princess had just asked why the Emperor didn't kill Concubine Ying, he had been thinking the same thing.
But this is indeed unlikely. After all, she has been favored for many years and has been with the emperor for a long time. It is impossible for her not to have some feelings for him.
Today is May 25th, and a full fifteen days have passed since the incident in the palace. No follow-up news about this matter has been released from the palace, so I guess that's the end of it.
But will the Second Prince choose one of the methods as Lu Anyuan thought?
Xu Yixing put aside his thoughts and focused on his own affairs. His father's wedding was on August 18th, and there were only three months left. He would have to go back and recognize his mother by then. It was really annoying.
Everything in the Prince's Mansion was as normal as before. Despite the large number of people, everything was in perfect order every day, with routines and no one to worry about. This was something I had to praise. Lu Anyuan really had a way of managing the mansion. He himself was not good at doing these things, so he simply delegated all the power to the accountant. Later, when he came in, he handed it over to himself.
As the saying goes, trust the people you employ, and they both agree on this point.
Xu Yixing's own shop finally got back on track. He quickly sold the salt from the market at a discount. Not only did he not lose money, he even made a lot of money. There was nothing to worry about for the shop at the moment.
The shadow guards are either following me, practicing Buddhism in Jingxi Temple, or in Qibei... I'm thinking too far ahead. I'm going to see Yiwen later, and I really don't know what to tell him. Dad really knows how to give me a hard time!
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