"Father, I don't know... I went with my sisters that day, but... I just looked around, I don't know anything." She said this with extreme nervousness.
The second princess glanced at her a few times, said nothing, and simply lowered her head: "Father, I don't know either. My eldest brother, second brother, and third brother were all there that day. Although we went into every room, we... didn't find anything. In my eldest brother's room, I just looked around in the hall. The one who went into the inner room was... eldest sister, is that you and fifth sister? Eldest sister, you should tell us what happened inside. Fifth sister is still too young."
The fifth princess looked up timidly: "Father, I...I went in, but I didn't see anything. My eldest sister looked all over the room. Why don't you tell me, eldest sister?"
The eldest princess's face had turned quite ugly. She forced a smile: "My sisters didn't see anything, and neither did I."
"Which maid did Qing'er bring in?" Shu Chengfeng asked, looking at her.
The eldest princess clenched her hands tightly: "It's Hua Lan."
Hua Lan knelt down behind her: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, this servant is Hua Lan."
Their guilty conscience was practically written all over their faces.
Shu Chengfeng sighed, "Alright, Hualan stays, you all go back."
The eldest princess glanced at Hua Lan a few times, but dared not say anything, and could only leave.
As soon as they left the Beichen Palace area, the Third Princess became furious: "Second Sister, what do you mean? What you just said was about what my eldest sister did. How could you be so vicious? Just like your mother!"
“What’s wrong with my mother? Even if my mother’s status isn’t high, she’s still one of Father Emperor’s concubines and your elder. How can you say that and still know proper etiquette?” the Second Princess retorted angrily.
"What elder? I don't acknowledge them. You're the one who framed my eldest sister. Your mother was a concubine, how did she go from being a Noble Consort to a mere Talent?"
"Even if my mother was convicted of a crime, I am still a princess. I am Father's daughter. I am your older sister. Do you think you are more noble than me? Give me a break. If you want to see nobility, why don't you look at Seventh Sister? Why did Father summon us here today? Don't you know? Why didn't Father summon Sixth Sister or Seventh Sister?"
Why? It's because Father Emperor dotes on those two the most, especially the seventh sister.
The sixth sister's mother rarely interacted with others.
"Second sister and third sister, stop arguing. Doesn't the fact that Father Emperor spared eldest sister's people prove something?" After saying this, the fourth princess curtsied and said, "I'll go back now."
The Fifth Princess also curtsied: "My three elder sisters, please continue your conversation. I'll be leaving now."
The eldest princess was distraught when she came out, but now that she has finally come to her senses, she wanted to explain, but couldn't think of anything to say, so she just smiled and said, "Let's all go back."
The second princess turned and left without even a courtesy.
We'll find out about what happened earlier soon enough.
"She kept Hua Lan. Tsk." Yan Nangui laughed as she braided her daughter's hair. "That Consort Yi is truly a three-surname slave. She served the Empress, then Consort Xian, and now Consort Ke. She's still one of our two daughters' women, can't she live without serving someone else?"
"Consort Ke's move... is truly brilliant." Yuanhua shook her head.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Lily asked, puzzled.
“Think about it, whether the eldest princess did it herself or Hua Lan did it, it involves the eldest princess. How should we deal with it? At most, we can beat Hua Lan to death. We can’t even say that she’s not strict with her subordinates. Otherwise, wouldn’t the eldest princess’s reputation be completely ruined? It’s not good for a princess to have a bad reputation. If we can’t deal with the princess, we can only deal with Consort Yi Cong. We can only let them off lightly, so what does that have to do with Consort Ke Cong?” Yuan Hua said.
Lily suddenly realized: "So, does that mean the First Prince is destined to suffer this loss in silence?"
"There must have been a backup plan, but I didn't expect the Crown Prince to go to His Majesty so openly. That's why things turned out this way," Yuanhua said.
"Mother, Mother, are you talking about eldest sister?" The Seventh Princess looked up.
Yan Nangui sighed and let go of her hand: "Lily, you do it."
I don't know how to comb hair to begin with, and the child isn't cooperating either.
It took me half a day to get it right.
Lily accepted it with a smile.
Yan Nangui sat down and asked, "Which older sister do you like?"
The seventh princess didn't need to think: "My fifth sister and sixth sister."
Which older brother do you like?
"Second brother and fourth brother".
Yan Nangui smiled and patted the child's head. With a child this young, one could only rely on intuition.
It's clear that although they all seem polite to each other, who is the one the child truly accepts?
"Your mother only mentioned your eldest sister in passing. Are you going to comb your hair and go find your sixth sister, or will you play by yourself?"
"Find Sixth Sister." The Seventh Princess sat up straight: "Lily, Lily, hurry up."
"Alright, alright, Princess, don't move, it will be over soon."
Yan Nangui shook her head with a smile. She had to comb her hair again even for her afternoon nap. Luckily, someone was there to take care of her. If it were just her alone, she really wouldn't be able to handle it.
The seventh princess dressed up beautifully and went out.
"There's no need to give any of this year's seasonal rewards to Consort Yi. Just give the ones that are due according to the rules. Distribute any extras elsewhere. Tell the kitchen staff that some people should act according to their rank." Yan Nangui said.
"Yes, I'll go." Lily replied.
Yuanhua smiled and said, "Your Majesty, don't be angry, it's not worth it. Over the years, she has only become more useless because she has flattered too much. She is the wife of two princesses and is still a concubine. After this incident, she will not be promoted at all. I'm afraid His Majesty will find an opportunity to demote her."
"Of course. They've ruined the princess," Jiangxiang said as she entered from outside.
"His Majesty may not say it out loud, but he treats the princesses well. And now she's instigating them to do this. Things are really messed up."
Yes, this is no small matter.
Whether it's framing a sibling or cursing a concubine, it's a serious matter.
“Some people are just unlucky.” Yan Nangui sneered. “I think the Third Prince is good, but unfortunately, they have made too many moves themselves.”
"If His Majesty establishes the Third Prince, there will inevitably be other actions. I am worried for His Majesty."
“Actually, if we disregard his maternal family, I think His Highness the Second Prince is a good person. He has a good character,” Jiang Xiang said.
"What's the rush? Let's arrange the marriage first. In any case, Consort Ke has made a lasting impression on His Majesty this time. Isn't this a case of shooting herself in the foot?"
The girls all laughed.
Consort Ke, whose foot had been struck, was naturally angry.
Her plan naturally included the Crown Prince disposing of that thing.
Therefore, the person assigned to the job is someone who can handle miscellaneous items but doesn't go inside to serve.
Even when His Majesty was conducting a rigorous interrogation, he didn't pay much attention to such people.
But to everyone's surprise, the eldest prince simply took the items directly to the Beichen Palace.
I thought that was the end of it since they couldn't find out, but to my surprise, His Majesty actually kept the eldest princess's people.
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