Chapter 43 "Would the Princess Consort be willing to call me 'Prince' once...?"
Chapter 43: Turmoil ==
Eunuch Zhou arrived at Prince Cheng's residence that very night. The night was quiet and the gates were cold and imposing. The people on duty outside the Zixia Palace tonight were Mo Yu and Qin'er. Eunuch Zhou looked anxious and said that His Majesty requested that Prince Cheng enter the palace immediately. In the darkness, Mo Yu's eyes were dark as he knocked on the door.
Someone quickly responded in the Zixia Palace. As Su Wanyue was half asleep, she felt the "heated stove" beside her disappear. She frowned slightly, and in her daze, she seemed to see candlelight shining on her. The woman rubbed her almond-shaped eyes. At this moment, someone walked over with practiced ease and hugged her. The strong scent of ambergris instantly woke Su Wanyue up. She mumbled, "Your Highness."
Xiao Yu gently patted her back, seemingly trying to lull her to sleep, but Su Wanyue was already awake and couldn't possibly fall back asleep. She glanced at the dark sky outside and asked, "Is Your Highness going to the palace?"
Aside from matters at the palace, no one else came to see him at this hour.
Su Wanyue's heart was pounding very fast. It must have been from that night when he asked her why she did this that she had a vague premonition.
The Seventh Prince rose to fame at a young age and is an upright man. He dislikes the intrigues of the court and only wants to share the burdens of the Emperor and the people. However, his carefree and unconventional nature is not tolerated by the current court.
"It's still early, you can sleep a little longer." Xiao Yu's profile was sharp, but his gaze towards her was gentle as he patted her head.
"Then Your Highness, please be careful." His actions were intimate, and Su Wanyue did not even think of dodging. Her almond-shaped eyes were watery, making Xiao Yu want to roll over and pin her down. But the timing was not right. Xiao Yu's Adam's apple bobbed, and he placed a kiss on his wife's watery eyes.
As soon as he stepped outside, Xiao Yu's expression was stern, and his tall figure seemed to blend into the night.
Xiao Yu was dressed in magnificent robes, with a white jade pendant hanging at his waist. Eunuch Zhou had been waiting outside the hall. Upon seeing Xiao Yu, Eunuch Zhou took a few steps forward to greet him, "Your Highness Prince Cheng."
Xiao Yu entered the palace under the cover of night, and the hall fell silent. Su Wanyue lay there, looking at the pink gauze curtains above her head, unable to fall asleep. Whether the woman wanted to admit it or not, she knew that if anything happened to him, or to the Prince Cheng's residence, she could not remain uninvolved, and...
Su Wanyue closed her eyes slightly, her breathing a little erratic; she was actually a little worried about him.
This worry came out of nowhere and was beyond Su Wanyue's expectations. She bit her lip, feeling a deep sense of bewilderment for the first time.
The next day at dawn, Xiao Yu had not yet emerged from the palace. Not only had Su Wanyue not had a good rest, but everyone in the capital had not rested well either. After all, even if the Seventh Prince had no chance of succeeding to the throne, he was still the Emperor's own son, a prince of noble status, and yet he had fallen off a cliff like that...
How many people in the capital are fools? The Seventh Prince's first assassination attempt was an accident, but was the second one also an accident? Anyone with eyes can see that the Seventh Prince has rendered meritorious service in quelling the bandits in Qingzhou and is favored by the Emperor. Once the Seventh Prince returns to the capital, his future will be limitless. It is obvious whose position the Seventh Prince has threatened and who wants the Seventh Prince to die.
However, their emperor has always been biased towards the empress and the crown prince. The crown prince has made so many mistakes before, but the emperor has always let them go lightly. If the emperor really chooses to protect the crown prince this time, then no one else can do anything about it.
However, given the Crown Prince's intolerance, the ministers doubted whether he could truly become a wise and virtuous ruler if he were to become the emperor. They reasoned that if he could not tolerate his own brothers today, he might not be able to tolerate meritorious officials in the future.
Such a major event has occurred in the capital. All the ministers have chosen to stay at home and observe the situation. Yesterday the sky was clear and sunny, but today it is dark and gloomy, with dark clouds covering the sun, making it hard to breathe.
When Qin'er, Chunzhi, and the others were helping Su Wanyue with her makeup, they saw that she looked listless and quickly comforted her, "His Highness has already gone to the palace, so the Princess Consort doesn't need to worry."
“Yes, the Seventh Prince is of noble status and has made great contributions to the country. His Majesty will surely give the Seventh Prince justice.” Chunzhi also chimed in, saying that she also felt it was a pity. The Seventh Prince had been on good terms with their prince before leaving the capital, and now he had ended up like this. It was truly lamentable.
Su Wanyue pondered for a moment, then sent a servant to wait at the palace gate to inquire about the situation.
With such a major event occurring in the capital, people will surely inquire about it. If the Prince Cheng's residence remains too indifferent, wouldn't that imply that they had foreseen the future and are therefore unhurried?
Today, not only were the people of the capital in turmoil, but the Empress herself was also far from at peace. She even skipped the concubines' greetings, pacing around the Kunning Palace before suddenly asking, "Granny Gui, do you think this matter is related to the Crown Prince?"
Deep down, the Empress probably wished the Seventh Prince would never return to the capital. His death outside the capital suited her perfectly. One Xiao Yu and Princess Weiyang were enough for them to deal with. If the Seventh Prince and the daughter of a Duke's family were to join the fray, the Crown Prince would have far too many to handle. However, the death of a prince was no small matter. The Emperor would surely investigate the culprit. If the Seventh Prince's death was related to the Crown Prince, then the Crown Prince's position as heir apparent would be in jeopardy.
The Empress knew her son's character well; he would absolutely not tolerate another Xiao Yu, so...
As the crown prince, one needs skill and ability, but with the emperor still alive, if the crown prince is too skillful and capable, it will only displease the emperor. The empress was worried for the crown prince.
Granny Gui was sweating profusely, her back clenched so tightly she felt like she was going to grind her teeth to dust. "Your Majesty is overthinking this. How could this possibly be the work of His Highness the Crown Prince? The Seventh Prince is very powerful, and there are probably quite a few people in the capital who wish for his death."
In fact, Granny Gui believed that it was their Crown Prince who did this. Who else but the Crown Prince would have the guts and the audacity to lay a hand on a prince of a country? However, Granny Gui dared not tell the Empress any of these words, unless she had a death wish.
The Empress's eyes lit up. Yes, the Seventh Prince's return to the capital threatened not only the Crown Prince but also Prince Cheng. In terms of ruthlessness, Prince Cheng was no pushover either. Perhaps Prince Cheng was the one who did this. She had to have faith in her son.
"Send the bird's nest soup that the small kitchen has prepared to His Majesty, and while you're at it, find out how His Majesty intends to handle this matter."
The Seventh Prince is dead. Next, we will definitely hold a grand funeral for him and take the opportunity to find out who is behind this. Once found, the Emperor will definitely not let him off easily.
Granny Gui's expression was indescribable. She seemed to want to offer advice but didn't know where to begin. With the Seventh Prince in trouble, His Majesty must be heartbroken and saddened. He wouldn't be in the mood for bird's nest soup. At this critical juncture, the Empress should keep a low profile, manage the harem well, and not trouble the Emperor. He wouldn't have the leisure to drink bird's nest soup at this time. Anyone who didn't know better would think that the Empress was guilty of something.
"Why aren't you going?" The Empress asked, her brows furrowed, seeing that she hadn't moved for a long time.
"This old servant will go right away." Granny Gui sighed inwardly and prostrated herself as she retreated.
When Granny Gui went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation on the Empress's orders, everyone except Prince Cheng had already left the palace. Hearing that only Prince Cheng was in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Granny Gui's heart skipped a beat, feeling that things were not so simple. She tentatively asked Eunuch Zhou, intending to find out more. Eunuch Zhou, being a favorite of the Emperor, naturally had some ability. He easily changed the subject, and Granny Gui had no choice but to hand the food box in her hand to Eunuch Zhou and leave.
Eunuch Zhou did not go in. He looked ahead. In the court, His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness Prince Cheng had been fighting each other for many years. Most of the ministers in the court had also been divided into two factions. The death of the Seventh Prince was likely to break this balance.
Their Prince Cheng was already exceptionally handsome and charismatic. With his marriage to Princess Nanqiong Weiyang, his brilliance has only grown. Aside from his status as the Empress's legitimate son, the Crown Prince is inferior to Prince Cheng in every aspect. It's still uncertain who will rule the world in the future.
Xiao Ruofei returned to the East Palace and with a wave of his hand, all the memorials on the golden nanmu wooden table were pushed to the ground. "I asked you to find a way to stop the Seventh Prince from returning to the capital, not to kill him. Now he is suddenly dead, and he died so tragically. What if others suspect me?"
Today, the ministers kept glancing at him, as if they were openly suspecting him of assassinating the seventh prince. For the first time, Xiao Ruofei felt extremely uneasy. His orders were to stop the seventh prince from returning to the capital, not to take his life. Who could have imagined that the prince would be so unlucky and die such a tragic death? Can he be blamed for this?
The advisor didn't think he had done anything wrong. He smiled obsequiously and advised Xiao Ruofei, "Only by eliminating the threat at its root can the Seventh Prince be prevented from becoming a threat to Your Highness. There are many people in the capital who wish for the Seventh Prince's death. Why would His Majesty suspect Your Highness alone?"
"What you said makes sense." These words struck a chord with Xiao Ruofei. He didn't believe that he was the only one in the capital who wanted his seventh brother dead. Wasn't there also his third brother? Xiao Yu usually acted so aloof, but in reality, he didn't want to be the ruler of the world. If he was a suspect, then Xiao Yu was also a suspect. Xiao Ruofei felt much more at ease and frowned as he asked, "Then the people you sent didn't leave any evidence, did they?"
If we leave evidence, wouldn't that harm him?
The advisor looked smugly at the Seventh Prince, "Your Highness, rest assured, the Seventh Prince is dead. There's no way to verify anything. Even if the person behind this has extraordinary abilities, they won't be able to find any evidence."
That makes sense.
Xiao Ruofei glanced at him and said, "Once this storm passes, I will find you a position in the imperial court."
There are too many of Xiao Yu's spies in the court. He needs to plant his own spies step by step. The imperial examination in the first half of the year is a good opportunity. Thinking of this, Xiao Ruofei immediately put the death of the Seventh Prince out of his mind. As long as he is not implicated, what does the death of the Seventh Prince have to do with him?
When Xiao Yu came out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation again, it was already noon. Eunuch Zhou hurriedly stood up and personally saw Xiao Yu out of the palace gate.
Besides the carriages and grooms from Prince Cheng's residence, there was also a familiar servant boy at the palace gate. Upon seeing Xiao Yu, the servant boy scurried forward and said, "This humble servant greets Your Highness."
"She sent you here," Xiao Yu said with a smile in his calm eyes and a gentle expression.
Seeing that his master was so gentle, the servant hurriedly said, "The princess was worried about His Highness, so she sent servants to wait outside the palace."
These words made Xiao Yu raise an eyebrow, feeling extremely satisfied. Wasn't this just like a wife longing for her husband who had gone out and not returned home? It seemed that her heart was slowly shifting towards him, and one day, he would firmly occupy the most important place in her heart.
Xiao Yu went to Zixia Palace immediately. Su Wanyue was playing the zither. The music was melodious, as if it were telling the story of the vastness of the mountains and rivers. The lingering sound was very pleasant. This was the first time Xiao Yu had heard his wife play the zither. He did not make a sound, but Su Wanyue saw him. She raised her jade fingers and stopped playing the zither. "This concubine greets Your Highness."
Xiao Yu pulled her up with a slight effort. Just as Su Wanyue was about to ask him what was going on in the palace, Xiao Yu spoke first: "I need to go to Fuzhou."
"Your Highness is going to Fuzhou to investigate the truth."
"Father has already severely punished everyone around the Seventh Prince, posthumously conferred upon him the title of Prince Qing, and given him a grand funeral, but the person behind this must be found."
The couple knew from the beginning that the so-called consequences were merely fueling the flames.
The real seventh prince has already obtained what he wanted.
Su Wanyue lowered her eyes slightly, her voice gentle and melodious, "Then how does Your Highness plan to depart?"
"I'll be leaving soon." Xiao Yu glanced at her, then put his hand on her waist, saying intimately, "Before you leave, would your Highness be willing to call me 'husband'?"
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