Chapter 159 A Little Mischief
The next day, as evening approached and darkness fell, Su Peisheng silently stepped forward to observe the Emperor's expression.
"Your Majesty, everything has been settled. Those who were to be executed have been sent on their way. The woman who gave birth last night is a girl. She is currently being cared for by the nanny in Xianfu Palace. Oh, and... Nanny Zhu has confessed. Please take a look, Your Majesty."
A thin sheet of paper was presented to the Emperor's desk. Yinzhen lowered his eyes to look at it, then held a corner of the document in front of his eyes and stared intently at it.
"This Granny Zhu is considered an old servant in the Prince's mansion. She has a partner who used to be a cook in the mansion. After Your Majesty ascended the throne, he was assigned to the Yuanmingyuan Garden to be in charge of serving the Fourth Prince's meals."
Su Peisheng's face was extremely tense. "The incident at the Mulan Hunting Ground last time... all the servants around the Fourth Prince were beaten to death, including Granny Zhu's lover."
Yinzhen slammed the confession onto the table, the loud thud sending a shiver down his spine. "It was my order. Why didn't she target me, but instead went after Hongzhao?" He slowly turned to Su Peisheng with a scrutinizing gaze. "Is there anything... in this?"
Su Peisheng knew who the Emperor wanted to ask as soon as he saw the Emperor's expression. He cautiously shook his head. "Granny Zhu said that this matter has nothing to do with the Fourth Prince. No matter how he was interrogated or tortured, he never changed his story. She only said that if it weren't for the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince wouldn't have suffered such a great calamity, and naturally, so many servants wouldn't have been implicated. It's just that she herself harbors hatred in her heart."
"However, the matter between Madam Li and the imperial physician was not instigated by Granny Zhu. Rather, the two had a long-standing relationship before entering the palace. Madam Li calculated the dates precisely. As long as the emperor summoned her the day before, she would send a message to have someone come over at night the next day."
That's probably why she got pregnant after only a few visits from the emperor, and she probably couldn't even tell whose child it was.
Seeing that Hongzhao was listening attentively, Su Peisheng spoke again to the Emperor, "In addition, she also confessed that she instigated Li Shi to do the ball incident. Li Shi is not very bright and was easily persuaded. The place where the Sixth Prince was standing was tampered with beforehand, which is why he fell so badly. Li Shi appeared at the right time, and the imperial physician kicked the ball to the right spot when no one was paying attention."
Su Peisheng had said everything he could, and seeing that the Emperor did not speak, he stood quietly by his side, waiting for instructions.
"A mere servant... a mere servant, how dare he have such ability and scheming, daring to play such tricks right under my nose." Yinzhen rubbed the object in his hand, his mood almost extremely irritated, the bright yellow tassel swinging back and forth in his hand.
"Father, don't be angry." Hongzhao stepped forward to soothe him, and threw the annoying confession aside. "Father is wise and powerful. He saw through her petty tricks immediately and didn't let her succeed. It can be said that even heaven is helping Father get rid of the disloyal person by his side. It's not worth getting angry and ruining your health over her."
As Yinzhen listened to Hongzhao's slow and methodical words of comfort, he gently tugged at the corner of his mouth, reached out and pinched Hongzhao's cheek, his expression softening slightly.
"Your Majesty, there is another matter... Her Majesty the Empress wishes to ask Your Majesty's opinion on what should be done with the daughter born to Lady Li."
Mentioning his daughter, Yinzhen's face, which had just relaxed a little, furrowed again. His feelings toward this child were exactly the same as when he saw the Fourth Prince when he was born. A child whose lineage he doubted, a child who symbolized a stain on his own body, was like a fishbone stuck in his throat, something he could neither swallow nor spit out. Just seeing him made him feel uneasy.
Hongzhao's eyes darted around, and a mischievous idea popped into his mind.
He quietly tugged at his father's sleeve, grinned mischievously at him, and Yinzhen, seeing his crown prince's expression, knew that this clever child must have a plan in mind. He raised his chin, signaling him to tell him.
"Your Majesty, I believe that if we are to raise him in the palace, we must verify his identity. The only way now is to use a blood test to determine kinship, but how can we easily harm Your Majesty's health? However, if we raise him outside the palace, we will not need to go to such lengths."
Raised outside the palace... With the hints in Hongzhao's words and eyes, a person gradually emerged in Yinzhen's mind.
"Su Peisheng, convey my decree: Yinzhi has few children, so I have made a special gracious decision to give him my newborn daughter as an adopted son. I instruct him to take good care of her. This is a favor I have shown out of consideration for brotherly affection."
He had to treat the princess well now that she had been adopted, but secrets don't stay hidden forever in the royal family. Even if Yinzhen deliberately sent someone to tell him about the princess's true parentage, he would make sure that annoying eighth prince knew the truth about his past and how he had been framed by that despicable eighth prince. Now he would have to taste the bitterness of being unable to speak of his own suffering!
Yinzhen immediately felt the fishbone stuck in his throat disappear, and he felt incredibly relaxed and light, even his breathing became much easier—"You'er truly is worthy of being Father's good son!"
——
Hongzhao chatted with his father for a while longer, then excused himself from the Hall of Mental Cultivation under the pretext of visiting his younger brother.
As he walked, his thoughts wandered.
This Granny Zhu did confess to a lot of things, but she didn't tell the whole truth. She did have a lover by the Fourth Prince's side, and she was indeed beaten to death by the Emperor during that incident. But what she didn't say was that she also had an eight-year-old son who was currently growing up by the Fourth Prince's side in the Yuanmingyuan.
Hongzhao immediately understood why Granny Zhu was acting so hysterically and fearlessly. She was a servant who had followed him from the Prince's mansion to the palace, so she naturally understood why Granny Zhu was determined to do this. Whether she succeeded or failed, her own life was likely in danger. Since that was the case, she might as well go all the way and burn her bridges, so that the Fourth Prince would know and treat her son well.
What happened yesterday wasn't because she harbored resentment towards herself; rather, the resentment stemmed from someone else entirely.
The Fourth Prince, Hongli, had learned his lesson from the previous incident. Although he still didn't understand the limits of his father's tolerance and affection for the Crown Prince, he realized one thing: his father didn't like seeing his sons fighting each other endlessly, and that was probably why he had angered his father before.
Taking advantage of the fact that a noble lady in the palace was pregnant, he instructed Granny Zhu that "the Emperor hates nothing more than seeing brothers fighting each other. If the Emperor finds out that the Crown Prince has made a mistake in dealing with his brothers, the Crown Prince will surely be disliked by the Emperor. Even if the Emperor does not punish him severely, he will definitely have a grudge in his heart."
“As long as it’s not a perfectly smooth mirror, then you have a foothold.”
Hongzhao chuckled lightly, a slight smirk playing on his lips. Though far away in the Yuanmingyuan, his influence in the palace was far-reaching. He probably had his own nannies, like Fu and Xi, even if Zhu was no longer around. How interesting.
But... as if he had thought of something, his eyes turned and he saw his sixth brother, who was excitedly waiting at the door with Jinxi by his side. He took three steps forward and leaned close to him to ask in a low voice.
"Fifth Brother is asking you, where did you get that ball you were holding the other day?"
Faced with Hongzhao's serious gaze, Hongzhou tilted his head and thought for a moment before confidently saying, "She's the companion of my eldest sister, um... her name is something like Green Cherry."
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