Chapter 91: Reminiscing
"Aunt?" the eldest princess urged.
"I want to help you, too," said Princess Wanshou. "But I've been walking with the Consort and the Crown Prince, and I've seen them being quite respectful to one another. If it weren't for Mrs. Lu's youth, I'd have mistaken them for mother and son. You say they might have overstepped boundaries, but perhaps my eyesight is blurry, and no matter how hard I try, I can't see. What do you suggest?"
A hint of disappointment flashed across the eldest princess's eyes.
"That's fine," she said tentatively, "but from what my aunt said, could it be that she has a fondness for Madam Lu?"
"That's not the case. I've only known her for a few days, how could I have such a good impression of her?"
"This woman is quite scheming. Auntie, please don't get too close to her, or you might be deceived by her without even realizing it."
"She's quite scheming," Princess Wanshou said. "You said in your letter that she ruined Bo Ya's plans. I'd like to ask, was it the Queen Mother who wanted to get rid of her, or was it Bo Ya?"
The eldest princess's eyes flashed, and she smiled, "The Queen Mother and Bo Ya are heroes who see eye to eye. It's no coincidence. For both public and private reasons, this woman cannot be kept."
Princess Wanshou did not smile.
"Do the Queen Mother and Bo Ya really think alike? With your tireless efforts, Bo Ya certainly knew that the Queen Mother wanted to get rid of the Lu family. But did the Queen Mother know what Bo Ya meant? In other words, did the Queen Mother know that the Lu family had ruined Bo Ya? Did she know the truth about the Northern Palace Rebellion?"
The smile on the eldest princess's face froze.
"What truth?" she asked.
Princess Wanshou looked at her and sighed, "It seems you don't know. But I do. You don't have to hide it from me. The Crown Prince and Boya agreed to each get what they wanted, and what Boya wanted was to conceal the fact that Wang Zhi was the mastermind, protect Wang Zhi, and shift all the blame to the rebel general, right?"
"The mutiny was originally the work of a traitorous general."
"But Bo Ya has violated the Queen Mother's cardinal sin. She would never allow Bo Ya to attack the Crown Prince, yet Bo Ya bribed an assassin and pretended to kill the Crown Prince? Bo Ya's actions are probably even worse than those of the Lu family."
The eldest princess didn't say anything.
"Aunt," she whispered after a while, "some things don't need to be explained too clearly."
Princess Wanshou shook her head. "Although the Queen Mother is old, she wouldn't do anything unclear. The Queen Mother didn't ask because she didn't know you and Bo Ya were using her to get rid of the Lu family, nor did she know that the Lu family was actually protecting the Crown Prince. If she really knew the truth, what do you think she would do?"
"She won't know the truth," the eldest princess said suddenly. "The Crown Prince has reconciled with Bo Ya. As long as the Crown Prince doesn't admit it, even if Lu reveals this, she will only be accused of sowing discord."
Princess Wanshou sighed deeply, "That being said, the Queen Mother is your biological mother. You shouldn't hide it from her."
The eldest princess pursed her lips and decided not to hide it anymore.
"Aunt, you don't know, but the older Mother gets, the more awkward her behavior becomes. She hopes for the best for Wang, but she can't let go of either the Crown Prince or Sima. But how can you have it both ways? There are always times when the two families clash, like over the military power of the Northern Court. If she can't make a decision, I need to help her."
Princess Wanshou wanted to say that the best decision was for the Queen Mother not to make any decisions when something happened. This way, neither side would dare to act rashly, which would be good for everyone.
But she thought about it and gave up.
She was well aware of the eldest princess's ambitions. She wasn't content with being the wife of a minister; she aspired to be the mother of the nation. In her view, she needed to force the empress dowager to make the decision.
Such things always happen in the palace, so it's not surprising.
However, she was not optimistic about the eldest princess's approach.
——
On the other side, Sun Wei was sitting in the carriage, feeling very nervous.
Like Sima Jun, she could see through the eldest princess's ill intentions at a glance, and was afraid that it was time to settle the score.
While Sima Jun was arguing with the princess, her mind was working rapidly.
Asking Sima Jun to go with her was one idea, and asking Sima Jun to ask the prince for help was another idea. But in an instant, she saw Princess Wanshou standing in front of the carriage.
She looked at Sun Wei intently, her eyes seemed to be saying something.
In a flash, she recalled the confusing words Princess Wanshou said to her that night in Shicheng County.
——"You are a smart person, don't do stupid things."
At that time, Princess Wanshou asked about her age and compared her with Sima Jun. Her words all implied that she and Sima Jun were of similar age, which made it easy for people to find fault with her. If she went beyond the rules, it would lead to disaster.
She knew very well that this disaster would be devastating.
If the eldest princess wanted to control her, there would probably be no better reason than this to convince the empress dowager.
The Crown Prince and Sima Jun were both the Empress Dowager's favorites. The Empress Dowager would not let anyone go if they led her astray and ruined their reputation.
If she allowed Sima Jun to lose his temper, even going so far as to turn against the princess, insisting on accompanying her into the palace, and even pleading for her in the end, then the empress dowager would have to deal with her without the princess saying anything.
Therefore, she decisively stopped Sima Jun.
The towering palace gate comes into view.
Sun Wei knew that he could only rely on himself to get through this crisis.
She said to Aju, "When you enter the palace later, pretend to be mute and wait outside the palace. Don't act rashly, understand?"
When Aju heard this, she knew something was wrong.
"If anything goes wrong, I'll just run away with you."
Sun Wei couldn't help but laugh when she heard her words. "Don't even mention whether it will succeed or not. Even if it does, I won't be able to be the princess. Your revenge plan will also be in vain, which will be a greater loss for you. So, stay calm, save your life first, and don't force yourself. Remember?"
Aju nodded seriously.
——
The Queen Mother and Princess Wanshou had been sisters for many years. Although they had not seen each other for many years, their friendship remained. As soon as they met, they hugged each other and cried.
The palace maids and eunuchs stepped forward to persuade them and finally managed to get them to stop.
"I heard you went to live on a deserted island in the East China Sea? No wonder we couldn't find you." The Queen Mother tapped her eyes with a handkerchief and sighed, "Why did you do this? You tortured yourself for that old immortal. He was deliberately trying to make life difficult for you, and you really fell for it. Is there anyone in the world more foolish than you?"
Princess Wanshou smiled and said, "The Queen Mother is absolutely right. Even if you scold me as much as you can, I will accept it. I am not as clear-headed as the Queen Mother, and I can't get over the hurdle in my heart. This is all my own fault. Fortunately, after all the hardships, I finally found him."
The Queen Mother sighed deeply and said, "I've already scolded everyone I should have scolded. Now that I'm old, I can only keep on nagging about the past. I can't scold him any more. What about Zhou Chang? Why doesn't he come to the palace? I can't scold you, but I can scold him more than enough."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me," said Princess Wanshou. "He is ill and cannot bear the bumpy ride. I have asked him to return home to rest and will ask him to come and apologize to Your Majesty later."
The Queen Mother nodded and was about to continue scolding Zhou Chang when she heard the Princess say, "Mother, don't just focus on reminiscing with your aunt. The Prince of Yuzhang's concubine is still waiting."
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