Chapter 183 The True Colors Are Revealed
"Later, one day I was passing by the garden and saw her punishing a maid from afar."
I saw the disdain, mockery, and malice in her eyes at that moment.
My opinion of her changed significantly in an instant.
Later, she appeared alongside the Crown Princess, and in her speech and actions, she seemed far inferior to the Crown Princess.
My feelings for him gradually faded.
Later, her family arranged a marriage for her, and she came to the palace less often.
I can barely remember her anymore.
Xiao Ling laughed and said, "Come, I'll use tea instead of wine to quell your heartbreak that ended without a trace."
The Crown Prince, seemingly lost in thought, picked up his cup and clinked it against Xiao Ling's.
Xiao Ling continued, "Ever since I found out you had taken a liking to Zheng Luoyun, I've had people inquire about her."
The Crown Princess grew up under the care of her grandfather and was well-versed in poetry, literature, etiquette, and manners.
This second wife was pampered by her parents from a young age, and was raised to be innocent and naive, unaware of the ways of the world.
I was very puzzled at the time, wondering why you would fall for her.
But you're much more rational than I imagined. It's good that you were able to extinguish that thought through your own observation.
The crown prince turned his head and glanced at him sideways:
"When I became the crown prince, I knew that I couldn't have any obvious preferences."
Later, the emperor said that if someone around you is very pleasing to you, you should be wary.
You should carefully observe this person's shortcomings in order to make the right judgment.
Over the years, I've used this trick to identify quite a few people, and it's been very effective.
When I first realized I had feelings for her, I knew something was wrong, and this trick proved me right.
After that... I just got bored.
Xiao Ling laughed upon hearing this: "Now, who do you think is interesting? The Crown Princess?"
The crown prince glared at him: "She's your sister-in-law, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Xiao Ling pouted: "You've talked about me and Yu'er quite a bit before, so why won't you let me ask now?"
"The Crown Princess...she is very suitable to be the Crown Princess...Father and Mother have good taste."
After listening, Xiao Ling stared at the Crown Prince's face for a while and said:
"Yes, I understand how you feel. You're trying to say that women from aristocratic families are boring, aren't you?"
He then laughed, "Haha, it seems I'm living a better life."
The crown prince rolled his eyes at him and said, "Yes, yes, you're the luckiest."
After saying that, he sighed and said, "Sigh... I often envy you."
From a young age, your father, mother, grandmother, and aunt all adored you.
They didn't ask anything of you. They used to worry that you were in poor health, wouldn't grow up, and wouldn't be able to get married.
Now that you're married and have twins, they're very satisfied with your life.
If you want to go to the government office, you can go; if you don't want to, you can tell your father and you won't have to.
Unlike me, who has endless memorials to read, I never finish them all.
Your marriage to your brother and sister-in-law is like a story in a picture book, something to be envied.
Compared to my life, my life here is like a faded, worn-out robe—utterly uninteresting and devoid of any vitality.
After listening to him say so much, Xiao Ling finally comforted him:
"You've been quite busy lately, there's been a lot going on."
After a while, when we're done with our busy schedules, let's go out and relax.
Stop wallowing in self-pity here.
The crown prince sighed and said, "These are the kinds of things I can only say to you. I don't know how to bring them up to anyone else."
Xiao Ling looked at him and said, "Fine, I feel sorry for you. Why don't you come with me to my residence for a while?"
The crown prince was somewhat tempted, but after glancing at the memorials beside him, he shook his head and said:
"Let's skip today, there are still so many memorials to read."
Then he glanced at Xiao Ling again: "Can you take a look for me?"
The two got up to look at the memorials.
...
All of the covert agents in the North were destroyed, and the news was quickly relayed back.
Upon receiving the message from Lotus in the capital, Prince Rui was furious.
They immediately sent someone to find Princess Ye Zhen, the wife of Prince Rui.
Ye Zhen gave birth to two sons in total, one of whom, the fifth son, has already died.
The other one is the second son, Xiao Yi.
In an attempt to avenge his brother, Xiao Yi fought Xiao Ren to the point of mutual destruction.
Although Xiao Ren died, he was also seriously injured and is now barely clinging to life.
Ye Zhen lost two sons and was heartbroken. She has recently lost all interest in managing the Prince's Mansion.
Hearing the summons from Prince Rui, she lost all interest in grooming herself and went to see him looking disheveled.
Prince Rui's situation is not much better than Ye Zhen's. Xiao Ren is also his son. He has lost two sons and is about to lose another one.
In just six months, most of his hair has turned gray.
After the couple met, they glanced at each other and then both sighed.
After taking his seat, Prince Rui said, "All the flowers in the capital have been pulled out."
Ye Zhen asked incredulously, "They've investigated for so many years without finding anything, so why was it pulled out this time?"
Who did it?
Prince Rui sighed: "It was when Mei Hua and Consort Shu were working together that they missed their mark."
Du Zhengming, a young vice minister of the Dali Temple, relentlessly pursued her and only then discovered the clues.
However, ever since the emperor was poisoned, it has been the crown prince who has been investigating these matters in the palace.
The Crown Prince has the Prince of Shou'an and Xie Yunman, the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examinations, under his command; it is said that these two have contributed significantly to his success.
Ye Zhen sighed, "Alas, these young people do have some of the flair we had in our youth."
Prince Rui nodded and said, "Among these younger generation, the most outstanding is still our adopted son..."
well……"
Speaking of his second son, not only did Prince Rui sigh repeatedly, but Princess Rui also lowered her head.
Prince Rui then turned to Ye Zhen and asked, "Yi'er, has your condition improved these past few days?"
Ye Zhen shook her head wearily.
Prince Rui sighed again, and after a long while, he said:
"What should we do now?"
Ye Zhen thought for a moment and said, "Then let's wait for news from the Crown Prince. Once he raises his army, we'll respond from the north."
Prince Rui remained silent, seemingly deep in thought, before finally speaking:
"Then I'll go make the arrangements."
After getting up, he suddenly remembered and said, "I called the third and fourth brothers back."
Ye Zhen remained unmoved, only giving a soft "hmm".
She no longer has the energy to study these things.
The third son is obsessed with money, and the fourth son is blind. The two of them can help when they come back, but not much.
However, the fourth brother is quite clever and can offer some helpful suggestions.
Ye Zhen had no particular feelings of liking or disliking for the two children.
Seeing that Prince Rui had left, he also got up and walked to the back.
Xiao Yi has been unconscious for several months now, and all the doctors in the Northern Territory have come to see him.
It is said that the longer the time passes, the less likely you are to wake up.
Ye Zhen stayed by her son's bedside day and night, only able to confirm he was alive by watching his slightly rising and falling chest.
The Crown Prince's residence was slightly better than that in the Northern Territory, but not by much.
The council chamber was brightly lit all night, but the back courtyard was heavily guarded, and no one was allowed to enter the front yard.
This situation was something that not only Wei Ningyan but also Huai Qing knew was about to cause a major event.
Wei Ningyan was trapped in her residence, unable to send any messages out.
The person in the capital responsible for receiving messages was waiting for the message to be delivered, but no one had come.
So he disguised himself and went to the vicinity of the First Prince's residence, where he saw that the residence was heavily guarded.
People were coming and going in all directions, their steps hurried.
He quickly left the gate of the First Prince's residence and immediately sent a message to the capital upon returning.
The Crown Prince received messages from both the Northern Territory and the First Prince's residence.
The last news came from those who went to the northern border with the First Prince's residence:
The Crown Prince's men entered the Northern Border Tea and Joy Restaurant, and later the Royal Guards made contact with them.
The man relayed the message to the Prince's Palace Guards.
Message content: [Everything is going smoothly in the Western Regions; proceeding according to plan.]
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