The situation in the capital has completely changed. At this time last year, the crown prince was making steady progress and was at the peak of his career, while Prince Su was really inconspicuous under the crown prince's light, and even Princess Su was far less prominent than before she got married. However, things in the world are never predictable. Now, the situation of Princess Su and the crown princess has turned completely upside down.

The emperor was really angry that morning, and the crown prince was suspended, so Prince Su took over the affairs of the court instead of Qin Yi. Most of the current court structure was rebuilt after the war, and the six ministries and three departments were much more streamlined than before. After Prince Su took over, he immediately showed a kind of majestic momentum, and Prince Su's reputation for virtue spread further and further.

Prince Su and Concubine Shu were in a very good situation, and many people in the capital were attached to them, including some from noble families. In comparison, the Eastern Palace was much more low-key.

In Ciqing Palace, Linglong was holding something and whispered to Chu Jinyao, "Crown Princess, I heard that today Princess Su felt the suffering of the people, so she raised money for disaster relief with the officials' families at the banquet, and she took the lead and donated 5,000 taels."

Chu Jinyao just said "hmm" lightly. Seeing that Chu Jinyao did not respond, Linglong could not help but feel a little anxious, "Crown Princess, Princess Su just donated 10,000 taels of incense oil to Huangjue Temple a few days ago in the name of Queen Mu Huai and the people of the world praying for blessings. Now she is taking the lead in disaster relief again. She doesn't take you seriously at all."

Queen Mu Huai is Queen Qi. After many days of wrangling between the emperor and the Ministry of Rites, they finally got their wish to give Empress Qi a grand funeral. The Ministry of Rites backed down on the funeral rites, but refused to give up on the posthumous title. In the end, the emperor had to give up the good names he liked, such as "Xiao", "Duan", and "Yi", and gave Empress Qi "Mu Huai".

Mu means warning, and Huai... is even more undignified. If an emperor is given a posthumous title such as "You", "Huai", and "Ling" after his death, he was either a tyrant or a tyrant during his reign. Empress Qi was given such a posthumous title as an empress. It is conceivable that the ministers disliked her to such an extent that they were unwilling to give her a good name even after her death.

Chu Jinyao cut off the extra branches of the orchid with a snap. She put the scissors on Linglong's tray and sighed, "It seems that Princess Rong'an and Duke Wei's family are indeed wealthy. I think Princess Su has spent at least 30,000 taels of silver since she came to Beijing."

Linglong was not convinced and said, "They are just two thieves . Forget it! The order of the capital was restored by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and the current officialdom was also rebuilt by the Crown Prince. Now that His Royal Highness has been dismissed, the Crown Prince has taken over the officialdom, but it is not as smooth as a bamboo and everything is going well. In addition, during the most difficult days in the capital, half of the city was destroyed. If it were not for the Crown Princess to reduce the palace expenses and bring all the palace maids to serve the people outside clothes, how many people will be frozen to death this winter. The Crown Princess has caused so much complaints because of this, now, when the incident happened, they hid in the vassal state, and when everything was settled, they came to enjoy the benefits, not only taking all the credit of the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess, but also inciting others to say bad things about the Crown Princess. I...I am really angry!"

Chu Jinyao just smiled indifferently, she raised her eyes and looked at Linglong, with a warning in her tone: "I will just pretend that I didn't hear these words, and you are not allowed to say them again in the future."

Linglong lowered her head, knowing that she had crossed the line: "Yes, I know the crime."

Chu Jinyao knocked Linglong, and then took the newly cut flower arrangement back to their study room. Since Qin Yi was confined by the emperor, he spent most of the day here.

Chu Jinyao personally replaced the bouquet in front of the screen with fresh ones. Linglong took the old branches and quietly withdrew. There were only the two of them in the compartment. Chu Jinyao turned around and looked at Qin Yi who was reading leisurely, and suddenly he had an inexplicable feeling.

Although it is a good thing not to be surprised by insults, Qin Yi's state these days is too calm. Chu Jinyao still remembers that when a palace maid's skirt caught fire in the West Palace, Qin Yi inferred that it was the work of Empress Xiao Qi, and that the East Palace would be impeached later. Facts have proved that Qin Yi's prediction was exactly right. Nowadays, although the suspicion between monarchs and ministers and the killing of fathers and sons are cruel, they are not difficult to predict. There are many examples recorded in history books alone. Chu Jinyao could guess that Qin Yi had been the crown prince for so many years, was he really dismissed without any preparation? You should know that the inside story of the caning incident was actually revealed by Qin Yi himself.

Qin Yi turned a page of the book, his eyebrows and eyes did not move: "Why are you looking at me like this?"

"Nothing." Although Chu Jinyao shook her head, her eyes were still very vigilant, "I always feel that I have been fooled by you again."

Qin Yi smiled lightly, waved to Chu Jinyao, and motioned her to sit over: "You are unexpectedly alert and thoughtful after you got pregnant. If he is a boy, it seems that it will save me some trouble in the future. Don't think about it, come here."

Although Qin Yi was "confined to reflect on his mistakes", Chu Jinyao was not imprisoned, and the power to govern the palace was still in her hands.

Qin Yi was in power a few days ago, and the power to manage the palace naturally fell to Chu Jinyao. Now that the emperor has returned, it is not appropriate for Chu Jinyao, a junior, to continue to be in charge of the harem. After all, only the empress has the power to manage the palace. Even if the empress is not there, concubines such as Concubine Shu and Concubine Life are qualified to assist in managing the six palaces.

The emperor did not deprive Chu Jinyao of the power to manage the palace, which means that the emperor has not yet wanted to kill her off, and the East Palace also has a chance to turn over.

Chu Jinyao heard the report from the palace people and went to Kunning Palace to deal with the affairs left by Empress Xiao Qi. The cause of Empress Xiao Qi's death is still a mystery, and it is unknown whether the emperor has found out.

When Chu Jinyao arrived at the place, he unexpectedly saw someone.

"Your Majesty." Chu Jinyao bowed to the emperor and paid his respects.

The emperor dismissed his entourage and stood alone in the main hall of Kunning Palace with his hands behind his back, facing the empty palace, and it was unknown what he was thinking about.

The emperor heard the voice and looked back. When he saw that the person coming was Chu Jinyao, the emperor seemed to sigh, then turned his head and continued to look at the gorgeous and empty palace.

Chu Jinyao couldn't help but wonder, who was the emperor expecting to call him just now? Was it the Queen Xiao Qi, whom he didn't even see for the last time, or his first wife, the Queen Da Qi, who also ended her life in this palace? It

is unknown.

Chu Jinyao waited for a while and found that the emperor had no intention of moving. She could only remind him quietly: "Your Majesty, I still have to sort out the remains of Empress Mu Huai and tidy up Kunning Palace. You..." Go somewhere else to do

Mu Huai, so as not to delay her work. The emperor probably didn't expect that after being an emperor for 24 years, he would one day be considered a nuisance. But today he had many feelings, which he couldn't say to his ministers, eunuchs, or concubines. It happened that Chu Jinyao came now, so the emperor poured out these thoughts in his heart, regardless of whether Chu Jinyao was listening or not.

"... Both of my wives were younger than me. When Wenxiao passed away, I was still young and frivolous. I didn't understand how hard it was to get a wife. When I finally understood it, it was too late. She is much younger than me. I don't want to be too harsh on her. I have tried my best to be accommodating and accommodating to her all these years. I thought I had done enough, but she died unjustly, and I didn't even see her for the last time."

Chu Jinyao didn't know how to respond after hearing these words. As a king and father, the emperor was undoubtedly unqualified, but as a husband, the emperor was really considerate and generous. He and Empress Xiao Qi had been married for sixteen years, and their relationship must have been very deep. So from Empress Xiao Qi's perspective, the emperor was probably really a very good person, and it was no wonder that she was still dressing the emperor when she was dying.

The emperor was kind and gentle, and he was easy to talk to no matter who he was. If such a person lived in an ordinary family, he would be loved by everyone. However, he was also an emperor, so his gentleness became his weakness. Once he was taken advantage of by someone with ulterior motives, the emperor's character would bring disaster to many people, and even the entire dynasty.

The emperor was the supreme ruler, but he could not even speak his mind. He could only hide in the old place of the dead and let Chu Jinyao, an outsider, confide his secrets to him.

Chu Jinyao thought for a while and asked, "Your Majesty, since you miss Empress Mu Huai so much, why don't you find out the murderer who killed her? I believe that Empress Mu Huai will not be willing to let the murderer go unpunished."

"I have asked people to investigate, but all the people who served her are dead. Even the palace maid who witnessed the real murderer fell into the lake a few days ago and died of suffocation."

Chu Jinyao raised his eyebrows secretly. Died in the lake in this month? I'm afraid the ice on the lake has not melted completely. Whether Qiu Shuang "slipped" and fell into the water, only Shufei and Qiu Shuang herself know.

When Qiu Shuang was harming people, she probably didn't expect that one day she would be "accidentally killed" by someone in the same way.

The emperor also felt very confused. At this point, he probably realized that Qiu Shuang's accusation against the East Palace that day was more or less false. The emperor also wanted to find out the truth, but all the people who knew the truth were dead. There was no clue in the vast palace. Where should he start?

Seeing that the emperor didn't say anything, Chu Jinyao probably guessed what the emperor was thinking, and simply asked: "Your Majesty, please forgive my rudeness, how did you find out?"

"I ordered Zhang Zhen to find out the cause of the queen's death immediately."

Zhang Zhen is the new eunuch. Chu Jinyao can completely imagine this scene. The emperor came back angrily, ordered the eunuch beside him to check, and then he waited with peace of mind. It seems strange that he can wait for the truth.

Chu Jinyao said: "Your Majesty, have you ever thought that even the person you trust the most may not tell you everything? Everyone has seven emotions and six desires, and you are the master of the world, rich and powerful. They will inevitably deceive you about some things for their own selfish reasons. The truth you see and the people you think are close to you may not be true."

The emperor paused for a moment and said faintly: "Do you want to speak for Qin Yi?"

The emperor's words were a question, but the tone of his words was not an inquiry. Chu Jinyao did not hesitate and agreed directly: "Yes. I am the Crown Princess, so naturally everything I say and do is on the side of the Crown Prince. This is my selfish desire, so I am standing here and saying these words to you. The people around you also have their own selfish desires, and it is very likely that these are the words you heard."

The emperor sighed and said, "You really tried your best for Qin Yi, and you almost found ways to say good things to him. He has an impulsive and sarcastic personality, why do you do this?"

"Then why are you here?" Chu Jinyao asked back.

The emperor was stumped by the question. He was stunned for a moment, then shook his head and smiled: "Don't be silly, husband and wife should be companions for old age. It's good for you to be like this. I hope Qin Yi can cherish this friendship. He has been spoiled by his status since he was a child. He is domineering and will do whatever it takes to get what he wants. Everything that comes too easily is hard to cherish."

"Your Majesty, you always say that he is stubborn and arrogant, aren't you the same?"

"You..." The emperor indeed lacked someone to talk to, but that didn't mean that Chu Jinyao could really speak recklessly.

"Please listen to me first, and it won't be too late to punish me for my crime of treason later." Chu Jinyao did not give the emperor a chance to interrupt, and said quickly, "You said he only cares about himself and doesn't listen to others, but you are the same. In fact, you have always been prejudiced against him. You think that he relies on his status as the prince to ignore others, so you deliberately ignore the hard work he has put in for the position of prince, and you don't see how outstanding his homework is. Let me boldly guess that because the prince was present when Empress Wenxiao passed away, you felt that you lost your father's majesty in front of him, so you were unwilling to get close to him later. Even though he was much better than Prince Su and Prince Lu, you turned a blind eye and fell in love with your other two sons."

The emperor was silent for a long time this time. Chu Jinyao lowered his eyes slightly and quietly counted the blue bricks on the ground. After an unknown amount of time, the emperor asked, "Are you so bold in front of Qin Yi?"

"Yes." Chu Jinyao said, "Whatever he did to make me angry, I would just scold him."

The emperor seemed to be amused. He laughed briefly, turned around and said, "No wonder."

No wonder Qin Yi, who was so arrogant and would never bow his head, would take the initiative to write a letter to ask for a marriage for a woman. The emperor thought that the two of them would probably be luckier than himself. The

emperor left after saying this seemingly nonsensical sentence. Chu Jinyao didn't know whether his advice was useful. In the past few days, there have been voices in the court calling for the prince to return to the court. The emperor put it on hold for a few days and allowed Qin Yi to go outside the city to rebuild the three military camps.

When Chu Jinyao heard this, she immediately went to Qin Yi excitedly to take credit: "Your Highness, the emperor agreed to let you go out. Do you think it was because of what I said?"

Qin Yi looked at her and smiled: "Yes, the Crown Princess has made a great contribution this time." After Qin Yi finished speaking, she met Chu Jinyao's gaze, raised her eyebrows lightly, and asked with a smile: "What do you mean by that look?" "

Nothing." Chu Jinyao was a little depressed, "Did you arrange it a long time ago?"

"What arrangements? Aren't you the one who knows best what I've been doing during this time?"

"But you're not surprised at all." Chu Jinyao stood up, snorted lightly and walked out, "Whatever you say, I don't want to care about you."