When Yinzhen and Honghui received the message from Yihua, although they were very worried about the eldest princess, they were not like the women in the family. They stayed until the end of the Crown Prince's wedding banquet before hurriedly returning to their residence.
The Fourteenth Prince also received a message from Consort De. After the wedding banquet, he went to Yonghe Palace and was relieved to see that his wife looked alright, although her face was a little pale.
The girl who usually acted tough and domineering in front of him was now so endearing, so Yinzhen softened his voice: "You're usually so troublesome, why are you so frightened today?"
When Wanyan came to her senses, she pressed her head against the Fourteenth Prince's chest and began to weep silently: "My lord, our child almost died."
"Don't be afraid. A narrow escape from death brings good fortune. I think this child is destined for happiness." The Fourteenth Prince patted her shoulder. "Stop crying. It won't do if my future son is a crybaby."
Wanyan was amused and glared at the Fourteenth Prince: "Your Highness, I felt someone push me and then pull me."
"What do you mean?" Fourteenth Master didn't understand.
"I feel like that person did it on purpose." Wanyan was a little conflicted, and she wasn't quite sure. "It's just a feeling."
"Who is that person?" Fourteenth Master felt that women were just too sensitive, thinking about all the pushing, pulling, and deliberate actions.
“She’s Eighth Sister-in-law’s maid. I don’t remember her name. She’s tall and her voice is a little hoarse.” Wanyan Shi revealed her doubts. “Eighth Sister-in-law came first today, saying she came here specifically to share in the good fortune. As you know, Eighth Sister-in-law has been unable to conceive, which is a source of great worry for her.”
"She and that tall maid supported me on either side. We walked all the way, and she talked about Fourth Sister-in-law again, saying that she envied her for having a son and a daughter, which was a perfect combination."
"She also said that she wished the child in my belly could be as lovable as her nephew Honghui, so I wanted to learn from my fourth sister-in-law, which is why I dragged the eldest princess along."
"I glanced at that girl when she was being carried away. She was keeping her distance, as if she was deliberately avoiding suspicion."
As the Fourteenth Prince listened, he became more serious: "Alright, stop overthinking it, or you'll tire my son out."
"Be more careful in the future. Eighth Sister-in-law and Eighth Brother are in cahoots. Stay away from them." Fourteenth Prince helped Wanyan Shi lie down. "Go to sleep. The imperial physician will take you back to the manor tomorrow if he says you're better. I'm going to see my mother."
When the Fourteenth Prince met Consort De, he first inquired about her health, and then talked about his experiences outside the palace these days, in great detail. He even mentioned which pastries were delicious and that he would bring them to Consort De to try next time he came to the palace.
After a short chat, Consort De was all smiles as she looked at her youngest son: "Your wife should stay in the palace for one night. It's no joke if she has a miscarriage."
“Mother, I suspect that Eighth Brother is behind today’s events.” The Fourteenth Prince began to analyze, relaying Wanyan’s words, “The Crown Prince’s wedding banquet is handled by the Imperial Household Department and the Ministry of Rites. Eighth Brother is in charge of the Imperial Household Department, so he could have done something without anyone noticing.”
"Using his son as a raft, Brother Ba is really something." Fourteenth Master sneered.
Consort De shook her head: "To come up with such a crooked trick, with the aim of disfiguring someone, is not something a man would do. It is almost certainly the work of a woman."
"That's Eighth Sister-in-law?" Fourteenth Master asked, somewhat puzzled. "Does she have a grudge against Fourth Sister-in-law?"
Consort De took a sip of tea without speaking. Was what Wanyan said the truth?
She's pregnant, so wouldn't she have a maid or servant to take care of her? How come the eighth prince's wife is flanked by other people's maids? That doesn't make sense. It's understandable that the fourteenth prince wouldn't have thought of that.
Seeing the fourteenth prince's puzzled look, Consort De didn't say anything: "Your wife is the one who suffered the most, don't overthink it. The palace gates will be locked soon, you should go now, come and pick up your wife tomorrow."
"Alright, I'll bring Mother a roast duck tomorrow." Seeing that it was indeed getting late, the Fourteenth Prince glanced at Lady Wanyan again before leaving.
******
After returning to his residence, Yinzhen first went to see the eldest princess. Seeing that she was in relatively good spirits, he said a few words of comfort and then ordered his men to find a renowned doctor, one with real skills.
Yi Hua apologized to Yin Zhen, saying that the child was injured while she was out with him, and that it was her dereliction of duty as the legal mother that was the cause of the injury.
"It's none of your business. There's no such thing as being a thief every day, only someone who's always on guard against them." Yinzhen wasn't in a good mood, but he hadn't taken his anger out on anyone else. "I heard from Su Peisheng that you were also injured. How's your arm?"
"I'm fine." Yi Hua thought that Yin Zhen did have some endearing qualities.
“My lord, I have an idea that requires your manpower.” Yi Hua thought for a moment and told Yinzhen her guess. “Does the Eighth Prince’s wife have a maid who knows kung fu? I only remember that she is much taller than ordinary women, so I have some impression of her.”
“Perhaps my guess is wrong, but I want to confirm it. I clearly remember that girl was very close to us at first, but in the blink of an eye she blended into the crowd,” Yi Hua said.
Yinzhen nodded. The Eighth Prince's wife is the granddaughter of Prince An. I heard that she is very favored in the inner chambers, and it is possible that she has several maids with martial arts skills by her side.
"I just don't understand, if it really was Eighth Prince's wife who did it, why would she?" Yi Hua wondered deeply. The two of them basically never interacted and only met a few times a year. What kind of deep hatred could she have to confront him like that?
Yinzhen leaned back in his rocking chair and rocked gently: "Let's confirm it first. This kind of thing is easy to investigate, but there's no evidence to prove that she deliberately pushed or pulled the Fourteenth Prince's wife, so it doesn't count."
Yi Hua remained silent. She knew that it would be very difficult to gather solid evidence in this matter. It was impossible to convict anyone based solely on a piece of porcelain that could be found anywhere.
But this isn't modern times; do we need evidence to prove revenge against someone?
No, an 80% guess is enough; after all, no one is innocent.
The only innocent person was injured and may have to sacrifice their happiness for the rest of their life. Where can you find justice in this?
"Your Majesty, Lady Li came today." Yi Hua relayed Lady Li's words to Yinzhen verbatim.
Yinzhen sneered, even stopping the rocking chair: "Tell her to give up that idea!"
“However… perhaps the eldest princess can turn misfortune into blessing.” Yinzhen pondered, his mood gradually brightening. “Slowly spread some news outside the manor, saying that the eldest princess’s facial injury has recurred and there is a high probability that she will be left with a scar.”
"Then reduce her social interactions, and remember to wear a veil when she goes out," Yinzhen said slowly. "Let's make a deep impression on Father Emperor first."
Most of the princesses sent to serve the Mongols did not live long. Ironically, the imperial family had no shortage of princesses sent to serve the Mongols. Yinzhen was not a kind man; he could only do his best to protect his own daughters.
Hopefully, this "disfigured" reputation will spare the eldest princess from the nightmare of being raised in Mongolia. As for Liu Liu, she still has a few years to grow up, so there's still time.
Just as the couple were sitting and talking late into the night, Honghui came out of the eldest princess's room. His face was ashen, and he had a bold idea.
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