Chapter 167 The Prince Falls from Grace Autumn came early this year, only eight...
Autumn came early this year; it was only early August and the weather had already cooled down. Perhaps it's because staying indoors all summer was too stuffy, but lately the children have been particularly fond of going outside to ride horses. A few days ago, Moyaqi and Hongchao gathered a group of people and organized a competition there, with the girls in one group and the boys in another, and they had a lively horse race near Jingshan Park. Later, I heard that Hongjin and Hongyan also went to join in the fun, and they participated in several races.
Cheng Qianyue enjoyed the lively commotion, especially since it involved children having fun, which made her particularly happy. However, her happy mood didn't last long.
That afternoon, around four o'clock, Cheng Qianyue was taking a stroll in the Imperial Garden. Lately, she had been feeling lethargic all over, so she thought she'd take a walk in the Imperial Garden. Anyway, the Imperial Garden wasn't very big, so a stroll around and a walk would be perfect for going back, saving her from feeling stiff from not moving around every day.
Cheng Qianyue was strolling along when, unexpectedly, a young eunuch came running from a distance. When he was only a few steps away from her, he suddenly knelt down with a thud.
Cheng Qianyue looked closely and realized that it was actually one of Hongyan's servants who had come. She couldn't help but ask in confusion, "What's wrong? Did Hongyan go to Yongshou Palace to pay his respects?"
The young eunuch, panting heavily as he lay on the ground, replied in a hurried, choked voice, "Master, our master fell from his horse and was just carried back."
"What did you say?!"
The young eunuch continued, "This afternoon, the Third Prince invited the Second Prince to go horseback riding at Jingshan Park, but halfway there the horses inexplicably went berserk, so, my lords, my lords..."
Before he could finish speaking, Cheng Qianyue felt dizzy and lightheaded. Ruodie and the others behind her quickly supported her, exclaiming, "Master!"
Cheng Qianyue clutched her chest for a while to catch her breath, then, in a hoarse voice, said, "Go, go to Gan Dong Wu Suo!" Lin Quan'an quickly had a sedan chair brought, and a group of people carried Cheng Qianyue towards Gan Dong Wu Suo. When they arrived at Hongyan's residence, they saw eunuchs and palace maids rushing in and out in a panic. Cheng Qianyue stumbled, then pushed through the crowd and rushed into the room.
Before she even entered the house, she frantically called out, "Hongyan, Hongyan..."
“Mother, I’m here, I’m here, don’t worry,” Hongyan quickly pushed aside the imperial physician who was examining him and answered.
Cheng Qianyue entered the room and saw a group of people surrounding Hongyan. He was shirtless, his robe was lifted up, and his trousers were rolled up halfway up to his calves. At this moment, the imperial physician was wrapping gauze around his arms and calves.
Cheng Qianyue rushed forward, avoiding his two wounds, and cupped his face to examine him closely. His hair was disheveled, his face was covered in grime, and a patch of skin had been scraped off his forehead. The white powder mixed with red blood made him look particularly gruesome.
Seeing Hongyan like this, tears streamed down her face. She felt heartbroken for him, yet relieved that he was still alive and well.
Hongyan comforted her, "Mother, I'm fine. These are just scrapes and bumps. The imperial physician said no bones were broken." He paused, looking outside with great concern, "Mother, could you please go and check on my second brother? He's injured too."
Cheng Qianyue: "Hong Jin?"
Hongyan nodded. "My second brother and I rode horses together today, and both horses..." someone had tampered with them. Recalling what had just happened, he was still terrified, and his face grew increasingly grim. He had jumped off his horse because he couldn't control it, and Hongjin had followed suit. They were both carried back afterward, and he didn't know what had happened to Hongjin! If... if anything had happened to Hongjin, he would never forgive himself.
Cheng Qianyue looked him over with concern for a while before finally saying "okay" and going next door to visit Hongjin. She heard sobbing as soon as she entered. Inside, she found Consort Jing (Lin Jia Shi) and the Second Prince's wife both weeping by the bedside.
At this moment, the imperial physician stepped forward and reported: "I have just examined the Second Prince carefully. The most serious injury is to his right forearm, which is fractured. I have also examined other parts of his body, and fortunately, they are not serious."
Cheng Qianyue quickly walked over and asked with concern, "Can the Second Prince's fracture be healed? Will he be able to fully recover in the future?"
The imperial physician replied, "Your Highness, as long as the Second Prince stays still and rests quietly, his right arm will recover."
Cheng Qianyue finally breathed a long sigh of relief. But seeing Lin Jia and the Second Princess bowing to her, she suddenly felt guilty and didn't know what to say to them. After a while, Cheng Qianyue and Lin Jia went to the opposite room. Seeing Lin Jia's red eyes, Cheng Qianyue felt even more ashamed and bowed to Lin Jia.
"Sister Lin, I'm so sorry... I'm so sorry..." She didn't know if Hong Jin's misfortune was due to Hong Yan's influence.
Lin Jia looked at Cheng Qianyue, who was bowing, and her lips moved a few times before she finally helped her up, saying, "Why should the Noble Consort apologize? The one who should apologize is someone else." She took a deep breath and asked, "How is the Third Prince?"
Cheng Qianyue nodded to her with tears in her eyes.
Lin Jia said "fortunately," and then knelt down before her. Cheng Qianyue was startled and held her arm to prevent her from kneeling. Lin Jia raised her face to meet Cheng Qianyue's gaze, her eyes filled with sorrow and hatred, and said heavily, "This concubine knows that her words carry little weight, but I beg Your Highness not to let the culprit go."
Cheng Qianyue's hatred was also stirred up. She bit her lip hard and said, "Even if my sister doesn't say anything, I will never let her go. Come at the adults if you dare, don't touch her child!"
After Cheng Qianyue left, Lin Jia wiped away her tears and returned to the bedside in the inner room. At this time, the Second Prince Consort was feeding Hongjin his medicine. When Hongjin saw his mother coming over, he stopped drinking the medicine and said, "Mother, please don't blame my third brother. His horse was also startled. If he hadn't directed me to jump off the horse, it would have thrown me off. My arm was broken because I landed incorrectly. The imperial physician said it would heal in a few months."
Seeing that he was still thinking of others even in his condition, Lin Jia felt both soft-hearted and bitter. "How could Mother blame the Third Prince? Mother only blames the person who attacked you!"
Hongjin had never considered this question before. Hearing this, he was stunned. After a moment, he couldn't help but shiver, his eyes widening as he shook his head and said, "Impossible, absolutely impossible." Before he could finish speaking, he coughed. The Second Princess Consort quickly handed the bowl of medicine to a palace maid and reached out to pat him on the back.
Lin Jia said, "Alright, don't think so much, just focus on recovering. Don't worry about things outside... don't worry about things outside." She brought over the medicine and sat by the bed to continue feeding Hongjin. After finishing the medicine, she patted the Second Princess's hand and told her to take good care of her before leaving.
On the way back, however, Lady Linjia clenched her handkerchief and glared fiercely at Xianfu Palace. She thought to herself, "For so many years, Hongjin and I have been cautious and discreet, avoiding any confrontation or offense, yet we still suffer this calamity. Lady Linjia, First Prince, you have gone too far!"
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Cheng Qianyue kowtowed and bowed, refusing to get up for a long time.
She had just rushed here, and upon entering, she didn't even offer a proper greeting. With trembling lips, she told him about Hongjin and Hongyan's horses being startled. Unexpectedly, Yinreng replied, "I already know. The imperial physician also reported to me that Hongjin and Hongyan will be fine as long as they rest. You can rest assured for now."
How could she feel at ease?
Cheng Qianyue's heart sank when she heard him say that. She shook off his hand, knelt down, and said, "I beg you to do justice for the Second Prince and the Third Prince."
Yinreng pulled her up. "I have already ordered the arrest of the people from the Imperial Horse Administration. I believe there will be results soon."
Cheng Qianyue slowly raised her head and stared intently at him: "No matter who it is, will the Emperor seek justice for the two princes?"
Yinreng was surprised by her question, and took a deep breath but did not answer.
Cheng Qianyue pressed, "Would it? The Emperor would, wouldn't he? They are your sons." You can't disregard the lives of your two sons to protect another! You can't protect the culprit just because the royal family can't have a reputation for fratricide!
Yinreng closed his eyes and said after a long while, "The matter is not yet settled." He opened his eyes again and said, "I will definitely investigate this matter thoroughly, I will."
Cheng Qianyue slowly removed her hand from his palm and bowed deeply, saying, "This humble servant... awaits your judgment on behalf of the two princes."
Seven days later, the case of the prince's fall from grace finally came to a conclusion. The people from the Censorate interrogated everyone in the Imperial Stables, but in the end, they couldn't find out who the mastermind was. Yes, they couldn't find out. All they knew was that a eunuch named Xiao Liangzi was the one who last touched the saddle, and that a silver needle had been inserted into the saddle.
Cheng Qianyue looked at the memorials that Yinreng brought over and sneered, then asked, "Are these confessions all true?"
Yinreng said, "Xiao Liangzi committed suicide by biting his tongue, and the others who were tortured confessed that they had nothing to do with this matter." He looked at Cheng Qianyue and advised her kindly, "I only regret that after managing the Forbidden City for so many years, I still have oversights. But don't worry, I assure you that such a thing will never happen again."
Cheng Qianyue murmured, "Actually, His Majesty knows who is the most suspicious, doesn't he?" Looking straight at him, she said, "Whoever can benefit the most is the most suspicious! Who most wants Hongjin and Hongyan to get into trouble? Isn't the answer obvious?"
If Hongxi truly did this, then he should pay the price. If Hongxi was unaware of it, then the person who did it must be someone hoping Hongxi would ascend the throne. Therefore, regardless of whether it was Hongxi or not, he cannot escape responsibility.
There's no reason he wouldn't know something she understands!
"Qianqian," Yinreng said, his tone becoming more forceful, "I know you're suffering, but don't pressure me."
Cheng Qianyue looked at him silently in surprise, then suddenly said with a pained expression, "Your Majesty, please let my son and me go, please let us go." The more she spoke, the more agitated she became, "Let us go to Mongolia, to Tibet, to Taiwan, even let us cross the ocean, we'll go! Please let us go, let us leave."
Cheng Qianyue burst into tears.
She wanted to leave this place. She had lived in this dynasty for almost half her life, accepting the many rules of the Forbidden City just to survive. For so many years, she had been cautious and trembling, swallowing all sorts of grievances. It didn't matter; it was her lowly fate, her bad birth. But her children couldn't be like her, because half of their blood belonged to the emperor.
If things are already like this, and they still have to endure all sorts of plots and swallow their anger, then why should they call the person in front of them "father" or "mother"?
If it were a natural disaster, that would be one thing, since life is unpredictable. But this is a man-made disaster, how can she accept this "unsolved mystery"?
So she wanted nothing more—no Yinreng's doting affection, like sugar coated in arsenic, no glamorous title of Imperial Concubine. She wanted nothing; she wanted to live well with her children, and for her children to live without any threat.
So let them go. Wherever they go, it's better than staying in the Forbidden City!
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