Chapter 423 Counterattack (Two Updates)
The man looked at her hand gripping his clothes tightly and sneered, "What? You want to slap me again? Then you'd better use more force this time, and don't leave no handprint like last time."
...
The Crown Prince emerged from the Imperial Study looking pale and was not paying attention to where he was going, nearly bumping into someone walking by.
He was about to lash out when he discovered that the visitor was Prince Ning.
He couldn't quite describe his feelings, and greeted him sullenly, "Big Brother."
Prince Ning smiled and said, "What's wrong? You seem unhappy. Did Father scold you or Xiao Qi?"
The Crown Prince said resentfully, "Father said it was because I didn't discipline Xiao Qi properly! What does that have to do with me? Who knows where that chubby boy got the guts to run around the palace like that?"
Prince Ning chuckled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "You are the Crown Prince, the elder brother, and a role model for all the princes. It's inevitable that Father has high expectations for you. Don't worry, Father is just saying that; he won't really blame you. As for Xiao Qi, he's just at that mischievous age, and it's normal for him to get into trouble. Father dotes on him too much to bear it. He won't really blame him either."
These words were quite comforting to hear.
The Crown Prince wouldn't be jealous of Qin Chuyu taking away his father's favor. After all, he was his own younger brother, and there was a significant age difference between them. Besides, what Prince Ning said was true; his father was questioning him because his expectations for him were higher than those for the other princes.
He sighed, "But... Father still wants to punish Xiao Qi, and my pleas are useless."
Prince Ning smiled and patted the Crown Prince on the shoulder: "You should go back to the Eastern Palace first. I will speak to Father Emperor."
The Crown Prince opened his mouth. To be honest, he and Prince Ning were not in the same camp. Prince Ning was the biggest threat on his path to becoming emperor, not only because Prince Ning was smarter and more capable than him, but also because his father loved Prince Ning very much.
But Prince Ning, this older brother, is someone you can't really hate.
His eyes were warm, sunny, and honest. He tried his best to be a good son to his father and a good older brother to the princes. He was ambitious, but he didn't seem to have much ambition.
In particular, he had absolutely no unspeakable feelings for Linlang.
Don't think you don't know; the third, fourth, and even Consort Shu's fifth son have all secretly admired Linlang.
Only the eldest brother is upright and honest, a true gentleman.
Thinking about it this way, the Crown Prince found Prince Ning much more agreeable: "Alright, I'll leave Xiao Qi's matter to you, elder brother. Linlang is injured, and I need to go back and take care of her as soon as possible."
He had only taken a few steps when Prince Ning suddenly called out to him, "Second Brother."
The Crown Prince turned around: "Is there anything else, elder brother?"
Prince Ning said, "Father has been very worried about the assessment of the Six Ministries lately, and the cabinet is also debating it endlessly. I was just planning to go to the cabinet. Would you like to come along, Second Brother?"
"This..." The Crown Prince hesitated.
As the crown prince, he naturally knew that it was a good thing to participate in politics and share the burden of his father, but he was also really worried about Linlang's injuries.
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Then how about I tell my father that I'll go by myself?"
Would Father Emperor be happy if he knew this?
The crown prince muttered, "Father didn't mention this earlier."
Prince Ning laughed and said, "That's because I haven't reported it yet."
Well, there's no escaping it now.
The Crown Prince sighed, "Then I'll wait for my elder brother to go to the cabinet together."
Prince Ning smiled and said, "Alright."
Gu Jiao and Yuan Tang, standing behind the big tree, stared wide-eyed as the two brothers boarded the carriage so intimately.
Yuan Tang: "Seriously? They haven't even started fighting? Does the Crown Prince think he's not cuckolded enough?"
Yuan Tang has already discovered who the man who secretly met with the Crown Princess is.
It wasn't just because he recognized the other person's voice, but also because the other person turned around as they left, accidentally letting him see their face clearly.
His feelings at that moment could only be described as utter astonishment.
Gu Jiao grunted in surprise.
Yuan Tang said coldly, "I want to clear my name!"
Gu Jiao flatly refused: "No way."
"Why?" Yuan Tang asked.
“Princess Rui will die,” Gu Jiao said. “She is the only person who could ‘see’ your secret meeting with the Crown Princess. She is an important witness. Once you are exonerated, Prince Ning will not keep her alive.”
People like Prince Ning are not morally upright; don't expect him to consider brotherly affection.
Yuan Tang sneered, "Am I supposed to carry this burden for the rest of my life?"
Gu Jiao's eyes darted around: "How about... you go and kill him?"
Yuan Tang's lips twitched violently.
Is he a watermelon? I said kill him, so I killed him!
Furthermore, this is your Zhao Kingdom's territory! If I were to assassinate your Zhao Kingdom's eldest prince, how many heads would I have to chop off?
Seemingly sensing his complaint, Gu Jiao shrugged: "Didn't you even assassinate the emperor?"
Yuan Tang clenched his fists: "That was just for show! How could I dare to actually kill your emperor! Would I be risking my life!"
Gu Jiao glanced at him: "Is colluding with the concubine of an enemy country any different from courting death?"
Yuan Tang choked.
Thinking of something, Yuan Tang chuckled, "Hey? Why don't you tell your Empress Dowager? Doesn't Empress Dowager Zhuang trust you a lot? She won't disbelieve what you say, will she?"
Gu Jiao remained silent.
After a long pause, he finally spoke calmly: "Is her trust in me a reason for me to stab her in the heart?"
Yuan Tang choked again.
He forgot that Prince Ning had the same blood as Empress Dowager Zhuang flowing through his veins.
Prince Ning may have wronged many people, but he never wronged Empress Dowager Zhuang.
His filial piety towards Empress Dowager Zhuang was heartfelt.
Yuan Tang looked intently at Gu Jiao: "So... what exactly are you planning to do? I need to know whether we will be enemies or friends in the future."
It's no wonder Yuan Tang asked that question; even Yuan Tang could see that Prince Ning wouldn't touch Gu Jiao.
It's impossible that Prince Ning still hasn't guessed that Gu Jiao has figured out the truth. He never intended to kill Gu Jiao from the beginning, and Yuan Tang could think of several reasons for this.
Firstly, Gu Jiao is the apple of Empress Dowager Zhuang's eye; if Gu Jiao is harmed, Empress Dowager Zhuang will not let it go easily.
Secondly, Prince Ning also needs Gu Jiao to treat Princess Ning's illness, which is based on the premise that Prince Ning has feelings for Princess Ning.
Thirdly, and very importantly, Gu Jiao is an outsider. She doesn't care about the princes' rivalry at all. Even if Prince Ning cuckolds the Crown Prince, what does it have to do with Gu Jiao?
Since Prince Ning won't kill her, there's no need for her to be his enemy, right?
Gu Jiao said calmly, "I only do what I think is necessary."
Yuan Tang asked, puzzled, "What do you mean? Are we going to oppose Prince Ning or not?"
Gu Jiao looked at him: "Actually, I should be the one asking you that."
Yuan Tang was taken aback: "What?"
Gu Jiao said calmly, "If Prince Ning finds that assassinating you is not easy and simply abandons you and turns to other methods, would you still want to be his enemy?"
Yuan Tang opened her mouth: "I..."
Gu Jiao said, "Whether I am his enemy or not has nothing to do with me. I have never needed any friends, nor am I afraid of having more opponents."
"Killing someone is just a matter of a head falling to the ground," but what this girl said really hits home!
So he still didn't understand what this girl meant!
Gu Jiao's prediction was correct. After realizing that Yuan Tang was a tough nut to crack, Prince Ning did not take any further action against her for the time being.
Although the matter has not become public, it is not easy to silence Prince Rui and his wife. Prince Ning has two better options: one is to stage another play so that Princess Rui can discover the "real man behind the fake mountain". Prince Ning can then choose any man he wants, and he can just push out any scapegoat to take the blame.
However, this requires the Crown Princess's cooperation. Judging from the relationship between the Crown Princess and Prince Ning that Gu Jiao observed today, the Crown Princess probably wouldn't be happy about it.
Furthermore, even if a new scapegoat is found, what's next? Will the Crown Princess and the scapegoat really be pushed out? Is Prince Ning willing to let the Crown Princess be ruined?
The second option was to kill Princess Rui.
Princess Rui was an eyewitness, as was Gu Jiao, but Gu Jiao didn't care about the matter. Unlike Princess Rui, who had a grudge against the Crown Princess, she wouldn't easily let go of this opportunity to see the Crown Princess ruined.
"Miss Gu, shall we go back to the clinic?" Xiao Sanzi asked from inside the carriage.
“Go to the Prince Ning’s residence,” Gu Jiao said.
"Okay!"
Xiao Sanzi drove the carriage to the Prince of Ning's residence.
Princess Ning met Gu Jiao in her own courtyard and had tea served to her: "Dr. Gu, are you here today for my follow-up appointment? I remember the follow-up appointment is in three days."
The implication was that he realized Gu Jiao wouldn't come to the temple without a reason.
Gu Jiao didn't mince words and went straight to the point: "Your Highness, can I trust you?"
Princess Ning paused, her hand holding the teacup still.
...
Prince Ning and the Crown Prince were busy in the cabinet until very late, and it was already late when they returned to the Prince's residence.
Princess Ning sat in the pavilion drinking tea.
Prince Ning pressed his temples and walked over. A servant lifted the curtain for him, and he then discovered that Princess Rui was also there.
He paused for a moment, then quickly regained his composure and smiled gently, "Suxin, I'm back. My third sister-in-law is here too."
"Brother!" Princess Rui heard his voice, turned around, stood up, and bowed with a smile. "My sister-in-law said she was feeling bored, so I'm moving in for a few days to keep her company. I hope you don't mind!"
"How could that be? I'm overjoyed to have you with me, Suxin." Prince Ning said with a smile as he sat down next to Princess Ning on her other side. He said, "I'm sorry, I had too many things to do in the cabinet today and couldn't make it back to watch the play with you."
Princess Ning poured him a cup of flower tea: "It's alright, my third sister-in-law accompanied me to see it."
Prince Ning smiled and glanced at the two of them: "Which performance did you watch? Was it good?"
Princess Rui nodded vigorously: "It's 'The Moon-Worshipping Pavilion,' it's so wonderful, I even cried while watching it!"
Prince Ning smiled and looked at Princess Ning with affection: "Then, did Su Xin cry?"
Princess Ning retorted, "Does Your Highness wish for me to cry?"
Prince Ning was stunned for a moment, then took her hand and asked, "How could that be? I promised Suxin that I would never let you shed a tear in this lifetime."
Princess Ning removed her hand from his palm and pushed the poured flower tea in front of him: "Your Highness, please have some tea."
"good."
The three sat in the pavilion for a while, and then Prince Ning said, "It's getting late, I'll take you back to rest."
The three of them got up and walked out of the pavilion, but just as they stepped down the steps, Princess Rui suddenly screamed and leaned forward.
There was Princess Ning between Prince Ning and her, and he didn't have time to make a move. Princess Ning grabbed Princess Rui and pulled her back to steady her.
Princess Ning lost her balance and tumbled down the steps.
"Pure Heart!"
"Sister-in-law!"
Princess Ning fell badly; her left arm was dislocated.
After the doctor repositioned her, he wrapped her in bandages and told her to rest in bed.
Princess Rui was so upset that she burst into tears: "I...I don't know what happened, I just suddenly slipped..."
Princess Ning told Princess Rui not to overthink it and to go back to her room to rest.
Prince Ning stayed behind to feed Princess Ning her medicine.
Princess Ning didn't drink the medicine, but stared straight at him: "Your Highness, tell me, why did Third Sister-in-law slip? Did she step on something?"
Prince Ning paused slightly.
Princess Ning continued, "I clearly had the pavilion cleaned very thoroughly, so who put something there that shouldn't have been there?"
Her gaze made Prince Ning frown: "How would I know?"
After saying that, realizing that his tone was not good enough, Prince Ning took a deep breath and said, "If Su Xin wants to know, I will have someone investigate."
Princess Ning curled her lips into a smile: "Your Highness had better be able to find out."
Prince Ning certainly found out; this was no problem for him.
But the results he found almost made his expression crack on the spot!
"Yes, it was the Princess who told us to... to... to smear some lard on the steps." The servant stammered, barely able to speak.
Heaven knows why the usually gentle and virtuous Princess Ning suddenly became so unbecoming, wanting to smear lard on Princess Rui to harm her!
Unfortunately, his attempt to harm Princess Rui backfired, and he ended up injuring himself instead...
Prince Ning's fists clenched so tightly they cracked: "Get out! Go and get your punishment!"
"Yes...yes...yes!" The servant scrambled away, fearing that if he was any slower, the master would change his mind and take his head.
Although Princess Ning was injured, her sleep was not affected.
She slept soundly until dawn, while Princess Rui had been up for quite some time.
She went to Princess Ning's room.
Prince Ning also came over. He had something to say to Princess Ning, but with Princess Rui present, he couldn't speak.
He gave Princess Ning a deep look before going to the cabinet to handle official business.
But to his utter surprise, before he could even settle into his seat in the cabinet, the steward of his residence came to report that Princess Ning had been poisoned!
Prince Ning choked on his breath, almost choking to death!
“Your Highness, in a moment…” The Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet walked over, about to discuss important matters with Prince Ning, when Prince Ning suddenly stood up, didn’t even glance at him, and rushed out in a hurry!
Grand Secretary of the Cabinet: "..."
When Prince Ning entered the room, Princess Ning was sitting on the edge of the bed drinking medicine. Her face was very pale, but her expression was nonchalant.
Prince Ning cracked his knuckles expressionlessly: "You may all step back."
"Yes!" The servant quickly withdrew.
Prince Ning closed his eyes, took a few deep breaths, sat down by the bed, and looked at her tenderly: "Give it to me."
Princess Ning handed him the bowl of medicine.
Prince Ning tasted it himself first; it was neither cold nor hot, before he scooped up a spoonful and fed it to her.
“It’s aconite,” Princess Ning said after drinking the medicine.
Prince Ning paused as he reached for the second spoonful of medicine.
Princess Ning smiled and said, "These sour apricots were originally meant for my third brother's wife, but I was curious and tried one first, only to be poisoned. Your Highness, who do you think poisoned them?"
(End of this chapter)
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