Chapter 452 Mother-in-Law and Daughter-in-Law (Third Update)
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Qin's heart skipped a beat: "Your Majesty, you wouldn't be thinking of..."
The words "decentralization" were on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn't bring himself to say them.
Empress Dowager Zhuang knew what he wanted to say. She had actually given this matter serious consideration. In the past, she had held the reins of the court in her hands. It was unclear whether it was for self-preservation, for the Zhuang family, or for the country and its people. Of course, it could also have been just for the small amount of money in the treasury.
After all, an empress dowager with real power has much more to offer than one without.
But now—
It seems she no longer needs to protect herself, nor does she need to protect the landlords. As for the fate of the nation and small sums of money...
Hmm.
I'm quite reluctant to spend the money.
There's no way around it, we have so many kids in the family!
Unaware that his mother's thoughts had already wandered off course, Eunuch Qin sighed, "Alas, you warned the dealers long ago. It's just that their appetites have grown too big and they can't control themselves anymore."
How could Prince Ning have become so deviant if only Consort Zhuang had instilled such inappropriate thoughts in him? Grand Tutor Zhuang must have played a significant role as well.
Now look what's happened; they've put this child's future to the guillotine.
"What does Your Majesty intend to do with Prince Ning?" Empress Dowager Zhuang asked.
Eunuch Qin said, "I heard that he is to be deposed, demoted to a commoner, banished from the capital, and exiled to a bitter and cold place."
This punishment was extremely severe for the emperor's most beloved eldest son, and the emperor must have made the decision in excruciating pain.
He did not inquire about Empress Dowager Zhuang's opinion.
It wasn't that he didn't respect Empress Dowager Zhuang; on the contrary, it was because he respected her so much that he didn't want her to suffer the same pain of punishing Prince Ning.
Once the imperial edict was issued, the father and son's relationship was severed, and they would never see each other again in this life.
This is almost no different from a parent outliving their child.
Let him bear it all. In the future, when he dreams of his son in the dead of night and regrets that his decision was too ruthless, it will only be his own suffering.
"Prince Ning...didn't he offer any explanation for himself?" Empress Dowager Zhuang asked.
"The explanation was weak and ineffective," sighed Eunuch Qin.
In his view, Prince Ning's explanations were not much different from Consort Zhuang's angry words. They angered the emperor but missed the point. There was only one way to truly exonerate himself – to shift the blame onto the Crown Princess.
Whether it's said that she seduced Prince Ning, Xiao Heng, or Wen Yang, it was all her idea. Prince Ning was merely bewitched by her, and if necessary, he could even pretend to have been poisoned by her medicine.
Regardless of the truth, they are brothers, so they are family. The Crown Princess is always an outsider, and the Emperor will surely punish Prince Ning leniently.
But Prince Ning just…
Oh well, he's a real man.
The news that the emperor was going to depose Prince Ning quickly reached the Eastern Palace.
The Crown Princess has been confined to her room for the past two days. Empress Xiao neither interrogates her nor punishes her, but the more she does so, the more uneasy she becomes.
Furthermore, upon hearing that Prince Ning was to be deposed, she became even more anxious.
If Prince Ning, the emperor's own son, suffered such a fate, how much better could her end be?
Although she wasn't the mastermind, because of her, the brothers turned against each other, and the emperor would definitely hold her responsible.
She opened the door, but was stopped by the palace maid guarding the entrance.
She pleaded, "Please let me see the Crown Prince!"
One of the palace maids said expressionlessly, "The Empress has ordered that the Crown Princess is not allowed to go out."
...
Gu Jiao hadn't been to the palace for the past two days and was unaware that chaos had erupted there. A brawl had broken out at a gambling den in the capital, injuring dozens of people, including eight seriously injured, all of whom were sent to Miaoshoutang.
Gu Jiao and Doctor Song were so busy that they didn't have time to rest until evening when they finally finished stitching up all the wounds.
She remembered that Princess Xinyang's medicine was about to run out, and she needed to go to Zhuque Street.
Little Jingkong was playing in his yard. When he heard about her plans, he put his little hands behind his back and asked cutely, "Jiaojiao, can I go? I want to go find Longyi."
He made a new friend, Long Yi.
Gu Jiao had no objection.
With Xiao Jingkong keeping Long Yi occupied, Long Yi won't bother her with his writing, perfect.
Gu Jiao took Xiao Jingkong to Zhuque Street, with Xiao Sanzi driving as usual.
"Long Yi!"
As soon as Xiao Jingkong jumped off the carriage, he couldn't wait to go to the courtyard to find Long Yi.
Gu Jiao went to examine Princess Xinyang. The weather was nice today, so Princess Xinyang sat by the window and could clearly see the scenery in the courtyard. Naturally, she could also see the little boy with the buzz cut.
The little boy also saw her, stopped, and politely greeted her: "Princess Xinyang."
Princess Xinyang nodded slightly.
The little bean didn't move, as if waiting for something.
Princess Xinyang looked at him with a puzzled expression.
The little boy put his hands behind his back, tilted his head, and looked at Princess Xinyang with a serious expression, saying, "You haven't greeted me yet."
Princess Xinyang was taken aback for a moment, then said, "Jingkong."
Little Jingkong happily shook his little head and went off to find Long Yi.
Long Yi didn't let Xiao Jingkong search for too long before he flew down from the roof.
The two, one big and one small, went together to wreak havoc on Princess Xinyang's flowers.
Princess Xinyang: "..."
The two of them had already caused trouble together last time, so this time they were quite experienced. However, Gu Jiao didn't know that the two were repeat offenders and thought it was their first time.
This behavior must be stopped the first time it happens.
Gu Jiao said to Xiao Jingkong through the window, "Jingkong, you can't damage other people's flowers."
Xiao Jingkong is an extremely obedient and well-behaved child in front of Jiaojiao. He never goes back on his word and will never make things difficult for Jiaojiao.
Xiao Jingkong stopped immediately: "Okay, Jiaojiao!"
Other people's mischievous children were kept in check, and Princess Xinyang felt that her own child also needed to be kept in check, otherwise she would lose face.
Princess Xinyang said to the dragon, "You should stop picking flowers."
Long Yi really didn't pick them anymore.
He uprooted it completely!
Princess Xinyang: "..."
Unable to control Long Yi, Princess Xinyang gave up and let things be.
The two of them, one big and one small, went out to cause trouble in the yard again.
After taking Princess Xinyang's pulse, Gu Jiao took out a stethoscope and placed it inside Princess Xinyang's clothes.
Princess Xinyang looked at the hand that was inside her clothes, then at the stethoscope hanging on her ear, and her expression was somewhat indescribable: "Where did you get all these strange things? I have never seen a doctor like you before. You are not trying to take advantage of me, are you?"
Gu Jiao put down the stethoscope and grabbed her: "This is what it means to get a good deal."
Princess Xinyang looked down at the hand resting on her chest: "..."
You probably find the human world too miserable and want to go to the underworld.
Gu Jiao picked up the stethoscope again and listened to her heart rate without changing her expression.
Well, it feels pretty good.
It was fortunate that Princess Xinyang had developed immunity to Long Yi's anger, otherwise Gu Jiao might have been in serious trouble and received a beating.
Little Jingkong was playing wildly in the yard.
"Long Yi! Long Yi! Come and catch me!"
He hid behind a tree and made a face at Long Yi.
The next second, Long Yi appeared behind him.
"Eeya!"
Little Jingkong's hair stood on end, and he ran away waving his little arms!
“He looks a lot like Aheng,” Princess Xinyang said, watching Xiao Jingkong waving his little paws as he tried to escape.
“When I was little,” she added, “except for the face, the expression and mannerisms were very similar.”
Gu Jiao: That's right, we slept in the same room every day, fighting from morning till night.
Princess Xinyang looked at the two playing in the courtyard and said, "Long Yi mistook him for four-year-old Xiao Heng."
oh?
Gu Jiao hadn't thought of that, since Xiao Heng had grown up and couldn't possibly turn back into a child.
However, Long Yingwei's thought process seems to be different from normal people. Long Yi can accept the existence of Xiao Heng and the existence of the young Xiao Heng, and they do not interfere with each other.
I wonder what would happen if they both appeared at the same time?
Speak of the devil and he appears.
Xiao Sanzi's voice rang out from the doorway: "Hey? Brother Xiao! What brings you here! Are you here to pick up Miss Gu? Miss Gu is inside!"
Xiao Liulang was unaware that Gu Jiao had come here; he was just passing by.
But Xiao Sanzi dragged the person in directly.
Long Yi, who was in the middle of capturing Xiao Jingkong, heard the noise at the door. He turned his head, looked at Xiao Liulang at the door, and then looked back at Xiao Jingkong in front of him. His mind went blank again!
...
It turns out that Xiao Liulang and Xiao Jingkong cannot appear in the same frame.
Long Yi was stunned.
Xiao Liulang's gaze met that of Princess Xinyang through the window, and a complex emotion flashed across their eyes.
Xiao Liulang glanced at Gu Jiao beside him, then turned and walked out of the courtyard back to the carriage.
Princess Xinyang lowered her eyes, picked up a cup of tea that had long since gone cold from the table, and asked casually, "Has his hand healed?"
Gu Jiao put away her stethoscope and raised an eyebrow: "Why don't you ask him yourself?"
Princess Xinyang said calmly, "If you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."
Gu Jiao sighed helplessly and said, "Alright, alright, tell me, I'll tell you, I'm not fully healed yet."
Princess Xinyang tightened her grip on the teacup.
Gu Jiao pointed to her fingertip and sighed, "It left a small scar. I have to apply scar cream every day. It will take three months for my skin to fully recover."
Princess Xinyang glanced at her indifferently: "Can't you just finish what you were saying in one go?"
Gu Jiao shrugged: "That's why I told you to ask him yourself. He can always finish what he wants to say in one go."
Princess Xinyang: This girl!
After playing in the yard for a while, Xiao Jingkong ran into the house covered in sweat and said to Gu Jiao, "Jiaojiao, I want a mask too."
Gu Jiao took out her spare mask from her small basket and handed it to him.
Princess Xinyang's eyelids twitched as she looked at the flamboyant peacock feathers on the mask.
What kind of taste does this girl have!
"Thank you, Jiaojiao!" Xiao Jingkong grabbed the mask and ran out excitedly. "Long Yi, Long Yi, I have a mask too!"
This scene suddenly reminded Gu Jiao of something. She rested her chin on her hand, looked at Long Yi in the courtyard, and asked Princess Xinyang, "Princess, why doesn't Long Yi have any tattoos on his face?"
(End of this chapter)
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