By the time the envoys found "Qi Zonghao" at the bottom of the cliff, his body was unrecognizable. They could only identify him through his clothing. The town was too far from Jingdu, and the weather was very hot. It was impossible to transport the bodies of Qi Zonghao and Qi Qiuxin back to Jingdu, so after discussing, the envoys cremated the siblings and brought back their ashes.
Qi Zongyu found an opportunity to exchange the real urn of Qi Zonghao. Then he rode hard to return to Jingdu ahead of the main party, leaving no trace behind.
Among the envoys, there were confidants of Qi Zonghao. Since Qi Zongyu’s plan had no flaws, neither Emperor Xiliang nor the consort noticed anything amiss. After decreeing a grand burial for the siblings, the Emperor and consort remained immersed in sorrow over the loss of their beloved son and daughter, paying no mind to Qi Zongyu.
The scandal involving Qi Qiuxin had long spread throughout Xiliang, but as death extinguishes life, aside from a few private discussions, most maintained their silence.
"Crown Princess Consort, the consort has long wished for the death of Qi Zongyu and his sister. Now without her children, she may well support another prince against Qi Zongyu," Hai Tang whispered as a reminder.
Mo Mei replied indifferently, "Isn’t that better? As long as internal strife plagues Xiliang Country, they won’t have the ambition or the energy to covet Dong Chu."
Sister Jin and Lv Luo remained silent, but it was clear they agreed with Mo Mei’s view.
"Dong Chu is vast in territory and rich in resources, naturally inviting the covetous eyes of other nations. Merely relying on inciting internal conflicts cannot solve the root problem," Yang Mengchen shook her head. "A country can only defend itself against foreign invaders if it is truly wealthy and powerful, with its citizens united."
The group fell silent.
"Hai Tang, carry out my command and have our people secretly assist Qi Zongyu against the consort and her family. The Consort’s family is full of ambition, and they will certainly cause a catastrophe. When necessary, have our people help Qi Zongyu eliminate them entirely, to prevent any future threats," she instructed.
Mo Mei expressed her concern, "Crown Princess Consort, what if Qi Zongyu accumulates power and turns against Dong Chu? We must guard against that!"
"Qi Zongyu has a generous and benevolent heart, especially when it comes to his love for the people. I believe he would not readily subject the citizens of Xiliang to the suffering of war," Yang Mengchen said with a smile. "Moreover, we will have helped him remove a major concern, and we have a treaty that agrees on peaceful coexistence. Should he renege, he would be scorned by all. Even if he does betray us, we have the strength to defeat him utterly, so you need not worry."
With the Crown Princess Consort taking everything into careful consideration, Mo Mei naturally no longer worried and greatly admired her for her flawless strategies.
"In fact, it’s Emperor Xiliang we should be most wary of. Emperor Xiliang has always harbored dreams of hegemony, and when the opportunity ripens, he might wage war again. Shouldn’t we find a chance..." Hai Tang gestured the act of killing.
Yang Mengchen waved her hand dismissively, "No need. No matter how Emperor Xiliang feels about Qi Zongyu, he is still Qi Zongyu’s biological father. If we meddle in dealing with Emperor Xiliang, it would plant a thorn in Qi Zongyu’s heart, which would be more harmful than beneficial to us. Don’t worry, Emperor Xiliang’s good days are coming to an end soon," she said, her lips curling into a devilish cold smirk.
Seeing that smile on their Crown Princess Consort, Sister Jin and the others involuntarily shuddered. Whenever the Crown Princess Consort showed such a smile, it meant someone was in for a great misfortune.
Putting aside the matter of Qi Zonghao and his sister, Yang Mengchen went with Sister Jin and the others to visit her little nephew Min Ruoyang before proceeding to see her nephews Yang Zongrun and Yang Zongche. In the evening, she returned home to wait for Long Xuanmo and Grand Prince to have dinner. Since Long Xuanmo had been appointed Crown Prince, he almost always had his midday meal at the office.
On July 29, Long Yixuan married the legitimate daughter of a cabinet scholar, Sima Yuqiang.
Crown Prince Mansion.
Seeing his wife come out of the bathroom after washing up, Long Xuanmo put down the book he was reading, stood up, and walked over, picking up a towel to dry her wet hair.
"Why do you have to involve yourself when Aunty Hua is in charge of my cousin’s wedding?"
Hearing the dissatisfaction and jealousy in Long Xuanmo’s tone, Yang Mengchen chided, "My cousin and you share a close bond, and Aunty Hua has always been very affectionate towards me. Shouldn’t I offer my help?"
"I’m just worried it’ll tire you out."
"With Aunty Hua managing everything, I’m just there to watch. How could that tire me?"
"Then you’re only allowed to watch, not to worry. Otherwise, I won’t let you go anymore."
"I understand. The day after tomorrow is my cousin’s big day, and everything is almost prepared. Even if I wanted to worry, there wouldn’t be anything to worry about."
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