Chapter 258 Entering the Court
Qin Jinzhi returned to the palace and summoned Yun Que.
"Have you found Wu Youji's whereabouts?"
The lark gestured, "Not yet."
Qin Jinzhi narrowed her eyes slightly.
A person's personality can change due to a major accident.
But a person's intelligence and cunning will not grow due to external factors.
Even she didn't realize that the Crown Prince knew martial arts.
The chess piece embedded in the tree trunk was perfectly intact; only a master could do that.
Does such a person really allow his wife and children to die tragically?
Qin Jinzhi said to Yun Que, "Intensify the investigation in Lingnan and make sure to find out all of the Crown Prince's routes of movement in Lingnan."
After today's mutual probing between the two, the Wu family met a tragic end.
Or perhaps it was her uncle who did this to seek the help of powerful families.
Or perhaps this tragedy never happened at all!
Prime Minister Cui was shrewd and calculating, yet remained neutral.
He will definitely seek allies.
The Crown Prince is openly at odds with the Qin family's Emperor and Empress. If the Crown Prince is truly an incompetent fool, then Prime Minister Cui can use him for his own purposes.
However, it now seems that Prime Minister Cui had probably already seen through the Crown Prince's disguise.
The Crown Prince seemed to have opened his heart to her completely today.
Even the spies within the Sixth Prince's faction were directly exposed to her.
I just wanted to put her at ease so she could get rid of the Yang family.
After all, the sixth prince, whom the Yang family supports, is the only real threat.
That's why Qin Jinzhi directly reassured the Crown Prince.
She eliminated the Yang family not for her own sake, but for the sake of the Crown Prince.
It also informed the Crown Prince of the crisis he would face if he failed to eliminate the Yang family.
After all, it won't be Qin Jinzhi who ascends the throne in the future.
The Crown Prince should no longer allow Prime Minister Cui to clash with her.
But it's impossible for her to refuse to cooperate with Prime Minister Cui.
As the head of all officials, if Prime Minister Cui really reaches a cooperation agreement with the Crown Prince...
When the crown prince ascends the throne, he will have a great help to the court.
Royals are inherently suspicious, as are all people.
It's a pity, though, that it would have been better if Prime Minister Cui and the Crown Prince had continued their legendary romance.
Then everything she had done would be reduced to ashes.
At that time, not only would they not be able to eliminate the powerful families, but they would also allow the Cui family to become the only dominant family because they had previously defeated other powerful families.
Therefore, her good uncle's wish is likely to be dashed.
The Cui family must fall, and Cui Huai must die!
That night, the crown prince entered the palace.
The Empress looked at the Crown Prince, who was carrying thorns and pleading guilty in the courtyard, with a cold expression.
What are you doing?
The crown prince's eyes reddened slightly. "Mother."
The empress was taken aback, then turned her face away.
The autumn nights are getting a bit chilly.
The prince's back was pierced by thorns, causing him to bleed profusely.
“Mother, I have failed you and Father’s expectations all these years, but I had no choice but to do this. I thought that everything would be better once Father became the emperor, but A Yao’s early death and the tragedy of the Wu family have made me disheartened. If I hadn’t hidden myself, I would probably have followed my wife and children long ago.”
The Empress's eyes reddened. "You are the Crown Prince, you have your own reasons, you don't need to explain to me."
The prince knelt forward and said, "Mother, your son was wrong."
The Empress was so angry that she started hitting the Crown Prince.
The emperor happened to walk in at that moment.
Upon hearing the announcement, the crown prince turned and glanced at the emperor.
Before the emperor could figure out what was going on, he heard the crown prince call out, "Father."
At that moment, the emperor also turned his body around.
The couple hadn't heard that form of address for many years.
It took the emperor a while to turn around, and when he saw the crown prince's expression, he understood what had happened.
He snorted coldly, "What, you're not pretending to be at odds with me and your mother anymore?"
The crown prince lowered his head and said, "Your son is incompetent and could only come up with such a method to protect himself. I am ashamed before the ancestors of the Xiao family. Please punish me, Father and Mother."
The emperor sat down next to the empress and said to her, "The powerful families are rampant, and Chengqian has no choice but to accept it."
The Empress wiped away her tears. "Why don't you want to pretend again today?"
The Crown Prince straightened his back. "As an elder, how can I bear to have a junior like Jinzhi shield me from the wind and rain all this time! Jinzhi will face many dangers after returning to the capital. If I am hiding behind her, how can I have the face to be called 'Uncle' by her!"
After hearing this, the emperor patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's good that you can understand. People only think that Jinzhi is raised under my care and lives a life of luxury, but she has carried too heavy a burden at such a young age. However, we are all family. It's not too late for you to realize this now."
The crown prince lowered his head and said, "From this day forward, I, as her uncle, will also shield her from the storms of life."
The emperor nodded repeatedly, "Chengqian, your mother and I are getting old, it's time for you to shoulder the responsibilities."
The crown prince nodded. "Yes."
The emperor grasped the empress's hand and patted her.
The Empress pulled her hand away from the Emperor's. "It's late. Let's go back."
The Crown Prince lowered his head as he watched the Empress's departing figure.
Just then, the Empress's voice came from inside the palace, "Come to the palace for a meal tomorrow."
The emperor smiled and patted the crown prince on the shoulder, "Go back and treat your injury. It's time for you to participate in court affairs."
The Crown Prince respectfully said, "Thank you, Father."
The next day.
When Qin Jinzhi arrived at the palace gate, she unsurprisingly saw the carriage of the East Palace.
With the situation in such turmoil, it's time for the Crown Prince to get involved in court affairs.
Moreover, if the Crown Prince doesn't come to court, how can he mediate the conflict between her and Prime Minister Cui?
Qin Jinzhi dismounted.
The crown prince then stepped out of the carriage.
"Golden Branch".
Qin Jinzhi turned around and saw the Crown Prince walking towards her.
She raised an eyebrow and asked, "Is Your Highness waiting for me?"
The crown prince was taken aback by her words.
Qin Jinzhi covered her mouth and whispered, "When we go to court, Uncle should call me Commander Qin."
The Crown Prince smiled at the clever and mischievous Qin Jinzhi. "Alright, Commander Qin, would you mind accompanying me to the main hall?"
Qin Jinzhi extended her hand, "Your Highness, please."
The prince consciously walked up to the Thousand Bird Guards for inspection.
The court officials stared wide-eyed at the bizarre scene.
Haven't the Crown Prince and Qin Jinzhi always been at odds?
Why are people so cooperative when they're being inspected these days?
After passing through the palace gate, the crown prince also covered his mouth with his hand.
"Support the work of our Commander Qin."
Qin Jinzhi smiled.
On the way, the Crown Prince said, "Father has agreed to let me enter the court to handle affairs. From now on, if you are in trouble, I can also protect you from some open and hidden attacks."
Qin Jinzhi, with her hands behind her back, said, "That would be great. My grandfather is getting old, and as his son, you should help him share the burden."
The Crown Prince smiled and said, "Commander Qin is right."
After entering the hall, Qin Jinzhi stood next to the emperor.
The crown prince stood at the very front of the assembled officials.
The Emperor said, "The Crown Prince is now over thirty and should participate in court affairs. From today onwards, the Crown Prince will assist me in handling court matters."
Upon hearing this, the courtiers exclaimed in unison, "Your Majesty is wise!"
An incompetent crown prince will only ruin the country.
For so many years, the Crown Prince had never entered the court due to his disguise, and no court official found it inappropriate.
But today, His Majesty summoned the Crown Prince to court without any warning.
Is this preparation paving the way for the crown prince?
The courtiers below were struck by a warning!
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