Emperor Tianshun was suspicious by nature. Ever since he knew that she frequently invited Shen Shuyi to the palace to accompany her, he began to suspect her.
She had specially sent a letter to the Duke of Zhenguo, asking him to find out as many faults of the prince as possible in front of the emperor and to create the impression that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion had some complaints about the prince.
This will dispel the emperor's suspicion.
The Duke of Zhenguo also meant this.
It is a great honor for the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion to be favored by the Crown Prince and Concubine Zhao.
If she could become the Crown Princess, when the Crown Prince ascends the throne in the future, Shen Shuyi would be the legitimate queen.
Their Zhenguo Mansion had made great achievements in battle, and the Empress 꺗놋 was firmly seated in the harem, which could ensure that their Zhenguo Mansion would have at least a hundred years of glory.
Why not?
If she gave birth to another legitimate son, he would be the crown prince. At that time, wouldn't the entire Tianshun be firmly in the hands of their Zhenguogong Mansion?
The emperor's edict was quickly delivered to the Fourth Prince's mansion.
He Lingqi looked at the imperial edict on the table with a mocking smile on his face.
"Your Highness." He Lingqi's guard Yin Ren said in a low voice: "The emperor really gave this difficult task to you."
He Lingqi sneered: "It is said that the emperor's intentions are hard to predict. Even Wang can't guess what father is thinking, but He Jingheng always guesses it correctly."
"Is this He Jingheng a worm in the emperor's stomach?" As soon as Yin Ren finished speaking, he heard He Lingqi say in a cold voice: "He is the master, how can you call him by his name? Even though he was exiled, his ability is still above yours." Although he was unwilling to admit it, the facts were there.
Since he was a child, he had fought with He Jingheng several times, openly or secretly, and he was defeated every time.
Later, he joined forces with other princes, but was still no match for He Jingheng.
Perhaps it was precisely because of this that his father was so wary of the Dingguo Palace and wanted to get rid of it as soon as possible.
"I know I was wrong. I overstepped my authority."
He Lingqi glanced at him and said, "This won't happen again."
"yes!"
He Lingqi held the imperial edict in his hand, with a sharp look in his eyes.
He walked towards his mother's palace.
The news that the emperor sent the fourth prince to Liangzhou City quickly spread throughout the harem.
Shu Fei naturally also got the news.
She looked anxious, and was about to send someone to invite the Fourth Prince over.
At this time, Gong Xiao walked in: "My queen, the fourth prince is here."
"Please ask him to come in." Concubine Shu stood up from her chair.
The Fourth Prince walked in, and before he could even salute, he was helped up by Concubine Shu.
Seeing the anxiety in her eyes, He Lingqi felt warm in his heart.
"Mother."
As soon as he spoke, he saw Shufei's tears falling.
"Ling Qi, my dear child, it's mother's fault. If mother was as favored by your father as Concubine Zhao, you wouldn't have to go to Liangzhou."
He Lingqi smiled and said, "Don't blame yourself, mother. This is not your fault. Regardless of whether you are favored or not, I will definitely go."
He was about the same age as Crown Prince He Lingsheng, and Concubine Zhao had long wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
This completely cut off his possibility of inheriting the throne.
Shufei's father was a grand scholar, and his students were all over the world.
Born into a scholarly family, she had never learned how to flatter or curry favor with her superiors.
The noble character of being well-educated and elegant was fully reflected in her as a woman.
Shufei was not beautiful, and her figure was not as graceful as that of other women.
But she only needs to stand there and she will be like a proud plum blossom, cold and aloof.
Emperor Tianshun was attracted by her temperament at that time, and despite the fact that she was already engaged, he insisted on taking her into the harem.
Shufei's grandfather was a man who valued keeping his promises the most. He felt uneasy about canceling the engagement, and died of excessive worry not long after.
Because of this, Concubine Shu's resentment towards Emperor Tianshun became even more serious.
After giving birth to the fourth prince, she became increasingly cold towards Emperor Tianshun.
Love is nothing but a passing cloud to the emperor. There are so many young concubines in the palace, one after another, and which one of them is not respectful and fawning to him?
How could he hang himself on a tree?
Soon, he forgot about Concubine Shu.
Upon seeing this, Concubine Shu took the opportunity to propose moving to Yongfu Palace.
Yongfu Palace is the palace farthest from Emperor Tianshun's sleeping palace.
Seeing that she was stubborn and unyielding, Emperor Tianshun immediately nodded in agreement.
Concubine Zhao felt slightly relieved when she saw that she had fallen out of favor. Otherwise, with the power of Concubine Shu's mother's family, she might not win if she really competed for favor.
"Mother, I came here just to reassure you." He Lingqi smiled and said, "I got a magic medicine. After taking it, you won't be infected with the plague."
"Oh?" Concubine Shu exclaimed when she heard this, "Is it really so magical?"
He Lingqi poured out the black pills from the porcelain bottle and whispered, "I will leave these two pills for you, mother, in case you need them."
Concubine Shu looked at the two pills in his hand with a slight gleam in her eyes.
His eyes fell on He Lingqi's face, and he understood.
"Ling Qi, have you really thought it through?"
He Lingqi nodded: "Mother, I have always remembered your teachings and wanted to stay away from the disputes in the court and be a leisurely king, but God did not fulfill my wish. Even though I have avoided the palace, those old friends will not let me go." He rolled up his sleeves, revealing the scars of varying depths on his arms: "Over the years, they have harmed me so many times, openly and secretly, that I can't count them all."
When Concubine Shu looked at the wounds on her son's body, her heart felt as if it was being tightly grasped by a huge hand, and she felt so painful that she could hardly breathe.
He originally thought that if he did not fight or compete, they would not do anything to him and his son, but he did not expect that his blind tolerance would become their excuse to bully him and his son at will.
"Mother, in this world, you are the butcher and the fish. If you don't want to be the fish on the chopping board, you have to be the one holding the knife." He Lingqi said in a deep voice, "I didn't want to get involved in this turmoil, but they dragged me into it. Now it's too late even if I don't want to get involved."
Upon hearing this, Concubine Shu nodded, wiped her tears, and said in a deep voice: "Mother understands."
She put the porcelain bottle away and said softly, "Don't worry, mother has simply been disdainful of competing for favor over the years."
If she focused on winning favor, she wouldn't even take Concubine Zhao seriously.
After coming out of Yongfu Palace, He Lingqi went to the imperial study.
When the emperor heard the palace maid report that it was He Lingqi, he raised his eyebrows, closed the memorial, and said in a deep voice: "Send him in."
Not long after, He Lingqi walked in.
"Your son pays respects to the Emperor."
"I'm leaving." He said with a slight smile on his face: "When are you going to leave?"
"In the past two days, I have ordered to prepare the luggage." He Lingqi said in a low voice: "So this son has come to bid farewell to the emperor. I don't know if I will return after this trip. The only thing I am worried about is my father and mother. My mother is alone in this deep palace. Please take good care of her, father."
"Your mother is arrogant and proud, why does she need my care?"
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