Chapter 808, Falling from a Building
When the prince's entourage arrived at the palace gate, many royal relatives and dignitaries had already arrived.
As soon as Prince Ping got off the carriage, someone greeted him with a smile. Prince Ping walked over, and Xiao Yechen followed closely behind, looking like a filial son.
It seems that all parents have a common problem, which is that when they meet friends and relatives, they can't help but show off their children.
Prince Ping was no exception. Whenever he met someone familiar, he would introduce Xiao Yechen.
Xiao Yechen also followed suit and immediately called him "Uncle" affectionately.
From a distance, the two of them can truly be described as a loving father and a filial son.
"Do you want to go over and show your filial piety?" Daohua got off the carriage, looked at this scene, and couldn't help but asked Xiao Yeyang with a smile.
Xiao Yeyang glanced at Daohua and snorted coldly, "Only people without ability would spend all day studying these nonsense." As he said that, he looked at Xiao Yechen with disdain.
"It's no wonder I look down on him. He's a prince's son after all. Look at how he's trying to please. It's truly shameful and humiliating!"
Daohua glanced at Xiao Yechen and felt that he was being a little too deliberate, as if he was afraid that others wouldn't be able to see how close his relationship with Prince Heping was.
Xiao Yeyang: "Let's go, let's go and wish the emperor uncle a happy new year first."
Daohua quickly held him back and said, "No, we came here with our father. If we leave suddenly and get seen by everyone present, who knows what will happen. It's better to wait until everyone else leaves together."
Just then, the carriage from the Duke of Weiguo's mansion arrived.
Luo Qiong, who had been standing next to Princess Ma pretending to be a statue, saw her family and immediately ran over quickly.
Princess Ma stood still, waiting for the women from the Duke of Wei's mansion to come over and pay their respects to her.
"Father, mother, elder brother and sister-in-law."
The wife of the Duke of Wei grabbed Luo Qiong's hand, her face full of heartache: "Qiong'er, why have you lost so much weight? Are you not living happily in the palace?"
Hearing this, Luo Qiong showed a bitter smile on his face and shook his head, "Mother, I'm fine."
Luo Honghao frowned: "Little sister, but Xiao Yechen is not good to you?"
Luo Qiong glanced at Xiao Yechen, who was so busy greeting everyone that he didn't notice his parents had arrived. Not wanting to worry his family, she said lightly, "No, he treats me very well."
Lady Weiguo glanced at Daohua and Xiao Yeyang and asked, "Did they make you angry?"
Luo Qiong laughed: "Ping Xitang opened fire alone. I don't even have the chance to come into contact with them. How could they make me angry?" Of course, being dragged out from time to time for comparison is another matter.
Luo Honghao's wife, Shen, spoke up: "So that's the princess?"
Now, Luo Qiong stopped talking.
The wife of Duke Weiguo also fell silent. The Luo family all knew that Princess Ma had set rules for her daughter the day after she married into the palace.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
It is natural for a mother-in-law to set rules for her daughter-in-law. As long as it is not too excessive, even her family members cannot say anything.
Seeing that her daughter, who had been brought up in pampering, no longer had the lively look she had in her boudoir, Lady Weiguo took a deep breath and pulled Luo Qiong towards Princess Ma. This time, she was determined to have a good talk with Princess Ma no matter what.
Unfortunately, just after she said a few tactful words, Princess Ma's words that Luo Qiong had been married for three years but still had no children, defeated the wife of Duke Weiguo without any resistance.
The conversation between Princess Ma and the Luo family was unpleasant, and on the other side, Xiao Yechen was not very happy either.
There was no other reason. He wanted to get to know Lord Ge, the admiral of the Nanyang Navy who was recalled to Beijing by the emperor, but his father did not introduce him to him. Instead, he called Xiao Yeyang.
Xiao Yeyang, who had always been against his father, actually came over obediently this time.
Looking at the three people chatting happily, Xiao Yechen felt his face burning. Without looking up, he could sense the strange looks from the people around him.
For nobles who have little power, my father is willing to introduce them to me, but when it comes to people as powerful as Lord Ge, the first person my father thinks of is Xiao Yeyang, and he has no intention of making friends with him.
Regarding the palace lantern incident, he could still comfort himself by saying that it was the emperor's uncle's intention, but what about now?
Duke Weiguo and Luo Honghao were also watching this scene, and both father and son had frowns on their faces.
"Father, we've harmed my sister! What Prince Ping's favorite son is Xiao Yechen, what the heir to the royal palace title will be Xiao Yechen, these must have been spread by Princess Ma and Xiao Yechen to confuse outsiders."
Luo Honghao said with gritted teeth.
Duke Weiguo was filled with regret, and walked into the palace with his lips pursed and without saying a word.
Here, after chatting with Lord Ge for a while, Xiao Yeyang returned to Daohua and entered the palace with Prince Ping.
"How come father knows someone from the navy?" Daohua asked curiously, "It seems like the two of them are quite familiar with each other."
Xiao Yeyang smiled and said, "When my father was young, he was the most dissolute man in the capital. Do you know who was the second most dissolute man?"
Daohua: "Master Ge?"
Xiao Yeyang smiled: "Yes, they both love to eat, drink and have fun, so they get along very well. However, my father is lucky to have a brother who is the emperor. He can eat, drink and have fun all his life."
"Lord Ge's life was not so good. Just after he came of age, Old Lord Ge passed away due to illness, and he had no choice but to take over the responsibility of the Ge family. He is also a brave and courageous man, otherwise, he would not be able to command the Nanyang Navy."
"Didn't I tell you before that the Emperor's uncle wanted to expand the navy? This time, I called him back for this matter. When I have some free time, I must call your fourth brother and pay him a visit."
"oh."
The New Year's Eve banquet was held in the Hall of Supreme Harmony. The Empress Dowager had already come and sat here, so everyone didn't have to make an extra trip to the Cining Palace.
This time, the Queen Mother did not cause trouble for Daohua and Xiao Yeyang, but she praised Luo Qiong and Xiao Yechen a lot during the conversation, and seemed to be more satisfied with them.
Xiao Yeyang and Daohua ignored this and after paying their respects, they stepped back and sat down in their seats.
The seating arrangement for the banquet had been arranged long ago. Xiao Yeyang and Daohua's seats were very close to the front. No matter how the empress dowager praised Xiao Yechen, it could not change the emperor's favor for Xiao Yeyang.
The people present did not want to offend the empress dowager, so they casually agreed with a few words and then changed the subject with a smile.
The Jiang family also attended the banquet this time. Compared with their former arrogance, the Jiang family is now much more low-key.
The delicacies at the state banquet made people drool, but by the time the emperor and his ministers had sung praises to each other, the dishes were almost cold.
Daohua greedily tasted a few of the dishes, but soon put down her chopsticks silently.
In the cold winter, even if there was a charcoal brazier burning in the hall, a thin layer of grease would float on the dish.
Xiao Yeyang: "Are you hungry?"
Daohua shook her head: "No, I just want to eat it just by looking at it."
Xiao Yeyang smiled and said, "After the fireworks are set off at midnight, we can go back. You can eat as much as you want then."
Daohua hummed, and watched the people in the hall clinking glasses with a dull look.
When it was almost midnight, the crowd escorted the emperor out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony and onto the city wall.
At this time, people had gathered outside the imperial city, waiting to see the fireworks in the palace.
As soon as midnight arrived, brilliant fireworks began to explode above the palace.
Listening to the cheers and applause of the people outside the imperial city, the emperor couldn't help but smile.
Accidents are prone to happen in crowded places, and this is even more so in the imperial city, a place full of conflicts of interest and intrigues.
Just as everyone was escorting the emperor down the stairs, someone pushed the wet nurse beside the Fourth Prince's wife. In an instant, the little boy, who was only three years old, in the wet nurse's arms was thrown down the stairs.
“Ah~”
Screams rang out one after another.
Because Xiao Yeyang was called over by the emperor to accompany him, Daohua stayed alone with the female relatives. Coincidentally, the Fourth Prince's wife was standing next to her.
Amidst the sparks of calcium carbide, Rice Flower leaped down.
Because he jumped in time, he quickly caught the child who was falling.
The moment the child hugged him, Daohua swung the whip.
The whip entangled the fence of the city wall, and the rice flowers and the child stopped falling and hung on the city wall, swaying.
"Yiyi!"
"Rong'er!"
Two figures rushed out at the same time.
"Help! Help! Help!"
The emperor was also shocked and quickly ordered the guards to rescue people.
Before the guards could take action, Xiao Yeyang rescued Daohua and the child from the city wall.
"Are you hurt anywhere?"
Xiao Yeyang handed the little boy in Daohua's arms to the Fourth Prince who rushed down from the city wall, and then anxiously checked her body.
Daohua hissed and slowly moved his arm: "The force was too great, it seems to have pulled my shoulder."
Xiao Yeyang immediately shouted, "Imperial Physician, where is the Imperial Physician?"
Daohua quickly comforted him, "Don't worry, it's nothing serious." Then she turned to look at the Fourth Prince, "Is the child okay?"
The child was lying in the Fourth Prince's arms, looking frightened, but when he heard Daohua's voice, he looked up at her.
The Fourth Prince looked at Daohua with gratitude and said, "Thank you, sister-in-law, for what you did today. If you need anything in the future, just let me know and I will do my best to accomplish it."
Daohua smiled and shook her head: "The Fourth Prince is in a serious condition. He is my nephew after all." As she spoke, she touched the little boy's head and said, "Reng'er is so brave. He didn't even cry."
At this time, another person rushed over.
The Fourth Prince's wife hugged the little boy, her face full of lingering fear and a sense of having survived a disaster. After confirming that her son was okay, she fell to the ground with weak legs, hugged her son, and cried and laughed.
Soon, the prince and others arrived.
"Is everything alright?"
The Fourth Prince shook his head. "Thanks to my sister-in-law's help, Reng'er wasn't hurt, but he was a little frightened."
Xiao Yeyang: "Uncle Emperor, Yiyi's shoulder is injured. I have to take her back to get some medicine."
The emperor nodded and said, "You all go back and call the imperial physician to give him a thorough treatment." After saying that, he turned around and looked at the female relatives behind him with a cold look in his eyes.
Xiao Yeyang didn't care about all this. He knew that the emperor was just questioning him, and with so many people present he couldn't get to the bottom of it. So he simply picked up Daohua and left.
When leaving, Daohua looked back at the Third Prince's wife who was standing among the female relatives with a calm expression, and felt extremely confused.
Why did she push herself?
Also, was it her fault that the Fourth Prince’s eldest son was thrown off the building?
If it were her, then it would be too scary for her to attack a three-year-old child and then act as if nothing happened!
On the way back to the palace, Xiao Yeyang had a sour look on his face.
Daohua knew that he was blaming her for meddling in other people's business and putting herself in danger, but she really couldn't just sit there and watch a child being thrown off the building.
Moreover, her intuition told her that what happened today was directed at the Fourth Prince as well as her.
Daohua leaned against Xiao Yeyang's chest, playing with the sachet around his waist, recalling what had just happened: "Someone pushed me just now. It was the Third Prince's Consort. Although I didn't hit the Fourth Prince's Consort, the moment I stumbled, the nurse just happened to throw Reng'er off the building."
"Someone must have seen this. If anything happens to Rong'er, I will definitely be implicated."
Hearing this, Xiao Yeyang frowned immediately: "The Third Prince's Consort?"
Daohua nodded affirmatively: "It must be her. Although she was standing behind me, I saw the roses embroidered on her sleeves." As she said this, she looked puzzled.
"Xiao Yeyang, are you saying that the Third Prince wants to deal with the Fourth Prince?"
Xiao Yeyang remained silent.
Daohua continued, "But why? Even if the Third Prince wanted to fight for the throne, he should have gone after the First, Second, and Fifth Princes. The Fourth Prince has an ear disease and has no chance of the throne. I really don't understand why he would attack a child?"
"Also, aren't they being too hasty? Uncle Huang's health looks very good, and he definitely has no problem living another 20 or 30 years. They're starting to snatch him away now. Isn't that fun?"
Xiao Yeyang spoke up: "The Third Prince is not that stupid. This matter is not that simple. The Third Prince's wife may have sensed that someone was going to deal with Rong'er, so she dragged you into it."
Daohua: "Why do you want to drag me into this? I haven't offended the Third Prince's wife before."
Xiao Yeyang: "In the palace, as long as you hinder the interests of others, even if you have done nothing wrong, it is common to be resented. Have you forgotten that because of you and me, the Third Prince was ignored by the Emperor's uncle for several months?"
Daohua was speechless: "It really is a pot from the sky." Then she asked, "Who wants to deal with the fourth prince's son?"
Xiao Yeyang was silent for a moment: "Someone doesn't want the emperor's uncle to have an easy life."
Daohua opened her eyes wide: "Huh?"
Xiao Yeyang: "There are only a few people who dare to lay hands on the princes and grandchildren of the emperor. Just imagine, on this New Year's Eve when the whole family is reunited and the whole country is celebrating, the emperor's uncle lost a grandson. How devastating must that be."
Daohua instantly understood who Xiao Yeyang was talking about, and her mouth dropped open in shock: "How dare the Jiang family?"
Xiao Yeyang sneered: "I heard that my royal grandfather died of poisoning. He even dared to kill the emperor, let alone a royal grandson."
"Choosing to attack the Fourth Prince's son is also taking advantage of the fact that the Fourth Prince has no strong backers. In addition, he is not valued by his uncle, the Emperor. Even if his son dies, it won't cause any big waves."
Daohua shuddered: "The palace is so scary!"
Xiao Yeyang: "The human heart is so scary." He looked at Daohua seriously and said, "If I'm not by your side in the future, try not to enter the palace if you can. If you can't refuse, you must always be careful. I find that the Queen Mother and the Jiang family have gone crazy."
Daohua looked at Xiao Yeyang in a daze: "What are they going to do?"
Seeing the worry in Daohua's eyes, Xiao Yeyang smiled and said, "Don't worry, the emperor's uncle has his own arrangements, nothing will happen."
Both chapters are posted together!
(End of this chapter)
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