With Liu Yifu gone, Chi Yan had finally gotten rid of a major threat.
Although it was a bit unethical to think that way, he couldn't even sleep soundly with such an outstanding rival as Liu Yifu by his side.
Now that the other party has left Beijing, he can feel a sense of relief and his mood is getting better and better; he can even eat an extra bowl of rice.
Shen Ci gave him a disdainful look: "Didn't you say before that you couldn't bear to part with your good partner? How come you've gotten used to it so quickly?"
Chi Yan, with his thick skin, calmly shoveled rice into his mouth: "What do you know? Partners come and go, but rivals are forever... Didn't the Dali Temple recently appoint a new Vice Minister? What's his surname again?"
“Dong,” Shen Ci shook his head, “he seems rather smooth in his dealings with people, but I still prefer Lord Liu.”
"What? You like Lord Liu?" A voice suddenly came from behind, startling Shen Ci, who glared at him irritably.
"Chu Mingyu, do you walk without making a sound?!" He blushed, his voice trembling with rage. "The 'like' I'm talking about isn't the kind of 'like' you think it is!"
Chu Mingyu sat down next to the two of them, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes: "Oh. But speaking of which, I also admire Lord Liu, it's such a pity!"
Another silence fell. Only after entering officialdom do you realize how much trouble a good colleague can save you.
“There’s a three-year evaluation period. Maybe he’ll be transferred back once his term is up?” Chi Yan’s words swept away all the melancholy.
"That's true." Chu Mingyu, remembering something, changed the subject, lowering his voice with a slightly serious tone, "By the way, have you heard about the Eldest Princess's matter?"
Chi Yan paused in her act of picking up food, then looked up and asked, "What's wrong, Princess?"
"You don't know yet?" Chu Mingyu's eyes widened in surprise, and he nodded. "That's right, the news probably hasn't spread yet. I heard it from the scholar. It's said that the Princess and the Empress were taking a walk in the Imperial Garden when, somehow, the Empress fell down the steps and hit her head. She hasn't woken up yet!"
Chi Yan and Shen Ci both tensed up: "And then?"
Chu Mingyu shook his head: "The Eldest Princess was summoned by His Majesty for questioning, and there's no news yet. Right now, everyone's saying that the Eldest Princess pushed the Empress." He frowned. "Everyone says that the Eldest Princess and the Empress have been at odds for a long time, but to be so blatant is just too arrogant, isn't it?"
Chi Yan's expression grew serious, and he vaguely realized that this matter was probably not so simple.
——
"impossible!"
Shen Tangning's face turned cold as she resolutely said, "Although Your Highness and Aunt have had some disagreements, their relationship has long since improved, and it is absolutely impossible for Your Highness to do such a thing!"
Moreover, resorting to underhanded tactics is not in line with Yan Mingyi's usual style.
But her aunt hadn't woken up yet, and she didn't know the situation, so she couldn't help feeling a little anxious.
Chi Yan pulled her down to sit and patiently comforted her: "Calm down first. There shouldn't be any major problems with the Empress, otherwise it would have already caused quite a stir."
Shen Tangning forced herself to calm down: "What about the Eldest Princess?"
“She’s not the type to be bullied, and I haven’t heard of any punishment from the palace yet.” Chi Yan paused slightly. “But this matter is indeed strange.”
Her eyes were filled with coldness: "It seems like they're deliberately trying to drive a wedge between the Empress and the Princess."
She frowned slightly. "However, since the Princess returned to the capital, her relationship with the Empress has remained strained on the surface. Who would deliberately orchestrate such a thing to sow discord between them? And what benefit could they possibly gain from it?"
Almost simultaneously, Shen Tangning and Chi Yan blurted out:
"His Majesty."
Back then, the eldest princess and the empress were close friends, and Emperor Chongde probably knew best just how intimate their relationship was.
If the two were to reconcile and form a secret alliance, Emperor Chongde would be extremely uneasy.
——
"Your Highness, this time they're probably targeting you."
A lingering sorrow hung between Yin Fang's brows, and her expression was inevitably somewhat uneasy.
In contrast, Yan Mingyi was sitting on a prayer mat, meditating with her eyes closed, slowly and calmly turning the prayer beads in her hand, her expression undisturbed.
Yin Fang knew better than anyone that since leaving Putuo Temple, Her Highness had rarely touched these things again. One reason was that she didn't believe in them, and the other was that she loathed them, because they represented her dark and hopeless past.
She didn't believe in these things, but now she's brought them out again...
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