Looking at Prince Jing who left in a huff, Concubine Han gritted her teeth and glared in the direction of Jinhua Garden with her fiery eyes. After a long while, she left in disappointment.
Yun Yichen stood still, his eyes fixed on the direction Concubine Han had left. His expression was unclear, and his tightly pursed lips betrayed his current mood. He hadn't intended to eavesdrop on his father's conversation with that woman. He knew the outcome from their expressions, even without listening. He would remember the vengeance he had for harming his mother and sister.
"My Lord, the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict is still waiting for your reply," Xiao Anzi reminded him. His own Lord was definitely unique in being able to make the people sent by the Empress Dowager wait.
Yun Yichen turned around and glared at Xiao Anzi. No one will die in a short time, so why rush?
Xiao Anzi complained in his heart, you are not afraid, and they dare not cause trouble to you, but I am in a miserable situation. If they put the blame on me, I will be skinned alive if I don’t die.
Finally, the Crown Prince arrived, strolling leisurely. The head eunuch of Fengxiang Palace immediately rose to greet him respectfully. This was a veritable little ancestor, doted on by the Empress Dowager, cherished by the Emperor, and the only legitimate son in the palace. Concubine Han was truly unworthy, having failed to produce a son in all these years. If the Concubine had been more capable, there would have been no place for the woman surnamed Yin in the palace.
The Crown Prince's eyes resembled the Empress Dowager's, and because of this, he became the most favored of all the emperor's grandchildren. Even though his mother had never been favored by the Empress Dowager, and even though he had repeatedly provoked Concubine Han, both openly and covertly, it had not shaken his position in the Empress Dowager's heart.
"Your servant greets His Majesty."
"Tell me, what's the matter." Yun Yichen asked in a slightly cold tone.
"The Queen Mother misses you and has summoned you to the palace immediately."
"Because the princess is unwell, this prince has a lot of homework piled up, and I really can't spare the time. Once the homework is completed, this prince will go to the palace to apologize to the Empress Dowager."
Hearing this, Xiao Anzi's mouth twitched. The prince's lying skills are becoming more and more perfect. You are unhappy and don't want to enter the palace, but you can even link it with studying, and you say it with righteous words, it's impossible not to admire it!
Because of Concubine Han's poisoning and the Queen Mother's partiality, it's strange that this little ancestor can feel happy! If he had known that this mission would not be so smooth, the eunuch who was delivering the imperial edict would not have wasted his breath and would have taken his leave and returned to report.
Yun Yichen, who had absolutely no schoolwork to complete, paced back and forth in the open space in front of the living room, with Xiao Anzi quietly following behind. The Crown Prince, aside from being talkative with those close to him, was otherwise quiet. He never spoke openly, preferring to keep things to himself. The Crown Prince must find a cheerful, joking Crown Princess, otherwise life would be too dull. Unconsciously, Xiao Anzi had already begun to consider his master's lifelong affairs.
Prince Jing came into Jinhua Garden and picked up his daughter Yun Ruonan. The thin little girl seemed to be a little afraid of her father. She didn't dare to act coquettishly or be intimate with her family like most children. She was often tortured by illness and was instinctively afraid to get close to people. She only felt more comfortable in front of her mother.
King Jing asked a few questions, but his daughter either looked at him blankly or lowered her head in silence. At this time, Princess Jing came over and took the child. She was afraid that her husband would not like such a daughter. As a mother, she had no ability to protect her daughter. If her daughter did not please her father, how would she live in the future? King Jing knew what she was thinking at a glance. This showed how much she did not trust her husband. He felt sorry for his daughter, so how could he dislike her? It was no wonder that his wife refused to trust him. After so many things happened, the final result was that not only his wife, but even he himself could not find a more appropriate word than incompetent to describe himself.
The wet nurse took the little princess from Princess Jing's arms and went to the next room, leaving the couple sitting opposite each other and chatting.
"Achen said that a Lord Xiao came to see you." Princess Jing Yin Qianhua never called her husband "you" in private. The way they got along was no different from that of an ordinary couple.
"Master Xiao also has a sick child at home who is the same age as Ruonan, and he wants to ask Lin You to take a look at the child."
"Is this General Xiao's residence?"
"Exactly."
Yin Qianhua fell silent. Mentioning the Xiao family naturally reminded her of the Yuan family. The Xiao and Yuan families were in-laws, and the Yuan family was Yin Qianhua's aunt's family. Yuan Yutong was her cousin. For many years, fearing that she would bring trouble to her cousin's family, they had basically stopped visiting each other, and could only silently care about her in their hearts.
Prince Jing silently held his wife's hand. Marrying him had cost her so much. He had insisted on marrying a daughter of the Yin family as his principal wife, rather than his cousin from the Han family. This had angered his mother, the queen mother, who had always held sway over everything. Although the marriage was finalized, it had caused his father-in-law to lose his official position, and the family had to leave Kyoto in disgrace. His mother had never wanted to see him. Whenever there were celebrations or other events in the palace, he would always bring his son, and even Concubine Han would attend... Thinking of all this, Prince Jing felt heartbroken and even more heartbroken. The queen mother, who always claimed to be doing it for her son's good, yet repeatedly and cruelly hurt the people he cared about most, loved and cared for her son in this way.
King Jing took out a jade token from his sleeve, put it into his wife's hand, and wrote on the table with tea, "The profits from our shop outside have been deposited in this bank. This is a token of trust. Please keep it." Then he winked at his wife.
Yin Qianhua nodded. Her husband was in charge of the inner and outer courtyards of the palace, and they were financially independent. Jinhua Garden's expenses should have been covered by the palace, but Concubine Han had adopted the Queen Mother's tactics, hoping to monopolize power and thus making things difficult for her. Prince Jing didn't waste any time, covering all expenses for Jinhua Garden and keeping a firm grip on the palace's assets, leaving Concubine Han with nothing but an empty shell.
The palace was full of spies from the Queen Mother, the Han family, or Han's concubines, so whenever the couple had confidential matters, they would communicate in this way. King Jing had considered eliminating the spies from each family before, but later realized that if he eliminated one group, there would be another, so he gave up.
The eunuch who returned to Fengxiang Palace was reporting to the Queen Mother. After repeating Prince Yun's words word for word, he lowered his head and quietly retreated to the corner.
Queen Mother Han's face was cold, her eyes half closed, and her nails stained with Impatiens juice tapped lightly on the back of the chair, making a "tap" sound.
A long time passed, so long that the palace servants thought she had fallen asleep. Then, Queen Mother Han suddenly opened her eyes and snorted coldly, as if talking to herself, or to the nanny beside her: "What a good grandson of mine! I underestimated that woman. She actually had the nerve to instigate Achen to oppose me."
No one dared to respond to the Queen Mother's words, their heads hanging even lower. Clearly dissatisfied with this reaction, she glanced around coldly and snorted again.
As the emperor walked out the door, he sighed inwardly. His mother's dissatisfaction with his younger brother and sister-in-law grew. Anything that angered her in Prince Jing's mansion was ultimately blamed on the princess. The relationship between his mother and his younger brother Xuan had been nearly exhausted by Princess Jing and Concubine Han. He truly missed the days when the three of them were united in purpose, supporting each other through the palace. Now, having weathered the storm and the lows, their relationship had weakened considerably.
"Meet the Queen Mother."
"My prince, you are here. Come and sit down."
"Is it possible that the servants below weren't serving you well enough? You don't look well. How about asking the imperial physician to take your pulse?"
"I have a heart disease, even the imperial physician can't help."
"Mother, please listen to your son's advice, Axuan..." The emperor was interrupted before he could finish his words.
"I know you're very busy, so don't bother with these little things. I have my own ideas."
The emperor gave a helpless smile. His mother was too strong and his brother Xuan was too protective of his wife. How long would he have to continue playing these two roles?
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