12dz Chapter 127 Princess Shouchang
Chapter 127 Princess Shouchang
"I want to know why Xu Sizhi happened to attack Caiyi."
"And who tampered with those clothes?"
If Caiyi had not been killed by Xu Sizhi, the emperor would not have been so suspicious of her.
"It was that girl Caiyi who stole a valuable headpiece from Xu Sizhi. Xu Sizhi is the Empress Dowager's man, and Your Majesty knows that the Empress Dowager's men act without scruples, and it's not uncommon for them to commit murder for this matter."
"As for those clothes, I really can't find any clues here, but apart from Concubine Zheng, I'm afraid no one dares to falsely accuse the Empress."
Zhichun said hurriedly.
The queen frowned. Although these words sounded reasonable and flawless, she still felt that these things happened too coincidentally.
"Have you inquired about the back hall?"
"Gu Jieyu?"
Zhichun asked doubtfully.
"Regardless of other things, the person who benefited the most from today's events was her. Not only did she gain the title of Zhaoyi for nothing, she also earned a lot of sympathy from the Emperor."
The queen narrowed her eyes.
"According to Her Majesty's instructions, we in Ci'an Palace have been secretly keeping an eye on what's going on in Jing'an Residence. Concubine Gu and the First Prince have indeed lost their appetite over the past two days. The First Prince seems to have been frightened by what happened last time. You know how children can't stand being frightened."
"And from what I can see, the haggard look under Concubine Gu's eyes today doesn't seem to be fake."
Zhichun replied in a low voice.
"Regardless of whether this matter is related to her or not, I cannot allow her to continue to gain power."
She could tolerate the emperor being even-handed, but she could not bear to see him favoring one concubine over another.
"I just remembered something. Didn't Shouchang return with Grand Commander Shen? They have a deep mother-daughter bond. Now that the Empress Dowager is ill, she should come to Ci'an Palace to visit."
"Yes, I will send someone to invite the princess to the palace tomorrow."
Zhichun immediately understood what his master meant. Princess Shouchang's temper and status were not something Concubine Gu could handle.
It would be easy for something to go wrong at that time, and at the very least, Concubine Gu would suffer.
……
At Jing'anju, Gu Youning was still confused about Caiyi's death.
"What does my aunt say?"
"He'er asked Lan Sizhen, and she said she was just following her master's orders and didn't do anything extra. Perhaps it was because Xu Sizhi treated her servants harshly and didn't take the lives of the palace maids seriously. With the Queen Mother's support, she naturally acted without fear."
Tan Yin said.
"No, Xu Sizhi clearly came after Caiyi because her hairpin was stolen. There was no need to hide this. Moreover, this incident could prove Caiyi's bad character and punish her without any hesitation. But she just concealed this and instead made up some false accusations."
Gu Youning shook his head.
"Master, do you think Xu Sizhi is hiding something important?"
Tan Yin also reacted.
"Ask your aunt to check carefully, but there's no rush. Let her take good care of herself first."
No matter what secrets Xu Sizhi was hiding, judging from his attitude this morning, it was probably not directed at her.
She wanted to get to the bottom of it because she had previously seen Xu Sizhi's resentment towards the Queen, and perhaps she could take advantage of it.
"Yes."
After Tan Yin agreed, she asked her master doubtfully, "While the Emperor is showing pity to you and the eldest prince, why don't you let Young Eunuch Qin come to Ci'an Palace..."
"No rush. With the confession in hand, Qin Tinglu has no choice but to obey if he doesn't want his clan to be exiled. This move can be made at any time."
"The Emperor just promoted me today. This is not the right time."
She and Zheng'er had just entered Ci'an Palace the day before yesterday despite the rumors, but they would leave again in three days. The followers of the Cui and Zheng families in the court would definitely use this to attack her, and might even take action against Qin Tinglu, which would be disadvantageous to her.
After the Queen Mother smells the incense for a few more days, her mind becomes more confused and her condition looks more serious. That will be a good time for Qin Tinglu to speak.
"We servants haven't even congratulated our master on being crowned Zhaoyi yet, but she's already been crowned a palace mistress just a few months after returning to the palace. How impressive!"
Tan Yin watched her master plan step by step until today, and her eyes were full of admiration for Gu Youning.
"Over the next two days, you should arrange to distribute the reward money, and don't forget the palace maids who are staying in Changchun Palace."
Gu Youning's eyebrows also curved slightly. This was indeed an unexpected joy today.
……
The next day, at the palace gate.
"You must serve the princess carefully. If she loses even a hair, I, the governor, will hold you responsible."
The man who was speaking was wearing a purple official uniform. His facial features were fairly regular, but the scar that ran across half of his face was particularly conspicuous.
"Slave, you obey!"
The two maidservants knelt on one knee and accepted the order.
"Well, with you, the Grand Commander, here, even my brother the Emperor wouldn't dare to do anything to me."
Princess Shouchang was wearing a purple palace dress and leaning against the man like a little bird, but there was a flash of disgust in her eyes.
"Haha."
When Shen Huan heard this, he hugged the person and laughed heartily twice.
"I'm here. If you encounter those fools, Princess, just let them teach you a lesson. I, the governor, will bear all the consequences for you. Just don't let yourself be wronged like you did before."
Shen Huan looked at the person in his arms with obsessed eyes.
"I understand. You should go see my brother and don't miss out on important matters. I should also go to my mother's place."
Shouchang gently pushed the man, speaking softly and coquettishly like an ordinary woman, without any of the arrogance and domineering attitude she usually displayed in front of others.
After Shen Huan let the people go, he sternly instructed the two maidservants and then headed towards Qianming Palace.
After Shen Huan's figure completely disappeared from his sight, Shouchang wiped his hand that had just been held with disgust. He was about to throw the robe to the maid next to him, but when he saw Wu Bi next to him, he stopped.
"Princess, it's cold outside. I brought you a stove to warm your hands."
The maid next to her was very tactful. She handed over the hand warmer in her hand and took the scarf from her master's hand.
When Shouchang and his group arrived at Ci'an Palace, the queen was already waiting at the palace gate with her people.
"I have met Her Royal Highness, the eldest princess."
"No gift!"
Shouchang was very satisfied with the grand reception and bowed to the empress with rare courtesy: "Shouchang greets the Empress. Please trouble her to come out and greet me personally."
"I haven't seen you for a few months. Sister Shouchang has become even more beautiful. It seems that she is living a very comfortable life in the Governor's Mansion."
The Queen stepped forward, took Princess Shouchang's hand, and spoke with envy.
"The governor really treats me very well and never lets me worry about anything."
Although Shouchang looked down on Shen Huan, he always mentioned Shen Huan when showing off in front of others.
"But you, sister-in-law, look a little haggard. Are you tired from taking care of the Queen Mother, or are you worried about your brother and these women again?"
Shouchang pretended to be concerned.
"If you ask me, the Queen Mother is not feeling well. All the concubines in the six palaces should take turns to care for her. Why is it that only the Queen Mother is burdened with this?"
"Princess, you may not know that Consort Zheng is under house arrest by the Emperor, and He Chongyuan of Guanju Palace has been demoted to a talented lady. Only Consort Gu has just been promoted to Zhaoyi, but she is now taking care of the eldest prince. As the head of the Central Palace, our Queen has no choice but to work harder."
Zhichun was walking beside him.
"I can't believe so many things have happened in the palace recently. Forget He Zhiyi, but why did the Emperor even punish Concubine Zheng?"
Princess Shouchang has always been close to Prince Liang. If the Zheng family had not held military power and stood behind the current emperor, it would have been her brother Prince Liang who ascended the throne.
If her brother, Prince Liang, ascended the throne, her life would be much more comfortable than it is now, and she wouldn't have to go to the crying land in the northern frontier to accompany that peasant.