Eunuch Zhang remained silent.
Gu Moli turned to Noble Consort Chen.
"Mother, I can help my elder brother investigate the Crown Prince and the Second Prince."
She folded the paper and tucked it into her sleeve.
"But please stop treating me like a child who only knows how to cause trouble."
Noble Consort Chen walked up to her and touched her reddened face.
Does it hurt?
Gu Moli turned her face away.
"Pain."
"Remember the pain."
Noble Consort Chen's fingertip paused on the side of her face.
"From now on, you are not allowed to impersonate Liu Ruyan, you are not allowed to speak carelessly in front of your father, and you are not allowed to utter the words 'ascension to the throne'."
The glimmer of light in Gu Moli's eyes hadn't faded.
"I can choose not to say."
Noble Consort Chen stared at her.
"But you'll still do it."
Gu Moli pursed her lips.
"Mother, isn't this what you taught me? In the palace, you can't just rely on crying."
Noble Consort Chen's hand fell.
"But the most important thing I'm going to teach you is to live well first."
"In my heart, it is most important to ensure that my elder brother lives a good life."
Eunuch Zhang listened from the side, his hands clenching tightly inside his sleeves.
This princess was even harder to stop than he had originally anticipated.
Noble Consort Chen turned around and walked to the table, where she lit another incense stick.
The flame ignited close to the tip of the incense stick, and the thin smoke rose upwards.
She stared at the flickering flame, uttering each word slowly and deliberately.
"You may continue weaving that net, noble lady."
Gu Moli looked up.
"Did Mother agree?"
But remember this.
Noble Consort Chen turned around.
"You are not allowed to touch the eunuchs of the Hall of Supreme Ultimate, you are not allowed to touch the pill thread, and you are not allowed to meet Gu Moran in private."
Gu Moli frowned.
"I can agree to the first two, but why the third?"
Even now, seeing him still makes your heart flutter.
"I won't."
"You've already made a mess of things today, and besides, your elder brother doesn't know the truth."
"I'm afraid he won't be able to handle it, I'm afraid he won't know how to face Liu Ruyan."
Gu Moli was speechless after hearing that, and couldn't retort for a long time.
Eunuch Zhang added a sentence.
"His Highness is very suspicious now. If you get any closer, he will ask you all sorts of questions. The princess won't be able to withstand his questioning."
Gu Moli's mind flashed back to Gu Moran's gaze in front of the palace gate, and her resentment was suppressed.
She immediately fell silent, wiped the water off her face, took off the light red gauze dress, and put on the plain dress that Noble Consort Chen had handed her.
Liu Ruyan's shadow faded from her.
The remaining one is Gu Moli.
Arrogant, stubborn, with a glint of fire in his eyes.
She placed the white jade hairpin deep inside the dressing case and closed the lid.
"Don't worry, Mother, I won't use that face to scare you again."
"My brother is busy entertaining women at home. You all help him win over those four families, and I'll continue to gather information about the noble ladies. Is that alright?"
Noble Consort Chen did not answer.
Gu Moli walked to the door, then stopped.
"Mother."
Noble Consort Chen raised her eyes.
Gu Moli stared at her and asked a question that made Eunuch Zhang's back tense.
"Whose child is that imperial brother?"
The incense ash fell into the bronze incense burner.
Noble Consort Chen looked at her but did not speak.
Gu Moli didn't back down either.
Eunuch Zhang's hands were tucked into his sleeves, his left hand loosely clenched, and his palm was sweaty.
Noble Consort Chen finally spoke.
" Li'er."
She walked up to Gu Moli and straightened the collar of her cloak for her.
"Your elder brother's family members are all dead."
Gu Moli's expression changed.
"Dead?"
Noble Consort Chen looked at her.
He died many years ago.
Gu Moli wanted to ask more questions, Noble Consort Chen raised her hand and pressed down on her shoulder.
She bit her lip, took half a step back, and bowed.
"Your subject takes his leave."
The palace doors opened, and the wind outside swept in.
Before stepping out, Gu Moli looked back one last time.
Noble Consort Chen stood under the lamp, her face pale in the firelight.
Eunuch Zhang kept his back bent and never looked up.
Gu Moli turned and walked into the palace path.
The palace doors closed.
Noble Consort Chen held onto the edge of the table, her fingertips pressing against the wooden surface.
Eunuch Zhang whispered, "Your Highness, the princess is too clever to believe it."
Noble Consort Chen looked at the closed dressing case.
Whether she believes it or not is unimportant.
Eunuch Zhang looked up.
Noble Consort Chen lowered her voice.
I'm trying to shut her up first.
As for Ran'er...
She paused for a moment.
Go to the Flower-Between Pavilion.
Eunuch Zhang felt a tightness in his throat.
Noble Consort Chen looked at him.
Tell him the children can't be kept in the dark any longer.
Afternoon.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Ultimate, the emperor read Yuan Shen's memorial again.
The chief eunuch Gao Fu and the palace attendant Chen Dehai stood aside, waiting for a long time, but they didn't hear a single curse.
The first half of the memorial was written bluntly, criticizing Prince Yi for his absurd actions.
It is said that his private donations to private martial arts schools are improper, and if left unchecked, they will cause trouble sooner or later.
In the latter half of the folded text, the style of the characters changes.
Private fights frequently broke out in the poor neighborhoods of the city's south, teenagers practiced martial arts without any supervision, and the free clinic was smashed, making it difficult for the poor to seek medical treatment.
If we truly want to break the chaos, we cannot rely solely on blocking it.
It is advisable to set up South City Martial Workshop and South City Emergency Relief Shelter in the south of the city, funded by Prince Yi, supervised by the Jingzhao Prefecture, and implemented by Chang'an County, for a trial period of three months.
The emperor's fingertip hovered over the four characters "It is better to dredge than to block".
"Was there really a commotion in the south of the city last night?"
Chen Dehai bowed.
"Your Majesty, Ye Qingyun went to the free clinic with his sword and fought with Chu Tianxing."
The emperor raised his eyes.
"Who's winning?"
Chen Dehai paused and looked at Gao Fu.
Gao Fu replied.
"Both sides suffered heavy losses. Ye Qingyun's left arm was more severely injured, and Chu Tianxing also vomited blood."
The medicine shed was damaged, and the patients were also frightened. Later, Lord Yuan and Lord Cao arrived, sealed off the alley, and began to compile a register.
The people from the Second Prince's Residence wanted to take Chu Tianxing away, but Lord Cao stopped them.
The emperor put the memorial down.
"The second brother's men are quick to run."
Chen Dehai's hands hung down.
The emperor picked up the memorial again, read it through, and chuckled.
Gao Fu's heart tightened.
The emperor said, "The third prince is no pushover either. He first berated himself in the memorial, then turned the matter into a benevolent policy."
He slammed the folded document onto the table.
"They didn't steal the credit from the Jingzhao Prefecture, nor did they let the second son get the person out of trouble. It's absurd as it may be, but their methods are quite clever."
Chen Dehai asked in a low voice, "What is Your Majesty doing?"
The emperor picked up his vermilion brush and wrote two characters on the memorial.
Approved.
Chen Dehai's eyelids twitched.
The emperor put down his pen, his tone steady.
"Summon Yuan Shen Cao Jin to the palace today to report back."
Chen Dehai agreed.
The emperor then said, "Summon Prince Yi."
Gao Fu and Chen Dehai were both stunned for a moment.
"His Majesty wishes to see the Third Prince?"
The emperor leaned back on his dragon throne, the smile still lingering in his eyes.
"I'd like to ask him that."
"Now that you're so capable, were you truly absurd before, or were you just putting on an act for my benefit?"
"I used to think he was just a silly son, letting him run wild. But now, why do I feel a vague unease?"
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