His Imperial Sister Set the Trap; One Sentence from Their Foolish Little Brother Drove the Crown Prince Mad
"Send people to Yi Prefecture to investigate." The emperor turned around, his tone turning cold. "Not to investigate any witchcraft or sorcery, but to find out what Prince Yi is actually doing. And while you're at it, find out more about that Chen Qing."
Chen Dehai agreed.
The emperor sat back on the dragon throne and placed Prince Yi's memorial and Prince An's secret letter together.
On the left is the Tubo's attempt to attack Yi Prefecture.
On the right, the second brother is saying the third brother is playing with poop.
He suddenly recalled the obedient appearance of Gu Nianli and Gu Nian'an in the Empress's palace a few days ago.
Although the two children were young, at least they spoke and acted like normal people.
"None of the adult princes are easy to deal with."
The emperor murmured something, picked up the ginseng tea, and took a sip.
The tea has gone cold.
The bitter taste spread across the back of my tongue, intensifying the pain in my temples.
For the past few years, Consort Xian has lived in a side hall of Palace of Eternal Longevity. The location is remote, and the sunlight doesn't reach much, making it especially cold in winter.
When she received the letter from the Crown Prince, she was squatting under the eaves changing the soil on her potted orchids.
The letter was written hastily, with messy handwriting and several ink smudges, as if the hand hadn't been dry before putting pen to paper.
The Consort Xian finished reading the text word by word, and the small shovel in her hand fell into the flowerpot.
Her son said that the queen wanted to abandon him.
The Empress is searching for the second daughter of the Chen Family for the Fifth Prince.
He said he had made many mistakes over the years, that he shouldn't have distanced himself from his mother, shouldn't have bound the Chen Family so tightly, and most importantly, shouldn't have trusted the Empress to the point of giving up his life...
Consort Xian folded the letter, tucked it into her sleeve, and stood in the corridor for a long time, the cold wind making the hem of her clothes flutter back and forth.
She changed into a clean old dress and went to the Hall of Supreme Ultimate to request an audience with the emperor.
The emperor was reviewing memorials when he saw Consort Xian enter, and he was slightly surprised.
This woman was usually very quiet, rarely leaving Palace of Eternal Longevity, and even less likely to come to Hall of Supreme Ultimate on her own initiative.
The Consort Xian concubine performed the rituals with perfect decorum, her knees landing very softly.
"Your Majesty, I have come to beg for your mercy."
The emperor put down his pen.
"Explain."
" Yuan'er has been confined to his quarters for many days. I know he has made a mistake, but I dare not defend him." The Consort Xian's voice was not loud, and it had a slight nasal tone, as if she had been crying.
"But with the year drawing to a close, if Your Majesty would allow him to attend the family banquet and see his brothers and sisters, I would be eternally grateful."
The emperor looked at her.
Consort Xian lowered her head, her fingers gripping the hem of her dress, the skin on her knuckles rough and dry.
The emperor suddenly remembered something from long ago.
When Gu Moyuan was a child, he fell and injured his knee. Consort Xian carried him to Hall of Supreme Ultimate to fetch the imperial physician. She didn't cry along the way, but her lips turned white from biting them.
At that time, he thought that although this woman was incompetent, she was honest and kind-hearted.
Later, Gu Moyuan entered the Eastern Palace and, with the Empress's support, visited Palace of Eternal Longevity less and less.
Consort Xian never came to ask for anything or complain about anything.
"The year-end family banquet..." The emperor pondered for a moment, remembering that he had originally planned to announce something at the family banquet.
The fifth prince, Gu Nianli, entered the Hall of Reverence for Literature in the Eastern Palace to study.
This matter will have to be discussed in front of the Crown Prince sooner or later.
Why not let the Crown Prince come out and see how he reacts after hearing this?
"Granted," the emperor said. "Let him come out, and behave himself."
Consort Xian kowtowed to express her gratitude, but her knees wobbled as she stood up, and the maid beside her quickly helped her up.
She left the Hall of Supreme Ultimate with a faster pace than when she entered.
The warm pavilion in the Imperial Garden.
Before the end of the year, a new batch of plum trees appeared in the Imperial Garden. Red and white blossoms crowded the branches, weighed down by snow, yet they bloomed more vibrantly than in previous years.
Three charcoal braziers burned in the warm room, and on the table were fruits, snacks, and several dishes of candied fruit. In the middle was a plate of pomegranates, their red skin split open to reveal plump seeds.
The Fifth Prince, Gu Nianli, sat in the warm pavilion, holding a jade chessboard in both hands. The chessboard was dark green with gold wire inlaid on the edges and corners. It was quite heavy, and he had to use both hands to hold it.
Gu Moli sat opposite him, holding a candied fruit in her hand, and took a bite.
"Look, Your Majesty!" Gu Nianli pushed the chessboard towards her, her little face full of pride.
"This was bestowed upon me by my father this morning. Master Zhang from the Hanlin Academy said that jade chessboards are only given to princes who study diligently, and I am the only one in the entire palace who owns one!"
As he spoke, he turned the chessboard over to show Gu Moli the imperial seal on the base.
"No one in the Hanlin Academy says you're the only one with that." Gu Moli smiled and reached out to touch the gold thread pattern on the edge of the chessboard.
Gu Nianli snorted, "Anyway, nobody else has it."
Gu Moli picked up the teapot on the table and poured him a cup of hot tea.
Footsteps sounded outside the warm pavilion. A young eunuch, bowing, walked past the window, glanced into the pavilion, and then quickly walked away.
Gu Moli held her teacup and looked out the window, where she saw a figure dressed in the Crown Prince's everyday clothes walking towards her from the distant corridor.
Crown Prince Gu Moyuan, having been released from confinement, was being led by a young eunuch towards the Imperial Garden.
Gu Moli put down the teacup, stood up, and straightened her clothes.
"Fifth brother, your elder sister is going to change her clothes."
She walked to the door, paused, and turned back to look at Gu Nianli, who was still playing chess, her voice casual as if she were chatting.
"Fifth Brother's jade chessboard seems to be a token of his future as heir apparent."
Gu Nianli didn't quite understand, but he felt that his elder sister was praising him, so he grinned.
Gu Moli lifted her skirt and stepped out of the warm pavilion, brushing past the approaching Crown Prince in the corridor.
She bowed her head in greeting, and the crown prince nodded, his face ashen, with dark circles under his eyes.
After the Crown Prince's figure disappeared into the distance, Gu Moli slowed her pace.
She glanced back in the direction of the warm pavilion, tucked her hands into her sleeves, and slowly walked away along the plum grove path.
In the warm room.
The crown prince stepped over the threshold and saw a table full of fruit and a chessboard, and then he saw Gu Nianli sitting alone inside.
When the eunuchs and maids who were serving him saw him like this, they quickly withdrew.
Gu Nianli looked up, recognized the person, and slid down from his seat.
Remembering his mother's usual teachings, he respectfully addressed her as "Elder Brother."
The crown prince did not answer, but stood by the table, his gaze fixed on the jade chessboard.
Seeing that he didn't speak, Gu Nianli assumed that his elder brother also wanted to see the chessboard, so he quickly picked it up.
"Brother, you've come at the perfect time."
"This is a chessboard given to me by my father, who said that life is like a game of chess, and the world is like a game of chess."
Seeing that his older brother was silent, he tried to cheer him up.
Then, mimicking the tone her nanny usually used in giving instructions, she spoke in a childish voice.
"Brother, Mother says you won't be able to have a nephew. You should eat more pomegranates."
As he spoke, he picked up a pomegranate.
"The old ladies all say that pomegranates have many seeds, which has a good meaning..."
The charcoal fire in the warm chamber burned brightly, but the prince's face was as white as the snow outside the window at that moment.
[Thanks to: Umbrella-kun for the extra update, Killer's brilliant performance, Jiu Meng for the likes! x2, Milk Tea x2, Inspiration Capsule, and everyone for your love and support (ෆ´˘`ෆ)♡!]
[I was thinking of adding a chapter, but I'm worried that the next chapter might be too gory and make people uncomfortable. Just testing the waters (´o̴̶̷̤ㅂo̴̶̷̤`) ]