Is something about to happen again? And is it related to him again?
The emperor scrutinized everyone in the court, and the ministers were all filled with apprehension. Fortunately, Tong Aning's voice rang out once again—
[But won't treating me like this provoke envy and resentment from others?]
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, rolled up their sleeves and wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads. How could they dare? Besides, they now firmly believed that Tong Aning was a goddess, and they only hoped that Tong Aning would protect the Great Xia and make those things that might threaten the foundation of the Great Xia have nowhere to hide. How could they be jealous or even hate her?
Even if the emperor were to bestow some more gifts upon Tong Aning, it would all be worthwhile.
The emperor said, "These things are for you; take good care of them."
Tong Aning nodded with a beaming smile, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will certainly take good care of it."
That was the end of it.
Just as the court session was about to end, the Third Prince returned.
The person who entered was tall and elegant, with an exceptional air about him; he was clearly of noble birth.
[Tsk tsk tsk, he's even more like a prince than the prince himself!]
Ministers: "!!!"
Good heavens, who else but Tong Aning would dare to say such a thing?
The emperor, seated on the dragon throne, also looked somewhat solemn because of these words.
The third prince knelt before the emperor, saying, "Your subject greets Your Majesty."
Emperor: "Rise."
The third prince stood up, cupped his hands, and said respectfully, "Your subject has been fortunate to fulfill his mission. The floods in Jiangnan have passed, and the people have returned to their peaceful and prosperous lives."
The floods in Jiangnan occurred last month.
Spring floods were not unprecedented in the Great Xia, but because of the long time that had passed, local officials were unprepared. Therefore, although the scale of this flood was small, the damage it caused should not be underestimated.
The imperial court took this matter very seriously, and just as the emperor decided to send someone to Jiangnan, the third prince stepped forward.
At that time, the Crown Prince was still under house arrest. Among the princes, only the Third Prince stood up. The Third Prince's courage impressed even the Emperor, and he gained considerable prestige as a result.
The prince's teeth were almost ground to dust.
The Empress Dowager is right. As the Crown Prince, he must be watched all the time. He must be extremely careful and must not repeat the mistake he made last time.
If I get grounded again, who knows what I'll miss out on?
After all, these brothers are no pushovers.
The emperor was overjoyed, "Good, well done! I will reward you handsomely."
The Third Prince solemnly replied, "These are all material possessions, and I do not care about them. As long as I can relieve Father's worries and spare the people of Jiangnan from the suffering of disaster, I will be content."
[That was so well said!]
The ministers' minds also began to wander.
The Crown Prince has yet to achieve anything significant, and compared to the Third Prince, he is almost outmatched. However, the Crown Prince is the son of His Majesty and the Empress, and was established as Crown Prince at birth. Can his position truly be shaken?
Unaware of the ministers' ulterior motives, Tong Aning held the Third Prince in high regard. After returning home and hearing Tong Siyan's account of the Third Prince, his image in her mind grew even more impressive.
Tong Aning's eyes widened. "The Third Prince once saved your life, Second Sister, how come we didn't know?"
Not only was Tong Aning surprised, but the others were also astonished, and even more so, they were worried about Tong Siyan.
Tong Siyan smiled and reassured everyone, "It's all over now, don't worry about me."
Su Zhouyue held Tong Siyan's hand tightly, unwilling to let go. Tong Siyan was her first daughter, and Su Zhouyue naturally cherished her. However, fate was not kind to her daughter. It was one thing that her love life was not smooth, but their Marquis's mansion was not unable to support her. Now, even Tong Siyan's life was threatened.
Su Zhouyue secretly decided that she must go to the temple again to pray to the Bodhisattva to bless them all with An'an.
As soon as Tong Siyan saw Su Zhouyue, she knew what Su Zhouyue was thinking. She patted her mother's hand and continued talking.
When the Jiangnan was flooded, Tong Siyan was Jiangnan. Seeing the people displaced and starving, Tong Siyan felt terrible, so she set up tents and distributed porridge.
One day, while distributing porridge, they encountered a group of refugees. Tong Siyan and her guards were separated by the group. Just as one of the refugees raised a knife to stab Tong Siyan, the Third Prince appeared. He kicked the refugee away, and his men quickly brought the situation under control.
Tong Aning: "The Third Prince also knows martial arts?"
Tong Aobai said, "A gentleman must learn all six arts. Aning, didn't you also have to learn archery when you were at the Imperial Academy?"
Tong Aning scratched her head, "Oh right, but why doesn't Heir Xue know how?"
[Not only can't they do it, they're also very weak.]
Tong family. "..."
Why did this all suddenly turn to Xue Lin?
But Tong Aning looked at Tong Aobai with an eager expression.
Tong Aobai coughed lightly, "Young Heir Xue, it was an accident."
Considering Xue Lin's family background, Tong Aning nodded solemnly.
Su Zhouyue said, "No matter what, the Third Prince saved Siyan, and we cannot fail to repay this kindness."
Tong Aobai agreed, saying, "Madam, why don't we take Siyan with us tomorrow, prepare some gifts, and go to the palace to thank the Third Prince?"
"Very well, the Third Prince has rendered such a great service this time, he will probably be granted the title of King soon."
Once the third prince is granted the title of king, it means that the ministers will have one more person to support.
*
night.
Tong Aning sat cross-legged on the bed, rolling the pillow under her hands around absentmindedly.
Xixi asked: [Host, what are you thinking about?]
[The Third Prince saving the Second Sister... something just feels off to me.]
What's strange about it?
Tong Aning gave an analogy. "[It's like suddenly inserting an ancient romance novel, the kind where the hero saves the damsel in distress, into a gossip column.]"
Xixi: [...]
There could be no more apt metaphor than "host".
Are you worried that the Third Prince has his eye on your Second Sister?
[It's not impossible. Although my second sister is no pushover, I, as her younger sister, still need to think this over carefully.]
Tong Aning suddenly rubbed her hands together. "[ Xixi, it's been a long time since I've heard anything about the royal family. Are you interested in this Third Prince?]"
Xixi: [... I understand. I'll give you two pounds of the Third Prince's melons right away.]
Tong Aning chuckled twice.
Tong Aning, who stayed up late to follow the gossip, discovered that the Third Prince was truly a remarkable person.
His mother was originally just a concubine abandoned in the cold palace, and although he had the title of prince, he was disliked by everyone, and even the palace maids and eunuchs could bully him at will.
Very pitiful.
People who live in such an environment for a long time usually develop warped personalities, but the Third Prince did not turn out that way.
He was a very filial son, treating his mother very well, and always giving her the best food.
His mother also loved the child very much. She hated herself for being so useless, for falling into the trap set by the other concubines, being abandoned by the emperor, and causing her child to suffer with her.
She vowed that she would definitely get the Third Prince out of the Cold Palace.
When the Third Prince was ten years old, she embroidered a picture of a hundred flowers. Although the flowers were just embroidered, they could attract real butterflies.
The emperor, seeing this spectacle, considered it an auspicious sign. The third prince's mother regained favor, and the third prince was also given more importance.
The third prince lived up to expectations; although he started his studies late, he was diligent and hardworking, surpassing some of the other princes.
This time, they seized the opportunity presented by the floods in Jiangnan.
Tong Aning sighed, "Indeed, a strong person is strong wherever they are."
The next morning at court, the third prince was granted the title of Prince of Jin.
He deserves all of this.
The ministers were startled. What did this mean? Was it confirmation from the goddess?
The emperor's gaze also became subtle.
However, he had met Tong Aning a few times and knew that Tong Aning was a very simple person. In her eyes, black was black and white was white. She hated evil and might just think that the Third Prince was a good person and deserved all that he had.
After the morning court session, Tong Aning and Tong Yibin returned to their residence together, while Tong Aobai, Su Zhouyue, and Tong Siyan went to see the Third Prince.
Inside the carriage, Tong Aning asked, "Brother, aren't you going to the Ministry of Justice?"
"I'm not going today."
[Isn't my older brother a workaholic? The kind who practically lives in the Ministry of Ministry of Justice? How could he say something like that?]
Tong Aning stared at Tong Yibin without blinking, her eyes clearly questioning whether he was really Tong Yibin.
Tong Yibin: "..."
Sometimes being too passionate about work isn't necessarily a good thing.
Tong Yibin had no choice but to say, " The Ministry of Justice has encountered a tricky case."
"What?"
"It happened in Jiangnan."
Tong Yibin's expression was grave, Tong Aning guessed that this case must be quite serious.
She quickly sat up straight. "Brother, please speak."
Tong Yibin said in a deep voice, "A village in Jiangnan, Suizhou, was massacred. All 120 people in the village perished, including the elderly, women, and children."
Tong Aning made preparations, but clearly not enough.
She slammed her fist on the table in front of her, her eyebrows furrowed tightly. "What? Who did this? It's an outrageous crime!"
[If we catch this person, even tearing him apart by five horses wouldn't be too much of a punishment!]
Tong Aning was clearly furious.
Tong Yibin began to regret telling Tong Aning about this. He comforted her, saying, " Lord Lin thinks so too, and he has already sent people to investigate."
"Once we catch the murderer, we must torture him severely!"
Looking at Tong Aning's earnest eyes, Tong Yibin said, "Of course."
In all these years, the Ministry of Justice has never encountered such a cruel case.
Tong Aning felt relieved and blinked. "But what does this have to do with you not going to the Ministry of Justice today, brother?"
Tong Yibin: "..."
"Your older brother needs to rest, doesn't he?"
Tong Aning: "..."
"I'm sorry, sir."
Tong Aning rested her chin on her hand, thinking, "[It's Jiangnan again. Could this be related to the Third Prince?]"
[Yes, host.]
Tong Aning: "!!!"
Why would a prince like him slaughter villages in Jiangnan?