"Brother, say no more!" Xiao Changying closed his eyes in anguish.
His elder brother had warned him not to trust their mother and the Emperor too much, but he had dismissed it as bitterness over his sister-in-law's death.
Since childhood, their mother had carefully protected them in the deep palace. She alone in the entire palace had safeguarded all three children's healthy upbringing. In his heart, she had always been a great and loving mother.
Xiao Changying knew their mother had contributed to his sister-in-law's situation, but he didn't like Gu Qingzhi anyway. Gu Qingzhi had never shown his brother any respect, and while their mother had delivered the poison to his sister-in-law, she hadn't forced her to take it. He always felt their mother couldn't be blamed for what happened.
That's why he had let his guard down. When his brother said he had sounded out Shen Yunnan's attitude and found him wavering about their marriage, Xiao Changying's joy showed on his face.
Their mother noticed and asked about it. He didn't hide anything, truly seeing her as someone he could confide in and trust. She had even praised Shen Xihe highly, yet then she turned around and...
Xiao Changqing understood what his younger brother was going through, having endured similar heart-wrenching experiences himself to become the unfeeling, tempered steel he was today.
In the past, he bore everything alone, hoping his only genuinely caring younger brother could grow up safe and happy.
But now he was growing weary. Once his affairs were settled, he would have no more attachments. His younger brother needed to learn to stand on his own.
Xiao Changqing didn't provoke his brother further. He stood and walked over, gently patting Xiao Changying's shoulder. "Little brother, you need to grow up quickly."
Grow up quickly to become impervious to storms, so this elder brother could rest easy.
While the Xiao brothers wallowed in misery, Xiao Huayong remained untouched by their sorrows. He was in excellent spirits today. Shen Yunnan's return and words were essentially entrusting Shen Xihe to his care. Though Shen Yunnan remained cold toward him, this only made Xiao Huayong happier.
If he weren't special to Shen Xihe, why would Shen Yunnan care so much?
So delighted was Xiao Huayong that he practically floated as he walked. Tianyuan, following behind, thought his Highness was just short of skipping to express his joy.
As the Crown Prince headed toward the Eastern Palace, Tianyuan quickly stopped him. "Your Highness, you've forgotten you have matters to attend to..."
Xiao Huayong slapped his forehead. "Ah yes! I was so overjoyed I forgot my duties."
He immediately turned and went in another direction.
It was the Double Ninth Festival, a day even the Emperor had granted early dismissal to officials on duty. While families should have been celebrating together, an urgent report of intercepted tax grain arrived, prompting the Youning Emperor to urgently summon his three chief ministers and key officials.
Minister Wang Zheng was having particularly bad luck. First, his path was blocked by two quarreling parties, forcing him to detour. Then during the detour, his horse spooked and threw him off. He barely managed to remount and rushed to the palace gates.
As he pulled the reins to dismount, the horse suddenly went wild and charged forward uncontrollably. The guards recognized Wang Zheng and made way, planning to subdue the mad horse inside the palace grounds.
Unexpectedly, the Crown Prince—who had been enjoying the view from the tower with Zhaoning County Princess and Shen Yunnan—hadn't left yet. Taking advantage of his slightly improved health, he had decided to walk a bit more.
Everyone watched in horror as the mad horse charged directly toward the Crown Prince. At the critical moment, a palace gate guard leaped forward and punched the horse's neck, sending both Wang Zheng and the horse flying backward.Wang Zheng was thrown into a dizzying daze, paying no heed to his appearance as he scrambled up in a panic to look at Xiao Huayong.
As he had anticipated, the Crown Prince had already fainted from the shock.
Amidst the chaos and confusion, the Crown Prince was carried to the Eastern Palace. The Chief Imperial Physician and other officials from the Imperial Hospital were urgently summoned to the palace. After examination, they unanimously diagnosed that the Crown Prince was severely frightened, his pulse as faint as a floating thread, and feared the worst might happen...
After arranging matters concerning the intercepted tax grain, the Youning Emperor led his ministers to the Eastern Palace. Wang Zheng knelt at the entrance of the Eastern Palace. Though usually steady and composed, he was inwardly anxious. Fortunately, he had immediately ordered his men to keep an eye on the startled horse.
To his despair, both the Imperial Hospital and the horse physicians from the Court of the Imperial Stud arrived and examined the horse, finding nothing wrong with it.
No one had framed him.
He had not only recklessly rushed into the palace on horseback due to his impatience but had also caused the Crown Prince to faint and worsen his condition. The Grand Secretary Cui Zheng and Grand Secretary Xue Heng both cast glances at Wang Zheng that were a mix of sympathy and schadenfreude.
"Lord Wang has always been steady and upright in his actions. Why was he so flustered today?" Xue Heng was the first to speak, his words laden with insinuation.
"The loss of tax grain affects the people's livelihood. Lord Wang has always been one to share the people's urgency, a model for us all," Cui Zheng added with a smile.
The matter was already suspicious, and Wang Zheng could not let these two old foxes pin the blame on him. Their words, both overt and covert, suggested that he had panicked over the loss of the tax grain.
He was neither the Minister of Revenue nor the officer in charge of escorting the grain. Why would he panic?
Unless he had something to do with the tax grain being hijacked!
"Your Majesty, I was indeed unlucky upon leaving and feared delay, which made me impatient. At the palace gate, the horse indeed lost control... perhaps... perhaps it was due to my poor riding skills," Wang Zheng bowed his head and admitted his fault.
"Your Majesty," Xue Heng said with a bow, "regardless of whether Lord Wang's riding skills are lacking, it is true that he charged into the palace on horseback and caused the Crown Prince to faint. His Highness had only just shown slight improvement, and this shock has further damaged his foundation. If this crime is not severely punished, how can we satisfy the public?"
"I second the motion," Cui Zheng also voiced his agreement.
They had once been part of the same aristocratic families. Though they often competed, they had always stood united. To elevate his own family, the Wangs, Wang Zheng had sided with the Emperor, helping him and the Fan family bring down the Gu family.
If the late Prime Minister Gu had not acted decisively at the last moment and taken all the blame, the Cui and Xue families would not have escaped unscathed.
They felt both heartbroken and disdainful toward Wang Zheng, but the Emperor shielded him, and he was cunning and cautious. Now that they had finally caught a handle, why not make the most of it?
The other ministers remained silent. This was a battle among titans; they were insignificant and should not voice their opinions lightly.
The Youning Emperor was furious at the moment, but with so many eyes fixed on him, he had to weigh his options. Charging into the palace was neither a major nor a minor offense. As the Emperor, he could dismiss it as acting out of necessity, demonstrating his leniency toward his important ministers.
But the Crown Prince had fainted because of his horse, and so many physicians feared the worst. How could he shield Wang Zheng?
"Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived!"
Before the Youning Emperor could make a decision, the Empress Dowager, who had already retired for the night, was alerted and arrived.
Everyone knew that the Crown Prince was the Empress Dowager's lifeline, having grown up under her care since childhood!
The Empress Dowager strode in, not even sparing a glance for the Youning Emperor, and rushed into the inner chamber. After looking at the pale and unconscious Xiao Huayong, she fixed her gaze on the Chief Imperial Physician. "How is the Crown Prince?"The Chief Imperial Physician’s forehead beaded with fine sweat as he stammered, “Your Majesty, Her Highness has suffered excessive shock… I fear… the situation is grave…”
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