There were also their people in Liang Zhaorong's palace. This person was handed over to Shen Xihe by Shen Yungan. During the late emperor's reign, the imperial harem was extensively expanded, with palace maids exceeding ten thousand. Various factions seized opportunities and frequently sent people into the palace.
Even after the Youning Emperor ascended the throne and conducted several large-scale purges, there were still deeply embedded spies.
She specially prepared a fragrant balm for hand care with the scent Liang Zhaorong favored, mixing it into the supplies sent to the palace. As long as Liang Zhaorong saw it, she wouldn't be able to resist it. As for how to make her see it—it was merely a matter of spending some silver.
The balm contained certain ingredients that would irritate cats. For this purpose, she had conducted numerous tests on Duanming. The cat's claws were coated with a newly formulated poison by Sui Axi. This poison would lie dormant for three days after entering the body, only showing signs of fever after that period.
If the poison was discovered at this stage, there was still a chance for recovery. However, if Zixue Dan had been consumed before detection, it would be nearly impossible to save the person.
Whatever Liang Zhaorong had done, her close confidants would certainly be aware of it. It was unlikely that she personally hung the incense ball in Bian Xianyi's room. When Shen Xihe took the incense ball to confront Liang Zhaorong that day, this matter couldn't have been hidden from her confidants either way.
No matter what, Liang Zhaorong's confidants should have been suspicious of Shen Xihe.
"Could someone be assisting the lady?" Hongyu thought of the Crown Prince.
Shen Xihe's needle pierced through, the red embroidery thread translucent against the light: "No."
Since she had personally gone to see Xiao Huayong and explicitly stated that she only needed him to have Yilan Palace summon the imperial physician and send Physician Huang, Xiao Huayong wouldn't do anything superfluous.
"My lady, Prince Dai clashed with the Twelfth Prince yesterday," Mo Yuan reported.
"Oh?" Shen Xihe was slightly surprised. After pondering carefully, she smiled in understanding. "So that's how it is."
"So it was the Twelfth Prince who helped the lady," Hongyu realized.
Shen Xihe's needle paused briefly. She smiled faintly but remained silent.
In her heart, she thought how interesting the Emperor's sons were—not a single one was incompetent. This could be considered quite an achievement.
She had seen many prominent families where one generation might bloom with talent, but there were always some mediocre individuals among collateral branches. However, from her current interactions, all of the Emperor's sons seemed remarkable.
"Your Highness, won't you inform the lady that you assisted her?"
In Yilan Palace, Xiao Changgeng's trusted eunuch Dai Yi asked quietly.
"It wasn't me assisting the lady," Xiao Changgeng set down his brush after practicing calligraphy, examining his characters with some dissatisfaction. "Rather, the lady assisted me."
He spread a new sheet of paper, dipped his brush in ink, and with firm wrist movement, completed the character for "endurance" in one fluid stroke—the character exuding vigorous strength.
He was fourteen years old now, no longer the prince who needed consorts to raise him. He had come to Yilan Palace at six and had been here for eight years.
Although Liang Zhaorong hadn't treated him harshly, she had led the entire palace in ignoring him. All these years he had been cautious and careful, not a day passing without him yearning for freedom. He was eight years younger than Prince Dai. Liang Zhaorong feared that if he displayed even a hint of intelligence, people might slight Prince Dai.
In his childhood, he was naive and unaware, thinking that diligent study in the Imperial Library would earn the Emperor's appreciation. But after suffering greatly for it and nearly losing his life, he finally understood—a prince without a mother didn't have the right to shine.
Without fully grown wings, one shouldn't spread them to let others know you possess the capability to soar through the heavens.Princes were meant to accompany princely estate officials at age ten, yet Liang Zhaorong never petitioned Your Majesty on his behalf, and Your Majesty deliberately overlooked him, leaving him a prince with nothing to this day.
Shen Xihe’s plot against Liang Zhaorong came to his attention when he noticed someone tampering with her cat. After covert investigation, he deduced it was Shen Xihe’s doing. Though uncertain of her motives or the severity of her intentions toward Liang Zhaorong, he subtly fanned the flames.
He yearned to leave the palace, to move into the Sixteen Princes’ Residence, to become master of his own household where no one could control his food, clothing, or expenses.
What method could be more natural than Liang Zhaorong’s death?
Otherwise, he would have to endure two more years before reaching an age to understand matters between men and women and leave Yilan Palace.
He threw Liang Zhaorong’s personal maid into a well, covering for Shen Xihe’s accomplice who swapped the fragrant balm.
Thus, Liang Zhaorong’s death became an unsolved case.
"But now... the palace rumors all point to you..." Dai Yi spoke with reluctance.
With Liang Zhaorong’s cause of death undetermined, one theory spread like wildfire: the Twelfth Prince, who had just begun attending court, was an ungrateful wolf who had poisoned her.
After all, outsiders rarely entered the palace, the Imperial Harem was locked at night, and the only one who could silently poison Liang Zhaorong without alerting others was Xiao Changgeng.
"Let them investigate. I am innocent and unafraid. The more fiercely they gossip, the better." Xiao Changgeng’s thin lips curved slightly.
The more they slandered him, the greater compensation he would receive once proven innocent.
He had even subtly encouraged these rumors.
After writing the character for "endurance," Xiao Changgeng added the character for "two": "She helped me twice."
The first time made Your Majesty unable to ignore him, granting him the right to attend court. The second time sent Liang Zhaorong away, granting him the right to establish his own residence.
Her appearance had altered his destiny...
"Tianyuan." In the Eastern Palace, Xiao Huayong lazily looked up from reviewing documents. "I feel somewhat unsettled."
Tianyuan murmured, "Your Highness..."
"Little Twelve is quite clever not to seek favor before Youyou." Xiao Huayong closed a dossier. "But could he have improper thoughts about her?"
Tianyuan: ...
Tianyuan didn’t know how to respond. The Twelfth Prince and the princess had barely met, and his recent actions were merely for personal gain—how could this imply feelings for her?
He suddenly realized His Highness suffered from a peculiar paranoia, one that manifested only regarding the princess. Whenever any young man met her, His Highness would suspect them of coveting her.
"He wants to leave the palace. What if I bring him to the Eastern Palace?" Xiao Huayong suddenly smiled mischievously.
"Your Highness, the Twelfth Prince is shrewd. If he comes to the Eastern Palace..." Tianyuan considered this a risky move.
"Shrewd is good. Like the Sixth Prince, it saves trouble." Xiao Huayong’s smile deepened.
Bringing him to the Eastern Palace would make him see clearly what kind of person his seventh brother was. Weighing himself against this, he would understand when to retreat and how to be tactful.
Tianyuan knew he couldn’t dissuade him. When Xiao Huayong summoned the imperial physician again, Your Majesty would naturally come personally to check on him.Xiao Huayong seized the opportunity to say tactfully, "Cough, cough, cough... This is a malady of the heart. Some days ago... I saw several elder and younger brothers chatting and laughing at the riding grounds—cough, cough, cough. With my poor health, I could only envy how often my brothers gather, living so close to one another. I often think, if Mother were still alive and I had siblings born of the same mother, they likely wouldn't grow distant due to my... status as Crown Prince..."
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