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The Emperor didn't disclose Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's crimes. Firstly, he didn't want to alarm any remnants of the previous dynasty along the border. Secondly, he didn't want Princess Ning'an to be burdened by Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's reputation.
Empress Dowager Zhuang had no objections to this decision either.
With that, the Emperor had successfully killed the conversation.
He felt that the entire study was filled with an awkward atmosphere.
He had to say a few more words...
Suddenly, a bright idea flashed in the Emperor's mind. He asked, "By the way, didn't Marquis Xuanping go to find you? Why didn't he come back with you?"
"I don't know." Princess Xinyang replied succinctly.
The Emperor: "..."
The Emperor wasn't too surprised by this answer. The relationship between the two of them was already strained to begin with, and it had only become even colder after Xiao Heng's death.
Thinking of Xiao Heng, the Emperor finally opened his mouth again, asking, "Have you visited imperial mother?"
Upon hearing this question, Princess Xinyang's expression finally showed a hint of fluctuation. She gave the Emperor a strange look before saying, "I've been there, but the Empress Dowager is not in Renshou Palace."
The Emperor muttered under his breath, "Very well, she slipped out of the palace to play cards again..."
His muttering was very soft, and Princess Xinyang naturally didn't hear it. However, her gaze remained fixed on the Emperor’s face. After a moment, she spoke slowly, "I heard that Your Majesty's relationship with the Empress Dowager has improved quite a bit." contemporary romance
The Emperor didn't deny it, "There's something that Zhen must tell you. The person who poisoned Ah Heng back then was not the Empress Dowager. It was a supervisor named Zhang Xiu who worked in the Imperial Household Department. She was bribed by the remnants of the previous dynasty and attempted to poison Ah Heng in order to frame imperial mother and sow discord between Zhen and imperial mother. Zhen only discovered the truth recently, and Zhang Xiu has already been executed."
"I see." Princess Xinyang lowered her eyes and said softly, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for seeking justice for Ah Heng."
The Emperor spoke with a serious tone, "It will only be considered seeking justice for Ah Heng when all the remnants of the previous dynasty are eradicated. You can rest assured that Zhen won't let any of them go!"
……
After leaving Huaqing Palace, Princess Xinyang headed to Kunning Palace where Empress Xiao resided.
She didn't stay long either. She just dropped in for a bit and left behind the local specialties of Mount Fengdu before departing.
As she passed by the imperial garden, she unexpectedly ran into the Crown Princess who had just come from the East Palace.
"Aunt!" The Crown Princess's eyes brightened, and she walked towards Princess Xinyang.
"Crown Princess." Princess Xinyang greeted her.
The Crown Princess, like a child seeing an elder, excitedly held Princess Xinyang's hand and said, "What a coincidence! I was planning to visit you, Aunt. Who knew I would unexpectedly run into you here."
Princess Xinyang looked at her and said, "You are now the Crown Princess. There's no need to be so polite."
The Crown Princess appeared anxious as she asked, "Aunt, have we grown apart? In my heart, no matter who I am now or who I will be in the future, Uncle and Aunt will always be my most respected elders!"
Princess Xinyang let out a barely audible sigh.
The Crown Princess worriedly asked, "Aunt, how are you feeling? I visited you yesterday, but you were in a deep sleep. I worried all night, feeling unsettled. I had no idea that your condition had deteriorated so much during those years in Mount Fengdu. If I had known, I would have tried even harder to find the Hundred Flowers Pill earlier... By the way, Aunt, have you taken the Hundred Flowers Pill? How is its efficacy?"
"The efficacy is excellent. Thanks to you, I can already walk on my own." Princess Xinyang replied, pausing for a moment before asking, "Where did you get your Hundred Flowers Pill?"
The Crown Princess looked around, leaned closer to Princess Xinyang, and whispered, "I bought it from a place known as the underground arena. There's a swordsman from the State of Qing there who happened to have a bottle of Hundred Flowers Pill."
The underground arena was a chaotic place, but it was indeed the only place where such things could be obtained.
Princess Xinyang's last trace of doubt regarding the Hundred Flowers Pill dissipated.
Perhaps the Hundred Flowers Pill was truly colorless and tasteless, and it was only the rumors that distorted its image.
The Crown Princess said with a smile, "Aunt, if you're not in a hurry to leave the palace, why not sit in the pavilion and chat with me? I'll keep you updated on the events in the capital that have unfolded during the years you were away."
Princess Xinyang didn't refuse.
It wasn't because she wanted to hear about the events in the capital; rather, she simply wanted to give face to the Crown Princess.
The two of them ascended the steps and sat in the pavilion in the imperial garden.
The Crown Princess instructed the palace servants to bring tea and refreshments.
Yu Jin looked at the butter tea and rose cakes on the table and smiled knowingly, "The Crown Princess remembers the Princess's preferences."
The Crown Princess laughed and said, "Of course, I remember. I remember everything that Uncle and Aunt love to eat! And what Ah Heng loved to eat..."
She suddenly stopped midway through her sentence.
Realizing that she brought up a painful topic, she felt regretful and looked at Princess Xinyang apologetically. "Aunt... I'm sorry... I..."
Princess Xinyang remained calm, "It's fine to mention what Ah Heng loved to eat. There's nothing that can't be said."
Yu Jin waved her hand and dismissed the palace servants.
Only Yu Jin, the Crown Princess, and Princess Xinyang remained in the pavilion.
The Crown Princess expressed her guilt, saying, "Aunt, I'm sorry."
Princess Xinyang responded, "You don't have to apologize."
The Crown Princess opened her mouth, but Princess Xinyang calmly continued, "You don't need to apologize for what you said, and you don't need to apologize for becoming the Crown Princess. Ah Heng is already dead. Even if you had married him, it would have been understandable for you to remarry."
The Crown Princess tightened her grip on the handkerchief, her eyes slightly reddening, and her throat choked up.
"Is the Crown Prince treating you well?" Princess Xinyang asked her.
The Crown Princess nodded as she felt choked with emotions.
Princess Xinyang also nodded and said, "Then I can rest assured. Yu Jin."
She gestured to Yu Jin.
Understanding her intention, Yu Jin descended the steps and beckoned to a servant girl who accompanied them.
The servant girl approached the pavilion.
Yu Jin said, "Did you bring everything you were supposed to?"
The servant girl pondered for a moment and replied, "Y, Yes. This servant has brought everything."
Yu Jin asked, "What about the box of Thousand-Year-Old Lingzhi?"
"Aiya, this servant forgot it in the carriage!" The servant girl covered her mouth and said, "This servant will go get it right away!"
After taking a few steps, she hesitantly returned and said, "This servant is not familiar with the way..."
The servant girl was brought along from Mount Fengdu and it was her first time entering the palace.
"I'll go get it." Yu Jin said to Princess Xinyang.
"No need, Long Yi will go." Princess Xinyang replied.
The Crown Princess was puzzled by this statement. Who was Long Yi?
She looked among the palace servants below the steps but didn't see anyone leaving.
Long Yi was always hiding in the shadows, undetectable even to a skilled expert, let alone the Crown Princess.
There was only one box left in the carriage, so it was easy to recognize.
Long Yi quickly retrieved the box from the carriage.
When Long Yi descended from the sky and flashed into the pavilion holding a brocade box, the Crown Princess was startled.
Princess Xinyang said to the Crown Princess, "Thank you for the medicine you sent me. This is a token of gratitude." Then she turned to Long Yi and said, "Give the token of gratitude to the Crown Princess."
But Long Yi didn't give it.
Dragon Shadow Guards generally didn’t disobey their master's orders unless they didn't understand.
Princess Xinyang was a patient master. She pointed to the box, then to the Crown Princess, and explained slowly, "You, the box in your hand, that is the token of gratitude. Give it to the Crown Princess."
Still, Long Yi refused to give it.
Princess Xinyang said, "Then give it to me."
Long Yi gave it to her.
Princess Xinyang personally took the box and went to give it to the Crown Princess. However, Long Yi snatched it back!
Even the most foolish person could tell that this Dragon Shadow Guard named Long Yi didn't want to give the Thousand-Year-Old Lingzhi to the Crown Princess.
It was like an elder in a family asking a child to share candy with other children, but the child stubbornly refused, making everyone feel awkward.
The Crown Princess felt particularly embarrassed. Her face turned red as she said, "Forget it, Aunt..."
"It can't be just forgotten." Princess Xinyang said to Long Yi. "If you want the box, I'll give you another one when we get back. This one contains a token of gratitude for someone else."
However, Long Yi still refused to give it.
Princess Xinyang frowned, "If you don't give it now, I'll get angry."
Coincidentally, Gu Jiao passed by in the imperial garden at that moment.
Long Yi leaped down from the pavilion and approached Gu Jiao, stuffing the box into her arms.
Then he turned to look at Princess Xinyang.
His gaze and posture seemed to say, ‘No need to be angry, I gave it now.’
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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