RPAGF Chapter 406 Something strange was discovered
Chapter 406 Something strange was discovered
Seeing that the Emperor had kept Sheng Tong behind, the Crown Prince breathed a sigh of relief and stayed with him for a while longer before leaving the Zichen Palace.
The younger sister saw him out and exchanged pleasantries: "The concubine is about to enter the palace, and ensuring the continuation of the imperial line is of utmost importance. His Majesty is always concerned about this, and His Highness the Crown Prince should also pay close attention. By the way, the Crown Princess hasn't visited me for quite some time. Is the Eastern Palace so busy?"
The Crown Prince looked at his younger sister with a half-smile, convinced she was trying to curry favor, yet also somewhat disdainful. The Si family had always been so arrogant; Si Mutong, along with Prince Ning, had always opposed him. Now that Si Muwan was seeking peace, wasn't it a bit too late?
He said calmly, "I am indeed very busy. Please forgive me, Consort Wan."
The young woman looked embarrassed, exchanged a few polite words, and was about to leave.
The Crown Prince called out to her, "Your Highness Consort Wan, I have been very busy and have not been able to attend to matters concerning the Dali Temple. However, it has been quite a while since I have seen His Highness Prince Ning."
The young woman paused, forcing a smile, and said, "Really?"
But there were no further words.
The Crown Prince gave her a deep look, then stepped out of the Zichen Palace.
The younger sister clenched her fist; today's test had been effective. She took the initiative to seek peace, but the Crown Prince didn't respond. She then brought up Prince Ning, her meaning clear: only if Prince Ning submitted would the Crown Prince let them go.
Regardless of whether Prince Ning was willing or not, Prince Ning and his second sister were not together, and he could not replace the Si family.
Moreover, the Crown Prince is stubborn and self-willed, and is by no means someone who will listen to honest advice.
The younger sister gently placed her hand on her lower abdomen, hoping the medicine would work and that she would conceive a son. The Emperor wasn't truly unwell; she could hold on until her little prince grew up without any problem.
When the Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace, he first inquired about Song Yin's recent situation there, especially about Gui Shan.
Song Yin smiled and said, "Your Highness, rest assured, the previous warnings have had an effect. The Crown Princess has been very well-behaved lately and is focused on preparing for the entry of the concubine into the palace."
"She's always been pragmatic, and that's about all she has to offer."
Song Yin said, "Your Highness is Her Majesty's heaven. Her Majesty only misunderstood something before. Now that you have corrected your mistake, everything will be fine."
The crown prince glanced at her and pulled her into his arms: "You want me to go to her place?"
Song Yin's eyes were slightly red: "If this servant doesn't want to, does Your Highness not want to go?"
"Give me a child, and I will find the most suitable mistress for our child." After saying this, the crown prince kissed him.
……
The second sister went out to investigate a case and had just returned when she learned that the Emperor and Consort Wan had summoned her to the palace.
She quickly changed her clothes and went to the palace.
Because only she and her younger brother were in the Si family in Kyoto, and her younger brother was still a child, it was inconvenient for him to go to the palace often to accompany his younger sister, so she went to the palace more often.
But because she was always busy, her younger sister didn't want her to work so hard, so she didn't call on her all the time.
I wonder if something's happened this time.
As she entered the palace, she found it strange that the guards at the gates were so strict, and each gate was thoroughly checked.
The second sister asked the guard, "Is something happening inside the palace? Why are they checking so strictly?"
The guard was very indifferent: "Just follow the rules, go in."
The second sister was puzzled and paid close attention, noticing that during her several visits to the palace, most of the guards were unfamiliar faces. This was strange; the palace valued stability, and the turnover of guards was very strict, making it impossible to replace so many guards in a short period of time.
Upon arriving at the Zichen Palace, they were even more alarmed.
The Zichen Palace is the Emperor's personal guard, and even the Emperor's personal guards have been replaced many times.
When she saw her younger sister, the younger sister was as usual, holding her hand and saying, "Second sister, you've finally come. I was so lonely and missed you so much."
The second sister exchanged a few pleasantries with him, inquiring about the Emperor's situation and also about her own.
The younger sister still looked innocent and carefree, but her brows were furrowed with worry: "His Majesty's condition is not good, but a few days ago His Highness the Crown Prince recommended a high-ranking monk who prays for His Majesty every day and chants sutras by His Highness's bedside. His Majesty has improved."
At this point, she couldn't help but smile.
“The high monk is exceptionally capable; perhaps if he continues chanting for a while longer, His Highness will be fully recovered.”
My younger sister wasn't averse to Buddhism before, but she wouldn't have placed all her hopes on Buddhist practice like she does now.
The younger sister took the second sister's hand and said to the servants, "You may all leave now. I want to have a private talk with my elder sister."
After everyone left, the younger sister didn't show it on her face, but lowered her voice and said, "Second sister, there's something I need your help with."
The second sister's eyelids twitched: "You tell me."
“Gui Shan came to me before, saying that the Crown Prince was being arrogant and wanted to marry nine women, choosing the best one from among them to become a concubine. I felt this was inappropriate, so I informed His Majesty and he directly issued an imperial decree to select three concubines for the Crown Prince. After that, Gui Shan never came to the Zichen Palace again…”
"Are you worried that something has happened to the Crown Princess?"
The younger sister shook her head: "I asked Yinxin to check on her, and she's fine. She just said she's busy. The more she acts like this, the more abnormal I feel. I did run into her in the Imperial Garden a couple of days ago and we exchanged a few words. She was polite but distant. She's changed so much. Second sister, I'd like to ask Prince Ning to help keep an eye on the Crown Prince's movements."
After pondering for a long time, the second sister nodded and said, "I understand. Actually, I've been feeling uneasy at the Dali Temple lately. We who are on duty are fine, but those officials who used to be on good terms with me are now hardly talking to me."
"Did you offend them?"
The second sister said, "At first, I thought it was something I did, but then I found out it wasn't. They're not as close to each other as they used to be. And... everyone likes to pray to gods and Buddhas now, especially to Wuxiang Temple..."
Most of those who worship Buddha are women, but some officials also believe in these things.
However, the Dali Temple is an exception. The Dali Temple values evidence, and even if there are things that ordinary people cannot understand, the people of the Dali Temple will only think that they have not found enough evidence.
Even they started praying to gods and Buddhas.
It must be said that this is related to the prince's belief in Buddhism.
The second sister then said, "When I entered the palace today, I noticed that many of the guards inside the palace, as well as those in the Zichen Hall, have been replaced. Is this the Emperor's order?"
The younger sister patted her hand: "You don't need to worry about that, His Majesty knows what he's doing."
The second sister was relieved. After leaving the palace, she went to Prince Ning and told him about the strange things she had discovered and what her younger sister had told her.
Prince Ning frowned: "I've always felt something was wrong, and I've thought about investigating before. But the number of abnormal cases submitted from various places is far greater than in previous years, and I haven't had the time. Now that I think about it, I'm afraid these cases are also the result of someone's deliberate actions."
For example, those old cases from more than ten years ago, although they are important cases, there is no need to pile them up at this time and thoroughly investigate them again.
It was as if someone was deliberately trying to hold him back.
Previously, Feng Ziheng was in charge of most of the affairs within the Dali Temple. He had a good relationship with Feng Ziheng, so they each had their own responsibilities. Now that the Emperor had transferred Feng Ziheng to the Grand Secretariat and removed him from the affairs of the Dali Temple, he was quite unaccustomed to it.
"Don't worry, I'll go to Wuxiang Temple tonight."