After leaving the palace, Lu Wanning got into the carriage and leaned against the carriage wall wearily. Her eyes darted around, and she felt rather vexed.
Ji Yue quietly leaned over. "My lady, Yilong came by once. She said that she saw Xiangyun wandering into your room today, claiming to be afraid that the bedding wasn't properly arranged."
Yilong and Ruhua had been here for a month. Xiangyun was usually very well - behaved. She knew that the lady didn't like her and never even entered the inner chamber. Why did she suddenly go in today, especially when the lady was out?
No wonder the lady had told them to keep an eye on Xiangyun these days. There was indeed something fishy.
Hearing this, Lu Wanning felt even more irritated. Shi Aohan's influence reached so far, yet she hadn't managed to get close to her, nor did she have anyone useful to approach her. What should she do?
She rubbed her nose and leaned lazily against the carriage wall.
Ji Yue noticed that there was a smudge on Lu Wanning's face at some point. She also saw a corner of the handkerchief peeping out from the lady's waist. So she pulled it out, intending to wipe off the dirt and then tidy it up for her.
But as she picked up the handkerchief, Ji Yue exclaimed in confusion, "Huh? My lady, this embroidered handkerchief isn't yours."
Lu Wanning opened her eyes in surprise. She took the handkerchief and had a look. It was indeed not hers. How did it end up on her? She hesitated and flipped it over. Then she found a tiny character "Han" in the corner of the handkerchief.
Was it Shi Aohan's?
But clearly, although she had deliberately tried to get close to Shi Aohan today, she hadn't obtained any of her personal belongings, let alone a silk handkerchief usually hidden inside the undergarments.
Lu Wanning carefully examined the handkerchief. The embroidery was of high quality, and the character "Han" was in a very distinctive font. If she remembered correctly, it should have been written and embroidered by Shi Aohan herself.
If she had had any intimate contact with anyone today, apart from the Empress Dowager and Granny Gui, there was no one else.
No, there was also Princess Qin. She had once whispered to Princess Qin about Sheng Jinyu's illness. So, did Princess Qin give her this handkerchief?
Did Princess Qin know what she was up to?
It was impossible. Maybe Princess Qin didn't know exactly what she was doing, but just guessed her actions from her deliberate attempts to get close to Shi Aohan.
Just like last time, when Princess Qin had tried to help her out of a difficult situation.
Although she didn't know why Princess Qin was helping her, Lu Wanning was now certain that Princess Qin was a friend, not an enemy.
After returning to the mansion, Lu Wanning first asked Granny Gu to find an ordinary purse for her. She carefully embroidered the handkerchief into the interlayer of the purse and then put all kinds of spices inside. She carried it with her.
She also asked Ji Yue to make many similar purses and gave one to each of her parents, elder brother, and sister - in - law in the family. She didn't forget to send one each to He Nanfeng, Jiang Shishi, and Zhen Yan.
In the evening, Lu Hongxi rushed back. Lu Wanning immediately went to the study and peeked around at the door.
Lu Hanchi let her in helplessly. "Ning'er, your father and I have something to do. We can't play with you. Be a good girl and go find your second brother."
Lu Wanning smiled, showing her two tiger teeth. "Father, Brother, today at the Empress Dowager's place, I heard that His Highness the Prince of Yu fainted in the main hall. Is he all right?"
Lu Hongxi frowned and shook his head. "He should be fine. The imperial doctor said that he was too exhausted. It seemed that he hadn't slept for several nights and then fainted. The Emperor was furious and severely scolded him. He was given three days' leave."
Lu Wanning pursed her lips, thought for a while, and then asked, "Is that the only reason? Father, does His Highness the Prince of Yu have some illness?"
Seeing her asking so many questions, Lu Hongxi waved his hand to shoo her away. "What illness could he have? Haven't you heard that when he was fifteen, he went out with the officials of the Supreme Court to handle cases and single - handedly captured seven sword - wielding criminals?"
Since she couldn't get any answers, Lu Wanning had to obediently return to her courtyard. She thought and thought but couldn't figure anything out.
On the other side, when the Crown Prince got some free time and went to the Duke He's Mansion, he was already at his wits' end and very unhappy.
"Uncle calls me here at this time. What on earth is it about? I also know that if Prince Xiao confesses his crimes, it will be unfavorable for me and the He family. But if we try to protect him now, it will only be more disadvantageous for us."
Duke He was extremely anxious. He didn't even care about the etiquette between the monarch and his subject. He only asked, "Your Highness, since the Emperor has set his mind on Prince Xiao, there is little room for change. Moreover, Lu Hongxi is definitely not the kind of person who can be persuaded. What I'm worried about is not being implicated, but the old case fifteen years ago. The Prince of Yu's action seems to be a thorough investigation on the surface, but in fact, it's clearly about this old case."
The Crown Prince thought for a while and then asked, "The Yan family is Sheng Jinyu's maternal family. I don't remember very clearly about the things fifteen years ago, but I do know that back then, Yan Songbai, the head of the Yan family, committed crimes and embezzled property. Finally, he committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Uncle, are you saying that there is some hidden story in it?"
Duke He paced back and forth nervously. After a long time, he took a deep breath. "The Yan family... Yes, there was indeed a hidden story in what happened back then."
He walked to the window and continued to tell the past. "At that time, you were only seven years old. The Second Prince was weak since childhood and couldn't be a threat. The Fourth Prince had just been born. His birth mother was of low status and relied on the Empress. But the mother concubine of the Third Prince was the then Consort Yan. Consort Yan was second only to the Emperor and was highly favored by the Emperor. If her maternal family, the Yan family, hadn't been just an ordinary gentry family and couldn't compare with our He family, the position of the Empress might have changed."
The Crown Prince was shocked. He had always known that the Emperor loved the Consort more than his mother and doted on Sheng Jinyu while ignoring him. He didn't expect that it had been like this since then.
"The Third Prince showed his intelligence at the age of three. He was smart and cute. Even your grandfather and your eldest uncle highly praised him and thought that his talent would surpass yours. At that time, relying on the power of the Consort, the Yan family also rose in status and was favored by the Emperor. Yan Songbai, the son of an ordinary gentry family, was only twenty - four years old. As soon as he entered the officialdom, he was appointed a fifth - rank official and then promoted to the fourth rank. If things had continued like this, with the Consort being the most powerful in the harem and the Yan family rising steadily in the court, it would have been only a matter of time before they were granted titles and high - ranking positions. Your mother's position would have been in great danger."
"Originally, with your grandfather and your eldest uncle around, even if the Yan family was powerful, the Emperor couldn't have openly deposed your mother and appointed a new Empress. But at that time, there were rumors in the court about establishing the Crown Prince early. And your grandfather and your eldest uncle firmly believed that the Crown Prince should be the most talented one, not necessarily the eldest or the legitimate son."
The Crown Prince clenched his fists. "Grandfather and eldest uncle really thought so?"
Duke He nodded. "They have passed away. As their son and younger brother, I shouldn't speak ill of them. But... At that time, I argued with them. You have the blood of our He family in you. How could they ignore you and support someone else? But they only talked about the Great Zhou and the country and didn't care about family ties at all..."
The Crown Prince's eyes were red. He had a deep impression of his eldest uncle. When he was young, his eldest uncle had taught him how to start learning and how to conduct himself in the country. He always thought that if his eldest uncle was still alive and if his eldest uncle was the Duke, his path might not have been so difficult.
He also didn't understand why his mother always looked unhappy whenever she mentioned his eldest uncle. Now he finally knew that there was such a hidden story.
"What happened later?"