Yin Susu believed it, but she cried even louder. "Waaah, he actually lied to me!"
"He's so strong. He even slapped my face red and pushed me with his hands, asking me to serve him as a maid."
"He's actually a liar. Father, you have to avenge Susu."
Yin Susu was a spoiled child at home. Learning that she had not only been beaten but also deceived by the Third Prince, she threw herself into her father's arms and made a fuss, insisting that her father avenge her.
Hearing Yin Susu's sobs, the Princess of Jingning trembled. If Baoyu were also bullied and threatened like this... The Princess of Jingning subconsciously stepped forward and hugged Shen Baoyu tightly.
It was too tight, and Shen Baoyu felt uncomfortable. She wriggled her body. "It's too close. Baoyu hurts."
The Princess of Jingning rarely lost her composure. She whispered, "Can you let mother hug you like this for a while?"
"It's mother's fault. I didn't protect you well."
Shen Baoyu was a bit confused. She subconsciously looked up at the empty space.
Lin Yu: [Does Baoyu's mother misunderstand something?]
Master Qingyun: [The Crown Prince has bullied many people. Susu heard that Baoyu beat the Crown Prince and came to visit Baoyu. The Princess of Jingning probably thought the Crown Prince beat Baoyu and is blaming herself?]
Lin Yu: [I see. The red ginseng must have been sent back by Baoyu's mother to check the situation.]
Master Qingyun: [Chen Ruxia is very smart. When she found the red ginseng came back suddenly and was going to invite the imperial physician, she guessed something.]
The Dragon King suddenly appeared: [How did Chen Ruxia know there was an outsider coming back with them?]
Lin Yu: [Maybe it's just a guess. If she guessed wrong, it's just a game for Baoyu.]
Holding Shen Baoyu, the Princess of Jingning adjusted her emotions and looked at Lord Yin. "I've made you laugh, Lord Yin."
Lord Yin looked at Yin Susu in his arms, wiping her tears, and said with a bitter smile, "I, as a father, didn't protect Susu well. I didn't even know she was bullied like this."
"Alas, after all, he is the Crown Prince. Even though I'm filled with hatred, there's nothing I can do."
Lord Yin's words were meaningful. He didn't make it clear but just looked at the Princess of Jingning, his face showing expectation.
It was a serious matter, so the Princess of Jingning didn't dare to make a hasty decision. She just said, "Lord Yin is the Crown Prince's uncle. You should admonish the Crown Prince."
Lord Yin let out a long sigh. "But the Crown Prince wants my life! I wonder what the Princess thinks?"
The Princess of Jingning skipped this topic and invited Yin Susu and Shen Baoyu to play in the back yard together.
Lord Yin was overjoyed. Although the Princess of Jingning didn't answer, she didn't refuse either!
In a corner unnoticed by Lord Yin and the Princess of Jingning, Chen Miaochun stood silently. She had a straight posture, and so did Chen Ruxia and Yan Mingli. The three of them blocked the Treasure - Hunting Rat tightly.
After Lord Yin left, Yan Mingli was the first to relax. She leaned on Chen Miaochun's shoulder. "Finally, he's gone. I have to say the Treasure - Hunting Rat is really amazing. It didn't even make a sound."
The Treasure - Hunting Rat's ears twitched. Of course, it was the most amazing Treasure - Hunting Rat!
But where was its master? Where had its so - big master gone?
The Treasure - Hunting Rat started looking for Shen Baoyu. It overturned the tables, stools, and even the teacups on the table.
Yan Mingli was amused. "How could Baoyu be in a teacup? How silly."
The Treasure - Hunting Rat, unable to find its master, became impatient. Yan Mingli added fuel to the fire, and it bared its teeth and pounced on her.
"Aaaah, don't chase me! I was wrong..." Yan Mingli scurried around.
...
In the study of the Cui family.
"Asking the Lady to teach His Highness well in the palace, is this how she teaches? It's fine not to provoke anyone, but now he even provokes Shen Baoyu."
The thin middle - aged man was extremely headache after reading the family letter. He was Cui Zhengping, the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel and the elder brother of Concubine Li.
The family letter was delivered to Mrs. Cui by Qing'er and then passed to Cui Zhengping by Mrs. Cui.
Seeing Cui Zhengping so distressed, Mrs. Cui said with concern, "Is this matter very difficult to handle? But the Lady said His Highness was even knocked unconscious..."
"You may not know who Shen Baoyu is, but you should have heard of her elder brother's name. Shen Heqing, the most beloved grandson of Shen Qingshan, is Shen Baoyu's elder brother!" Cui Zhengping had seen several times how much Shen Heqing doted on Shen Baoyu. It was truly a deep - seated love.
Shen Baoyu was fond of sweets. Because of her young age, she didn't know how to control herself and was prone to overeating or getting toothaches. So the Princess of Jingning controlled her diet.
When the child couldn't get what she wanted, she always made a fuss. As soon as she did, Shen Heqing would detour to the pastry shop to buy pastries to coax her. No matter how busy he was, he would go home in person to make Shen Baoyu happy.
Mrs. Cui thought it was okay. "It's okay to dote on her more on weekdays. But now that there's an important matter, she should put the overall situation first."
"She's just a girl, but His Highness is the Crown Prince, the future..."
Mrs. Cui didn't say the last two words, but Cui Zhengping knew what she meant.
Even so, Cui Zhengping still felt panicked. He knew that Shen Qingshan valued Shen Heqing very much and had seen how Shen Heqing doted on Shen Baoyu. Moreover, all the civil and military officials in the court knew that Shen Baoyu had been seriously hurt by the Crown Prince...
Mrs. Cui judged others by herself and thought simply. "A girl will get married in the future, so it's right to raise her delicately. But His Highness the Crown Prince is related to the future of Dayong. Old Master Shen should be able to tell the difference."
"If Old Master Shen gets angry, husband, you can persuade him more. Maybe he'll calm down."
After much thought, Cui Zhengping agreed with Mrs. Cui's statement. He took some generous gifts and went to the Shen Mansion.
But Cui Zhengping was unlucky. Just after Pinghai left, he came.
Shen Qingshan leaned on his walking stick and looked at these rewards expressionlessly. He spat out each word through his teeth. "Good, excellent. What a wonderful Crown Prince, what a wonderful commoner, and what a wonderful Yin family!"
Just thinking about the Crown Prince calling the Shen family commoners made Shen Qingshan's face burn. Losing the position of prime minister at the most glorious time was the most painful thing in his life. Now being mocked for it, he naturally couldn't bear it.
Shen Qingshan narrowed his eyes and was calculating in his heart how to teach the Crown Prince a lesson and cause some trouble for the Yin family. If he could directly depose the Crown Prince, it would be even better.
In just a few moments, Shen Qingshan came up with a vicious plan.
Back then, the Eldest Princess died because of the corruption case in the south of the Yangtze River. The Queen had been recuperating for several years before giving birth to the Crown Prince. If people were to spread the rumor that the Crown Prince was the reincarnation of the deceased soul from that year and was now reborn as the Crown Prince to take revenge on Dayong.
It was a way to kill someone's spirit. Even if the Emperor and the Queen doted on the Crown Prince, they would have a rift in their hearts. Once there was a rift, many things would follow naturally. It didn't need to be too complicated. Just plant a faint seed in the hearts of the Emperor and the Queen.
Shen Qingshan was gripping his walking stick tightly and perfecting his idea when Cui Zhengping walked in from outside the house.
Cui Zhengping was a student of Shen Qingshan. He was able to become the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel thanks to Shen Qingshan's support. Because of this relationship, the two families had frequent interactions.
Seeing Cui Zhengping at this moment, Shen Qingshan suddenly remembered another thing. Cui Zhengping had asked him many times to suppress the Crown Prince's scandals. So this time...
Under Shen Qingshan's piercing gaze, Cui Zhengping had only mentioned the Crown Prince when he was driven out of the door by Shen Qingshan's walking stick.
Cui Zhengping stood at the door awkwardly with the gifts in his hand, looking a bit dazed. What was wrong with his teacher?