Chapter 174 Awakening
The Queen was the Duke of Zhenguo's biological daughter. When this news came out, she was so frightened that she almost fainted.
Seeing the Queen Mother vomiting blood, he became even more panicked.
It’s the Queen Mother.
After being frightened to the point of spitting out blood, she slowly calmed down. Suddenly, she remembered what Qin Wanru said today.
"Today, I made an appointment with your Excellency's wife to go to Qingquan Temple to burn incense. She told me that she was not free, but I saw her at Qingquan Temple. I don't know why she had to avoid me."
This is what Qin Wanru complained to the Queen at the time, and there was a hint of grievance in her voice as she spoke.
As the consort of the second prince, she couldn't get a date with Xiang Zheng's wife, so she had reason to feel aggrieved.
What about Xiang Zheng’s wife?
Why did she reject Qin Wanru but appear in Qingquan Temple?
How could the Qingquan Temple Zen room, with such strong walls, collapse so suddenly?
The Queen Mother calmed down and thought carefully about the whole incident. Suddenly she realized that the only victim in the whole incident was the Duke Zhenguo who was imprisoned.
"Send someone to Qingquan Temple to check and find out who Xiang Zheng's wife went to meet at the temple today." The empress dowager turned around and instructed her trusted nanny.
The nanny took the order and went to carry it out.
As soon as she left, the Queen Mother said to the Queen in a bad mood: "Cry, all you know is crying! Can crying solve the problem?"
The queen's mind was in a mess. The sentence of execution disrupted all her rationality. "Mother, father is really going to be..."
The Queen Mother interrupted her coldly, "Whether he will be sentenced to immediate execution depends on whether we can find out something before he is executed."
Previously, the crown prince went to Bashu to suppress bandits and found out about Lai Xi and the prince of Southern Liang. This was enough to sentence the Duke of Zhenguo to death.
Pleading is of no avail.
The only way to delay the emperor is to make him realize that he has been deceived.
Divert anger.
The queen was somewhat touched by the queen mother's calmness. Her sobbing gradually subsided. She wiped her tears and asked, "What do you mean, mother?"
The Queen Mother poked the Queen's forehead and said, "I will leave sooner or later. How can you remain standing when you are so panic-stricken and disorganized when faced with difficulties?
Let me ask you, who selected the current Crown Princess?"
The queen opened her eyes wide, "My Lord."
"Xiang Zheng is the Minister of War, a powerful figure with a sharp eye. How come he didn't see that Su Qingqing was a wolf in sheep's clothing?"
The queen was shocked for a moment, "Mother, are you saying..."
The Queen Mother lowered her eyelids, "A few days ago, someone told me that Yu Liang met the Third Prince in private once."
At that time, the Queen Mother did not take these words to heart.
After all, Yu Liang came from the Prince's Mansion. Even if he had nowhere else to go after leaving, his own savings were enough for him to live in Kyoto in his old age.
He has been in the Prince's Mansion for so long, he must know something. It is understandable that the Third Prince wants to find him to find out some information.
Can……
Yu Liang was introduced to the Empress Dowager by Xiang Zheng.
If there is a problem with Xiang Zheng, then there is also a problem with Yu Liang.
The Queen Mother couldn't make sense of all the events that had happened over the years, but she was sure that there were clues.
Considering what happened this time, she no longer believed that it could be such a coincidence.
What if Xiang Zheng was plotting against the Duke of Zhenguo instead of the Crown Prince from the beginning to the end?
"Mother, are you saying that he might be the prince's man?"
The Queen Mother raised her eyebrows slightly, and sneered, "When the snipe and the clam quarrel, the fisherman gains. Rong Que alone is no match for us, but without Rong Que, our next target will be the Third Prince.
If you were the Third Prince's man, what would you choose?"
The queen opened her eyes wide and thought for a moment, "I will find a powerful partner for the prince, and let him and us consume each other. When both sides are exhausted, I will take action to defeat them all."
After hearing these words, the Queen realized belatedly, "Mother, do you suspect Xiang Zheng is the Third Prince's man?"
The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes and looked out the window, "Let's wait for the results and see if Qingquan Temple can find anything."
Prince's Mansion.
Madam Xu set up a table in the corridor, and a maid brought the boiling hot pot on the table. Surrounding the copper pot, the table was filled with dishes.
Su Qingqing picked up a piece of mutton with chopsticks and put it into the pot. She counted with great interest from one to sixty, and then took it out after she finished counting.
Dip it in sesame sauce with chopped green onion, coriander and chili oil, and you will be left with an endless aftertaste.
When it comes to food, she still likes copper pot hot pot the most.
In the yard, several little maids were playing snowball fights noisily.
Su Qingqing was halfway through her hot pot meal when Jixiang came back from outside, exhausted. "My lady, it's so lively over at Qingquan Temple."
Su Qingqing tapped the chair next to her with the tip of her chopsticks and said, "Sit down and eat something. We can talk while we eat."
Jixiang had been hungry for a long time, and he didn't refuse to accept the offer. He smiled and said, "Thank you, Madam. I will go wash my hands."
After washing his hands and changing his clothes, Jixiang sat down below Su Qingqing and poured himself a bowl of wine to warm himself up before continuing, "The Jingzhao Yin, the Dali Temple Minister, Lord Xiang, the Second Prince, and the people sent by the Empress Dowager are all roaming around Qingquan Temple with ulterior motives. It's very lively.
In my life, I only obey three people: my master, the queen, and Miss Qin."
Jixiang has always called Qin Wanru Miss Qin instead of the Second Prince's Consort. This was what Su Qingqing taught him.
Qin Wanru doesn't like this identity.
"With what Miss Qin arranged, who could have noticed us? The wall collapsed without anyone noticing. Anyone who saw it would say it was a demon. Now the rumors about the fox demon are even more serious, but they are not talking about you, the queen, but about that fake Su Qingqing."
Su Qingqing picked up a piece of mutton for Jixiang with chopsticks and said, "Eat it first."
She wasn't worried about the outcome.
All of this was discussed between her and Qin Wanru. Qin Wanru was bold and meticulous in her planning. If she was an opponent, if she wholeheartedly assisted the second prince, she would be a formidable enemy.
Jixiang took a bite of mutton and suddenly remembered something. He laughed out loud with joy.
"Your Majesty could never have guessed that this time the wall collapsed, and besides the Duke of Zhenguo, there was another person who suffered."
Su Qingqing saw her smile cunningly, "Who?"
"The son born to Miss Qin's stepmother was in the meditation room listening to the abbot's meditation when the wall collapsed. Her son was led under the wall, and the wall suddenly collapsed, crushing him underneath. He didn't die, but he became lame. From then on, he had no chance of a career in politics and could only be an idler."
It goes without saying who arranged this.
After saying this with a smile, Jixiang asked again: "Your Highness the Crown Prince can't come back yet? How long will you stay in Fengtai?"
After saying this, Jixiang looked at her mother worriedly.
It is said that a short separation is better than a new marriage. This time the two were forced to separate for such a long time. The Queen finally understood who the white moonlight in the Prince's heart was all these years. This must be a fire that would burn her so much that she couldn't get out of bed for several days.
Su Qingqing was amused by Jixiang's straightforward look and raised her hand to knock on Jixiang's head, "What are you thinking about all day? Aren't you ashamed?"
