Chapter 206 Trust
"Just now, I went to the Jinyu Pavilion to get a hairpin for the queen, and I saw Xiao Fuzi from the Jinyu Pavilion sneaking over to Concubine Xin's place. I felt something was wrong, so I followed her."
Concubine Xin is a distant relative of Xiang Zheng.
Although Xiang Zheng was convicted, the emperor did not vent his anger on her for a while. Her position and favor remained unchanged, and the emperor even called her card last night.
"Xiao Fuzi is serving outside. Logically, he shouldn't go into the noble lady's room to answer questions. Even if the items from the Gold and Jade Pavilion are delivered, it is not his turn. I saw him go directly into the courtyard of the noble lady Xin, so I asked Taohong to go over and listen."
Taohong was a maid assigned by the Empress Dowager to Concubine Xin.
"Taohong only said that she couldn't hear what was said, but she heard a few sentences here and there, one of which was this: Is King Yu really alive?"
The Queen Mother could hardly breathe. After a long while, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
"Why would she say that?"
The nanny said, "Taohong said at the time that Concubine Xin seemed to be frightened or stimulated. She asked this question in a sharp voice, so she heard it clearly at the time. Later, Concubine Xin repeated the question several times, but she kept her voice down and it was vague. However, because she heard the previous sentence clearly, she could guess that the question she asked repeatedly later was this one."
The queen was so shocked that she couldn't utter a word, and her throat felt like it was blocked by a ball of cotton.
The Queen Mother had been through a lot, and after the initial shock, she had calmed down a little. "Keep an eye on Xiao Fuzi, don't let him notice anything."
The nanny took the order and turned away.
As soon as she left, the queen turned around and grabbed the queen mother's hand, "Mother, what should we do? Is Prince Yu really alive? If he is alive, why would he go to the palace to tell Concubine Xin!"
Why!
The answer is obvious.
If King Yu was really alive, he would most likely be the knife or backer for the Third Prince to seize the throne.
No wonder the third prince, who had no background at all, could make Xiang Zheng follow him in that way.
The Queen Mother couldn’t figure it out before, but now she seems to understand a little.
If there is a King Yu behind the Third Prince, it would be crystal clear.
But how did Xiang Zheng get connected with King Yu?
After a brief thought, the Queen Mother did not bother to answer the Queen's question and immediately stood up, "Go and call the Second Prince to the palace."
She paused for a moment, then thought of the Second Prince's dying state. The Queen Mother angrily pounded her fist and said, "Forget it. I will go myself. You make the arrangements immediately. I want to go see the Duke of Zhenguo now.
Oh, right, call the aide of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, He Chao, to come along as well."
Half an hour later, in the Heavenly Prison.
The Duke of Zhenguo looked at the two people who came with him in astonishment, "My queen, what happened?"
It must be something very important that could make the Queen Mother come in person in the middle of the night. The Duke of Zhenguo was so frightened that he could hardly breathe.
He Chao also stood there with a puzzled look on his face, waiting for the Queen Mother's next words.
The queen mother wore a large hat on her cloak, revealing only half of her face. "I'll be brief. Today I received some news. Although it's not very reliable,... King Yu may still be alive."
The Duke of Zhenguo's breath trembled for a moment, and his eyes suddenly widened, "What?"
He suddenly grabbed the cell door and clenched his fingers around the bars.
He Chao also turned around in surprise.
"Although the news has not been verified, this matter is too big. If it is confirmed to be the fact, how should we deal with it?" The Queen Mother looked at the Duke of Zhenguo.
The Duke of Zhenguo held onto the wooden railing tightly, breathing heavily and rapidly. After a long while, he looked at He Chao, "What do you think?"
After the Duke of Zhenguo got into trouble, He Chao had been taking care of the affairs in the mansion for him. Now the Duke of Zhenguo's party is still together, all thanks to He Chao.
The Duke of Zhenguo used to be suspicious of He Chao, but now he trusts him 100%.
He Chao was silent for a moment, then twisted his fingertips and said, "Why not lead me into a trap?"
The Queen Mother turned to look at him, "How do you say it?"
He Chao said, "This King Yu had been hiding well before, but now he suddenly reveals himself, it must be for the purpose of the expedition.
Xiang Zheng was sentenced to death, and the Third Prince or King Yu was anxious. "
The Duke of Zhenguo said, "King Yu has been hiding for so long, and we have never found any clues. He is now exposed just for the sake of the expedition..."
He Chao looked at the Duke of Zhenguo, and suddenly raised the corner of his mouth, "That means Xiang Zheng is not a simple person."
The Duke of Zhenguo was stunned.
He Chao continued, "Your Highnesses all know the identity of King Yu. Why did the Third Prince, as the prince of Your Majesty, collude with King Yu?
Or, King Yu had something on the Third Prince, and the Third Prince had no choice but to do it.
Or…”
Before He Chao could finish, the Queen Mother took a breath and said, "He and King Yu..."
The Queen Mother did not continue speaking, her voice suddenly stopped.
The Duke of Zhenguo and the Queen Mother looked at each other and confirmed their guesses in each other's eyes.
He Chao continued in a cold voice, "So, if we let the Third Prince do what he wants, we will wait in the wings. When the time comes, as long as we reveal the Third Prince's identity, his throne will be illegitimate.
However, this is just my humble opinion. The details will still be decided by the Queen and the Duke."
The Queen Mother immediately understood what He Chao meant.
"It's just that the third brother doesn't have to do it."
He Chao said, "If we don't take action, I can't think of any reason to tell Concubine Xin that King Yu is still alive."
The Queen Mother's eyes widened in an instant.
"You mean, they want Concubine Xin to take action... How can they do that? Concubine Xin..."
He Chao interrupted the empress dowager without caring about the hierarchy at this moment, "Noble Xin is a distant relative of Xiang Zheng, but for Xiang Zheng, King Yu was willing to expose his identity and take risks, and Noble Xin was so excited when she heard that King Yu was still alive that she couldn't control her emotions. The relationship between them is probably very complicated.
Of course, just to be on the safe side, we can first check the identities of Xin Guiren and Xiang Zheng."
The Queen Mother couldn't stay in the prison for long, let alone come here often. Before leaving, the Duke of Zhenguo just said, "If you encounter any problems in the future and it's inconvenient to notify me, just find He Chao."
After leaving the Heavenly Prison, the Queen Mother ordered He Chao to start an investigation immediately, and also ordered someone to notify the military camp to return to the capital secretly just in case.
After returning to the palace, the empress dowager asked people to pay attention to Concubine Xin's sleeping arrangements.
The Emperor knew nothing about the Empress Dowager's actions.
He had only one idea at the moment, which was to get rid of Su Qingqing.
He no longer needs this Crown Princess.
Su Qingqing was an expert in martial arts and she was bold and daring in her actions without following the rules. The emperor pondered for a long time before coming up with a safe solution.
It can get rid of Su Qingqing without making the prince lose his heart.
On this day, after the morning court session, Su Qingqing entered the palace under the order of the chief eunuch.
The imperial study was filled with the scent of sandalwood, and the emperor said with a smile, "I've known for a long time that you like Cuju. Tomorrow is the Little New Year's Eve, so I'll give you a big gift."
