King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 497 The Zhu family’s daughter-in-law

The prince's body was weak, and the incident of fainting was nothing new.

Knowing that he was fine, the emperor and the empress breathed a sigh of relief.

Although these two bastards made them angry, they were their biological sons after all, so how could they really not worry about it.

Just listen to Zhu Xianming's instructions: "Send the message to the Imperial Physician Haosheng for treatment, and then send the message to the Supervisor of Ceremonies. Don't send any more memorials to the East Palace these days!"

"Yes!"

After the eunuch retreated, Yang Qingyin said: "Let the fourth child rest for a while!"

"Ok!"

In the past, when Zhu Xianming heard this, he would definitely curse and criticize the prince to pieces.

At this time, Zhu Xianming's reaction was mediocre, and he seemed to be more sad than sad.

The two discussed for a while, and then they had lunch together. Then Zhu Xianming returned to Qianqing Palace, planning to work overtime to finish today's work.

As for Prince Xiang's Mansion, although the news was relatively slow, Baochai also knew what happened at Qianqing Sect.

Although this incident was all caused by her, knowing that the Fourth and the Sixth Lao were pinching her still made her feel dumbfounded.

"Sister Ting, now in the eyes of the world, I have become a dishonest person. I am afraid that there will be no place for me in this palace..."

In the back garden of the palace, Baochai was leading a group of female family members for a walk. Following her were Yang Jingting and Daiyu, followed far behind by Zhen Qin and Zhu Yunsheng.

Hearing Baochai's words, Daiyu was startled, and then quietly looked at Yang Jingting.

The latter's face did not change at this time, and he persuaded with gentle words: "Sister Bao is unparalleled in talent, beauty, and wisdom... Why should you pay attention to these nonsense!"

Hearing this, Baochai just smiled slightly and did not continue talking.

She was unparalleled in talent, appearance, and wisdom, but she didn't mention anything about virtue. Sister Ting didn't even say anything in the scene... Daiyu felt very uncomfortable.

Seeing that Baochai was silent, Dai Yufang said: "Sister Ting, you are the Queen's niece. Now that someone is slandering Sister Baochai, you have to help her defend her!"

As the "second in command" of the palace, if Yang Jingting is willing to stand up and defend Baochai, it will be very convincing and will be a heavy blow to external rumors.

If she is really willing to do these superficial things, she will really be a difficult opponent... Baochai thought to himself.

Thinking of this, Baochai couldn't help but glance at Daiyu and wondered where this girl stood, actually thinking of such a good idea for an outsider.

"That's natural!" Yang Jingting replied calmly.

She only replied four words to express her feelings, which made Daiyu even more disappointed. She really didn't want to see the situation of "sisters fighting each other".

Just when the atmosphere was subtle, Zhu Yunsheng quickly ran forward and said: "Sister Ting, I made a mistake yesterday and let you win a son. If I come back today... I will definitely beat you!"

"This..." Yang Jingting looked at Baochai and the two, intending to tell Zhu Yunsheng that they couldn't leave.

Zhu Yunsheng didn't care at all. He pulled Yang Jingting and said as he walked: "You just stay with me...Sister-in-law Thirteen, let's say goodbye first!"

"Sister Bao, I'm going first!" Yang Jingting said.

After she left, Daiyu said sadly: "Maybe... it's irreversible!"

Looking at Daiyu who looked worried, Baochai smiled and said, "As long as we have a clear conscience!"

So the two of them were left walking forward together. As for Zhen Qin, she also took Xiangyun Yinglian and went to play somewhere.

At this moment, Ying'er got the news from a maid, so she came over and reported: "Queen, Deng An asked to see you, saying that I have something important to report!"

After looking at the pavilion in front of him, Baochai looked at Daiyu and said, "Let's go sit there!"

Daiyu was a little hesitant. She actually didn't want to hear too many secrets, but she felt that she should accompany Baochai.

"Alright!"

Baochai smiled and said, "You are still the best!"

After saying this, Baochai glanced at Ying'er and ordered: "Let him come over!"

"Yes!"

About a few minutes later, Deng An came to the pavilion and knelt down in front of Baochai.

After he saluted and stood up, Baochai said calmly: "Tell me...what's the matter!"

Deng An glanced at Daiyu who was standing aside. This action was noticed by Baochai, who immediately said: "If you have anything to say, just say it!"

Now that the princess has spoken, Deng An immediately said: "Reporting to the princess, Li Wenzhao from Nancheng Qianhu Office sent someone to report that the person who spread the rumors has been found, but..."

"If you have anything to say, just say it!" Baochai frowned.

Deng An became more and more respectful and replied: "It's just that the people coming here are very involved, and they don't dare to take action on their own, so they want to ask for instructions from the princess!"

They say they don't dare to take action rashly. To put it bluntly, they are just afraid of offending others. Of course, these people's thoughts cannot be hidden from Baochai.

I just heard her smile and say: "When...Jin Yiwei is on an errand and needs to ask for permission from our palace!"

"This..." This was not easy for Deng An to answer. Of course, he knew what was going on.

Picking up the tea cup, Baochai opened the lid and fiddled with the tea, and asked casually: "Tell me... who did they find?"

Seeing that she didn't ask further questions, Deng An was relieved and immediately replied: "Report to the empress, they said that the person behind the scenes is... a member of the Yuan branch of the Yongchang Prefecture!"

In the Yongchang Mansion, the royal family of the current empress, the Jin Yiwei really did not dare to do anything casually.

Unexpectedly, Baochai said: "How is this possible? Someone must have maliciously framed him. If they continue to investigate, they will find out the real mastermind!"

After being stunned for a moment, Deng An replied: "Yes!"

"Go down!"

"Slave, please resign!"

After Deng An left, Dai Yufang asked: "Sister Bao... the Jin Yiwei didn't even dare to touch the Yang family, how dare they go after Prince Rui's house?"

Daiyu's words also surprised Baochai, but the girl understood her purpose.

"Just keep checking!" Baochai smiled slightly.

As long as we keep investigating, we will be closer to the truth, and the emperor and empress will be more suspicious of Prince Rui's Mansion.

Seeing that Daiyu still looked worried, Baochai comforted her and said: "Okay... just don't worry about this matter. It's just a farce, and I don't know how it will end in the end!"

Listening to her understatement, Daiyu couldn't calm down in her heart.

The so-called farce of the royal family fell on the subjects like a mountain.

Those prison students who were deprived of everything and those officials who were imprisoned will never be able to recover, which will even lead to the downfall of their families.

For the first time, Daiyu felt that this close sister in front of her was so far away from her.

"What's wrong?" Baochai asked doubtfully.

Daiyu wanted to excuse her, but she still asked bluntly: "Sister Bao... I just feel uncomfortable!"

"So many people have been punished and suffered for this matter..."

Sighing, Baochai took Daiyu into his arms, stroked her head and said, "Good sister... That's how things are in the world, everything has a price!"

"They have reached this point and there is nothing they can do about it!"

After reading several sentences in a row, Daiyu finally felt better.

In order to stop Daiyu from worrying, Baochai chose to change the topic and talked about interesting things that happened in the palace.

After a while, the two started talking and laughing. It was obvious that the carefree time they had had was still worth remembering.

Soon half an hour passed, and when they were about to go find Zhen Qin, Ying'er appeared in front of Baochai again, followed by a female official from Kunning Palace.

Before Ying'er could speak, the female official took the initiative to salute, and then reported: "Princess, the Queen has summoned you to the palace for an audience!" When the Queen summoned you, Baochai naturally did not dare to delay, and asked Daiyu to find Zhen Qin and Empress Xiangyun. She then set off with the female officer.

When she, the princess, travels, she not only alerts the palace guards, but also the soldiers of the five-city army and horse divisions are required to participate in martial law, and the Jinyi Guards are responsible for clearing the roads. Of course, the imperial guards are also required to escort her.

Under such a grand scene, everyone knew that it was Princess Xiang who was traveling, and they couldn't help but talk about what happened in the princess's chamber, so a large number of people were arrested and imprisoned.

Baochai wouldn't know about these things, and of course she wouldn't care if she knew.

Sitting in the carriage, she was only thinking about the purpose of the queen summoning her and how she should deal with it.

It took more than half an hour to get from the palace to Kunning Palace. During this period, she imagined six or seven possibilities, and she was already prepared for the worst.

When she entered Kunning Gate, she found that the place was extremely lively today, with more than forty wives coming to see her.

These people are not only high-ranking wives, but their respective husbands are in key positions. They can be said to be the most powerful group of women in the Ming Dynasty.

"Meet the princess..."

"Meet the princess..."

Although these people were of high rank, they were not as good as Baochai, so they all stood up and saluted her.

When Baochai returned the gift, he also walked straight towards the queen. After approaching the phoenix throne, he saluted and paid homage.

"My daughter-in-law bows to my mother, and wishes my mother long blessings and good health!"

"Get up!" Yang Qingyin said with a smile and kind eyes.

"Thank you, Queen Mother!" Baochai stood up carefully and waited patiently for the Queen's instructions.

The same was true for the high-ranking wives present. Although they appeared calm and relaxed on the surface, they were actually listening with their ears pricked up.

They could guess that what happened today was unusual. After all, it was extremely difficult for people like them to get together except for ceremonies. This incident itself was very abnormal.

Instructing Baochai to sit aside, Yang Qingyin said: "The prince is ill and needs to rest for a while. The princess must take good care of her..."

The Queen's initial words were completely beyond Baochai's expectations, which forced her to think quickly about what the Queen was going to say next.

"I have been low on energy recently, so I left all the matters of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth concubines to the Crown Princess to take care of!"

"Now that she can't leave, you should take over this matter!"

"The re-election has passed two days ago. Once these women learn the rules, you will be the one to preside over the final election!"

Hearing this arrangement, not only Baochai was confused, but the senior wives present were also surprised.

Even if the Crown Princess has something to do, Princess Rui should take over the job according to the order, but now the Queen has arranged for Princess Xiang.

The queen is wise and wise, so there must be deep meaning in such an arrangement... Everyone present thought so.

People with quick thinking, combined with the recent rumors in the capital, plus today's affairs in the Imperial College and the Qianqing Sect, can guess the Queen's intentions very closely.

Obviously, by arranging such an errand for Princess Xiang, the Empress wanted Princess Xiang to stand up and give the most powerful response to the rumors on behalf of the royal family.

No matter how the rumors spread outside, no matter how slandered the outside world was, Baochai was the daughter-in-law of the royal family, and she was the most noble Princess Xiang of the Ming Dynasty.

Of course Baochai could understand the queen's purpose. It had to be said that she was so moved at this moment that she burst into tears.

"Daughter-in-law... De Bo..."

Wiping away tears, Baochai knelt in front of the queen again and cried: "It is really difficult to take on this important task. I hope my mother will take back her order and then consider the suitable candidate!"

The Queen asked back: "You are the right candidate, how do you want me to consider it?"

Regardless of Baochai's reaction, the queen continued: "You must handle this matter well and choose a suitable princess for the fourteenth and fifteenth!"

"Do you understand?"

The Queen's words left no room for negotiation, and Baochai could only nod in agreement.

"The chosen show girl is now learning the rules at the Shangyi Bureau. If you have time, go and see more, so that you can have a sense of proportion!"

"Yes!" Baochai replied respectfully.

After giving this most important order, the queen then chatted some more gossip, and the ladies present really tried their best to cater to her.

Another half hour passed before the Queen ordered everyone to disperse.

After leaving Kunning Gate, everyone gathered around Baochai, complimenting her endlessly and dismissing the rumors from the outside world as worthless.

Baochai dealt with everything appropriately, but in her heart she saw these people clearly, knowing that they were just talking and no one knew what these people really thought.

After leaving the palace and getting in the car, Baochai returned to the palace.

Just when she was about to go find Daiyu, Lin Hongyu appeared in front of her again.

"Princess, my servant has something important to report!" Lin Hongyu looked solemn.

After two months of getting along, Baochai knew Lin Hongyu's ability and character very well, and knew that she was a steady and rigorous person. There must be something wrong with her being so serious this time.

"Say it!" Baochai replied.

Looking around, Lin Hongyufang said: "My dear, there are so many people here..."

It seems that there is something really important... Lin Hongyu's words made Baochai make this judgment.

So she ordered the left and right to step aside, and then let Lin Hongyu continue speaking.

"Princess, Chief Jia Yunjia has an old friend who has been entrusted by him to run for the palace specifically to investigate rumors. They have made a major discovery in the past two days!"

Baochai, the boss of Jia Yunjia, knew this, so she asked, "What did you find?"

Lin Hongyu looked around, and then said: "They discovered that the people spreading the rumors were people from the Yongchang Mansion!"

Jin Yiwei has found out this, so after learning the news, Baochai can be said to have no reaction.

But Lin Hongyu was not discouraged, and continued: "They have continued to investigate in the past two days, and they also found that the people from Yongchang's Mansion have contacts with people from Prince Rui's Mansion!"

Hearing this, Baochai finally became interested. This was the first time someone had connected Prince Rui's Mansion.

Since she wanted to rebel against the general, she needed this information, so she asked: "Is this serious?"

Kneeling down quickly, Lin Hongyu replied: "How dare I deceive you in the slightest!"

After signaling Lin Hongyu to stand up, Baochai Fang smiled and said, "This Jia Yun is quite capable!"

Although she was curious as to why Baochai didn't ask more questions, Lin Hongyu still explained the matter: "Reporting to the princess, Chief Jia said...this errand was all thanks to the efforts of his friend Ni Er, who worked day and night to find out the clues!"

Jia Yun was indeed aboveboard and never wanted to take credit for Ni Er's achievements, so she specifically asked Lin Hongyu just to point out Ni Er's contribution.

But in fact, Baochai didn't care who took the credit, because in just a few seconds, she thought of how to take advantage of it.

So she continued: "Yongchang's residence is virtuous and upright, and Prince Rui's residence is even more dignified. How could he do such a thing!"

"You can't talk nonsense!"

Lin Hongyu found that she really couldn't keep up with the princess's thoughts, and didn't understand why the other party mentioned such a sentence again.

Thinking that she had been misunderstood, Lin Hongyu hurriedly explained: "Princess Qi, my servant has also asked this question. Both Master Jia and Ni Er have guarantors, but the content found is true!"

Baochai was silent for a few words, and then sighed: "They are all pillars of the imperial court and close relatives of the Queen and the Empress. I can do nothing to them!"

Sighing, Baochai laughed at himself: "Unless the sun shines brightly and their conspiracy is revealed to the world, will there be a chance to clear my name!"

The reason why Lin Hongyu was able to enter the palace was because Baochai liked her agility, so she was looking forward to the girl's next reaction.

The few conversations just now always made Lin Hongyu feel confused, and Baochai's last sentence made her think deeply.

(End of this chapter)