King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 729 The Creativity of the Two Princesses

"Sister Bao, is the Queen feeling better?" This was the first question Daiyu asked when she entered the palace.

Sighing, Baochai replied, "I'm afraid it's not very good!"

"Today, His Majesty has issued an urgent decree, summoning the prince to return to the capital as soon as possible!"

Nodding and sitting in the guest seat, Daiyu said, "It will take a month for the decree to reach Yili, and another month for the prince to return to Beijing. I'm afraid he may not be back by the end of March!"

Sighing again, Baochai said, "Yes...that's why I'm worried!"

The bigger the change, the more likely it is that a crisis will arise. Now that Zhu Jinghong is not in the capital, Baochai has to make decisions on all matters, big or small, so she is particularly worried.

At this moment, on the desk in front of her, there was a list of dozens of people listed according to their degree of intimacy.

The names at the top were the people Zhu Jinghong trusted the most and who were the most important to him, including the two centurions of the Dragon Guard Zhang Lin and Lu Yuxin, the deputy centurion of the Imperial City Guard Xu Guangfu, the centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard Li Wenzhao and the deputy centurion Chen Yuntai, and the commander of the West City Defense of the Five Cities Army Division Sun Shaozu.

Zhu Jinghong had many confidants in the Beijing Camp and the Imperial Guards, but these people were outside the capital and distant water could not quench immediate thirst.

The six people mentioned above all command troops within the capital and can play a very crucial role.

"Sister Bao, don't worry... We can stop the enemy with our troops and block the water with earth. Rest early, because you have to go to the palace tomorrow!"

After nodding, Baochai said, "Let's sleep together tonight so we can talk...how do you think?"

Daiyu smiled and replied, "How dare I disobey the order of the princess?"

…………

In a blink of an eye, another two days passed. Sun Shaozu had already found the right people. He had chosen two good fighters in total, both of whom were his most trusted confidants.

However, before taking action, in order to ensure that everything went smoothly, he chose to take people to the outside of Guo's house to conduct an on-site survey of the terrain.

He is indeed cautious, which is of course a good habit, but sometimes one might be too cautious.

For example, when he had just led his men to the entrance of the alley where the Guo family lived, he happened to run into Guo Xing who was riding a horse out.

To both of them, the other person was someone they would recognize even if he turned into ashes, but at this moment they both pretended not to see each other, then passed each other and went their separate ways.

At the same time, both of their expressions became gloomy.

Guo Xing saw Sun Shaozu, and also discovered the two sturdy men behind this guy. It was abnormal for the former to come here, and it was even more wrong for him to bring these two people here!

Did he recognize me? Did he know I was back in Beijing? Did he come to...

As Guo Xing became more and more afraid, Sun Shaozu was also struggling with his conscience. He was weighing whether or not to take action now.

We are still in the alley, with no pedestrians in front or behind us. If we take action unexpectedly, our chances of success will be pretty good.

"Chen Gang, Wang Qin, the man on horseback, give me..."

Before Sun Shaozu could finish his words, Guo Xing, who was nearly two meters away from him, rode his horse and galloped out of the alley.

Sun Shaozu turned around suddenly, and Guo Xing had already rushed to the long street. He pulled the reins, changed direction and disappeared.

Guo Xing lived in Dongcheng, where there were many pedestrians on the street. When Sun Shaozu and the other two ran out of the alley, Guo Xing had disappeared.

"Sir, could it be the man just now?" Wang Qin asked.

"He discovered us!" Sun Shaozu said in a deep voice.

He was unsure about this and even resisted the possibility, but he had to think of the worst.

With no other options, Sun Shaozu could only wait and kill Guo Xing as soon as he returned home without any further delay.

To ensure that everything went perfectly well, he also went into hiding, and waited for two days with his two trusted aides, but he didn't even see Guo Xing.

Even the people from the Guo family were looking for Guo Xing everywhere, which made Sun Shaozu even more anxious.

But when he saw Guo Xing returning home on the morning of the third day, Sun Shaozu felt as if he had fallen into the abyss.

Not only Censor Meng accompanied Guo Xing home, but also an official from the Ministry of War and seven runners.

With such a situation, how could Sun Shaozu not understand that his crime had indeed been exposed, and there was a great possibility that Guo Xing had reported it to the Ministry of War and the Inspectorate.

Thinking of this, he realized that it didn't really matter whether he killed Guo Xing or not at this time, not to mention that it was quite difficult to kill someone now.

Just as he had thought before, the next thing he had to do was to quickly turn the tables and expand his own dispute into a factional dispute.

So, Sun Shaozu quietly withdrew with two of his men.

After returning home, he called his wife Xia Jingui over after careful consideration.

Now that the Xiangwang Mansion is under the Princess's management, Xia Jingui interacts more frequently with the Princess, so it would be more appropriate for her to report such matters.

"What did the master call me for?"

After staying with Sun Shaozu for a few years, Xia Jingui's temper had indeed changed a lot, and at this moment he answered questions in an especially humble and polite manner.

"Madam, please take a seat!" Sun Shaozu said with a smile and even stood up to support her.

This made Xia Jingang flattered. Although he seemed a little awkward at the moment, he still sat down carefully.

Xia Jingui is now pregnant, and has been pregnant for more than four months, so her body is indeed not in good condition.

"Madam, you must take good care of yourself. Our child depends on you!"

"I understand!"

"Madam, I've been thinking about this for the past two days. You said that I have worked so hard all my life to climb up the social ladder...what on earth was it for?"

Xia Jingui was even more surprised when Sun Shaozu suddenly said this, and then she guessed what had happened to this guy.

"Of course, the goal is to restore this family!"

But Sun Shaozu shook his head, then pointed at Xia Jingui and said, "It's for you, for the baby in your belly!"

"All the wealth I have earned will eventually be left to future generations!"

Xia Jingui didn't say anything. She was now certain that the bastard in front of her was really in trouble and needed her help.

"Master, you and I are husband and wife as one, why should we separate these things between you and me!" Xia Jingui said in a calm tone.

Sun Shaozu also felt that he had overacted, so he got straight to the point: "Madam, our family is in big trouble!"

Xia Jingui was not surprised, but asked curiously: "What kind of trouble is it that makes the master so worried?"

Ever since Sun Shaozu joined Prince Xiang's palace, he has been on a meteoric rise in the past few years, and she has never seen him anxious.

"I have offended many people in the army, including an enemy..."

Sun Shaozu treated Xia Jingui as a tool, so it was impossible for him to tell her the truth. Instead, he told her a story he made up.

After hearing this, Xia Jingui was also frightened out of her wits, simply because the matter involved this time was too serious.

According to Sun Shaozu, this time someone wanted to harm Prince Xiang's Mansion and set their sights on the Sun family.

Although the Sun family has grown stronger now, Xia Jingui knows very well that if they are not careful in this matter, the Sun family will be destroyed.

After all, the current Sun family is not even a high-level military general, and is no different from tofu in a struggle of this level.

"Madam, we have to ask the palace to intervene in this matter. If we rely on ourselves, we will only end up dead!"

Xia Jingui nodded. Just as she had said before, she and Sun Shaozu were in the same boat and there was no way she could stay out of it.

"What can I do?"

"Go and tell the princess what happened and let her make the decision!"

After thinking about it, Xia Jingui nodded in agreement and realized that this was indeed the case.

Without further ado, Sun Shaozu gave his wife some brief instructions and then personally sent her to Prince Xiang's Palace.

Xia Jingui went to the palace quite frequently, so she was easily brought in.

But when she entered the inner courtyard and asked the maid, she learned that Baochai was now in Kunning Palace attending to a sick patient and could not return home until sunset.

"Can you send someone to tell the princess that I have an urgent matter to report?"

Hearing this, the female official on duty at Tongxin Palace said, "Madam, what...can be compared to the Queen's illness?"

Just this one sentence was enough to shut Xia Jingui up.

This matter involved too much, and she didn't dare to explain it to the maid. After thinking it over, she asked again: "Is Madam Lin here? I can go and see her!"

She even told Daiyu that Baochai trusted her very much, and perhaps she could find a way to at least get the princess out of the palace.

"Madam Lin, Madam Yang...they both went to the palace today!"

My goodness, the two concubines are not here, and there is not even a person in charge in such a huge palace.

"Please think of a solution, young lady. What I have reported concerns the safety of the palace. Princess, please make a quick decision!"

Having said that, Xia Jingui took out a silver note from her sleeve, which actually contained two hundred taels of silver.

After the female official accepted it, her attitude suddenly changed. She smiled and said, "It's not that I don't want to help, but I really can't help a woman!"

Just when Xia Jingui thought that the two hundred taels of silver were wasted, the female official said, "But... maybe we can try other methods!"

"Please teach me, young lady!"

The female official on duty was very decisive. She immediately went to inform one of the genuine female officials in the palace, Dong Fang, who was the most trusted by Baochai. The servants in the palace generally called her "Aunt Dong".

After Dong Fang arrived at the scene, the female officer on duty informed her of the emergency situation.

Dong Fang came directly to Xia Jingui and asked, "What is the urgent matter that Madam Sun mentioned? How does it relate to the safety of the palace?"

Only after understanding the real situation can Dong Fang decide whether to deliver the message. After all, one cannot be careless at this time.

"Aunt Dong, you know... I have never done anything rash, and I am definitely not a stupid woman!"

"This matter is of great importance, and I can only tell the princess in person. Please, aunt, pass it on for me!"

"If it's all the princess' fault, my Sun family will take full responsibility and will never implicate Auntie!"

Dong Fang is of course also a smart person. She carefully considers every word Xia Jingui said.

"Madam, do you know that the queen is critically ill and the princess is tending to her?"

"Know!"

"At a time like this, if you exaggerate and tease the princess...what will be the consequences? Have you thought about it clearly?"

"I know the seriousness of the situation, so I won't exaggerate!"

After staring at Xia Jingui for a while, Dong Fang said coldly: "Just wait!"

The same situation was happening in Prince Rui's Palace at this moment. The censor Meng Kuan was trying to persuade the chief eunuch to invite Zhu Jingyuan out.

As for Kunning Palace, the queen was only awake for a while in the morning and fell into a deep sleep again in the afternoon.

It was also because his illness was fluctuating today, so Baochai and others all came to keep watch, unlike the previous two days when they paid their respects and then went back.

As for the emperor, he left an hour ago because he had state affairs to deal with.

Dong Fang entered the palace and came to the outside of Kunning Palace, but she could not go in anymore.

But she can't get in, but some people can. After all, human relationships are important everywhere.

Dong Fang is an old hand from the palace and is very familiar with how to operate.

A few minutes later, a palace maid came up behind Baochai and told her that someone had come from the palace.

So Baochai stood up quietly and took the initiative to leave the palace, and Dong Fang immediately came up to her.

Coming to the corner, Dong Fang told the details, including the questions she asked at the end.

"Ms. Sun Xia is cautious and taciturn, maybe something big really happened!" Baochai said calmly.

Dong Fang didn't say anything. At such a touching moment today, it was already very unusual for her to rashly enter the palace to deliver a message.

Just as Baochai was weighing whether to leave the palace at this time, Dong Fang beside her reminded her: "Princess, Bian Yuzhen, the lady-in-chief of the Rui Palace, is here!"

Just as Dong Fang shouldn't be here, Prince Rui's Bian Yuzhen shouldn't enter the palace.

Such a coincidence made Baochai guess that today's event must be indeed serious.

"Go and hold her back!" Baochai ordered.

"Yes!"

After giving these instructions, Baochai entered Kunning Gate again and went straight to find Daiyu.

"Sister Lin, there are some important matters to be decided in the mansion. I will go back first...you should deal with the matter here!"

"If anyone asks, just say... a batch of medicinal herbs arrived in the palace, and I'll go pick out some treasures and send them to the palace!"

"I asked Dong Fang to stay outside Kunning Gate. If there is any change, just tell her!"

"Don't worry, Sister Bao, I'm here!" Daiyu responded.

So after the two sisters said goodbye, Baochai set out from the palace.

There were many people in the palace at this time, including the concubines and princesses of the counties, and of course the Crown Prince and Prince Rui were also there. Not many people saw Baochai leave.

A few minutes after she left Kunning Gate, Bian Yuzhen of Prince Rui's Mansion finally got rid of Dong Fang's entanglement and asked someone to deliver the news to Chen Zhi, who then passed it on to Prince Rui.

"The Thirteenth Daughter-in-law has left the palace. It seems that this matter is of great importance. You should go and have a look!"

"It's not a good idea to leave at this time!"

"I'm here, what are you afraid of? If someone really asks, just say... just say that the servants in the mansion have found some precious medicinal herbs, and you have to personally check and select some!"

Chen Zhi would never have thought that she and Baochai had the same idea.

But in fact this is normal. The most important thing right now is the queen's illness, so the excuse must be related to this matter.

Either consult a doctor or look for medicinal herbs. The former sounds unreliable, so naturally medicinal herbs seem more authentic.

So Zhu Jingyuan also left quietly.

But because he is a man, he is not very low-key and stands out wherever he goes.

As soon as he left, the prince and Yuanchun got the news. After looking at each other, the couple walked to the corner of the hall tacitly.

Yuanchun whispered, "The two families left the palace together. I think something is going on!"

"Ok!"

Yuanchun continued, "No matter what it is, it would be unfilial to leave at this time!"

The prince hesitated for a moment, then replied: "It would be bad to start a fight at this time!"

Yuanchun replied calmly: "Who said there was going to be a commotion? His Majesty will be here soon, just say a few words casually!"

"Ok!"

The prince returned to the palace, while Yuanchun went out of Kunning Gate and ordered the servants to find out what had happened.

After he returned to Kunning Palace, he heard someone outside shouting "His Majesty has arrived" after a while.

After dealing with the urgent matters, Zhu Xianming returned to Kunning Palace and hurried into the inner hall.

Seeing that the queen's breathing was stable, he felt relieved, but he was still not in a good mood.

After waiting for a while, Zhu Xianming came to the main hall and saw the prince and others.

"Why don't I see Lao Liu?" Zhu Xianming asked with a frown.

Chen Zhi bowed and replied, "Reporting to the emperor, the palace has collected some precious medicinal herbs, and Prince Rui went to select them for the queen mother personally!"

Hearing this, Daiyu, who was standing at the back, felt a tightness in her heart, because she could no longer use the excuse of "medicinal herbs".

At this moment, Daiyu prayed that the emperor would not ask any questions and racked her brains to think of a new excuse.

This was indeed a very brain-burning task. When beads of sweat appeared on Daiyu's forehead, Yuanchun's voice was heard in the hall.

"Why...I don't see the Thirteenth Wife either?"

At this moment, there were a total of four families in the palace, and the concubines from each mansion had also come. Daiyu and Yang Jingting were from Prince Xiang's mansion.

Zhu Xianming looked around and indeed did not see Baochai, so he asked, "Thirteenth family, why is your princess missing?"

(End of this chapter)