CHAPTER 352: CHAPTER 352: PRINCESS ZHUYU AND XIAO SHIQING

Qu Fulan along with Princess Qing consoled the princess for a moment, and then, under the princess’s suggestive glances, Qu Fulan had the palace attendants withdraw and quietly drugged Princess Qing.

After listening to what the princess had to say, Qu Fulan gently woke Princess Qing, and the two left together.

It was during this meeting that Qu Fulan realized she needed to place her own confidant beside Princess Zhuyu, so that communication would be easier and not so conspicuous.

She discussed it with Pei Ji’an later that evening, and he said it was possible, and that he would make the arrangements.

Regarding the message Princess Zhuyu conveyed about the eunuch, Pei Ji’an frowned upon hearing it, "Involves succession conflict?"

Is this King Jie’s misdirection tactic? Dragging the other princes into the mess?

Or is it possible that the mastermind is unrelated to King Jie at all?

The drug is already administered, but it requires a process; it can’t be accomplished overnight.

King Jie shouldn’t notice so quickly.

Things were becoming increasingly complex, Pei Ji’an pondered for a moment but could not make sense of it.

"What should we do next?" Qu Fulan asked.

"Let her proceed as planned. I will give the emperor a hint from my side."

The tail of the fox is showing, but it can’t be caught yet; otherwise, it will retract, and the true mastermind won’t be found.

Moreover, the person possesses martial skills and may not have used their true identity to meet the princess, nor is the time for meeting fixed, making it hard to catch them.

We have to wait until the tail is more exposed before taking action.

Meanwhile, Princess Zhuyu, relieved to have successfully conveyed the message, began to feel less pressure knowing she had someone to share the burden. Her illness improved by half the next day.

Furthermore, some new palace maids arrived in her quarters, reportedly because the emperor felt the previous attendants were insufficient and strengthened their numbers to better care for her.

One of the maids successfully connected with the princess, which greatly soothed Princess Zhuyu’s heart.

Her illness was fully healed by the third day, perhaps due to her youth and strong constitution, unlike the emperor who was still ill but persisted in reviewing records, despite the eunuchs’ repeated advice to rest, earning their reprimand instead.

Learning of the emperor’s condition, the princes and princesses, including Princess Zhuyu, came to persuade him to rest.

The emperor gazed at his children below, seemingly gratified by their filial piety, and then questioned them on their thoughts about disaster relief.

Each of the princes responded differently, and finally, the emperor turned his gaze toward his daughters, asking whose response they felt was the best among the princes.

Such a question was challenging to answer, so the other princesses remained silent, fearing to speak lightly.

The emperor then looked toward Princess Zhuyu, asking her opinion.

Princess Zhuyu truthfully replied, saying each brother had answered well, and the emperor further questioned her, asking who she felt contributed the most in the disaster relief efforts.

After thinking for a moment, Princess Zhuyu responded, "In terms of contribution, everyone did equally well; however, the eldest brother was injured, and caring more for the injured is a rightful act."

Upon hearing this, the eldest prince’s expression subtly shifted, then revealed a hint of a bitter smile.

He had been attempting to conceal his injury, not wanting the emperor to know and worry.

Unfortunately, there are no secrets in the world.

He did not want to use this to claim credit, moreover, as everyone was engaged in disaster relief, his injury did not indicate he was more dedicated but rather suggested he was less capable than others, failing even in self-preservation.

Other princes understood that the emperor disliked using illness to garner attention; even when ill himself, he continued to review records. What right did they have to complain?

After listening to Princess Zhuyu, the emperor’s gaze fell upon the eldest prince. His expression revealed no emotion, merely stating, "Since you are injured, you should rest well. Why are you out here?"

The statement was declarative, not a question, leaving its true meaning unperceived.

Then, the emperor dismissed everyone, leaving Princess Zhuyu alone.

The departing princes and princesses all showed envy.

Indeed, the emperor favored this daughter who had just returned to the palace, a child of the woman dear to his heart.

The princes inevitably worried, fearing Princess Zhuyu might speak ill of them to the emperor and cause him to dislike them.

Conversely, those who had been friendly with Princess Zhuyu from the start felt fortunate, relieved that they had built good relations early.

Facing the emperor alone, Princess Zhuyu always felt nervous, even before suspecting she might be a false princess, and certainly now. Yet, Young Lady Pei had advised her to remain calm and act normally to survive.

Princess Zhuyu had no desire to die.

Fortunately, the emperor did not pose any challenging questions, merely inquiring about her health, eating habits, sleeping patterns, much like an ordinary father would care for his daughter.

Princess Zhuyu could not help but wonder, if the words from that person behind are true, and she is indeed a false princess, how saddened would the emperor be if he found out? His true daughter, the child of the woman he cherished, is still unknown.

Princess Zhuyu inevitably felt burdened, thinking she was benefiting from someone else’s rightful privileges while the true heir was possibly suffering elsewhere.

Concerning whether her biological parents were wrongfully executed, Princess Zhuyu could not be sure. Thus, before the truth is revealed, she refuses to harbor resentment toward the emperor based on hearsay.

If the investigation concludes her parents were indeed wrongfully killed, she would strive to clear their names. Beyond that, there’s nothing else she could do. She can’t possibly kill the emperor, can she? Chaos would ensue, then what?

After the emperor finished asking questions, he sat silently, presumably lost in other thoughts, finally sighing deeply and motioning for Princess Zhuyu to leave.

Princess Zhuyu said one last thing, asking her father to rest well, then withdrew.

Upon exiting the Imperial Study Room, she almost bumped into Prince Xiao entering the palace to see the emperor.

Consort Xian’s Palace.

Consort Xian knew Princess Zhuyu had mentioned her son’s injury before the emperor, and she sank into her chair, "Why did Princess Zhuyu have to bring this up? Isn’t she causing trouble for you?"

The eldest prince sighed, remaining silent.

Consort Xian bit her lip, unusually showing anger, "The quieter we are, the more others take advantage, wanting to bully us."

The eldest prince said, "Mother, please don’t say that. It was just Zhuyu’s good intentions."

"Good intentions? No one else spoke, only her. Everyone in the palace knows the emperor dislikes anyone using illness to gain sympathy. If you endure silently and the emperor discovers it himself, he would hold you in higher esteem. Now, with others mentioning it in the study before everyone, what would the emperor think? Princess Zhuyu was likely influenced by her mother, targeting us deliberately."

Currently among the princes, the most prominent are the eldest prince and the Fifth and Seventh Prince. Taking down the eldest prince would ease competition between the remaining two.

"Not necessarily. Mother, don’t overthink it."

"Whether intentional, we shall test it and find out."

Although Consort Xian’s nature is not contentious, she can be stronger than anyone when it comes to her son.

Meanwhile, when Princess Zhuyu accidentally bumped into Xiao Shiqing, a delicate fragrance enveloped her, momentarily stunning Xiao Shiqing.

Princess Zhuyu quickly stepped back, apologized for her rashness, then turned to leave.

Xiao Shiqing watched her departing figure, the lingering fragrance seemingly not yet dispersed.

She had once loved this particular scent, uniquely concocted by herself.