freenovelworld Chapter 163 Giving her the power of a princess
Chapter 163 Giving her the power of a princess
Duan Zhian's smile paused slightly.
"Farewell." Xiao Hengzhi waved his sleeves and left.
Duan Zhi'an stood still, the cold wind whipping up his sleeves and enveloping him in the biting snow.
After leaving the palace, he ordered his carriage to go straight to Zuiyin Tower.
The place had been closed for several months and had been renovated after the fire, so it looked like a new building that hadn't opened yet.
He stood at the door, calming himself down.
He secretly hoped that no suspicious traces would be discovered.
As you push open the door, the smell of wood mixed with withered grass fills the air.
He walked through the corridors of the building, from the main hall to the accounting office.
Finally, it stopped in front of an inconspicuous wine cabinet.
Places that receive aristocratic families and officials will inevitably have secret rooms.
These cabinets and drawers are the easiest places to hide secret mechanisms.
He groped around and sure enough, there was a hidden compartment.
Push open the hidden compartment, and you'll find a wine pot.
Twisting the wine jug, one can hear the sound of rolling stones.
The cabinet door in front of them slowly slid open, revealing a dark room.
The smell of old, decaying wood wafted out.
Duan Zhi'an covered his nose and went inside.
The space inside is small, with cabinets on all four walls, covered in dust, indicating that no one has been here for a long time.
He opened the doors one by one, his brow furrowing as he was choked by the dust.
It mostly contained rotten medicinal herbs for brewing, nothing special.
Just as he was relieved that nothing had happened, he suddenly saw an exquisite wooden box in the last compartment.
Upon opening the wooden box, a jade pendant in the shape of two fish lay inside, wrapped in white cloth and well-preserved.
Duan Zhian closed his eyes slightly, his heart pounding like a drum.
He remembered that this was a jade pendant bestowed upon the Third Prince by the Emperor.
The white cloth was dirty and covered in dust.
He held it to his nose with some skepticism and took a light sniff.
A smell of rotten wood entered my nostrils.
However, upon closer inspection, a faint woody scent can still be discerned.
Duan Zhian's pupils contracted, and his knuckles tightened instantly.
This is the unique scent of pine needle incense found only in the Crown Prince's Palace.
He felt an unprecedented sense of unease.
"This is absurd..."
These four words were practically squeezed out from between his teeth.
He refused to believe it.
Yet, one has no choice but to believe it.
The crown prince whom she personally taught, the heir apparent whom she supported and devoted all her efforts to.
As one of the Red Slaves said, he was the backer of the Wen family, who colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country.
He stood in the cluttered, secret room, his gaze gradually darkening.
It turns out that the hardest thing to teach is never the art of ruling.
Rather, it is the heart of an emperor.
Inside the Qingxin Hall at this moment.
Ning Zhi just arrived.
He went to the room where Duan Zhian kept the sachets, knowing the way well.
Wen Qianzhi knew he had arrived, so she went to pay her respects.
"Greetings, Your Highness. The Grand Tutor has gone out today and has not yet returned. If you need to see him, please feel free to sit here for a while."
Ning Zhi replied, "It's alright, I just came to retrieve a sachet." He paused for a moment, then added, "I heard the Crown Princess was unwell; is she feeling any better now?"
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Everything is much better now."
Ning Zhi nodded: "That's good. If you stay sick, you'll miss your third sister's wedding."
Wen Qian asked in confusion, "My third sister is getting married?"
She was puzzled. At this critical juncture when the Wen family was being punished, how could anyone be willing to marry someone from the Wen family?
"You don't know?" Ning Zhi asked.
Wen Qian shook her head: "Perhaps the news hasn't reached me yet. Does Your Highness know which young master you've been betrothed to?"
Ning Zhi said calmly, "The man your third sister is going to marry is no ordinary young master, but... the Prince of Beiqin."
"What?!!"
Wen Qian asked in surprise, "The Prince of Beiqin..."
"Princess Consort, there is no need to be surprised. This matter is due to the Empress Dowager's favor and is in accordance with the rules."
Wen Qian lowered her face.
Wen was guilty to begin with, and now that Li Zhijing has protected her, it has already caused a lot of gossip.
Wen Yin even received the Empress Dowager's favor and married into the Prince's mansion...
This kind of protection made her feel somewhat embarrassed.
Moreover, she originally thought that the Princess of Beiqin should be her sister.
Given Wen Yin's personality, she definitely wouldn't allow her to stay in the Prince's mansion...
I wonder if the General's Mansion has been properly repaired, and if Sister Wan has anywhere to go...
Wen Qian wrung out her handkerchief, her heart filled with worry.
Seeing that she remained silent, Ning Zhi smiled and said, "Princess Consort, I would like to ask you for a favor."
"what?"
He took out an envelope: "I would like you to give this to Miss Jiang."
Wen Qian paused for a moment.
Let her deliver it.
I don't know if this letter can be delivered.
She replied, "Your Highness, I have been ordered by the Emperor to stay in the palace and not go out, so I am afraid I cannot see you off. Moreover, the Prince of Beiqin's residence is not a place one can enter and leave at will."
Ning Zhi chuckled: "If you say you want to go, the Grand Tutor will find a way to get you in. You just need to keep this letter a secret."
Wen Qian hesitated, "But why doesn't Your Highness seek out the Grand Tutor? After all, he is Your Highness's teacher..."
"Can't you do it?" Ning Zhi stopped laughing. "If you can't even do this, in my opinion, General Li should take a capable concubine."
Wen Qian keenly noticed the change in Ning Zhi's attitude.
I knew he had no patience to say more.
She could only nod silently.
......
In the side hall of the Prince's mansion, the incense burner was slightly warm, and the charcoal fire crackled.
The sandalwood incense by the house had not yet dissipated, and a golden censer on the table was warming wine
The table was laden with delicacies, all rare and exquisite palace dishes.
Wen Yin's entry into the mansion as a future princess should be a cause for celebration, and with elders visiting today, the house has been specially decorated.
But the atmosphere was really off.
Jiang Mian was dressed in plain clothes, with a cold expression, looking like she was visiting a grave.
Xiao Hengzhi sat diagonally opposite her, drinking his wine as if each sip was a way of suppressing his anger.
Seated at the head of the table, holding an ivory cane with a composed expression, was Xiao Hengzhi's grandfather, Xiao Jizhong.
Of all the people at the table, only Wen Yin had a smile on her face.
"I have long admired Your Highness's name, and it is truly an honor to meet you today. Since you are His Highness's grandfather, you are also my elder. As I am new to the Prince's residence, it is only right that I offer a toast to my elder."
Xiao Jizhong stroked his beard: "Speaking of which, I even held you when you were little."
"Then I must toast you even more."
As she said this, her eyes glanced at Jiang Mian out of the corner of her eye, full of pride at being favored by her elders.
Xiao Jizhong, having drunk some wine, tapped his cane on the ground and began to lecture—
"I have come here today for two reasons. First, to report to the Empress Dowager. After all, this is a major event for both our families and should be taken seriously."
"Secondly, I wanted to remind Hengzhi that you haven't had much contact with your relatives and friends in the past. After you get married, Wenyin can take over and visit them more often to avoid becoming too distant..."
Upon hearing this, Wen Yin took a deep breath, her joy beyond words.
The servants waiting outside murmured, "She's not even married yet, and they're already giving her the power of a princess..."
"It seems Miss Jiang has no chance of becoming a princess..."
Jiang Wan turned her head away to drink her tea, feeling suffocated.
It turns out that Xiao Hengzhi invited her to this meal... just so she could witness firsthand that the Prince's Mansion had granted Princess Wen Yin the authority she was entitled to.