freenovelworld Chapter 337 Just a guess
Chapter 337 Just a guess
The fifth prince couldn't help but snorted and said, "If it's for the sake of family reunion, why are you only pleading for the third prince?"
"The second prince is still imprisoned."
"Why doesn't the Queen Mother plead for the Second Prince and ask Father to release him as well?"
Before the Fifth Prince finished speaking, the Fifth Prince's wife stepped forward and covered his mouth with her hands, "Be careful with what you say!"
The fifth prince was indignant and spoke without thinking.
At this moment, being stared at by the Fifth Prince's wife, he suddenly realized that he had said something wrong.
How could he have any say in how the Queen Mother acted?
What's more, the second prince was imprisoned by Jing **'s order, and the charge was that he murdered his brothers.
The sibling who was killed by him was Xiao Jingyi.
Xiao Jingyi had been assassinated several times in Jiangzhou before, and it was said that it was done by the second prince.
Jing** was furious and ordered the second prince to be imprisoned.
Now that he is talking about this matter without restraint, if it gets out, people will misunderstand that he is dissatisfied with Your Majesty's decision and he will be charged with the crime of disobeying the king and father, which he will not be able to bear.
Moreover, this matter also involves Xiao Jingyi. It would be even worse if Xiao Jingyi misunderstood that he sympathized with the second prince, a sinner, and had ill intentions.
The Fifth Prince understood all this and quickly looked at Xiao Jingyi, hesitatingly saying, "Seventh brother, that's not what I meant..."
The fifth prince was anxious and wanted to explain it clearly, but he was tongue-tied.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingyi patted his shoulder and said soothingly, "I'm fine, but Fifth Brother should be more careful with what he says and does in the future."
The fifth prince nodded heavily.
Within these high walls, we should indeed be more careful with what we say and do.
The group continued walking along the long street.
First go to Shoukang Palace to pay respects to Queen Mother Cui.
Shoukang Palace is very lively today.
A large number of princes, grandchildren of the emperor, princes of the royal family, and concubines from the harem came to Shoukang Palace to pay their respects like a stream.
Those who gain the favor of Empress Dowager Cui can stay in Shoukang Palace and talk with her.
Those who were of low rank or not favored by Empress Dowager Cui would be sent away by Empress Dowager Cui after showing their faces and saying a few words, leaving them to pursue their own interests.
After Xiao Jingyi and his party arrived at Shoukang Palace, they went forward to pay their respects according to the rules.
Empress Dowager Cui was exceptionally kind today. She hurriedly called them up, then smiled and waved to Xiao Jingmo and Xiao Li to come forward and talk to them.
She looks like a kind grandmother who loves her younger generations.
Concubine Cui, the third prince and his wife, and several high-ranking concubines were all in the palace.
He echoed Empress Dowager Cui's words and praised Xiao Jingmo for a long time.
If an uninformed person saw this, they would probably be moved by this heartwarming and harmonious scene.
When it comes to acting, the Royal Family has to win!
Yun Fuling couldn't help but secretly complain in her heart, even Oscar-winning actresses couldn't act as well as they did.
Yun Fuling didn't believe that these people were kind-hearted and were as friendly to her family as they seemed.
After all, the struggle for the throne in every dynasty has always been cruel and bloody.
However, concubines who could hold high positions rarely had no children.
How could anyone not plan for his or her own children?
After talking for a while, Queen Mother Cui said, "There are many people here today, and I don't have that much energy. You can go and have fun."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyi and his companions apologized and left the hall.
Xiao Jingmo took Xiao Li's hand, said something to Xiao Jingyi and the others, and went to find other friends to play with.
The Fifth Prince's wife looked at Xiao Li running away happily, and a trace of sadness flashed in her eyes.
Xiao Jingmo had only been back in Beijing for a few months, but he had already won the favor of His Majesty and the Queen Mother.
On the other hand, Xiao Li was born under the noses of His Majesty and the Queen Mother, and he has been to the palace many times over the years to get close to His Majesty and the Queen Mother.
But today, although the Queen Mother called the two children to come forward, she obviously favored and paid more attention to Xiao Jingmo.
Compared with Xiao Jingmo, who is so smart and likable, Xiao Li seems less outstanding.
Every mother thinks that her own children are the best.
Although the Fifth Prince's wife understood that Xiao Jingmo was indeed talented and likable, she couldn't help feeling uncomfortable in her heart.
But when she saw the smile on her son's face from afar, the Fifth Prince's wife suddenly felt relieved.
Her husband had no idea about that position and had always been on good terms with Xiao Jingyi.
Now my son and Xiao Jingmo have similar personalities and can play together. The friendship of youth is always the most precious.
If Xiao Jingyi really comes to power in the future, it will be a good thing for their family.
The Fifth Prince's wife quickly figured this out, and she happily chatted and laughed with Yun Fuling, integrating into the social circle of other people.
Inside the main hall of Shoukang Palace, Queen Mother Cui wiped her hands with a handkerchief, doing a good job of hiding the disgust and resentment in her eyes.
Today is New Year's Eve, which should be a day for family reunion.
In previous years, on New Year’s Eve, the King of Jiangzhou would bring his entire family to Beijing to celebrate the New Year together.
That was also one of the rare times when Queen Mother Cui could get together with her children and grandchildren and enjoy family happiness.
But now, her own sons and grandsons have all died and can never be reunited with her.
When she thought of this, her heart ached and the pain went deep into her bones.
The hall was filled with people, and although she was said to have many children and grandchildren, not one of them was her biological child or grandchild.
How could Empress Dowager Cui not feel hatred in her heart?
Although the matter had apparently been settled, Queen Mother Cui still had some doubts in her heart.
She knew her son well. He had average talent and little ambition. How could he suddenly have the idea of rebelling and usurping the throne?
Queen Mother Cui has been secretly investigating this matter.
Yesterday, the people she sent to investigate brought back news, and Empress Dowager Cui learned that Xiao Jingyi was involved in the case of Jiangzhou Prince's treason.
On the surface, the case of Jiangzhou Wang's treason was handled solely by the Shadow Blade Division, with no one else intervening.
The evidences seized from the Jiangzhou Palace and Jiangzhou are all ironclad and cannot be falsified.
But at that time, Xiao Jingyi happened to be in Jiangzhou.
He also appeared in Fengluo Mountain, where he discovered that the King of Jiangzhou was privately mining iron ore and casting weapons.
He also had contact with Zuo Yan, the commander of the Shadow Blade Division.
All these pieces of information intertwined together inevitably made Queen Dowager Cui wonder whether there was a conspiracy behind this matter.
On the surface, Jing** treated King Jiangzhou well, but who knew whether he was afraid of King Jiangzhou in his heart and wanted to get rid of him?
After all, Prince Jiangzhou is her biological son. Does Jing ** really trust them as much as he appears to?
If he was wary and had long wanted to get rid of King Jiangzhou, then the conspiracy to treason might have been a conspiracy between Jing ** and Xiao Jingyi.
They, father and son, have always been of one mind.
Now Jing** has revealed his attitude of making Xiao Jingyi the crown prince.
It just needs an opportunity to officially announce it to the world.
Although Queen Mother Cui did not have any substantial evidence and everything was just her guess, she truly disliked Xiao Jingyi.
At that time, Empress Dowager Cui did not like Xiao Jingyi's biological mother, Concubine Lan.
As an emperor, you should not be obsessed with one person, and you should not treat the six palaces as nothing for the sake of that one person.