“It’s a pleasant life for Commander Liu.”
Not knowing the purpose of Eunuch Huang’s visit, Liu Ying cautiously returned, “Eunuch is joking, where would I have a comfortable life now.”
“Is that so?”
Eunuch Huang stretched his tone.
Liu Ying had been the commander of the imperial guard for so many years, he still had the ability to read words, if it was the emperor who was to blame, he wouldn’t have asked Eunuch Huang to come in disguise.
“Liu Ying does not dare to deceive the eunuch, I wonder what the emperor has to order.”
Eunuch Huang was pleased with his response.
“O Liu Ying, His Majesty believes in your words. But it is true that you cannot produce conclusive evidence, and you cannot convict the Second Prince with just a token. The Third Prince was the Emperor’s favourite, and if he hadn’t been killed, the Emperor would have made the Third Prince the Crown Prince.”
Liu Ying believed this, and it was because he believed it that he risked the revenge of the Second Prince by bringing his men to the palace to sue.
If the Third Prince had not died but had become the Crown Prince, he would have been a help to the Crown Prince and would have risen to the top.
“The Emperor wants to avenge the Third Prince, but he can’t do it too obviously, someone has to do it, are you willing?”
Liu Ying knelt down, “Liu Ying is willing.”
……
New Year’s Eve.
It was close to noon and the shops were closing their doors one after another.
The streets are almost devoid of pedestrians.
It was as if the whole capital city had fallen silent.
It was not so quiet at the homes of the civil and military officials, who were all preparing their clothes for the evening palace banquet.
Not every official could go to the palace banquet, it was for the first and second ranking officials and the imperial clansmen and senior officials with titles.
It was a quiet time in the House of the Duke of Ding.
If it wasn’t for going to the palace to see their daughter and grandson, the Duke and his wife wouldn’t have wanted to go to the palace – the food was not good and they were tired of eating.
“Her Highness Consort Xian has said that we should go there early, how about we enter the palace half an hour earlier?”
The Duke of Ding’s wife enquired.
The Duke of Ding had also not seen his daughter and grandson for a long time, so he nodded, “Okay.”
The palace banquet began at ten o’clock, and the two of them entered the palace at two o’clock.
Consort Xiao Xian had already sent someone to wait at the entrance of the palace, and when she saw them, she immediately went forward, “Your Highness and Old Lady, please follow me.”
The two of them went with them to Kunli Palace.
The Fourth Prince was also there.
Since the Third Prince had been killed, the Emperor had beautifully said that he was afraid that something would happen to him and would not let him leave the palace, this was the first time in months that he had seen the Duke of Ding and his wife, and he was very happy, “Grandfather, grandmother.”
The Duke and his wife saluted.
Consort Xiao Xian was also very excited and sent all the palace staff away, leaving the aunt in charge to guard the entrance to the room.
“Father, mother ……”
Duke Ding waved his hand, this was the palace after all, there were ears through the walls, some words could not be said.
“How is your health?”
“My daughter is in good health, but my father and mother look a little older again.”
“It’s like that when people reach this age, don’t worry about us, take care of yourself and the Fourth Prince.”
The voice was not loud, but it reached the courtyard.
The steward aunt stood in the doorway with her eyes and nose to the ground, but out of the corner of her eye she looked at the palace staff in the courtyard who appeared to be doing their own jobs.
A palace maid carries a pot of flowers to the window sill and sets it down, then turns to carry another flower.
The steward aunt lowered her eyelids.
……
The second prince also entered the palace early.
He wanted to enter the palace as early as the day Eunuch Huang finished delivering the oracle, but he held back until today.
Although he had already known that the emperor had asked Chu An to attend the palace banquet, he was still overjoyed to see him, Concubine Rou, “An’er, we can finally rest easy.”
The Second Prince’s eyes lit up, “Has Mother Consort heard something?”
Although his father’s actions indicated that he was going to be made the Crown Prince, as long as the imperial edict was not issued, he could not be completely at ease.
“I haven’t heard anything, but the fact that your father has asked you to attend the palace banquet says it all. An’er, tonight you must behave well so that your father will be more pleased with you.”
“Don’t worry, Mother Consort, I know what to do.”
Concubine Zo nodded her head.
“By the way, Consort Xian came over to me yesterday and said that in front of the Emperor, it would be best for us and her not to act too close, lest we make your father suspicious.”
“My son knows that I will keep my part of the bargain.”
Consort Zuo glanced at the sky, “Why is the hour not yet here?”
With Imperial Consort dead and Consort Rong implicated in the Grand Prince’s death, she and Consort Xiao Xian were the only two high ranking consorts left in the palace, and with An’er being valued by the Emperor, it would only be her who could be by his side tonight.
The Second Prince was equally eager and looked out at the sky from time to time.
……
One by one, the officials entered the palace with their families.
The crowd took their seats in order and the palace was filled with pleasantries.
The Duke of Qin received the most compliments, and while he wore a smile on his face, he was a little uneasy in his heart.
As the grandfather of the Second Prince, he naturally wanted his grandson to sit on the throne of the Crown Prince, but once the news broke that Liu Ying had brought people into the palace to sue the Second Prince for killing the Third Prince, he felt that things were not simple.
After the second prince was ordered to think behind closed doors, he had his wife make a trip to the palace to ask Concubine Zou, who denied it, which in turn made him even more uneasy.
If the Emperor did not believe that the Second Prince had killed the Third Prince, how could he have ordered the Second Prince to meditate behind closed doors? If he did, how could he have only told the Second Prince to meditate behind closed doors?
Although the Duke of Qin’s House was not involved in what the Second Prince had done, the Emperor would not think so, and once something happened to the Second Prince, the Duke of Qin’s House would certainly be implicated.
“Your Majesty has arrived!”
Eunuch Huang’s shrill voice rang out.
The crowd knelt down and worshipped.
The Emperor walked into the hall, Consort Rou and Consort Xian followed him left and right, and behind them were the Second and Fourth Emperors.
Although the Second Prince tried to restrain himself, he could not hide the joy on his face.
The Fourth Prince walked beside him, more than a head shorter than him, with a childish look all around him.
“Long live my emperor, long live my emperor.”
The Emperor went to the main seat and took his seat, with Consort Zou on his left and Consort Xiao Xian on his right.
“All rise in peace.”
The people got up and took their seats.
The emperor lifted his wine, “Today is a palace banquet, so all of you love to let loose a little.”
The officials naturally did not dare to drink freely, they just took a small sip and put it down.
Eunuch Huang gave a high five and the dancers entered the main hall.
At the sound of music and bamboo, the ministers relaxed a little and toasted each other with their colleagues around them.
The hall gradually became more and more lively.
The Second Prince also raised his cups with the ministers around him one by one.
When one pot of wine reached the bottom, the palace maid brought up another pot.
After a few more cups, the sound of silk and bamboo stopped, the dancers withdrew from the hall, and the Second Prince stood up with his wine.
Just when everyone thought he was about to give a toast to the Emperor, he spoke, “Father, my son has something to ask you.”
The atmosphere in the Great Hall was good, and the Emperor had had a few glasses of wine and was in a good mood, “What do you want to ask?”
“Did Father really do that beastly thing back then and defile Concubine Qin?”