He wasn't doing it for Yao Youqing, of course; he just didn't want something like this to happen again.
Yao Youqing, however, felt that this prince was not as terrible as she had imagined. Last time she almost chopped off his foot, but he did not get angry. Now he even slowed down his walking speed. He was not as cold and inhuman as the rumors suggested.
This emboldened her, and when she rested and saw that no one was stopping her, she asked someone to accompany her to walk around and see the scenery she had never seen before.
That day, when she got out of the car for a walk with Zhou's mother, she suddenly heard a commotion ahead.
It turned out that a dozen or so Jingyuan soldiers were hunting nearby and had caught quite a lot of game. In addition to their dry rations, everyone would also get a piece of meat for lunch today.
This made the men, who hadn't had meat in a long time, very happy. They started a fire to roast the meat, and the prey was cleaned up on the spot, some bleeding and some skinning.
Yao Youqing had never seen such a bloody scene before, and she was so frightened that she immediately turned her head away, unable to look any longer.
She wasn't a vegetarian, so she naturally knew that these people weren't being cruel; they were simply satisfying their normal appetites.
But she was raised in seclusion since childhood and had never even killed a chicken. When she occasionally cooked, the servants would prepare the food in advance and leave it there. So how could she have ever seen the slaughtering process with her own eyes?
Knowing she was scared, Zhou's mother quickly pulled her back. They had only taken a few steps when they heard someone behind them say, "This rabbit was caught in a trap. It doesn't have any injuries. Skin it and keep the skin. Don't divide the meat; just give it to the prince."
rabbit?
Yao Youqing paused, instinctively turning around, and saw a person holding a snow-white rabbit in their hand. Sure enough, it was unharmed and was struggling in their hand.
She looked at the rabbit and stood there, unable to move an inch.
She loved rabbits and had one when she was a child, but it eventually died of illness.
Her father had intended to find her another one, but seeing how much she was crying, and considering that these small animals generally don't live long, he was afraid that she would develop an attachment to them and be even more heartbroken next time, so he simply stopped letting her keep these things.
Seeing this rabbit now, she immediately thought of her old one.
As soon as Zhou's mother heard the word "rabbit," she knew something was wrong. She was about to advise her not to cause trouble over a rabbit when Zhou broke free from her hand and ran over, ignoring the bloody scene.
Wei Hong was about to tell the person holding the rabbit that it wasn't necessary and that it had been distributed to everyone when he saw a figure suddenly run over from not far away.
He raised an eyebrow, wondering what Miss Yao was up to now. She rushed right up to him before stopping, pointing at the rabbit and saying, "Your Highness, I...I want this rabbit! Could you give it to me?"
Her voice wasn't loud, and her tone was a little hesitant, but her words still ignited a nameless anger in Wei Hong's heart.
As Yao Yuzhi's daughter, even if she doesn't know the reason why he and his father became enemies, she should at least know that their relationship is not good, right?
Last time, the maid's incident was due to his own servants' wrongdoing, and it was only right that he had someone accompany her to a nearby hospital for treatment. But what about this time?
Where did she get the audacity to ask him for something?
Even a rabbit.
Wei Hong's face was grim as he asked, "Do you know what my relationship is with your father?"
Yao Youqing came to ask for the rabbit, and didn't understand why he suddenly asked such a question.
She was a little confused, but seeing how serious he was, she answered softly, "Father-in-law and son-in-law."
Those around her, who had stopped what they were doing out of tension because of the atmosphere, couldn't help but burst out laughing, falling backwards in laughter. This startled Yao Youqing, who wondered what she had said wrong.
Wei Hong was stunned for a moment, and for a brief instant almost thought she was doing it on purpose.
But he soon realized he was overthinking it; she genuinely believed that he and her father were father-in-law and son-in-law.
It was like punching cotton; Wei Hong's anger hadn't been vented and he was instead holding it in, his face grim and not wanting to say a word.
Chapter 7 Feud
Seeing Wei Hong's unfriendly expression, Zhou Mama quickly pulled Yao Youqing away, whispering in her ear as they walked, "Miss, the relationship the Prince was referring to is not this one."
no?
Yao Youqing asked in confusion, "What is that? Father and the Prince disagree on politics and have never gotten along. They don't have much contact in private either. What other relationship could they have besides father-in-law and son-in-law?"
Madam Zhou sighed, wanting to tell him that the relationship the prince was referring to was probably that of "enemies," but she was worried that her daughter, who was already somewhat afraid of the prince, would become even more frightened after hearing this, and would be even less willing to associate with the prince in the future, making it even more impossible for the couple to live together.
Deep down, she still hoped that the prince wouldn't take his anger out on the young lady because of the master, and would treat her well.
I had initially thought it was impossible because of Ling Shuang's situation, but after learning that the prince was also kept in the dark, a glimmer of hope rekindled.
Madam Zhou remained silent for a long time. Yao Youqing was not stupid. After a moment's thought, she understood and asked softly, "Madam Zhou, what grudge does Father have against the Prince? Why is the Prince so dissatisfied with him?"
Yao Yuzhi was an upright and even somewhat rigid person. There were more than one people in the court who had disputes with him due to political differences, but no one else seemed to hate him as much as the Prince of Qin. So there must be other reasons behind this, and it must not be a trivial matter.
Otherwise, how could Yao Yuzhi and the Prince of Qin, one in the capital and the other in his fiefdom, have developed any deep-seated hatred?
Madam Zhou shook her head: "This servant doesn't know either. You know the master; he rarely mentions matters of the previous dynasty in the inner quarters."
"However, I never saw the prince harbor such deep resentment towards the master in the early years. If we were to say that there were signs of irreconcilable conflict between them, it probably started about four or five years ago, around the time of Emperor Gaozong's death."
Emperor Gaozong passed away five years ago. Besides this, what other major events happened at that time?
Yao Youqing was not familiar with court affairs and could not come up with anything no matter how hard she thought about it. When she asked Zhou Mama, Zhou Mama also said she did not know.
"If it involves secrets of the court, there's absolutely no way we could know. If it's just a major event, it would have already spread throughout the capital, and we wouldn't be unaware of it. So, if we're talking about major events... then apart from Emperor Gaozong's death and the late emperor's ascension to the throne, there aren't any major events. It can't be... because of the struggle for the throne, can it?"
"That's what Zhou's mother said."
Yao Youqing immediately shook her head: "Emperor Gaozong's will clearly stated that the throne would be passed to the Crown Prince, who was the late emperor. Father has been an official for many years, how could he not recognize the authenticity of the imperial edict? If there was even the slightest error in that will, he would be the first to object!"
"Moreover, in addition to the imperial edict, Emperor Gaozong also summoned several close ministers to the palace before his death and left an oral edict in front of them. My father was among them, which is enough to prove that Emperor Gaozong never intended to depose the crown prince and pass the throne to the Prince of Qin."
"If Your Highness is dissatisfied because of this, then you should be dissatisfied with everyone present at the time, not just Father?"
So it definitely wasn't because of the throne, because the succession to the throne wasn't in her father's hands at all, so it was useless for the King of Qin to blame him.
Zhou's mother also felt that the possibility was very small, but apart from this, she really couldn't think of any other major event.
The two walked back, and when they were almost at the carriage, Zhou's mother exclaimed softly, as if she had remembered something.
"Speaking of which, there is indeed something that is not a big deal for us, but for the King of Qin... it is a matter of utmost importance."
"What?"
Mrs. Zhou hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should speak.
If the master truly harbors resentment towards the prince because of this matter, then the prince may never treat the young lady well in his entire life.
"What is it? Mom, tell me quickly!"
Yao Youqing tugged at her sleeve.
Urged on by her mother, and realizing that she must have misunderstood, Zhou's mother spoke up.
"After Emperor Gaozong passed away, Consort Gui... who was also the prince's birth mother, was buried alive with him."
Consort Gui was not actually Consort Gui during her lifetime, but rather Consort Shu. The title of Consort Gui was posthumously conferred by the late emperor.
"But wasn't that an imperial edict left by Emperor Gaozong ordering the Imperial Concubine to be buried alive with him? What does that have to do with Father?"
Yao Youqing said.
Madam Zhou frowned slightly, looked around, and seeing that there was no one nearby, she lowered her voice and said, "That's what they say, but at the time many people said that, given Emperor Gaozong's temperament, he wouldn't allow living people to be buried alive with him. Moreover, when the master and the others entered the palace, Emperor Gaozong didn't actually mention the matter of the Consort being buried alive with him. It was only afterward... afterward that the late emperor mentioned it."
Yao Yuzhi and others witnessed Emperor Gaozong's death, and none of them heard him mention it.
However, the late Emperor Wei Feng said that this imperial edict was given to him by Emperor Gaozong before they entered the palace, and several eunuchs who were present at the time could testify to this.
Emperor Gaozong was already dead, yet Wei Feng said this, and even had the eunuchs who served Gaozong testify. Although people in the court discussed it, in the end no one could prove that Gaozong hadn't said these words.
In other words, they couldn't prove that Wei Feng was lying.
Even if it exists, who would dare to criticize it?
It should be noted that Wei Feng had already ascended the throne as emperor at that time.
"Even so, it was the late emperor's order, and it has nothing to do with Father. We can't blame him for not stopping it, can we?"
Wei Feng proposed that Emperor Gaozong be buried alive with him, acting in the name of filial piety, and Yao Yuzhi's opposition was futile.
Moreover, with so many people in the court, if it were truly about this matter, wouldn't all the civil and military officials become enemies of the King of Qin? This doesn't make sense.
"Then...could it be that His Highness thinks...this idea was given to the late Emperor by the Master?"
"impossible!"
Yao Youqing answered decisively.
"Father has always opposed the practice of burying living people alive with the dead; this idea could never have come from him!"
“This servant knows,” said Zhou Mama, “but the prince may not know.”
Yao Youqing thought about it and still felt it was impossible.
"If Your Highness truly believes that it was Father's idea, then there must be some evidence. If there is evidence, it wouldn't be as simple as just arguing with Father about political views. So it probably isn't about that."
So why is that?
The two couldn't figure it out no matter what, so they could only put it aside for the time being and go back to the car to eat something and rest.
There wasn't much food prepared for the journey, and Yao Youqing didn't have much of an appetite, so she ate a little and then put it down.
As the servants were clearing away the dishes as instructed by Zhou Mama, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from the road behind the procession, growing ever closer.
Someone exclaimed in surprise, "Qiongyu, it's Qiongyu and the others who are back!"
Yao Youqing, sitting in the carriage, was overjoyed. She immediately got off the carriage with the help of Zhou's mother, lifted her skirt, and went to greet them.
"How did they catch up so quickly? I thought they would be a few days away."
She said with a smile, her heart filled with the joy of seeing her loved ones.
But the smile quickly vanished, because only Qiongyu and the two maids got out of the carriage; Ling Shuang was nowhere to be seen.
Qiongyu had been crying all the way, and felt that she had cried all her tears and could cry no more, but when she saw Yao Youqing, she still sobbed and rushed over to grab her hand, tears streaming down her face.
"Miss, Ling Shuang... is gone."
...
Yao Youqing has experienced life and death. Her mother and two older brothers all passed away after she was old enough to remember. The most recent time was three years ago when her eldest brother, Yao Nan, drowned in an accident.
She cried bitterly every time, and prayed to God not to take her loved ones away from her again.
But God never listens.
This time, even her close maid was taken away.
Yao Youqing didn't remember how she was helped onto the carriage; she only knew that she had sat back down. The carriage was very warm, but she felt very cold.