In the study, besides Crown Prince Feng Zixiao, Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng, and Seventh Prince Feng Zihe, there was another person with an extraordinary appearance, an upright and unyielding aura, and a clear sense of justice between his brows. One could tell at a glance that he was a very selfless person. He was also one of the Crown Prince's men, the Imperial Censor Wei Lin who patrolled the capital.
The Seventh Prince, Feng Zihe, is only sixteen years old this year and his mind is not yet very mature, so he couldn't wait to speak.
"Brother, has Father lost his mind? Why did he betroth that Sai Qianjin to you? If he was going to betroth someone, he should have betrothed the eldest daughter, Jiang Feixue, to you. They are a perfect match."
Feng Zixiao raised his eyebrows, a dark light flashing in his eyes, and coldly rebuked him: "Nonsense, Father has his own reasons, you must not speak ill of Father."
At times like these, it's best to avoid trouble. However, the Seventh Prince's mind is still unsettled, so he naturally can't understand the scheming of these people every moment. He thinks much more simply.
The Seventh Prince, Feng Zihe, was reprimanded by his elder brother, but he was not angry. He was just indignant in his heart. How could that Sai Qianjin marry into the Crown Prince's mansion? His elder brother was a dragon among men. How could he let such a woman tarnish his reputation? So he had to find a way to help his elder brother. The Seventh Prince was secretly plotting on the side.
Inside the study, the Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng squinted slightly. His dark eyes, like exquisite glass, were captivating. He was clearly an ordinary person, yet his elegant and extraordinary aura made his presence impossible to ignore. His presence was no less imposing than that of Crown Prince Feng Zixiao, but completely different from Feng Zixiao's overbearing manner. Instead, he possessed a restrained and unfathomable quality, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.
He slowly spoke, "Your Majesty is very kind."
Even his voice was deep and magnetic, with a hint of mellow wine, making it captivating to listen to.
As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Lin, the imperial censor who was sitting opposite him, nodded in agreement with composure.
"Yes, His Majesty has indeed gone to great lengths. It's admirable that he was still thinking about these things even while he was ill."
Wei Lin calmly looked up at the Crown Prince at the head of the table. Crown Prince Feng Zixiao changed his posture, still languid, showing no dissatisfaction or unhappiness about the arranged marriage. A faint glow shone on his handsome face.
"I hope Father Emperor gets better soon."
"Yes, Your Highness," Xi Lingfeng and Wei Lin nodded simultaneously. If the Emperor could truly recover, then even if Jiang Batian was powerful, he would be wary, giving them enough time to eliminate the Jiang family. The real concern was that if the Emperor's illness worsened, and the Crown Prince, as a newly enthroned ruler, could not be entirely confident in making the entire court wary and taking the opportunity to eliminate the Jiang family. However, it was indeed a bit of a waste for the Crown Prince, a man of exceptional talent and noble status, to marry that Miss Jiang. Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng spoke slowly.
"Your Highness has been wronged."
As soon as he opened his mouth, Wei Lin knew what he meant. Thinking about it, it made sense. Sai Qianjin was ugly, which was secondary. Her reputation was not good either. She was the laughing stock of the entire capital. The Crown Prince, on the other hand, was a superior person. Yet he had no choice but to marry that woman. Wei Lin looked at the Crown Prince.
Inside the room, Crown Prince Feng Zixiao saw the pity in Xi Lingfeng and Wei Lin's eyes as they looked at him, and couldn't help but find it amusing. This was merely a temporary measure; once Jiang Batian was eliminated, he could install any woman he wanted. Right now, it was more important to attend to important matters. Thinking this, he looked at Wei Lin and said, "Recently, keep an eye on the officials in the capital who are close to Jiang Batian, and gather evidence against them. Remember, you must not alert him."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Wei Lin stood up to accept the order. Feng Zixiao gestured for him to sit down. As a censor, Wei Lin set an example by always acting in accordance with etiquette. He was meticulous in his conduct and never became arrogant just because the Crown Prince valued him. This was precisely why the Crown Prince valued him.
The Crown Prince instructed Wei Lin, then looked at the Left Prime Minister Xi Lingfeng: "The Left Prime Minister should also keep an eye on the movements of these people in the capital."
“Yes, Your Highness,” Xi Lingfeng said calmly, then fell silent.
Inside the study, the Seventh Prince paid no attention to what others were saying. He was only thinking about how to help his elder brother. After thinking for a while, he suddenly had an idea. His eyes lit up and he abruptly stood up and looked at Feng Zixiao.
"Crown Prince, I must help you."
After saying that, he dashed out of the study. Behind him, Crown Prince Feng Zixiao and the others were all bewildered. This Seventh Prince could really talk nonsense. What exactly did he mean by "helping"? The three of them couldn't figure it out for a moment. Fearing that the Seventh Prince might do something he shouldn't, Feng Zixiao called out towards the door.
"Agu, immediately follow the Seventh Prince and see what he's up to."
"Yes, Your Highness," someone answered from outside the door. Footsteps sounded and quickly disappeared outside the door. Inside the room, Xi Lingfeng and Wei Lin got up to take their leave. The Crown Prince instructed someone to see the two officials off and then went to his room to rest.
Chapter 012 Sending the maid off
Jiang Mansion.
There was a constant noise in Qinfang Courtyard early in the morning. Hailing, who had just fallen asleep in her room, was disturbed and angrily shouted, "Yanzhi, why is it so noisy outside?"
Upon hearing her mistress's call, Rouge rushed in from outside and reported nimbly, "Miss, the General instructed the steward to send people to renovate Qinfang Courtyard, and also sent a lot of things and people over."
"How boring," Hai Ling muttered. She was too tired to pay any attention. She hadn't run the 3,000 meters today and wanted to sleep in. Who knew these people would disturb her peaceful sleep? It was truly hateful. Hai Ling pulled the thin quilt over her head, blocking out all the sounds.
Rouge tiptoed out again. She knew that her mistress hadn't slept well last night and hadn't fallen asleep until morning, so she hadn't even woken her up for a run. Who knew that the general would suddenly decide to send people over to renovate Qinfang Courtyard, causing such a commotion so early in the morning.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. Now that the young lady has received the imperial decree, no matter what happens in the future, her current status is that of the future Crown Princess. If the Crown Princess's residence is so poor, it will become a handle for the royal family to use against her, and who knows how they will view the General. That's why they sent people to tidy up the courtyard.
The courtyard was bustling with activity. Some people were transporting flowers and plants, others were repairing houses and painting dilapidated pillars, and still others were carrying in valuable items, which were then arranged one by one. The steward, Han Liang, was in the main hall of the room, exchanging duties with his wife.
Du Caiyue already knew what had happened last night. The Emperor had decreed a marriage, and Hailing was now the Crown Princess. As her mother, Du Caiyue didn't seem happy at all; on the contrary, she was extremely worried, her face full of sorrow. She knew that her eldest daughter wanted to marry the Crown Prince, but now it was Hailing who was marrying him. Moreover, how could the Crown Prince marry someone like Hailing, and how could the Emperor have decreed such a marriage? This whole thing seemed very strange.
Han Liang, sitting below, replied in a measured tone, "Madam, these are all things that the General sent over."
He presented the invoice, asking Du Caiyue to check it later. As the manager, he didn't want to make the slightest mistake, much less allow anyone to find fault with him and ruin his reputation.
Du Caiyue held the order form but didn't look at it closely. She just nodded, her mind still on her daughter's marriage.
Although Han Liang knew what she was thinking, he only did what he should do and then continued, "In addition, the general has sent some more people over. Qinfang Courtyard didn't have many people before, but now that the Third Miss's status is different, we can't afford to cause any trouble."
Just then, Rouge walked in from outside and overheard Han Liang's words. A cold sarcasm appeared on her brow. This Steward Han really knew how to talk. What did he mean by saying that there were no people in the past? The General's Mansion had never allocated any people to Qinfang Courtyard from beginning to end. There were only the Madam and Miss. If it weren't for her coming, the mother and daughter would have done everything themselves. Even the expenses were earned by Miss herself. The General's Mansion had never allocated any money. When Miss was young, the Madam survived to this day by doing some embroidery work in private and selling some of her own things.
Now they're saying such nice things, and all they're saying is for the sake of the General's Mansion's reputation. If they weren't afraid of losing face, they probably wouldn't have even thought about adding people to Qinfang Courtyard.
Rouge walked to Du Caiyue's side and stood there, reaching out to hold Du Caiyue's hand. She knew that the lady was very worried about this matter.
Du Caiyue held Yanzhi's hand. She didn't treat Yanzhi like a servant, but cherished her as if she were another girl of her own, so the two had a very good relationship.
After Han Liang finished reporting, seeing that Du Caiyue did not speak, he clapped his hands outside, and several people immediately walked in. In front of them were maids dressed in the same style, wearing short shirts and green lotus skirts, and behind them were several old women.
"You should tell the lady your names."
The four maids stepped forward and formally announced, "This servant is Kexin."
"This servant is Xiao Xiang."
"This servant is Xiuying."
"This servant is Ye Lan."
After the four maids announced their names, four older women also stepped forward to register. Two of them were maids who did menial tasks, and the other two were people from the kitchen.