Fu Zhen slowly furrowed her brows. "From what you've said, the eldest princess must be an extremely intelligent and perceptive person. How could she get involved with Xie Guang?"
"Because Xie Guang once saved her life," Chen Tingfeng said indifferently.
The eldest princess lost her mother at a young age. When she was out of favor with the emperor, she had endured all kinds of hardships. The servants in the palace were all snobbish wretches. As a disfavored girl, she was casually given to a concubine to be raised. How could her life be easy?
That concubine raised her only in the hope that the emperor would visit her more often. But the eldest princess failed to attract the emperor's attention. Instead, she became a burden.
Jealousy and hatred would gradually build up over small things. Once, the eldest princess accidentally offended the concubine and was punished to kneel in the snow. She was young and small, and often ignored. She fainted in the snow without anyone noticing.
It was Xie Guang who saw her when he passed by. He then called for people to save her life.
"The eldest princess is a person who values love and loyalty. With this incident, she couldn't just stand by and watch Xie Guang die," Chen Tingfeng said.
Fu Zhen felt a complex mix of emotions.
Imagine if someone had saved her life in such a situation. She would never be able to stand idly by when that person was in trouble.
Even if he wasn't a good person.
But under the imperial power, was there really a truly good person?
To the eldest princess, Xie Guang was just a poor man oppressed by the emperor.
"Will her arrival hinder you?" Fu Zhen looked up at Chen Tingfeng.
He smiled. Behind him was the endless night, but his eyes seemed to be shining with a faint light.
She said "you" instead of "you all".
Fu Zhen only cared about Chen Tingfeng.
He tightened his grip on her hand. He felt as if there was a stove in his heart, warming him from head to toe.
When he spoke again, his voice was so gentle that it seemed to drip with water. "No. Don't worry."
"Although the eldest princess and Xie Guang have this past, she now has a husband and children. Moreover, she was not completely unaware of what Xie Guang had done before. Naturally, she doesn't fully support him. With these constraints, at most, she will just persuade him a few times and try to mediate between Xie Guang and the emperor. She won't risk her life to help Xie Guang."
He continued, "The eldest princess was once married to a place in the south of the Yangtze River. She may have wanted to stay away from the disputes in the court. So, when the fight for the throne is becoming more and more intense, she will definitely not get involved again."
There was one thing he didn't say explicitly. The eldest princess had been away from the capital for so many years. Even if she was extremely capable and knew the situation clearly, she might not have the ability to get involved again.
Even if she had the intention, Chen Tingfeng would stop her in advance.
The queen sent someone to find the eldest princess. She probably just wanted the eldest princess to save Xie Guang's life. As long as Xie Guang was still alive, there would always be a chance.
Moreover, once the eldest princess returned to the capital, the queen could slowly persuade her. As long as the eldest princess showed a little interest, she would be the queen's helper.
Fu Zhen was not a stupid person. Even though Chen Tingfeng didn't say it explicitly, she could guess most of it.
But with the flower - viewing banquet approaching and the eldest princess returning to the capital, she still felt a little uneasy. She didn't know where this uneasiness came from.
She could only take one step at a time.
Chen Tingfeng sent her to the courtyard gate. He really behaved himself and didn't even step over the threshold.
She joked with a smile, "Are you going to be a gentleman tonight?"
Chen Tingfeng's eyes darkened a bit. He gave a soft snort and gently bit her face, as if tasting a green but sweet fruit. "I'll come to see you another day."
With Chen Xuan's reminder, he really felt embarrassed to do anything else. After a brief interaction, they bid farewell to each other.
Inside the palace.
Although Xie Guang had been stabbed in the waist and abdomen, he was lucky not to have hit a vital part. He woke up at night.
He was placed in the queen's palace. When he woke up, Agate rushed in with the medicine. "Your Highness, you're finally awake!"
Xie Guang tilted his head and gulped down the medicine. He handed the bowl back to her. His voice was still a bit weak, but he asked with concern, "Where's the queen? How is she?"
Before he fainted, the queen had desperately protected him. Even though he was cold - hearted, he was still touched.
Agate's eyes turned red, and tears were about to fall. "The empress was stabbed by that bitch. The imperial physician said it was just a little bit away from her heart. If the knife had been an inch more off, the empress... the empress would have been dead!"
Xie Guang was stunned. He couldn't believe it. "How could this happen?"
Saying that, he lifted the quilt and tried to get out of bed. But in the process, he accidentally pulled his wound. He let out a muffled groan and showed a pained expression.
"Your Highness!" Agate quickly rushed over and pressed him back onto the bed. Her eyes were red. "The empress is still in a coma. Everything depends on Your Highness. I know Your Highness is worried about the empress, but the most important thing now is for Your Highness to recover. Otherwise, all the plans the empress made for Your Highness today will be in vain!"
Xie Guang showed a faint smile. His face was as pale as a ghost. "Recover? The overall situation? What do we have now?! We have nothing!"
He angrily pounded the bed. His eyes were blood - red as if he was about to shed tears of blood.
Agate grabbed his hand to stop him from venting. Too much emotional fluctuation was not good for a seriously injured person.
After all, she was a senior maid who had climbed up step by step in the palace. Her heart was harder than others. "Your Highness, I know you're sad, but things are not hopeless yet."
Xie Guang slowly raised his head. "What?"
Although her eyes were red, her expression was calm, almost cold. "Concubine Li is dead, and the little prince is stupid. So this secret will be buried forever. The little prince will always be the emperor's child!"
The emperor was very concerned about his reputation. He would never publicize such a scandal. At least, even if he couldn't hide it from the court officials, he could hide it from the people.
Moreover, since the little prince was already stupid and useless, his existence was no longer important to the emperor.
Could a stupid child who had lost his mother's protection survive in the palace?
So, the emperor had lost the opportunity to take action against them justifiably.
Xie Guang stared blankly at the queen's confidant beside him. "What should I do next?"
Agate whispered, "Before the empress went to the Zichen Palace, she sent someone to invite the eldest princess back from the south of the Yangtze River. During this period, Your Highness just needs to lie low. Once Your Highness recovers, everything will be easier to handle."
"No," Xie Guang frowned. His expression was sinister. "The longer we delay, the more we will lose the initiative. Now Xie Yan has outshone me. If I don't do something, I'm afraid I won't be able to turn things around in the future."
Agate pursed her lips. His consideration made sense.
But now the eldest prince had become the target of public criticism. Both the emperor and Xie Yan wanted to deal with him. What could he do?