"The Crown Prince should have stayed at our prefect's mansion, but he chose to stay at the wealthy merchant Chu's family. He came to Yunzhou on an inspection tour but deliberately snubbed you, the highest-ranking official here."
Grandma Yue frowned tightly, feeling extremely uneasy.
However, having experienced many ups and downs and witnessed countless intrigues, life and death struggles in the palace, she managed to keep calm.
"The eldest princess has been under house arrest, and our information channels have been greatly blocked. I guess the Crown Prince must have listened to someone's instigation and intends to investigate you."
"It must be Shi Minglang. He has only been in Yunzhou for a few days, but he keeps challenging me at every turn! I imposed heavy taxes on merchants, and he opposed it. He, a civil official, even meddled in military affairs. He also refused to let go of the matter where Song Wanchu was almost kidnapped!"
Yue Chengkong gritted his teeth in hatred. He wished he could break Shi Minglang's bones, eat his flesh, and drink his blood.
Grandma Yue shook her head, her expression solemn. "Shi Minglang may be young, but he is also very shrewd. He knows that some minor and harmless crimes won't anger the Crown Prince. Maybe he tortured Gao Daqiang into confessing something and submitted a memorial to the emperor.
The emperor, out of consideration for our family's relationship with the eldest princess, specifically ordered the Crown Prince to conduct an investigation."
Yue Chengkong suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Gao Daqiang was his right-hand man, and they both held each other's secrets.
What if Gao Daqiang couldn't withstand the torture and revealed that he had colluded with the Hu people to destroy the Gaochang Kingdom four years ago and then falsely claimed the military merits for killing the Hu people...
"Mother, we should have saved Gao Daqiang back then. Once he was imprisoned, wasn't he falling into Shi Minglang's hands? Who knows if his mouth has been pried open by Shi Minglang?"
"What are you panicking about!"
Grandma Yue gave him a stern look, her aura intimidating. "Maybe the emperor is just suspicious. He didn't directly arrest you and bring you to the capital for trial. Instead, he sent the Crown Prince to conduct an investigation. This means that the emperor still takes the eldest princess into consideration and is willing to show mercy to our family."
Yue Chengkong nodded repeatedly. "Yes, you are the wet nurse of the eldest princess. You are like her own mother!"
"Gao Daqiang can't be kept anymore." A hint of cruelty flashed across Grandma Yue's wrinkled face. "He is like a time bomb that could go off at any moment. Once the Crown Prince gets hold of your substantial crimes, our Yue family will be in great danger!"
The Crown Prince regarded the eldest princess as a thorn in his side. The eldest princess's house arrest was like a stab in the back from the Crown Prince.
That young upstart dared to show disrespect to his own aunt!
Grandma Yue hated the Crown Prince, but at the moment, she couldn't afford to anger him.
"We need someone well-informed to be by the Crown Prince's side." Grandma Yue was scheming. "Only by knowing the Crown Prince's movements and understanding his thoughts can we respond in advance."
"The person the Crown Prince trusts the most is that Shi Minglang!" Yue Chengkong gritted his teeth.
Grandma Yue squinted her eyes, and a smile appeared on her weathered face.
"This is easy. We just need to arrange a good marriage for Shi Minglang, and he will be grateful to our family."
"The Shi family has that terrifying Shi Jinglu. Noble families and official daughters all try to avoid them. Where can we find a good marriage for him?"
There was a strong hint of contempt in Yue Chengkong's tone.
Grandma Yue smiled. "What's so difficult about this? We'll just marry Jiaojiao to him. After all, our family and the Shi family have nothing to do with each other. Shi Minglang has no reason to keep targeting our family. He's just a dog of the emperor. If we throw him a good bone, he'll naturally side with us."
"You want to sacrifice your only granddaughter?"
Yue Jiaojiao was Yue Chengkong's only daughter and the apple of his eye.
He was very reluctant. He thought his family was of noble status and related to the eldest princess, and Shi Minglang was not worthy.
"The Crown Prince trusts Shi Minglang. Our family must show enough sincerity to make Shi Minglang switch sides!"
Grandma Yue had already made up her mind. "Then, we'll help the Crown Prince get Song Wanchu. This way, we can make the Crown Prince grateful to our family, and at the same time, we can stir up conflicts between the Crown Prince and Liang Yuzhou. We can use the Crown Prince's hand to get rid of Liang Yuzhou."
Although Yue Chengkong was extremely reluctant, he also thought his mother's plan was brilliant.
Kill two birds with one stone!
...
Shi Minglang accompanied the Crown Prince to the Chu family.
"I have a question," Shi Minglang said bluntly. "Why do you want to stay at the Chu family? This doesn't seem to be in line with common sense."
He and the Crown Prince had known each other since childhood.
The Crown Prince admired his uncle. His uncle had been promoted from a sixth-rank official in the Ministry of Punishment to a third-rank official in the Supreme Court, and the Crown Prince had surely spoken well of him in front of the emperor.
He had once been the Crown Prince's study companion, and they had almost grown up together.
That was why Shi Minglang dared to be a bit presumptuous in front of the Crown Prince.
"There's no special reason. I just think that staying at the Chu family, I can see the person I want to see."
Shi Minglang's legs trembled, and he almost tripped over himself.
The Crown Prince trusted him so much that he was being so straightforward!
It was really because of Song Wanchu!
Oh my god. If the Crown Prince knew that he had been secretly passing messages to Liang Yuzhou, would he also investigate him?
Shi Minglang reminded himself secretly that from now on, he couldn't ask any more questions about the Chu family.
He would just stand on the side and watch the Crown Prince and Liang Yuzhou go head-to-head.
He would stay completely neutral!
The Crown Prince's entourage entered the busiest street in Yunzhou.
Suddenly, there came the sounds of fighting and scolding from ahead.
A tall and fierce-looking girl was straddling a petite girl, hurling vulgar insults.
"You lowly merchant girl, how dare you fight with me? Open your dog eyes and see who I am! My father is the most powerful person in Yunzhou. If he were the emperor, I'd be a princess!
You little bitch, you dared to push me into the lake. You're defying your superior. I'll make my father execute your entire family and sell you to a brothel to be ridden by a thousand men and stepped on by ten thousand!"
Although Chu Yueying was at a disadvantage and didn't know how to swear, she fought back tenaciously against Yue Jiaojiao, who was twice her size.
Her maid also bravely fought with Yue Jiaojiao's maid.
When the Crown Prince heard what Yue Jiaojiao said, his face darkened. "The daughter of a fourth-rank official has such a big mouth!"
She even threatened to execute someone's entire family at every turn!
It seemed that Yue Chengkong was indeed acting like a local tyrant in Yunzhou. It wasn't just a rumor.
Shi Minglang took a quick step forward, flipped Yue Jiaojiao to the ground, and helped Chu Yueying up.
Chu Yueying took the opportunity to kick Yue Jiaojiao.
"Are you okay, miss?"
Shi Minglang thought this girl was quite brave. Although she was at a disadvantage, she refused to yield.
She also knew how to fight back at the right time.
As soon as Chu Yueying saw Shi Minglang in his official uniform, she immediately put away her fierce expression.
"Sir, I... I..."
Her clothes were in disarray, her hairpin was loose, her neck was covered in purple bruises from being strangled, and her lips were also bleeding.
She looked like a little kitten being bullied by a vicious dog, with tears in her eyes and looking extremely pitiful.
Yue Jiaojiao scrambled to her feet, glaring angrily at Shi Minglang with wide-open eyes.
"What kind of dog official are you? How dare you meddle in the Yue family's affairs? Do you believe I'll make my father dismiss you from your post and behead you?"
"The Crown Prince is here. Who dares to speak so arrogantly?"
With the Crown Prince's permission, Xiao Anzi roared.
When Yue Jiaojiao heard the words "Crown Prince", her body trembled violently.
She looked at the young man in the sedan chair.
He was dressed in a black brocade robe with a jade belt around his waist. His eyes were as deep as the sea, his thin lips were tightly pursed, his demeanor was solitary, and his aloof eyes exuded a compelling aura.
She was completely stunned.
The Crown Prince was so handsome.