Zhou Sheng reported in detail, "Qin Feng is a suspicious man. Ever since the cherries were sent to the Crown Princess's residence, he has sent people to keep an eye on it. Fortunately, everyone in the Crown Princess's household has tight lips. The watchers only know that someone was poisoned, but they don't know who it was or whether the person is dead or alive.
As soon as the coffin was carried out, combined with the ambiguous remarks of our people at the gate, Qin Feng couldn't wait to find out whether the dead person was really Hongrui.
However, even at this juncture, he still wanted to act high - minded and didn't want to send his own people to dig up the grave. Instead, he asked Lady Qin to send someone to confirm.
The three servants who dug up the grave are all Lady Qin's confidants. They usually go out with Lady Qin and know a lot about the inner courtyard. Zhou Yan and I intimidated them a bit, and they told us everything. They even said things we didn't ask about.
One of them named Ding Liu has been detained by us, and another named Li Zhong was sent back to report to Lady Qin. We're not afraid he'll tell lies because Ding Liu has married Li Zhong's younger sister, and Li Zhong doesn't want his sister to become a widow.
We've promised that after this matter is over, we'll spare their lives and send their whole families away. In order not to be implicated by the Qin family, they have no choice but to obey us obediently."
The Crown Prince glanced at Liang Yuzhou and voiced his concern, "Lady Qin sent three people, but only one came back to report. Won't it arouse her suspicion?"
Zhou Sheng said, "We deliberately left some wounds on Li Zhong. We told him to go back and say that they encountered tomb - robbers when digging the grave. The tomb - robbers thought they were also tomb - robbers, so a conflict broke out. One of them died and was buried on the spot. Ding Liu was seriously injured and couldn't see Lady Qin."
"Will Lady Qin believe such a reason?" The Crown Prince couldn't help frowning.
Such a clumsy lie would be self - defeating with a little verification.
Liang Yuzhou smiled meaningfully. "Your Highness, you're a top expert in the power struggles in the court, but you can't assume that the women in the inner courtyard are as smart and perceptive as you."
The Crown Prince retorted, "Such a lie would surely not deceive Mianmian and Wan Chu."
"How many as intelligent as Wan Chu and the Crown Princess are there?"
Liang Yuzhou glanced at Song Wanchu and his expression became proud again. "Your Highness, there are too many smart people around you, which makes you overlook a simple fact. In this world, most people are mediocre and gullible."
The Crown Prince might be able to fathom the Emperor's thoughts and the minds of the court officials, but he might not be able to figure out the psychology of the women in the inner courtyard.
Cheng Simian explained it to the Crown Prince. "The people Lady Qin sent to dig up the grave and identify the body must be those she absolutely trusts. They must have done a lot of dirty work for her on weekdays, and she has never experienced being betrayed. So she must believe Li Zhong's words completely. Moreover, she's always been high and mighty. Her daughter, Qin Xuanyan, beats and scolds the servants and doesn't treat them as human beings. How much better can Lady Qin be? She won't care whether they're dead or injured, let alone verify it herself. Sometimes, a woman's mind is just that simple."
The Crown Prince's tightly knitted eyebrows relaxed a bit. "Mianmian is right. If it weren't for the fact that she's the mistress of the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion, such a stupid person would never be a match for Mianmian."
The Crown Prince's unsparing praise for Cheng Simian was nothing new to Song Wanchu and Liang Yuzhou.
It wasn't a deliberate or exaggerated compliment, but a natural outpouring of deep affection.
However, it was a bit embarrassing for the people around them.
"What do you mean by the unexpected surprise?"
Realizing that the atmosphere was a bit delicate, the Crown Prince quickly changed the topic.
Zhou Yan grinned, looking gloating. "The relationship between the Qin family and the Second Prince isn't as harmonious as it seems."
"Is it because of Qin Xuanyan?" Cheng Simian guessed.
"The Crown Princess is brilliant. According to Li Zhong, the Second Prince accepted Qin Xuanyan reluctantly just to win over Qin Feng. But Qin Xuanyan didn't seem to understand her status as a concubine. As soon as she arrived at the Chunling Courtyard, she acted like the mistress of the house. She bossed around the Second Prince's favorite concubine, Xue Ying, and tried to assert her authority.
Xue Ying is more scheming. She cried and showed weakness in front of the Second Prince. The Second Prince scolded Qin Xuanyan and told her to recognize her own status. Qin Xuanyan even quarreled with the Second Prince. The Second Prince slapped her, and in a fit of anger, Qin Xuanyan returned to the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion.
Qin Feng was furious and refused to let Qin Xuanyan in. Qin Xuanyan cried outside the door. Lady Qin couldn't bear it and secretly let her in while Qin Feng was at court. The Second Prince has already declared that he will never allow Qin Xuanyan to enter the Chunling Courtyard again.
Qin Feng couldn't bear it any longer. He beat Qin Xuanyan up and planned to send his two illegitimate daughters to the Second Prince.
Because of this, Lady Qin had a big fight with Qin Feng. The inner courtyard of the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion is in a complete mess."
Zhou Yan told these things as if they were a joke.
But Cheng Simian thought deeper.
"It seems that Qin Feng is determined to ally with the Second Prince. Qin Xuanyan, the eldest legitimate daughter of the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion, is completely ruined."
Originally, the Qin family could have waited for the storm over the Spring Palace Pictures to pass and then married Qin Xuanyan off to a family in a foreign place.
The reputation of the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion was still there. Qin Xuanyan could have married into a prominent family in a foreign place and continued to live a life of luxury.
Qin Feng's mistake was overestimating Qin Xuanyan's ability and her status in the Second Prince's heart.
With Qin Xuanyan's arrogant and high - minded personality, even if she entered the Chunling Courtyard with a bad reputation, she still thought she was the one with the highest status in the inner courtyard.
It was inevitable that she would conflict with the other concubines.
If Qin Feng could have shown the Second Prince that he wouldn't spoil his daughter and Qin Xuanyan couldn't enter the Qin family's gate, there might still have been room for maneuver.
But Lady Yang messed things up again.
By opening the gate of the Duke of Rongxiang's Mansion to Qin Xuanyan, she put Qin Feng on the opposite side of the Second Prince.
Qin Feng had no choice but to send two more daughters to appease the Second Prince's anger and help him save face.
Song Wanchu thought one step further than Cheng Simian. "Qin Xuanyan has already been with the Second Prince. It's even more impossible for her to get married. She has no future. She and Lady Qin will blame you for this."
Who knows what crazy things Lady Yang will do when she's cornered?
"The day after tomorrow is the Dragon Boat Festival banquet at the Duke's Mansion."
Cheng Simian smiled at Song Wanchu. "Here, I'd like to thank the old lady first. I'll personally apologize to her later for disturbing her happy occasion."
This Dragon Boat Festival banquet was arranged by Song Wanchu after asking the old lady.
The pretext was that the old Duke's health was gradually improving. The Duke's Mansion hadn't had a happy event for a long time. Taking advantage of the Dragon Boat Festival, they invited the prominent families in the capital to have a good time.
The plan to lure the snake out of its hole had succeeded.
It was time for Lady Yang to show her true colors.
The next day, the Queen sent Dai Ying to send some precious medicinal herbs and inquire about Rong's condition.
She also conveyed many words of comfort.
"It's not easy for the women in the royal family. The Queen knows that you've been wronged. The more you take the overall situation into consideration, the more the Queen feels sorry for you."
The Queen's words were ostensibly for comfort, but actually carried a hint of warning.