The two parties exchanged information.
Although Lu Ningzhen had completely fallen from power and it was difficult for her to stage a comeback, she still had a group of die - hard followers in the capital.
These people were absolutely loyal to her and were hiding in every corner of the capital, waiting for Lu Ningzhen's orders.
Liang Yuzhou had long anticipated that Lu Ningzhen would look for an opportunity to take revenge on the crown prince.
Unexpectedly, it was the Second Prince who provided such an opportunity.
The Second Prince was not only ambitious but also extremely bold.
Colluding with Lu Ningzhen was a risky move, but there was a chance of success.
The crown prince held the secret letter in his hand, his eyes dark.
"We must quickly eliminate Lu Ningzhen's remaining minions."
"How does Your Highness plan to do it?" Liang Yuzhou asked.
There was a cold glint in the crown prince's eyes. "If we conduct a large - scale search, it will be too noisy. Not only will it easily tip off the enemy, but it will also disrupt the peace in the capital. If we try to eliminate Lu Ningzhen's minions secretly, we will lack sufficient evidence to prove that Lu Siming colluded with Lu Ningzhen. So, we need to choose a suitable moment to wipe them all out at once."
Liang Yuzhou immediately understood the crown prince's plan. "Your Highness, are you sure you want to ruin your grand wedding?"
The crown prince deeply loved Cheng Simian, took their relationship seriously, and also attached great importance to this grand wedding.
"Mianmian is a sensible woman. She will understand me."
A faint bitterness welled up in the crown prince's heart.
Mianmian never really cared about the wedding.
She always thought that their relationship was just a show.
It was just that she was so dedicated to her role that she could adapt to being the crown princess.
But it didn't mean that she liked this role or hoped to be in it.
From beginning to end, he was the only one who had truly fallen into the act.
Liang Yuzhou saw the crown prince's determination.
"Okay, I will help Your Highness make the arrangements. I guarantee that those ugly and insidious faces will surface one by one on your wedding day."
After Liang Yuzhou left, a maid came to report. "Your Highness, Miss Qiluo, who serves the crown princess, is here."
The crown prince's hand that had just picked up the pen paused. "Qiluo?"
He had an impression of this young girl.
It was not because of her outstanding looks, but because of the maturity and agility beyond her age.
This girl had shown remarkable performance when luring Lu Siming and Qin Xuanyan into the trap in the Chunling Villa.
Mianmian must have sent her here because of something important.
"Let her in."
Qiluo walked into the hall and saluted the crown prince.
"Your Highness, my mistress wants to do something but is unsure. She sent me here to ask for Your Highness's advice."
"What is it?" the crown prince asked anxiously.
He always paid extra attention to things related to Mianmian.
"My mistress wants to enter the palace to visit the queen and Princess Lingyang. But with the wedding approaching, it is inconvenient for her to go out. She hopes Your Highness can come up with a suitable reason."
Facing the solemn and majestic crown prince, Qiluo was not the least bit timid. Her words were clear, and her attitude was sincere and respectful.
The crown prince's heart softened instantly.
Mianmian always knew what he was thinking and tried her best to relieve his difficulties.
The queen had her own sorrows that she couldn't express. She needed someone to comfort her most. As the future daughter - in - law, Mianmian was the most suitable person.
Lingyang was full of resentment at this moment. She might even hate him, her own elder brother. She needed someone to persuade and comfort her.
However, approaching the queen and Lingyang at this time could easily arouse the emperor's dissatisfaction.
The crown prince didn't want Cheng Simian to take this risk.
This was his own business. Mianmian was virtuous and understanding, willing to share weal and woe with him. But he couldn't be so selfish as to put such a great risk on her.
"I know her good intentions, but the situation in the palace is complicated. It's better not to go for the time being."
Qiluo remained calm.
This was what her mistress had expected.
But she had to come up with a reason for her mistress.
A reason that the crown prince couldn't refuse.
Qiluo frowned slightly, looked up, and met the crown prince's eyes.
"Your Highness, my mistress understands your concerns. But there are not only the queen in the palace but also other concubines and those with ulterior motives. They hope that Princess Lingyang will make a big fuss and that the marriage with the Qin family will fall through. Who will benefit from this? My mistress is also afraid that someone will take the opportunity to sow discord and damage the relationship between you and your sister. She wants to have a heart - to - heart talk with Princess Lingyang to avoid greater hidden dangers."
The crown prince's eyebrows twitched slightly.
"Did Mianmian teach you to say these words?"
Qiluo smiled. "I've been with my mistress for some time. Although I'm not very smart, I can still guess a little of her thoughts."
There was admiration in the crown prince's eyes, but she lowered her eyes without a trace of arrogance.
"Go back. I'll figure out a way."
The next day, Cheng Simian received the news that the queen was ill.
It wasn't a serious illness. She just had a poor appetite, felt listless, and had no energy for anything.
Cheng Simian changed into palace clothes and entered the palace to visit the queen.
The queen's mental state was indeed not very good.
It was still because she felt sorry for Princess Lingyang.
But as the mother of the nation, she had to consider the emperor first.
Family affection had to give way to national affairs.
Cheng Simian understood the queen's sadness and helplessness.
"Your Majesty, I would like to go and see Princess Lingyang."
She still needed the queen's permission for this.
If she went without permission, it would be easy to give others something to talk about.
The queen wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief and nodded. "You are her sister - in - law. It's proper for you to go and have a look. Try to persuade her to think about her father's health and stop making a fuss."
Cheng Simian agreed one by one.
When she was about to reach the door, the queen suddenly called out.
"Mianmian."
Cheng Simian turned back.
There were tears in the queen's eyes. "Mianmian, I took a fancy to you not only because you are virtuous and gentle but also because you are understanding and insightful. As you can see, being a queen, the surface glory is just for others to see, but the inner sadness cannot be told to others.
It's difficult to be a virtuous queen. I know you are capable of it, but don't waver in your feelings for Hong'er because of this.
He is the future emperor. National affairs will always be more important than personal feelings. He is not a heartless person, but he is forced to do heartless things. He needs someone to understand him.
Mianmian, the emptiness in the emperor's heart needs to be filled. As an emperor, he may not need love, but as an ordinary man, he also needs a sincere relationship."
Cheng Simian nodded.
She had gradually understood this.
Everyone said that she could be a good queen.
But now, Cheng Simian wanted to be a gentle comforter more.
The Caiying Hall where Princess Lingyang lived was lifeless.
The maids and eunuchs were all very cautious and didn't even dare to speak loudly.
Before pushing the door open, Cheng Simian asked the head maid, "Auntie, may I ask if anyone has come to visit the princess these days?"
The senior maid replied, "Apart from Her Majesty the queen, several other concubines in the palace have also come to comfort the princess. Concubine Lan has come quite often and spent a long time chatting with the princess."
"Has the princess's mood improved a bit?"
The senior maid shook her head and sighed. "It's the same no matter who comes. Especially when Her Majesty the queen comes, the princess gets even more irritable."
A cold glint flashed in Cheng Simian's eyes.
She had already guessed what Concubine Lan had said to Princess Lingyang.
Princess Lingyang's outburst of anger at the queen was actually an expression of her hatred for the crown prince.
She gave the senior maid a reward, and the senior maid pushed the door open and invited her in.
As soon as Cheng Simian took a step forward, a plate full of preserved fruits was smashed at her feet.
Princess Lingyang glared at her and gritted her teeth. "What are you doing here? Did Lu Sihong send you? Well, I don't even need to guess. He must have sent you to persuade me to put his kingdom first, right?"
Cheng Simian knew that no matter what she said at this moment, she couldn't calm Princess Lingyang's anger.
She got straight to the point. "Princess, don't you want the crown prince to ascend the throne? Or do you think that if another prince becomes the emperor, your situation will be better than it is now?"
Princess Lingyang was stunned and stared blankly at her.