"Sorry," Fifth Princess took a deep breath and said regretfully to Meng Ruyi, "I've troubled Miss Meng today."
"Where's that?" Meng Ruyi smiled, "I haven't really been of much help."
A tinge of melancholy crept onto Fifth Princess's delicate profile. She was in a daze for a moment, then looked at Meng Ruyi and said, "I wonder if Miss Meng..."
"Forget it."
The words were barely out when she took them back. As if nothing had happened, she smiled apologetically at Meng Ruyi.
What was she about to say?
"I won't bother you any longer." Fifth Princess stood up, bid farewell to Meng Ruyi, and turned to leave.
As she was about to go, Meng Ruyi noticed a small patch on the hem of her skirt, and a thoughtful look crossed her face.
Perhaps the maternal family of the Third Prince hadn't fared well after defecting to the Crown Prince.
But this was to be expected. They hadn't done much for the Crown Prince, so naturally, they couldn't expect much in return.
The Third Prince's birth mother had an ordinary background. She was just lucky enough to catch the emperor's favor and give birth to these two children. Even so, she wasn't highly favored and couldn't bring much glory to her family.
People always say that a mother's status rises with her son's, but in the royal family, it might be the other way around. If the birth mother has a low status, how can the prince get any support after he comes of age?
Everyone understood this and chose to keep silent about it. After some hesitation, Zheng Yuanqing's maternal family finally decided to defect to the Crown Prince, the more powerful one.
Since Zheng Yuanqing had no chance of ascending the throne, they might as well use him as a bargaining chip to defect to the Crown Prince. Even if they couldn't get a big share, at least they could get some leftovers.
Meng Ruyi watched Fifth Princess's retreating back and couldn't help but feel a bit emotional.
But Brother Song still hadn't come back?
"Chuixue, go..."
Before she could finish her words, Meng Ruyi heard a smiling voice from outside the door. She looked in the direction of the voice and saw Song Huaizhi standing against the door. He was tall and handsome.
It had been a long time since she last looked at him so closely.
Meng Ruyi was slightly stunned for a moment, then she stood up with a smile and walked towards him. "When did you come, Brother Song? Why didn't you come in?"
Song Huaizhi's face softened when he saw Meng Ruyi. Liu Feng, who was standing beside them, couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.
"I just came back. I went to see Mr. Lin."
As Song Huaizhi spoke, he walked over to the small table and sat down. He said to Meng Ruyi, "Everything in the capital is going smoothly. Yu Yu, you don't have to worry."
"Tell me quickly," Meng Ruyi's eyes lit up. "What's the situation now?"
Every second counted now. Mr. Lin and Master Mingjing had to act quickly and do as much as they could before the situation got out of hand.
"Okay," Song Huaizhi saw Meng Ruyi's bright eyes and suddenly felt an urge to reach out and touch her. He suppressed this urge and said to Meng Ruyi, "Master Mingjing rushed to see the emperor last night. He said he had a dream in which he saw a ferocious beast roaming by the river, especially in the areas under the Crown Prince's control. There were also one or two places mixed in to deceive people."
"The emperor was shocked and immediately sent his personal guards to investigate. The Crown Prince was caught off guard this time and should be trying to remedy the situation."
As Song Huaizhi spoke, a rare look of schadenfreude flashed across his face. He continued, "But for such a major event, how could there be any chance to remedy it?"
"That's great," Meng Ruyi couldn't help but sigh. She continued to ask, "Then how can the Tang family donate money reasonably and not arouse suspicion?"
"It's still related to Master Mingjing," Song Huaizhi thought of the plan that Mr. Lin and Master Mingjing had come up with. A faint smile appeared on his face as he said, "Master Mingjing will visit and say that Tang Xiyi has a Buddhist destiny and that he dreamt that the Tang family helped the dragon avoid disaster last night. So he will persuade him to embrace Buddhism."
Meng Ruyi: "..."
This seemed a bit far - fetched.
"This..." Meng Ruyi didn't know what to say for a moment. She asked Song Huaizhi, "Isn't this a bit too far - fetched? Can't the emperor see through this excuse?"
[Laughing so hard haha. Ginger is still spicy when it's old. I understand. Mr. Lin and Master Mingjing are really big shots.]
[Why? Can someone explain? Isn't this kind of thing obvious at a glance?]
[It is obvious at a glance. But sister, you forgot that the emperor is sick now, and his health is getting worse every day. Of course, he believes whatever he hears.]
[Why are people more superstitious when they are sick? Don't they always need a psychological sustenance when they are vulnerable?]
So whether this matter was true or not, once Master Mingjing said it, it became true.
The emperor didn't want to die. He just wanted to live forever. As a master, the dream that came out of Mingjing's mouth was more deceptive than a real event.
Song Huaizhi was about to explain, but when he saw the thoughtful look on Meng Ruyi's face, he swallowed his words and poured a cup of tea for the girl in front of him.
"Is the emperor's illness very serious?" Meng Ruyi suddenly asked.
"Yes," Song Huaizhi nodded. After a moment of thought, he said, "He wasn't in good condition in the early spring. The whole capital was on high alert at that time. His condition has improved a bit recently because of the hot weather."
"But this is only temporary. The emperor's body is extremely weak. This winter will be his limit."
In fact, it might not even last until winter.
Song Huaizhi thought sarcastically. Every time, the emperor would die in late autumn, causing a great stir.
"No wonder the Crown Prince and the others are so anxious," Meng Ruyi sighed. "Brother Song, you must have been busy for a long time today. Why don't you go back and rest first?"
"Don't worry," Song Huaizhi said to Meng Ruyi, "I have a little surprise for you."
As he spoke, Song Huaizhi smiled slightly, which made Meng Ruyi stunned.
...
Shangguan Xue looked at the maid kneeling on the ground and asked, "Has Father sent any letters in the past few days?"
"Back to Miss," the maid shook her head.
A look of disappointment appeared on Shangguan Xue's face. She continued to ask, "Is there anything else to say?"
The maid nodded slightly and said, "Miss, Madam said that you may have to endure it for a while longer. When... when that person comes to his senses, you may be able to go home."
"Also, Cousin sent you a letter. Do you want to take a look?"
A rare look of silence appeared on Shangguan Xue's face. Her smile faded away bit by bit.
The maid had already stood up and handed the letter to her with both hands. Shangguan Xue still took the letter and stared at it for a while. Then she looked up at the maid and said, "You can go down first."
As she spoke, the maid retreated. Shangguan Xue stood up and walked towards her desk. She opened the window and sat there.
The afterglow of the setting sun was gradually swallowed up. The last bit of light was about to disappear, leaving only a faint purple in the sky.
Shangguan Xue sat there until the sky completely darkened without opening the letter.
When the room was completely dark, the maid came in with a candle, lit it, and then quickly retreated.
Shangguan Xue looked at the letter. Her hand kept rubbing the slightly rough paper. Finally, she still put the letter into the drawer without opening it.