The palace became lively again. There were cries from Concubine Shu Palace, bustling sounds of moving things back and forth, and various palace ladies and princes preparing to go to the summer resort.
Qin Su sat on the roof of the Zhengyang Palace, observing all that.
“Your Highness, the Emperor is here. You should come down.”
Chi Shui called up to Qin Su from below. Emperor Yongle also entered the courtyard, looking up at Qin Su, “Xun’er, what are you doing up there?”
Qin Su turned and landed on the ground, “I pay respects to Father Emperor. I went up to sunbathe.”
“With this free time, why don’t you accompany Father Emperor?”
Emperor Yongle raised his hand and tidied up Qin Su’s slightly messy hair, with a sense of complexity in his heart.
Qin Su met Emperor Yongle’s gaze, “Father Emperor, Third Brother is innocent.”
Emperor Yongle’s hand on Qin Su’s head trembled slightly. He thought of something, “Xun’er, let’s not talk about this for now. Accompany Father Emperor instead.”
Qin Su silently followed beside Emperor Yongle. They walked out of the Zhengyang Palace, passed through the Imperial Garden, and arrived at the Golden Phoenix Hall where court sessions were held.
Before them were layers of white jade stairs, and the majestic hall stood above. Looking up from below, it felt suffocating.
Qin Su stood in the middle, looking up without any fear in her eyes, only a sense of inevitability in obtaining what she desired.
Emperor Yongle understood upon seeing that and showed a weary expression, “Xun’er, Father Emperor is getting old.”
Qin Su’s gaze fell on Emperor Yongle beside her. Despite the years of indulgence, Emperor Yongle still hadn’t shown signs of aging, retaining the charm of his prime.
Qin Su remained silent. Emperor Yongle took Qin Su’s hand, step by step ascending the stairs until they stood in front of the Golden Phoenix Hall.
Looking at the dragon throne before them, Emperor Yongle led Qin Su towards it. On the throne lay a black package with golden patterns, “Xun’er, open it.”
Qin Su looked at the black package in front of her, puzzled. She placed the package on the dragon case, untied the knots, and unfolded the cloth, revealing a jade seal and an imperial edict.
“Father Emperor?”
Qin Su’s breath lightened considerably as she looked at Emperor Yongle.
“Xun’er, this is the imperial jade seal and the edict of enthronement. Father Emperor can give you anything you want, but you must promise Father Emperor to give your royal brothers a way out.”
Emperor Yongle had thought about it for a long time and made up his mind. Rather than watching his own flesh and blood harm each other before him, it was better to establish the imperial position first, so that others could give up hope and calm down early.
Qin Su’s gaze fell on the imperial jade seal, “Father Emperor, what if the royal brothers want your daughter’s life?”
Emperor Yongle glanced at the hall, and sighed deeply, “Imprisonment, exile, or leaving your life is enough.”
“I promise Father Emperor not to actively harm my siblings.”
Qin Su left the room. Unless necessary, she didn’t want to engage in more killings, especially since they were all still blood relatives.
“Father Emperor believes in you.”
In the nineteenth year of Yongle’s reign, Princess Qin Su was enthroned as the Crown Princess, and the Emperor led the officials to the summer resort of Fengtian, leaving Princess Su in the capital.
The news shocked the world, but in the court, there was no opposition to the decision.
After the grand enthronement ceremony, Emperor Yongle and others went to the summer resort, leaving the vast palace empty.
Qin Su sat at the gate of the Changle Palace. After the enthronement ceremony, Qin Su moved from the Zhengyang Palace to the East Palace, which was much more spacious, but unfamiliar.
“Your Highness, there’s news from the East Sea.”
Chi Shui approached and handed a thick envelope to Qin Su.
With the palace empty, Qin Su leaned against the door frame and opened the envelope.
It was a letter from Yu Chen and Wei Zikang. Yu Chen wrote mostly about the military situation and the issues of consolidation in Jing Guo, while Wei Zikang wrote mostly about the epidemic.
After the previous outbreak, Wei Zikang took direct and decisive measures, mobilizing the army to quarantine all areas affected by the epidemic, investigating the source, burning corpses, brewing medicines, etc. After these measures, the spread of the epidemic was temporarily contained within a certain range.
The physicians sent from the capital also discovered several effective herbs during this period. It was estimated that in another month or so, the epidemic would be eradicated.
Wei Zikang’s letter relieved Qin Su. Everything was progressing in a positive direction.
Folding the letter, Qin Su fanned herself, “Has there been any news from my aunt?”
“Not yet.”
Seeing Qin Su’s expression, Chi Shui wanted to ask about Shen Yi, but ever since Yu Kong took Shen Yi away, not a single letter was sent. Of course, the letters Qin Su sent out were also lost, as she didn’t even know the whereabouts of the Yunzhai Tower herself.
“What about the Ministry of Justice?”
Qin Su had mentioned to Emperor Yongle before he left that the Third Prince might have been framed, so the assassination case was reopened and handed over to the Ministry of Justice. It had been some time, and there was no news of any progress.
“Not yet, Your Highness. The Ministry of Justice has searched every possible lead, but apart from the evidence pointing to the Third Prince, nothing else was found.”
After a long time, even if the Ministry of Justice conducted a thorough investigation, the results were minimal. There were too few clues left at the scene back then. Apart from the bodies of the men in black, there was nothing useful. Moreover, those men in black were well-trained and left no trace.
No progress had been made, which was troublesome.
Qin Su could guess the mastermind behind it all, but without evidence, her guesses were futile.
“Then we can only start with the Eighth Prince. Tonight, I will explore the Imperial Mausoleum.”
Qin Su stood up, her mindset, but it startled Chi Shui.
“Your Highness, the Imperial Mausoleum is heavily guarded and off-limits. Why not visit the Cold Palace to see how Concubine Shu is doing?”
“The burial ground for the emperors of the Da Yong dynasty throughout history is known as the Imperial Mausoleum, and trespassing is not allowed.”
Qin Su hesitated for a moment and had no choice but to comply.
After dinner, Qin Su took her men to the Cold Palace.
The Cold Palace was located in the farthest corner of the palace. Since the reign of Emperor Yongle, no one had lived there, and it had fallen into disrepair. Now that the noble concubine was banished to the Cold Palace, she was the only one there.
Qin Su covered her nose and mouth, frowning. There was too much dust in the Cold Palace, mixed with the smell of decay and mildew, which was quite unpleasant.
“Is the noble concubine here?”
Qin Su looked at the half-collapsed palace in front of her, wondering if the noble concubine, who had always been accustomed to luxury, could adapt to living there.
After Qin Su finished speaking, Chi Shui was about to knock on the door when she saw a dark figure flash by.
Before Chi Shui could tell Qin Su, she saw Qin Su chasing after the figure, followed closely by Shi’er, and the Imperial Guards following suit.
The dark figure was fast but not faster than Qin Su and the others. With a swift move, Shi’er threw their daggers, hitting the figure in the back, and causing them to fall from the palace wall.
After Qin Su landed, the Imperial Guards had already subdued the figure and removed their mask, rendering them unable to die.
“Knock them out and take them away.”
Qin Su glanced at them and turned back. When she arrived at the noble concubine’s palace, she glanced at Chi Shui, who was still standing there, and asked, “What’s the situation?”
“Your Highness, the person didn’t succeed, and the noble concubine is unharmed.”
Chi Shui stayed behind to watch over the noble concubine while Qin Su and the others went out. Now the noble concubine was dressed plainly, sitting in the courtyard looking gray and defeated. When she saw Qin Su, she shrank back.
“Noble concubine, do I need to waste my time talking to you again? Who wants to kill you?”
Qin Su stood in front of the noble concubine, looking at her as if she had aged several decades in just a few days in the Cold Palace.
The torment of the past few days had left the noble concubine mentally exhausted. Coupled with the recent scare, she was in a daze, taking a while to respond to Qin Su’s words, looking at her as if she were foolish, “What did Your Highness say?”
“I don’t have time to waste with you. If you don’t want to talk, I won’t force you. But you should think about it. Today you’re lucky that I saved you. What about tomorrow? What about your son in the Imperial Mausoleum?”
Qin Su didn’t believe that the noble concubine was truly foolish. After saying that, she waited for a moment, seeing that the noble concubine remained the same, she turned and left. Life and death were up to fate, and if the noble concubine didn’t want to live, she wouldn’t force her.
“Wait.”
Before Qin Su could step out of the Cold Palace, the noble concubine stood up and called out to her.
“Qin Su, if I tell you everything, can you guarantee the safety of my son and me?”
At that point, the noble concubine had understood. Especially after the assassination attempt, if she wanted to live, Qin Su was her only lifeline.
“It depends on whether what you say is valuable.”
Qin Su turned back, waiting for the noble concubine to speak.
The noble concubine also understood that she had no bargaining chips now. She could only gamble on Qin Su’s conscience.
After thinking for a while, the noble concubine recounted the whole story of the incident.
“Seventh Prince?”
Qin Su was surprised. That was unexpected. “Are you sure it’s the Seventh Prince?”
“Qin Su, I’ve said everything I can. I hope you keep your promise. If there’s any falsehood in what I’ve said, let my son and I perish miserably.”
The noble concubine was also flexible. Looking at Qin Su, she spoke firmly.
At that point, Qin Su believed that the noble concubine had no reason to cover up for someone who had used them and was now trying to silence them.
“Chi Shui, arrange for the Cold Palace to be repaired. Ensure that the noble concubine has everything she needs and provides her with proper clothing and food. Also, leave two people to serve her.”
Qin Su got the answer she wanted, so she couldn’t mistreat the noble concubine.
Seeing that Qin Su was trustworthy, the noble concubine let go of her worries and added, “Your Highness, Prince Jun made a big mistake, he told me that before the Third Prince died, he accused the Crown Prince of betrayal and villainy, calling him a wicked man. The Third Prince treated Prince Jun and the others as if they were the Crown Prince. I don’t know if this information is useful to Your Highness.”
Qin Su’s eyes narrowed. “When the Eighth Prince and his men ambushed the Third Prince, they got the information from the Seventh Prince. How many casualties were there that day? Was there any evidence left behind?”
The noble concubine frowned, recalling, “There were no casualties that day. According to Prince Jun, when they saw the Third Prince, he was on the verge of collapse, and they succeeded without much effort. As for evidence…
The brooch that Prince Jun dropped that day. This could be considered karma for me and my son. Everything is predetermined.”
In the end, the noble concubine sighed deeply. Everything was fated.
In Qin Su’s mind, everything fell into place. She didn’t linger in the Cold Palace for long and left with her men.
Back in the Changle Palace, Qin Su, who was reading military reports at the desk, remembered that when the Sixth Prince Qin Yun questioned her in the study earlier, he had heard from the Seventh Prince that the Third Prince had been stabbed dozens of times and killed.
Qin Su had always known that the Sixth Prince had a close relationship with the Seventh Prince, so it was normal for the Sixth Prince to hear things from the Seventh Prince. But the problem was, none of that had been made public at that time. After the body of the Third Prince was brought back, it was kept in the Ministry of Justice, and the Ministry of Justice was under his control. There was no way the news could have leaked out. How did the Seventh Prince know that the Third Prince had been stabbed dozens of times?
Rubbing his temples, Qin Su connected all the clues.
It was true.
The birth mothers of the Seventh Prince and Qin Yun were both from humble backgrounds and were not favored in the palace. Their situations were different from the other princes who had their maternal families to rely on. Therefore, in the palace, they faced many difficulties.
Because of that, Qin Yun was always cautious and made friends with everyone, pretending to be a good person all the time, and enduring any grievances. The Seventh Prince, Qin Wen, was the same, always following the Eighth Prince around like a lackey.
It was not surprising that the two would join forces. Moreover, Qin Su had seen the Third Prince and Qin Yun together often. With the simple mind of the Third Prince, it was normal for him to be swayed by Qin Yun. So, it was easy for Qin Yun to get hold of something personal belonging to the Third Prince, and then leave it at the scene of the assassination to frame him.
Perhaps the Third Prince only realized before his death that the one who wanted to harm him was not Qin Su, whom he had trusted, but Qin Yun. When the Third Prince was fleeing, Qin Yun extended a helping hand, inviting him to drink and eat, unaware that the food and wine were poisoned.
All of that was part of Qin Yun’s plan. While he was dining with the Third Prince, he had already arranged for the Seventh Prince to inform the Eighth Prince. The Seventh Prince and the Eighth Prince had grown up together, and the Seventh Prince had always been the Eighth Prince’s lackey. Naturally, the Eighth Prince trusted him. So, he led his men to the scene.
However, the Seventh Prince, who was trusted by the Eighth Prince, had secretly taken the Eighth Prince’s brooch and left it at the scene of the assassination. Later, he even provided the Ministry of Justice with a weapon belonging to the Eighth Prince’s mother, the symbol of the noble concubine’s family, a curved moon blade, which matched the wounds on the Third Prince, thus confirming the Eighth Prince’s guilt.
Putting down the report, Qin Su lightly tapped her wrist. If she guessed correctly, the next one to meet with trouble should be the Sixth Prince, who had just been entangled by the Seventh Prince.
They were coming one by one, but the Sixth Prince was not like the Third Prince and the Eighth Prince, one reckless and one straightforwardly foolish. The two of them cannot possibly resort to the same tricks again to plot against the Sixth Prince, can they?
Thinking about the people at the Summer Villa, Qin Su couldn’t help but feel a bit expectant. Under the Emperor’s nose, would they still dare to cause chaos?
Having understood everything, Qin Su wrote a letter to Qin Hao, who was also at the Summer Villa, explaining in detail the causes and consequences of the matter, as well as her next guesses. Then she sent someone to deliver it to the Summer Villa overnight. What to do next would depend on Qin Hao.
—
After summer arrived, each day was hotter than the last. Qin Su lay back under the shade of a tree in Changle Palace. Even though she wore only a thin silk shirt, the heat was suffocating. She lifted the chilled plum soup and shook her fan, “It’s almost the end of July, how much longer will it be this hot?”
In the blink of an eye, another month passed. Emperor Yongle and others were cooling off at the Summer Villa, while Qin Su remained in Shengjing, handling matters in the capital.
The attendants nearby moved closer to Qin Su and fanned some breeze behind her. The wind they fanned felt scorching, making the heat even more unbearable.
“Your Highness, it should be about two more months of heat.”
The sun was blazing overhead, and Qin Su had moved the palace attendants and shadow guards on duty to the shade. Chi Shui brought over a large bowl of ice cubes, replying to Qin Su, “Why doesn’t Your Highness let the attendants fan you?”
“She’s about to faint from the heat herself,” Qin Su glanced at Shi’er, who was still wearing a robe and boots. “Chi Shui, take Shi’er to change her clothes first. Seeing her like this, why doesn’t she just put on a cotton-padded jacket?”
Chi Shui chuckled, “Shouldn’t Your Highness thank her?”
Shi’er blushed at Qin Su’s words, thanked her, and then followed Chi Shui to change clothes.
Qin Su added more ice cubes to the plum soup and felt her breathing ease after drinking it. When Chi Shui and Shi’er returned, she was still fanning herself in the shade. “Your Highness, tomorrow is the day when General Yu and Minister Wei, Duke Jin, and others return to the capital.”
“I am aware. Hasn’t the Ministry of Rites made the preparations?”
Just the thought of having to wear layers of formal attire to greet them at the city gate tomorrow made Qin Su feel like she was going to faint from the heat. “Why is it so hot this year?”
Seeing Qin Su in that state, Chi Shui also felt relieved. “It’s about the same as previous years. It’s just that Your Highness is staying in the capital this year, so you’re experiencing the peak summer of Shengjing.”
Qin Su could only endure it helplessly.
This time Yu Chen and the others’ return to the capital also marked the success of Jing Guo’s annexation into Da Yong. Despite some setbacks due to the actions of traitors, and significant losses among the Jing Guo’s people, everything had passed. With the reorganization, they could revive.
Qin Su stood on the city tower, welcoming the triumphant return of the crowd. The feeling was still somewhat novel to her. In the past, it was her returning triumphantly; it was the first time she welcomed someone else’s triumph.
“Lord Jin, Duke Yang, and all you gentlemen have worked hard.”
Although the ministers couldn’t hide their fatigue, many of them still showed joy on their faces. “We are fortunate to be able to serve Da Yong diligently.”
After exchanging pleasantries, the enthusiastic crowd escorted them to the palace.
In the Imperial Study, after detailed reports of the trip, everyone could return home to rest and wait for the evening banquet arranged by the palace.
After Yu Chen Wei Zikang and other ministers left, they remained.
“Congratulations to the Princess on achieving her wish.”
Listening to their congratulations, Qin Su smiled and helped them up. “Cousin Chen, Minister Wei, you’ve both helped me a lot.”
“It’s our duty.”
“Thank you for your trust.”
Yu Chen and Wei Zikang both spoke at the same time.
Seeing their return, Qin Su felt much more stable. “You’ve traveled far this time and endured a lot. Go rest for a while, and after the palace banquet tonight, we’ll discuss further.”
At that moment, Qin Su didn’t know that these two pieces of information would become the greatest assistance to her in her future campaigns against the traitors.
—
Time flew like a white horse passing a crevice, summer departed, and autumn arrived imperceptibly. Before she knew it, the ground was covered in yellow leaves, and the rising autumn wind dispersed the last remnants of summer warmth.
Qin Su, dressed in a black and gold python-patterned robe, stood at the city gate, watching the vast procession from afar.
Autumn had arrived, and Emperor Yongle and others would be returning from the Summer Villa.
What surprised Qin Su was that the news from the Summer Villa had been unusually calm for the past two months. Even the Sixth Prince, whom Qin Su suspected might become the next Third Prince, was safe and sound. She didn’t know if it was because Emperor Yongle was there or if they hadn’t found a new scapegoat yet.
Qin Su greeted Emperor Yongle’s carriage, riding alongside it. Father and daughter chatted, but Qin Su furrowed her brows as they spoke, “Father, are you tired?”
“Why do you ask, my child?”
Emperor Yongle looked at the surrounding people with a somewhat indiscernible expression.
Qin Su couldn’t say exactly, she listened to Emperor Yongle’s voice, as if he lacked some vigor compared to before they went to the Summer Villa.
Suppressing her doubts, they returned to the palace together.
Everything had been arranged in advance, and everyone returned to the palace to rest first. Qin Su followed Emperor Yongle to Yong’an Palace.
Watching Emperor Yongle slowly walking step by step, Qin Su realized that she had been overthinking earlier on the way.
“Father, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?”
Qin Su reached out to support Emperor Yongle, realizing her voice was trembling slightly.
“Father is very well, but my child seems to have lost weight again.”
Emperor Yongle didn’t notice anything unusual and was still concerned about Qin Su.
Each step Qin Su took was difficult, and she tried hard to prevent Emperor Yongle from noticing any abnormalities.
Emperor Yongle reminded Qin Su of her past life. At this time in her past life, she was still at the border and hadn’t returned yet. When she hurried back, she saw Emperor Yongle like that, asking about her condition with concern. Unfortunately, at that time, she was focused on military expeditions and didn’t notice anything unusual.
One negligence after another ultimately led to the tragic news about Emperor Yongle. That was when she realized how much she had missed.
She thought she had taken every precaution in this life, but she didn’t expect to make a mistake again.
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Baihe Tales 