Chapter 673

Ji Feihua said: "The Yongyang Princess ran to Fragrant Peace Palace to cause trouble, and the Eldest Prince sent her back. What did the two of them say?"

"I don't know!"

Ji Feihua chuckled: "You don't know this, you don't know that—what exactly do you know? The Yongyang Princess previously accompanied the Emperor to Lofty Heavens Palace, and it is said that the Retired Emperor almost strangled her then. Do you know what the Retired Emperor said to her at that time?"

He Mu trembled: "I know nothing about this matter."

Ji Feihua said: "Not knowing about the Lofty Heavens Palace affair is understandable, since Zajia didn't send you for this task, but you don't know what the Eldest Prince and the little princess said, which greatly disappoints Zajia."

He Mu said: "I acknowledge my fault."

Ji Feihua sighed: "Zajia hopes to reward you each time, rather than hearing you repeatedly admit fault. Go! Do your duties well, and never disappoint me again."

After He Mu left, Ji Feihua adjusted the cords of his cloak and called out loudly: "Li Yan!"

Li Yan walked over from afar, clasped his fists, and said: "Sir, what are your orders?"

"Come with me to Fragrant Peace Palace."

After the Eldest Prince Long Tingsheng bade farewell to the Empress, he was about to leave Fragrant Peace Palace when he heard an outside announcement: it was Ji Feihua arriving. Long Tingsheng's first thought was whether he should avoid him, but Empress Jian grabbed his arm and said: "Your Highness, please stay; Eunuch Ji has helped us greatly, so it is only proper to thank him in person."

Long Tingsheng nodded helplessly, deep down he always felt an inexplicable fear and dislike toward Ji Feihua.

Ji Feihua had already arrived at the palace; he smiled and clasped his hands: "Greetings, Empress, and greetings, Eldest Prince, Your Highness!"

Empress Jian beamed: "Please rise, beloved official, and take a seat quickly!"

After Ji Feihua thanked her and sat aside, a palace maid brought up freshly brewed tea. Empress Jian gave a glance, and Long Tingsheng personally took it, presenting a cup with both hands to Ji Feihua—such respect from a prince to a eunuch is rarely seen throughout history.

Ji Feihua remained calm, took the Chazan, lifted the lid to smell the aroma, sipped the clear tea, and said: "I heard the Eldest Prince, Your Highness, killed the Third Prince today?"

Long Tingsheng said: "He died because he was an impostor."

Ji Feihua laughed: "That's good; I had thought the Eldest Prince, Your Highness, would really dare to kill his own brother."

Empress Jian forced a smile: "Tingsheng is kind-hearted; even if his brother Tingshen harbors wolfish ambitions and plots rebellion, he still feels brotherly affection and would never bear to kill him."

Ji Feihua said: "Being kind-hearted is good, but being overly merciful and soft-handed won't accomplish great deeds; the Eldest Prince, Your Highness, often needs to learn well from the Empress."

Empress Jian's expression was rather awkward. She chuckled: "What can I, a woman of the inner palace, teach him? I hope Eunuch Ji will give him more guidance." As they spoke, both mother and son felt their faces flush, feeling utterly lowly and abased before Eunuch Ji.

Ji Feihua said: "The court audience will proceed as usual tomorrow. Since the Emperor's health is poor, the Empress will preside in his stead, and Scholar Wen Taishi will read the Emperor's edict in court." He gave Long Tingsheng a meaningful glance and added: "Tomorrow, the Eldest Prince can become the rightful crown prince."

Long Tingsheng forced a faint smile, while Empress Jian beamed. She said to Long Tingsheng: "Hurry up and thank Eunuch Ji."

Long Tingsheng clasped his fists toward Ji Feihua: "Thank you, Commander."

Ji Feihua smiled: "Serving Dakang loyally and serving the Empress is Zajia's duty. I hope the Eldest Prince will henceforth show more filial respect to the Empress; she has worried herself sick for him."

Empress Jian laughed: "Tingsheng is very filial!"

Ji Feihua said: "Actually, the Emperor is also very filial, having previously visited Lofty Heavens Palace many times to see the Retired Emperor."

Empress Jian and Long Tingsheng both felt a jolt, not understanding why Ji Feihua suddenly brought this up.

Ji Feihua said: "Zajia has heard that the Yongyang Princess came today to cause trouble."

Empress Jian said: "Don't mention that girl; the Emperor has always doted on her. He was about to spoil her rotten, to the point that even I didn't take her seriously."

Ji Feihua smiled: "She deserves a lesson, but as her elder brother, the Eldest Prince should also give her proper guidance."

Long Tingsheng gave a wry smile: "I've tried talking to her, but she may not listen."

Ji Feihua said: "The Yongyang Princess may be a bit spoiled, but her nature should not be bad; not long ago she even accompanied the Emperor to visit the Retired Emperor."

Long Tingsheng's heart pounded, yet he did not know why Ji Feihua repeatedly mentioned the little princess tonight; could it be that he already knew about the letter Qiqi gave him?

Empress Jian said: "I have also heard about that; it is said that when the little princess went to Lofty Heavens Palace, the Retired Emperor suddenly went mad and almost strangled her."

Ji Feihua said: "The Retired Emperor is mad, and the Emperor is mad too—it's unimaginable how calamitous the imperial family has become." He suddenly fixed his gaze on Long Tingsheng and asked: "Today you sent the Yongyang Princess back; what did she say to you?"

Long Tingsheng was startled by the question, shaking his head vigorously: "No… I didn't say anything…"

Ji Feihua chuckled: "It seems the Eldest Prince, Your Highness, took something from the Yongyang Princess, didn't he?"

Long Tingsheng said: "That's not true!"

Empress Jian finally grasped the seriousness of the matter; she glanced anxiously at Ji Feihua, then at her son, and snapped: "Tingsheng, is this true or not?"

Long Tingsheng vehemently denied: "Absolutely not!"

Ji Feihua said: "Your Highness, do you not know the saying—'a ruler does not jest'? To become a sovereign revered by all, you cannot lie to your subjects, especially to a loyal minister like me!" His Chazan suddenly slipped from his hand and shattered on the floor.

Though the sound of the Chazan breaking was not loud, it frightened Empress Jian and her son so much that their hearts raced and their faces turned deathly pale.

The palace gates opened from outside, and Mu Rongzhan, accompanied by a group of Guards, walked over with a girl—the little princess Qiqi, who was clearly terrified out of her wits, her eyes red from crying.

Upon seeing Qiqi, Long Tingsheng instantly felt his scalp tighten and silently cursed.

Ji Feihua gave a glance. Mu Rongzhan escorted Qiqi inside.

Empress Jian trembled: "What exactly happened?"

Long Tingsheng lowered his head, at a loss for how to face the situation before him.

Ji Feihua smiled at Qiqi: "Princess, could you tell me what exactly happened?"

Qiqi wailed: "Eunuch Ji, I haven't done anything… I… I haven't done anything…" She cried with tears like pear blossoms, evoking pity.

Ji Feihua gently soothed her: "Princess, don't be afraid. The Empress is also here; you just need to recount exactly what happened."

Empress Jian's heart had already sunk halfway; knowing things were amiss, she took a deep breath, steadied herself, and said: "Speak! What exactly happened?"

Qiqi said: "It's like this…"

Empress Jian snapped: "I didn't give you permission to speak!" She turned to Long Tingsheng and said: "You speak!"

Long Tingsheng knelt before his mother with a thud: "Mother, I truly do not know what happened; today I escorted her back to the Cultivated Excellence Palace. I kindly comforted her with a few words, but Qiqi suddenly grabbed me and insisted on giving me something."

Empress Jian said: "What… what did she give you?" Her heart was already gripped with fear; this foolish son of hers, she had schemed endlessly. Just now she and Ji Feihua had reached an understanding, unwilling to sacrifice her husband to secure her son's throne, yet she never imagined this boy would do something so foolish.

Long Tingsheng drew a wax seal from his bosom: "I… I haven't even had a chance to look at it…"

Empress Jian tried to reach out to take it, but Ji Feihua's cold gaze stopped her; her hand hung in midair, and she dared not move forward. Li Yan walked over from Ji Feihua's side, took the wax seal with both hands, and presented it to Ji Feihua.

Ji Feihua glanced at the wax seal, then applied slight pressure to crush it, revealing the letter inside. He unfolded the letter and read it from beginning to end, then said calmly: "Where did this letter come from, and how did it end up in your hands?"

Long Tingsheng looked at Qiqi and said: "I've already said I don't know what's inside; it's what she gave me today."

Empress Jian suddenly stood up, pointed at Qiqi, and angrily shouted: "Qiqi, what exactly are your intentions? Why do you want to frame your imperial elder brother?"

Qiqi, unable to stop crying, said: "I... I didn't harm him... Before, Father Emperor went to Mount Piaomiao; originally he had me summon... the Eldest Imperial Brother and the Third Imperial Brother to go together, but they both refused to go. I went to the Eldest Imperial Brother, and he said it was inconvenient for him to go, fearing gossip. Eldest Imperial Brother, was that what you said back then?"

Long Ting Sheng pressed his lips and said: "Yes! I did say that, and I didn't go either."

Qiqi said: "Although you didn't go, you had me deliver a message to the Retired Emperor, right?"

Long Ting Sheng's face changed: "I... I only asked you to pass along my greetings, nothing else."

Qiqi nodded and said: "When I helped you greet the Retired Emperor, he suddenly lunged at me, grabbed my neck, and while I was off‑guard shoved this wax pill into my mouth, forcing me to swallow it, and then urged me to be sure to give this to my eldest imperial brother."

Ji Feihua said: "So you swallowed this wax pill?"

Qiqi nodded while crying.

Ji Feihua gave Mu Rongzhan a cold glance, obviously blaming him for his negligence in overlooking such an important matter.

Qiqi said: "I followed his instructions, returned, took a laxative, and expelled the wax pill."

Those around couldn't help but frown, never expecting the Retired Emperor to use such means to have Qiqi carry a message; however, no one knew what was written in that note.

Ji Feihua nodded and said: "Very well. Besides that, did he ask you to do anything else?"

Qiqi, wiping away tears, said: "Nothing else... Actually, he had me tell the eldest imperial brother one thing."

"What thing?"

"Say the Imperial Seal is fake, have the eldest imperial brother act according to his instructions, and later he will pass the genuine Imperial Seal to the eldest imperial brother."

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