good season

Two hours later, when the Third Prince walked out of the Qianqing Palace, his inner clothes were already soaked.

Despite the flat palace path, he walked with extreme caution, each step filled with trepidation. He constantly looked around, as if a sudden arrow might strike and kill him.

Normally, the Third Prince would go to see Consort Qiao, but today, he went straight out of the palace and only remembered after returning to his residence that he should have discussed this matter with his mother.

But then I thought about it again and broke out in a cold sweat.

If he hadn't gone straight back to the mansion, but instead went to see his mother, how would his father have viewed him?

Fortunately, he didn't go!

Feng Jiahe had been keeping an eye on the front yard, and when she learned that the Third Prince had returned, she went to the study.

Seeing that she had come uninvited, the Third Prince felt a surge of annoyance and asked patiently, "Why aren't you resting in your room?"

Feng Jiahe said softly, "Did Father Emperor suddenly summon you to the palace for something?"

The Third Prince smiled gently: "It's all because of the Emperor Emeritus. The Emperor Emeritus has finally returned to the palace, and Father told me to take this opportunity to visit Wuji Temple more often, so that Zhao Guanyue won't steal the limelight. Haha, Father is really overthinking it."

Feng Jiahe covered her mouth with her handkerchief and chuckled: "Father is just worried and confused. Although Young Master Guanyue is registered under Emperor Xiaokang's name, he is ultimately just an adopted son."

After exchanging a few more jokes, the Third Prince made an excuse and let Feng Jiahe leave.

The smile on Feng Jiahe's face vanished the moment she stepped out of the study.

The Third Prince is hiding something from her!
Keeping it from her means keeping it from the Feng family!

Has he forgotten how he got to where he is today?
Feng Jiahe returned to her courtyard with a cold face. She had just sat down when the people she had sent out returned.

"Your Highness, the dregs of medicine dug up from the Qiao family's backyard have already been examined by Doctor Liu."

"What is it?" Feng Jiahe asked in a deep voice.

"The Thirteen Protectors," the man said.

Feng Jiahe snorted coldly and said, "Step back."

After the visitor left, Feng Jiahe smashed a whole set of pastel flower and bird paintings.

"That bitch Fan Qiuyun, how dare she!"

The maid whispered, "Your Highness, should we tell the Grand Secretary and the Old Madam about this?"

Feng Jiahe suppressed the urge to continue her outburst of anger and gritted her teeth: "Don't say anything yet."

She felt ashamed, very ashamed.

She, Feng Jiahe, was a princess consort, the eldest daughter of the Grand Secretary, and a first-class lady in the capital, yet she lost to a down-and-out man!

Fan Qiuyun only gained a foothold in the capital by relying on her influence, but she not only seduced her man, but also got pregnant with an illegitimate child!

She had been married to the Third Prince for three years, but there was still no sign of pregnancy.

The most hateful one is Consort Qiao, who is two-faced and hypocritical. On the surface, she puts on the hypocritical face of a good mother-in-law, but in private she does such a shameful thing, actually letting her own nephew raise an illegitimate child for her son!

Over the years, the Feng family has always been there for them, doing everything they could to help, yet they have done such despicable things.

How could she possibly face going back to her parents' home? How would her sisters there laugh at her?
Feng Jiahe thought of Feng Yalan, who was still in the Purple Bamboo Temple. Feng Yalan's aunt would probably laugh herself to death.

No, her family absolutely cannot know about this; she has to handle it herself.

"Bring over all the invitations we've received recently," Feng Jiahe said.

A maid carried in a basket of invitations. As the eldest daughter of the Grand Secretary and a prince's consort, Feng Jiahe was invited to banquets of all the prominent families in the capital. This was a matter of etiquette, regardless of whether she attended or not.

Feng Jiahe opened them one by one, and finally, she pointed to one of the invitations and said, "This one will do. Prepare clothes and jewelry for me."

The maid took the invitation and saw that it was a banquet at Princess Jiayi's residence.

Xiao Zhen has been brought back to life, and Princess Jiayi and her family are reunited. A grand banquet will be held in a few days to celebrate.

The maid said, "Not only will several princesses attend Princess Jiayi's banquet, but the Empress and the Imperial Noble Consort may also send people over."

Feng Jiahe sneered: "Whether they go or not is not important, what's important is that Wu Yanyan will definitely go too!"

Wu Yanyan's father was Wu Yushi, the newly appointed head of the Four Great Generals of the Censorate. The news of the flood in Tongzhou came from Wu Yushi's mother when she went to offer incense.

Consort Qiao's family has always been low-key and their official positions are not high. However, the Qiao family not only produces beauties, but also handsome men.

Of Consort Qiao's nephews, the second son of the Qiao family was the most handsome. Unfortunately, he was a sickly beauty, as he was frail and sickly and a frequent patient, thus having no chance of a career in government.

The person Consort Qiao chose to raise the son of the Third Prince was none other than the Second Prince Qiao, whom she considered a useless person.

Young Master Qiao is going to marry Fan Qiuyun, and Wu Yanyan is also in love with Young Master Qiao.

However, Imperial Censor Wu would not agree to this marriage, and thus Wu Yanyan was destined to regret it for the rest of her life.

Unlike Jin, who came from humble beginnings, Wu, the Imperial Censor, had a grandfather, great-uncle, father, and uncle who had all served as Imperial Censors. In other words, the Wu family produced five Imperial Censors across three generations.

The Wu family members are not only good writers, but also have excellent oratory skills.

Wu Yanyan was the same, except that she didn't have a good reputation among the young ladies, not because of her eloquence, but because she was not only unforgiving when she was right, but also a notorious big mouth.

Feng Jiahe has confidence in Wu Yanyan. What crazy things would Wu Yanyan, who loves Qiao Er Gongzi but cannot have him, do if she found out that her white moonlight had been defiled by a vixen carrying a bastard's child?

"That bastard must never be born!"

That is the Third Prince's first and only child. Even if he is raised in the Qiao family, he is still the Third Prince's child.

Moreover, if Consort Qiao has the ability to raise that bastard child in the Qiao family, she will also have the ability to bring the child back in the future.

That bastard is a threat and must be eliminated!

In the same prince's residence, the princess consort Feng Jiahe is plotting how to kill her husband Ye, while the third prince is troubled by the task given to him by his father.

Father Emperor, he instructed him to use the opportunity of entertaining the Emperor Emeritus in front of him to poison the Emperor Emeritus and frame Zhao Guanyue!
The third prince couldn't understand why his father didn't send an assassin to do it, but instead asked him to do it.

But when he returned to his residence and calmed down, he understood.

If the Emperor were capable of killing the Retired Emperor, he probably would have done so long ago, while the Retired Emperor was still on his way.

The reason why the retired emperor was able to return to the capital alive was because it was not easy for his father to kill him.

The retired emperor not only had secret guards, but his surroundings were also as impenetrable as an iron barrel.

Sending assassins wouldn't work, bribing those around him wouldn't work either, so the only thing they could do was let this prince do it. Since returning to the capital, the Emperor Emeritus had only met with the three eldest princesses: Jia Yi, Jia Ning, and Jia Rou. He hadn't even met with Princess Jia An, who had a lot of influence with the current emperor. It was likely that he disapproved of Princess Jia An's indulgence over the years. However, it was also said that he didn't give Princess Jia Ning a warm welcome either. Princess Jia Ning still had tear stains on her face when she came out; after all, she had insisted on giving birth to two sons back then.

Apart from the three eldest princesses, the retired emperor had never even met his grandson.

However, he is the only adult prince after all, and he will be able to meet the retired emperor sooner or later. It is not impossible for him to entertain his parents in colorful clothes.

The third prince just couldn't understand why his father wanted to get rid of Zhao Guanyue as well.

He's just an adopted son, at most a wealthy idler, posing no threat to anyone. Why does Father want to get rid of him?

The third prince couldn't figure it out, so he sent someone to investigate, but unfortunately he found nothing.

After Emperor Yongjia discovered that Zhao Guanyue might be Xiao Yue, he ordered the news to be kept under wraps.

Zhao Guanyue cannot be Xiao Yue, absolutely not!
Zhao Guanyue could only be the adopted grandson that the Emperor Emeritus picked up on the road, and Xiao Yue could only be the concubine's son of Xiao Fuma. These two identities would be branded on them until their deaths!

The Third Prince found nothing, so he summoned his trusted advisors to give him an explanation.

When the advisor came out of the study, he had the same feeling as the Third Prince when he left the palace. The Third Prince wanted to poison the Emperor Emeritus and frame Zhao Guanyue.

His family is now under the Third Prince's watchful eye. If word gets out, the Third Prince will definitely suspect him, and none of his family members will escape unscathed!

Suddenly, something flew overhead, startling the staff member who fell face-first to the ground with a thud, bruising himself.

Looking up, I saw it was the Divine Bird General.

He breathed a sigh of relief.

Xiao Guai flew all the way to Sweetwater Alley, where Zhao Shiqing had already returned and was whispering to Wan Ruyi. Tonight, she was going to take Wan Ruyi to see the Emperor Emeritus. Xiao Zhen was also there, bickering with Zhen Wuduo.

Little Guai suddenly landed on the windowsill, its big wings flapping against the window. Zhao Shiqing opened the window, and it flew in.

Seeing its anxious look, Zhao Shiqing guessed that something serious must have happened.

A moment later, Zhao Shiqing knew she hadn't guessed wrong; it wasn't just a big deal, it was a very big deal.

She brought some food, but Xiao Guai had no appetite. It ate and drank well at the Third Prince's residence, enjoying a Manchu Han Imperial Feast every day.

Zhao Shiqing sighed: "Go fly a few more laps to digest your food. If you get any fatter, you won't be able to fly anymore."

That evening, Xiao Zhen and Zhao Shiqing accompanied Wan Ruyi to that inconspicuous courtyard.

This courtyard belongs to Zhao Shiqing. It was a property that Zhen Wuduo bought for his eldest granddaughter, but unexpectedly, the first person to move in was the retired emperor.

For this, Zhen Wuduo was quite pleased. The old man had such good foresight; he could buy a house with dragon energy.

In fact, the Emperor Emeritus was eager to see Wan Ruyi on the very first day he returned to the capital, but he had to see the Earl of Changping instead, so he had no choice but to postpone it until now.

After just one meeting, the Emperor Emeritus was certain that this was his own flesh and blood.

Zhao Shiqing was not exaggerating; Wan Ruyi did indeed resemble Empress Dowager Qi more than his other daughters.

"My daughter, my daughter, you have suffered so much!"

The retired emperor actually shed a few cloudy tears.

Although Wan Ruyi already knew from Zhao Shiqing that the man in front of her was her father, she didn't feel much.

For the previous forty years, she had never experienced family affection, nor did she know what family affection was. Not knowing, she had no expectation of it.

She stared blankly at the heartbroken old man in front of her and handed him her handkerchief: "Don't cry, don't cry, it will hurt your eyes."

She likes to do handicrafts, and she does them by candlelight at night. Her eyes would water, so Aunt Ji and Xiuxiu would always remind her that it would hurt her eyes.

Therefore, in her simple mind, tears would hurt her eyes.

The Emperor Emeritus had no idea of ​​any of this. It was our first meeting, and his daughter was already showing such concern for him!

My other daughters all talk about being filial, but none of them have ever handed me a handkerchief, nor have they worried that I might hurt my eyes.

Their eyes and hearts were only for their husbands, their male lovers, their children, and, oh yes, Jia Rou, whose heart was only set on becoming an immortal!
They don't care about me at all!
I am the king, the one who grants them privileges and bestows upon them wealth and honor, but I am not their father!

Only Ruyi treats me like a father.

"My dear child, you are my daughter, do you know that?"

Wan Ruyi nodded. Qingqing said that everyone in this world has a father, but some fathers will accompany their children as they grow up, while others will not. She was an exception because she was taken away by bad people, and her father did not know that she existed.

“I know you are my father. You didn’t know I existed before. I don’t blame you. You were also deceived by bad people.”

The Emperor Emeritus cried again: "Good child, you are right, you are so sensible."

He thought of something and said to Wang Daban, "Go and summon the people from the Imperial Clan Court. Or, tomorrow, have them go to Wuji Temple. My daughter wants to be recognized as her ancestor!"

That evening, Wan Ruyi returned to Tianshui Hutong. The weather was getting cooler, so she made a dress for Ah Huang and Xiao Ye. Xiao Ye's dress wasn't finished yet, and she had to go back to continue making it.

Before accompanying her back, Zhao Shiqing told the Emperor Emeritus and Zhao Guanyue the information that Xiao Guai had learned from the Third Prince.

Of course, she didn't say that Xiao Guai told her this. She didn't intend to let anyone in the royal family know that she could understand animal language, not even Zhao Guanyue.

The Emperor Emeritus had no suspicions; he instinctively believed that Xiao Zhen had planted spies in the Third Prince's residence.

Upon learning that Emperor Yongjia not only intended to kill him but also to frame Zhao Guanyue, the retired emperor knew that Zhao Guanyue's background was no longer a secret.

However, this was only a matter of time. Once Emperor Yongjia discovered that Zhao Guanyue was Xiao Yue, he would be able to deduce his true identity.

He also thought that once Emperor Yongjia learned the truth, he would treat Zhao Guanyue the same way he treated Emperor Xiaokang.

But he never expected that Emperor Yongjia would not only deal with Zhao Guanyue, but also kill him.

He never expected that Emperor Yongjia would actually send the Third Prince to do it.

Xiao Zhen sneered: "What's so surprising about that? The one who was ordered to kill me back then was the Fourth Prince. He has many sons, but he doesn't want to pass on the throne early. Rather than let these adult princes fight each other to the death, he'd rather use them as tools in his hands."

The Emperor Emeritus's facial muscles twitched a few times. In the end, I'm the dumbest one!

He abdicated the throne early, and even passed it on to an illegitimate child.

He thought of the Seventh Prince and sneered, "It seems he wants to pass the throne to the Seventh Prince."

Xiao Zhen said, "That's how it seems now, but who knows what will happen in the future? The Seventh Prince is young, and he's to his liking now. But if he doesn't grow up to be the way he wants, his fate will be the same as his brothers. If the Seventh Prince is deposed, there's still the Eighth Prince. There are plenty of young concubines in the harem; they can continue to have children." (End of Chapter)