Too high to reach

Chapter 359 Am I Smart?
The crown prince walked at a leisurely pace.

He spoke to Mo Yuan casually, but his mind was elsewhere...

The demeanor and gait of someone who has been formally trained and is born with the heir apparent are elegant and noble.

Unfortunately, now when Mo Yuan looks at it again... all she feels is dislike, hatred, and fear; she has no romantic thoughts whatsoever.

"Haven't you visited your sister recently?" The Crown Prince suddenly turned around.

What she was facing was Mo Yuan looking at her with a beaming smile...

The prince's heart softened again. This woman was always so cheerful. Just looking at her made one's worries lessen.

They took her with ulterior motives. They never intended to keep her in the future.

But how could he bring himself to harm this woman who always brought him such wonderful feelings?

Then Mo Yuan said with a troubled expression, "Your Majesty has been keeping a close eye on me lately, not letting me run around. Speaking of which, I was thinking of going to see Sister Zhao at Fourteenth Prince's place."

"The Crown Princess is really good to you!" the Crown Prince said gently.

"That's right! I'm so adorable! Besides, you treat Yuanyuan very well!" Mo Yuan said proudly and with satisfaction.

"Hehe, if you want to go out and have fun, then go ahead." The crown prince's heart softened again, and he nodded in agreement.

They arrived at the entrance to the Crown Princess's courtyard.

"My lord, you and the empress have important matters to discuss, so I will return to my room." Mo Yuan was very sensible.

"Go on! I'll come see you again when I have time..." The prince pinched her cheek and went inside.

Mo Yuan walked towards her courtyard, her eyes darting around as she pondered, "He was quite agitated just now... Who was he? What was going on? Where is Shunan?"

she does not know.

However… judging from this, the person they are looking for and the item they want to retrieve are being hidden by the Empress Dowager to control the Crown Prince and the Empress…

That would definitely be a huge weakness!
Her eyes lit up... Hey! Here comes the great achievement!
I don't care what it is, I'm just telling Mo Yi it's a big deal! If nothing happens afterward, it's because Mo Yi is stupid and didn't find it... so don't blame me.

She clapped her hands: That's the idea!
Back in the house, he sent Chunhua out to gather information and had Qiuyue help her change her clothes.

After a while, Chunhua returned: "Your Majesty... the Crown Prince has gone out."

"Okay, then I'll go out too..."

After getting ready, she ran to the Crown Princess and said she had a nice gift for Zhao Yunqing, "After her marriage, Yuanyuan hasn't been able to see her again..."

"..." The Crown Princess was also somewhat helpless. She hadn't been allowed to go out these past few days, and who knows how cooped-up she must be. "Go! Go quickly and come back quickly. Take everyone with you and don't wander around aimlessly." She then gestured for someone to arrange a carriage for her.

Mo Yuan made a few more witty remarks, said she would bring back some delicious food for the Crown Princess, and then left.

"Your Highness, you spoil her too much!" said the old woman beside the Crown Princess. "What kind of concubine from a royal residence goes around visiting other people's homes without even saying hello? She comes to other people's residences without saying hello, acting like a common woman from the marketplace... She's simply disgracing our Eastern Palace!"

"I don't care, let her be!" the Crown Princess smiled.

Mo Yuan really did go to see Zhao Yunqing first; she always wanted to do everything to the extreme.

Result: As we wished.

Li Chang was not home at the western suburban camp. Zhao Yunqing had nothing to do, so he accompanied Old Madam Zhao to a temple in the suburbs to offer incense.

So, she went to the Prince Qi's residence with a clear conscience.

Mo Yi, Granny Zhao, and others were discussing something in the front study.

Mo Yuan entered through the second gate, then ran to the front courtyard. As the maid invited her in, she complained, "I've walked such a long way, my feet are killing me. They didn't even arrange a sedan chair... Yi Yi, you... Oh, Granny Zhao?!"

When Zhao Mama saw her arrive, she stood up and said, "Consort Mo."

Now, only Mo Yi, Granny Zhao, and a few maids are in the room; the other staff members have all been sent outside for tea.

Mo Yuan felt a little awkward facing Granny Zhao: "It's been so long since I've seen you! Please don't call me that... just call me Yuan Yuan."

"Etiquette must not be disregarded. Consort, please be seated." As always, Granny Zhao was gentle yet distant.

Mo Yi sat behind her desk, wrapped in a large cloak that completely enveloped her.

"Why are you here now? Is something the matter?" Mo Yi asked directly. Mo Yuan sat down first, "Well, there is something..." She hesitated, meaning she wanted to talk to Mo Yi alone.

"Granny Zhao is not an outsider, you all can leave now."

"Tell me, what's wrong?" Mo Yi asked.

"I just heard some news..." With Granny Zhao around, Mo Yuan wasn't so casual. She blinked and organized her thoughts.

Actually, Mo Yi really wanted to hear something from Mo Yuan...

Granny Zhao sat down and calmly brewed tea.

"I overheard it just now... but only a few words. I've analyzed it: the Crown Prince has been keeping a close eye on the Empress Dowager." Mo Yuan's expression was mysterious.

Granny Zhao paused in her tea-making, put down her things, and looked seriously at Mo Yuan.

"It seems the Empress Dowager has something on the Crown Prince and his family, and she's put it in their hands. The Crown Prince and the Empress both know about it, but they don't know where the people and the thing are."

Yesterday, when the Empress Dowager's family members came to visit her in the palace, they took a detour through Fangjia Hutong to pick up someone, saying that the person had come from southern Sichuan.

Granny Zhao swallowed nervously and glanced at Mo Yi.

Mo Yi didn't know, but Granny Zhao did. Empress Dowager Qian had lived there since she was a child, when she went to take up her post with her father.

"That man's surname is Li. He has only been in the capital for a short time. He said he would be here to manage affairs and wait for his brother-in-law to go to the capital for the imperial examination next year."

Judging from the Crown Prince's words, this brother-in-law must be a relative of the Empress Dowager, surnamed Qian, and wants to take the imperial examination to become an official, so it's impossible for him to change his surname. The Empress Dowager wants to promote her family. The Crown Prince said he would go to the palace immediately to speak with the Empress. He also needed to go to the Ministry of Personnel to check... the Empress Dowager's father? Yes, that's right! The place where her father had served. Then he would send people there to retrieve the people and their belongings.

Although the Crown Prince didn't have much information, he dared not arrest the man surnamed Li for questioning. He was afraid of alerting the enemy and causing them to flee...

"What place is Shunan?" Mo Yi asked.

"It seems someone mentioned Wen County... Where is Shunan? Is it far?"

"I know," said Granny Zhao anxiously. "Yuanyuan, what else did they say?"

Mo Yuan thought about it seriously again: "That's all they said. They've been investigating this matter, so they haven't told you the whole story yet. The person helping the Crown Prince investigate is a man named Wang Xi. I heard from Xiao Shuan's father that he's very capable. The Crown Prince told Wang Xi to be ready to set off to find the person at any time."

She then complained to Mo Yi, "I only overheard those two sentences, and I almost got caught. It scared me to death..."

Seeing Zhao Mama's serious expression, Mo Yi knew something was wrong. "Then you'd better behave yourself recently and stop going to the study."

"I know what to do without you telling me! This information is useful, isn't it?" Mo Yuan's eyes sparkled, eager for confirmation.

Zhao Mama was unaware of their previous agreement and was somewhat puzzled: Back then, Mo Yuan had tried her best to enter the East Palace, so why is she acting like this now?

"Yes. It works." Mo Yi affirmed.

Zhao Mama nodded in agreement: "Your Highness, you really need to be careful. I know about this small study in the East Palace. Because it's connected to the back courtyard, the Crown Prince eats and drinks there with a few close friends, and sometimes he even sleeps there. For convenience, it's managed by the Crown Princess in the back courtyard. The Crown Prince's secret guards can't protect you; otherwise, you wouldn't be able to get close."

"But if you go there frequently, others might not be unaware. However, they might assume you're there to curry favor with the Crown Prince, involving personal affections, and thus let it go unnoticed. But if you go too often, stay too long, or even venture into the main hall or study... the guards will definitely discover you. That would be troublesome..."

Mo Yuan really didn't know about this set.

She simply knew that she couldn't go through the small study to the front yard, but she didn't know that someone would be hiding in the shadows... What a close call!

"I know you're working for our Lady, but you still need to be careful about your safety. You're just lucky to have found a loophole; you don't actually have the ability to keep it from being discovered..."

These words moved Mo Yuan to tears. "Um... Granny Zhao, you're so kind to me. Thank you so much, I'll be careful..."

"Then stop wandering around outside and go back quickly," Mo Yi instructed.

"Alright..." Mo Yuan stood up to leave. "Yi Yi, you don't look well. Are you sick?"

Mo Yi was moved; she cared about her even more than her mother.

"It's nothing. It's just that the Prince isn't home, so I've been a bit busy."

"Where did Your Highness go? Oh dear, I haven't been out lately, so I'm unaware of many things. Have you seen Mowen recently? I just went to see Zhao Yunqing, but she wasn't home... However, I only went there as a pretext... I came here to deliver a message, wasn't I clever?"

She shook her head smugly: "I've heard about this important news, and I'm telling you! Granny Zhao can vouch for it. Don't forget your promise!" With that, she left, leaving behind a lingering fragrance.

"Oh dear, I have to walk back. Can't you drive the car to the front gate? I'm so tired..." The nagging voice faded into the distance.