Drunk Bamboo

East Palace.

Zhang Xinghe went to the palace to find the prince.

The prince was sitting at his desk, concentrating on handling official business.

The plague was successfully resolved, and the city of Zhongdu soon regained its former prosperity and vitality.

But the emperor was somewhat weakened and his health was not as good as before.

The emperor talked to the crown prince for a long time that time, and then began to ask the crown prince to slowly take over the affairs of state.

The ministers' memorials were first sent to the Eastern Palace for the Crown Prince to review, and then the Emperor made the final decision.

Therefore, the prince has been very busy these days.

Zhang Xinghe was one of the few people the emperor trusted.

Whenever there was any matter, he would report it to the prince first through the emperor, and the prince would take it very seriously.

After hearing what Zhang Xinghe said, the prince's expression immediately became serious.

"Xinghe, you said there might be unusual movements in the north? Are you talking about the White Country or something else?"

Zhang Xinghe said directly: "There is the Bai Kingdom in the north, and there is also the fiefdom of King Jing."

Prince Jing?

How long has it been since I heard this name?

Why did you suddenly mention Prince Jing?

"Fourteenth Uncle? Why did you think of him?"

Zhang Xinghe raised his eyes slightly without showing any emotion.

"I don't know much about Prince Jing, but the Imperial Concubine and Prince Wen are both under house arrest, and there are still people in the city operating behind the scenes. I suspect there are still people helping them."

The prince listened patiently as he continued.

Zhang Xinghe continued, "The Imperial Concubine has been in the palace for many years and has been subject to many restrictions. Prince Wen has never left Zhongdu City, so who arranges all the things outside the city?"

"The plan of Wang Qingming hiding in Loushan cannot be completed overnight. At that time, King Wen was still young, and he had no ability to plan. The Royal Concubine has no family or background. Even if there are a few spies from the Nanjiang tribe, the most they can do is to gather information like Taohualou."

"The Linhai Snow Lotus needed for this plague is a rare medicinal material that is only available in the north. We also need help in transporting large quantities and smoothly into the city."

After his analysis, it was indeed very suspicious.

The prince thought for a while and nodded slightly.

"Xinghe is right. The plague ten years ago was not something that she, a woman in the harem, could have accomplished. At that time, without King Wen, she had no one in the court. It would have been difficult to accomplish such a big game without help."

If there had been no Prince Wen, and if he had not been hovering in the court, the Imperial Noble Concubine alone would not have been able to stir up much trouble in the harem.

"Your Highness, do you know Prince Jing?"

"Fourteenth Uncle..." The prince seemed to be reminiscing in his eyes, with a hint of regret at the corners of his mouth.

"I remember that he was a man of both literary and martial talents. He loved to travel and was kind to others. He didn't look like a prince at all. At that time, he had a very good relationship with Prince Xiao. They were both uninhibited and free-spirited. They also took me on my first horseback ride..."

"Afterwards... he became a monk and disappeared from public view."

As he spoke, the prince's expression gradually became complicated and intriguing.

For the prince, these two were the people he admired when he was a child. Unexpectedly, the last one died from a thousand arrows piercing his heart, and the other one no longer lingered in the world and left Zhongdu.

Zhang Xinghe looked surprised: "Your Highness, that man is a traitor."

Who in the palace dares to mention Prince Xiao?

Twenty years ago, the prince of Liang and the prince of Xiao tried to seize the throne, but failed and both died.

"He is also my eleventh uncle." The prince looked indifferent, but he looked at him seriously, "Xinghe, we are talking about the prince, why do we have to be so evasive? I am not the father, I will not kill the only child of the eleventh uncle."

Zhang Xinghe was stunned.

The prince smiled gently.

"You dare to allow her to stay in the East Palace because you know her best, don't you? Don't you hope that I can protect her for the rest of her life?"

Nothing can be hidden from the prince's eyes.

Zhang Xinghe bowed solemnly, "Your Highness has a keen eye, and I dare not deny it."

His only sister, Zhang Hansu, whom he loved since childhood, turned out to be the posthumous child of Prince Xiao.

After returning victorious three years ago, the brother and sister accidentally heard their grandfather confessing his feelings in front of their father's spirit and learned the truth.

From then on, they became estranged and became strangers.

"At that time, Lord Zhang was kind-hearted and took the newborn Han Su away, which left the only bloodline of King Xiao."

"Lord Zhang is loyal and is the person my father trusts the most. He is kind-hearted and cannot bear to harm innocent people."

The prince stood up and walked towards Zhang Xinghe.

"The human heart is unpredictable. You never know what you did at any given moment, and even you yourself cannot believe it afterwards. Sometimes, I wonder if I were to take my father's place, would I be as lonely as he is?"

He sighed softly, "What's the point of being an emperor like this?"

It turns out that the prince already knew Zhang Hansu's true identity.

Zhang Xinghe said respectfully: "Your Highness, don't worry. What happened back then will not happen to you again."

The corners of the prince's mouth slightly raised, "Yes, my third brother is not the King of Xiao, and King Wen does not have the strength now."

"When my third brother was young, his temperament was almost the same as that of the prince. Even the way he frowned was very similar. That's why my father hated my third brother."

"So what now? The person my father trusts the most is my third brother."

And he always believed in his third brother. A person's appearance can change, behavior can be disguised, but what he holds in his heart cannot be changed.

What’s more, he is his third brother.

When a nanny passed away, he actually took a month off and personally carried the coffin and buried her. Even her own children might not be able to do that.

What's more, he is a prince.

Perhaps, even if I give the throne to him, he may not be interested in it.

"Your Highness is the crown prince, the future monarch, so His Majesty will be more strict."

"I have never doubted my third brother. I know him better than my father does."

After hearing what the prince said, Zhang Xinghe breathed a sigh of relief.

"Your Majesty is not aware of what I have discussed with you today. Please do not report this to Your Majesty before you have thoroughly investigated the situation in the north."

The suspicion about Prince Jing should have been reported to the Emperor first, but after much hesitation, he came to the Eastern Palace first.

He had selfish motives, for his own future, Zhang Hansu's future, and the future of Rao State.

The emperor had a headache and was old, so he was unable to do many things.

After the plague incident, the betrayal of the Imperial Concubine and Gao Yin dealt him a heavy blow.

If we knew that Prince Jing was involved, we would be exhausted both physically and mentally, and our bodies would not be able to bear it.

The prince nodded with a warm smile on his face.

Zhang Xinghe took the initiative to show goodwill, so he was naturally satisfied.

"Xinghe, you will go further and higher than Lord Zhang in the future. You will be able to see the situation clearly and know how to seize opportunities. You are capable, you value affairs, you are kind-hearted, but you are more rational."

The prince continued to praise.

"That bit of kindness is well hidden, just right."

Zhang Xinghe's eyes were firm. "Being loyal to the country, protecting the people, and creating a peaceful and prosperous era is what I wish for in my life."

Prince: "Well said!"

Before leaving the East Palace, I met Zhang Hansu.

Both of them were stunned for a moment.

"Master Zhang." Zhang Hansu spoke softly, breaking the awkward situation.

She didn't dare look at Zhang Xinghe. Ever since she knew that she was not a member of the Zhang family but the posthumous son of King Xiao, she felt that she was not worthy of being a child of the Zhang family.

He deliberately kept his distance, for fear of being exposed in the future and bringing trouble to the Zhang family.

Zhang Xinghe's eyes were heavy. He felt a pain in his heart as he saw that his sister, who had grown up with him in the past, had become a stranger to him.

The image of Baiguo crying heart-wrenchingly in his arms suddenly flashed through his mind, and he didn't want to regret it later.

"After entering the palace and becoming a lady-in-waiting, will you no longer call me brother?"

Zhang Hansu's eyes trembled.

Zhang Xinghe patted her shoulder gently and lowered his voice, "Grandfather is old, so you should go out of the palace to accompany him during your vacation. He misses you very much."

Her beautiful eyes sparkled with tears, and she asked in disbelief: "Can I... still call you like this?"

"You are a member of the Zhang family, no matter in the past or in the future."

"Brother...Brother..."