Traveling through the Tang Dynasty: The Concubine Goes to War

After Xiaowan left Xingqing Palace, she was worried about the prince, so she went to the East Palace to visit him. After all, Yunxi had been on a diplomatic mission to the Turks and had not returned yet, so she was really worried about whether the prince could be properly taken care of in the palace.

When she hurriedly arrived at the East Palace, she happened to meet the prince who had just returned from school at Chongwen Hall. He was followed closely by Gu Tianxing, Xiaohong and two palace maids.

When the prince saw Xiaowan from afar, his face was immediately filled with joy and he shouted loudly: "Aunt Wan, you are back! It's great!"

Xiao Wan hurried forward and bowed respectfully, saying, "Your servant greets the Crown Prince!"

The prince quickly stepped forward and helped Xiao Wan up, saying happily, "Aunt Wan, there's no need to be so polite." Then, he turned to Gu Tianxing and the others and said, "You can leave for now. This prince has something important to discuss with Aunt Wan."

After everyone left, the prince held Xiaowan's hand tightly and asked impatiently: "Aunt Wan, where have you been these days? I miss you so much."

Xiao Wan smiled slightly and responded gently: "I am going to take care of some personal matters. I am sorry for your concern, Your Highness."

The prince shook his head gently, his eyes full of concern and said: "As long as Aunt Wan is safe, nothing else matters. By the way, Aunt Wan, I have one more thing I want to ask you."

Xiao Wan bowed slightly and replied respectfully: "Your Highness, please speak. I will tell you everything I know."

The prince hesitated for a moment, and finally mustered up the courage to speak: "Recently, my father has been praising my third brother and praising his profound knowledge. Although I have also studied very hard in Chongwenguan, I always feel that it is difficult to surpass my third brother. Aunt Wan, do you have any good suggestions on this matter?"

Xiaowan was silent for a while, then she frowned and fell into deep thought. After a moment, she suddenly had an idea.

Xiao Wan said softly: "Your Highness, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. Perhaps, you can try to show your uniqueness in other aspects, such as noble character, superb martial arts, or profound artistic accomplishment. In this way, you will be able to attract more attention and praise."

After hearing this, the prince's eyes suddenly lit up, as if he had found a new direction. He looked at Xiao Wan with gratitude and said, "Aunt Wan, what you said is very true. I understand. Thank you for your advice."

Since then, the prince has studied harder and actively participated in various activities to fully demonstrate his talents and abilities. At the same time, he also focused on cultivating his own moral character and self-cultivation in order to become a well-rounded person.

The emperor noticed the changes in the prince and liked him more and more. Xiaowan silently supported the prince and gave him advice.

However, the struggle in the harem became more and more intense. Seeing that the prince was favored and Yunxi was not in the palace, the other concubines who had given birth to princes all tried to overthrow him.

Xiaowan is well aware of the danger involved and decides to protect the prince from any harm.

One day, Concubine Zhu, who had twins, found Xiaowan and invited her to her bedroom for tea, on the pretext of asking for advice on the education of the prince.

Xiaowan couldn't refuse, so she had to go with him. When she arrived at Concubine Zhu's bedroom, Xiaowan found that in addition to Concubine Zhu, there were several other concubines there. They seemed to be enthusiastically chatting with Xiaowan, but in fact they were testing Xiaowan's attitude towards the prince.

Xiaowan responded carefully, always maintaining politeness and humility. At this moment, Concubine Zhu suddenly changed the subject and mentioned some rumors about Xiaowan that were circulating in the palace recently.

"I heard that some people saw you often going in and out of Xingqing Palace and having a close relationship with the emperor. Are you trying to seduce the emperor while Concubine Xi is not in the palace and want to become a princess?" Concubine Zhu asked straight to the point in front of the other concubines.

Xiao Wan was shocked and realized that this was a Hongmen Banquet, but she remained calm on the surface. She said righteously: "I am occasionally summoned by the emperor, and that is when the emperor needs to ask me something about the prince. I have been faithful to my duty and take care of the prince, and I have no regrets."

However, the concubines did not give up and continued to ask questions aggressively. Xiaowan felt more and more pressured, and she knew she could not stay any longer, so she found an excuse to leave.

After returning to the East Palace, Xiaowan told the prince about this. The prince was furious and determined to find out who spread the rumor and clear Xiaowan's name.

The prince decided to start by investigating the source of the rumors. He sent his trusted aides to secretly monitor the suspicious concubines and palace maids.

A few days later, the confidant reported that they had discovered a palace maid named Xiao Cui was behaving strangely. Xiao Cui often went around the palace to get information and had close contacts with some concubines.

The prince had an idea in mind, and he decided to go to Xiao Cui to ask questions in person. In a remote palace, the prince found Xiao Cui.

"Xiao Cui, I heard that you have been very active in the palace recently." The young prince said with a stern face, looking like a little adult.

Xiao Cui was so scared that she immediately knelt down and begged for mercy: "Prince, please spare me! Prince, please spare me! I am only following the orders of my master."

"Hmph! Your master is so bold that he dares to spread rumors about this prince's Aunt Wan." The prince stared at Xiao Cui sharply, "Tell me! Who instructed you to do that?" Xiao Cui replied tremblingly, "It was...it was Concubine Zhu who asked...to ask me to spread the rumors."

The prince understood everything. He had always had doubts about Concubine Zhu, and now the evidence was solid.

"Well, Concubine Zhu, you dare to plot against me!" The prince said angrily. He decided to tell the Queen about this matter and let her make the decision.

The next day, the prince came to Empress Xiao's bedroom and presented Xiao Cui's confession and the evidence he had found to the Empress. The Empress was furious and immediately summoned Concubine Zhu.

"Empress Zhu, do you admit your guilt?" Empress Xiao asked majestically, her eyes as sharp as a sword.

Concubine Zhu was horrified, her face turned pale, and she said in a trembling voice: "I am innocent! This is all framed by someone! Please, Queen, look into this matter carefully and clear my name!"

"Framed? Then why would Xiao Cui point out you?" the Queen asked back, her tone cold and firm.

Concubine Zhu was speechless. After all, she was the one who questioned Xiao Wan. At this moment, beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and her eyes were panicked and helpless. She knew that Xiao Cui's testimony was unfavorable to her, but she could not explain the reason clearly. She could only kowtow and apologize, hoping to get the Queen's forgiveness.

How will the Queen deal with Concubine Zhu? Please read the next chapter. Welcome to add it to your bookshelf. Follow the author and you won’t get lost. Thank you for reading!