High-class maid

"What? Miss's death is related to him? I had always suspected that Miss was framed, but I didn't expect that Young Master also had the same idea as me." Upon hearing what Song Wenyang said, Madam Sun perked up.

“Aunt Sun, please don’t panic. The most important thing right now is for you to find out what happened to that servant before he was punished. I can’t go back to the Song residence now, so everything depends on you!” Song Wenyang said.

"Don't worry, young master. Now that we have a lead, I will definitely investigate it thoroughly." Madam Sun nodded solemnly.

"Young master, you are all alone out there, so please take good care of yourself. It's getting late, so I'll take my leave now." After saying this, Madam Sun got up to leave.

"Aunt Sun!" Song Wenyang called out to her.

Madam Sun turned her head and asked, puzzled, "Is there anything else, young master?"

Song Wenyang took a purse from his waist and handed it to Madam Sun, saying, "I am all alone outside, and Aunt Sun is also all alone in the mansion. Please keep this money; you will need it to gather information."

Madam Sun didn't stand on ceremony. She reached out and took the purse from Song Wenyang, saying, "This servant won't stand on ceremony with you, young master. Even though I'm still considered favored, this money just flows through my household like water."

"It's good that Aunt Sun has accepted it. If you need to send me any messages, you can come to this shop again," Song Wenyang said.

Sun nodded, turned and walked out.

After Madam Sun left, a guard approached Song Wenyang and said, "Reporting to young master, there were indeed people following Madam Sun, but they were all servants from the household, not secret guards."

"I'm afraid she never imagined that Aunt Sun could be in contact with me. Have you dealt with the group that was following Aunt Sun?" Song Wenyang asked, tilting his head slightly.

"Reporting to the young master, I arranged for a group of people to fight before they saw Consort Sun arrive, thus blocking their view. They are probably still trapped there," the guard said.

"Good, you did a good job. Dealing with a few servants is not worth using force. You may leave now. Come see me anytime if there is any trouble."

The guard bowed respectfully, then turned and withdrew.

At this moment, the servants they were talking about were indeed trapped among a group of people fighting.

"Brother, they're fighting so fiercely, and they're carrying knives, blocking our way. What should we do?" a servant said anxiously.

"Fools! Of course we'll wait! Judging by their posture, they're probably going to fight to the death. At this critical juncture, who dares to provoke them?" said the man addressed as "Big Brother."

The servant shook his head, shrank back, and dared not speak.

Inside the palace, it was still the emperor's sleeping quarters.

"You did a good job capturing the bandits. Tell me, what reward do you want?" The emperor was dressed in a yellow nightgown, looking as if he were about to go to sleep at any moment.

"Your subject...your subject wants..." The Second Prince knelt on the ground, head bowed, pondering what to say. If he wanted a title, would his father think he had ulterior motives? If he said he wanted to marry Sheng'er, would his father think he was too sentimental?

"Hmm? Just say the word, and your father will grant your wish!" The Emperor waved his hand and promised.

"I don't care! I only want Sheng'er!" The Second Prince roared in his heart. He mustered his courage and said, "Father! I have long admired the eldest daughter of the Minister's family. We are in love. I hope Father will grant us your blessing!"

The emperor paused in his hand as he fiddled with the prayer beads. Looking at his son, who bore a striking resemblance to himself, he couldn't help but laugh.

"Very well, very well, he resembles Father Emperor when he was young. When I was young..." The Emperor seemed to recall some painful memory and fell silent.

"In that case, I will grant you this marriage, as you wish!" the Emperor said, looking at his spirited son.

"Thank you, Father! But I wonder if Minister will agree?" Although the Emperor's decree had been issued and Minister was unwilling, the Second Prince still hoped that he could truly accept him.

"You need not worry about this matter. Making his daughter a prince's consort is an act of favor on his part, but I will also ask him what he thinks," the Emperor said.

In ancient times, when the emperor bestowed marriages upon his ministers, he would usually summon them separately to symbolically inquire about their opinions, in order to show his favor and ensure that the marriage was not arranged without their consent.

The second prince also knew this rule, "Anyway, I haven't asked him for anything all these years. Now that I have a princess consort, Father will definitely grant my wish."

Just as the bedchamber was completely silent, and the Second Prince hesitated whether to leave, the Emperor coughed lightly and asked...

"You mean, what's the name of the person who helped you so much in Jinling this time?"

When the Second Prince saw his good brother being mentioned, he perked up and nodded vigorously, saying, "Yes, yes, this man is very loyal and helped me a lot. His name is Song Wenyang."

"Anyone who earns your praise must be an exceptionally talented young man. What is he doing in the capital? My father heard he's at his maternal grandparents' home in Jinling," the Emperor abruptly changed the subject.

The second prince, unsuspecting, continued to praise Song Wenyang.

"This person has a pitiful background. He lost his mother at a young age and was tricked by his stepmother into going to Jinling. Not only that, he was also recently found to be under a spell. However, none of this has diminished his love for life. He still studies hard and strives to pass the imperial examinations."

After speaking, the second prince looked at the emperor with pride. He thought to himself, "Hmph, the crown prince boasts about his advisors in front of you, so can I! Mine are my good brothers! Look at my brothers, they're much more capable than the crown prince's!"

After hearing Song Wenyang's story, the Emperor revealed his anger and said, "This Lord Song has always been an honest and incorruptible official. How could he be so muddle-headed in matters concerning his family? How much injustice has this child suffered?"

"As the saying goes, once you have a stepmother, you'll have a stepfather. His stepmother, Lin, was afraid that Brother Song would take away her precious son's family property, so she sent Brother Song to Jinling early on." The Second Prince sighed.

Although he was born in the cold palace and had to wait in line to see his father, he at least had a loving mother, so he felt even more pity for Song Wenyang.

"Where will he stay this time after returning to the capital? It won't be in your residence, will it?" the Emperor asked.

"No, I would like him to come and stay, but he insists on staying in that small courtyard. He is currently investigating the matter of the Gu poison," the Second Prince said.

The Emperor thought of his three sons, each living in a luxurious mansion. He couldn't imagine Song Wenyang living alone in a small courtyard, perhaps even smaller than his own bedchamber. This child was all alone; the New Year was approaching, a time for family reunions, yet he was still investigating the matter of Song Wenyang being poisoned…

"Tomorrow I want to meet this Song Wenyang and see if he is really as loyal and righteous as you say." For some inexplicable reason, the Emperor couldn't resist meeting Song Wenyang.