Marrying the Crown Prince

Now that we've covered the most important and urgent matters, we should clarify the rest.

The Grand Secretary looked at Zhou Zhou, frowned, and seemed to be in a bad mood. To be precise, he was unhappy with Zhou Zhou, but it was unclear whether he was unhappy that she was here to discuss state affairs, or that she had kept the fact that Emperor Chenze had been poisoned a secret.

But soon, everyone knew the answer.

"Your Highness, I have a question, and I would like to ask you to answer it," he said.

"Sir, please speak."

"After the Emperor was poisoned, did the Empress handle all the state affairs and memorials?"

"Exactly."

"Then, Your Majesty, could you answer this old minister's question—why did you send troops to surround the Chong'an Prince's residence?"

You are the Crown Princess of the Eastern Palace, but as soon as you take power, you order that the Prince of Chong'an, the biggest threat to the Eastern Palace, be accused of a fabricated crime and send people to surround your residence. What are you trying to do?

Are they just waiting for the emperor to die so they can immediately execute the entire Chong'an Prince's family?

Is a crown princess who lacks ruthlessness and tolerance worthy of his respect?

"I'm afraid even if I explain the whole story, you won't completely believe me. Why don't we listen to what Commander Zuo and Chief Physician Zhang have to say?"

this is a good idea.

Although Zhang Ling is a cunning old fox who rarely speaks the truth, Zuo Jin is different. He disdains lying, and you can believe most of what he says.

So, as Zuo Jin spoke, Zhang Ling responded with "Yes, yes," "That's right," and "That's exactly it."

The Grand Secretary frowned and looked over, clearly disgusted by Zhang Ling's appearance. "Shut up!"

Enraged by his inexplicable remark, Zhang Ling was panting heavily, his beard bristling – he decided that he would definitely include more bitter herbs in the prescription he wrote for the old man later.

The Grand Secretary ignored him and looked at Zuo Jin, saying, "Please continue, Lord Zuo."

Zuo Jin remained calm and composed, continuing his description.

Upon hearing the palace servant say that it was ordered by Prince Chong'an, the Grand Secretary frowned. "Lord Zuo, is this information reliable?"

"My lord, that man didn't say anything at first. I used some methods to get him to reveal it."

"As for whether it is credible, I can only say that there are witnesses, but no physical evidence."

Now that things have come to this point, Zhou Zhou joined in, saying, "My lord, things are now quite clear."

"His Highness the Crown Prince was away from home, and the Emperor collapsed at this time. As a result, all the evidence pointed to the most capable Prince Chong'an."

"After discussing it with my father, we decided to turn the tables and surround the Chong'an Prince's Mansion, using punishment as a means of protection."

"For no other reason than..."

At this point, Zhou Zhou's expression turned sour. After a moment, he continued, "If His Highness the Crown Prince were to encounter any misfortune while he is away, our Chen Kingdom would not be in a predicament of having no successor."

The cabinet ministers were all somewhat shocked upon hearing this, and they exchanged bewildered glances.

The Grand Secretary rose to his feet, bowed deeply, and said, "Your Highness the Crown Princess is farsighted and insightful. I was merely judging you with my petty mind. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."

"You flatter me, sir. Please rise." Zhou Zhou reached out and offered a helping hand.

Having finished recounting this matter, the next thing is naturally—

"Now the Yunqin Kingdom and the Qixi Kingdom are cooperating to invade our Great Chen."

"But at this very moment, Father was poisoned."

"I don't believe there's absolutely no connection between the two."

"For the sake of the nation's stability and prosperity over the past thousands of years, I urge you gentlemen not to reveal that the Emperor has been poisoned."

"Of course, this is also what Father Emperor wanted."

Otherwise, I wouldn't have kept it from you from the beginning; it's a good thing I kept it from you from the beginning, otherwise, wouldn't Yun Qin and his gang be even more rampant?

Soon someone chimed in, "Your Majesty, rest assured, His Majesty is in good health and full of energy."

"Yes, yes, and I ate three big bowls of rice."

This……

Zhou Zhou's lips twitched.

"My lords, please let me finish." She raised her voice, stopping the group of fools who were spouting nonsense and thinking without thinking.

Of course! If it were really alive and kicking, how could it have gone so long without showing up?

Therefore, spreading such obviously deceptive rhetoric will only confirm to the other party that Emperor Chenze has really encountered an accident.

"My lord, there's no need to mention how well Father is in health. After all, if that gets out, it will only arouse suspicion from others."

The Grand Secretary nodded. "That's true. If His Majesty really had that much energy, why wouldn't he attend court?"

“Therefore, Your Excellency should say that His Majesty is indeed ill, but please do not say that His Majesty is seriously ill,” Zhou Zhou said.

After hearing Zhou Zhou's words, they hesitated, "How... should we put it?"

To what extent is the illness progressing? How should we assess it? Could you give an example?

"Your Excellency may say that His Majesty does not appear to be in good spirits."

It's really not good, otherwise how could I have been sleeping so soundly?

"You could also say that the emperor doesn't like to move around."

They really don't like to move; they sleep without moving at all, not even turning over.

"Of course, we could also add one more thing—he doesn't like to talk."

Well, I haven't said a single word today.

Everyone suddenly realized and said, "Your Majesty, I understand."

After finishing his business, Wei Yi saw everyone out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The sight of them leaving was once again seen by a palace maid.

After hearing the palace maid's report, the concubine was somewhat surprised. "They've all gone inside? And they've been discussing matters for so long?"

“It’s absolutely true, I saw it with my own eyes.”

"Saw it with your own eyes? What? You saw the Emperor?"

This……

"No, I only saw Eunuch Wei Yi by His Majesty's side."

"Hmph," the concubine sneered, "If that's the case, then it doesn't prove that the Emperor's health is good at all."

"However, with so many people going in, I don't believe that not a single word will leak out."

"Send someone to inquire and see if you can find out anything."

If nothing can be found out and everything is kept secret, then Emperor Chenze's health must not be very good; if it is found out that the emperor is in excellent health, then it is definitely not credible.

But what they found out was—

"His Majesty is indeed not in good health, but it is nothing serious, just that his energy and spirit are a bit low."

After listening to one piece of information after another, the concubine frowned: Could it be that the old men in the Imperial Hospital have cured the poison?

But that shouldn't be the case.

Isn't it said that this poison is extremely potent, causing instant death upon contact, and that there is no antidote?

It seems we still need to find a way to break in...

While the imperial palace was bustling with activity, the northern border regions were also far from peaceful.

Normally, this period of time is the best time for herders to graze their livestock.

The Ling Kingdom in the Northern Region would not risk a greater loss by coming to the border of the Chen Kingdom to burn, kill, and plunder.

But on this day, on Li Ziyan's way back to the capital, a large group of bandits suddenly appeared...