cold clothes

"Your Majesty, I am unharmed."

"Then go try on the new clothes. If they don't fit, have the Clothing Bureau make some adjustments."

The Empress was determined to expose Zhao Yin's scars.

The assassination of a prince is a major event. Since it wasn't done by him, there's no loss in finding out who it was; in fact, he might even gain something.

If possible, it wouldn't be bad to try to win Zhao Yin over to Qun'er's side. A disabled prince is destined not to become emperor and poses no threat to Qun'er.

"Thank you, Mother." Zhao Yin did not refuse and followed the palace maid to the side hall to try on clothes.

After Zhao Yin left, Zhao Qun looked thoughtful and asked the Empress, "Mother, has something happened? It's rare for you to make new clothes for the Fifth Prince."

This may sound disrespectful, but it is the truth. The Empress Dowager was not kind to the Fifth Prince. Something was definitely amiss.

The Empress revealed a knowing smile: "Your fifth brother may have been assassinated, but he is keeping it a secret, which must be strange. My goal now is to make him tell the truth."

"How did Mother know he was assassinated?" Zhao Qun asked curiously.

"There must be spies I've planted around him."

"...Then how could you not know the details of his assassination? And if he was assassinated, why were no one else aware of it?"

"This..." The Empress's once resolute gaze gradually turned to confusion.

"Perhaps the Fifth Prince really injured himself."

Not long after he finished speaking, Zhao Yin returned wearing a bright brocade robe with a beaded collar. He looked much better, and his neck was smooth and bare.

The Empress frowned deeply. How did she manage to hide the scar?

Zhao Yin bowed again to express his gratitude, then said that the clothes were a bit too tight.

Zhao Qun stood up and stepped forward to examine him closely. When his gaze swept across the neck, he noticed a subtle flaw in the human skin pasting, but he did not expose it. He smiled and said, "Not bad, not bad. I didn't expect the Fifth Prince to be so sturdy."

"After the chronic illness was cured, my body was able to withstand exercise, so I learned some martial arts to strengthen my body."

"Then you must spar with me."

"Hehe, Your Majesty, you must give way to me."

The empress gained nothing from the meal, and afterwards Zhao Yin was dragged to a side hall by Zhao Qun to drink.

As the White Dew descended in August, a chilly wind swept in late. Zhao Yin donned an extra cloak to ward off the cold, and after a few cups of hot wine, he felt warm all over. However, as a court official, Zhao Yin was subject to restrictions on his drinking.

Zhao Qun drank several large cups in one go, and sighed heartily. He was not a big drinker, but he had a great craving for food. With his eyes blurry with drunkenness, he looked at the slender osmanthus branches on the window frame and then said with emotion, "The 'Half Pot of Spring' and 'Drunken Rivers and Mountains' from Fengxianglou taste almost as good as the tribute wine."

Zhao Yin suddenly chuckled: "I wonder if my brother is thinking of the wine or the people."

Zhao Qun was taken aback, but he readily admitted, "I have both."

"It would be better to go to Fengxianglou in a while. The Ministry of Revenue will need a few more days to collect taxes and verify the accounts. Going there now would inevitably draw too much attention," Zhao Yin said calmly.

Zhao Qun knew Zhao Yin meant well, but it inevitably touched a nerve. He had been verifying the Prince's mansion's accounts for the past two days, and it was giving him a real headache; he didn't know if he could smooth things over.

"How could I dare to go again? I was impeached the first time I went," Zhao Qun said with a wry smile, then tilted his head back and drank another cup to relieve his depression.

Zhao Yin cupped his hands in apology: "I was the one who took my brother with me, but it resulted in you being impeached. That's a bit disloyal of me."

"My brother can actually talk about loyalty and righteousness? Did he learn that in the North?"

"The boldness of the northern people is something one inevitably picks up from what one sees and hears."

"Your Highness must really enjoy life in the North, right?" Zhao Qun suddenly asked. "Which do you think is better, the capital or the North?"