Chapter 48

  Outside the Rong Xuan Hall, two ancient cypresses towered into the sky. The birds under the eaves chirped and called out, making the atmosphere even more serene and secluded. A gentle breeze carried a few wisps of the cypress's fragrance, swirling it around the study before blowing it away through the open window opposite. By Yongzheng's ear was the calm and measured voice of Eighth Prince.

  "There's someone else who killed Wang Rang, Fuheng was just a bystander, coincidentally got caught up in it. Chunxianwang is a veteran of two dynasties with great prestige and influence in the imperial court, the emperor has always trusted him deeply. If it wasn't for Chunxianwang controlling the situation in time, the consequences would be unimaginable. He's a meritorious official of the Qing dynasty, can't be smeared because of unfounded things, we can't forget his contributions."

  Eighth Brother spoke with a loud and clear voice, as if what he said made Yongzheng feel ashamed, as if he were really an ungrateful person. He paused for a moment before speaking: "I don't know who entrusted you to come here, Eighth Brother."

  "Actually, I had my own thoughts on the matter," said Ba A Ge in a gentle voice. "Later, both Empress Dowager and Prince An Qin found me to discuss it again, asking me to have a good talk with Fourth Brother."

  "Didn't the pure king say anything?"

  "He's a decent man, upright in his behavior and speech, loyal to the great Qing dynasty and believing in the Emperor!"

  The emperor trusted, the empress dowager and An Qingwang supported, and had both merit and great power in the Great Qing. The eighth prince only needed a few words to point out all the key points, more importantly, he also gave Yin Zhen a step down from his position. Fuheng was completely framed by others.

  The young Eighth Prince had a pair of bright and warm eyes, with a handsome face that vaguely resembled the gentle and virtuous Empress. Such good looks would easily put people at ease, and coupled with such a clever mind, he was not to be underestimated.

  His fingers drummed unconsciously on the Huanghuali wood desk: "I understand what you mean, but this matter was entrusted to me by the Emperor, and after verifying whether it is true or false, I will naturally know. You can rest assured that if Fuheng is not the murderer, those villains who intentionally framed people will be severely punished, and I will give a statement to the Qingyu King's mansion."

  These words seem to have been said but not said, without expressing one's own stance at all.

  The eighth brother lowered his head and took a sip of tea, covering up the emotions in his eyes. After a pause, he said: "We brothers are somewhat alike, without the support of our maternal uncle's family, everything has to be relied on ourselves, every step is difficult, and if we're not careful, it's easy to fall into a situation where we'll be crushed to pieces and never recover. Nothing is easy."

  Yongzheng also followed with a sigh: "What you said is also true."

  In the narrow and long eyes, there is only a deep and mysterious light. The thin lips are like sharp swords on a face with clear-cut edges, showing only coldness and indifference, without any expression, it's unclear whether it's due to caution or other reasons, making it impossible for anyone to see through his inner thoughts.

  Ba Er Ge even felt a bit frustrated and thought that continuing to speak would be useless, so he stood up: "I hope Fourth Brother will think carefully about what his younger brother has said."

  He nodded: "I understand."

  Until the Eighth Prince left, Mr. Qing came out of the inner room, looked at the Eighth Prince's gradually disappearing figure and frowned: "The Empress Dowager, An Qinwang, Chun Qinwang, plus such a person, this Eighth Prince is formidable..."

  Yu Yan also gradually furrowed his brow and said after a while: "Sir, you can rest too, I'll go to the backyard."

  Ru Yi was playing chess with Ya Tou on a stone bench in the courtyard, waiting for Jue Luo Shi. Unexpectedly, at this time, Yongzheng came in from outside, and Ru Yi hastily paid her respects, only seeing a clear jawline and hearing a calm voice. As she turned around, she saw a tall figure entering the main house, with only the faint swaying of the Xiang Fei bamboo curtain visible.

  In a moment, Guan Yu escorted Jia and An into the house.

  The smiling face of Aro's family was rarely seen with kindness and peace, it was a look that Ruo Xi had never seen before. She felt dazzled, so she lowered her eyes, stood up, and followed Aro and Anda to walk out. Her ears could still hear Aro's reminder: "......Don't overexert yourself, take care of your body, and have a few more little princes..."

  The fourth wife smiled as gentle as a spring breeze in March: "I've taken note of everything you said, Mother."

  This scene is too loving and harmonious, making Ruyi feel even more like an outsider. Yu Zhen's words are still echoing in her ears: "Does the princess still think that the madam has a kind heart? She is just using the aunt's love for the princess to completely shut the aunt up..."

  Quan Pei saw Aro clan off and came back to see Yongzheng had changed his clothes and was walking with Bao Ge'er in the warm pavilion. She stood at the door and smiled for a while, Bao Ge'er saw her and his eyes lit up, he stretched out his two arms and toddled towards her, Quan Pei squatted down and laughed calling Bao Ge'er, Bao Ge'er was even more delighted, giggling and still calling "Ma".

  Yin Zhen smiled as he watched Quan Pei pick up Bao Ge: "You're more steady on your feet than usual when you're carrying him."

  Ruan Yu hugged Bao Ge'er and sat down on the couch, and Yongzheng also sat down beside them.

  Behind the couch stood a carved flower screen with a double-sided embroidered picture of Five Blessings Ascending to the Crown, and the image of the rooster on it was so vivid that Bao Ge'er kept looking up at it with his head raised.

  "My eighth younger brother just left and came back, and had a conversation with me."

  "Let's just say Grandpa came back late."

  He pinched Bao Ge's small foot, which was wearing tiger-head shoes, but Bao Ge only looked at the rooster and said: "Both Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu entrusted him to tell me the truth."

  Quan Pei heard this and laughed: "Why doesn't anyone mention what happened on the main street that day? Why doesn't anyone talk about Wu Shi's stirring up trouble, are they really treating people like fools?"

  He took the tea from Yatou and said, "Everyone wants to get a foot in the door and take what they need. This Eighth Brother is not simple either."

  The Empress Dowager went to the palace of the Pure Prince to find the Empress, and then the Empress found the Eighth Prince. Although the Empress had raised the Fifth Prince before, she chose the Eighth Prince as her spokesperson for her interests. It has to be said that the Empress's move was very clever, as everyone would unconsciously associate the Fifth Prince with the Empress, and to a large extent, the Fifth Prince represented the Empress's political views and actions. However, in reality, the Fifth Prince was just a shield for the Empress.

  If nothing unexpected happens, this rising Eighth Prince will become another strong rival of the Crown Prince after the First Prince. If Emperor Kangxi doesn't die early, the future of the Crown Prince is worrisome.

  Quan Pei thought to herself, lowering her eyelids and pinching Bao Ge's soft little hand: "I'll just continue being a loyal minister, maybe it will take a long time, but eventually I'll see unimaginable results."

  Yongzheng listened with a thoughtful expression.

  Nalan Mingyue was again "taking care" of Wu Ruoxue in her house, although Wu Ruoxue didn't like seeing Nalan Mingyue. However, Nalan Mingyue thought she had found the right way and spent the past few days helping to create momentum in Wu Ruoxue's house, sometimes feeling uncomfortable this way, sometimes that way. The servants in the backyard were likely still filled with outsiders' eyes and influence, and even if they only made a fuss at home, it could spread everywhere.

  Wu Ruoxi was about to get up and go to the toilet, Nalan Mingyue hastily called for someone to support her: "Be sure to hold on tight!"

  Wu Ruoxi entered the inner chamber, and Nalan Mingyue was standing beside a newly moved-in pot of golden-yellow embroidered ball flowers. After half a sound, Wu Ruoxi came out, took a few steps, and just reached where Nalan Mingyue was standing when her feet suddenly slipped and she fell straight back. Although the maid beside her supported her, Wu Ruoxi still sat on the ground. It wasn't clear who shouted in alarm, but Nalan Mingyue finally reacted, hastily ordering: "Quick! Quick, call the imperial physician to come!"

  It was already late afternoon, and all that was left to do was have a light dinner before resting. Bao Ge'er also had his own special table setting and utensils, and when the time came, he knew to sit down in front of it and wait for food. Quan Pei wasn't fond of spoiling boys, but although Bao Ge'er couldn't use chopsticks, he could still manage to get food into his mouth with a spoon, even if it was scattered all over the place.

  Ya Tou rushed in with a fluster, bringing in a few strands of residual heat from outside: "Wu Gege fell down!"

  Ruan Yu adjusted Bao Ge's clothes, and upon hearing someone speaking, Bao Ge opened his bright black eyes to look. Yun Chen came out from inside, furrowing his brow and asked: "How is the person?"

  "Calling for a doctor."

  Ruan Yu handed Bao Ge to Nai Nai and said to Yong Zheng, "You eat first, I'll go take a look."

  "Never mind, let's go and take a look."

  There were several maidservants peeking out from the courtyard, Xiaoyue only took a glance and remembered it in her heart. Quan Pei followed Yongzheng into the house, Nalan Mingyue anxiously stared at the imperial physician until Quan Pei and Yongzheng came in before she could greet them. Wu Ruoxi coincidentally slipped and fell where she was standing, who knows how many rumors would spread again.

  Quan Pei walked to where Wu Ruoxue had fallen, and saw that Quan Pei was bending down to examine the ground. She squatted down and used a handkerchief to wipe the ground, then picked it up and looked at it again. On the handkerchief was an oil stain. Who wanted to harm Wu Ruoxue?

  The imperial physician beside him said: "Wu Gege's condition is not good, I'll first prescribe a few doses of medicine to eat before looking at it again."

  Wait until the imperial physician left, Quan Pei sat on a chair and called all the maids in the room: "Just now at Wu Gege's fall place, there was an oily mark. This is someone doing something strange. You guys take a look at each other and see who is different from before?"

  Yin Zan sat on one side drinking tea and sizing up the people in the room.

  Nalan Mingyue felt her tense heart almost jumping out of her throat.

  The crowd fell silent for a long time, and then they heard Quan Pei say: "The person who wants to harm Wu Gege must be among you. If we can't find the real culprit, I will send all of you back to the Imperial Household Department later. I want to ask the Imperial Household Department how they selected people for me. Come forward one by one and speak."

  Seven maidservants each came forward and said the same thing, that they hadn't seen anyone who was different from before. In such a short time, it's impossible to drip oil on the ground without leaving some traces that couldn't be cleaned up in time.

  Quan Pei glanced at the maid inside and instructed: "Bring up seven basins of cool water."

  Xiao Yue busily gave orders.

  Seven basins of cold water were placed in front of the seven maids, causing everyone to be somewhat perplexed. Then they heard Guan Pei instruct: "Put your hands in and rub them clean."

  His face revealed a sudden realization, and his gaze turned to the clear water in the basin. His hands had touched oil but hadn't been thoroughly washed clean, so when they came into contact with cold water, there would be an oily residue. Just by looking at the clear water in the basin, one could tell who the real culprit was.

  In such a short time, Quan Pei was able to think of such a plan, and Yongzheng couldn't help but admire him. Looking at Quan Pei sitting leisurely in the chair, it seemed as if he had never taken this matter seriously, still with his usual air of nonchalance and carelessness. In his heart, he couldn't help but feel a few ripples, thinking that if Quan Pei were a man, he would probably be an extraordinary person too...

  Seven maidservants were bent over washing, Xiaoyue carefully looked at each one from the side until she stopped in front of a small maid in pink clothes. The clear water had a thin layer of oil on it, and the little maid's head was lowered, her two hands trembling non-stop. When she heard Xiaoyue's footsteps stop beside her, she knelt down with a thud.