The fabrics bestowed by the Crown Prince were all vibrant and eye-catching.
Like the moonbeam brocade, a specialty of Shu, lustrous and radiant as a hazy drizzle under the sunset.
The embroidered satin had a pink-green base, with clusters of peonies outlined in gold and silver threads, shimmering under the sunlight.
There was also gold-woven gauze.
Accompanying them were three sets of head ornaments, which, in Tiao Zhu’s words, seemed tailor-made for Zhaoxun.
When the Crown Prince bestowed gifts, there was no question of exceeding regulations, so naturally, Kan’er using these items wasn’t considered a breach of etiquette.
Just as the atmosphere in Kan’er’s quarters was cheerful, news of the Crown Prince’s rewards for Song Zhaoxun spread to other parts of the palace.
Upon hearing this, Jin Chenghui was so agitated she nearly fainted, and the page of palace regulations she had almost finished copying had to be started over.
Qin Zhaoxun remained as indifferent as ever, while Cao Liangyuan let out a meaningful, ambiguous chuckle.
When Zheng Mingzhi returned from paying respects and heard the news, she ultimately decided to discuss it with the Crown Prince when he visited Jiarong Hall.
A mere tool for bearing children.
Even if, given the current situation in the Eastern Palace, it was inappropriate to let that little wench bear the Crown Prince’s child without a proper title.
Now that the title had been granted.
There was truly no need to treat her like an ordinary concubine.
.
Hai Shun left the Back Palace and passed through Yuan Chun Palace to reach Ren’an Hall.
Ren’an Hall was the second courtyard of the Eastern Palace.
It served as an important venue for the Crown Prince to meet with his officials and guests.
The Eastern Palace’s officials, such as the Three Tutors of the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince’s Guests, had their duty rooms in the Office of the Crown Prince situated on either side of Ren’an Hall.
When Hai Shun arrived, the study in Ren’an Hall was tightly shut.
Yuan Bao whispered a few words to him.
Hai Shun understood and quietly stood to the side, waiting.
Inside the study.
“It must be that His Majesty’s attitude toward Your Highness’s entry into court has shifted this time, making Prince Rui anxious.”
The speaker was Zhang Huaizhu.
He appeared to be in his early forties, lean and refined, with a goatee that trembled as he spoke.
Zhang Huaizhu held the positions of Shilang in the Ministry of Rites and Grand Secretary in the Grand Secretariat. He was appointed as the Crown Prince’s Tutor by Yuan Longdi and answered to the emperor.
But in reality, he was a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince.
However, he was shrewd and exceedingly cautious.
Having taught the Crown Prince for over a decade, he had never publicly revealed his allegiance to the Crown Prince’s faction, demonstrating profound depth and calculation.
The others present were the same.
Although the Eastern Palace was the Crown Prince’s residence, it was still within the palace, constantly watched by the one above.
Their actions were naturally less convenient than those of princes like Prince Xin and Prince Rui, who had their own mansions outside the palace.
Thus, aside from his studies, the Crown Prince usually avoided meeting them openly. If there were matters to discuss, they would communicate privately through unique, covert methods.
This gathering was convened for none other than the incident a few days ago involving the third son of the Duke of Kang causing trouble in a gambling den.
The Duke of Kang’s household was renowned for its loyalty and valor.
The old duke was the first civilian-born top military scholar since the founding of Great Jing. He had been ordered by Emperor Gaozu to guard the northwestern borders, leading three expeditions against Wala and expanding Great Jing’s territory.
His descendants were equally brave, skilled in battle, and fearless.
The third son of the Pei family inherited the family’s benevolence, righteousness, and loyalty—not the type to bully others based on his status.
He was just reckless and prone to impulsive actions.
This time, he had fallen into Prince Rui’s trap.
The claim that he caused trouble in the name of the Crown Prince and the Empress was actually the result of deliberate manipulation and the spread of misinformation.
This wasn’t a major issue in itself.
The key lay in its nature and purpose.
“That coward who only knows how to play dirty tricks!”
Jiang Teng, seated in the first position opposite, slammed his teacup onto the table with a loud thud and spoke in a gruff voice.
“Since childhood, you’ve always loved pinning blame on others! When trouble arises, you only know how to use others as scapegoats—utterly unmanly!”
Jiang Teng was the commander of the Eastern Palace guards and the Crown Prince’s military tutor, responsible for teaching the Crown Prince martial arts and ensuring his safety.
He was built broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, and once away from Yuan Longdi’s presence, his speech was invariably littered with crude references to excrement and urine.
His vulgarity knew no bounds.
Yet Jiang Teng had his merits.
His strength could move mountains and lift cauldrons—a valor unmatched by ten thousand men.
Otherwise, the Crown Prince would not have tolerated him so indulgently.
Beside Zhang Huaizhu, Wei Mingqing frowned.
“Such reckless words from a brute. If everyone acted on impulse like you, no amount of lives would suffice to pay the price.”
Wei Mingqing was the deputy director of the Office of the Crown Prince.
He appeared to be around thirty but was actually past fifty.
In addition to assisting the director in managing the Eastern Palace’s internal affairs, he also shared the responsibility of aiding the Three Preceptors and Three Guardians in educating the Crown Prince.
Jiang Teng was not pleased to hear this.
“Hey? You…”
“Enough, let’s focus on the matter at hand.”
Beside Jiang Teng, Chen Yunzhi, clad in a fifth-rank official robe and slight of stature but with sharp, piercing eyes, spoke up.
Chen Yunzhi served as the Crown Prince’s Librarian in the Secretariat, overseeing the Eastern Palace’s collections of classics, histories, philosophies, and literature, as well as the compilation of legal codes and books.
In terms of official rank, he held the lowest position among those present, yet no one dared overlook him.
This was because he was not only a veteran official of three reigns but had also served as the director of the Office of the Crown Prince in the original Eastern Palace when Yuan Longdi was still the heir apparent.
After Yuan Longdi ascended the throne, the original Eastern Palace faction was purged, with very few survivors.
Chen Yunzhi was among them.
His pardon was granted not only because he deeply understood the principle that the victor becomes king and the loser a villain, and knew when to yield, but also because he was genuinely talented.
Yuan Longdi valued talent.
He also did not wish to be perceived as overly ruthless, so he made an exception to retain Chen Yunzhi, appointing him to the Hanlin Academy.
Later, when the Crown Prince took up residence in the Eastern Palace, Yuan Longdi, seeing that Chen Yunzhi was truly loyal, issued a decree appointing him as an official of the Eastern Palace.
Now, Chen Yunzhi served the Crown Prince with such devotion not only because the Crown Prince himself was accomplished in both civil and military arts, possessing the capabilities befitting an heir, but also because the Crown Prince had once saved him from dire straits.
At the mention of serious matters, Jiang and Wei dared not slack off.
“All signs in the matter of the Third Young Master Pei point to Prince Rui, yet the evidence uniformly implicates Prince Xin. His Majesty cannot be unaware of this, yet he still punished Prince Xin. If we persist in pursuing this, it will only provoke His Majesty’s displeasure,”
Wei Mingqing said, looking at the Crown Prince.
“But to let it go without resolution—not only would it be hard to swallow, it would also embolden the other side, making them think the Eastern Palace is easy to bully.”
Zhang Huaizhu added, “Prince Rui left such ample room for maneuver precisely because he knew the likelihood of success was small. Like all his previous actions, this was a gamble.”
Chen Yunzhi nodded:
“Does Prince Xin currently know that Prince Rui was behind this? If not, Prince Xin will likely blame the Eastern Palace for his punishment.”
Jiang Teng snorted coldly: “Even if Prince Xin knows Prince Rui was responsible, he’ll still pin the blame on the Eastern Palace.”
After all, compared to the opportunity to unseat the Crown Prince, born of the Central Palace Empress, what was one Prince Rui?
It was also because Yuan Longdi’s attitude toward the Eastern Palace had grown increasingly contradictory in recent years, allowing these princes to seize every opening.
The contradiction lay mainly in the fact that Yuan Longdi did not dislike the Crown Prince.
On the contrary, the Crown Prince was Yuan Longdi’s first son after ascending the throne.
On the day the Crown Prince was born, celestial phenomena appeared in the sky. The Imperial Astronomers declared this to be an omen foretelling the prosperity and peace of our Great Jing.
Moreover, Empress Pei had suffered two miscarriages and had not conceived since.
Unexpectedly, shortly after Yuan Longdi ascended the throne, she gave birth to his legitimate heir. Yuan Longdi regarded this as an auspicious sign.
Thus, he devoted great care to this son.
He even went so far as to appoint him as heir apparent at an early age.
The Crown Prince proved worthy, displaying innate intelligence from childhood, utmost sincerity and filial piety, and a heart for righteousness. His virtuous reputation spread far and wide even at a young age.
As the Crown Prince grew older year by year, court ministers praised him highly and showed tendencies to align themselves with the Eastern Palace.
Yet this was not necessarily a good thing for the Crown Prince.
The common flaw of rulers, Yuan Longdi was no exception.
Thus, in recent years, princes like Prince Rui and Prince Shen were successively elevated, while the Crown Prince gradually faded from public view.
Luo Xun’s expression was indifferent.
After Chen Yunzhi finished speaking with Jiang Teng, he moved his lips: “If that’s the case, find a way to make him confront Prince Rui.”
The others looked at him.
Luo Xun’s gaze turned slightly cold.
“Prince Rui failed to achieve his goal this time and won’t let it go easily. But frequently targeting the Eastern Palace will only expose his weaknesses.”
“Given his nature, shifting targets is common for him. He won’t miss this opportunity to kick someone when they’re down.”
“Prince Xin only received house arrest this time, thanks to the Crown Prince’s intercession. Prince Xin has sufficient reason to take action.”
“Those two understand each other better than I do. We can simply watch from the sidelines this time.”
“As for His Majesty…”
Luo Xun paused briefly, “Liang Zhengyong and Hu Qinyue have led the army to capture the capital of Annan. The Great Yu’s destruction is imminent.”
The implication being that Yuan Longdi wouldn’t have the mind to concern himself with his sons in the coming days. Those present understood upon hearing this.
But there was still one question. Chen Yunzhi asked: “Prince Rui made his move over a month ago. Why would he act again after such a short interval? Isn’t this too frequent?”
Luo Xun had considered this question long ago.
He had also ordered an investigation.
Unfortunately, nothing he wanted to find was uncovered. The matter seemed like something Prince Rui came up with on a sudden whim.
Luo Xun: “Continue monitoring.”
After everyone had left, Hai Shun entered from outside to report.
Luo Xun’s thoughts hadn’t yet disengaged from the previous matters. Hearing this, he responded with an indifferent “Hmm.”
Seeing this, Hai Shun didn’t dare bother the Crown Prince with matters of the Back Palace anymore. He bowed and prepared to slip into a corner.
Luo Xun didn’t miss the hesitation that flashed in his eyes. Subconsciously, he said: “If you have something to say, speak.”
Hai Shun was taken aback.
Surprised by the Crown Prince’s perceptiveness, he then smiled somewhat awkwardly: “No, it’s nothing important. Your Highness is busy…”
Before he finished speaking, the Crown Prince’s gaze turned cold.
Hai Shun couldn’t help but make a pained expression.
“Really, it’s nothing important. It’s just that Song Zhaoxun was very happy to receive Your Highness’s reward and even gave this servant some silver. But I truly didn’t mean to bother you with this matter.”
Luo Xun believed he wouldn’t have the nerve for that.
However, hearing that Xiao Zhaoxun was very happy to receive the reward.
Luo Xun’s mind unconsciously conjured the image of the young maiden’s face, made even more radiant by her joy.
He felt somewhat stirred.
The corners of his slightly pressed lips lifted imperceptibly.
At the same time, he remembered something – those recurring dreams from previous nights had not returned last night.
Why?
After she attended him, he no longer had such dreams.
Luo Xun’s brow furrowed slightly.
When he realized what he was thinking about, his frown deepened.
He wasn’t someone driven by lust or obsessed with beauty.
How could he think about women from the rear residence while conducting official business.
Absurd.