Lan Jin nodded thoughtfully. While there was no need to win over Grand Scholar Wu, it was absolutely necessary to win over Lin Xihe.
“What is Lin Xihe’s attitude toward him?”
Wen Xi immediately recalled the rumors circulating in the capital. Glancing at his mistress, he replied cautiously, “Lord Lin has accepted gifts from him and has also accepted the beauties he sent.”
Lan Jin lowered her gaze and listened, then looked up when no further details followed. “Is that all?”
“Lord Lin accepts gifts from everyone and has never refused any beauties sent to him. I cannot see anything particularly special about it. If you mean he favors the Fourth Prince after accepting these gifts, I haven’t observed that either. Just looking at the past year alone, two of the people Lord Lin has taken down were members of the Fourth Prince’s faction, and they were not insignificant figures.”
“Taking down his own people doesn’t necessarily mean he is against them; it could also be a show for others. With Lord Lin’s reputation, if he were to treat the Fourth Prince specially, wouldn’t that openly mark him as a member of the Fourth Prince’s faction?” Lan Jin neither agreed nor disagreed on this point. “Let’s set this aside for now. Based on your understanding of the Wu Family, do you think Wu Er can protect Wen Qing?”
Wen Xi had been pondering this question since receiving the information and replied swiftly, “If it’s just about blocking Chen Wei, Wu Er is sufficient. Chen Wei has his wife’s family to consider and wouldn’t dare go too far. But if, as you previously suspected, someone had been scheming against Wen Qing from the start, and if such a person exists who could evade our detection, their status must be quite high. Wu Er would never be able to withstand them.”
“Then we must make additional preparations.” Lan Jin murmured to herself. Wen Qing had struggled for two years; she could not allow her to ultimately fall into such a predicament. That would be akin to breaking every bone in her body—even if she succeeded in the end, she would never be able to piece herself back together.
“We must uncover this person.”
Wen Xi acknowledged the order. They were companions, and he would spare no effort even without his mistress’s emphasis. Having observed for two years, no one understood better than he how much Wen Qing had suffered.
“I’ve also gathered some information about the deposed Crown Princess. I came to tell you first, fearing you might be concerned.”
Lan Jin immediately shifted her focus from Wen Qing. “Go on.”
“The deposed Crown Princess’s maiden name is He, and her family is one of the most prominent aristocratic clans in the capital. Before the Crown Prince was deposed, the Crown Princess’s family had members in various ministries. Her father was the Capital Garrison Commander, responsible for guarding the capital and ensuring the Emperor’s safety. Her two elder brothers—one served in the Ministry of War, and the other under the Department of State Affairs—both had promising futures. Among the noblewomen of the capital, she was also first-rate. In her maiden home, she excelled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was exceptionally beautiful. Even before her hair-pinning ceremony, she was betrothed by the Emperor to the then Crown Prince.”
Lan Jin nodded slightly. Choosing a Crown Princess from such a distinguished family showed that the Emperor had always been planning for the Crown Prince and had never intended to depose him.
“Did she have any notable peculiarities?”
“No.” Wen Xi shook his head. “In her maiden home, she was the epitome of a noblewoman, always the center of attention whenever she appeared. There were never any rumors of her making mistakes or embarrassing herself; her conduct was impeccable. After marrying, she became the most virtuous Crown Princess, managing the Crown Prince’s household. Later, when the Crown Prince took secondary consorts, the selections were all made by her…”
“Wait.” Lan Jin interrupted him. “The secondary consorts were chosen by the Crown Princess? When the Emperor arranged the marriage, did he only designate the Crown Princess and not the secondary consorts?”
Wen Xi mentally reviewed all the information before nodding in confirmation. "Yes."
So from the very beginning, the Crown Princess had never been at a disadvantage in this marriage arrangement.
Could it be that the two had reached an understanding even before the imperial marriage arrangement? If so, was it for mutual benefit, or was there genuine affection?
If it was affection, given their statuses, it would have been difficult for them to meet even once, let alone engage in any improper conduct.
If it was for mutual benefit…
The He family had not only gained nothing from this marriage but had also been on a steady decline over the past few years.
He's father had already lost his position as Capital Garrison Commander and was now holding a sinecure at home. Although his two elder brothers remained in their posts, they had made no progress for years, which was already a significant setback.
What a loss!
Yet, over these years, the He family had made no other moves, as if… they were lying low.
Everywhere she looked, there were unanswered questions. Being away from the capital truly was a disadvantage.
Lan Jin inwardly chastised herself. She had been too careless. Even the selection of a secondary consort for a prince could not be decided by the princess consort, let alone a secondary consort for the Crown Prince.
Lan Jin asked further, "When the Crown Prince took a secondary consort, had the Crown Princess already given birth to a son?"
"Yes."
It was common for the Crown Prince to take secondary consorts. It was even ordinary for the Crown Princess and secondary consorts to enter the household simultaneously. What was rare was for the selection of a secondary consort to be decided by the Crown Princess after she had borne a son.
This was a true display of capability. Throughout history, few Crown Princesses had managed to achieve this.
With this information alone, Lan Jin was already certain and confident that the Crown Princess had been concealing her true abilities.
As for the incident where she was pregnant but nearly suffered a miscarriage, it was almost certainly orchestrated by her.
As for her motives, a rough consideration revealed three possibilities.
First, the Fourth Prince was becoming increasingly prominent, especially this year when he was assigned to the Ministry of Rites and contributed significantly to the imperial examinations. Meanwhile, the obedient Deposed Crown Prince was gradually being forgotten. The deposed Crown Princess likely intended to use this incident to remind everyone of the Deposed Crown Prince's existence.
Second, to make the Emperor see that even though the Deposed Crown Prince was so obedient, there were still people harming them, thereby stirring the Emperor's paternal affection for the Deposed Crown Prince.
Third, to make everyone, especially the Emperor, suspect the Fourth Prince. Currently, calls to appoint the Fourth Prince as Crown Prince were growing louder, but the Emperor had yet to relent. Everyone in the court knew of the Emperor's deep affection for the Deposed Crown Prince, having personally taken him under his wing to mentor him. It was entirely plausible that the Fourth Prince, fearing the Emperor might restore the Deposed Crown Prince to his position, would take action against him.
Whether there were other motives remained to be seen, but as long as these three objectives were achieved, she would have won this round.
"What did the Crown Princess do when the Crown Prince was deposed?"
Wen Xi replied, "The Crown Princess did nothing, but her father took the blame, assuming partial responsibility for the incident, and resigned from his position as Capital Garrison Commander."
Lan Jin was naturally aware of the Capital Garrison Commander's resignation, but she had never considered that it might be connected to the deposed Crown Princess.
Three years ago, the Crown Prince was deposed because, during a war between two nations, the weapons of the frontline troops were as brittle as wooden sticks, breaking upon the slightest impact. This rendered them utterly incapable of facing the enemy, causing the frontline troops to lose morale and resulting in Da Yu losing two cities. The Emperor was furious and ordered a thorough investigation, which ultimately pointed all evidence to the Crown Prince, who was serving in the Bureau of Military Affairs at the time.
The Crown Prince naturally denied the accusations, but under the meticulous preparations of Zhen Xianfei and the Fourth Prince, he was unable to produce any evidence to prove his innocence.
With so many lives lost and two cities surrendered, coupled with the behind-the-scenes manipulations of Zhen Xianfei and her son, the court at the time not only demanded the Crown Prince's deposition but also his execution.
No matter how angry the Emperor was at the Crown Prince's recklessness, he did not want his only legitimate son to die.
Therefore, when the Capital Garrison Commander stepped forward to vouch for the Crown Prince at his own expense, the Emperor seized the opportunity to place the Crown Prince under house arrest, which served as a satisfactory resolution for all parties involved.
Even if Zhen Xianfei and her son still harbored further intentions, it would have been difficult for them to proceed under such circumstances.
However, the unexpected vacancy of the Capital Garrison Commander position was an unforeseen boon for them.