Quite reasonable!

Noble Consort Xiao had already made her meaning clear, and Liang Zongzheng was no fool.

It must also be said that Noble Consort Xiao was indeed a clever person. She had skillfully seized upon the point of Liang Zongzheng’s painful loss of his daughter. If she wanted to remove Ji Muqing from the Crown Princess candidates, she would definitely need Liang Zongzheng’s help. When the time came, Liang Zongzheng would act and stand at the forefront.

This way, there would be a scapegoat!

Then Noble Consort Xiao’s hands would remain clean.

In any case, even if something went wrong, there would be someone to shield her.

This calculation was made quite loudly!

After a good while, Liang Zongzheng asked, “Why would Your Ladyship help me?”

“Xu’er is a pitiful child. This palace seeing her die so miserably truly cannot bear it. Moreover, the Crown Princess candidate must be chosen with great care. This also relates to our Great Lin’s national destiny, so this palace tells Minister Liang these things. Furthermore, Minister Liang must know one thing—this palace stands on your side.”

Her true purpose was hidden very well!

She simply wanted Ji Muqing to become her daughter-in-law, then win over Ji Li and Ji Huan, those two generals who held military power.

Paving the way and building bridges for her son!

After digesting Noble Consort Xiao’s words, Liang Zongzheng became concerned. “That legitimate daughter of the Ji family is the Crown Princess candidate decided upon by His Majesty and the Late Empress. Moreover, there’s also assistance from Ji Li and Ji Huan. If we want to change this, this subject finds it thorny.”

“This matter, Minister Liang need not worry about. Since this palace stands on your side, naturally I will think of a foolproof method.”

With this said, Liang Zongzheng gritted his teeth. “Good. As long as Your Ladyship says the word, this subject will certainly comply. It’s also to seek justice for Xu’er and honor her spirit in heaven.”

He didn’t notice at all the smile that appeared at the corner of Noble Consort Xiao’s lips.

After a moment, Liang Zongzheng pondered further. “Then, if the Crown Princess truly can be changed, who would the candidate be?”

“Minister Liang surely hasn’t forgotten the Huiwen Princess whom His Majesty personally ennobled some time ago.”

“Princess Huiwen?”

“Huiwen is the Late Empress’s niece, naturally of noble birth, and has also been ennobled as a princess. If the Crown Princess position falls to her, it would be normal.”

“But…” Liang Zongzheng’s brow pressed deeply down. “The Kong family has long since declined. His Majesty won’t agree.”

Emperors throughout the world were clever people. Even when selecting consorts for themselves, they would choose someone with powerful backing!

Moreover, now that the Crown Prince hadn’t yet ascended to the throne, all the more should he select someone with powerful backing as Crown Princess.

To thereby consolidate the Crown Prince’s position!

Noble Consort Xiao had thought of this early on. In fact, she already had a complete plan in her heart.

And so!

The two conspired in the hall for half an hour…

After hearing Noble Consort Xiao’s plan, Liang Zongzheng was truly astounded. He hadn’t expected that the women of the inner palace each had such deep schemes and foresight, clever to the point of being frightening!

So be it!

He rose and cupped his hands!

“Then this subject will take his leave first.”

Noble Consort Xiao nodded!

Liang Zongzheng departed!

Just as Liang Zongzheng’s front foot had barely left, Jing Yi emerged from behind the screen.

He gazed at Liang Zongzheng’s retreating back.

Then said to Noble Consort Xiao, “This Minister Liang—will he reveal any flaws? After all, his daughter has only just died and his mind isn’t clear. When the time comes, we mustn’t let him disrupt the plan.”

The concern wasn’t excessive!

Having just painfully lost his only daughter, now asking him to participate in this plan—if something went wrong, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Noble Consort Xiao looked at her cinnabar-painted nails and smiled. “Even if something really goes wrong, it will be Minister Liang’s fault. When the time comes, we’ll say he did this to avenge his daughter. No one will disbelieve it.”

Yes, no one would disbelieve it!

But Jing Yi’s brow remained deeply furrowed.

He sat down.

Saying, “I thought that even if that legitimate daughter of the Ji family was somewhat lacking, she wouldn’t be such a ruthless and domineering woman. But from this incident, it seems she truly is such a person.”

Pushing such a disaster onto himself—wasn’t this shortening his lifespan?

Not only was Jing Yi dissatisfied, in truth, Noble Consort Xiao was also not at all satisfied.

She wouldn’t want such a daughter-in-law even if given to her.

But—

“For the Crown Prince position, Yi’er, you must marry her. If you become Emperor in the future, whether to keep that woman or not will be entirely in your single thought.”

The actual meaning was…

To kill or not kill, it was all in a single thought!

For the Crown Prince position, for the imperial throne, Jing Yi could only temporarily grit his teeth and pinch his nose while swallowing that bowl of foul-smelling “medicine.”

…

At Prince Rong’s Manor!

Jingrong was still troubled over selecting a birthday gift. He had followed Ji Yinshu’s suggestion—the gift should be chosen in a high-profile direction.

So he reviewed the red list that Lu Jiang had compiled earlier once more.

Countless treasures were listed on it!

But still none satisfied him.

“Your Highness, all the precious gifts are practically listed here,” Lu Jiang said.

Jingrong pondered aloud, “Something high-profile? Then what should I send?”

“How about sending the Eight Immortals screen? It’s both large and valuable. If placed in His Majesty’s sleeping chamber, it would certainly be good.”

“No good!”

He rejected it with one word.

Then he asked Lu Jiang, “This year, what gifts are the Crown Prince and Prince Yi sending?”

“The Ministry of Rites hasn’t released that information yet. Can’t find out.”

Jingrong sighed. In previous years, sending a single ink brush would suffice. Why was it so brain-taxing now?

Simply—

He slapped his thigh. “Let’s go to Bamboo Creek Garden!”

To see this prince’s little wife.

Lu Jiang wanted to follow, but Jingrong wouldn’t allow it.

Arriving at Bamboo Creek Garden, just entering the courtyard, he was shocked by the scene before him.

All sixty-seven coffins were open.

Ji Yinshu held a brush in her hand, along with a register from the Ministry of Revenue listing the Duke Yuguo’s household members.

She was pacing around these coffins.

Because she was so focused, she hadn’t noticed at all when Jingrong had arrived.

Jingrong’s expression was grave as he walked over and asked her, “Could it be that all the skeletal remains in these coffins have problems?”

The voice suddenly sounding by her ear truly frightened Ji Yinshu.

She nearly dropped the brush in her hand.

She took a deep breath and raised the register in her hand.

Beginning to explain.

“I discovered that according to the Ministry of Revenue’s list, among these sixty-seven servants’ corpses from Duke Yuguo’s manor, thirty-one were female and thirty-six were male. The female corpses’ skeletal remains are complete, so the missing one is male. Among these thirty-six males, eight were aged sixty-five and above, and these eight sets of remains, based on bone hardness and softness, are all accounted for. There are also fifteen sets of remains aged between twelve and twenty, all present. For the remaining age ranges, without high-end technology, they cannot be distinguished. So the missing person from the list can be found among the remaining thirteen male skeletal remains.”

This way, it saved much time!

One or two years—let that go to hell.

After hearing Ji Yinshu’s words, Jingrong was quite astonished.

He remarked, “If you put it that way, then we’re one step closer to the truth of this case.”

Ji Yinshu nodded and was just about to speak—

Suddenly someone came running from the front courtyard.

Standing before Jingrong, he cupped his hands. “This one pays respects to Prince Rong.”

Jingrong recognized this person as someone from Qin Shiyu’s side.

“What matter?”

“Minister Qin sent this one to notify Master Ji. Old General Li wishes to see her.”