Yan Xiaoying smiled coldly: “Next time you see me, be more proper with your greetings, otherwise, your cousin will have to ‘care’ for you again!”

Tang Ru was shocked by the weak chicken Crown Prince’s unfamiliar viciousness. She burst into loud wails while Xiaoying, satisfied with the outcome, had no desire to witness any more of the Tang family savage girl’s tears and snot.

She thanked Song Ao, whose old eyes had widened in shock, and asked the elderly servant to take the girl away.

Song Ao’s face turned ashen with anger as she supported the sobbing Tang Ru back to report to the Empress.

Yan Xiaoying wasn’t afraid. As a chess piece of significant weight, with the carrot of “participating in governance” dangling before her, the Empress wouldn’t discard her easily. Even if the Empress doted on her niece, she would have to endure it.

Xiaoying waved her hand, dismissing everyone else except for the eunuch who had delivered the slaps.

This eunuch named Jin Zhong asked flatteringly: “Your Highness, please calm down. Would you like this servant to bring some night snacks?”

Yan Xiaoying knew that although most servants in Chuwen Hall were personally assigned by His Majesty, there would certainly be spies planted by the Empress or Consort Shang.

This little eunuch Jin Zhong had struck Tang Ru without restraint, which meant he wasn’t aligned with the Empress. He might be useful when she needed to avoid the Empress’s faction.

Xiaoying wanted to probe further into his background, so she beckoned him closer and asked: “Where were you stationed before?”

Jin Zhong looked uncomfortable as he replied: “In response to Your Highness, this servant previously served in the… the Grand… Grand Prince’s palace…”

The Grand Prince? Xiaoying’s interest was piqued: “Grand Brother’s man… how did you end up here with me?”

Jin Zhong thought the Crown Prince would hold him accountable, so he immediately knelt, knocking his head like he was pounding garlic: “Your Highness, the Grand Prince moved elsewhere to recuperate ten years ago, but his old palace wasn’t dismantled and still needed caretakers. So only those without connections were left to guard the doors and pull weeds. This servant is still young and couldn’t bear such a dreary existence. Wanting to serve a master with prospects, I spent silver to request a transfer, using the opportunity of your palace relocation to be assigned to your service!”

Xiaoying saw that the eunuch was terrified, his face ashen as dirt, and she found it intriguing. There must be some unknown history between the Crown Prince and the Grand Prince!

So she deliberately drew out her words: “…Grand Brother, oh my!”

Jin Zhong grimaced, nearly crying with fear, and hastily prostrated himself on the ground to distance himself from any connection: “When the Grand Prince was disrespectful to you, this servant was still small, only nine years old, and wasn’t present. Otherwise, this servant would have protected Your Highness, the Crown Prince, even at the cost of being crushed to powder!”

Just like that, without any effort, Xiaoying learned about the old history between her “brother,” Feng Qiyuan, and the Grand Prince.

It turned out that the Grand Prince, born to His Majesty’s late wife Lady Ye, had a strange temperament from childhood, seemingly inherently manic. It wasn’t very noticeable when he was small, but the symptoms became more pronounced as he grew, and he frequently harmed palace servants.

When Feng Qiyuan was six years old, he unfortunately found himself alone with the Grand Prince in the back garden. The naturally frail Crown Prince somehow provoked the Grand Prince, who held him underwater. If not for the timely intervention of Princess Anqing, Mu Hanjiang’s mother, who happened to pass by, he would have nearly drowned to death.

No wonder when brother Feng Qiyuan mentioned the Grand Prince, he turned pale with fear and refused to even speak about it—the situation must have been extremely dangerous!

This Grand Prince was a madman!

No wonder they publicly claimed the Grand Prince had a hidden illness and never appeared even during festivals!

According to Jin Zhong, after the Grand Prince’s condition worsened, with several incidents disturbing pregnant consorts in the palace, Consort Shang discussed with His Majesty about moving him elsewhere to recuperate, with plans to return once he improved.

But since then, there had been no news of the Grand Prince, leaving only an empty palace and a few stranded eunuchs.

This Jin Zhong was ambitious and had risked slapping Tang Ru as a way to show his loyalty.

Now knowing Jin Zhong’s background, Xiaoying pulled out a silk cloth from a nearby scroll: “I’ve moved to a new palace and find the garden flowers unsatisfactory. Do you know if there are such flowers and plants in the palace? If they could be planted in my courtyard, it would be more elegant.”

Jin Zhong, seeing that the Crown Prince wasn’t holding his past against him, finally relaxed. However, after looking at the drawing, he was shocked by the Crown Prince’s poor artistic skills. Unable to determine whether the Crown Prince had drawn chives or something else, he thought quickly and said: “The palace houses noble people, so plant transplantation requires approval and a seal from the Internal Affairs Department to prevent poisonous plants from contaminating the courtyards. If Your Highness wishes to search, you can request the plant registry book from the Internal Affairs Department, which catalogs all the flora throughout the entire palace.”

Yan Xiaoying had deliberately drawn poorly. She was investigating the orchids she had seen in the palace where Feng Qiyuan was hidden.

If what Jin Zhong said was true, a rare species of orchid would certainly be marked with its transplant location in the palace. This way, she could trace her way to where her “brother” was imprisoned, making it easier for Uncle Hai to investigate.

With this in mind, she mentioned that she had certain peculiarities, disliking servants attending to her closely while sleeping. After dismissing Jin Zhong, she changed her clothes herself and lay down on the bed.

This bed was much softer than any she had slept on before, but she had no heart to enjoy it. She couldn’t wait to take her “brother” back to reunite with her father and adoptive father.

When teaching her military strategy, her adoptive father had once said, “To accomplish great plans, one must personally enter the arena.”

Now, effort had paid off—her “brother’s” situation was becoming clearer, justifying her risk of remaining in the palace.

Thinking of this, Yan Xiaoying rolled off the bed, grabbed the quilt, and lay down underneath the bed.

This was a habit she had developed long ago. When alone outside, sleeping in lodgings at night, it was much safer under the bed than on it. Plus, with her ear against the floorboards, she could hear surrounding movements early.

Now in the deep palace, where many coveted her position as heir apparent, she needed to be careful and had been sleeping this way since entering the palace.

But this first night in the new palace was destined to be eventful. In the middle of the night, when the palace was silent, the faint sound of footsteps was transmitted through the floor tiles from a distance.

Xiaoying’s eyes snapped open, and she quickly pressed her ear against the floor tiles, confirming the footsteps beyond doubt.

With the creaking of the door, a black shadow floated in but didn’t approach.

From under the bed, she watched the shadow move to the standing incense burner beside the bed. The figure seemed to adjust the burner’s lid, lingered briefly, then silently retreated the way it had come.

As the door closed, an indescribable fragrance began to spread.

Xiaoying held her breath and crawled out from under the bed. She quickly grabbed a cloth from the basin stand, dampened it with water, covered her nose and mouth, and approached the incense burner.

Having spent years in the jianghu, how could she not recognize this base scent? It was clearly in the same category as knockout drugs.

If she slept amidst this fragrance, she would likely not wake in the morning. Even if awakened, she would be in a daze, unable to meet with the Shao Fu officials or conduct business…

Even if she tried to explain later, with the incense burned away without a trace, how could she prove anything? Since no one had died, no one would seriously investigate—they would simply conclude that the Crown Prince was lazy and playful, with no interest in government affairs.

Thinking of this, Xiaoying couldn’t help but sigh again for her “brother.” How could someone with such an innocent and carefree nature survive in such a den of tigers and wolves?

She had heard from the Empress that the Shao Fu, besides managing palace tributes, also handled taxation from lakes, wetlands, and mountains in various regions for palace provisions. Occasionally, it was also responsible for distributing imperial grace, managing disaster relief supplies, and aiding disaster victims. Though it didn’t seem as crucial as other departments managing military and civilian affairs, it was a necessary stepping stone for imperial family members in administrative roles.

It seemed this position was enviable enough to make people jealous—some people couldn’t wait for the Crown Prince to make mistakes and ruin himself before His Majesty!

After extinguishing the drugged incense with water, Xiaoying picked out the residue, selecting a large piece to wrap in a handkerchief to dry and keep for future need, while scattering the remaining ash outside the window.

The next day, before dawn, someone knocked on the door calling for the Crown Prince to rise.

A palace maid named Jian Hu softly informed from outside the door that she had been specially assigned by the Empress. From now on, the Crown Prince’s dressing and bathing would be under her management.

Xiaoying recognized her—this little palace maid seemed to be Song Ao’s distant niece, highly trusted by the Empress.

It appeared the Empress was concerned about her female identity being discovered and insisted on sending a maid who knew the secret to handle Yan Xiaoying’s matters.

This was good, as it reduced the hassle of constant concealment. Yan Xiaoying allowed Jian Hu to assist with washing and dressing, completing her preparations.

Before leaving the palace, Yan Xiaoying, using the excuse that she had slept soundly thanks to the diligent guards, called for the guards who had watched her door the previous night to receive rewards.

The elegant and handsome youth weighed the small silver ingots in her hand, smilingly examining the faces of the several guards.

Those guards who received rewards naturally looked delighted, except for one who appeared nervous upon seeing the Crown Prince.

Xiaoying, maintaining her composure, distributed the silver and then left Chuwen Hall with Jin Zhong and Jian Hu.

However, she didn’t rush far away but instead hid at a corner of the palace wall, eating dates while observing the activity at the entrance of Chuwen Hall.

Jin Zhong was puzzled, asking if the Crown Prince had forgotten something, but Yan Xiaoying raised her finger, making a shushing sound.

Just then, one of the rewarded guards hurriedly walked along the western palace wall.

Yan Xiaoying waved her hand, indicating that Jin Zhong should follow to see where the guard was going, and then meet her at the palace gate.

Jin Zhong obeyed, immediately pursuing like an unleashed hunting dog.

Jian Hu didn’t understand this woman pretending to be the Crown Prince’s methods and impatiently reminded her: “You’d better not cause trouble, delaying… mmm… mmm…”

Yan Xiaoying had stuffed a handful of dates into Jian Hu’s incessantly talking mouth: “You’re truly one of the Empress’s soldiers, endless in your lecturing. Come on, let’s go now!”

Unfortunately, Empress Tang had more than just Jian Hu as her disciplining soldier.

Before leaving the palace, she was intercepted by the stern-faced Song Ao, who relayed the Empress’s instructions.

Empress Tang feared that Yan Xiaoying’s lack of education would expose her before the officials, so she detailed many specifics for her first day at the Shao Fu.

Most importantly, Yan Xiaoying was to use this opportunity to have the disaster relief accounts from the past two years organized and the documents sent to the East Palace. The Empress would then arrange for someone to help Yan Xiaoying handle these matters, preventing her from appearing incompetent.

Yan Xiaoying couldn’t stuff dates into Song Ao’s mouth, so she could only respond with vague acknowledgments, finally managing to hear the end of her nagging after much delay.

By the time she finally exited the palace gates, Jin Zhong had already returned and was waiting.

Xiaoying noticed that beside the carriage prepared for her, another one was parked.

The Second Prince, dressed in casual attire, had also just left the palace and was preparing to board his carriage. His deliberate posture as he was about to step into the carriage seemed well-rehearsed.

When he pretended to casually glimpse the Crown Prince, he elegantly paused and greeted him with a smile: “Crown Prince, your timing is perfect. Do you know that a famous performer, Qin Guan’er, has arrived at the pear garden in the east of the city? Would you like to join your elder brother and listen to his new songs?”

Yan Xiaoying pretended to be tempted, covering her heart with her hand: if the real Feng Qiyuan heard this, he would likely be immediately itching to go, even risking being late just to hear a performance.

At that moment, Jin Zhong, who had been waiting at the palace gate first, whispered in Yan Xiaoying’s ear, reporting that he had followed the guard and discovered him meeting with the Second Prince. Shortly after, the Second Prince had left the palace and had been lingering here.

So it was her dear Second Brother who had sent someone to drug her with incense last night!

Seeing the Crown Prince taking up official duties, the Second Prince probably felt his position cooling and had become desperate enough to make such rash moves.

This boy was purely blessed with a good mother, and compared to his incompetent brothers, he appeared more clever.

But at the root, he was just an underdeveloped scoundrel!

It seemed that when the sleeping incense didn’t work, the Second Prince had frantically resorted to personally using a famous performer as bait.

Xiaoying felt like teasing him, deliberately widening her eyes and saying: “Second Brother, are you telling the truth? Is it that Qin Guan’er, who’s renowned across three prefectures?”

Seeing the fish taking the bait, the Second Prince’s eyes revealed satisfaction: “Yes, today many young nobles from the capital will be attending. Your elder brother has reserved a private box, so Your Highness can enjoy the performance in peace…”

Xiaoying immediately nodded vigorously: “Let’s go! Let’s depart at once!”

The Second Prince, having anticipated this reaction from the opera enthusiast, was overjoyed and prepared to set off in his carriage.