“Of course I remember. Initially we suspected the Crown Princess, then it was said to be done by a maidservant beside Li Chengzong, and later there was also…” Halfway through her words, Lin Shi suddenly stopped, looking at Wan Shi with shock and uncertainty, “Could it be… that elder sister was behind it?”

“Correct. I was the one who truly orchestrated all of this. That maidservant was merely a scapegoat for Zheng Shi. I imagine every time Ji Rong sees Li Chengzong as a deaf person, her heart must ache terribly, hehe!”

“Besides this, there was also the matter of Ji Rong’s false pregnancy, which I also arranged. Unfortunately, it only caused her minor losses and didn’t shake her foundation. Instead, it made Zheng Shi increasingly despised by Li Jiancheng, unable to contend with Ji Rong anymore.”

Lin Shi thought for a while and said: “Elder sister saw that Zheng Shi couldn’t be used in the short term, so you selected several palace ladies to send to the Crown Prince, hoping they could restrain Consort Ji.”

Wan Shi said in a heavy voice: “Exactly. But I didn’t expect that Li Jiancheng and Ji Rong would use the same tactics against me, and even force you and me to such a state.”

Lin Shi knew what she was referring to, “Although Xing Niang turned to bite us, I can be certain that the two Yin ladies must undoubtedly be of courtesan background. It’s just a pity we have no concrete evidence.”

Wan Shi leaned back slightly, saying somewhat helplessly: “After this incident, they must have destroyed all evidence. But even if they still had it, it would be useless now.”

Lin Shi said uncomprehendingly: “Why does elder sister say this?”

“After today’s commotion, His Majesty’s mind is already prejudiced. Even if we later find evidence proving the backgrounds of the two Yin and Zhang ladies, His Majesty won’t believe it.”

Mentioning Li Yuan, Lin Shi couldn’t help but show a trace of resentment, “I always thought that although we weren’t the original married couple, we had been companions for many years. No matter what, there should be some trust, but His Majesty… is truly disappointing.”

Wan Shi sneered: “His Majesty is bewitched by the seductive methods of the two Yin and Zhang ladies – how could he still distinguish right from wrong? This time, the Crown Prince truly achieved three goals at once. First, he stabilized the positions of the two Yin and Zhang ladies in the palace. If I haven’t misjudged, His Majesty will soon promote their ranks again to comfort the ‘grievances’ they suffered today. Second, he eliminated in one stroke both you and Consort Yang, who posed threats to him. Third, the Prince of Qin was stripped of all his duties by His Majesty, almost like exile, making it impossible for him to compete for the Crown Prince position anymore.”

Lin Shi sighed deeply, “The other matters are one thing, but what about Yunyi? Must she truly be confined in Mingyue Convent to grow old there?”

Wan Shi stroked the delicate patterns on her sleeves, saying slowly: “I said before, whether she can leave Mingyue Convent depends on herself.” After a pause, she added: “Plus one more thing – it also depends on the Prince of Qin.”

Lin Shi asked puzzledly: “What does this mean?”

“It’s simple. If the Prince of Qin still can’t see through the Crown Prince’s intentions by now, if he still considers brotherly feelings and hesitates to take that step, then the Crown Prince will dominate him for his entire life. As for Yunyi, she will naturally die of old age in Mingyue Convent, unable to return to the imperial family.”

Lin Shi blurted out: “Even if the Prince of Qin sees clearly, what of it? Could he actually fight against the Crown Prince?”

Wan Shi smiled slightly, “You’re right – that’s exactly what I want to see, him fighting the Crown Prince. With the Crown Prince’s mindset, once he ascends to the throne in the future, he definitely won’t allow the Prince of Qin to continue living. After all, the Prince of Qin poses too great a threat to him. If I haven’t guessed wrong, he should have already attempted to deal with the Prince of Qin, just without success. Whether to remain a worm crawling on the ground or to surge into the sky through wind and rain, transforming into a supreme dragon – that’s up to him.”

Hearing these words, Lin Shi naturally understood Wan Shi’s thoughts, but her brows didn’t relax – instead, they furrowed even tighter. Wan Shi said coolly: “What, you disagree with my words?”

“No.” Lin Shi remained silent for a moment, then said: “I’m just thinking that with the Prince of Qin’s usual temperament, making such a decision would probably be very difficult.”

Wan Shi clapped her hands, saying indifferently: “I’ve done my best. The rest depends on him. If he decides, I’ll naturally find ways to help him!”

If previously Wan Shi wanted Li Jiancheng and Li Shimin to fight until both were injured, now she was determined to fully support Li Shimin!

Lin Shi nodded slowly, saying softly: “I hope the Prince of Qin won’t disappoint us.”

While they were talking, Yunyi and Li Shimin also returned to the Prince of Qin’s residence. Accompanying them were several eunuchs who came on Li Yuan’s orders to supervise Yunyi’s journey to Mingyue Convent for cultivation.

When they arrived, Zhangsun Shi was waiting in the courtyard. Seeing them enter, she hurried forward saying: “Your Highness, Father Emperor summoned you and younger sister to the palace together – what happened?” As she spoke, she had previously been idle and wanted to go to Qiluo Pavilion to talk with Yunyi, but when she got there, she learned that Yunyi had been summoned to the palace by Li Yuan. Soon after, news came that Li Shimin, who had just returned to the residence, was also urgently summoned to the palace. Learning this, she became restless and simply came here to wait.

Li Shimin said in a heavy voice: “Let’s go inside to talk.”

As he spoke, Zhangsun Shi had already noticed Yunyi and Ruyi’s red and swollen eyes, plus the several eunuchs following closely behind them, and guessed something must have happened. She nodded and followed them to Qiluo Pavilion.

Outside Qiluo Pavilion, Li Shimin said to the eunuchs: “We’ll go pack some personal items and come out. Please wait here a moment, gentlemen.” As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Yi had already knowingly handed over a money pouch. The eunuchs looked at each other, and one of them took the pouch, saying quietly: “Your Highness, please hurry. Don’t make things difficult for us slaves.”

After entering the inner chamber, Zhangsun Shi asked impatiently: “What exactly happened? Why are you packing things? And who sent those eunuchs?”

Li Shimin didn’t answer her question, but stared at Yunyi: “What exactly happened? Explain it clearly to me.”

Yunyi hadn’t yet recovered from her grief, and hearing Li Shimin ask this way, anger immediately flared in her heart, “Your Highness speaks this way – do you think I’m really as Xing Niang said, framing the Crown Prince and the Yin ladies?”

Li Shimin said coldly: “If I suspected you, I wouldn’t have defended you before Father Emperor earlier. I just want to know what exactly you and Marquis Lin did. Only by understanding clearly can I think of ways to save you!”

Yunyi also knew this wasn’t the time for quarreling, so she explained the course of events in the simplest terms, then said: “I don’t know when the Crown Prince and Ji Rong discovered we were investigating this matter. In any case, everything that happened today in Ganlu Hall was a trap they laid to destroy me and destroy Consort Shu!”

Li Shimin’s face was dark as he said: “Why didn’t you tell me about such a big matter?”

“Tell you?” Yunyi said mockingly: “Would you have believed me? Would you have believed your dear elder brother offered courtesan women to please His Majesty? You wouldn’t have believed it. You would only think the Crown Prince acts properly and cares for his brothers, and that I was judging a gentleman’s heart with a petty person’s mind!”