It was already afternoon when the Empress Dowager returned to the palace.
Emperor Jingming, concerned about the Empress Dowager’s outing, had sent people to keep watch. As soon as she returned, he hurried over.
“Imperial Brother,” Princess Rongyang, who had accompanied the Empress Dowager, greeted Emperor Jingming first.
Emperor Jingming knew that Princess Rongyang had accompanied the Empress Dowager to offer incense, but her entering the palace instead of returning to her residence after the trip was somewhat puzzling.
Of course, this curiosity wasn’t enough to prompt Emperor Jingming to inquire. He nodded in response and asked the Empress Dowager, “Mother, how was your outing today?”
The Empress Dowager rested her hand on the armrest of her chair and said calmly, “The incense offering went smoothly. Going out for a walk also lifted my spirits.”
However, Emperor Jingming detected a hint of displeasure in the Empress Dowager’s calm tone.
“Mother, are you perhaps tired?”
“I don’t feel tired, but we encountered a death on the way to offer incense…”
Emperor Jingming nearly jumped upon hearing this.
Encountering a death.
Death…
He had already developed a deep aversion to the word “death,” and had thought the Empress Dowager wouldn’t be affected. He never expected this—
“Mother, you encountered such an incident?” Emperor Jingming asked with concern.
The Empress Dowager’s voice turned slightly cold: “It’s all thanks to that good daughter-in-law you personally approved!”
Emperor Jingming blinked in confusion.
Truthfully, the marriage of every prince required his approval. Which one was the Empress Dowager referring to?
The Empress Dowager didn’t keep him guessing: “Prince Yan’s wife.”
Emperor Jingming was taken aback.
The Empress Dowager glanced at Princess Rongyang.
Princess Rongyang began to explain: “On our way to Dafu Temple with Mother, the road ahead was blocked. Many people were gathered there watching the commotion, so I sent an attendant to inquire. It turned out that a ruffian was harassing a young woman. The woman was of a fierce temperament, and seeing no way to escape, she tragically ended her life by hitting her head…”
Emperor Jingming listened with his eyelids twitching: “What does this have to do with Seventh Brother’s wife?”
Princess Rongyang’s voice rose slightly: “That ruffian claimed to be Prince Yan’s wife’s uncle.”
Emperor Jingming smiled: “Aren’t there many people who falsely claim such connections?”
“Later, when the Five Cities Command arrived, not only did he not retract his statement, but he also wanted to drag the officials to Prince Yan’s residence to have Prince Yan and his wife vouch for him. He even said his sister was staying at Prince Yan’s residence. Imperial Brother, it doesn’t seem to me like he was making false claims.”
At this point, the Empress Dowager spoke: “I ordered that man to be taken away at the time. Later, upon investigating his true identity, it was confirmed that he is indeed Prince Yan’s wife’s uncle.”
The Empress Dowager was not an impulsive person. For her to confront Jiang Si in front of Emperor Jingming, she must have had solid evidence. Otherwise, bringing up nonsense in front of the Emperor would only result in losing face.
“Is this true?” Emperor Jingming immediately summoned Han Ran for questioning.
After receiving confirmation from Han Ran, Emperor Jingming thought for a moment and said, “Summon Prince Yan to the palace.”
Princess Rongyang reminded him: “Imperial Brother, won’t you summon Prince Yan’s wife for questioning as well?”
Emperor Jingming frowned slightly.
The Seventh Brother’s wife was pregnant. Even if there was to be a reprimand, that rascal Seventh Brother should bear it. It wouldn’t be right to blame the daughter-in-law and affect the child…
The Empress Dowager said calmly: “It would be good to summon the young couple together for questioning. I know the Emperor is considerate of Prince Yan’s wife’s pregnancy, but some matters can be lightly dismissed, while others cannot be indulged. Today, Prince Yan’s wife’s uncle publicly drove a respectable woman to her death. The common people’s impression of Prince Yan and his wife has already been greatly damaged, by widespread discussions. If in the future, more uncles or aunts emerge and commit even more outrageous acts, I’m afraid the Emperor won’t be able to protect Prince Yan’s wife even if he wants to…”
The Emperor found this reasoning sound and changed his order: “Summon Prince Yan and his wife to the palace together.”
An imperial attendant quickly went to Prince Yan’s residence to deliver the imperial edict.
At first, Yu Jin thought he was being summoned to the palace to inquire about the progress of the investigation. When he heard that Jiang Si was to accompany him, he felt something was amiss.
The couple exchanged a glance.
Confusion also flashed in Jiang Si’s eyes.
Although she had married a prince, in reality, she had very few opportunities to face the Emperor directly.
Today’s summons seemed strange.
However, they would face whatever came their way. Endless worry was useless; they would know what this was about once they entered the palace.
After preparing themselves, Yu Jin accompanied Jiang Si into the carriage.
“I don’t know why Father Emperor called for me to go as well, but I suspect it’s not for anything good,” Jiang Si said.
Hearing this, Yu Jin comforted her, patting her hand: “Father Emperor asked me to investigate the person hiding in the palace. If we present the clues we obtained today, he won’t have time to worry about anything else.”
“Could today’s incident be related to the Empress Dowager?” Jiang Si speculated. “The Empress Dowager leaving the palace to offer incense is a rare occurrence, and on the same day, Father Emperor summons us both to the palace. It’s unusual. While coincidences do exist in this world, most events that happen together are usually connected…”
“Don’t overthink it. We’ll know once we enter the palace.”
The couple entered the Imperial City and were led directly to Cining Palace by an attendant.
Yu Jin raised his eyebrows slightly.
It seemed Jiang Si’s guess wasn’t wrong; today’s summons was indeed related to the Empress Dowager.
Jiang Si winked at Yu Jin.
Someone from the Empress Dowager’s side had visited the small shop run by Wu Miao and her granddaughter. They guessed that the woman should be Aduo from the register, who was now Granny Duo in Cining Palace.
However, guesses were just guesses. Whether this person was indeed Granny Duo, and what Granny Duo looked like, could only be confirmed by seeing her in person before discussing anything further.
Emperor Jingming summoning them to Cining Palace provided the couple with a rare opportunity, saving them the trouble of finding an excuse to enter the palace to pay respects to Empress Dowager.
This was their first time entering Cining Palace, though for Jiang Si, it wasn’t truly the first time, but that was in her previous life.
Upon entering, an attendant gestured for them to stop and went inside to announce their arrival.
“Your Majesty, Prince Yan and Princess Yan have arrived.”
“Bring them in.”
The announcement immediately rang out.
Yu Jin led Jiang Si inside, and his eyes immediately fell on Princess Rongyang standing beside the Empress Dowager.
As Jiang Si walked in, however, her attention was drawn to a middle-aged woman.
The woman stood in an inconspicuous corner of the Empress Dowager’s room. She looked ordinary, but to Jiang Si, she was anything but.
For Jiang Si, who had practiced mystical arts under the Great Elder of Wu Miao and was praised for her extraordinary talent, she had a subtle sense for those who practiced such arts.
This Granny must be Granny Duo who had met with Wu Miao’s granddaughter, also known as Aduo, the second-generation elder of Wu Miao.
Granny Duo looked at Jiang Si as she entered, her eyes flashing with astonishment.
She quickly concealed this surprise, but Jiang Si, who had been watching her from the corner of her eye, caught it.
Jiang Si raised her lips in a slight smile.
The other woman must be shocked at how similar she looked to Saint Asang.
She rarely saw people from Cining Palace, and likewise, people from Cining Palace had few opportunities to see her. This was Granny Duo’s first time meeting her.
It was quite interesting when you thought about it. Just after meeting with the Wu Miao grandmother and granddaughter and learning from the old woman that Saint Asang had come to the capital, she discovered that the Saint had become Prince Yan’s wife.
At this moment, Granny Duo’s heart must be in turmoil.