Chapter 192: The Plan

Chapter 192: The Plan

The third prince mused to himself, "The snow lotus outside is gone, elder sister was summoned to the palace, brother-in-law Cui was dispatched as an envoy to the Xiongnu, my second brother and I were sent to Jinzhou... while elder brother has been attending court since the beginning of the year, staying beside father... No, no, elder brother is frail, and father is in his prime..."

He shook his head, pacing the room, his gaze sweeping over a lotus pouch casually placed on the table. He suddenly took a closer look at the pouch personally embroidered by the Empress Dowager, murmuring, "But the Minister of Justice frequently visited elder brother recently, could the snow lotus truly be gone? Mother adores elder brother and my younger sister immensely, why is she so calm after learning about the snow lotus? Although elder sister has been warned by father and may have lost his favor, wouldn't mother react more noticeably?"

He picked up the cloud-patterned lotus pouch, extracting the peace talisman placed inside by the Empress Dowager, and realized, "…Elder brother, perhaps, is already cured."

But mother is astute, how could she leave such an obvious clue for me to find?

The third prince fingered the red cloth-wrapped peace talisman, deep in thought.

If I hadn't considered this, still believing elder brother was frail, my approach in Jinzhou, though diligent, would not have been to outshine my second brother. After all, elder sister's collusion with foreigners would only be for my second brother. It's hard to say he didn't know about it. Father, without making it public, surely wouldn't favor him. So, why not let him take the limelight, while I slowly 'reform', showing filial affection to elder brother? Perhaps, I might even gain mother's support, along with Ningyuan Marquis and other royal relatives.

But now, realizing elder brother is well, I must compete, must vie for attention—if father is indeed about to appoint an heir, how can I qualify to compete with elder brother for the crown prince's position if I don't vie for attention in Jinzhou?

Unless… I've truly given up on it.

The third prince returned the talisman to the pouch, hearing Zhang Shuisheng's distant call, "Your Highness! The food is here! I've found something delicious for you!"

A flicker of annoyance passed in his eyes as he muttered, "Sorry, second brother, but I can't keep this Zhang Shuisheng around any longer."

First, trying to make me believe you colluded with the wealthy merchants, then blatantly showing that I'm still indulging in luxuries during disaster relief… Really… I don't know if he thinks I'm a fool, or if he is as foolish as you.

*

That night, at Qingning Mountain Villa, in Wenlian Pavilion.

Empress Gaozhao comforted the sixth prince to sleep and returned to her room with Sanyue, sitting down at the dressing table to personally remove the gold foil flower ornaments from her forehead.

Sanyue, standing behind her, quietly said while undoing her hair, "Mistress, that maid of Roupin seems to be sneaking glances our way."

Empress Gaozhao hummed nonchalantly, "Ungrateful wretch, after I elevated her to the rank of pin, allowing her to personally care for the seventh prince."

Sanyue spat disdainfully, tactfully omitting that this promotion had used up one of the major promotions of the harem, merely saying, "Mistress, do you think she's discovered something?"

Empress Gaozhao pondered for a moment, then suddenly asked, "How are things going with Doctor Yan?"

Sanyue bowed her head, "Mistress, although Doctor Yan is gentle towards the fourth prince, he seems to genuinely lack romantic interest…"

Empress Gaozhao was unconcerned: “It’s only been two months. He’s remained a widower till now. If he immediately showed interest in Siyue, I wouldn’t dare to employ him. Let's wait and see... If he remains the same, then Doctor Yan is no longer usable.”

She paused, then continued, “However, now that Roupin and we are residing together and she's watching us, it’s not a good time to act. For now, we’ll feign ignorance and ask Siyue to refrain from rash actions. She should just stay in Wenlian Pavilion and care for Wei’er.”

“Understood,” Sanyue immediately responded.

Though palace maids could marry upon reaching age, as long as they're in the palace, personal affairs are forbidden. Siyue, being Empress Gaozhao’s maid, would cause trouble if discovered, offering fodder for the critics.

While Empress Gaozhao whispered with her maid, Roupin was also talking about her.

Fiddling with a handkerchief embroidered with reeds and deer, Roupin's eyes curled up, carelessly saying, “Empress Gaozhao must be cursing me as an ungrateful wretch. That maid Siyue won’t dare to make any moves now.”

Roupin's head maid, Grape, quietly asked, “Mistress, if Empress Gaozhao becomes cautious and guards against us, why did you instruct me to be deliberately caught by them?”

“Without doing so, how could Empress Gaozhao change her doctor to check the peace pulse?” Roupin smiled slightly, but her eyes held deep hatred, “She thinks I'm trying to catch her in the act. As long as she fears my discovery, she won’t dare ask Doctor Yan for the peace pulse during this time and will have to change doctors. The doctors coming to Qingning Mountain Villa are only Li Yizheng, Lin Yipan, Liu Taiyi, Yan Taiyi, and Cheng Taiyi.”

“Li Yizheng only attends to the Emperor; Lin Yipan is exclusively for the Crown Prince; Liu Taiyi belongs to the Empress... If Empress Gaozhao changes doctors, it can only be Cheng Taiyi,” mused Grape.

“And Cheng Taiyi…” Roupin carefully examined the handkerchief, her gaze lingering on the embroidered reeds, then satisfactorily folded it up, “I heard... Ji Jiyu had a pregnancy before, but unfortunately miscarried. At that time, Cheng Taiyi was in charge of her care.”

“I don’t understand, Mistress, is there a catch here?” Grape asked, puzzled.

Roupin smiled again, “Haven’t you noticed that Ji Jiyu often calls for Doctor Cheng when she needs medical attention? Since he was her doctor during the miscarriage but wasn’t blamed, and is still usable by her, it proves that Cheng Taiyi is someone she can rely on.”

Realization dawned on Grape, who admiringly said, “Mistress, you are brilliant.”

Roupin continued, “After all this acting, whether I truly harbor enmity towards Ji Jiyu, she must be clear about it. Such a golden opportunity, I don't believe she won't seize it. This is practically a free chance to get a Sixth Prince.”