The Eldest Princess was the former Emperor's only daughter. After the current Emperor ascended the throne, she was given the title of Eldest Princess Yong Tao. Ever since King Cheng's time in the palace, the Eldest Princess had been greatly favored. However, her temperament did not follow the path of arrogance and domineering. Instead, she sank deeper and deeper into the sorrowful waters of a green lake. She would often become sentimental, shed tears over flying flowers, and weep over the eastward river. Of course, this was a personality trait that she would only reveal in front of those closest to her.
She looked at the Empress Dowager bitterly and said, "My brother, the Emperor, could have chosen anyone else but the Fan family. He knew that the Fan family and the Prime Minister …"
"All of you leave first." The Empress Dowager suddenly opened her eyes and lowered her voice to speak in a dignified manner. The housemaids were expressionless and quietly left the room.
Slap! A red handprint appeared on the Eldest Princess's face. She looked at her mother in front of her, her eyes filled with fear. The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth and said in a cold voice, "How many times have I told you not to mention that person in front of me! You may be shameless, but the royal family is! If you had not protected him with your life, I would have killed that person long ago! "
"All these years, I have never let him see Chen 'er, but I have never placed any obstacles in his way." The Empress Dowager's kindness had long disappeared. Her face was frosty. "Because I know that when he wanted to marry you, it was because you were afraid of ruining his future, so you did not marry him … Fine! You wanted to give him a future, so I gave him a future. Now that he is the head of the officials, you should have fulfilled your original wish. However … I will not allow you to have anything to do with him. When it comes to Chen 'er's marriage, the Lin family cannot have any say in it. Do you understand? "
The Eldest Princess wiped away her tears and tried her best to smile, but her voice was trembling. "I understand."
The Empress Dowager then turned around and looked at the Empress. "The Emperor is busy with government affairs. You should worry about this kind of thing. You should take care of your own children's marriages. However, since the Emperor has promised Chen 'er to the Fan family, you should not interfere."
"Yes." The Empress had long been shocked by the scene just now, so she quickly lowered her head and answered.
"Empress, don't always wait by aijia's side. When you have free time, spend more time with His Majesty and help His Majesty." The Empress Dowager's tone was much warmer and the encouragement in her words was very clear.
The Empress smiled bitterly and agreed. Suddenly, she frowned as if she had thought of something.
How could the Empress Dowager not know what these people were thinking? She said softly, "If you have something to say, say it."
The empress glanced at the Eldest Princess, who was still wiping away her tears. In a low voice, she said, "Eunuch Hong sent someone earlier to say that the Jingdou yamen is trying a case today."
"Oh? What case is it that even that old dog is interested in it? "
The Empress Dowager smiled embarrassedly. "Mother, actually, everyone in the capital is interested in this matter. Because this case started in the yamen this morning, it dragged on until just now. I heard that Guo Baokun, the only son of the Minister of Rites, Guo You, filed a lawsuit against the Fan family. He said that the Fan family blocked Guo Baokun in the street last night and beat him up. The Fan family even recited a poem. This poem … Mother, you saw it earlier."
"Oh?" The Empress Dowager was very surprised. "Ten thousand miles of sorrowful autumn came to visit and beat someone up?"
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. Even the Eldest Princess stopped crying and smiled. She said, "Mother, you are very funny."
The Empress Dowager laughed. "It's not that I'm funny, it's that Fan Xian. He's only been in the capital for a few days, and yet he already beat up the Minister's son. Quick, tell me, what is it like in the Jingdou yamen?" She suddenly thought of something and frowned. "The capital government doesn't dare to use torture, right? If he's beaten up, how can he get married in October? "
The Empress Dowager laughed. "Mother, what are you saying? Although Fan Xian doesn't have a proper background, he is still Count Sinan's son. He is talented and has long been a scholar. There is no way he would be beaten up."
"That's good." The Empress Dowager said, "Is Guo Baokun one of those people who is always with the Crown Prince?"
For some reason, the Empress Dowager's face suddenly became a little uneasy, and she quietly agreed. As expected, the Empress Dowager snorted. "Those little rascals only know how to play tricks. They're all full of evil tricks. Needless to say, that Fan Xian must have done a good job."
The Eldest Princess's expression didn't change, but her feelings were complicated. She never expected that her mother would not ask for the reason, and would just say that the illegitimate son of the Fan family had done a good job. But she had just been slapped and scolded, and now was not a good time to speak up. Fortunately, the Empress Dowager said, "That Guo Baokun has some talent. Being beaten up in the street like this is somewhat unjustifiable."
The Empress Dowager seemed to sense that the Empress Dowager didn't think much of it. She simply asked, "What's the outcome of the case?"
"Fan Xian brought out Crown Prince Jing as a witness, so the capital government couldn't do anything about it. They could only postpone the trial for now."
"Hongcheng was his witness? It looks like this Fan Xian has some connections. "
The Empress Dowager was secretly delighted. She knew that although the Empress Dowager didn't seem to care much, she actually hated the close relationship between the officials and the royal family. But she also knew that she had to act appropriately, and that she couldn't say too much. So she changed the topic. "I heard that on the night that Guo Baokun was beaten, Fan Xian and Crown Prince Jing were on the Liujing River … staying there. So this matter has nothing to do with him."
The palace garden was silent for a while, and the atmosphere was somewhat oppressive. The Empress Dowager suddenly stood up and said, "I'm a little tired." Outside, the palace maids and palace maids hurried over to help her up, and a large group of people walked back to the palace.
Seeing the Empress Dowager's carriage slowly turn around the palace walls, the Empress Dowager and the Eldest Princess stood up and looked at each other. The Empress Dowager's lips curled into a wry smile. "It looks like even though the Empress Dowager is unhappy with Fan Xian's visit to the brothel, she hasn't changed her mind. I'm afraid that in half a year, Chen 'er will really have to get married. "
The Eldest Princess sighed. "I'm just worried about Fan Xian's character, but …" She looked at the Empress, and her expression was as delicate as a weeping willow by the river. "The Fan family has a good relationship with King Jing. You should be careful, Your Highness."
The Empress Dowager's heart trembled. She knew that the Eldest Princess was reminding her that if Fan Xian really did marry Fan Xian's daughter, and His Majesty really did hand over the palace treasury business to the Fan family, then the Fan father and son, one in the Ministry of Revenue and the other in the palace treasury, would have control over most of the Qing Kingdom's money. And if the Fan family, because of their relationship with King Jing, were to fall in line with the second prince, then the Crown Prince … She frowned. Although her son wasn't much of a talent, he was still His Majesty's only legitimate son. Did His Majesty have a deeper meaning for this?
"Don't think too much about it." The Eldest Princess comforted her. "You know that I haven't had much to do with the palace treasury these past two years. The Overwatch Council has always had people watching over it. After all, the Fan family's status isn't high enough. Even if Fan Xian really did marry Chen 'er, he wouldn't be able to truly control the palace treasury."
The Empress Dowager frowned. "Right now, I'm just wondering what that old man Fan Jian did to the Emperor to convince His Majesty."
The Eldest Princess smiled. "You haven't summoned Lady Liu to the palace in a long time, have you?"
The Empress Dowager's expression turned cold. "That woman married Fan Jian as a concubine. It seems stupid, but she's actually very cunning. Four years ago, you suggested killing the illegitimate son in Danzhou, but Lady Liu took the lead. She must hold a grudge against us. I'm afraid it won't be easy to lure her out and use her as a shield. "
"So what?" The Eldest Princess smiled sweetly. Even though she was in her thirties, her skin was still very well maintained. "Would she dare to say anything? Besides, I've known Lady Liu since I was young. I know she's someone who likes to get into a dead end. "
The Empress Dowager suddenly frowned. "Come to think of it, it's strange. Why did His Majesty decide four years ago to let the Fan family manage the palace treasury? If it weren't for the urgency of the matter, he wouldn't have had to take such a risk. " The Eldest Princess spoke softly. "My brother the Emperor doesn't like my relationship with you being too good, so he decided to let me leave the palace treasury … otherwise, he wouldn't have had the Director send someone to guard me from the beginning."
She then sighed. "The court is full of civil and military officials. Whether they're good or bad, there's always a way to control them. But Director Chen is so loyal to His Majesty that he manages the affairs of the Council so well that not even a drop of water can leak out. There's no way for us to send someone in."
Hearing this, the Empress Dowager frowned imperceptibly. "As an official, loyalty to His Majesty is a matter of course. We secretly sent someone in because we were worried that the Emperor would be deceived by a treacherous official. Director Chen's loyalty can be seen by the heavens. There's nothing more to say." The Eldest Princess knew she had said the wrong thing. She spoke softly. "Yes. But these years, the Overwatch Council has never stopped investigating the assassination in Danzhou. It seems that His Majesty has given strict orders."
"Of course. When His Majesty saw your daughter after drinking, he was very happy. He took her in as his adopted daughter and assigned her to the Fan family. Only a few people in the palace know about this. " The Empress Dowager recalled the scene from four years ago. She spoke coldly. "In the end, within a month, there was an assassin in Danzhou. Although this matter wasn't brought to light, the Overwatch Council knew all about it. How could His Majesty not know? Naturally, he didn't care about the life or death of his illegitimate child. What he cared about was that someone in the palace dared to leak his words. "
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