......
The news reached the Seventh Prince's residence.
The Seventh Prince was stunned for a moment, looking both surprised and embarrassed.
His older brother, the Fifth Prince, had left his place the previous day, only to be found dead the next morning.
Jiang Yuluan was also taken aback.
She had spent the previous night with her husband, even though he had married a concubine, he hadn't even entered the concubine's room.
She had spent the night persuading her, and by the end, she was almost convinced.
She understood that her husband had no choice.
The Emperor had bestowed the concubine upon him, and he couldn't refuse.
Then, the next day, such an incident occurred.
Concubine Song He got up early, as if nothing had happened, and continued with her duties.
When she heard about the Fifth Prince's death, she was slightly taken aback but continued with her work.
She discovered that there was a formidable woman in the Seventh Prince's residence, not the Princess, but the Princess's niece, who had been recuperating from an injury these past few days. However, she had heard nothing but praise for her.
Song He didn't think much of it. She didn't harbor any ambitions for power or position. Her thoughts were quite simple: she just wanted to survive. Only by surviving could her family live well.
As for whatever sudden tasks she might be assigned, she couldn't predict them, but she was prepared to die at any moment.
Every day she lived, she treated it as her last, so she was calm and diligent.
Her emotions were calm, and she performed her duties meticulously and appropriately.
After consoling the Princess, the Seventh Prince returned to his own quarters and saw Song He attending to him. He didn't explain anything or try to comfort her.
He too was tired, and in his eyes, Song He was just a subordinate. He didn't feel responsible for her emotions.
After breakfast, he sat in his study. He had a pet sparrow with tender yellow feathers, very beautiful. He liked to feed the sparrow millet while he thought, watching it peck at the grains.
One by one.
......
The death of the Fifth Prince startled the Sixth Prince.
Although his older brother had many flaws and a sharp tongue, he didn't deserve to die.
He remembered that when they were young, the Fifth Prince was quite nice, often giving him things, even digging up a plant from the imperial garden just to give it to him.
When they studied together in the imperial study, he sometimes found random objects on his desk that had nothing to do with their studies.
No need to ask, he knew it was the Fifth Prince.
He thought his brother was trying to frame him, making their father think he was neglecting his studies.
It was because of this that he knew about the Fifth Prince's strange habit of placing random items near those he liked.
But this sudden death had caught him off guard.
He had never instructed anything.
In fact, a long time ago, he had accidentally succeeded in placing his person as the Fifth Prince's concubine, and he had been quite pleased with himself.
But after receiving a few messages, he had basically stopped managing this line.
Because the Fifth Prince was so incompetent, he didn't seem like a contender for the throne.
He hadn't expected to receive such news, which left him unprepared.
The Sixth Prince was discussing with his advisors what to do next and what changes might occur.
His advisors advised him to stay still and do nothing, as it was the best course of action.
The Sixth Prince understood.
The next day, however, the Ministry of Justice surrounded the Sixth Prince's residence.
The evidence was conclusive.
It was first confirmed by the Emperor, and the murderer confessed.
The Sixth Prince had ordered the Fifth Prince's concubine to kill the Fifth Prince.
The concubine said she had been feeding the Fifth Prince medicine. Yesterday, he might have drunk alcohol, and combined with the medicine she had given him, he suddenly died.
The medicine wasn't lethal; it just made people stupid, forgetful, and fat. It required a large amount to take effect, so it needed a long-term process of administration. (The fat officials in the court shuddered when they heard about this medicine, seriously doubting if they had been dosed, always feeling they should be smarter and more handsome...)
The Sixth Prince was dumbfounded, shouting that he was innocent.
Although the concubine was his person, he had never expected the Fifth Prince to take a liking to her, bringing her back and insisting on making her his concubine. With her elevated status, the Sixth Prince felt it was against human nature to continue manipulating her. High status breeds ambition, so he had basically given up on her.
Aliali: 6744813cc4f3f33ac44271f6
He had never instructed her to administer medicine that made people stupid. The Fifth Prince was already stupid enough. Since he learned that the Fifth Prince had given him those random items just because he liked him, he no longer saw his brother as an enemy.
Why would he do such a thing?
But now, the evidence was conclusive.
The Sixth Prince, a royal prince, was thrown into prison.
He cried bitterly.
Looking at the prison, he was familiar with it.
He had once visited the Crown Prince here.
He suddenly understood why the Crown Prince had remained silent and uncomplaining.
He felt so wronged, but no matter how he shouted, no one paid attention.
......