PNB Chapter 354 Clues
Chapter 354 Clues
At this time, in the most magnificent courtyard in the deepest part of Ji Mansion, candlelight flickered in the room of the hostess of Ji Mansion.
A maidservant was standing respectfully by the side, and said to Ji Hua, who was sitting in the main seat, "Your Majesty, there haven't been any major changes in the palace since you left, except for the result of Princess Xue'er's marriage."
"Oh? Who is Princess Xue'er's husband?" Ji Hua sat up straighter, a hint of concern in his eyes.
"The second prince of Zhao." The maid replied.
"What? How could it be the second prince? What is going on?" There was a hint of surprise and confusion in Ji Hua's voice. She thought everything was under control, but she didn't expect such a change to happen.
The maid quickly explained, "The Crown Prince of Zhao was previously assassinated and poisoned, and has been in a coma ever since. He couldn't be considered a candidate for marriage, so we chose the eldest prince. However, the Emperor of Zhao excluded all the other princes and instead selected a group of idle young men from the royal family, marquises, and ministers. Princess Xue'er wasn't satisfied with these choices, so she found an excuse to postpone the marriage."
"Later, the Second Prince and Princess Xue'er were framed and publicly disgraced. The Emperor of Zhao was furious and granted them a marriage. After the imperial decree was issued, he immediately banished the Second Prince to a remote northwest region without even granting him the title of Prince or Duke."
After hearing this, Ji Hua's face turned grim. She clenched her fists tightly, wondering inwardly: Who is behind this? Her original plan was completely disrupted. How should she deal with it next?
When the emperor learned about this, he was furious and raged in the court. In his rage, even the glazed tiles of the palace seemed to tremble slightly.
Princess Xue'er's biological mother, Concubine Ling, was also summoned into the palace by the emperor and severely reprimanded because of her daughter's ridiculous behavior.
After Ji Hua heard the news reported by the maid, the teacup in her hand fell to the ground with a "bang" and shattered into pieces.
She was so angry that her face flushed red, her chest heaving violently, and she kept cursing, "Stupid, really stupid! Does Xue'er have no brains? She even messed up such an important thing."
The sharp sound broke the tranquility of the back garden and startled the birds nearby, causing them to flap their wings and fly away.
"How is Li'er? Did that dog emperor take his anger out on her because of this?" Ji Hua calmed down a little and then asked anxiously.
Obviously, compared to Fan Xueer, she cares more about the situation of her daughter, Concubine Rong. In her heart, her daughter is her most important support in this world and her hope for the rest of her life.
"Don't worry, your Majesty. Our princess is doing very well. Not only did the dog emperor not vent his anger on her, he actually doted on her. Originally, the princess wanted the dog emperor to confer the title of prince on the second prince, but the dog emperor declined."
The personal maid standing beside her hurried forward and comforted her in a soft voice.
She was well aware of the queen's concern for the princess and did not dare to miss any details.
"I think the choice of this marriage alliance really makes the dog emperor feel distressed." Ji Hua snorted coldly, with a flash of disdain in her eyes! She has been working in this deep palace for many years and has some understanding of the minds of these emperors.
"Hmph! Fan Xue'er, that brainless idiot, not only fell for her trick, but she also disrupted our plans and might even affect the relationship between the First and Second Princes. I hope my Li'er can understand that the heir to the State of Zhao that we have always favored is the First Prince, and that won't change."
Ji Hua became angrier as he spoke, and he clenched the handkerchief tightly in both hands, as if it were Fan Xueer.
"Your Majesty, will the Second Prince be dissatisfied with this?" Nanny Yan had been standing in the corner and couldn't help but speak worriedly.
Originally, they had carefully planned that after the eldest prince married Princess Xueer, Min'an State would fully support the eldest prince in seizing the throne. But now Princess Fan Xueer's husband has become the second prince, and the second prince was demoted because of her. If they continue to support the eldest prince, there might be a rift between the two brothers, which undoubtedly adds many variables to their plan.
"So what even if he's dissatisfied? As long as the eldest prince is in front, the second prince can't surpass him." Ji Hua's face was gloomy, and there was a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes.
They tried their best to plot against the Crown Prince of Zhao, but not only did they fail, the eldest prince did not gain any benefits, and even the second prince was implicated. Fortunately, Li'er was not affected, otherwise she would really not be able to resist tearing apart Concubine Ling and her son.
In her opinion, the eldest prince was the most qualified to inherit the throne, and everyone else had to stand aside.
After hearing this, Nanny Yan raised her head slightly and looked at her master with complicated eyes.
Whether it is the eldest prince or the second prince, they are both the queen's grandsons, but their status in the queen's heart is very different just because of their birth time.
This differential treatment of family affection made Nanny Yan feel a little bitter, but she also understood that in this vortex of power, family affection is often the most fragile.
At this time, night had quietly fallen, and the moonlight was like water, sprinkling on the courtyard of Ji Mansion.
The light in the room shone through the window paper, casting the figures of Ji Hua and Nanny Yan onto it. Murong Ling'er held her breath and listened quietly to the conversation inside the room.
Murong Ling'er didn't expect that this noble lady was not the wife of the Ji family, but a concubine in the harem of the Min'an Kingdom, and the biological mother of Concubine Rong of the Zhao Kingdom. This news was really surprising.
She stood outside the window for a long time, until the candlelight in the house went out and the sound of two people's sleeping breathing was heard, then she used the light body technique and sneaked into the room like a ghost.
The room where Ji Hua is staying is luxurious and exquisite. As soon as you step into the room, you can feel the atmosphere of wealth. The furniture in the room is all made of high-quality wood, with carvings of dragons and paintings of phoenixes, which are lifelike. The calligraphy and paintings hanging on the wall are all authentic works of famous artists.
It can be seen that this was Ji Hua's boudoir before she got married. Although she has entered middle age and lived in the deep palace for a long time, the Ji family still carefully maintains this courtyard, which shows how high Ji Hua's status in the Ji family is.
After Murong Ling'er entered the room, she did not look around, but closed her eyes and used her spiritual sense to cover the entire yard.
Her spiritual consciousness was like an invisible net, moving back and forth in the yard, leaving no corner untouched.
After searching for a while, she found that the man was very cautious and there was not even a trace of painting brush and ink in the room.
It is really not easy to find evidence. If it were not for the chance to come to Min'an Country and enter the villa by some unknown means, it would have taken a lot of effort to find out the origins of Concubine Rong.
Murong Ling'er didn't find what she needed in the room, so she didn't delay any longer. She disappeared into the night and returned directly to the inn.
After returning to the inn, she took out the pen, ink, paper and inkstone from the space, and took advantage of the night to draw the appearance of the person in her mind.
She painted with great concentration, and seemed to have poured all her energy into every stroke.
She painted two pictures in total, one was a portrait of Ji Hua, and the other was a picture of the eternal lamp behind the wall of the dark room in the villa.
The eternal lamp in the painting has a flickering flame, as if telling an unknown secret.