jdhmnovel Chapter 291 Do You Know? Lin Yitang 5
Chapter 291 Do You Know? Lin Yitang 5
On the Gengwu day of the first month of the third year of the Qingli era, the third prince Zhao Xi was enfeoffed as the Prince of E. However, less than a day later, on the Xinwei day of the first month, Zhao Xi suddenly fell ill and died in the middle of the night.
The official lost his only son.
The Third Prince's untimely death was too coincidental. He had just been enfeoffed as the Prince of E, and died the very next day. Anyone with eyes could see that there was something wrong with it.
The death at the beginning of the new year saddened the emperor, who personally observed mourning for his son.
In the east wing of Wutong Pavilion, Lin Yitang sat at the head of the table, lost in thought, while Lian Yun quietly served her.
After she was granted the title of Cai Ren, the Empress sent three palace maids and two eunuchs to serve her. Lin Yitang had Lian Yun observe them for a while and promoted one of the palace maids to the rank of Second Class Palace Maid, giving her the name Cheng Yue. The rest still needed to be observed carefully.
As for the unskilled old women and palace maids in the east wing, they are not under her jurisdiction. They will be under the management of the main hall once someone is in charge. She, a mere talented woman, cannot manage them.
Seeing that it was getting dark, Lian Yun went down to arrange for Xiao Dengzi to fetch the meal.
Seeing Lin Yitang's delicate brows furrow slightly, Lian Yun comforted her, "Madam Lin, your beauty is unparalleled; the Emperor will certainly not forget you."
A hint of doubt appeared between Lin Yitang's brows. She was thinking about something, but it was about the sudden death of the Third Prince. Almost a month had passed, and the Emperor still hadn't found the murderer. It was clear that it was someone who had been deeply involved in the inner palace. This person was none other than the Empress or a member of the imperial family.
As for the concubines, Lin Yitang didn't really trust their abilities. They might have some tricks up their sleeves, but the harem was always managed by the Empress, and they had very few people they could use, unless they were in the same palace. But the Third Prince lived in the Empress's palace, so the Empress was highly suspicious.
"Lianyun, can we use Xiao Dengzi and Xiao Anzi?" Lin Yitang asked thoughtfully.
"Reporting to Madam Lin, Xiao Dengzi is currently doing well, but Xiao Anzi is a bit restless and often goes out in the middle of the night. As for Tao'er and Lan'er, they are still under observation, while Chengyue is very well-behaved," Lian Yun said softly.
"Well done, Lian Yun. You're the only one I can trust now." Lin Yitang stared at Lian Yun.
Lian Yun immediately knelt down and respectfully said, "This servant is willing to go through fire and water for my mistress."
Lin Yitang helped Lian Yun up and said gently, "I don't need you to go through fire and water. Just do your job well, and I will definitely not treat you unfairly."
"You said the Third Prince had an accident in the Empress's palace. Does that mean the Empress doesn't value the Third Prince or the Emperor's offspring?" Lin Yitang said casually.
Lian Yun dared not respond to this, but some of the palace maids in the harem had some guesses.
"Go and spread this message quietly. It was the Empress who was not doing her job properly. You should help the Empress spread the word."
Lian Yun was sold into the palace at the age of nine. After that, she worked for Granny Li and had a good relationship with her. Otherwise, Granny Li would not have sent Lian Yun to Lin Yitang's side to try to make a career for herself. Therefore, Lian Yun had some connections in the harem.
Lian Yun was efficient and resourceful. He had people spread rumors from the outside that the Empress did not value the Third Prince. Once the Empress found out, the whole of Bianjing knew about it.
In the Kunning Palace, Empress Cao, her face full of rage, suddenly swept away the vases and tea sets on the table. Huan'er, Granny Liu, and others stood around her trembling with fear.
Her already unattractive face became even more ferocious. The Empress still felt unsatisfied. She didn't care much about the Third Prince; he wasn't her child. She only raised him out of kindness and compassion. As for the Third Prince's early death, it was the result of her neglect.
Her adopted daughter, Gao Taotao, and Zhao Zongshi, the son of the imperial clan, were childhood sweethearts. She originally intended to bring them together, but the former Prince Yong and Prince Yan were eyeing them covetously.
"Your Majesty needs to stop the rumors quickly. As the head of the harem, Your Majesty naturally needs to take personal action and clear up the misunderstanding with the Emperor," Liu Mama calmly advised.
"That's right, Granny, you go and investigate yourself. Find out who spread this rumor, and I'll make sure they pay." Empress Cao gritted her teeth.
In the Funing Palace, the Emperor learned of the recent rumors from Zhang Maoze. He had always been suspicious of the Empress. He had just conferred the title of Prince of E upon Zhao Xi, who died the very next day. He did not believe there was nothing fishy about it, and the person he distrusted the most was the Empress.
"Your Majesty, should we quell the rumors?" Zhang Maoze asked.
The Emperor's expression was unreadable. He knew that Lady Cao was not as virtuous as the rumors suggested. When the Emperor was seriously ill, he was cared for in the Empress's palace, but she died young. Did this Empress want to end her lineage?
"The innocent are innocent, there's no need to pay them any mind," the Emperor instructed, having long disliked Cao Shi.
The Emperor did not issue an edict to quell the rumors, and within a few days, everyone in the court and the inner palace knew about it. Lin Yitang was very satisfied with this situation. As long as the Emperor lost trust in the Empress, even if she had a child, he would be mindful of the previous rumors and would not give the child to the Empress to raise.
The Empress was quite capable; with the help of the Cao family from the previous dynasty, the rumors that circulated for several days were finally suppressed.
Lin Yitang discovered that both Tao'er and Lan'er were disloyal. Lin Yitang first sent Tao'er away, and then Lan'er fell ill not long after. She served the noble ladies in the harem, and if she fell ill, she needed to be moved out of the palace to recuperate.
In February, the Emperor finally entered the inner palace. He first went to Consort Zhang's Phoenix Palace, then to Consort Rong's Huafang Pavilion, and finally it was Lin Yitang's turn.
"Your Majesty, you've finally come to see Yitang. I thought you'd forgotten me." After bowing, Lin Yitang hugged the Emperor's hand and acted coquettishly.
Upon entering, the official saw only two people serving him and asked in confusion, "Why is there no one guarding the east wing?"
"My maids Tao'er and Lan'er fell ill a few days ago and moved out of the palace. Her Majesty the Empress has been quite busy these past few days, so I dare not trouble Her Majesty with trivial matters. Now, even Yun and Chengyue are of use, and Xiao Dengzi and Xiao Anzi are watching the stove." Lin Yitang casually mentioned this matter.
Sure enough, the Emperor frowned and said, "The Empress is becoming increasingly ill-mannered. Since you have no capable people, I will have Zhang Maoze bring a few people to choose two for you."
The Emperor was certainly aware that the Empress had been busy with rumors lately, but it was the Empress's fault for neglecting matters concerning the inner palace.
Lin Yitang looked up with delight, her eyes clear and bright, filled with excitement, and said, "I knew Your Majesty would treat me so well."
"Alright, a night of passion is worth a thousand pieces of gold." The Emperor pulled Lin Yitang toward the inner room. Consort Zhang was unable to serve him in bed, and he had been abstaining for more than a month. Although Consort Rong was beautiful, she was not as beautiful as Lin Yitang, especially Lin Yitang's jade-like skin.
Lin Yitang was speechless. Why did this old man always think about this every time he came to Wutong Pavilion?
The following day, Zhang Maoze led several palace maids to the east wing of Wutong Pavilion. Relying on her years of keen observation, Lin Yitang selected two young palace maids, naming them Qiuci and Dongqu, and instructed Lianyun to continue keeping an eye on them.