jdhmnovel Chapter 516 Royal Secrets
Chapter 516 Royal Secrets
The next day, it was time to lecture at the Second Prince's palace again.
Jiang Xiaoqi didn't keep anyone in suspense and directly revealed all the information she had obtained from the Dali Temple the day before.
The Second Prince remained silent for a long time. Chen Lin didn't know why Jiang Xiaoqi's words were so powerful, since the Second Prince had just been all smiles.
Chen Lin slowly moved closer to Jiang Xiaoqi.
"Lord Jiang, what exactly did you say to His Highness just now?"
Chen Lin didn't really want to find out the specifics; he just wanted to know the origin of his master's bad mood.
Seeing his master so dejected and with a vacant look in his eyes, as if his soul had been ripped out, Chen Lin felt a pang of panic.
Is this still the optimistic and cheerful prince of his family? Even when he was in such an awkward and dire situation, his prince had never been like this before.
Jiang Xiaoqi didn't know whether she should tell Chen Lin or not. Although this was a royal matter, it was also a family matter. Since it was a family matter, it should be considered a matter of privacy for the parties involved.
Before Jiang Xiaoqi could struggle with this for long, the Second Prince gave a wry laugh, and Chen Lin immediately turned around.
"Even the closest of relatives can be husband and wife... There are no fathers and sons in the royal family... Shouldn't we have known this long ago?"
Chen Lin wanted to cover his prince's mouth, but then he realized that there were only the three of them in the hall, and no one else.
Fortunately, Lord Jiang had the foresight to dismiss his attendants before speaking.
"Sir, what else did that person say in his confession?"
Helpless, Jiang Xiaoqi took out some information she had recorded that day.
"Yang Guozhong didn't actually say anything directly; much of what he said was just my speculation. Your Highness shouldn't take it too seriously."
I'm telling you this today just to be on the safe side, so you won't be framed and exploited by wicked people, and get caught up in something without even realizing it.
Jiang Xiaoqi's words were very tactful, but the Second Prince immediately filtered out the unnecessary embellishments and knew that Jiang Xiaoqi's guess was well-founded.
How could someone so intelligent and skilled at solving cases make wild guesses?
Moreover, Jiang Qing's position as the top scholar was personally appointed by the Emperor, so Jiang Qing had no reason or position to smear the Emperor.
Even though Jiang Qing now supports him, he has not developed a substantial adversarial relationship with the Emperor.
After all, he was the legitimate son, and once his father learned the truth about his situation, he would still be the first in line to the throne.
From beginning to end, the emperor was still dissatisfied with his illegitimate son inheriting the throne.
In truth, any son of the Empress is nominally the legitimate heir. If one continues to hide their true self...
It's not impossible in the future; the Emperor might register another prince under the Empress Dowager's name, making him a nominal legitimate son.
Even... changing the chosen prince's mother to empress, and finding a reason to depose her!?
The second prince became increasingly alarmed, wondering if his father had ever thought of such a thing, or even more than once.
When he faces himself and his mother, does his father already imagine what will happen many years from now?
"Your Highness, you're sweating a lot, please wipe it off."
The Second Prince reflexively knocked the handkerchief out of Chen Lin's hand. Chen Lin was not angry; he knew it was an unconscious reaction, and that the Second Prince was afraid!
What was he afraid of? For the first time, he felt his brain wasn't working properly, and could only look to Jiang Xiaoqi for help.
Jiang Xiaoqi felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by a handsome young eunuch with such a pitiful expression.
"It's alright, Eunuch Chen. Let the Second Prince have some peace and quiet. Oh, and I'd also like to trouble you to fetch some desserts and tea. We've been chatting for too long, and the tea has gone cold."
"Yes, it will be delivered right away, sir, please wait a moment!"
Chen Lin understood and tiptoed out of the palace.
After Chen Lin left, Jiang Xiaoqi took a few steps forward and squatted down, imitating the Second Prince.
Is the air quality downstairs good?
"Sir! Was I too optimistic before?" The second prince looked up, his face already wet with tears.
Jiang Xiaoqi patted the Second Prince on the shoulder, "Your Highness, optimism is a good thing, but in the adult world, while you can be optimistic and clear-headed, you also need to be more vigilant."
If a person is too pessimistic, they won't be interested in doing anything, and over time, they are prone to depression—or something similar to melancholy.
The second prince sniffed, trying to calm himself down. "Sir, what do you suggest I do?"
Jiang Xiaoqi pondered for a moment and said, "Does Your Highness want the Empress to know these things?"
The Second Prince shook his head. "This is only between you and me. At most, Lin-ge will know. I want to keep it from the Empress Dowager."
Jiang Xiaoqi expressed her understanding, saying that in the Empress's eyes, her husband was not a bad person, although sometimes she and her son had to compromise for the sake of the so-called big picture.
However, from an emperor's perspective, what Zhao Yong did was not wrong.
"Alright, Your Highness, if you don't want to say it, then don't. Anyway, saying it or not saying it won't affect what we're doing, so why add to someone else's troubles?"
"Ah."
"However, Your Highness needs to adjust your emotions. Since you've decided to keep it a secret, then keep it a secret. Not only should you keep it a secret from the Empress, but also from the world, including yourself."
Furthermore, Your Highness must continue to be a filial son, maintaining a good relationship with His Majesty, for filial piety breeds strength!
The second prince nodded. "What you say is absolutely right, sir. But what does 'laughter brings strength' mean?"
"Uh! That's not the point~ The point is, we can't let His Majesty find out that things will remain the same as before."
Sincerity is the ultimate weapon; Your Highness must first deceive yourself so as not to reveal any flaws to anyone else.
“I understand what you mean, sir. My previous restraint was just child’s play. From now on, it will be the real test of my acting skills.”
Jiang Xiaoqi nodded with a smile. He had never doubted the Second Prince's acting skills, after all, he was one of the unlucky ones who had been fooled before.
As soon as the two finished speaking, Chen Lin entered the hall and returned at just the right time.
Chen Lin carried the desserts and tea, and seeing that the Second Prince's mood had improved considerably, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Jiang Xiaoqi stood up. "Your Highness, please have some dessert and tea first. Getting angry is bad for your health. Let's not get angry. Let whoever wants to get angry get angry. Don't hurt yourself."
The second prince stood up, looking somewhat embarrassed when facing Chen Lin.
"Brother Lin, I didn't mean to do that."
In the hand of the Second Prince Zhao Hongchang was the handkerchief that Chen Lin had just handed over but had knocked away.
"Your Highness, what's the big deal? As long as you're alright, nothing else matters."
"What is this? It's green?"
"Is it matcha shortbread? It's the new recipe I gave Eunuch Chen a few days ago. Your Highness must be tired of eating snowflake shortbread all the time. Let's change things up."
Jiang Xiaoqi didn't care about the dessert recipes, since in later generations, these recipes could be easily found online, and many bloggers would also post tutorials.
However, in ancient times, prescriptions and similar items could be passed down through generations and could also be given as part of a woman's dowry.
If a recipe is included in the dowry, it means the bride's family values their daughter very much.
After all, in this era, a recipe can very well be a business, a way to make a living.
"Sir, you are very generous, but we can't always take advantage of you. Brother Lin, let's exchange the formula for the imperial secret medicine with you!"