Chapter 103 The Crown Prince Assists in Governance

“What did the Virtuous Consort’s side find out?” the Emperor asked in Chengqian Palace.

Shao Siyi knelt down and said, “Your Majesty, I haven’t found anything unusual.”

Even Hong Gong Gong lowered his head and said, “From my side, I haven’t found anything inappropriate with the Virtuous Consort either.”

After some thought, he added, “However, some of the people arranged by Shu Yan to enter the palace were also involved in purchasing items requested by the Virtuous Consort’s palace and sneaked into the palace together. But at that time, the palace was under Shu Yan’s management, and these arrangements were made by Shu Yan.”

The Emperor listened thoughtfully and asked, “Are these people still around?”

Hong Gong Gong bowed even lower and said, “At that time, you ordered them to be executed along with the Li family members.”

The Emperor stopped listening.

Perhaps he was becoming suspicious.

However, at the critical moment, the Virtuous Consort reminded him about the poisoned soup, which always made him feel suspicious.

The Emperor didn’t want to entrust the harem to the Virtuous Consort, but surprisingly, there was no one in the harem he could trust at this point.

With a sigh, the Emperor called the Crown Prince.

“Jin Er, from now on, you will familiarize yourself with state affairs alongside me. These matters will eventually be entrusted to you.” the Emperor instructed.

The Crown Prince straightforwardly replied, “Yes, Father.”

In the past, the Crown Prince would have definitely declined, fearing to arouse the Emperor’s suspicions, ultimately causing a rift between them.

But after experiencing these events, he understood that the Emperor genuinely wanted him to take over.

The Emperor also made this decision after much consideration.

Allowing Jin Er to gradually take over state affairs, once he became thoroughly proficient, he would pass the throne to Jin Er and move to another residence to enjoy his retirement surrounded by flowers and plants.

This way, there would be no need for any contention over the throne!

It would secure Jin Er’s position as the Emperor and safeguard the lives of his other sons.

Moreover, the Emperor could finally rest and no longer have to rise early every day.

Jin Er was in his prime, and he would do well!

So, the Crown Prince became even busier every day, but he still insisted on taking a walk with Shu Yuwan in the small garden after finishing breakfast.

The Crown Prince tried to support Shu Yuwan, but she pushed him away, saying, “I can walk by myself.”

The Crown Prince smiled, “Alright, alright.”

“By the way, Yuyang has been working in the Zhuying Academy as an editor for many years. This time, many positions have opened up in the court. I plan to have Yuyang join the Ministry of Justice. What do you think?”

Shu Yuwan smiled and said, “These matters are not up to me to discuss. Your Highness can discuss them with your brother.”

The Crown Prince nodded.

After walking two rounds with Shu Yuwan, the Crown Prince left for Chengqian Palace.

Seeing off the Crown Prince, Shu Yuwan returned to the palace, preparing to rest. Yimei entered and said, “Crown Princess, the Fifth Prince requests a visit.”

“The Fifth Prince?” Shu Yuwan asked in confusion.

“Yes,” Yimei replied, “The Fifth Prince is already in the front hall.”

In the past, the Fifth Prince was a frequent visitor to the Palace, but since the Crown Prince married Shu Yuwan, he didn’t see the Fifth Prince much. The Fifth Prince had been turned away several times, and he hadn’t been bothering the Crown Prince much lately. It had been a long time since he last visited.

Now that the Crown Prince was not around, the Fifth Prince sought a visit with Shu Yuwan alone, which left her puzzled.

After some hesitation, she said, “Please ask the Fifth Prince to wait for a while. I will come later.”

“Understood,” Yimei acknowledged and left.

As Qing Dai helped Shu Yuwan change clothes, she mentioned, “I heard from the people in the Virtuous Consort’s palace that the Emperor did not entrust the harem to the Virtuous Consort, and as a result, the Virtuous Consort is not very pleased. This has also affected the way the Fifth Prince is treated.”

Shu Yuwan smiled, “Hasn’t it always been rumored in the palace that the Fifth Prince is not favored by the Virtuous Consort?”

“That’s true.”

After changing for a while, the Fifth Prince patiently waited.

When Shu Yuwan entered, the Fifth Prince quickly stood up and respectfully greeted, “Greetings, Sister-in-law.”

“You are very polite, Fifth Brother,” Shu Yuwan replied with a smile.

It was the first time she had closely observed the Fifth Prince like this. This young prince, who had relied on Zhao Qing Qing and An Shaoyu in the previous life and had exiled the Shu family, now appeared innocent and harmless.

Excitedly looking at Shu Yuwan’s belly, he exclaimed, “Sister-in-law, I will soon have a nephew boy. Will I become an uncle? That’s wonderful!”

Shu Yuwan replied, “Fifth Brother, you are joking. We can’t be sure yet if it’s a boy or a girl.”

The Fifth Prince insisted, “It must be a boy.”

Not wanting to entertain the Fifth Prince’s performance, Shu Yuwan asked, “What brings you here, Fifth Brother, at this time?”

The Fifth Prince hesitated. How come his sister-in-law was so straightforward? As a new bride who had recently entered the imperial family, shouldn’t she be comforting and trying to build connections with him, increasing her network?

Feeling wronged, the Fifth Prince said, “Sister-in-law, don’t you think I can’t come to the Palace for no reason?”

Shu Yuwan replied, “Of course you can, but since the Crown Prince is not here, we have to maintain the proper etiquette between relatives. I can’t entertain you in the Crown Prince’s absence.”

“It’s okay. I’ll just wander around the Palace by myself. When the Crown Prince returns, you won’t know, but in the years before the Crown Prince’s marriage, it was always like this.”

Shu Yuwan calmly repeated, “The Crown Prince is not here, and we must maintain the proper etiquette between relatives.”

“I’m still young.”

Shu Yuwan lightly smiled, “Fifth Brother, you are already twelve years old. You are not that young anymore!”

Shu Yuwan didn’t understand why the Fifth Prince insisted on wandering around the Palace, but she knew he had ulterior motives. The gunpowder brought back by Jun Liu was still in the Palace, and she wouldn’t allow the Fifth Prince to enter freely.

Seeing that Shu Yuwan was firm, the Fifth Prince reluctantly said, “Alright.”

He respectfully bowed to Shu Yuwan, “Please excuse me, Sister-in-law. I take my leave!”

Shu Yuwan instructed, “Escort the Fifth Prince out.”

The palace eunuch escorted the Fifth Prince out of the Palace and returned to report.

Qing Dai accompanied Shu Yuwan back to the inner chamber to rest.

As Shu Yuwan lay on the couch, she couldn’t quite understand the Fifth Prince’s intentions for this visit. She then told Qing Dai, “Keep a close eye on the Fifth Prince Ming Ged the Virtuous Consort’s side. See if you can arrange for some people to go to the inner chambers.”

Qing Dai hesitated, “The Virtuous Consort is suspicious and cautious. It may not be easy.”

Shu Yuwan nodded, “Do your best to ensure the safety of our informants.”

Qing Dai said, “Perhaps the Crown Prince is currently assisting in state affairs, and the Fifth Prince wants to build a closer relationship with the Crown Prince.”