Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Shen Weiqing hurried to the Ministry of Revenue, found the Crown Prince, and led him to a secluded spot. He recounted the events of the day but omitted the part about his rash actions that caused one sister to vomit and another to be injured.

The Crown Prince frowned, "Are you sure your 14th Imperial Uncle overheard it?"

Shen Weiqing nodded, "I'm certain."

The Crown Prince thought for a moment and said, "Alright, I understand. You may return now, and don't take Nuo Er out today."

"Yes," Shen Weiqing bowed and turned to leave.

The Crown Prince stood with his hands behind his back, not in a hurry to go back.

As the heir apparent, he couldn’t leave the palace at will, especially at this time, to avoid arousing the Emperor’s suspicions.

But if he waited until tomorrow for Fourteenth Brother to come to the palace, he feared the situation might worsen overnight.

After pondering for a while, the Crown Prince entered the office, located Vice Minister of Revenue Wei Zong, and took him to a secluded place. He politely said, "Minister Wei, I need a favor from you."

Wei Zong's expression turned serious, and he quickly clasped his hands, "Your humble servant wouldn’t dare. Your Highness, please feel free to command."

The Crown Prince spoke tactfully, "It’s nothing too serious. I just need you to convey a message to the 14th Prince. Tell him that today in the palace, he encountered Weiqing and his siblings, and the children may have been a bit rude. Tell him to come see me in the palace as soon as possible, and I will give him an explanation."

The message was somewhat vague and roundabout, leaving Wei Zong puzzled. Thinking that the 14th Prince was his son-in-law, he smiled and said, "Your Highness is overthinking it. The royal grandchildren and the Princess are all polite and well-behaved. If anything happened, it’s only because they’re close to their 14th Uncle. Why would the 14th Prince take offense with his own nephews and nieces?"

The Crown Prince smiled, "Minister Wei, just pass along the message for me."

The royal family always spoke in riddles. Wei Zong didn’t understand what the Crown Prince was hinting at, so he nodded and replied, "Yes, Your Highness. I’ll head to the 14th Prince’s residence to deliver the message once I’m done here."

The Crown Prince said, "No, Minister Wei, I need you to leave right away."

Hearing this, Wei Zong became even more convinced that the message the Crown Prince wanted him to convey must have some hidden meaning. His expression turned serious and he said, "Yes, Your Highness. I’ll go and ask for leave right now."

The Crown Prince clasped his hands, "I appreciate it, Minister Wei."

Wei Zong didn’t dare delay. He went to inform the Minister of Revenue and requested leave, then hurriedly left the office. At the palace gate, he boarded his carriage and headed towards the 14th Prince's residence.

However, not far into the journey, he encountered his own steward who had come to find him. The steward whispered something into his ear, and Wei Zong's expression changed drastically. He slammed his fist against the carriage window and muttered a curse, "Wretched creature! Return to the residence immediately."

---

On the way to the Wei residence, the 14th Prince recalled the words he had heard in the palace earlier, "When I first heard that something had happened to you, I panicked and didn’t pay attention to the rest. But now, thinking back carefully, it seems that A Tong mentioned someone had bribed that venomous woman."

The 14th Prince was somewhat annoyed, "I didn’t remember this earlier, otherwise I might have been able to trick her into revealing something."

The 14th Prince's Consort frowned, "We still don’t know who is behind this and why they would do such a thing."

The 14th Prince also frowned, "It couldn’t be aimed at me, could it? I’m just an idle playboy."

The 14th Prince's Consort glanced at her husband, who spent his days indulging in pleasures, and also thought it unlikely.

The two of them analyzed the situation for a while, but even by the time the carriage arrived at the Wei residence's gate, they hadn’t come to any conclusions.

Before getting out of the carriage, the 14th Prince held his wife's hand, "The matter with A Tong is too bizarre. Only you and I know about it. Don’t mention it to anyone else."

The 14th Prince's Consort nodded solemnly, "Alright, I won’t even tell my mother."

The two of them got out of the carriage.

The gatekeeper saw that it was the 14th Prince and his eldest daughter returning, so he quickly opened the main gate to welcome them in. Meanwhile, a sharp-eyed servant had already run inside to report their arrival.

Without hesitation, the two of them walked straight in. Halfway through, they saw Lady Wei coming out with a grim expression. Lady Wei first greeted them according to their status, and they reciprocated the greeting as younger family members.

With many servants around, it was inconvenient to speak, so the three of them remained silent and entered the inner hall.

After sitting down and waiting for the maids to serve tea, Lady Wei dismissed everyone and then walked in front of the 14th Prince, preparing to kneel down.

"Mother, what’s this for?"

"Mother-in-law, please, there’s no need for that."

The couple hurriedly stood up and helped Lady Wei to her feet.

Lady Wei, trembling with fear and guilt, cried, "Your Highness, it was my negligence that allowed such a wicked person to get close to Wei Er, nearly putting her life in danger."

She was horrified that her daughter had been in peril, nearly costing both her and the unborn child their lives.

She was equally terrified of the accusation of conspiring against the royal family, which could have cost their entire family their lives.

The 14th Prince’s Consort soothed her mother for a moment, and when she had calmed down, she asked, "Has father returned?"

Lady Wei wiped her tears with a handkerchief: "I’ve already sent word to his office, so he should be back soon."

The 14th Prince's Consort then asked, "What did Wei Yun say?"

Lady Wei sighed heavily: "Dong Lai brought her back and explained the situation. I immediately had her locked up and went to question her myself, but unexpectedly, she suddenly threw herself against a wall."

The 14th Prince's Consort's face changed: "Is she dead?"

Lady Wei shook her head: "No, but she is seriously injured and has been unconscious. We’ve summoned a physician, but she remains unconscious."

The 14th Prince frowned: "Then it seems we won’t learn anything from her today."

The 14th Prince's Consort then asked, "Mother, what about Concubine Sun? Has there been any movement from her side?"

Lady Wei: "After that foolish girl Wei Yun threw herself against the wall, I went to interrogate Concubine Sun. She kept weeping and begging for Wei Yun’s forgiveness, but when asked about anything else, she claimed to know nothing. I just came from there when you arrived, and I’ve stationed maids to keep an eye on her now."

The 14th Prince's Consort then asked, "What about Cang?"

Wei Cang, the third young master of the Wei family, is Wei Yun's younger brother, also born to Concubine Sun.

Lady Wei: "Cang is at the Imperial Academy, studying."

The 14th Prince, seeing him as just a boy of thirteen or fourteen, didn’t think much of it. He glanced at his wife and stood up, saying, "Mother-in-law, then Wei Er and I will take our leave. If there are any developments in this matter, please send someone to inform us."

Lady Wei hurriedly agreed and personally escorted them out. Just as they reached the main gate, they saw Wei Zong rushing back with a grim expression. Upon seeing them, he immediately knelt down in front of the 14th Prince, "Your Highness, I am at fault for not raising my daughter properly..."

The 14th Prince stepped forward and helped him up: "Father-in-law, this isn’t your fault—there’s no need for this."

Wei Zong remembered the message the Crown Prince had asked him to relay and quickly repeated it verbatim. After listening, the 14th Prince nodded to indicate he understood.

After exchanging a few more words, he took Wei Wei and left, first sending his wife back to their residence, and then heading straight to the palace.

After all the commotion, it was already late, and all the ministries had closed for the day. He made his way straight to the Eastern Palace.

When the Crown Prince saw the 14th Prince arrive, he invited him into the study. After they sat down, the Crown Prince asked, "How are things at your residence?"

The 14th Prince recounted the situation in detail and then said gratefully, "Brother, had it not been for Nuo Er, Wei Er and the child could have been lost. I, as their Imperial Uncle, will remember this life-saving favor and will repay Nuo Er in the future."

The Crown Prince waved his hand: "We’re family—no need to stand on ceremony. But who is behind all this, and why?"

The 14th Prince frowned, "That venomous woman knocked herself out by hitting the wall, and for now, there are no other leads. I'm really worried about this, which is why I came to the palace to see if A Tong knows anything."

"By the way, brother, that A Tong, we only hear about him but never see him. Is he a person, or... something else?" The 14th Prince said, pointing downward.

The Crown Prince shot him an annoyed look and pointed upward.

The 14th Prince looked up and suddenly caught on, "Oh~, so that's how it is."

The 14th Prince asked many more questions about A Tong. The Crown Prince answered what he could and kept quiet about what he didn't know. Finally, he said, annoyed, "Fourteenth brother, stop asking. I know very little myself. Didn't you say you wanted to hear A Tong and Nuo Er talk? Then stay for dinner, perhaps you'll hear something."

The two then left the study and entered the main hall. The Crown Princess, hearing the 14th Prince was staying for dinner, got the hint and ordered dinner to be served.

Shen Zhinuo had just woken up from her afternoon nap and was still groggy, being gently rocked by her elder brother Shen Weiyan who had just returned from school.

The chubby little girl snuggled in her big brother's arms, one small fist clenched by her face, her dark eyes moist, looking incredibly sweet.

The 14th Prince's heart softened at the sight. He stepped forward and extended his arms, "Nuo Er, let Imperial Uncle hold you."

Shen Zhinuo snapped out of it and realized the 14th Prince was there. She obediently called out "Imperial Uncle" and reached out her little arms into his embrace.

Earlier in the day, she had vomited, then went to the Imperial Hospital, later played with her mother, sister, and second brother, had lunch, took an afternoon nap, and even fed her two Green Peafowls. She had been so busy she hadn't had a chance to talk to the system again.

Now seeing the 14th Prince, she remembered the half-heard matter and called out mentally to the system, "Puppy, are you there?"

The little black dog popped up in front of her, "I'm here, Young Master."

This is it! The 14th Prince perked up, wide-eyed and excited.

The Crown Prince raised his hand and gently pressed down, signaling him to keep quiet and listen carefully.

The 14th Prince then acted as if nothing was happening, holding Little Dumpling and walking back and forth on the ground like Shen Weiyan, gently rocking.

Shen Zhinuo tilted her little head and looked at the 14th Prince, speculating, "Puppy, you said the 14th Imperial Uncle came to my house for dinner, so my 14th Imperial Aunt should be fine, right?"

The system replied, "She should be."

Shen Zhinuo asked, "Earlier you said that Wei Yun was bribed by someone. Do you know who bribed her?"

The 14th Prince immediately pricked up his ears, and the Crown Prince also unconsciously slowed his breathing.

The system answered, "That's still unknown. I need to scan Wei Yun's face to get the details. But according to the plot summary, 'Wei Yun's younger brother Wei Cang got involved in a murder case at a brothel. Wei Yun agreed to harm the 14th Princess to save her brother.'"

Shen Zhinuo was shocked, "She hurt her own sister to save her brother?"

Is her brother's life a life, but her sister's life isn't?