Chapter 17

Chapter 17

At the thought of this possibility, the couple’s faces grew serious.

The 14th Prince’s Consort worriedly said, "Why not write to Eighth Brother and ask him to be on guard?"

The 14th Prince thought for a moment and nodded, "It’s the only option. Later, I’ll go to the palace first and tell Eldest Brother about today’s events. After I return, I’ll write to Eighth Brother."

After a short visit to Lady Wei’s place, where the 14th Prince’s Consort whispered a few words to Lady Wei, they left the Wei household and returned to the 14th Prince’s residence.

The children had lunch at the 14th Prince’s residence and played for a while before the 14th Prince personally took them back to the Eastern Palace.

Shen Zhinuo, being young and having run around all day, was already drowsy. Held in her second brother’s arms, she stretched out her little arms upon seeing the Crown Princess, "Mommy, hold me."

Having not seen the children for half a day, the Crown Princess was quite worried. Seeing them return safely, she felt relieved. She reached out to take the plump little girl, first smiling and asking the 14th Prince, "How is your wife?"

The 14th Prince clasped his hands and replied, "Thanks for asking, Eldest Sister-in-law. Wei Er is doing fine."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the 14th Prince stood up to leave, "Eldest Sister-in-law, I need to talk to Eldest Brother, so I’ll take my leave now."

The Crown Princess agreed and instructed Shen Weiqing, "Escort your Imperial Uncle out."

Shen Weiqing acknowledged and went out to escort him.

Shen Zhinuo, too tired to keep her eyes open, yawned widely and snuggled into the Crown Princess’s arms, her little voice muffled, "Mommy, Nuo Er is really sleepy."

"Alright, Nuo Er, time to sleep." The Crown Princess kissed the little girl’s cheek and called Princess Wen’an to join them. The three of them lay down on the couch together.

Shen Zhinuo slept in the middle, with her fragrant mother on the left and her fragrant sister on the right. The little girl felt very happy, first turning to kiss her mother, then turning to kiss her sister, giggling, "Let’s sleep together."

The Crown Princess and Princess Wen’an were amused by the little girl’s cute behavior and leaned over to kiss the soft cheeks of the little one, making the little girl’s eyes crinkle with joy.

The little girl was indeed extremely tired. As soon as she lay down on the couch, she was out like a light in seconds.

Princess Wen’an was also sleepy, but she fought to stay awake, thinking about the things she had heard. She waited until her sister fell asleep before sitting up and whispered, "Mom."

The Crown Princess, who hadn’t fallen asleep either, opened her eyes at the sound and saw the little girl pointing to the door. The Crown Princess nodded, gently got up, held her eldest daughter’s hand, and the two of them tiptoed around the screen to the main room.

Shen Weiqing, having escorted the 14th Prince, also returned. The mother and kids sent the maids away and sat around the couch, talking quietly.

Shen Weiqing and Princess Wen’an took turns recounting everything A Tong had told them at the Wei residence. After listening, the Crown Princess frowned deeply, "Who would be so evil?"

Manipulating events behind the scenes, secretly designing several schemes, leading to the downfall of the 14th Prince’s and Wei households.

Outside the Ministry of Revenue’s office, under the eaves, the Crown Prince, after hearing what the 14th Prince had said, also asked the same question.

The 14th Prince shook his head, "I’m not sure. A Tong has no clue who the masked man is or the information about the mastermind. Wei Er and I speculate that perhaps that person is targeting my Eighth Brother."

The Crown Prince thought for a moment and nodded, "That’s possible. If someone wants to usurp the throne..."

If someone wants to usurp the throne, besides dealing with him, the Crown Prince, they would also need to deal with the several princes who hold military power. Eighth Brother, also known as the Prince of Qin, is one of them.

Eighth Brother and Fourteenth Brother were both born to Consort Xian, and the two brothers have a deep bond. If something major happened at Fourteenth Brother’s residence and Fourteenth Brother became a monk, Eighth Brother would definitely not stand idly by and would return to the capital to investigate thoroughly.

In this dynasty, princes who have been enfeoffed cannot return to the capital without an imperial decree.

The Emperor has been very suspicious in recent years and would likely not allow Eighth Brother, who holds significant military power, to return to the capital at will.

But Eighth Brother, with his arrogant and impulsive nature, could go against the Emperor’s orders and insist on entering the capital. However, Eighth Brother has always been loyal to the Emperor and would not bring many people with him.

When he is far away from the army and enters the capital with only a few personal guards, he will be like a fish on the cutting board, completely at their mercy.

A prince with a distinguished military record, who wields military power and is unruly, has already drawn the emperor’s suspicion. If someone with ill intentions stirs the pot, there will be no shortage of charges against him.

Even I, the Crown Prince of the East Palace, with all my advisors, have fallen into the rebels’ trap.

How could Eighth Brother, a soldier who lives for battle, stand a chance against those skilled in schemes and conspiracies?

After analyzing the situation, the Crown Prince concluded, "With Eighth Brother out of the picture, those vying for the throne will have one less strong opponent."

Hearing this, the 14th Prince’s face fell, and he raised his hand to the sky, passionately defending his brother: "Elder Brother, you know my Eighth Brother is just a simpleton who only cares about fighting. I swear on my life, Eighth Brother has no designs on the throne."

The Crown Prince couldn’t help but laugh and pointed at the 14th Prince, "You, if Eighth Brother heard you talk about him like that, he’d give you a good thrashing."

Seeing that the Crown Prince was not the least bit concerned, the 14th Prince breathed a sigh of relief and also laughed.

The Crown Prince said, "When you get back, write to Eighth Brother and tell him to tread carefully."

The 14th Prince replied, "Good, I will write it as soon as I return."

The Crown Prince nodded, "Later, I’ll find a good excuse to have the Emperor call Eighth Brother to the capital. When Eighth Brother returns, have Nuo Er meet her Eighth Uncle, and everything will become clear."

The 14th Prince nodded, "That’s perfect. I’ll take my leave now." With that, he cupped his hands in salute, turned, and left.

The Crown Prince watched the 14th Prince walk away, his expression growing serious.

There was one thing he had not mentioned earlier.

Consort Xian and the Empress are distant cousins and have always been close friends. Because of this, Eighth Brother and the 14th Prince have been close to us since we were kids.

Even if Eighth Brother isn’t plotting anything, taking him down would still cut off one of the Crown Prince’s strongest allies.

But he’d deliberately left that unsaid, instead hinting at it subtly, using the 14th Prince to feel out Eighth Brother.

It’s not that he’s overly suspicious, but in the royal family, true kinship is rare, and people’s motives are hard to read.

Right now, aside from the Empress, his wife, kids, and his younger brother, the 11th Prince, he trusts no one—he can’t afford to.

With a heavy heart, the Crown Prince gave instructions to the Ministry of Revenue officials, left the office, and slowly made his way back to the East Palace.

Halfway there, he turned around and headed towards the Phoenix Palace, wanting to see the Empress and give her a hint about the matter of A Tong.

But just as he stepped into the corridor of the inner palace, he saw from afar several concubines, adorned with pearls and jade, dressed in their finest, chatting and laughing as they walked towards him.

The Crown Prince felt a chill run down his spine, his hair stood on end, and he bolted in the opposite direction.