Chapter 354: When Does Your Majesty Dismiss Court?
"Your son takes his leave."
Once he was alone in the hall, Zhao Mingyan rubbed his throbbing temples.
Besides lifting Yuan Heng tonight, he tried to recall the last time he had held him.
It was when Yuan Heng was still in swaddling clothes, a baby who wouldn’t stop crying.
The little guy was so much like his mother—not in looks, but in temperament. A timid little crybaby.
He was also very clingy. If you were gentle with him, he’d grab your arm and not let go, demanding to be held and soothed wherever he went.
But he was a Prince. And the one thing a prince could not afford to be was weak.
*
Ji Qingwu took "Chang Lu" to Prince Yong’s Mansion.
She planned to follow the scheme of the person pulling the strings, to see what tricks they had up their sleeve.
In Jinmo Residence, the lights had not been extinguished since Prince Yong’s departure.
News had just arrived from the palace that Prince Yong was being held in the Imperial Prison, and Ji Qingwu arrived at the mansion right on its heels.
Tao Wanxin rushed to greet her, grabbing Ji Qingwu’s hand.
She asked anxiously, "Qingwu, do you know what the Prince did wrong? Why was he suddenly locked up?"
Half an hour ago, Prince Yong had been summoned away by a palace eunuch, who only said it was an urgent matter. She never expected it would turn into a major incident.
Ji Qingwu guided her to a chair. "Princess Consort, please sit down first. Don’t worry, just listen to me."
Tao Wanxin knew nothing of politics, but she knew that the Imperial Prison was a place for holding serious criminals. The very thought of it was enough to make her feel suffocated and terrified.
"How can I not be anxious? The Imperial Prison is no place for a human being! What if they torture the Prince... what will we do?"
Ji Qingwu pressed her down into the chair. "Prince Yong was in charge of interrogating Su Fengyue. He was too heavy-handed and nearly killed him. But they hadn’t secured a confession yet, so in his fury, His Majesty had Prince Yong locked up as well."
Tao Wanxin was stunned, not understanding why Prince Yong hated Prime Minister Su so much.
She asked, "Qingwu, where did you hear this? Is it true?"
Ji Qingwu replied, "It should be. Eunuch Changlu was the one who informed me."
Seeing "Chang Lu" nod from behind her, the last shred of hope in Tao Wanxin’s heart was extinguished.
Tao Wanxin had no family. Now Prince Yong, the only person she could rely on, was in trouble. She was terrified, and only felt a little better after seeing Ji Qingwu.
As Ji Qingwu spoke, she scanned the servants in the room, but didn’t notice anyone acting strangely. Just as she was about to check the doorway, Tao Wanxin grabbed her sleeve.
"Qingwu, can you stay with me for a while? I’m so scared."
Ji Qingwu nodded. That had been her intention as well.
For the next two hours, Tao Wanxin was in agony. She couldn’t sleep lying down, and her heart pounded if she sat up.
Ji Qingwu exchanged a look with "Chang Lu." He went outside to scout out the situation in Prince Yong’s Mansion, while she dozed off for a short nap.
「Just as the sky began to brighten.」
Ji Qingwu had just woken up to see Tao Wanxin pacing restlessly. She sighed.
Tao Wanxin said, her eyes red, "I’m still worried. I want to submit my token to enter the palace and see for myself. Qingwu, can you go with me?"
Ji Qingwu didn’t refuse, replying crisply, "Alright."
Seeing her agree so readily, Tao Wanxin found it difficult to speak for a moment. "I... I actually have a selfish motive..."
"With Su Fengyue’s condition... I thought you might be able to help the Prince."
If Su Fengyue really didn’t make it, Prince Yong would suffer the consequences.
Ji Qingwu tapped her fingers together, her gaze lowered in thought.
’The person who lured me to Prince Yong’s Mansion didn’t want to do something to me here. They wanted me to treat Su Fengyue?’
*
Due to Ji Qingwu’s special status, she disguised herself as one of Princess Yong’s maids and accompanied Tao Wanxin into the palace, along with Chang Lu.
The group was stopped at the entrance to the Imperial Prison.
Even though Princess Yong was a member of the Imperial Family, she could not simply enter the Imperial Prison for a visit. She had to obtain a token from the imperial court.
Tao Wanxin’s hopes were dashed. She asked the guards at the gate about Prince Yong’s condition, but they were extremely tight-lipped and refused to reveal anything.
Ji Qingwu said, "Princess Consort, please wait here. I’m going to step out for a moment."
Tao Wanxin asked worriedly, "Qingwu, do you have a plan?"
Ji Qingwu shook her head. "I don’t have a good plan either. I’m just going to try my luck."
"Try your luck?"
Ji Qingwu gave her a reassuring smile. "That’s right. See if I can ’find’ a token somewhere."
Her "trying her luck" led her all the way to the entrance of the Diligent Governance Hall.
Emperor Wu Su had gone to the morning court session and had not yet returned. Li Yuzong was also absent, leaving only Little Dongzi to guard the entrance.
When he saw a figure in a pink dress appear before him, he assumed it was a maid from some palace who had lost her way. He brandished his horsetail whisk, about to scold her and send her away.
"Who is this blind fool! Can’t you see where you are—"
"Oh, my dear Miss Ji!" Little Dongzi’s expression changed in an instant. He asked with a wide grin, "What brings you here?"
After asking, he seemed to realize something and slapped the back of his head. "Are you here to pick up the child?"
Ji Qingwu said, "Why are you louder than Eunuch Li? Keep your voice down. I’m here in secret."
She covered her mouth with her hand and whispered, "When will your emperor be finished with the morning court session?"
’So she’s looking for His Majesty,’ Little Dongzi thought, first correcting her with a playful grin.
"*Our* emperor."
Then he added, "Today is His Majesty’s first morning court session since he woke up, so it will probably last longer than usual. Why don’t you wait inside? As soon as the session is over, I’ll be the first to go in and inform you."
Hearing that Emperor Wu Su wouldn’t be back for a while, Ji Qingwu felt a sense of relief.
She had no time to beat around the bush with him and asked directly, "Is there any way to get into the Imperial Prison?"
Little Dongzi was surprised. "That place? You shouldn’t go in there. It’ll defile your eyes."
Ji Qingwu explained, "I came with Princess Yong. With Prince Yong locked up, she’s terribly worried and wants to go in to see him. She’s pregnant. If something were to happen to her, a royal heir would be at risk."
Little Dongzi glanced around before lowering his voice. "Miss Ji, nothing will happen to Prince Yong in the prison. You should tell Princess Yong to go back and rest easy. I can’t tell you much about the inside story."
Ji Qingwu’s eyes flickered. "And what if I’m the one who wants to go in and see?"
Little Dongzi said, "You insist on going in?"
Ji Qingwu leaned in closer. "That’s right. Is there a way?"
The two of them looked as if they were huddled together, plotting something.
Little Dongzi said hesitantly, "...The one in charge of the case now is Duan Envoy. He has the authority to enter."
Ji Qingwu patted Little Dongzi’s shoulder. "Understood. I’ll go find Mr. Duan."
"Who are you going to find?"
"Duan Mingfeng, of course..." After she spoke, Ji Qingwu realized the voice that had questioned her was wrong.
The voice was cold and deep, nothing like a eunuch’s sharp tone, and it had come from behind her.
Ji Qingwu’s hand was still resting on Little Dongzi’s shoulder, not yet pulled back.