usatvline Chapter 399 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Chapter 399 The Prince's Mystery: The Cannon Fodder Bride Forced into a Substitute Marquis'
Tang Ruijing went to the Ministry of Works. Because he had something to do, he didn't feel bored. He went there with great enthusiasm every day and didn't return until very late.
These days, Emperor Xinghe has once again stopped attending court due to illness, and there are rumors that his illness is very serious.
Because of Emperor Xinghe's illness, there was much discussion in the capital, and court officials began urging him to establish an heir.
However, as soon as the court officials submitted their memorials on establishing an heir, Emperor Xinghe summoned those officials to his study and gave them a severe scolding. Then, while scolding them, Emperor Xinghe vomited blood and fainted.
The court officials were all terrified. The eunuchs in the imperial study hurriedly summoned the imperial physician, but no further news came out about Emperor Xinghe's condition afterward.
Tang Ruijing followed the crowd and visited Emperor Xinghe in the palace several times, but he never got to see the emperor.
Su Jinyue heard that the three princes in the palace, especially the eldest prince Tang Ruibin, went to Emperor Xinghe's palace every day to attend to him when he was ill, but it seemed that he had never seen Emperor Xinghe.
Su Jinyue knew that Emperor Xinghe was fishing.
Last time, Su Jinyue had already found the source of the poison in the Imperial Study and even gave Emperor Xinghe a prescription for the antidote. According to the timeline, Emperor Xinghe should have recovered from the poison long ago. How could he be so seriously ill and have it publicized to everyone?
The more excited they are at this time, the more likely they are to be punished by Emperor Xinghe later.
Fortunately, due to Tang Ruijing's status, no court officials came to him to pledge their loyalty.
However, the eldest prince, Tang Ruibin, seemed to be getting too cocky. As the legitimate son and the eldest son, he had the most court officials who supported him as the crown prince.
The second prince's mother's family was not prominent, and they usually followed the lead of the eldest prince, Tang Ruibin, and had very little support for him.
There are quite a few court officials who support the Third Prince. The Third Prince's maternal grandfather is Grand Secretary Qin, but Grand Secretary Qin has not expressed his opinion. Due to Grand Secretary Qin's attitude, the court officials who support Grand Secretary Qin have not stood up yet, so the Third Prince is not very conspicuous.
Only the eldest prince, Tang Ruibin, spent his time currying favor with court officials, except for going to Emperor Xinghe's palace every day to show his filial piety. He even met with Prince Jing, Tang Jingfan, a few times, and the two addressed each other as uncle and nephew, and were very close.
Su Jinyue sighed. Tang Jingfan was a wolf in sheep's clothing, and Tang Ruibin's close relationship with him was tantamount to seeking a tiger's skin.
Emperor Xinghe watched coldly from above. The closer Tang Ruibin got to Tang Jingfan, the more it proved his disloyalty.
The more complex the situation in the capital, the more low-key Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing became.
But behind the scenes, the intelligence gathering by the teahouse and bookstore never stopped.
The important figures that Su Jinyue was monitoring with the Little Bee real-time monitoring device had not been withdrawn.
All actions by all parties are currently being carried out secretly and intensively, and Su Jinyue is monitoring the situation closely. The situation is still under control.
On this day, Tang Ruijing was on leave. He had already arranged with Su Jinyue that they would go to a temple in the suburbs to pray for Emperor Xinghe.
Although they all knew inwardly that Emperor Xinghe's serious illness was feigned, they still outwardly pretended to be worried about him.
Now that Tang Ruijing is outside the palace and cannot see Emperor Xinghe, going to the temple to pray for Emperor Xinghe is also a way for Tang Ruijing to show his filial piety.
Perfect timing! Su Jinyue was feeling quite bored staying in the capital, so this trip to the temple was like a leisurely outing.
Since they were going out to have fun, Su Jinyue didn't want to go to crowded places. So instead of going to the royal temples with their incense burning brightly, they went to another temple that was relatively far from the capital and second only to Huangjue Temple.
The temple was located in the mountains, and Su Jinyue's carriage took a long time to reach the foot of the mountain where the temple was situated.
Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing got off the carriage at the foot of the mountain. Looking up, the steps leading up the mountain seemed to stretch endlessly.
Fortunately, neither Su Jinyue nor Tang Ruijing were physically weak, and the mere steps did not frighten them.
Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing walked and stopped frequently, taking a break in between, and it took them an hour to reach the top of the mountain.
Upon reaching the temple at the mountaintop, Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing discussed that they would first worship Buddha, then have a vegetarian meal at the temple, rest for a while, and then return.
When Su Jinyue and her companion arrived at the entrance of the main hall for worshipping Buddha, a beautiful woman was walking out in front of them.
Su Jinyue was startled when she saw the person opposite her; it was none other than Consort Hua.
Su Jinyue wondered to herself, why would Song Zhihua come to this temple?
Tang Ruijing clearly recognized Song Zhihua as well. He frowned slightly, then quickly relaxed his brow, and stood politely by the door with Su Jinyue, waiting for Song Zhihua to come over.
Although Tang Ruijing is now a prince, he has always kept a low profile and never acts in a way that takes advantage of his status.
As for Consort Hua, she is, after all, an elder, so it is only natural that she should be polite.
Song Zhihua also saw Tang Ruijing. As she passed by, Song Zhihua paused for a moment, but eventually walked out.
Su Jinyue wondered why Song Zhihua, a concubine of Prince Jing, would come to this temple.
Su Jinyue hadn't had a chance to check the previous surveillance footage yet. She was thinking that she would have to investigate why Song Zhihua came here when she got back.
Su Jinyue had a feeling that Song Zhihua must have some purpose in appearing here.
Song Zhihua had already left. Tang Ruijing called out twice to Su Jinyue, who was clearly in a daze.
"My wife, what are you thinking about? We should go inside."
After being woken up by Tang Ruijing, Su Jinyue shook her head, offered no explanation, and simply said, "Go in."
Tang Ruijing didn't insist. If Su Jinyue discovered anything, they could talk about it when they got back.
The two quickly finished their prayers to Buddha and then went to eat a vegetarian meal.
The vegetarian food at the temple was quite delicious, and Su Jinyue ate to her heart's content.
However, after finishing their meal, Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing were stopped by a young novice monk before they even reached their reserved room.
"Amitabha, greetings to you two benefactors. A distinguished person wishes to see you both. Please come with me."
The young novice monk was polite yet assertive, as if Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing absolutely had to go.
Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing exchanged a glance, both with a hint of interest in their eyes.
When the person came knocking on her door at this moment, Su Jinyue felt that she could guess who it was.
Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing followed the young novice monk directly. Once they arrived, Su Jinyue looked around with great interest.
The side rooms prepared for worshippers in the temple are all in the front courtyard. Since they are all temporary accommodations, the side rooms are not large and the furnishings are somewhat simple.
But this place was clearly different. The young novice monk had brought Su Jinyue and the other person to the temple's backyard, where the environment was much quieter and there were fewer worshippers.
This residence was also a side room, but it was clearly better than those in the front courtyard. There were monks guarding outside the courtyard, and the people living here seemed to have an unusual relationship with the temple...
The young monk led Su Jinyue and Tang Ruijing to the courtyard and then left. Su Jinyue raised an eyebrow and walked into the house with Tang Ruijing. Then she saw Song Zhihua sitting on a chair in the main room. Sure enough, it was her!