The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Chapter 112 The Moon's Visit

"It's getting late, Your Majesty and my sister should not disturb you any longer." Consort Lin curtsied and took her leave.

Consort Li naturally wished Consort Lin would leave quickly, but with Emperor Jing present, she couldn't very well tell her to leave, so she just looked at him.

Emperor Jing glanced at Consort Lin, then waved his sleeve and said, "You may leave."

"Chen and concubine retire."

……

Yunqing Palace.

The weather has been very strange lately, sometimes cool and sometimes hot. When Consort Lin returned to the palace, her forehead was already beaded with sweat.

Upon seeing Consort Lin return to the palace, Dongxue quickly brought out the tea that had long since cooled down.

"Your Majesty..." Dongqing hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.

Consort Lin focused intently on drinking her tea, not even raising her head. After a moment, she put down her teacup and said, "Are you trying to ask why I didn't stay a little longer?"

“Your Majesty, even I could see that His Majesty had feelings for you. Why did you leave so quickly? Why not spend more time with His Majesty?” Dongqing said hesitantly.

"Foolish!" Consort Lin's voice was somewhat angry. It was rare for her to be angry, and Dong Qing was so frightened that she lowered her head and dared not speak.

"Putting aside the fact that His Majesty is going to see Consort Li, wouldn't it be annoying for me to stay there? Besides, I clearly told you before that this matter cannot be rushed, have you forgotten?"

Upon hearing this, Dongqing said in a daze, "It was because I was confused for a moment that I lost my sense of propriety."

Seeing Dongqing's remorseful expression, Consort Lin sighed, took Dongqing's hand, and said, "I know you mean well. The path to the emperor's favor in the harem is like walking on thin ice. If you are not careful, you will lose everything. My father has already broken ties with me, but my parents gave me life and raised me. Although I cannot fulfill my filial duties, I cannot burden my family."

Consort Lin looked lost and her eyes were filled with complex emotions.

"Your Majesty..." Dongqing knew that Consort Lin was suffering, but she didn't know how to comfort her. In this world, things rarely go as planned.

……

Yongfu Palace.

Because of the fainting incident yesterday, Jing Anle didn't go anywhere today. She just sat on her desk and sorted out the events and relationships that had happened in the past few days.

The paper had the character "风" (wind) written on it, and next to it was the character "治" (governance). She never wrote her full name, because if someone found out, it would be troublesome. At the last Prince Qing's birthday banquet, Qi Zhi should have known about Murong Peifeng's background. In that case, there was no need for her to take action. Qi Zhi would definitely not let Murong Peifeng go.

"Princess, Mu Ping has arrived." Afang came in to announce, but saw Jing Anle staring blankly at the book on the table.

Jing Anle closed the booklet before looking up and said, "Let her in."

"Yes."

Mu Ping frequently left the palace, fearing it would arouse suspicion. Therefore, she sometimes disguised herself as a servant of an official going to court and sneaked out of the palace. On the day of Prince Qing's birthday banquet, she disguised herself as a servant of Prince Qing's mansion to gather information, and sure enough, she discovered something amiss.

"Meet Princess!"

"Mu Ping, no need for formalities, please get up."

"Thank you, Princess. I heard you were ill. Are you feeling better?" Mu Ping asked with concern as soon as she entered the palace after hearing about Jing Rou causing Jing Anle to faint.

Jing Anle smiled but did not answer. Instead, she said, "Is this matter now known to everyone in the palace?"

In that case, Jing Rou will probably be anxious again.

"You don't need to worry, I'm fine. What have you found out?"

This is the inner room, and there are only Jing Anle, Mu Ping, and A Fang here, so there's no need to worry about talking.

"In response to Your Highness, that day at Prince Qing's residence, after the lunch banquet, I overheard Prince Qing, Fang Ling, Luo Xun, Zhou Hai, and others discussing the matter of seizing the salt land in Yanzhou."

"What? Salt flats!" Jing Anle was extremely surprised. Even though he knew that Prince Qing had wolfish ambitions, he did not know that his reach was so far.

Jing Anle knew that Fang Ling was Prince Qing's confidant, but she didn't know anything about Luo Xun and Zhou Hai.

“That’s right.” Mu Ping had expected Jing Anle’s surprise. Salt administration was the foundation of the country and the benefit of the people. Only His Majesty had the right to interfere. Prince Qing’s actions clearly showed his intention to rebel.

A glint of light flashed in Jing Anle's eyes as he said, "This matter is of great importance. We should discuss it with my uncle first and make a careful plan!"

If handled well, this could be an opportunity. Although it might not be able to completely bring down Prince Qing, it would also prevent him from becoming so arrogant.

Jing Anle stood up abruptly, thought for a moment, and then said, "They will definitely take action soon. Instruct Qingzi to keep a close eye on Fang Ling and report immediately if there is any disturbance."

"Yes, princess!"

After Mu Ping left, Jing Anle opened the booklet again and added the characters "Xun" and "Hai" next to the character "Qing". These two characters correspond to Luo Xun and Zhou Hai respectively.

In the imperial court, it is perfectly normal for factions to form. Fang Ling is an example of this, but Luo Xun, who is the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, has no dealings with Prince Qing. This shows how many henchmen are hidden in the court.

As Jing Anle was pondering, her maid Aqin came to report, "Princess, Miss Chu has arrived."

"Miss Chu?" Jing Anle was slightly taken aback.

Seeing this, Afang quickly added, "It is the daughter of the Prime Minister of Chu, Miss Chu Mingyue!"

"They must have heard that the princess had fainted and came to visit her," Afang said again.

For some reason, Jing Anle suddenly remembered Qin Zhihua's mention of a betrothal. Although it was impossible, she felt a vague unease in her heart.

"Please wait in the main hall, Miss Chu. I will be there shortly!"

"Yes."

……

The main hall of Yongfu Palace.

When Jing Anle arrived, he saw a beautiful young woman, elegant and poised, drinking tea.

"The princess has arrived!"

As the maid announced her arrival, Chu Mingyue put down her teacup and respectfully bowed to Jing Anle, saying, "Greetings, Princess."

Today she wore a white, water-patterned long dress, her hair neatly styled behind her ears, and she wore minimal jewelry, with a simple tassel hair ornament that made her appear exceptionally aloof, like a celestial fairy.

Jing Anle suddenly remembered that Jing Rou's best friend had once said that Chu Mingyue was aloof and cold as ice.

"Get up quickly!" Jing Anle said, and then went to help Chu Mingyue up.

"Thank you princess!"

After exchanging greetings, the two sat down to talk.

"Hearing that the princess is unwell, I was worried and came to visit. I wonder if I have disturbed the princess?" Chu Mingyue said.

Jing Anle looked at Chu Mingyue and suddenly realized that she was not immune to worldly affairs. She said, "What are you saying? It's lonely in the palace. I was just worried that no one would keep me company. You've come at the perfect time!"

Hearing this, Chu Mingyue felt relieved and smiled, after all, she had only met Jing Anle once before at the flower appreciation poetry gathering.