Chapter 354: Chapter 287: The Imperial Family_2
How audacious it is for someone to dare injure royal kinsmen within the Prince Manor under the emperor’s reign; such an act is exceedingly brazen, utterly disregarding the rule of law!
In any system, those who flout the law should, of course, receive severe punishment.
The court issued a proclamation with a reward at the vegetable market, and crowds gathered layer upon layer.
However, people found that the description of the suspect on the notice was lacking, and Prince Rong’s Mansion had no knowledge of the perpetrator’s background, not even how many came or how they executed the crime was clear.
Thus, discussions in the streets and alleys became even more fervent.
Whom exactly did Prince Rong’s Mansion offend that justified the murder of their Princess?
How skilled was the opponent, capable of killing within the Prince Manor and still escaping unscathed?
With these discussions, a sense of fear naturally mixed in, but the more it existed, the more unstoppable the rumors became.
Fu Zhen sat in the garden for the better part of the morning, listening to Liang Xuan’s accounts.
This boy, in order to stay at the Pei family, was not idle, rallying little companions from each household early in the morning to gather information everywhere.
Among the court’s nobility, many are intermarried, and many families have indirect ties with Prince Rong’s Mansion; some are classmates, others are old acquaintances. These connections are intricately complex, making the little guy’s news channels quite reliable.
By mid-morning, Fu Zhen had almost grasped all the situation of Prince Rong’s Mansion.
When Pei Zhan returned, Fu Zhen rewarded Liang Xuan with a silver slingshot, sent him off, and then asked Pei Zhan, "Why did you come back so early?"
Pei Zhan lay down on the deck chair she had been using: "The emperor issued an edict, summoning me, Shaoyang, and Ming Qian to the palace for a talk, so I came back early."
Fu Zhen then said, "It seems no one from the palace has gone to the Prince Manor to express condolences. I also wonder who will be sent?"
"It can only be the Crown Prince." Pei Zhan picked up the tea at hand, "There are only a few people in the palace, and the concubines are not in official positions. Sending them wouldn’t be proper. The Empress naturally cannot lower herself, the Third Prince has been unwell and hasn’t left home for years. Only the Crown Prince’s status is suitable and respectable."
Fu Zhen pondered, "After the coming-of-age ceremony, wasn’t it said that a new Crown Princess Consort would be appointed? Hasn’t it been decided yet?" Seeing him bring the tea to his mouth, she reached out and slapped his hand: "That’s my tea!"
Pei Zhan tilted his body and drank the tea regardless, then said, "It has been arranged. It’s the eldest daughter of the Deputy Minister of the Honglu Temple, Guo Ziyao. The Observatory has picked an auspicious date, and the wedding is said to be set for August 8th."
At this point, he remembered something: "Do you know the Guo Family?"
Fu Zhen thought for a moment: "Is it Guo Hui, the one who spoke Foreign Countries’ languages from a young age?"
"That’s her."
Fu Zhen then said, "No wonder."
Guo Ziyao has worked at the Honglu Temple for a long time, his father being considered a direct supporter of the emperor.
The Honglu Temple is responsible for dealing with Foreign Countries, so Guo Ziyao speaks their languages, and his eldest daughter was eloquent and talented from a young age, especially famous in the capital for learning foreign languages from her father.
It’s no wonder she was chosen by the Empress and Emperor.
Having a Crown Princess Consort with a clear family background and no lack of resources in the Eastern Palace is also a good thing.
But thinking of this, she also said, "Did the Empress not previously advocate choosing concubines from influential families, why the change of heart now?"
"Isn’t it because of the Consort Yu incident? Consort Yu was a typical woman from a humble background, assumed by the Empress to be a dutiful person, yet in the end, couldn’t resist her desires and conspired with Yongping. It shows that being from a poor family doesn’t necessarily prevent mischief."
"What are you two chatting so animatedly about?"
Just then, Du Mingqian’s voice came in from outside the door, and with him were Liang Chen and Cheng Chiren.
Aside from Liang Chen, they all wore mocking expressions.
Pei Zhan said, "Weren’t you supposed to go to the palace in the afternoon? Why are you here now?"
"We heard Aunt Ning sent you two chefs, so we came early to join you for a meal!"
"You really have no shame!..."
Fu Zhen watched them exchange a few words, then said, "I’ll go prepare some tea for you." She gave Liang Chen a meaningful look.
The aunt and nephew went one after the other to the neighboring courtyard. Fu Zhen asked, "Any news from Xu Yin’s side?"
"I heard that the Xu family visited the Zhe Family early in the morning, so he should have guessed it by now."
Fu Zhen sneered, "The Xu family has been keeping an eye on my house for several days now! That Xu has long been suspicious of us."