When Concubine Jingxian was in trouble, it was easy for Concubine Rongshu to do whatever she wanted.
These words easily reached the ears of the second prince.
When the accident happened, the second prince was still studying in the study. During the break, the eunuch Xiao Shunzi who was accompanying him told him what happened.
But at this time, the news was tight and no one knew what had happened. All they knew was that Concubine Jingxian had angered the emperor and she was taken back to Zhongcui Palace and placed under house arrest. The servants around her were also imprisoned in the Ministry of Punishment.
"Your Highness, I heard that the Imperial Concubine also went to the Emperor. I think the Empress's house arrest may be related to the Imperial Concubine." Xiao Shunzi's face was full of worry.
The second prince clenched his fists, "I knew it was her! Go ask Master for leave for me. I'm going to Jiuchen Palace to plead for my mother."
"You must not do that, Your Highness!" Xiao Shunzi hurriedly stopped him.
The second prince glared at him and said, "My mother is in trouble, so as her son, I should go. What are you talking about?"
Xiao Shunzi lowered his voice and stepped forward.
"Your Highness must have been framed by the Imperial Concubine and convicted of a serious crime, otherwise the Emperor would not have done this. I think the Emperor is very angry at the moment. Your Highness, you dropped your studies to beg for mercy, didn't you just run into the cusp of the storm?"
"Not only will the Emperor vent his anger on you, Your Highness, but he will also think that Your Highness is confused and cannot distinguish right from wrong. He may even think that it is Your Highness who has not taught you well, which will further annoy Your Highness. If the Emperor punishes you as well, there will be no one in the palace who can save Your Highness."
The second prince was young after all, and he became hesitant after hearing these words.
Xiao Shunzi hurriedly continued what he had heard.
"In my humble opinion, Your Highness should just pretend that you don't know about this matter, study hard in the upper study, and wait for a day or two until the emperor's anger subsides, then go and plead for mercy."
After thinking for a moment, the second prince was finally persuaded. He nodded and calmed down his emotions temporarily.
However, the child is young, and no matter how hard he tries to hide it, one can see that he is uneasy.
The other princes who were attending class together noticed something was wrong.
The children in the palace were all smart. When they saw what happened, they pretended not to see it. The brothers in the room all had different thoughts.
Even the teacher who was teaching the class turned a blind eye and didn't care about the Second Prince's distraction.
After all, it’s better to stay away from the gossip in this palace.
On the other side, by the time Ning Chen had met with the ministers and reviewed the memorials, it was almost dusk.
He raised his hand and rubbed his temple, with a hint of fatigue in his eyes.
"Your Majesty, please have a cup of tea and relax." Yuan Jiu stepped forward to serve.
Ning Chen nodded, took the cup and took a sip.
"Has the Second Prince been here?"
The children have been out of school for more than half an hour now.
Yuan Jiu lowered his head and said, "I haven't been here before. I took a rest at noon and went back to Ruyi Pavilion. I think he has gone back now, so it should be time for dinner."
"His mother was under house arrest, but he doesn't care at all?" Ning Chen's eyes dimmed and his brows furrowed.
Yuan Jiu didn't dare to talk about his master, so he just said vaguely, "Maybe he doesn't know."
Ning Chen took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, but his tone still showed that he was very disappointed with his friend.
"I'm afraid there's no one in the palace who doesn't know this. He's not impatient or irritable, but so cold. It's really because of the virtuous concubine that his character has been twisted. He's so cold-blooded and ruthless, without a single bit of filial piety or benevolence!"
Now Ning Chen regrets very much that he gave the second prince to Concubine Jingxian to raise.
Thinking about how Concubine Jingxian had disguised herself for so many years, she was really a snake in heart. Thinking about the Second Prince's usual kind behavior, she was also very afraid that this child was pretending.
If this continues for a long time, the Second Prince will inevitably go astray and ruin his life.
Although he was annoyed at the Second Prince's ignorance, he also suspected that it was Concubine Jingxian who taught the child to be like this, and for a moment, his resentment towards Concubine Jingxian increased even more.
"Pass the message down. Concubine Jingxian is unworthy of her position and has failed the title I gave her. She is to be demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in Zhongcui Palace. No one is allowed to visit her. Wait for your fate."
Yuan Jiu responded and hurried to do it.
At the same time, he sighed, the Second Prince was able to abandon his adoptive mother at such a young age just to protect himself, but now it was a mistake, as he had betrayed Concubine Jingxian, no, now it was the guilty woman Song, and now there was no chance for him to turn the tables.
Zhongcui Palace.
Upon learning the emperor's new order, Song widened her eyes in disbelief.
"No, I have not been convicted yet. The Emperor will not depose me. You must be passing on a false imperial decree. I don't believe it. I want to see the Emperor and the Second Prince. Please let me out!"
"You better behave yourself. The slaves around you have been sent to the Ministry of Punishment for interrogation. Sooner or later, they will betray you. You are so vicious. Your son is just as heartless. You are under house arrest, but he didn't even go to plead for you. You just stay here and maybe the emperor will show mercy and leave you with an intact body!"
The young eunuch who came to deliver the message took a deep breath and turned away.
He also ordered the people in Zhongcui Palace to keep an eye on Song, not to allow her to see outsiders, and not to commit suicide.
When the news came out, Ye Jun was also surprised.
I don’t know why Ning Chen suddenly gave such an order.
But I figured it out in a moment.
Today, when Song got into trouble, the Second Prince just ate and drank as if nothing had happened, and did not go to plead for his mother. I think this must have disappointed the Emperor, who thought the Second Prince was cold-blooded and heartless, and thus became even more annoyed that Song had corrupted her child.
"The emperor named the second prince Ning Yuchun. The word Chun means simple and honest. If the second prince really takes after Song's temperament, he will truly fail the emperor's expectations." Ye Jun said lightly.
Huiyue nodded, "That's right, a good child was corrupted by the Song family."
Ye Jun narrowed his eyes and said, "If he is kind-hearted and still young, there is hope that he can be guided onto the right path. Well, let's not talk about this. The Emperor will be here soon. Go and see if everything is ready in the kitchen."
"Yes, I'll go right away." Huiyue bowed and walked out.
Just then, Ning Chen came in, so he simply asked the kitchen to prepare the dishes.
Ning Chen's face still looked bad. Ye Jun knew that he had something on his mind, so he just stayed with him quietly.
I washed his hands myself, poured him some tea and sat him down.
Ning Chen, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly spoke up, "If only all the women in the palace were as kind as you, then all those who died in vain would have a good end."
"I am not kind, I just stick to my original intention and bottom line." Ye Jun said softly, paused and glanced at him, "If all the women in the palace were like me, then the emperor's heart would have to be shared among many people, and I don't want that in my heart."
She acted coquettishly and well at the right time, which made Ning Chen feel much more relaxed.
He raised his hand and pinched Ye Jun's nose, smiling lightly, "You're sour, but now I'm only with you, right? You are always different from others."
Ye Jun also curled his lips slightly, stopped talking about it, and took people to have dinner.