Someone died in Songyuan. This matter can be a big deal or a small one, depending on who died.
If it was Miss Wang Sun, the Jinwu Guards would have surrounded the manor on the first day of the Flower Picking Meeting, and Mu Jingxu would have been on duty to investigate the case on the spot. Whether it was an accident or man-made, he would have to give an explanation.
But the one who died was a nanny, and a nanny of an unpopular prince, so... there is nothing to investigate.
Under feudal privilege, the gap between people is even greater than that between people and dogs.
The fact that Yuerong died itself was not as far-reaching as the impact that her death had on the daughter of Minister He.
The next day, Rong Tang was strolling in the garden again and happened to meet Rong Zheng. He heard from him that Rong Ying and Rong Ning were now in Miss He's yard, and several noble ladies were gathered together to comfort her.
Su Huaijing asked casually: "Are they friends?"
Rong Zheng nodded and said, "It was at the pond where Ning Ning and Ying Ying went with Miss He yesterday that the body was found."
Rong Tang was watching a bug crawling on an early-blooming gardenia. Hearing this, he frowned and asked, "Then why haven't I heard that they are here too?"
In the morning, Ke Hongxue came to invite Rong Tang. Rong Tang didn't want to go to the island in the middle of the lake again, so they separated. They met Rong Zheng by chance again. Now, in this corner of the Songyuan garden, there were only three of them and their servants serving them.
Although he didn't need to avoid people when speaking, Rong Zheng still lowered his voice and said, "Second uncle is a cautious person, and the second cousins are also very careful in doing things. Although they are both female relatives of Ning Xuanwang Mansion, but... one is a concubine's daughter, and the other is the eldest daughter of the second house. In fact, if it is made public, the daughter of the Minister of War is not as important as her."
When he said the word "bastard daughter", Rong Tang raised his eyes and glanced at him. He did not see any resentment on his face. Rong Tang felt that his adopted brother was sometimes a little hard to understand.
People thought he was a scheming person, but also frighteningly naive; people thought he was obsessed with killing his elder brother, but after being taught a lesson two or three times, people respectfully called him the nation's good younger brother.
But it didn't matter to him at all, so he withdrew his gaze, reached out and touched the gardenia, and an unknown little insect crawled up his fingertips onto his nails.
Rong Tang didn't shake it off. He stood there with an unchanged expression and listened to Rong Zheng's explanation: "Although everyone's attention is now on Miss He's fright, the one who died was an old lady in the palace, and a nanny who had served the Fifth Prince since he was a child. The emperor's mind is unpredictable. His Majesty dotes on Concubine Hui and values the Third Prince very much, but this matter... is not as simple as it seems."
The little bug crawled up to the junction of the index finger and the middle finger, stopped there and turned around twice, as if it didn't know which direction to go. Rong Tang raised his lower lip when he heard this, but quickly restrained his smile, and a hint of coldness appeared in his eyes.
Su Huaijing stepped forward and placed his fingers on the back of his hand, patiently waiting for the bug to crawl onto his hand, and said slowly, "Second brother, you have a very clever mind."
Rong Zheng was suddenly praised, and he scratched his head shyly, saying, "I didn't see that, it was the Second Prince who specifically pointed it out to me last night."
Su Huaijing lowered his head and smiled: "Is that so."
The little bug circled around the finger aimlessly twice, and finally saw the finger in front of it. After hesitating for a moment, it finally climbed up along the fingertip.
Su Huaijing lowered his eyes, and waited until the insect had climbed steadily before taking his hand away from Rongtang. He bent down slightly and touched the gardenia again, then lowered his eyes and gently sent the little insect back to its original place.
Then he stood up, dipped his handkerchief in the water for guests to wash their hands in the corner of the garden, and slowly wiped the back of Rong Tang's hand.
He took this very seriously, helping Rong Tang wipe the place where the black bug had crawled over and over again as if he were treating a piece of fine porcelain. His voice was soft and sweet, like the sound of nature, and he said in a clear voice, "It seems that Lord Zhang wants to impeach Marshal Xia."
He spoke in a very light voice, casually talking about important government affairs in an affirmative tone. Rong Zheng's face suddenly changed when he heard it, and he asked in shock, "How did the eldest sister-in-law know that?"
Su Huaijing let out a laugh, and finally wiped Rong Tang's hands. He folded the handkerchief and handed it to Shuangshou. He looked at Rong Zheng lazily with his phoenix eyes and said, "I don't know. Second brother, you should be more careful when you speak in the future."
Rong Zheng was stunned for a moment, then he felt a chill crawling up his spine to the back of his neck. It was clearly late spring or early summer, but he felt extremely cold.
A strong sense of fear enveloped him.
Until Rong Tang moved, bent down and started to fold flowers.
"I like gardenias. They smell very nice and are perfect in the study. Unfortunately, there is no study in the yard," he told Su Huaijing.
Su Huaijing followed his words and said, "Why not keep it together with Shaoyao?"
Rong Tang thought for a moment and said, "Let's find another flowerpot to grow it. It should be good to put it together."
White and pink and yellow are a perfect match, both are very clean and light colors, and the combination should be very pleasing to the eye.
Su Huaijing naturally agreed: "Okay."
Then she quietly started picking flowers with him.
It was not until Shuangfu was holding a whole bunch of gardenias that Rong Tang stood up, as if he had just discovered Rong Zheng. He said in surprise, "Why is Second Brother still here? Didn't you just say you were going to Lanyue Pavilion to meet the Second Prince? Your sister-in-law and I don't need you to accompany us."
Rong Zheng was stunned for a moment. The coldness that seemed like being poured with ice water gradually dissipated. The morning sun fell on his body, and his body warmed up. He swallowed his saliva, and for some reason he did not dare to look at Su Huaijing. He said in a hoarse voice, "Then my brother will take his leave first."
Rong Tang nodded: "Well, let's go."
When Rong Zheng disappeared from the gardenia bushes, Su Huaijing couldn't help laughing and looked at Rong Tang with an especially indulgent look: "It's not me who wants Tang Tang to save him this time."
Rong Tang glanced at him and said, "Don't bully him."
Su Huaijing still smiled: "Why?"
Rong Tang was silent for a moment, then commented in a low voice: "He is stupid."
It seems a bit immoral to bully him.
—Even though Rong Tang himself has been bullying him.
Su Huaijing paused for a moment, then smiled even more: "Okay then." He said, "But Brother Tangtang is so smart, can you tell me what he was afraid of just now?"
Rong Tang was about to turn around and go to the next place. He heard that there were peacocks in Songyuan. He went out today to see if he could see a peacock spreading its feathers. Hearing this, he stopped in his tracks, turned around and glanced at Su Huaijing with an indescribable emotion, and whispered, "Do you think I'm a fool too?"
A little fool like Rong Zheng or a big fool like Sheng Chengming
Su Huaijing paused for a moment, then smiled: "How could that be, Tangtang is the smartest."
His praise of Rong Tang sounded halfhearted, but it also made people feel very sincere, so Young Master Rong's subtle emotions dissipated and he snorted lightly: "That's more like it."
He and Su Huaijing walked forward side by side, while Shuangfu and Shuangshou followed behind. There was some distance between them, so their voices could not be heard clearly.
Su Huaijing nodded: "Yeah, that makes sense."
Rong Tang: "The Second Prince has made several great achievements recently, and he is now appreciated by His Majesty. Elder Zhang has a long career in the court and many students, so he was originally in high spirits. However, in order to appease Concubine Hui and her son, His Majesty has given too much favor in this flower-picking event, which exceeds the standard that a concubine's prince should have."
"Marshal Xia has been a soldier all his life and has a hot temper. He is a tyrannical person who has the final say in the court and looks down on scholars. Sheng Chengxing has clearly not made any political achievements this time, but he still received this honor, which has added to his arrogance. I'm afraid he has long aroused the dissatisfaction of the second prince's party." Rong Tang said slowly. He walked leisurely all the way. When he saw a kitten jumping through the flowers, he couldn't help but stop to see if there was a nest nearby.
Su Huaijing did not urge him, but his eyes became brighter the more he listened. Not satisfied with just groping for the badge, he went straight forward and grabbed Rong Tang's hand: "And then?"
Rong Tang glanced down, but did not struggle, allowing him to hold her like children holding hands while crossing the street.
Rong Tang continued, "If the person who died was someone else, a prince, a noble lady, or even a poor student from Linyuan Academy, with so many officials here, they would definitely not let the matter go hastily. Even if they found a random cause of the accident, Sheng Chengxing would definitely give a reason to cover it up. Whether it was appeasement or compensation, it could be resolved privately, and it wouldn't have much of an impact."
Su Huaijing held Rong Tang, but his hand felt a little itchy, so he couldn't help but rub the back of his hand. Rong Tang frowned, turned his head and glared at him. The villain immediately behaved: "I won't rub it anymore."
Rong Tang stared at him for two seconds, then looked away, but he still held his hand and said, "If it was another servant, it wouldn't be difficult to deal with. We can just pay him a sum of money..." He frowned, as if he wanted to put his thoughts on Sheng Chengxing, and then thought of a word: "It can be dealt with."
He inherently didn't like treating human life so lightly, but this was an indisputable fact, and there was nothing he could do no matter how much he didn't like it.
Rong Tang was a little annoyed and said, "So this matter itself is not difficult. It's just the death of one person. In the eyes of Sheng Chengxing and Sheng Chengming, it's a trivial matter that is not worth mentioning. Sheng Chengxing will only feel that it's unlucky and it ruined his fun of playing with his friends."
Su Huaijing squeezed him soothingly: "Tangtang, you don't have to empathize with him. You are different from him."
Rong Tangyuan frowned, and was silent for a moment after hearing this. He hummed softly, and then said, "But the one who died was the nanny beside Sheng Chengli, so this matter is different."
"The Fifth Prince is the most insignificant person in the palace. All of his brothers look down on him. They neither think he is capable of competing with them for the throne, nor do they consider him their younger brother. Strictly speaking, in Sheng Chengxing's eyes, he is not as important as the eunuch who has been with him since childhood. So if someone dies around him, even if it is on his own farm, Sheng Chengxing will not care."
"He won't investigate the cause of death, nor will he give compensation, or even pretend to express grief. He will just order people to find a nearby grave to bury the nun. This is understandable, and Sheng Chengli doesn't have the background or confidence to argue with him. The most likely thing is that he will just swallow his anger and swallow this grievance."
Rong Tang sneered as he spoke, as if he thought it was ironic that Sheng Chengli would swallow his grievances, but he didn't want to bring his emotions to Su Huaijing, so he didn't dwell on it, but continued, "But the Second Prince is here, and Elder Zhang, as Sheng Chengming's maternal grandfather, is a natural supporter of the Second Prince. The Shujishi who wins the Flower Folding Competition will directly enter his sphere of influence - the Hanlin Academy. So no matter what, for revenge, to vent his anger, or to prepare for a rainy day, Elder Zhang will definitely use this matter to report the Third Prince."
He paused, frowned slightly, and glanced at Su Huaijing calmly, as if he wanted to change the subject lightly.
Su Huaijing was reluctant to get to the bottom of it and asked, "What's the reason?"
Rong Tang: “…”
He had no choice but to answer honestly: "Brothers are not on good terms."
Su Huaijing raised the corner of his lips into a sarcastic smile.
Rong Tang subconsciously tightened his clasped hands a little more, and looked particularly obedient as he rubbed his hand into his palm. He spoke softly, trying his best not to displease Su Huaijing.
"The current emperor did not come to power legitimately, but he is extremely concerned about his reputation. The previous emperor... was brutally killed by him. In order to avoid being impeached by the people of the world for killing his brother, he even found countless high-sounding reasons to justify his actions. Naturally, he would not allow his subjects to say that his sons were not harmonious, so as to avoid any possibility that future generations would criticize his bloodline for killing brothers."
Rong Tang's voice was very soft, spreading in the early summer time, and only Su Huaijing could hear it.
If his words were to get out, it would be considered extremely disrespectful and a serious crime punishable by beheading at any time. However, he just chatted with Su Huaijing calmly in this garden and told him clearly that the late emperor died innocently.
Su Huaijing knew that this was not an illusion, but... he still had the illusion that the person in front of him was a bubble.
Otherwise it would be impossible to explain why he was clearly Rong Mingyu's son, but his words and deeds were all in favor of the late emperor.
Su Huaijing's Adam's apple moved, and he lowered his voice, as if he was afraid of bursting the bubble, and asked: "And then?"
Rong Tang said, "I heard that the fifth prince's biological mother died young, and he was brought up by this nanny since he was young. Nanny Yue is like a foster mother to him. Moreover, she had just been to the Imperial Hospital a few days ago and left an impression on His Majesty. If the death of such a person is not investigated, it will naturally not cause a sensation, but if-"
He paused, turned his head and looked at Su Huaijing, who understood and continued, "If you want to make a fuss, Lord Zhang's writing style will naturally make it appear that the grace of raising you is greater than heaven, and the grace of saving your life cannot be repaid. The Fifth Prince respects his elder brother and dares not act rashly in front of Sheng Chengxing, but Sheng Chengxing is the elder brother, and his younger brother is motherless, which is pitiful. His benefactor died suddenly, so he definitely cannot just cover up the matter and not give any explanation. Tangtang, do you want to say that?"
Rong Tang nodded: "That's right, and the person who found Nanny Yue's body was the daughter of the Minister of War. The Minister of War is good friends with Wu Kangbo, and Wu Kangbo's son Qin Pengxuan is an open supporter of the Second Prince. This is so coincidental that it feels like a trap set up specifically to wait for Sheng Chengxing to jump."
Su Huaijing: "Tangtang thinks Sheng Chengxing can dance?"
"He had to jump." Rong Tang blinked, "Do you think anyone in the garden cares about who died yesterday?"
No, what they cared about was what play was being sung in the Lanyue Pavilion today; what the theme of the new day's flower show was; and since Miss He was frightened, whether they could take the opportunity to show their courtesy in order to win her heart and further gain the help of the Minister of War.
No one cared that a palace maid had drowned in a pond, and the fifth prince, who was recovering from illness, cried so hard that he almost fainted yesterday...
Once the flower-picking meeting is over and Lord Zhang submits his memorial, Sheng Chengxing will be suppressed to death regardless of the fact that they are brothers.
Finally seeing the shadow of the zoo, Su Huaijing lowered his eyes to look at Rong Tang's profile, and asked in a voice so light that it seemed like he was coaxing or bewitching, "Since Tang Tang saw it so clearly, why were you unhappy just now? Don't you want to see this ending?"
Rong Tang shook his head: "This has nothing to do with me."
Whether the Second Prince wants to impeach the Third Prince, or the Third Prince wants to suppress the Second Prince, it has nothing to do with Rong Tang. It's just a dog-eat-dog situation, and no one will be the winner.
If we really have to say who is the winner, there can only be one, and that's what makes him unhappy.
Rong Tang said coldly: "I'm just wondering who set up this scheme."
Mu Jingxu is not the type of person who would sacrifice innocent people in order to achieve his goals. Sheng Chengli doesn't have any other advisers around him now. Ke Hongxue follows his senior brother in everything, so he naturally doesn't care what Sheng Chengli wants to do. As long as he stays alive, he won't worry about it too much.
No one would give him such a vicious plan.
Except himself.
The fifteen-year-old Tiandao male protagonist grew up in the cold palace, had just entered school, and should have been like a blank sheet of paper.
Only he had the mind to set up this trap and reap the benefits.
(End of this chapter)