In Kunning Palace, as soon as Yin Ning entered the room, she took off her shoes and comfortably reclined on the couch. Seeing her languid posture, Empress Xu couldn't help but mutter, "Look at you, you lazy cat—you've been like this since you were little, and you never change!"
"Since you know I won't change, why do you always waste your breath, Mother?" Yin Ning said with a grin.
Empress Xu, annoyed by her retort, couldn't help but tap Yin Ning's forehead in mock anger. "You sharp-tongued girl, can't you just keep quiet for a moment?"
Hearing this, Yin Ning simply gave Empress Xu a sweet smile. Empress Xu wanted to put on a stern face and not fall for it, but her heart softened, and she finally chuckled.
"Nanny Yun, have someone bring the honey-preserved lychees this girl made in early summer. It'll shut her up just right."
With the Crown Prince's death from illness, the atmosphere in Kunning Palace had been gloomy for days. Now, seeing Empress Xu's mood lift because of Yin Ning, Nanny Yun, who had been by Empress Xu's side for years, immediately smiled and acknowledged the order.
The honey-preserved lychees Empress Xu mentioned were made by Yin Ning earlier that summer. While eating lychees, she recalled a rural food video she had seen in her previous life. On a whim, she followed the steps, soaking peeled lychee flesh in honey, sealing it in a jar, and storing the jar in a cool cellar. At the time, Yin Ning told Empress Xu that the lychees could be eaten in winter. But Empress Xu, unfamiliar with the process, worried that Yin Ning might get an upset stomach, so she even summoned an imperial physician to confirm that such a method was indeed used for preserved fruits before she felt at ease.
Nanny Yun soon brought over the small jar of honey-preserved lychees Yin Ning had made. Since fresh fruit was rare in winter, and lychees were her favorite, Yin Ning immediately sat up from the couch as soon as she saw Nanny Yun and the jar.
The lychee flesh taken from the jar was still translucent like amber. Yin Ning took a gentle bite and instantly tasted the refreshing honey aroma that had seeped into it. Confirming that her preserved lychees were a success, she distributed one each to Empress Xu, Nanny Yun, and the other palace maids.
Nanny Yun and the maids were long accustomed to Yin Ning's habit of sharing food. After thanking her, they too began to savor the rare sweet taste of fruit in winter.
"A thorny bush can still produce a fine flower!" Yin Ning said suddenly with a smile as she sat back on the couch across from Empress Xu.
Empress Xu spat the lychee pit into a plate, wiped her mouth gently with a silk handkerchief, and said, "Thank goodness for Emperor Jingwu, that fine flower. Otherwise, Great Jing would have been ruined by that scoundrel Yin Rui!" She looked at Yin Ning. "Now it's clear to everyone that your father likely intends to groom Emperor Jingwu as his successor. That's a good thing for us mother and daughter. After all, judging by the character of Emperor Jingwu as shown on the Sky Canopy, when he ascends the throne, he probably won't make things difficult for us."
Yin Ning nodded in agreement. Before the Sky Canopy appeared, she had already prepared for the worst in her mind, even thinking that if it came to it, she would take her mother and leave Great Jing, sailing overseas to become a petty tyrant on some island. But given the current situation, it seemed she wouldn't need to resort to her secret base.
Neither Yin Ning nor Empress Xu were too resistant to the possibility that Emperor Jingwu might be one of Yin Rui's descendants. However, for the Third Prince and others with ambitions for the throne, this possibility was naturally unacceptable.
Thus, as soon as the Third Prince returned to his residence, he urgently summoned his advisors. Originally, aside from the Crown Prince, the Third Prince, known for his scholarly talents, had been a strong contender in the power struggle. Among his advisors were naturally some shrewd individuals.
Noticing the gloom on the Third Prince's face, a portly middle-aged advisor cleared his throat and spoke, "Your Highness, in my opinion, although His Majesty has kept the four imperial grandsons in the palace, that does not mean Your Highness is completely defeated."
Before this advisor spoke, the others looked as if the sky were falling. So his words immediately caught the Third Prince's attention. The Third Prince looked at him eagerly, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes: "Master Liu, what do you mean by that?"
The middle-aged man replied, "May I ask Your Highness, when the woman on the Sky Canopy mentioned Emperor Jingwu killing the Second Prince, did she ever use the word 'patricide'?"
The Third Prince had already reviewed Liu Sanqi's words several times on his way back from the palace. He shook his head firmly. "She did not!"
Hearing this, the advisor's lips curled up slightly. "Exactly. Moreover, she never told us that the Second Prince and Emperor Jingwu were father and son. So Emperor Jingwu might not be the Second Prince's son, but rather his brother!"
At this analysis, the Third Prince's previously depressed mood lifted considerably. Although he knew that Liu Sanqi's omission might simply be because she assumed everyone knew the relationship, so she saw no need to emphasize it, the possibility raised by the advisor still sparked a glimmer of hope in him.
From a young age, the Third Prince had coveted the throne, so he was unwilling to give up so easily. Thus, even though he wasn't sure if the advisor's guess was correct, after some thought, he ordered his subordinates to secretly spread the advisor's analysis outside. Since the situation was already turbulent, the Third Prince decided to stir the waters even more, hoping to find more opportunities.
Later, after seeing off the advisors, the Third Prince summoned a trusted confidant and whispered another task to him.
Over the next few days, Jingshi appeared calm on the surface, but beneath it, there was much activity.
In the palace, at the Lake Heart Pavilion in the Imperial Garden. It was a rare sunny winter day, and Yin Ning was playing chess with her tutor, Shi Qingyuan, in the pavilion. Just as the game was halfway through, Yin Ning's personal maid, Bai Ju, entered.
Knowing that Bai Ju had gone to gather information, Yin Ning asked directly, "What's happening outside the palace?"
Although Shi Qingyuan was present, Bai Ju knew that Yin Ning trusted her greatly, even treating her as a strategist. So Bai Ju replied directly, "Your Highness, His Majesty just sent gifts to the homes of Censor Cheng Shan and Director of the Imperial Academy, Master Weng. But the eunuch Chen, who delivered them, was very low-key, as if he didn't want too many people to notice."
Surrounded by water on all sides, the Lake Heart Pavilion offered a wide, clear view, so Yin Ning had no fear of being overheard here. She looked at Shi Qingyuan across from her and said, "That fits Father's style. Though he didn't say it outright, these gifts are actually a form of apology on behalf of that scoundrel Yin Rui. But if it meant making a big show of it, he would never lower his head."
Shi Qingyuan smiled lightly at Yin Ning's assessment of Emperor Jingming. "A son's faults are the father's. His Majesty is so concerned with his pride that he probably wishes everyone would forget the scandals of the Second Prince that Miss Liu Sanqi revealed on the Sky Canopy."
Yin Ning nodded in agreement.
"Your Highness, there's also news from outside: last night, the concubine from the Crown Prince's household accidentally fell into the lake and drowned. Her body floated in the lake all night and was only discovered this morning by a passing eunuch."
At this, both Yin Ning and Shi Qingyuan's previously relaxed expressions turned serious. They knew that the concubine Bai Ju mentioned was the one who had personally poisoned the Crown Prince. Originally, they had planned to use her to uncover the true mastermind behind the assassination. Now, her drowning had given them the answer.
Yin Ning sneered, "It's always the silent dogs that bite. It seems my Third Brother is really scheming to ascend the throne!"
Yin Ning had already narrowed down her suspicions to the Second and Third Princes. But now that the Second Prince, Yin Rui, was imprisoned, he neither had the ability nor the motive to eliminate the concubine. Therefore, the only one who could have silenced her was the Third Prince, the real murderer.
Shi Qingyuan looked at Yin Ning and said, "Recently, a rumor has been circulating outside that Emperor Jingwu might not be an imperial grandson but could be one of the other princes."
Yin Ning snorted in disgust. "They're all pests. Let them all fight to the death!"
"Beat him to death! Beat him to death!"
Hearing the sudden clamor, Yin Ning and Shi Qingyuan turned toward the sound. Not far away by the lake, four richly dressed boys were leading a group of accompanying eunuchs. One of the boys, younger and about ten years old, was shouting excitedly at the eunuchs, ordering them to surround and kick a young eunuch.
Seeing this, Yin Ning immediately stood up, her skirt billowing as she strode out of the pavilion toward the lake.
"Stop right there!"
At her sharp command, the four boys and the eunuchs all turned to look. When they saw it was Yin Ning, the eunuchs quickly lowered their heads, and the four boys, especially the one who had been shouting about beating someone to death, appeared tense.
As Yin Ning approached them, the four boys chorused their greetings. But Yin Ning was not fooled by their polite demeanor. She glared angrily at the boy who had ordered the beating, Yin Jie. Before she could speak, he quickly defended himself, "Little Aunt, it's not my fault! I didn't beat him for no reason! My kite fell into the lake, and I told him to go get it for me, but this wretched servant dared to disobey! Don't you think I was right to teach him a lesson?"
Since Yin Ning was Emperor Jingming's youngest daughter, Yin Rui's four sons called her 'Little Aunt.' Now, after hearing Yin Jie's words, her anger flared even more.
For a broken kite, he wanted to beat someone to death?
Even after living in this ancient world for nearly eighteen years, Yin Ning could never accept such disregard for human life as Yin Jie had shown.