Sheng Li and Ying Lili stared at each other for a while when Qi Jing told them not to argue with each other and have their meals. After finishing their respective meals, Sheng Li took the leave as the Court was going to start.
"I hope sister Jing will not reveal things about me," Sheng Li thought when he encountered Xue Yu-Yan who was going with a maidservant. Sheng Li walked past her when Xue Yu-Yan caught his hand, thus stopping him there.
"Look whom you are touching, Princess Consort!" Sheng Li said angrily and jerked her hand from his.
"I do not know why the Crown Prince started hating me after my marriage with the First Prince. It seems like the Crown Prince never loved me," Xue Yu-Yan asserted as tears formed in her eyes.
Sheng Li snickered as he saw the fake crocodile tears in Xue Yu-Yan's eyes. "Do you know how much I hate your sight? I used to think you were an innocent woman, but you aren't. Never stop me like this." Sheng Li walked ahead, leaving Xue Yu-Yan in bewilderment.
"After Ying Lili's entry in the Palace, the Crown Prince has changed. I want to kill her so badly. Because of her, the Crown Prince did not stop my marriage with Jian. She went as a spy to my father's residence and brought the ledger from there. Now the father is not the Prime Minister anymore and this useless husband of mine will never win against the Crown Prince," Xue Yu-Yan thought when her thoughts were interrupted by the maidservant who was from the Empress's Manor.
"Princess Consort must hurry, else the punishment might get harsher."
Xue Yu-Yan gulped the anger that had formed inside her and went to the Washers' House.
"Xue can harm Lili in the future. I wonder how she could be so relaxed after her father's imprisonment. Is the Empress giving her some kind of assurance? But what? I have to ask for Zhang Yong's execution from the father. Weng Wei will not stay quiet and will plan something evil." Sheng Li's deep thoughts were put to an end by the fourth Prince.
Sheng Li halted at his place as he saw Prince Nianzu there. "Forgive me for halting the Crown Prince," Nianzu humbly said.
"You do not need to apologize, fourth brother," Sheng Li stated.
"There is something I would like to tell the Crown Prince," Nianzu stated.
"You may tell." Getting permission from the Crown Prince, Prince Nianzu opened his mouth to speak. "Crown Prince, I think the governor of the capital is not doing his job the way he should do. I have found that the tax inspectors are collecting more than the mentioned taxes from the peasants," Nianzu briefed the problem to Sheng Li.
The two started walking towards the Court while conversing with each other. "Brother is smart not to disclose such a piece of information in the Court. I appreciate how you look after the state affairs at the micro-level where father and I cannot reach," Sheng Li praised Prince Nianzu.
"It is my duty towards the Empire. Crown Prince, I think we shall take a look into the capital as commoners. But I am afraid that the Crown Prince is leaving for the Southern Province in a few days so the efficient working of the system will take more time," Nianzu expressed his concerns.
"Brother, let's first attend the Court. I have recently gotten lost in my own matters and thus, did not check the state affairs in depth. But after the Prime Minister is exposed, I think reform is needed. After the end of the court session, we will discuss these matters," Sheng Li suggested.
Nianzu agreed with the Crown Prince, and the two hastened their steps to reach the Courtroom.
~~~~~
"Sister Jing, Sheng Li… I mean the Crown Prince says nothing about him. Brother Nianzu told me a little about him and told me to get close to him. If I ask him something, he asks me the question instead of answering. I do not understand him sometimes," Ying Lili complained about Sheng Li to Qi Jing who giggled upon hearing the Crown Princess.
Controlling her giggles, Qi Jing said, "Crown Princess, brother Sheng is like this. But I have seen how brother Sheng cares for you. Brother Sheng must have developed a soft spot for you but he might be afraid to open up with you because of his dark past."
"I know he was abused when he was young, but he should share that with me. I had such wrong ideas about him because he has portrayed himself in front of the people as the most barbaric human when he isn't. I accepted my mistake for always thinking he was wrong, but it seems he still does not trust me." Ying Lili said in a dejected tone.
"Crown Princess, do not be disheartened," Qi Jing replied and grasped the hands of Ying Lili. "You need to be patient around the Crown Prince. Our Father for a long time was in the wars which are one reason that brother Sheng had to suffer. I feel so ashamed to this date that I could not do anything to stop the torture on little Sheng.
I think I was not strong enough to raise my voice against my mother and I still am not," Qi Jing recalled those dark days.
"Could you please tell me what the Empress is like? I know she is your birth mother and it would be inappropriate to talk behind the back of the Empress but still, I want to know because I want to help Sheng Li. I want to punish all the surrounding people who made him like this," Ying Lili proclaimed.
"Indeed, she is my birth mother, but she never acted like my mother. Mother of Little Sheng gave me the motherly lovely when I was young. When the mother of Little Sheng passed away, he was a mere four-year-old kid. Because Mother Mei was dearest to the father, so her son was also dear to the father, according to my mother.
She used to think that Little Sheng might be a hindrance to the path of my elder brother's succession that's why she did every possible thing to torture him.
Little Sheng could not have the same facility as us; he could not have meals with us; he could not even talk with us." Tears formed in the eyes of Qi Jing while remembering all those things.
Ying Lili felt wretched upon hearing such things from Qi Jing. "Why did his majesty never look after his son? Why has no one complained about all this to his majesty?" Ying Lili queried, carrying a baffled expression on her face.
"Because those who were loyal to his majesty were killed mysteriously. The late Emperor was bedridden at that time because of his deteriorating health. The situation in the Palace was messed up at that time, Crown Princess," Qi Jing explained to Ying Lili.
Ying Lili frowned because she was not ready to believe that the Emperor did not know about all this. "I will ask about this from the Emperor once. If I really want to punish the people because of whom Sheng Li suffered, then I need to find out everything. How come Eunuch Xing-Fu and Court Lady Xu survived to this date. They must have informed the Emperor about all this," Ying Lili thought.
