Troublemaker Prince C24 (Part 2)
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 24.2
The Crown Prince also showed a tired and weary appearance. He said languidly, "This prince's health is poor, and now this prince can no longer hold on. Many things happened at the Spring Banquet, and First Brother probably has other matters to attend to now. Why don't we all disperse for now?"
The First Prince now had to immediately enter the palace to confess to His Majesty, having no time to deal with the Third Prince's affair. Now that Li Yuan, who had been demanding an explanation, was also gone, this Spring Banquet that had produced two royal scandals should naturally end.
Upon hearing this, the First Prince's face became even paler. The Spring Banquet was entrusted to him by His Majesty to organize. With it ending this way, there would probably never be such an opportunity again.
At this moment, the First Prince still didn't know what had happened to the Third Prince, or he would have wanted to strangle the Third Prince's entire family.
After You Yusui finished speaking, he leisurely left with Huo Xiling. After all, he was a sick person who had forced himself to come to the Spring Banquet despite his illness. If they prevented a sick person from leaving, wouldn't that be going too far?
Thus, You Yusui successfully left the Spring Banquet with Huo Xiling.
After You Yusui left, the First Prince said with an ugly expression to everyone present, "The Spring Banquet is dismissed."
After speaking, the First Prince gently comforted Li Xiyue for a while, then turned and returned to the palace to confess to His Majesty.
After the First Prince left, they were completely leaderless. The Ministry of Rites officials, upon hearing of the two royal scandals that occurred today, nearly fainted. None of them dared to take responsibility.
At the Spring Banquet, Prime Minister Su's granddaughter was stripped and sent to the Third Prince's bed for everyone to see, and the Third Prince was now unconscious—this was already enough to cause brain hemorrhage. Now it was revealed that the Empress Dowager's great-niece was pregnant with the First Prince’s child before marriage. These bombshells made the Ministry of Rites officials see stars, but memorials still had to be written.
Not only did they have to write memorials, but their wording had to avoid angering His Majesty, avoid offending the two princes, include apologies, and not take all the blame—truly difficult beyond measure.
Besides the Ministry of Rites officials who were troubled to baldness, there were also the two families who had heard the news and were shocked and angry.
In Prime Minister Su's household, Madam Su, who loved her daughter most, severely scolded her husband.
"Although the Su family came from humble origins, we're not a small household. Father holds one of the three highest positions, and you're also a third-rank official. Why did you only assign one maid to our daughter? Our family isn't short of money!"
"If we had assigned a few more maids to my child, how could she have been so easily abducted and had her reputation ruined!"
"It's you, it's you! Insisting on your integrity with empty sleeves, that's what caused Yingying to suffer such grievance!"
After speaking, Madam Su was crying her heart out, her wailing audible throughout the courtyard.
The two Su family men remained silent—this matter was indeed their oversight.
Suddenly, Prime Minister Su stood up and said, "I'll go see His Majesty. Even if I sacrifice these old bones, I'll make sure the mastermind is punished!"
After speaking, Prime Minister Su boarded his carriage and headed to the palace.
Meanwhile, in the Li household, Li Yuan recounted everything that happened at the Spring Banquet without omitting a single word. When Li Tingwei heard that his granddaughter had gotten involved with the First Prince, was pregnant before marriage, and had previously wanted to marry the Third Prince to spy for information, he was shocked and furious.
The sixty-something-year-old man pointed at Li Xiyue, who was kneeling on the ground, and scolded her for being heartless and ungrateful, calling her a white-eyed wolf.
"The Li family gave birth to you, raised you, and educated you—is this how you repay the Li family!"
After speaking, Li Tingwei wanted to hit Li Xiyue.
"She still has a child in her belly! At least wait until His Majesty's decree comes down before dealing with her," the Li family's younger generation advised.
Finally, Li Tingwei, out of sight and out of mind, had Li Xiyue locked up, then listened to Li Yuan's account of the Third Prince's affair at the Spring Banquet.
Their plan had been exposed—lying beside Miss Su was not the Crown Prince, but the Third Prince.
After hearing this, Li Tingwei looked at Li Yuan, wanting to scold him for being stupid and foolish. If the Crown Prince had really fallen into the trap, his stupid reaction wouldn't have mattered much, but now everyone could see that this matter was related to their Li family.
Recalling what Li Xiyue had said earlier, everyone in the Li family felt that this matter had been exposed by Li Xiyue. But since the First Prince knew about it, why didn't he stop it instead of knocking out the Third Prince and sending him to the Crown Prince's room? What benefit did this bring him?
Just as the Su and Li families were shocked and furious, You Fengyun, who was celebrating the Shangsi Festival in the Imperial Garden, simultaneously received the First Prince's confession, Prime Minister Su's complaint, and memorials from Ministry of Rites officials.
After reading them, You Fengyun's expression was inscrutable. He first comforted Prime Minister Su, promising that this matter would definitely be given an explanation, and that the Third Prince would marry his granddaughter as his primary consort. As for the First Prince, he directly scolded him and ordered him to reflect behind closed doors.
After doing all this, You Fengyun prepared to find the most suitable person to handle this matter, so he asked, "Where is the Crown Prince?"
The Spring Banquet was over—he should return to the palace by now.
Upon hearing this, Eunuch Anhai immediately replied, "Your Majesty, you've forgotten. The Crown Prince asked you for two days' leave before going to the Spring Banquet to recuperate at the hot spring villa. He should be at the hot spring villa left by the late Empress to recover from his illness."
After speaking, Anhai added, "I heard the Crown Prince fainted again today—his health must be very poor."
You Fengyun: ...
Upon hearing this, You Fengyun rubbed his aching temples and said, "Then let Xie Dan investigate this matter."
Having selected the investigator, You Fengyun began worrying about the Spring Banquet again. He had originally wanted to use this Spring Banquet to select some useful talents, but he hadn't expected the First Prince to make such a mess of it, causing so much trouble.
If the Spring Banquet had been handled well, it would have been a good opportunity to increase the First Prince's reputation. But that fool couldn't grasp the opportunity—not only did he fail to handle the Spring Banquet well, but he also ruined his own reputation.
Thinking of the two scandals that had become known throughout Chang'an, You Fengyun began to have a headache. He couldn't help but ask, "Anhai, if we were to hold another Spring Banquet, who do you think would be suitable?"
The First Prince was definitely out of the question—You Fengyun wanted to lock him away until the end of time. The Third Prince was martially inclined and had a damaged reputation after being framed, so he couldn't possibly host the Spring Banquet. As for the Fifth Prince, his mother was of low status, he had no ambition for the throne, and only liked eating, drinking, and merrymaking, ignoring everything else. The Sixth Prince was a complete fool.
Asked about this, Anhai boldly said, "In this servant's opinion, if the Crown Prince's health were a bit better, he would surely be able to share Your Majesty's worries."
The Crown Prince had been kind-natured before but was capable. Now that his personality had become stronger, he would handle such matters even better.
Upon hearing this, You Fengyun smiled and said, "You truly know Zhen's thoughts. When the Crown Prince's health improves, let him host the Spring Banquet."
The First Prince's faction and the Third Prince's faction had acted too recklessly, forgetting that he was watching them from above. In that case, don't blame him for using this opportunity to give them a good lesson.
Hearing the emperor's words, Anhai smiled ingratiatingly, but inwardly he was considering how to treat the Crown Prince in the future. His Majesty's actions clearly showed he was supporting the Crown Prince.
At this time, You Yusui, who was heading to the hot spring villa with Huo Xiling, didn't yet know that although he had escaped investigating the case, he hadn't escaped hosting the Spring Banquet.
Meanwhile, the Third Prince, who had been sent back to the palace and subjected to double doses of drugs, finally slowly awakened under the imperial physician's acupuncture. As soon as Third Prince You Yushan opened his eyes, he saw Consort Xian with her red, swollen eyes from crying approaching him, grasping his hand and saying, "My son, do you know who framed you?"
You Yushan only felt his head aching terribly and wasn't clear about what had happened.
Seeing this, Consort Xian dismissed the palace servants and then carefully recounted what had happened at the Spring Banquet. Consort Xian's expression was sinister as she said, "I don't know who drugged you unconscious and sent you to the Crown Prince's room, causing you to have intimate relations with that Su family woman."
"What?" You Yushan, rubbing his temples, was shocked.
"Your Father Emperor also wants you to marry that Su family woman as your primary consort," Consort Xian said through gritted teeth.
Previously, Consort Xian had hoped her son would marry the Eldest Princess's daughter and her own niece, which would bind their interests more tightly and ensure everyone would fully support You Yushan's rise to power. Now that the Third Prince had to marry the Su family woman, who had the closest ties to the First Prince, this was equivalent to the Third Prince losing his wife's family support.
The thought of having a Su family woman as a daughter-in-law made Consort Xian's teeth itch with hatred.
"Was this the Crown Prince's doing?" The Third Prince quickly targeted the Crown Prince as the culprit. Originally, this Su family woman had been prepared for the Crown Prince, and he had appeared in the Crown Prince's room lying with the Su family woman—the person who had knocked him unconscious was most likely the Crown Prince's man.
However, Consort Xian considered for a moment and quickly said, "No, since things have come to this, we must maximize the benefit of this matter for us."
Consort Xian stared into You Yushan's eyes and said, "Shan'er, remember this: the person who plotted against you and the Su family woman was the First Prince. In the future, when the Su family woman marries you, you must respect her, love her, and protect her."
"I can't do it," You Yushan said, his face full of resistance.
Upon hearing this, Consort Xian gripped You Yushan's shoulders forcefully and said, "You must do it!"
"Whether we can drive a wedge between the Su family and the First Prince depends on this step."
So this matter must be the First Prince's doing—even if it wasn't the First Prince's doing, it was the First Prince's doing. When the time came, how would the Su family feel knowing that the First Prince had ruined their daughter's reputation? Comparing that with their attitude toward the Su family woman, even if they couldn't win the Su family over, they would at least make the Su family distance themselves from the First Prince.
You Yushan looked at Consort Xian and quickly understood the implications, then nodded, "I understand, Mother Consort. I will let everyone know that Su Yingying is the woman I treasure most."
At this, Consort Xian revealed a satisfied smile, then called her palace servant and said, "Take out the set of jewelry I loved most in my youth from my treasury and send it to the Su family. Tell Miss Su to await her marriage in peace. If there are any rumors, I'll have their tongues cut out."
The jewelry Consort Xian loved most in her youth was a set of ruby jewelry, thirteen pieces in total. When worn together on the head, they were magnificent and made the wearer look radiant and beautiful. Sending this set of jewelry to the Su family woman now precisely expressed her regard for the Su family woman.
At the same time, Consort Xian instructed her confidants to send a letter to the Li family, telling them to handle the traces of their abduction of the Su family woman at the Spring Banquet. As for Li Yuan, who had exposed the most, Consort Xian wanted nothing more than to beat him to death directly.
Compared to the wronged Su family, the Li family members were worried sick. Until His Majesty issued a decree, they didn't know how to handle Li Xiyue for even a single day. Moreover, that useless Li Yuan had also exposed the Li family's plot against the Crown Prince and the Su family woman.
After Li Tingwei read his daughter's personal letter, he knew in his heart that no matter what, this matter had to be pinned on the First Prince. After pondering for a moment, Li Tingwei summoned Li Yuan.
At this time, Li Yuan was aching all over. His ribs and tailbone were already broken, and after scuffling with the First Prince, he was now summoned by Li Tingwei, feeling like his entire body was falling apart.
Li Tingwei looked at his third brother's incompetent son and only instructed him on one thing. "If anyone asks who told you that someone was plotting against the Crown Prince and the Su family woman, you say it was someone from the First Prince's entourage who told you, using the grudge between you and the Crown Prince to make you the scapegoat to expose this scene, not knowing they were framing the Third Prince."
"Do you remember?" Li Tingwei said sternly.
"I-I remember," Li Yuan replied submissively.
Li Tingwei made Li Yuan repeat it several times, and only after seeing that his expression was natural and his words fluent did he let him go.
Subsequently, Li Tingwei sent people to clean up any possible traces left behind.
Finally, they could only pray that Xie Dan, that fox, wouldn't discover any clues.
At this time, the Su family had passed their most shocked and angry moment. Madam Su kept comforting her daughter, and after Prime Minister Su returned from the palace, he reported that His Majesty had ordered Xie Dan to investigate the case and would also grant a marriage between the Third Prince and his granddaughter.
Upon hearing this, Madam Su couldn't help but cry, "Being a daughter-in-law of the imperial family is not easy at all. How can my poor Yingying endure such grievances?"
The Third Prince's mother was Consort Xian, and Consort Xian's maternal family had always been at odds with the Su family. How could her daughter have a good life marrying the Third Prince?
But if Yingying didn't marry the Third Prince, whom else could she marry?
Just then, Consort Xian's gift arrived at the Su household. The extremely valuable gift was displayed before the Su family, showing everyone Consort Xian's regard for the Su family woman.
"Consort says that from now on we'll be in-laws, and she will naturally treat Miss Su as her own daughter," Consort Xian's palace servant said. "This gift is to help Miss Su recover from her shock first. The betrothal gifts will be personally arranged by the consort later—everyone can rest assured."
Afterward, the palace servant said a few more comforting words to Madam Su, refused any reward money, only drank a cup of tea , and then left.
"What does Consort Xian mean by this?" Su Zhou, Prime Minister Su's son, asked.
Prime Minister Su pondered for a moment and said, "At least Yingying won't suffer after marrying into the family."
Even if Consort Xian was putting on an act, she had to make it convincing enough.
In Jujiu Palace, the Imperial Noble Consort nearly fainted upon hearing that her son had gotten involved with a Li family woman and was pregnant before marriage. When she further heard that her niece had been caught lying naked with the Third Prince and must marry the Third Prince, the Imperial Noble Consort completely lost her footing and fell into the arms of her attending maid.
"It must be Consort Xian!" the Imperial Noble Consort said through gritted teeth.
Only Consort Xian could do such things. So the Imperial Noble Consort stood up and said, "I must see His Majesty! I must see His Majesty!"
After speaking, the Imperial Noble Consort was about to walk out of the palace, but her palace servants quickly stopped her, saying, "Imperial Noble Consort, your house arrest hasn't been lifted yet!"
"Let go of me! I must see His Majesty!"
For a moment, Jujiu Palace was in complete chaos.
The palace, the Su family—all were in disarray, while You Yusui had already taken Huo Xiling in a luxurious carriage to the hot spring villa in the suburbs.
This hot spring villa was left to him by his mother, with exquisite and elegant courtyards, most suitable for recuperating from illness. In previous winters, You Yusui would also leave the palace to stay here for a few days.
The carriage stopped, and Huo Xiling carried You Yusui, who was covered with fox fur, out of the carriage. Eunuch Fubao, who had arrived early to clean up the hot spring villa, was already waiting at the door.
"Your Highness, this servant has already tidied up the side chambers and prepared all the washing supplies. The kitchen has also prepared the meals. Would Your Highness like to dine first or bathe in the hot springs first?" Eunuch Fubao said with a beaming smile.
Previously, when the Crown Prince left the palace, those were his happiest times. Now with Attendant Huo accompanying him, he would surely be even happier.
You Yusui thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the hot springs first."
"Also prepare some light fruit wine and fruits to bring over," You Yusui added.
After speaking, You Yusui kicked Huo Xiling's leg with his small foot and said, "Carry me to the hot springs."
The hot spring villa's hot spring was an outdoor hot spring, partitioned with bamboo, with peach trees planted all around the banks, blooming with peach blossoms. When the petals fell, it was breathtakingly beautiful.
You Yusui dismissed the palace servants around him, leaving only Huo Xiling. He stood barefoot on the bank, looking at Huo Xiling and said, "What are you standing there for? Come help me undress."
Upon hearing this, Huo Xiling's ears immediately turned red. To hide his embarrassment, he could only lower his head to untie You Yusui's clothing.
However, unexpectedly, the more flustered he became in his heart, the clumsier his hands became. The perfectly good clothing ties were tied into dead knots by him.
Just then, a hand pressed on his hand, while another gently lifted his chin. He saw the Crown Prince smiling and saying, "Why is my Xiling so clumsy?"