Chapter 221, "Palace Secrets"

After resolving the matter in Pukou, Xu, the young master, naturally skipped class again. Since he hadn't clocked in early, he might as well skip the whole day. He didn't expect to rely on Mr. Zhu's salary anyway.
Returning to the palace with a relaxed yet heavy heart, Xu Qin made up his mind to have a good discussion with his princess wife on this matter. After all, he was really concerned about Meng Qian's words at the end, and he also needed to know the reasons behind it. Otherwise, being clueless like this, he had no idea what unexpected developments would occur in the future.
Back in the small courtyard, Zhu Yunqing welcomed him as usual and took off his outer cloak for him.
"I've told you not to do this."
Xu Qin always felt a bit strange about her being so polite. Though it's a beautiful gesture to treat guests with utmost respect, he couldn't help but feel something was off if he were to experience it himself.
“My husband is busy with official duties, and I can't be of much help. All I can do is fulfill my duties.” Zhu Yun spoke without revealing anything, not even hesitating for a moment. However, Xu Qin still sensed that there seemed to be some other meaning behind her words.
"Hehe, Princess, are you complaining? Because there are too many trivial matters at home? I heard that your mother placed half of the accounting affairs in your hands, feeling tired, huh?"
This is not just a wild claim by Xu Qin. Although the Xu family may not be considered a prestigious lineage, their assets are certainly not insignificant. Even if they were to take out 400,000 taels of silver, it wouldn't even make a dent. Not to mention their luxurious mansions like the "Hate Manor" and "Tai Bai Building," which are top-notch properties, which further proves this point. At least Xu Dashao currently has no interest in money whatsoever.
However, it is definitely a headache for Zhu Yunqing to suddenly take over such a large industry, even if it's just looking at the financial statements. What surprises Xu Qinqi is that every time she returns home, this wife of hers is either reading a storybook or accompanying her mother, completely unlike the image of a female powerhouse managing a huge business.
"I don't feel tired, although the family business is large, my mother has managed it well and the team underneath is competent, so it doesn't require much effort, actually." Zhu Yunqing said lightly with a relaxed smile.
"Our Princess is so clever!" the lively Qing Luan interjected, waving her hands and feet as she spoke.
"Every day, the documents that are sent are so numerous, but Her Highness can read and handle them in just one hour! Not only that, but the Duchess also often praises Her Highness for her intelligence and efficient handling, which is why..."
"Alright, you talk too much!" Zhu Yun interrupted the chattering little girl, then turned to continue speaking to Xu Qin.
"I'm not tired, it's my duty to help Mother Lady with some of the burden... However, since I have only been here for a short time and my identity is special, it may not sound good if it spreads..."
朱云轻一边轻轻说着，一边回到了锦榻的另一边坐下。
而徐钦一听，也就明白了她的意思。她这是忌讳人言可畏，虽然以目前家里的情况，自不会出那种小说里，豪门大户深宅内斗的狗血戏码，不过一旦传出去了，别人怎么说就不好说了。
Everyone knows that Zhu Yunqing, as the granddaughter of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, is the apple of his eye. Despite this, she is still marrying into another family. If others were to find out that within a few months of entering the family, she has taken control of most of the Xu family's assets, it's not hard to imagine the nasty rumors that would circulate.
"I will find time to talk to my mother about this matter, but if you don't mind the trouble, I actually have a solution. You can return the documents you have processed to my mother, and after she has reviewed them, send them out in her name. This way, it can avoid many troubles."
徐钦的这个主意，其实算不上有多高明，甚至其实就是学的原本明朝之后历代皇帝偷懒的法子。但这个法子用在这里，却也非常之巧妙，既可以让朱云轻放手去做，又避免了可能出现的流言蜚语，甚至说不得还能让国公夫人心里高兴。
Anyway, as soon as Zhu Yunqing heard it, her eyes lit up. This is probably one of the things she admires most about Xu Qin - all kinds of imaginative ideas emerge one after another, and they are often simple, feasible, and have amazing effects.
"Well, it's up to my husband to arrange."
"By the way, there is one more important matter here that I need to consult with my lady carefully." With that, Xu Qin glanced up and gave two maids a meaningful look.
Although Cai Lian is usually a bit foolish, she has received professional training and has been following Xu Qin for a long time. Just by this look, she understood his meaning. She quickly pulled Qing Luan and the two of them pretended to go out. Before leaving, they also glanced around outside the door to make sure there were no other servants nearby. Only then did they go far away.
"What's this?" Zhu Yunqing also came out from the palace, and her rank was not low. Naturally, she understood that he had something important to tell her. She just didn't understand what Xu Qin wanted to say. However, she was obviously a little nervous and almost instinctively picked up the paper notes from the small table in the middle of the brocade couch.
Xu Qin carefully considered it again and organized his language before speaking slowly.
"Originally, there were some things that Madam didn't want to mention, and I shouldn't have asked. But now the situation is becoming more and more complicated, and it also involves more and more people, so..."
“无妨，妾身并没有什么不可以告诉夫君的，但有所问，一定知无不言。”
“嗯，娘子也知道前几日，为夫遭到刺杀的事。虽然起因很大程度上，基本可以确定是与我追查张逆的案子有关，但其实我推测，动手的，其实并非是张逆手下的拜火教余孽。”

Zhu Yunqing frowned slightly when she heard this, but she didn't ask anything. Given her level of intelligence, it was easy for her to understand the logic behind it.
"Later, the Embroidered Uniform Guard received a secret report and then launched a major operation last night, capturing a group of assassins and their associates, including several key figures. Afterwards, through overnight interrogations by the Embroidered Uniform Guard, they obtained a shocking piece of information from their mouths: the mastermind behind this group of assassins is actually the Crown Prince!" Xu Qin said this in a lowered voice.

After hearing this news, Zhu Yunqing's face showed a rare expression of shock, and even the notebook she was holding subconsciously fell to the ground.
"Let's talk privately about this matter, which makes sense in a larger context: the Crown Prince is the heir, so it is only natural for him to inherit the throne if something happens to His Majesty. Therefore, the people under the Crown Prince may have some tacit agreement with Zhang Ni, who intends to assassinate His Majesty. Directly assassinating the Emperor carries too much risk and low chances of success. Moreover, regardless of success or failure, it will definitely be thoroughly investigated. However, if only I am killed, the danger is much smaller, and even if it is not deeply investigated, it will naturally be attributed to Zhang Ni. They would be happy to distance themselves from the incident."
Xu Qin whispered, and Zhu Yunqing nodded beside her, apparently understanding the severity of the situation.
"But here's another problem. From what I know about His Royal Highness, he probably doesn't have the guts to do this. And according to the confession of the culprit, such a big matter was concealed from His Royal Highness beforehand! And doing so is too radical. Leaving aside other aspects, after the two of us get married, no matter what we think, we are still considered part of His Royal Highness' camp, and we can also be seen as the pieces laid out personally by His Royal Highness. I really can't imagine how audacious and daring someone must be under His Royal Highness' command, and why they would have such a deep hatred towards me, to the point of daring to act against me, the brother-in-law of His Royal Highness, behind his back. One of the culprits captured last night knows something but refuses to speak. He also told me that you definitely know something."
After Xu Qin finished speaking in one breath, Zhu Yunqing had completely calmed down from the initial shock. Although there was still a slight frown on her face, her overall expression had returned to normal, except for not having the mood to pick up the script on the ground for now.
"Those prisoners, Lord Husband wouldn't keep them, right?!" However, the first words Zhu Yun spoke were not to answer Xu Qin's question.
"Madam, rest assured, there are no prisoners anymore...and the most important confession, only I and Han Dong have heard it." Xu Qin naturally knew what she was worried about.
"That's good... As for the reasons behind this, I do know... I didn't mention it to Lord Husband before, it's my fault..."
"No..."
"Lord Husband, are you not listening?" In response to her own husband's interjection, Princess Jun gave him a coquettish glance, causing him to swallow the rest of his words. Xu Dashao quickly raised his hand in a gesture of surrender, and then Zhu Yunqing continued speaking."
“Although this matter can't be considered as a palace scandal, it's still not good. However! That woman actually dared to make a move on my husband. This matter is not over!” Zhu Yunqing said this, and her face, which had become softer during this period of time after getting married, suddenly became exceptionally fierce. However, the princess remembered instantly that she was currently alone with her husband, so she quickly retracted all the sharpness and made it disappear.
This super extraordinary skill of changing faces made Xu Dashao couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
"In fact, although the Eastern Palace is small, the corruption there is even worse than in the harem... This current Crown Princess is not a harmless and good person. On the contrary, she is as cunning as a snake. If there's someone who can bypass Zhu Yunwen and manipulate his subordinates without caring about Zhu Yunwen's thoughts, and wants to put you in a dead end, it should be her intention..."
So Zhu Yunqing slowly revealed the secrets of the Eastern Palace to Xu Qin.
In fact, the situation is very simple, nothing more than a real palace struggle: the current "Crown Princess" Lv Shi, the stepmother of the former Crown Prince Zhu Biao, and the mother of the Crown Prince Zhu Yunjuan, although she appears virtuous and virtuous on the surface, especially in front of Zhu Yuanzhang, she pretends to be someone she is not. However, in reality, she is cunning and malicious, and she resents the children left behind by the original Crown Princess Chang Shi to the core.
In the eleventh year of the Hongwu reign, Empress Ma gave birth to Zhu Biao, the legitimate second son of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang. However, she died due to postpartum hemorrhage, leaving behind a three-year-old Zhu Yunqing and an infant Zhu Yunteng. At that time, Zhu Yunqing's elder brother, Zhu Xiongying, the legitimate eldest grandson of Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang, was still alive. Although the three children were officially entrusted to Empress Ma for nurturing, they often resided in the Eastern Palace. Then, the common wicked stepmother plotline occurred.
Although Lu acted cautiously, Zhu Yunqing, one of the parties involved and exceptionally clever, remembered every detail of the events from that year clearly. She even revealed another enormous secret to Xu Qin: the death of Zhu Yuanzhang's legitimate grandson, Zhu Xiongying, is likely also related to the Crown Princess!
As Zhu Yunqing grew up, the struggle between him and Concubine Lu became more intense. One was young and innocent, while the other was cunning and malicious. Surprisingly, they fought on equal footing. Over time, although people in the palace didn't know all the details, the fact that "the Crown Princess and the Princess of Jiangdu didn't get along" was known by many.
Even Zhu Yuanzhang specifically arranged for the two women to be placed in separate courtyards in the Ciqing Palace, the farthest distance apart, in order to minimize the conflict between these "mother and daughter".