With Xirong and Yulin at war, the Fourth Prince is secretly corresponding with Xirong at this very moment.
What could this possibly indicate?
This is collusion with the enemy state!
Even Qingzhu and Lianju clenched their fists.
Ji Zizhao coldly watched Tao Hua, curled up on the ground, "If you lied to me, you would be better off dead."
Tao Hua was in so much pain that she whimpered, "You're practically killing me, why would I lie to you?"
Ji Zizhao lowered her voice again, "What did the letter say?"
Tao Hua did not reply.
Although the Fourth Prince's manor appeared loosely guarded, the Fourth Prince's chambers were exceptionally heavily protected.
Tang Di was in the open, and Huo Nian Gong was in the shadows, making it impossible for even a fly to get in.
Tao Hua only managed to see the secret correspondence from Xirong by chance, noticing a letter attached to the leg of a homing pigeon.
The way letters were folded varied subtly between countries, making them unrecognizable to ordinary people. Only assassins who roamed between countries could discern the differences.
If Tao Hua had truly answered what was written in the letter, Ji Zizhao would have been relieved.
For with the Fourth Prince's cunning, he would never have exposed such a significant vulnerability.
Therefore, either the Fourth Prince did it intentionally, or Tao Hua was lying.
However, Tao Hua's current silence made Ji Zizhao believe her.
"Xirong has occupied Tonglin and refused to withdraw, clearly forcing Yulin into direct confrontation. At this time, the Fourth Prince is also desperately trying to send the Seventh Prince to the battlefield. Does the Fourth Prince presume the Seventh Prince will never return?" Qingzhu had always helped her mistress secretly communicate with the Fourth Prince and knew everything.
Lianju added, "Empress Dowager only has the Fourth Prince and the Seventh Prince. Once the Seventh Prince dies in battle, the Fourth Prince will be the Empress Dowager's only son by her side. The princes in the palace are now adults with their own minds; the Empress Dowager would never consider adopting another child."
This meant that if the Seventh Prince truly died far away, the Empress Dowager, even to preserve her own position, would push the Fourth Prince forward to contend for the throne with the other princes.
Although, no matter which prince became the new emperor, as long as the Empress Dowager remained in her position, she would naturally become the Empress Dowager. However, another's son was still another's; only one's own son could truly ensure a comfortable old age.
"This is all just speculation for now. Do not mention it again in the future." Ji Zizhao extinguished the incense burner in the room, instructing Qingzhu and Lianju to escort Tao Hua out.
The last bit of drowsiness vanished, and Ji Zizhao rose and walked to the window, watching the slowly rising sun.
Her fingers, gripping the window frame, turned white from the exertion, indicating her inner turmoil.
If the Fourth Prince were truly colluding with the enemy and betraying the country, he had hidden it too well.
Even she had been deceived by him.
In reality, Ji Zizhao simply wanted to protect the Ji family.
Therefore, whether the Seventh Prince or the Fourth Prince ascended the throne was of no consequence to Ji Zizhao.
Yet, inexplicably, Ji Zizhao felt a strong sense of unease.
She even couldn't believe from the bottom of her heart that the Fourth Prince would be the kind of person who would stop at nothing to ascend the throne.
However, with the Fourth Prince's depth of scheming, if he truly intended to seize power, perhaps no one in the world could stand in his way.
Unknowingly, the sky had brightened considerably.
Ji Zizhao also had to dress, wash, and prepare to go to the palace for her duty.
Upon entering the palace, she saw a physician carrying a medicine chest hurrying towards the main hall.
After a careful inquiry, she learned that the court today had been incredibly turbulent, bordering on chaotic.
Emperor Xiaochang, believing his least promising son had recently shown some spirit, suggested that the Seventh Prince accompany the old General Zhong, who was in need of a deputy.
This declaration shocked the entire court.
The ministers loyal to the Fifth Prince nearly spat out a mouthful of old blood.
They were still secretly plotting and strategizing, only to find that the Seventh Prince had beaten them to it?
How absurd!
Fortunately, the Seventh Prince's reputation was already infamous. The ministers supporting the Fifth Prince immediately voiced their objections, arguing their points eloquently.
Initially, the journey to Tonglin was something everyone avoided.
But now, with the Fifth Prince's faction taking the lead, everyone felt that the Seventh Prince's involvement was too unreliable.
The Seventh Prince had achieved merit in Luoyi, but how could Tonglin compare to Luoyi now?
What could a person like the Seventh Prince, who ignored state affairs and knew nothing of military strategy, accomplish in Tonglin other than becoming cannon fodder?
Emperor Xiaochang's initial impulse to let his son gain experience began to waver under the relentless pleas of his ministers.
After all, war was no child's play. If a mistake occurred, losing face for the royal family was minor; losing cities for Yulin would be significant.
Seeing the Emperor waver, the Fifth Prince's faction redoubled their efforts to oppose the proposal.
The Vice Minister of Justice, to demonstrate his resolute opposition, immediately collapsed onto the floor of the court.
Finally, the matter was dropped after the physician carried the unconscious official away.
Consort Xi, upon hearing this, quickly summoned the Fifth Prince to the palace.
Unexpectedly, as mother and son were busy discussing countermeasures, they heard that the Seventh Prince was entering the palace to see the Emperor. When the Seventh Prince emerged from the imperial study, the Emperor had already issued a decree appointing the Seventh Prince as a deputy general to immediately depart for Tonglin with the old General Zhong.
The reason was simple: the Seventh Prince directly presented 1.05 million taels of silver notes to the Emperor.
Having money provided him with confidence. The Seventh Prince had single-handedly raised the military funds for the court, leaving others with no choice but to shut their mouths.
It was rumored that before leaving the palace, the Seventh Prince specifically visited the Imperial Hospital to "comfort" the Vice Minister of Justice.
He clapped the Vice Minister of Justice on the shoulder and earnestly offered advice, "I heard you were practically dying in court to prevent me from going to Tonglin? Actually, there's no need to work so hard. Truly, if you can find a way to raise the remaining military funds, I will immediately return to my manor. However, considering that you, Vice Minister of Justice, earn only 130 taels and 130 hu of grain per year, it would take you at least ten years of not eating or drinking to accumulate that much, right?"
The Vice Minister of Justice, who had only just recovered some strength at the Imperial Hospital, fainted again, his eyes rolling back.
Seeing the Vice Minister of Justice infuriated to the point of fainting, no minister in the court dared to oppose further.
Consort Xi: "..."
That damnable Seventh Prince, always finding loopholes!
Fifth Prince: "..."
What was going on with the 1.05 million taels?
Princes who were not enfeoffed as kings were all paupers.
Without even fiefs, who didn't live solely on their monthly stipends?
Seeing the Seventh Prince suddenly produce millions in silver, it made the other princes resentful, even if they didn't want to be.
However, just as the other princes were pondering the source of the Seventh Prince's wealth, Xie Jingzhou, upon returning to his manor, was so enraged that he kicked a hole in his own door.
The Seventh Prince and the Fourth Prince had always been close, and now the Fourth Prince was involved with Ji Zizhao in an unclear manner...
Given all this, if Xie Jingzhou still couldn't figure it out, he'd be a fool.
Setting aside the origin of that million, he was certain that five thousand had been taken from his own pocket!
And he had handed it over willingly!!
The thought of spending money to let the Seventh Prince steal the spotlight made Xie Jingzhou feel like he could vomit two pounds of blood.
Ji Zizhao...
JI! ZI! ZHAO!!
"Luohong."
"Your Highness."
"Send people to secretly investigate the Four Great Medical Halls immediately. Do not hesitate to spend whatever it takes. The more thorough the investigation, the better." The money he produced was clearly to help Ji Renran treat Ji Zongyou, so how did it end up in Ji Zizhao's hands? If he said Ji Zizhao had no connection to the Four Great Medical Halls, he absolutely wouldn't believe it.