Chapter 338 Xiaoya's Hint

No matter what the Crown Princess's purpose was today, it didn't matter. They were already on the same boat and could only work together. There was no way out.

When they arrived at the Crown Prince's Mansion and were about to get off the carriage, the Crown Princess whispered, "Be careful of the Yongning Marquis' Mansion and Zhao Liuli."

Ye Jiayao was a little confused, but she could understand being careful of Zhao Liuli. Liuli was now very close to Lin, the concubine of Prince Yu. To Liuli, the Crown Prince and Prince Yu were both her cousins, and there was no distinction between close and distant relatives. However, everyone thought that she was the Queen Mother's favorite granddaughter, and since the Queen Mother stood on the side of the Crown Prince, it was natural that Liuli would also support the Crown Prince.

Actually, it was not the case. In the palace, besides the Queen Mother, there were many people who had a problem with Liuli. For example, the Queen was only being nice to Liuli to show off to the Queen Mother. The Queen's biological daughter, Princess Jinghe, had to marry Simon because of Liuli. It was rare for her to see her again in this life. If it were her, she would also hate Liuli.

In addition, Liuli has no sense of right and wrong and her stance is unstable. At this time, she is likely to side with whoever tries to win her over.

The problem is that Liuli has nothing worth winning over, so no one on the prince's side, from top to bottom, shows any special friendliness or closeness to Liuli. However, this person is of little use, but has destructive power. A small rat shit can spoil the whole pot of porridge, so it is a headache.

As for the Yongning Marquis's Mansion, Ye Jiayao didn't quite understand it. Yongning Marquis and Jing'an Marquis were the two most powerful men in the Song Dynasty. Their political stance seemed clear and they were only loyal to the emperor, but in fact, it was unclear and no one could guess. The Crown Princess would not say this for no reason. Could it be that Yongning Marquis had made some action to reveal his true feelings? Did he stand on the side of Prince Yu? If so, Zhao Qixuan helped to act out the assassination and rescue drama this time, which would ruin Yongning Marquis's business? Didn't Zhao Qixuan know his father's attitude?
In an instant, many thoughts popped up in her mind, and when she came to her senses, the Crown Princess had already entered the palace.

Ye Jiayao felt like a stone was pressing down on her heart, making it hard for her to breathe. The situation was changing rapidly, and I was afraid that everyone would have to face the problem of choosing and being chosen.

After getting on their own carriage, Qiao Xi took the cloak and covered her legs.

"Second Young Madam, Xiaoya and I were standing together earlier, and Xiaoya told me something." Qiao Xi said.

Ye Jiayao asked absentmindedly, "What's the matter?"

"I didn't say anything specific. Xiaoya just asked me to tell you that the Third Young Madam has been getting close to some people who run restaurants recently."

Ye Jiayao's heart trembled: "What did you say?"

Qiao Xi repeated Xiaoya's words again.

There was another flash of light in Ye Jiayao's mind, and then she had an epiphany, as if the clouds had cleared and the moon had appeared. So that's it.

Xiaoya specifically asked Qiao Xi to pass on this news, not out of nowhere, but to hint to her that Liuli had extended his hand to her career field.

No wonder Zheng Sanduo and others were against her at the Chamber of Commerce meeting that day, intending to instigate dissatisfaction among the people towards her, thereby weakening her influence in the Chamber of Commerce. Shopkeeper Mei even brought up her and Lu Xiaotian. No one outside knew about the fake letter incident last time except her family. She was almost certain that the so-called close people were Zheng Sanduo and others.

However, were the riots at the food festival and the fire at the training class also caused by this group of people? Or was it Liuli who instructed them?

Ye Jiayao's face turned pale and she was extremely angry. She couldn't help but want to swear... Zhao Liuli, you are a bitch.

You're so conspiring and plotting again and again, are you ever going to stop?

If she were to find out that Zhao Liuli was behind all this, she would never forgive her. Chunfeng was already extremely disappointed with Liuli and was struggling to maintain their marriage. She didn't need to worry about Chunfeng's feelings. Perhaps, she could help Chunfeng get out of this situation. The Queen Mother was gone, so who could protect her? Prince Yu? Haha, Prince Yu wasn't that capable yet.

In short, she will no longer be merciful and will treat her enemies as ruthlessly as autumn wind sweeps away fallen leaves.

When they returned to the Marquis' Mansion, the doorman reported that Zhong Xiang had arrived and had been waiting for her at Uncle Jiang's place for several hours.

Although Ye Jiayao was already physically and mentally exhausted, she knew that Zhong Xiang must have something to ask her, so she had to cheer herself up and ask Zhong Xiang to come and see her.

Jiang Yue came together, and the two of them standing together looked like a perfect match.

Alas, if the Queen Mother had not passed away suddenly, the two would have been engaged by the end of the year. Now they can only postpone it, at least until after the national mourning. The ancient funeral system was particularly strict. She only learned about it today. During the national mourning period, people were not allowed to get married, and the whole country was in mourning.

"Second Young Madam, the imperial court has issued a ban today. During the period of national mourning, no banquets or entertainment are allowed. Starting from this afternoon, Tianshangju and the dessert shop have no customers. The cake shop is also very slow in business. It is estimated that it will be the same in the future. Therefore, my brothers asked me to ask for instructions."

Zhong Xiang said. Ye Jiayao pondered and said, "This can't be helped. It's the same for everyone. Go back and make some arrangements. Tianshangju and Dessert House will close first until the government lifts the ban. Tell the guests that the coupons they have are still valid until the ban is lifted."

This was caused by force majeure, and she will not let the guests suffer losses or deny her responsibility.

"As for the pastry shop, we should keep it open for now and make as many as we can. Also, ask your brothers what they think. If everyone wants to go home and rest now, let them go back. I will pay their wages and year-end bonuses in advance. But I have an idea. It's rare that everyone has such a long vacation now, so you can use it to improve your cooking skills. You, Wang Mingde, will be responsible for teaching, and I will also participate. During this period, you will be paid. You and Wang Mingde will work harder, so I will calculate your wages separately." Ye Jiayao said.

Zhong Xiang's eyes lit up: "I think this is great. I can learn cooking skills and get paid. Who wouldn't want to do this? No one wants to go back."

Jiang Yue said: "If the pastry shop is also very idle, then I will also come to teach and train a few apprentices to make pastries."

"Then let's decide it. You guys go make the arrangements and come up with a set of rules. I'm afraid I won't be free these few days and won't be able to take care of it." Ye Jiayao felt powerless when she thought of the horrific funeral.

"Okay, I'll go back and arrange it right away."

"By the way, you must also pay attention to safety during the closure period. I'm afraid that the recent series of events are aimed at our Tianshangju. You should arrange for people to be on duty every day to do a good job of fire prevention and theft prevention, and don't let the villains take advantage of you." Ye Jiayao remembered Xiaoya's hint and had to be cautious.

Zhong Xiang's face changed slightly, and he said hesitantly: "These past few days, some gangsters have been hanging around Tianshangju."

Ye Jiayao's heart skipped a beat, and she said with a sullen expression, "Then we have to keep an even closer eye on them. Tell all the brothers to be alert. If they cause trouble, we must catch them."

Zhong Xiang agreed. If Tianshangju was also set on fire, the loss would be heavy. Since it concerned everyone's jobs, it was naturally his duty and he had to be extremely cautious.

Poor Jiu Ye had made all the painstaking arrangements, but Ye Jiayao was unaware of it and mistakenly thought those thugs who came to defend Tianshangju were people who came to cause trouble.

After the two left, Ye Jiayao washed up and went to bed. She was almost exhausted today. At this time, she really wished that Youshi or Chunyu could be here. It was not easy to be the mistress of the Marquis's mansion. Not only did she have to take care of the housework, but she also had to deal with so many things. Unfortunately, even if Youshi rushed back as quickly as possible, it would take at least a month. Chunyu was in an unknown place and there was no letter from him recently.

As she was thinking, Ye Jiayao fell asleep in a daze.

At 9 am, Ye Jiayao was woken up. She got up, combed her hair and washed her face, put on mourning clothes and went back to the palace.

Everyone arrives early and no one dares to be late at this time. If you sleep in, you might be accused of a crime that you cannot afford.

However, the old ancestor did not come. I heard that he was ill and collapsed when he returned yesterday. Ye Jiayao was very worried. A mountain had already collapsed. If something happened to the old ancestor again, it would be a disaster.

Yi De was also very nervous, but he couldn't leave, so he had to send people around him to bring the imperial physician back to take care of the ancestor.

With yesterday's experience, Ye Jiayao didn't dare to cry hard today, and she cried intermittently to save her energy. After the men cried, the women took turns to cry. The whole palace was filled with a sad atmosphere, which made it even colder.

During the break, Ye Jiayao observed that Concubine Shu had not appeared. Was she still under house arrest? She didn't even give the Queen Mother a chance to pay her respects?
Princess Yide whispered, "The Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree before her death, not allowing Concubine Shu to come to the funeral."

Uh... Ye Jiayao was stunned. The Queen Mother put such a shackle on Shu Guifei before she died. It was really cruel. Not allowing the Queen Mother to mourn was equivalent to not recognizing her as a concubine, and it would make everyone think that Shu Guifei really did something treasonous and unacceptable to the Queen Mother. The blow to Shu Guifei was not light. Even if Shu Guifei turned over in the future, this incident would become a lifelong stain on her and it would be difficult to wash away.

So, the fighting in the palace may not involve the flashing of swords and sabers, but it is bloody and chilling.

“Not only that, the Queen Mother originally forbade Prince Yu to wear mourning clothes, but the Emperor still allowed Prince Yu to come. This matter has to be publicized.” Princess Yi De continued, her voice so low that only Ye Jiayao could hear it.

Ye Jiayao was shocked again. It seemed that the emperor would not give up Prince Yu! He even disobeyed the Queen Mother's dying decree.

However, if you think about it, you can understand the emperor's intention. If Prince Yu cannot wear mourning clothes, it would be a great act of filial piety. The ancients attached great importance to filial piety. Such an unfilial person, with a lack of moral character, would not be able to inherit the throne. It is unknown whether the emperor really values ​​Prince Yu. Maybe the emperor just wants a force that can restrain the prince.

(End of this chapter)