Chapter 340: Stealing a Chicken and Losing the Rice
Ye Jiayao returned to Ninghe Palace. Before she even entered the palace gate, she saw a palace maid approaching her and said anxiously, "Madam Xia, the Crown Princess is looking for you everywhere!"

The Crown Princess heard the news and rushed over. When they met, she asked, "Where have you been? It was so hard for me to find you."

This is not the place to talk, Ye Jiayao gave the Crown Princess a wink, and the Crown Princess understood and took Ye Jiayao directly to the Queen.

Princess Yi De was also there. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Ye Jiayao return safely.

"I heard that someone falsely passed on the Empress's decree to take you away, which scared everyone." Yi De said with lingering fear.

Ye Jiayao calmed herself down and told the story truthfully about what had happened before.

When the three heard this, their faces turned pale.

This plan is so cruel. If the villain succeeds, the reputation of the prince and the Marquis of Jing'an's Mansion will be ruined.

Ye Jiayao comforted everyone: "Fortunately, there was no danger, and it was a blessing in disguise."

The Crown Princess said angrily: "We must find out who is behind this. It's too insidious."

Ye Jiayao said: "Everyone in the world is here for profit, and everyone in the world is here for profit. Isn't it clear who will benefit from overthrowing the prince? But I can't make it public now. The emperor has already believed that it was the prince who summoned me, so it's not appropriate to cause trouble. I believe that the main messenger is the most troubled at this moment."

The Queen pondered and said, "Jinxuan is right. Since the Emperor has already believed it, just think of it as the Crown Prince summoning you. Now is the time when the Emperor is sensitive. We should be quiet and not move. Be patient and let these clowns mess around. Let's all be cautious!"

Yide said worriedly, "I'm afraid we can't guard against it. Today they tried to use Jinxuan to make trouble, but luckily Jinxuan was smart and resolved the crisis. I don't know what they will do next time."

The queen called a maid and said to Ye Jiayao, "Her name is Wanru. If I summon you in the future, I will let Wanru come. Apart from Wanru, you can ignore anyone else's summons."

Ye Jiayao memorized Wanru's appearance and nodded in agreement. The queen thought of this and made such an arrangement, which made her feel more at ease. She could not go if other concubines summoned her, but she had to come if the queen summoned her, just like today. Although she had doubts in her heart, she still had to go.

At this time, in Chaohua Palace, Concubine Shu stared at Concubine Mo with a frosty face, and Concubine Mo lowered her head in fear.

"You can't even handle such a small matter. No wonder the fourth brother doesn't catch the emperor's eye." Concubine Shu said coldly and impolitely.

Concubine Mo is the biological mother of the Fourth Prince. Originally, if she had given birth to a prince, her status could have been promoted, but the Queen did not like her and suppressed her. In addition, the Fourth Prince was not liked by the Emperor, so she is still a concubine until now.

Mo Jieyu said aggrievedly: "It's all because the prince and Ye Jinxuan were too cunning. Not only did they make the emperor believe their words, but they also won the emperor's favor."

Concubine Shu became more and more upset. The Empress Dowager, that damn old woman, was already dead, yet she still tried to make things difficult for her. Not only did she not allow her to wear mourning clothes, she even wanted to exclude Prince Yu as well. If it wasn't about her reputation, who would want to wear mourning clothes for a dead old woman like you?

Fortunately, the emperor still remembered the old friendship and did not completely listen to the old woman. Otherwise, Prince Yu would have been criticized and had people point fingers at him. With this stain on his back, he would never be able to compete for the position of crown prince again.

And the last assassination was clearly a frame-up, but unfortunately there was no evidence, and it almost destroyed everything she had worked hard for over the years.

She couldn't swallow this insult no matter what.

I heard that the Crown Princess and Ye Jinxuan rode in the same car last night. It seems that the Jing'an Marquis's Mansion has completely sided with the Crown Prince. She originally wanted to win them over, but now that there is no need, don't blame her for wanting to get rid of them as soon as possible.

Unfortunately, they still managed to resolve the situation. She ended up losing more than she gained, which made Concubine Shu very angry.

"The prince keeps saying that he specially sent Xia Ye there. The fourth brother knows it's a lie, but he can't expose it. If he does, he will be exposed as well." Concubine Mo said depressedly.

"Now, the Queen must know about this. If she asks about it..." Mo Jieyu said worriedly.

"What is there to worry about?" Concubine Shu's eyes were cold. "If she investigates, wouldn't it prove that the prince lied to the emperor? Don't worry, she won't investigate, and she doesn't dare to investigate."

“Whether she investigates or not, the Queen will definitely suspect the Fourth Prince. I’m afraid she will dislike him even more.” Concubine Mo couldn’t help but worry and muttered softly.

Concubine Shu glanced at her and sneered, "She didn't like you and your son in the first place. Don't forget that the Crown Prince almost drowned in the lotus pond because of the fourth son. Although the fourth son was unintentional, she doesn't think so. If the son she is waiting for sits on the throne, there will be no place for you and your son in this world. Fighting back still has a way to survive, but sitting still can only wait for death. What are you afraid of?"

In fact, she had thought this through long ago, otherwise she would not have acted as Shu Guifei's helper. The fighting in the palace has always been cruel, and it is either you die or I live. But when the time comes, she is still a little scared.

"However, we still have to be cautious. If our first move fails, they will definitely be on guard. Let's wait a little longer. There will always be a chance. I don't believe that we can't defeat her." Concubine Shu gritted her teeth in hatred.

Perhaps the Crown Princess's warning worked. Whenever Ye Jiayao saw the wife of the Marquis of Yongning make eye contact or smile at A'ruan, she couldn't help but think more deeply about it.

Originally, Aruan and they were on the same side, but she was pushed to the opposite side. Fortunately, Aruan always took an attitude of not caring about worldly affairs, and the relationship between Prince Yu and her was not far or close. At this stage, Aruan could still stay out of it. When the situation developed to a white-hot level and could not be avoided, what should she do?

She still has so many friends and relatives to discuss things with, but what does A-Ruan have? In Jinling, who else can A-Ruan turn to besides her friend?

Just thinking about it makes me sad for A'ruan.

And Zhao Qixuan, if his position is different from his family, it will be very painful. If he helps the prince, it may harm his family. If he helps Prince Yu, it means he is standing on the opposite side of his friends. Other friends are fine, but what about Su Yi? The Su family is loyal to the Communist Party. Oh! Every family has its own troubles, and everyone has their own troubles.

After finally enduring another day, after leaving the palace, Ye Jiayao endured her fatigue and went to Prince Helian's Mansion to visit her ancestor first.

Xiaojing is not here. He said he was called away by the prince.

Ye Jiayao thought that since the prince was being reused, he would promote talented people regardless of their relationship with him.

The old ancestor was not lying on the bed, but was actually meditating and chanting in the Buddhist hall. Ye Jiayao waited for a while, and only got up after the old ancestor finished chanting the scriptures.

"Jinxuan is here!" The old ancestor walked out tremblingly, and Ye Jiayao hurried forward to support her.

"I heard that you were not feeling well. The princess was concerned about you and asked me to come and see you." Ye Jiayao helped the old ancestor to sit down, took the Lu'an Guapian handed to her by the servant and placed it next to the old ancestor.

The old ancestor smiled and said, "Yide is really something. She knew I was not sick, but she didn't tell you, causing you to rush here."

Ah? Ye Jiayao was stunned. Are you not sick?
The old man sighed and said, "I can't stand the atmosphere there. If I stay any longer, I will get sick even if I'm healthy."

Seeing that she looked unhappy, the old ancestor said, "Look at you, you look so unhappy, you should pay more attention, don't howl so hard, be lazy if you can, you are a smart person, you don't need the old ancestor's advice!"

Ye Jiayao smiled awkwardly: "I've been lazy enough. If I continue to be lazy, I'll be discovered."

The old ancestor invited Ye Jiayao to have dinner. Ye Jiayao thought that she would have to eat alone when she got home, and her sister-in-law was accompanied by her elder brother, so she stayed and asked Qiao Xi to go back and tell her that if anyone wanted to see her, she should ask Qiao Xi and then come back to report.

She wanted to cook something delicious for the old ancestor herself, but the old ancestor didn't allow her to work hard and forced her to lie down in the guest room for a while and call her when dinner was ready.

Ye Jiayao couldn't refuse, and it was too troublesome to go to the guest room, so she just lay down on the couch in the ancestor's room and took a nap.

I vaguely heard Xiaojing coming back and talking to the ancestor.

"The Emperor has handed over all matters concerning the funeral to the Crown Prince. If the matter is handled well, the Crown Prince will receive a lot of praise, which will further highlight his reputation as a filial son."

"Oh? Didn't the Emperor personally ask about this?"

"This is all thanks to Yaoyao. Today, someone wanted to set a trap for the prince and tricked Yaoyao... Haha, they really miscalculated. Is Yaoyao so easy to trick? They lost more than they gained. It's disgusting."

Ye Jiayao was already awake. When she heard Xiao Jing praising her achievements, she closed her eyes and continued to pretend to sleep.

"Oh, it's really difficult for this child. It sounds easy, refreshing and satisfying now, but the situation was so dangerous at that time. One careless move could lead to his disgrace. You go to the palace to find your mother tomorrow and tell her that I told her to send someone to follow Jinxuan all the time. Jinxuan is not familiar with the people and things in the palace, so she will be fooled." said the old ancestor.

"Well, I'll talk to mom tomorrow."

A warm feeling surged in Ye Jiayao's heart. The old ancestor really loved her.

"This time the prince wants you to help him do something. You must do it well, but you must not bring shame to us and the Helian Palace. The prince is kind and filial, and he will be a benevolent monarch in the future. We should not hide anything and should be loyal to the emperor and assist the prince! It's good enough as long as you have a clear conscience." The old ancestor sighed.

"Yes, grandson has made note of it."

"No news from your elder brother yet?"

"Yes, a secret report just arrived today. My eldest brother has already gone to Taiyuan Prefecture and announced to the public that his condition has worsened and he can no longer travel. A report will be sent to Nanjing soon."

The old ancestor pondered and said, "The garrison of Taiyuan Prefecture is your father's old subordinates. It is a wise choice for your brother to go there."

"To be honest, the emperor is too unkind. He treats people very well when he employs them, but wants to get rid of them after the war is over." Xiao Jing was indignant.

The old ancestor scolded him, "You can just say this to me, but don't talk nonsense outside. Be careful of what you say."

Xiao Jing said awkwardly: "I won't tell anyone outside."

The maid came in and reported that dinner was ready.

The old ancestor turned his head and looked into the inner room, saying, "Jinxuan is exhausted. She fell asleep as soon as she touched the pillow. Let's heat up the food and let her sleep for a while."

Xiao Jing said, "Grandpa, why don't you eat first, and I'll eat with Yaoyao later."

"I'm not hungry, let's wait!"

(End of this chapter)