latelenovela Chapter 257 The message sent
Chapter 257 The message sent
Si Muyan nodded. These were things that were easy to find out, but they were not very clear about the personalities of Concubine Xin and His Royal Highness the Third Prince.
At this moment, the doorman came up and reported: "My Lord, Miss, a steward from the Guan family came over and said that the fourth master of the Guan family got a calligraphy and painting and sent it here specially for your appreciation."
"The fourth master of the Guan family sent someone to deliver calligraphy and paintings? Let him in."
Si Xingzhi had previously enjoyed a close relationship with the eldest master of the Guan family, but the fourth master, over ten years older than them, couldn't be considered particularly close. Furthermore, while the Si and Guan families had a good relationship, the two families hadn't interacted much since the Si family returned to Kyoto.
The main reason is that the Si family's situation is special. Si Xingzhi, the idle marquis, dares not get too close to any aristocratic family.
Soon, the Guan family's steward came in and handed over the calligraphy and paintings with a smile.
But what he said was, "This calligraphy and painting is extremely rare. Lord Chang once requested a piece, but it was discovered to be a fake, which was really infuriating. So when Master Si got this one, he was also worried that he might have been deceived, so he hurriedly asked me to send it to the Marquis' Mansion and ask the Marquis to help take a look. Is it an authentic work?"
Si Xingzhi was stunned: "Authentic?"
Si Muyan reacted and realized that Lord Chang was Concubine Xin's great uncle.
She smiled and said, "Since we are going to taste it, it will take some time. Please ask the steward to rest for a while and let my father take a good look."
He then ordered someone to prepare refreshments and asked the steward to sit down.
The steward leaned forward and sat on the spring stool, then smiled and said, "Miss, you are right. The fourth master and I have said that this matter cannot be taken lightly. Please help me take a closer look, my Lord."
Si Muyan sent away most of the servants in the house, leaving only Mother You to serve.
"Speaking of Lord Chang reminds me of Concubine Xin and the Third Prince in the palace. We have just returned to the capital, so we're not very familiar with the situation. Coincidentally, we just received an imperial decree not long ago that my younger brother will enter the palace to serve as a study companion to the Third Prince, and we're a little nervous."
At this point, things are very straightforward. The Guan family manager also knows that everyone in the house is reliable.
But he didn't know that behind Si Muyan, Mother You's heartbeat quickened and she felt dizzy.
She was very excited. Although the eldest lady now valued her, she also knew that it was because the eldest lady had no one useful around her, and there was no real trust in her.
She was the eldest madam sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs to monitor the eldest daughter. She would report any disturbance to the higher authorities.
I think the eldest lady knew about this, so she warned her before.
But not today. Even when the eldest lady was trying to find out the news about Concubine Xin and the Third Prince in the palace, she didn't avoid her. Isn't she afraid that she would report it?
Mother You quickly calmed down. The emperor ordered her to serve the eldest daughter of the Si family well, only saying that if the eldest daughter showed any rebellious intentions, she should report them immediately. Now the eldest daughter was just trying to gather information, especially about where the young master was going. As the eldest sister, her concern was understandable.
She didn't have to report it to her superiors.
The steward took a sip of tea and quickly told the story of the third prince.
The Third Prince was a capricious and overbearing man. When he was little, he only insulted and beat the eunuchs and palace maids, but later he even bullied his tutor and study companions. Concubine Xin kept it a secret, and the Emperor protected him, so the Third Prince was spared from any trouble. Instead, his tutor and study companions were constantly replaced.
It was common for companions to be injured and disabled, or to disappear when the third prince went out.
The most serious incident was said to be when the youngest son of a noble family died in the palace. When he was sent out, he was completely shriveled, his internal organs were all missing, and there was not even a complete corpse.
Si Muyan was stunned when she heard that.
The steward sighed, "This incident caused quite a stir at first, but in the end, all they did was punish the eunuchs and palace maids around the Third Prince. They said one of them took advantage of the Third Prince's youth to commit crimes and harm others. No one knows the truth."
It was almost as if he was saying it out loud that the Third Prince deliberately tortured and killed people.
"After that, when the royal family selects a companion for the Third Prince, the eligible young men from the aristocratic families will all find various excuses to avoid the invitation. If they can't avoid it, they will choose children from the side branches of the family who are more clever and send them over."
Seeing that Si Xingzhi and Si Muyan looked unhappy, the manager spoke again.
"But there's no need to worry too much. The Third Prince was young and ignorant before, but now he's thirteen and understands things. He wouldn't do anything so evil. This time, the child from the Tong family just went crazy and caused trouble, and he almost got himself into trouble with the Third Prince."
Si Muyan knew in her heart that this was just the external statement. The royal family kept the truth a secret and would never release the news.
After he finished speaking, the steward thanked Si Xingzhi again, saying that Si Xingzhi had helped the fourth master a lot, and then he left with the calligraphy and painting.
Si Muyan said, "This old friend of Daddy's is really thoughtful. He came to tell us this at a critical moment."
Si Xingzhi was worried: "Sister, let's follow the example of the noble families and find a way to turn down this study partner position."
"Before, when selecting a tutor, they always looked broadly, without naming any specific person. As long as they could choose someone who was similar, they would be fine." Si Muyan said, "But this time, the emperor personally issued an order, asking me to be the tutor of the third prince. How can I refuse?"
Si Xingzhi slumped in his chair, bewildered, "What should we do then? Should we find a child to replace him?"
"Dad, if I can't go, can others go?"
The younger brother's voice came from outside, and he walked into the room with an indignant look on his face.
"If I'm afraid of danger and refuse to go, but I want to hurt innocent people, how can that be justified? I would never do such a thing."
Si Xingzhi's eyes were red, and he shook his head and said, "You are Daddy's child. How can Daddy bear to let you suffer?"
"My dear brother, Daddy said this because he is sad. Since the Emperor has chosen you, it is impossible for you to be replaced by anyone else." Si Muyan explained.
The younger brother clenched his fist and said, "I know. The emperor's order cannot be disobeyed. I will go."
Si Muyan roughly repeated what the steward had just said before saying, "My dear brother, your situation after entering the palace is completely unknown. You will have to rely on yourself in the future."
The younger brother nodded: "Don't worry, big sister, I will be very careful."
Si Muyan added, "You were specifically designated by the Emperor, so you can't escape. But there's one advantage. Since it was the Emperor who designated you, I think the Third Prince will be more restrained. Moreover, from the perspective of outsiders, our Si family is very favored. The Empress Dowager adopted my mother as her adopted daughter, and the Emperor directly made her a princess. Since you're favored, they have to think twice before making a move on you. Concubine Xin isn't such an ignorant person."
After thinking for a moment, she said to Mother You, "Oh, summer is almost over, and I'm afraid Mother and Little Sister won't have enough clothes. Ask Aunt Jin and Mother Tian to prepare some."