The news of the Eighth Prince being demoted to commoner status spread like wildfire.
Although this incident seemed unrelated to the Fifth Prince, everyone in the imperial court had witnessed how close the Eighth Prince and the Fifth Prince had become recently. Now that the Eighth Prince had been unceremoniously stripped of his title by the Emperor in a fit of rage, could it be that there was no warning intended for the Fifth Prince?
Xie Jingzhou naturally understood this simple logic.
But the matter had come to this, what could he do?
In the end, he himself had not expected things to turn out this way.
Since childhood, his father, the Emperor, had always shown him favoritism. It was precisely because of this that he had gradually become accustomed to his unique position among the other princes. As long as his imperial concubine remained favored, and as long as he always presented himself as innocent and easily bullied before the Emperor, his father would dote on him and show him preferential treatment.
Xie Jingzhou had always enjoyed the Emperor's favoritism, but this time, he had been slapped in the face by the Emperor.
Logically speaking, he should have intervened to plead for the Eighth Prince, as this was an excellent opportunity to win hearts. However, the moment he thought of his father's furious face and the warning...
Xie Jingzhou couldn't even muster the courage to stand before the Emperor now!
But if he truly ignored the Eighth Prince like this, how would the court view him?
Xie Jingzhou was so troubled that his head felt several sizes larger. That afternoon, he secretly invited his advisors to his mansion to discuss the matter.
Soon, news spread from the Fifth Prince's mansion that the Fifth Prince had fallen ill due to excessive worry for his siblings.
"He's fallen ill after all," Ji Zizhao said, showing little surprise when she heard the news.
"I heard that many court officials have visited the Fifth Prince's mansion. It's now being rumored throughout the imperial city that the Fifth Prince is sentimental and cares for his siblings, and that even while bedridden, he was still calling out to intercede with the Emperor for the Eighth Prince. I wonder if it's true or not," Shui Ling frowned, feeling disgusted at the thought that the Fifth Prince had once wanted to take their young lady as a concubine.
"Of course, it's false. He never had the courage to plead with the Emperor. If he doesn't put on an act and pretend to be ill now, how will he have the face to continue winning over the court officials in the future?" Ji Zizhao, who was drying medicinal herbs in the courtyard, didn't even lift her head.
She had seen Xie Jingzhou's methods before.
Back then, wasn't the Second Prince also used as a pawn? Now, it was just the Eighth Prince.
"How can someone be so insidious!" Shui Ling exclaimed in shock.
Ji Zizhao snorted, "Pretending to be ill to evade responsibility is a decent idea, but he's not the only one who can spread rumors. Shui Ling, you go to Temple Street immediately. Don't spare the money. Find a lot of beggars, the younger the better, and spread the word about how the Fifth Prince insidiously used the Eighth Prince."
"But if you do this, will the court or the Fifth Prince take drastic action against those beggars?" Shui Ling still worried, thinking of the Fifth Prince's insidious ruthlessness.
Ji Zizhao curved her lips, "The Emperor has always ruled with benevolence. How dare the court truly trouble a group of children?"
Besides, the Emperor clearly understood that this matter was inseparable from the Fifth Prince. When someone is guilty, they would try to avoid public opinion, not actively court trouble.
As for the Fifth Prince...
Would he dare to take drastic action against the widespread rumors in the city?
Impossible!
On the contrary, even if the Fifth Prince was suffocated by public opinion, he would be praying for the safety of those young beggars. Otherwise, he would be the first suspect.
By then, he would truly be the target of public criticism.
That afternoon, a new wave of rumors swept through the imperial city.
"What kind of news does Miss plan to spread?" Shui Ling, completely relieved, asked excitedly.
Ji Zizhao smiled coldly. She always had her ways of dealing with someone like the Fifth Prince, who would abandon anyone when disaster struck.
Didn't you, Fifth Prince, claim you were bedridden because you were worried about your siblings? Then I'll say you're hiding in your mansion to shirk responsibility. Don't think that just because ministers visit you, they can attest to your serious illness. Frankly, they are all people who earn their living under your father. Who would dare to speak the truth, even if you weren't sick?
Now, not only was the Fifth Prince unable to explain himself, but the ministers who visited him were also implicated. The once bustling Fifth Prince's mansion soon fell silent.
Faced with two opposing narratives, the citizens of the imperial city, though unsure which was true, knew that the fact remained: the Fifth Prince had been hiding in his mansion ever since the Eighth Prince's incident. Therefore, the citizens of the imperial city naturally leaned towards believing the latter.
The ministers in the court, who had been restless, now stopped in their tracks. They were looking for a reliable support, not someone who betrayed trust. Thinking of the former Second Prince, and now seeing the Eighth Prince...
Who would dare to associate with the Fifth Prince, fearing for their lives?
Rumors filled the imperial city, and even the servants sent out by the Fifth Prince's mansion to procure goods dared not go out easily.
Completely unprepared for things to turn out this way, Xie Jingzhou truly fell ill.
He was enraged.
Soon, someone was seen carrying a medicine box as Zou Hansheng entered the Fifth Prince's mansion.
"Miss, Miss Ji Renran is here," Jian Qiu reported upon entering.
Ji Zizhao silently curved her lips. Ji Renran was truly good at timing. Shui Ling had just brought in the meal, and then she arrived.
It was clearly mealtime, and she had no reason to refuse her entry.
"Let her in," Ji Zizhao said calmly.
Jian Qiu nodded, lifted the curtain, and invited Ji Renran in.
As soon as Ji Renran saw Ji Zizhao, she remembered being punished to kneel in the ancestral hall last time, and her knees instinctively felt weak. She forced herself to walk over and greet her with a smile, "Eldest Sister."
Ji Zizhao, who was eating, hummed, not even looking up.
The smile on Ji Renran's face stiffened slightly, but she still sat opposite Ji Zizhao, "I wonder if Eldest Sister has heard the news of the Fifth Prince falling ill?"
With such words, even if Ji Zizhao wanted to say she didn't know, it would be impossible.
"If Sister Renran has something to say, just say it directly," Ji Zizhao was too lazy to waste words with Ji Renran.
Ji Renran suddenly looked anxious and pleaded, "I heard that rumors are spreading throughout the imperial city, causing the Fifth Prince to fall ill. I wish to visit the Fifth Prince, but my status is not suitable for visiting alone before marriage. I wonder if Eldest Sister would be willing to accompany me?"
Ji Zizhao paused her chopsticks, looked up at Ji Renran, and asked, "Why should I?"