The Consort Xi's rewards arrived swiftly, delivered to the Fifth Prince's mansion that very evening in a grand fashion.
Xie Jingzhou, of course, knew these items were not meant for him. The next morning, he brought them to the palace.
In the imperial court, Emperor Xiaochang, citing the Seventh and Fifth Princes' concern for the people of Luoyi, ordered the Ministry of Revenue to arrange for the establishment of medical halls and pharmacies in the counties near Luoyi.
The other princes, sensing an opportunity, also moved. However, as soon as they entered the palace, they heard that the Fifth Prince had sent all of Consort Xi's rewards to the Ministry of Revenue.
The Minister of Revenue was overjoyed.
The princes, however, were in tears.
They were well aware of the saying "the tallest nail gets hammered."
Thus, even after hearing the whispers, they had remained still, waiting for the Emperor's command. They had planned to each contribute some silver from their own pockets after the order was given, thus gaining favor in the Emperor's eyes.
Unexpectedly, the Fifth Prince had now seized the initiative.
The Fourth Prince, who was in the Ministry of Revenue, went to the palace with the Minister of Revenue to receive the Emperor's decree. As they walked towards the palace gates, they saw a group of dishevelled princes basking in the sun.
Sensing the awkward atmosphere, the Minister of Revenue quickly found an excuse and slipped away.
Xie Jinglan, seeing through it all but saying nothing, walked towards the palace gates alone.
"Fourth Brother," a call suddenly came from behind.
Xie Jinglan stopped and saw the Fifth Prince, who was also leaving the palace, hurrying towards him.
Looking at the Fifth Prince's radiant appearance, the princes gathered at the palace gates felt as if a five-flavored bottle had been overturned in their hearts.
Just looking at that face, they could imagine how the Emperor had praised the Fifth Prince.
Instantly, their gazes, filled with resentment, intensified towards the Fifth Prince.
If you wanted to suggest building medical halls in Luoyi to Father, you could have. No one would have stopped you. But not only did you suggest it, you even involved your mother to invest money for you. Isn't that a bit much?
What, you're getting the meat, and you don't even intend to let us have a sip of the soup?
Xie Jingzhou seemed oblivious to the princes' hateful gazes. He walked to the Fourth Prince's side and smiled, saying, "We had a most enjoyable drink at Fourth Brother's mansion that day. I had intended to visit again in the following days, but since Fourth Brother is busy with important matters, I didn't want to disturb you."
The other princes listened to his words and their minds began to churn.
They were all aware that Father had tasked the Fourth Prince with the matter of the Luoyi medical halls.
Initially, they thought the Fourth Prince accepted because he was in the Ministry of Revenue. But after hearing the Fifth Prince's words...
Did the Fourth Prince deliberately invite the Fifth Prince for drinks at his mansion and even instigate him to speak to the Emperor, all to reap the benefits, take charge of the Luoyi medical halls, help the Emperor, and gain favor in his eyes?
Considering the Fifth Prince's cowardly and timid nature, the princes were even more convinced that this was instigated by the Fourth Prince.
The resentful gazes that had been directed at the Fifth Prince now instantly shifted towards the Fourth Prince.
Xie Jinglan looked at the Fifth Prince before him, smiling without a word.
Not only did he reap the benefits, but he also wanted to subtly draw hatred onto him.
This Fifth Prince...
Under the sun, Xie Jinglan's smile was gentle, but his words carried a chilling breeze. "I haven't congratulated Fifth Brother on gaining Father's attention yet. Just now, in the Imperial Study, Father was greatly praising Fifth Brother. It's a pity that Fifth Brother is in the imperial city. If he were in the county towns of Luoyi like Little Seven, he would surely be able to continue assisting Father."
Xie Jingzhou frowned, feeling that something was not quite right about these words.
But before he could figure it out, Xie Jinglan had already walked away.
A gust of cold wind followed Xie Jinglan's departure, making Xie Jingzhou's back shiver.
However, the princes at the palace gates were like wolves and tigers, their hearts surging with excitement.
They were already worried about how to exact their revenge, when the Fourth Prince had inadvertently enlightened them.
The Ministry of Revenue had indeed taken charge of the matter, but establishing medical halls was not within the imperial city.
Frankly speaking, whether it was supplies or manpower, they all had to be sent to the counties around Luoyi.
Since the Fifth Prince was the one who proposed it to Father, it would be most appropriate for him to go to Luoyi to experience life there.
Talking without action is just a show; talking and acting is the real deal.
Begone, Fifth Prince.
With their minds cleared by the Fourth Prince, the princes almost all went to the Imperial Study to submit their memorials.
They all worked together with the common goal of sending the Fifth Prince to the counties around Luoyi.
Emperor Xiaochang had not expected his sons to be so united. Upon further consideration, he realized that since the matter was indeed proposed by the Fifth Prince, no one was more suitable to go than him. Thus, he approved their request.
That evening, Xie Jingzhou received the Emperor's oral decree.
The Fifth Prince was specially ordered to proceed to Luoyi with haste to support the Seventh Prince in leading the construction of medical halls and pharmacies.
Xie Jingzhou slammed his fist on the desk before him, gritting his teeth fiercely to swallow his anger.
Luohong stood by the side, afraid to even breathe.
She did not know what had transpired in the palace, but it was clearly not a good thing that her master was being sent to Luoyi.
Even the main city of Luoyi was suffering from a lack of provisions; how could the surrounding counties be any better?
What benefit could his Highness gain by going there at this time?
It was obvious that he had been schemed against.
"Are there any developments from the Ji family?" Xie Jingzhou's voice suddenly rang out.
Luohong quickly replied, "Lin Wanyun's mourning hall is still set up at the Ji family's residence. The Ji family has not had any major incidents recently. They are likely still in a stalemate over Lin Wanyun's matter."
Xie Jingzhou was silent for a moment. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with malice. "Send a message to those people in the Ji family. Tell them to quicken their pace. I didn't send them on this journey for them to freeload."
Luohong nodded and quickly turned to leave.
Ji Zizhao learned of this matter when the Fifth Prince had already embarked on his journey to Luoyi.
After having Qing Zhu thoroughly investigate the ins and outs of the matter, Ji Zizhao was truly speechless.
The Fifth Prince had hidden his true nature deeply, cultivating an image of timidity, weakness, and fear over the years. This image was deeply ingrained, and both the Emperor and the princes believed it to be true.
However, in this confrontation with the Fourth Prince, he had fallen into a trap.
What Ji Zizhao couldn't understand was the reason behind the Fourth Prince sending the Fifth Prince away.
While sending the Fifth Prince away would make him suffer some hardship, the Fourth Prince was like a fox. If it were merely for such petty gains, he wouldn't have acted personally.
"Miss, there's a reply," Qing Zhu said, lifting the curtain and entering.
Ji Zizhao took a piece of paper that could hardly be called a letter. She opened it under the candlelight. Inside, there were only three words.
Fifth Prince.
Ji Zizhao's heart skipped a beat.
She would never forget what she had asked Sun Zhiting to have the Fourth Prince investigate.
However, Ji Zizhao had not expected the Fourth Prince to be so swift, making progress in such a short period.
What Ji Zizhao also hadn't expected was that the Fifth Prince was the one behind the Tong family.
One was an academician of the inner court with no real power, and the other was a weak and incompetent prince...
No matter how much others racked their brains, they would never have thought of a connection between the two.
Now that the Tong family had granted identities to Gu Peilan and her daughter, and the Fifth Prince was the one backing the Tong family...
This meant that Gu Peilan and her daughter had colluded with the Fifth Prince!