The Crown Prince harbored intense hatred in his heart, but he did not dare show it on his face. Facing Emperor Taian's fury, he obediently admitted his fault: "Your son was wrong. It won't happen again."
The Crown Prince's willing attitude toward admitting his mistake caused Emperor Taian's anger to subside slightly.
This was the son he had once held on his lap and taught to write hand by hand; his disappointment stemmed precisely from the high expectations he had placed upon him.
Emperor Taian's tone lost some of its chill and gained a sense of earnest admonishment: "You are the Crown Prince. You cannot act too much on whim, otherwise, how will you command the respect of your subjects in the future?"
"Your son understands."
Emperor Taian glanced at the Crown Prince's left arm and sighed inwardly: "Recover well. Recovery takes time; do not let this disturb your mind."
The Crown Prince responded obediently, and once Emperor Taian left, he let out a great sigh of relief.
He knew that as long as his attitude toward admitting fault was good, his Imperial Father would not dwell on it.
This incident had taught him a lesson; in the future, he must act more thoroughly and ensure no lingering troubles remained.
Having grasped Emperor Taian's intent, and under the arrangement of Cheng Maoming, the Commander of the Jinlin Guards, an explanation for the Crown Prince's assassination attempt was quickly produced: it was the work of the former dynasty's State Preceptor, who refused to let go of his ambitions.
This explanation spread quickly, even reaching the ears of Perfected One Mingxin in the Eastern Palace.
The strategically minded Perfected One Mingxin showed no emotion on his face, but a rare sense of bewilderment rose in his heart: *He arranged for it? How come I didn't know?*
There was something wrong with this matter.
As the person most relied upon by Emperor Pingle, Perfected One Mingxin knew better than anyone how many people were stationed in the capital, which officials had been courted, and what plans were in motion.
An assassination attempt on the Crown Prince was not among them.
It wasn't that they didn't want to, but rather that they hadn't found the right opportunity.
Emperor Taian had only two sons; it was easy to imagine how much he cared about the Crown Prince's safety. It would be a miracle if that street performer boy could actually harm the Crown Prince.
If it wasn't their people, yet the blame was being pushed onto them, things were getting interesting.
Who would throw someone under the bus? Naturally, their opponents.
The opponents—Perfected One Mingxin stroked his beard.
Wasn't their opponent the current Emperor?
The correspondence between him and Qin Yunchuan had been stolen, followed immediately by Qin Yunchuan's incident. Given that it was officially framed as a retirement, it was clear that Emperor Taian wanted to prevent anyone from knowing that Emperor Pingle's people were still active in order to maintain stability.
But now, Emperor Taian was proactively throwing the blame onto them, which meant he wanted to cover up something even more disadvantageous.
What was disadvantageous to Emperor Taian would be advantageous to them.
What was Emperor Taian trying to hide?
The corners of Perfected One Mingxin's mouth twitched, causing him to gasp in pain. Looking down, he found a stray beard hair caught between two fingers.
He rushed to the mirror, looking at his thinning beard with heartache.
He was going to go bald!
While Perfected One Mingxin was filled with doubt, Qi Shuo happened to know the answer.
*Trying to save face for the Crown Prince? Truly a compassionate father.*
He naturally made an appointment to meet Lin Hao.
Between the two of them sat a small, bubbling copper pot, filled with thin slices of mutton and tender vegetable hearts.
"The specialty of this place is the high quality of the mutton; it's sliced as thin as a cicada's wing, and it's ready to eat as soon as it's swished in the pot." Qi Shuo used serving chopsticks to place the cooked meat onto the porcelain plate in front of Lin Hao, speaking of serious matters in a casual, conversational tone, "The rumors circulating outside—Second Miss Lin has heard them, I assume?"
"Is the Heir Apparent referring to Xiao Feng's origins?" Thinking of those rumors, a mocking smile played on Lin Hao's lips. "Quite the knack for pulling up a shroud to hide the shame."
Qi Shuo couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at, Heir Apparent?"
"Nothing, I just thought of the same thing."
"Does the Heir Apparent have any plans?" Lin Hao leaned forward slightly, a hint of anticipation inadvertently showing in her eyes.
The Heir Apparent of Prince Jing had used the Jinlin Guards to delicately place the truth of the Crown Prince's assassination attempt before the Emperor; he was indeed quite reliable.
The anticipation in the young girl's eyes brought a sense of pleasure to Qi Shuo, though he showed none on his face: "Since it's a shroud pulled up to hide shame, then we simply tear it down. The people of the capital are famously tolerant of all sorts of rumors."
Lin Hao understood Qi Shuo's meaning: he intended to use the momentum of public opinion to spread the truth.
"Then the Heir Apparent must be careful when doing this, lest someone catches you in a blunder."
"Thank you for the reminder, Second Miss Lin. I will be careful."
Lin Hao felt she should also contribute some effort; otherwise, why would the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing bother to consult her?
She had no manpower, but she did have some silver.
"Arranging such matters must cost quite a bit, does it not?"
Qi Shuo's chopsticks paused as he went to pick up a slice of mutton.
*Was Second Miss Lin worried he didn't have money?*
"It does involve some expenses." Unable to decipher Lin Hao's thoughts for a moment, Qi Shuo replied vaguely.
Lin Hao quickly calculated the expenditures for the beggar shelter and made a decision: "I cannot help with manpower, so I will bear a portion of the costs. Consider it a collaboration with the Heir Apparent."
"A collaboration?" Qi Shuo found the word quite pleasant to the ear.
Lin Hao's attitude was candid: "Both the Heir Apparent and I dislike the Crown Prince. Since you are willing to share your plan with me, I cannot simply be a mere listener."
She didn't know the reason why the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing was so determined to oppose the Crown Prince, but since their goals were aligned and he was trustworthy, she naturally had to show some sincerity.
In many matters, the Heir Apparent of Prince Jing had more advantages than she did; this collaboration was not a loss.
"Then let us collaborate." A smile touched Qi Shuo's lips as he asked seriously, "I wonder how much Second Miss Lin intends to contribute?"
"Two hundred taels of silver," Lin Hao said through gritted teeth.
Although she had long-term plans for those beggars, waiting for them to grow up and pay her back would be years away; currently, that residence for the beggars was a massive money-sink for her.
Miss Lin, who had lived a life of luxury since childhood and had never worried about trivialities like money, had finally discovered the importance of wealth.
Qi Shuo gave Lin Hao a deep look.
Whether it was an illusion or not, even the strands of Second Miss Lin's hair seemed to radiate a sense of reluctance to part with her money.
In that case—
"I'm afraid that won't be enough."
"Not enough?" Lin Hao was stunned, somewhat incredulous. "Is spreading gossip... that expensive?"
She truly had no experience in this regard.
Qi Shuo nodded solemnly: "Very expensive."
Lin Hao hesitated, feeling a lack of confidence regarding money for the first time: "Then... how much is needed?"
"Does Second Miss Lin need to find new sources of income?" Qi Shuo suddenly changed the subject.
Lin Hao processed the new topic for a moment, her interest piqued: "How so?"
"I plan to open a reasonably priced small restaurant. Second Miss Lin can invest some silver, and we can share the profits when the time comes."
"Since the prices are reasonable, there won't be much profit, will there?" Lin Hao was not the type to be shy; having taken an interest, she immediately began to analyze.
Qi Shuo fell silent for a moment.
*Who would have thought Second Miss Lin had the potential to be a profiteer.*
"The advantage lies in high volume with low margins. More importantly, the people who frequent such restaurants are numerous and diverse, making it easy to obtain information."
Lin Hao was convinced: "Then how much is the investment?"
"One hundred taels will suffice."
Lin Hao breathed a secret sigh of relief: "Fine, I'll invest."
This was even less than spreading gossip.
Thinking of this, Lin Hao brought the topic back: "How much will it cost to arrange that matter?"
Qi Shuo laughed: "I was joking. I can't let you pay for it all alone. If there's a deficit, I will make up the difference."
Lin Hao did not try to act more capable than she was, and they happily reached a collaboration.
After the meal, Lin Hao decided to go visit the beggar shelter, while Qi Shuo returned to the Prince's mansion.