Chapter 35 The Remarkable Person

Yun Xiangyi immediately switched to a more comfortable position for gossip and said, "It's true that the Crown Prince was originally the heir. Eight years ago, there was an enemy invasion in the northwest. The commanding general was killed on the battlefield, and his daughter took up the banner and continued to fight. The Crown Prince learned of this and requested to lead troops to the front. When he got there, the enemy was repelled, but he also developed feelings for the general's daughter.

"The Crown Prince wanted to marry her as the Crown Princess, but this girl had grown up on the frontier and had lost her beloved father there. She refused to come to the capital to enjoy a life of luxury and only wanted to stay there, fulfilling her late father's wish to protect the country.

"The Crown Prince was deeply moved, so he abdicated and stayed on the frontier with her, becoming the Prince of Qin."

He's such a romantic! Grace hadn't expected that.

"Is this for real?"

"This is a well-known story throughout the kingdom. Do you think I could make this up to deceive you?"

Grace was surprised and a bit admiring. She admired the girl for her steadfast beliefs and noble ambitions, willing to give up the position of Crown Princess. She also admired the Crown Prince for respecting her wishes and cherishing such a rare girl with his actions.

—Anything is possible in a plot with a time-traveling heroine.

"What about the second prince? Why didn't he take the throne?"

"At that time, the Emperor and Empress were focused on grooming the Crown Prince as the successor. The second prince was dedicated to his own interests, opening several shops and taking pleasure in making a profit, never considering that he might one day inherit the throne.

"When the Crown Prince abdicated, this prince was busy counting coins in the palace, making the Empress Dowager leave in anger.

"Nowadays, it's said he's extensively planting mulberry trees in his fief and developing various kinds of silk to sell to Westerners."

"He's completely obsessed with money?"

Yun Xiangyi sighed.

Grace said, "So, the current emperor was a bit of a fallback choice?"

"Not exactly." Yun Xiangyi explained, "The Emperor was quite cute as a child, so the late Emperor was very fond of him and often held this youngest son on his lap while reviewing memorials.

"It's said that he originally planned to send him to guard Yunnan when he grew up, but when the Crown Prince abdicated, and the second prince was too occupied with his businesses, he was groomed as the heir.

"Honestly, the Crown Prince is more suited for warfare and frontier defense. The current Emperor is more reserved and serious, making his actions more stable. Many old ministers in the court often praise him, especially Grand Scholar Zhang, who says the Emperor combines the late Emperor's benevolence with the Empress Dowager's wisdom and decisiveness."

"Praises from officials often have a hint of flattery; don't take them too seriously." Grace, with her experience in the workplace, understood this well.

"You're mistaken." Yun Xiangyi was clearly an emperor fan. "The Emperor has proven Grand Scholar Zhang's words true with his actions. In these three years, despite many undercurrents, he has stood his ground, first reducing taxes on a large area of Jiangnan for three years, which led to abundant harvests and a full treasury. Even after restoring taxes, there were no complaints from the people.

"He then built more postal stations across the country, improving the speed of correspondence, especially military reports and memorials.

"He also dispatched court scholars and scholars to remote counties to give lectures, actively preparing for the selection of talents in the future.

"Recently, the Emperor has also been keen on increasing the production of firearms to strengthen border defenses, frequently summoning commanders from the Divine Machine Camp."

"He's quite remarkable."

No wonder he dared to oppose his own mother.

Grace thought to herself.

After a moment of reflection, she recalled the Empress Dowager complaining about the Emperor not being on her side and unable to rely on him to stand up for women and girls, suggesting she hope for him to marry soon so the Empress could take on responsibilities. At that time, Grace had wondered if the Crown Prince had inherited the throne, he should be in his twenties and surely married. Since it was the youngest prince, it made sense.

But she had a question: "Why do you know so much about palace affairs?"

Yun Xiangyi's expression paused for a moment.

"Because I have a stepmother who once served as a palace maid."

What?

"She used to work in the embroidery department in the palace. My father took a liking to her looks, and that's how it happened."

Grace recalled Yun Xiangyi's background. She was originally a noble lady from Huizhou, but unfortunately, she had a scoundrel for a father, who was a philanderer. After her mother's death, she worked hard in Huizhou to become a literary talent, receiving the imperial edict and the title of Flower Moon Champion. The day after, she followed her uncle to the capital for his appointment.

Later, hearing that the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Qingyun needed a female teacher, she came here. What followed was well known. However, this was the first time Grace had heard about her stepmother being a former palace maid.

"How did your father meet her?"

"She was released from the palace after reaching the age limit. She said she used to work in the embroidery department. My father was attracted to her looks, and that's how it happened."

Grace noticed Yun Xiangyi didn't want to talk about her stepmother, so she changed the topic, "It's strange that I've always been so afraid of the Emperor."

Growing up outside the capital, Yun Xiangyi couldn't answer this question. Xiaolan jumped in, "I know!"

"Go ahead!"

"When you were six, you stole peonies from the imperial garden and were scolded by the then-Crown Prince, now the Prince of Qin. He also reported it to the Marquis, who severely punished you. Since then, you've run away whenever you saw a prince."

No wonder Grace had always felt that the original owner had a deep-seated fear of the Emperor. No wonder the Emperor recognized her but was used to her avoidance. They probably hadn't interacted much.

Yun Xiangyi added, "You've been in and out of the palace, and the Emperor has visited our mansion. Even we have seen the Emperor. It's unbelievable that you didn't recognize him. You need to reflect on this. To be honest, if you hadn't avoided seeing the Emperor every time, this mix-up wouldn't have happened tonight."

"…"

Grace couldn't argue with that.

But this blame was on the original owner. If it had been her, she would've recognized him!

Unfortunately, last time Gao Shu stopped her from seeing him. If she had, tonight's embarrassing situation wouldn't have happened.

She took a sip of cold tea to calm down.

Yun Xiangyi took a sip of tea to steady her breath and said, "Even though the Emperor, as the sovereign, inadvertently helped tonight and saw something he shouldn't have, I think he wouldn't reveal it publicly. Otherwise, it would embarrass the Marquis.

"But we need to watch out for Yu Qingping, who barged in earlier. She's a palace guard, and we couldn't stop her. We don't know what she might have seen."

Grace recalled that when Yu Qingping entered, she was already dressed and talking with the Emperor. Yu Qingping probably didn't see anything inappropriate.

But given Yu's hostility, there's no guarantee she wouldn't dig into it later.

She said, "What's with this Yu Qingping always looking so bitter and resentful?"