Murong Jiu was not making a baseless statement.
How selfish the Emperor was, not only they knew about it, even the citizens of the Capital City were aware.
After the Third Prince got injured, the Emperor no longer concealed his favoritism; all his actions were telling the court officials—The Third Prince is my most beloved son, watch closely which side you are on.
The major fire at Prince Rui's Mansion even provoked the Emperor to great rage. He reinvested manpower and resources, demanding the officials to rebuild Prince Rui's Mansion as quickly as possible, not ceasing the work even during heavy snowfall and New Year's celebrations.
Chun Tao and Hong Yi mentioned casually during their chat that several workmen had frozen to death due to the construction during a heavy snow.
Saying that they died from the cold, it was very likely they fell to their deaths. With the severe cold numbing their hands and feet, yet still having to work up on the beams, accidents were prone to occur.