At noon, Li Xiang did not eat in his own room, but went to his mother's yard. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not eat in the mansion because he had an engagement outside.
"Does mother have anything to say to me?"
Li Xiang noticed during the meal that his mother must have something on her mind, but because Li Xiang was too opinionated, there were some things he couldn't say even to his own mother.
"Do you have anything to do after dinner? If so, can you walk with me in the garden?"
The Crown Princess had never made such a request before, because she always knew that her son was busy with his own man, so her presence in the Eastern Palace was very low and she rarely made her voice heard. This was the first time that Li Xiang heard that his mother wanted him to accompany her. He still felt a little strange in his heart, but he agreed immediately. After all, this was the biological mother of this body.
The mother and son did not drink any wine while eating, so they ate very quickly. The sun was still very strong at noon, but the pavilions and towers in the East Palace, as well as some waterside pavilions, made the breeze still very cool. Li Xiang had already taken a stroll in the back garden with his mother. Li Xiang had no idea what his mother meant.
"You've grown up now and have your own wife. As a mother, I'm very happy to see you like that. But since you came back, have you felt that the atmosphere in the East Palace is not right?"
The Crown Princess also considered for a long time before finally saying this. Of course, the Crown Princess knew that Li Xiang was doing this for her own good, otherwise he would not have targeted Aunt Fan. However, the atmosphere in the East Palace was very weird right now, which was not comfortable for anyone, especially now that there seemed to be a wall between her and Li Chengqian.
"Which side is that, mother?"
Li Xiang looked at Concubine Fan's yard in the distance. It was now being watched by someone. In addition to Li Chengqian's men, Li Xiang had installed a double insurance outside. Now, let alone letters, even a fly would find it difficult to fly out of it. Concubine Fan would sometimes scream, but most of the time there was no sound. If she hadn't screamed every now and then, many people would have thought that Concubine Fan had died in there.
"You clearly know what I'm talking about, yet you're still playing dumb. Your father has changed a lot these days, and he's really worried about you every day. I can't please your father, and that's my fault. But you can't interfere in what's going on in his room. It's not in line with filial piety."
Li Xiang never thought that his mother kept him because of this. Only then did Li Xiang understand how powerful the Confucian education of that era was, especially the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues for women.
Many girls have been corrupted by this kind of atmosphere. The only thing in their minds is whether their husbands are happy or not, and they don’t care about other things at all.
"Mother, you've wronged me. This matter has nothing to do with me. After I came back, I paid a proper visit to Concubine Fan and gave her all the gifts she deserved. You know that. As for what's happened recently, it's really because my father noticed something was amiss. Wasn't Qian Ping away from home these past two days? He went south. This Concubine Fan is inappropriate. My family is trying to plot against my father and me."
Li Xiang knew that he had to tell the truth. If he couldn't tell the truth, the mother would probably continue to talk, or even ask Li Xiang to nod and release Aunt Fan, so that people outside would not say that the Crown Princess was jealous.
"Mother, please don't disbelieve me. Ever since I led the troops to war, I've brought countless people into the Eastern Palace. Has I ever taken care of any of them? Haven't I just let them go? This Concubine Fan is really inappropriate. If she's not properly kept under control, she might bring us disaster in the future. Have you forgotten what happened before?"
For Li Xiang, it was very easy to fool his mother. Putting aside the gap between the two eras, Li Xiang's mother often stayed in the palace and rarely went out. How could she possibly know what was going on outside? Li Xiang only needed to think a little faster to fool this matter.
Sure enough, after Li Xiang finished speaking, the Crown Princess also thought carefully about some past events. After Li Xiang's rise to power, many women did enter the Eastern Palace, and Li Xiang did not say a word to those people. Now it should be impossible for this concubine Fan to think that she had wronged her son.
"If that's the case, don't worry about it. It seems I'm overthinking it. I apologize to you here."
The mother and daughter spoke so freely, even if they were wrong, it was wrong. After all, the words came from the Crown Princess, so there was no way they could not justify it.
"What are you talking about, mother? It's nothing more than a little speculation. It doesn't matter. Since father wants to investigate this matter, we should stop talking and let him investigate on his own. If he doesn't find anything, he will naturally release Concubine Fan. As for those rumors outside, I don't think you need to mind them."
When Li Xiang said this, there was indeed a smile on his face, but what he was thinking in his heart, probably only he himself knew. Now that she was locked up, she still fanned the flames outside, making up so many rumors, and even made her mother consider this step and take the initiative to release her. Can this concubine Fan be a simple person?
The mother and son talked about some other things. Li Xiang used the excuse that he had other things to do in the yamen, so he didn't accompany the Crown Princess to visit the garden. The Crown Princess was a little tired after strolling around the garden for two rounds, and it was time for a nap, so she tidied up Li Xiang's clothes and went back to rest.
After sending his mother back, Li Xiang turned around with a murderous look in his eyes. It seemed that the East Palace had not been cleaned up yet. Some people still took his words as nonsense. He had already added double insurance, but such words could still be spread. It seemed that someone was desperate.
Xiao Xiazi realized it later. When the Crown Princess said this, he didn't feel that it had anything to do with him. He thought it was a matter between the masters. But after seeing Li Xiang's eyes, he immediately knew that he might have made a mistake...
