Chapter 10 — Married to the Marquis Palace for Five Years, I Had Three Children in a Row

I took the bowl of medicine and drank it all in one gulp. It's not a birth control pill, but a miracle medicine that I asked my father to find from the Western Regions. It may temporarily disrupt the circulatory system. Causes my pulse to be intermittent and weak, to the point of extreme weakness. Enough to fool all the royal doctors in the capital. I want to use my "disease" to paralyze the Crown Prince. I want him to think that our Marquis Palace cannot withstand a single blow. I want him, when we are at our weakest, to relax our guard. But the real killer move... is silently, quietly approaching him. The letters from my father are coming more and more thickly. In the letter, meticulously recorded all the evidence that the National Coup Government took advantage of the food channel and secretly traded illegal salt to make huge profits. Books, witnesses, even correspondence with salt merchants in Jiangnan... are all complete. Illegal salt, from ancient times to the present, has always been strictly prohibited by the royal court. Its profits are so large that they can shake the country. Once discovered, it would be a crime to confiscate the family's assets and exterminate the Nine Clans. The National Coffin Palace... is the Crown Prince's largest pocket of money. Just cutting off this bag of money would mean cutting off one of his arms. I looked at the evidence in my hand, the corner of my lips curled up into a cold smile. Your Highness the Crown Prince... don't you really like giving gifts? This time... it's my turn to return the favor. I copied all the evidence. Then send people to use the most secret way, taking them to two places. One part was given to the Fifth Prince - Ung Vuong Tieu Canh Diem. One part was placed on the table of the Ta Do Ngu Imperial Su Do Sat Vien — Truong Thanh Liem. Truong Thanh Liem is a famous royal historian in the court, upright and uncompromising, and unrecognizable. What he hates most is going back and forth. As long as the evidence falls into his hands, even if it means risking his life, he will investigate to the end. As for the Fifth Prince, he has long suffered because he did not have a chance to overthrow the Crown Prince. He has no reason not to accept this great gift. I seem to have foreseen a storm big enough to overturn the entire royal court... gradually taking shape. And I... am the one in the back, gently flapping my wings. I lay on the bed, quietly waiting. Waiting for the moment when thunder falls. My illness is sometimes severe, sometimes mild. The whole capital knew that the Marquis of Dinh Vien Marquis Palace had her son's heart damaged because of her son's fear. The fourth fetus in the womb... also becomes dangerous. The Marquis was furious because of this, but was helpless. He could only look for famous doctors everywhere and take medicine every day. The ladies in the capital came to visit, following in endless succession. Their mouths spoke words of comfort, but in their eyes there was mostly pity and concern. There was a time when I was the object of admiration for all the women in the capital. And now, in their eyes, I am just a woman who is about to lose her child, and has also offended the Eastern palace, pitiful to the extreme. I really like their eyes like that. It causes our enemies... to completely let down their guard. The East side of the palace was indeed quiet. The Crown Prince seemed very satisfied with our "pathetic" situation. He probably thought that a woman who was so kind that she couldn't even keep a child, and a Marquis who had turned away because of that... no longer posed any threat to him. He began to put all his energy into dealing with the Fifth Prince, and filling in the hole The financial gap of the National Government. He thought that everything was in the palm of his hand. Unknown to him, a net of heaven and earth woven by my own hands... had quietly been spread out. The first person to act was not the Fifth Prince, but Truong Thanh Liem. This iron-faced royal historian, after receiving the evidence I sent, did not immediately submit his statement. He knew that the National Palace had deep roots, and if it was directly attacked, it would only cause the Crown Prince's faction to attack together and eventually sink. He chose the most difficult way... but also the most effective. He began to investigate the path of fortune. He did not investigate the National Palace, but only investigated the boats transporting smuggled salt, along with every port and gate they passed through. He searched each place, interrogating each person. As long as there is a connection, no matter how big or small, he will pursue it to the end. For a moment, the entire shipping system panicked. Countless officials were pulled off their horses by him.

"The Crown Prince's side wanted to stop it, but Truong Thanh Liem was as tough as iron. Once he got down to business, he was determined not to back down even half a step."

He did not pay attention to any pleas or threats. He only accepts evidence, only accepts Dai Zhou's law. The Emperor did not speak up until now, as if he was ignoring him, but in fact it was a tacit approval. This made Truong Thanh Liem even more confident. The Fifth Prince's side also began to take action. He did not come out directly, but secretly helped Truong Thanh Liem clear many obstacles. Every time Truong Thanh Liem's investigation was about to reach a key character but someone hindered him... That person was always sent away because of some "accident", or was dragged out for other wrongdoings. The fifth prince is like the most skilled hunter — patient, yet precise. He and Truong Thanh Liem, one light and one dark, cooperated without any gaps. That net is getting tighter and tighter. Finally, on the first snowy day of winter... which was also the day when all of Truong Thanh Liem's courtiers gathered together, in front of the civil and military mandarins, he presented a thick piece of music.