Rebirth: So what if my husband is a little crazy? He loves me.

Chapter 154 The Crown Prince Confers a Palace

The two didn't get ashore until evening. The fish soup in the pot was boiling, and the grilled fish next to them was sizzling and dripping oil.

Peony casually went into the woods and caught a chicken and a rabbit. She roasted the rabbit over the fire, while she wrapped the chicken in leaves and smothered it under the fire.

The lakeside was filled with fragrant aromas and the atmosphere was lively.

"Ah Li, are you hungry?" Gu Chang'an took the grilled fish from Chun Sheng, peeled off the charred parts, blew on it before handing it to her: "Be careful, it's hot."

Shen Li's eyes lit up after taking a bite, and she handed the fish back to Gu Chang'an: "It's delicious, husband, please try it."

Gu Chang'an gently took a bite from the spot she had bitten, and nodded slightly after tasting it: "Mmm, delicious."

"Right? It smells really good." Shen Li took it back and continued eating.

Gu Chang'an turned his head to look at her. At this moment, A Li looked carefree, her bright eyes reflecting the firelight and grilled fish in front of her. Her face was as delicate as a porcelain doll, and she was nibbling on the fish with her two rows of glutinous teeth. She was very cute.

"Why are you looking at me?" Shen Li noticed his focused gaze and turned to look at him.

Gu Chang'an thought for a moment and pointed to her fish: "I want to have another bite."

"You should have said so earlier. Here you go." Shen Li deliberately flipped the fish over so that he could eat the half that she hadn't bitten.

After all, this half is already down to the bone, with not much meat left.

This was unexpected for Gu Chang'an, but he didn't show it. He took a small bite and chewed slowly.

"Would you like to eat more, my husband?" Shen Li asked, leaning against him.

Gu Chang'an felt a warm sensation on half of his body and shook his head slightly: "You eat."

Chunsheng looked at the few fish in his hand, puzzled. There were so many left, wouldn't it be better to each take one? Why were they passing them around like that?

Shen Li ate her fill that night, and most of the wild game ended up in her stomach.

Gu Chang'an, on the other hand, only drank some mushroom soup. He couldn't eat anything too greasy before bed, and he especially disliked fish. He even only tasted two mouthfuls of the fish soup from Shen Li's bowl.

Back in the tent, Gu Chang'an handled official business at his desk, while Shen Li read a book.

This time it wasn't a travelogue or other leisurely book, but the Doctrine of the Mean, one of the Four Books. Although she had been familiar with these books since childhood, taking the imperial examinations was still not easy, and she needed to review them carefully.

It was unusual for Gu Chang'an to finish her official duties and still be reading in bed, completely absorbed in her book.

"Ah Li's talent is sufficient to handle the provincial examination, but is Ah Li familiar with the policy essays for the palace examination?" Gu Chang'an walked over, took her book, and asked.

Shen Li shook her head slightly: "Policy essays are the policies and strategies for governing a country. Although I have been exposed to some of them since childhood, I have never studied them in detail, so they are my weak point."

But she knew this was Gu Chang'an's forte. Gu Chang'an was worldly-wise and understood the workings of the court's various mechanisms perfectly well, knowing the difference between right and wrong.

Otherwise, one would not have been able to become the top scholar.

“I understand. Then we can focus on policy essays. His Majesty’s questions will definitely be related to current affairs.” Gu Chang’an analyzed and said, “The most important thing right now is to get some sleep.”

Shen Li listened attentively, but she didn't expect him to say something like that. She immediately laughed and said, "My husband is so naughty. Come here and let me hug you. Let's sleep well."

Gu Chang'an had intended to tease her, but after a moment, he found himself blushing and begging her to stop.

The next day, on their return to the capital, Shen Li sat in Shen Yue's carriage reading a book, just like before. This time it was much quieter, and no one bothered her anymore.

The Empress was busy taking care of the Crown Prince, while Consort Zheng was busy taking care of Prince Yi.

Even during breaks and meals, not everyone could get together, let alone the usual lively banter and back-and-forth.

Shen Li loved this atmosphere; it was perfect for reading.

She had someone contact Lin Wan'er privately. Lin Wan'er's injuries weren't serious, but for some reason, she didn't seem to care much about her.

She thought about it for a long time but couldn't figure out what she had done to offend her.

Just as they were about to arrive in Kyoto, some bad but expected news arrived: the eunuch who poisoned the king's horse had committed suicide in the imperial prison.

Zhao Jing came in person to plead guilty, which enraged Emperor Cheng, who ordered a thorough investigation.

Neither Gu Chang'an nor Shen Li were surprised by this. With such leverage over him, Empress Ning would stop at nothing to kill the eunuch; his death was inevitable.

Even if he were at the Dali Temple, Gu Chang'an wasn't confident he could prevent it. Most people who live off the government have connections, and if they're really determined to kill someone, there's no place that's completely airtight.

However, the death did not end the matter for Emperor Cheng. Instead, he launched another major investigation to find out if anyone had committed the murder.

The Eastern Palace was sealed off the moment the Crown Prince was sent there. Zhou Qianqian was unable to go on the hunt because of the Crown Prince's tantrum, but she was still well-informed.

She had planned to discuss the matter further before contacting her father outside the palace, but all she received was the unconscious Li Heng and the imperial edict sealing the palace.

The charge was that the crown prince was suspected of murdering his elder brother, and he was ordered to reflect on his actions by facing the wall in silence.

As a result, Empress Ning could not even see her son, and upon returning to the palace, she went to the Empress Dowager's palace to cry and complain.

The Empress Dowager also felt it shouldn't come to this, but seeing the Emperor's attitude, she realized that the matter might be beyond repair.

"Let's go back. Even if there's room for maneuver, we have to wait until the Emperor calms down. You know his temper; if we confront him, things will only get worse," the Empress Dowager said to the Empress.

"But Heng'er hasn't woken up yet. If we seal off the palace, won't that just leave him to die inside?"

"Don't worry, I will send someone to treat you. You must remain calm," the Empress Dowager reassured her.

Empress Ning could no longer remain calm. If this trend continued, the Crown Prince would be deposed in two or three years, and then there would be no place for her and her son in the palace.

The Prince of Yi woke up at the hunting grounds and immediately sent the news back to his uncle, Minister Zheng of the Ministry of Personnel. As a result, on the first day the emperor returned to court, a memorial proposing to depose the crown prince was submitted by people from the Six Ministries.

Zhou Zhen and Shen Zizai felt uneasy upon hearing this. The Crown Prince's unilateral decision had given others a handle against him, making their rebuttal less convincing.

It can only be said that the foundation of the nation must never be shaken when there is insufficient evidence.

The matter was temporarily suppressed, but thereafter such memorials increased, some impeaching the Crown Prince for raising assassins, and others impeaching the Crown Prince for having close ties with Liu Ling, the former Minister of Revenue.

Although none of this was enough to bring down the Crown Prince, such memorials mostly indicated that the court's direction had completely changed, and some members of the Crown Prince's faction were even feeling uneasy.

The officials had no choice but to keep petitioning the emperor to lift the ban on the crown prince, since if the crown prince did not come out, the emperor would continue to be on the defensive and besieged.

Emperor Cheng refused, citing the need for a thorough investigation, and even had the censors dragged out and beaten, showing no intention of calming things down but rather wanting to escalate the matter.

This time, the officials dared not make a big fuss, fearing that if they did, the Crown Prince's crimes would increase and spread to the common people, making everyone realize that the Crown Prince might be finished.

Even if the dethronement fails this time, the crown prince's foundation will still be in jeopardy.