After transmigrating into the book, I replaced the innocent-looking girl and became the Crown Prince

Chapter 309 Maintaining Media

Upon hearing that the matchmaker was Lu Hanting, Liu Shuning couldn't help but shudder.

The news that the heir of the Marquis of Dingguo was imprisoned by the emperor for protecting his concubine has spread throughout the capital.

But Consort Jing wanted to tell him about herself.

Liu Shuning felt a deep sadness. Couldn't she choose to live a simple life like ordinary people, or marry the person she loved?

Why are all these people trying to pressure her?

Whether it was the Empress or Consort Jing, they both had their own agendas.

Of all the men they chose, she didn't want to marry any of them.

Because she already has someone she likes.

Thinking of the handsome scholar she had met at Qingyin Temple some time ago, Liu Shuning blushed.

Reception room.

"Lord Liu, do you recognize this jade pendant?"

Consort Jing presented the jade pendant, which was pure white. On the front of the pendant was a lifelike dragon, and on the back was a single character.

Upon seeing the character "昭" on the jade pendant, Grand Tutor Liu accepted it with trembling hands.

"This, this is..."

It's the Third Prince's jade pendant, how did it end up in Consort Jing's hands?

Seeing Liu Taipei's excited expression, Consort Jing understood.

It seems he still recognizes the owner of this jade pendant.

"I am the younger sister of Concubine Yao in the Third Prince's residence. This jade pendant was a gift from him to my sister. I have come here today to discuss something with you!"

Seeing the solemnity on Consort Jing's face, Grand Tutor Liu knew that this matter was probably no small thing.

He then glanced at Steward Lin, who immediately understood and dismissed all the servants.

After the servants left, Grand Tutor Liu looked up at Consort Jing and said, "Your Highness, please speak!"

Consort Jing hesitated for a moment before saying, "Grand Tutor Liu, are you aware that the Third Prince still has any surviving bloodlines?"

"what?"

Grand Tutor Liu was greatly alarmed.

Back then, the Third Prince was the most outstanding and the most promising candidate for the throne among all the princes.

However, because he was too arrogant and refused to listen to the advice of his advisors to temper his brilliance, he was targeted by several princes and forced to hang himself in the cold river on the border of the Western Liang Kingdom.

The Liu family now belonged to the former Third Prince's subordinates, and was a hidden pawn that he had the foresight to protect.

At the time, the Liu family appeared to be neutral, not involved with anyone.

In reality, they were a hidden card of the Third Prince, which he would not use unless it was absolutely necessary.

It was precisely because of this that the Liu family was able to survive after the Third Prince failed and fled the capital.

Now, Consort Jing is holding the Third Prince's jade pendant and telling herself that the Third Prince's bloodline is still alive.

Grand Tutor Liu naturally understood these intentions.

"Consort Jing, who is this person you speak of who has the bloodline of the Third Prince? Where is he now?"

Hearing Liu Taifu's words, Consort Jing gave a bitter smile.

"Grand Tutor Liu, I'm not afraid to tell you, this person is currently being held in the Jingzhao Prefecture prison by the Emperor. He's a member of the Marquis of Dingguo's household..."

The Jingzhao Prefecture Prison?

Thinking of what had happened recently, Grand Tutor Liu looked at Consort Jing in astonishment.

"You mean Lu Du is the one who..."

"Exactly."

Consort Jing nodded to him.

"Young Master Lu is the descendant of the Third Prince, and the son my sister risked everything to protect!"

This news truly shocked Liu Taifu.

He looked at Consort Jing, "Does Your Majesty want me to persuade the Emperor to release Commander Lu?"

Consort Jing nodded.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing."

After Ting'er comes out, I hope you will agree to the marriage between your daughter and Ting'er...

Only by offering substantial benefits would the Liu family be willing to go to great lengths to help Ting'er pursue his grand ambitions.

Upon hearing Consort Jing's request, Grand Tutor Liu's words caught in his throat.

It turns out that Consort Jing's purpose in coming today was not simple.

She not only wanted him to choose sides, but also hoped that he would turn against the Queen's side.

It should be noted that the Empress had subtly mentioned the marriage between Ning'er and the Crown Prince to her wife some time ago. Although her wife had not yet agreed, the Empress felt that the marriage between the two families was a done deal.

If he were to agree to Consort Jing's request now, the Liu family would inevitably incur the wrath of the Empress and the Crown Prince.

If the crown prince becomes the new emperor in the future, the Liu family will inevitably be purged.

Grand Tutor Liu was caught in a dilemma.

If Consort Jing hadn't brought the jade pendant today, he wouldn't have known that the Third Prince still had descendants. Perhaps he might have agreed to the Empress's request to send his daughter to the Eastern Palace.

But now...

He was to choose between his former master and the now powerful empress.

Consort Jing was well aware of Liu Taifu's inner struggle, but with Ting'er currently imprisoned, she feared that the Empress might take advantage of the Emperor's unconscious state to harm him.

That's why she came to the Liu residence so urgently, hoping that Grand Tutor Liu would side with Ting'er. The Liu family were originally the Third Prince's people, so he had no other choice but to stand on Ting'er's side.

"Grand Tutor Liu, I will give you one day to consider this. Reply to me after you have made your decision..."

Consort Jing stared intently at Grand Tutor Liu with her sharp eyes.

"However, I hope to hear good news from you tomorrow!"

"Consort Jing, there's no need for tomorrow, I can do it now..."

Just then, the voices of servants outside could be heard.

"Young Miss, you've arrived!"

The curtain was lifted, and Liu Shuning walked in gracefully.

"This humble woman greets Consort Jing, and wishes Her Majesty good health!"

Looking at the well-behaved and quiet girl in front of her, Consort Jing glanced at Grand Tutor Liu.

Then she said affectionately, "Shuning, come here quickly, let me take a good look at you!"

Faced with Consort Jing's enthusiasm, Liu Shuning awkwardly stepped forward.

"When you first came to the palace, I felt a connection with you. Now, looking at you again, aren't you and Ting'er a perfect match..."

Upon hearing Consort Jing's words, Liu Shuning's expression suddenly changed.

She looked at her father and saw that Grand Tutor Liu nodded to her.

"Consort Jing, the Ting'er you mentioned, is it... is it Commander Lu?"

Liu Shuning asked in a low voice.

"Yes, it is indeed the heir apparent of the Marquis of Dingguo's mansion!"

Consort Jing looked up at her, wanting to know what Liu Shuning thought of Ting'er.

Compared to the Crown Prince, Ting'er is far more outstanding.

At a young age, he rose to the rank of a third-grade official in the imperial court.

"Consort Jing, Commander Lu, he probably wouldn't like Shuning! After all, I heard he already has someone he loves..."

Remembering the reason why Lu Hanting was imprisoned, Liu Shuning said timidly.

Liu Shuning's words reminded Consort Jing of He Yuyan, who was also imprisoned.

Just thinking about this scourge made Consort Jing's head throb.

She took Liu Shuning's hand.

"From now on, I'll call you Ningning! Don't worry, He Yuyan probably won't live for many more days."

You just need to rest assured and marry him. If Ting'er dares to bully you, just come to me for justice..."

Consort Jing made a promise to her.

Although she hadn't asked her nephew yet, she believed that Ting'er would understand her good intentions.

After all, if we want to succeed, we must win over Liu Taifu as an ally.

Although she knew what was going to happen before she came, Liu Shuning still felt unwilling when she thought of the person in her heart.

"Your Highness Consort Jing, Shuning..."

The words Liu Shuning had been preparing for a long time suddenly became stuck in her throat.

After Consort Jing left, Liu Shuning looked at her father with a sad expression.

"Father, Ning'er doesn't want to marry Commander Lu..."

Grand Tutor Liu looked at his daughter, "Ning'er, your mother and I originally thought that we could give you a happy and carefree life, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned."

The Empress and Consort Jing don't want your father to stay out of this..."

Looking at his aggrieved daughter, how could he possibly want to get involved with imperial power?

An abandoned courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing.

A tall, muscular man came out of the house.

"Skinny Monkey, how's it going over Mei Lane?"

"Boss, they've kept their doors and windows closed these past few days, and we haven't seen that woman surnamed Wu come out. Could it be that she's discovered our whereabouts?"

"Impossible. I've already instructed them on what to do. Besides, we haven't even made a move yet. How could she possibly have known beforehand?"

"What should we do then? Master Jiang instructed us to act as soon as possible. If this fails, we'll all be in deep trouble..."

The tall, muscular man frowned.

"Wait a minute!"

Since taking the abortion pill that day, Wu Weiwei has been lying quietly in bed, waiting for the fetal blood clots in her belly to flow out.

After waiting for several days, apart from some slight bloating and pain in my lower abdomen, there was no other reaction.

"Young lady, do you think we should call a doctor to come and see what's wrong?"

Lingfu and the others were also very anxious, but they were all young women and had no idea what abortion was all about.

"Alright, go and invite them!"

This was her first pregnancy and her first abortion.

She had heard of her colleagues getting abortions in modern times, most of which were performed by dilation and curettage (D&C) at the hospital.

Of course, some people choose to have an abortion using medication, but she had heard that some abortions are unsuccessful and that incomplete abortions could affect one's health.

I always thought ancient medicines were incredibly potent, working instantly after consumption, but who knew…

Lingfu hurriedly went to the neighborhood to fetch a doctor.

Seeing that Wu Weiwei had finally made a move, the skinny monkey who was guarding the area hurriedly went back to report the news.

An hour later, Lingfu brought the doctor over.

"Doctor, please come inside quickly."

Still separated by the curtain, Wu Weiwei stretched out her hand.

After taking her pulse for a short while, the doctor suddenly said, "Madam, you said you took abortion medicine a few days ago?"

However, although his pulse was abnormal, it did not seem like there was any sign of miscarriage.

Because Lingfu had already informed the doctor about Wu Weiwei's condition on the way, the doctor noticed that the pulse was not right and thought he should check it again.

"Cough cough..."

Wu Weiwei, behind the curtain, coughed lightly. What did the doctor mean by that?

Wanqiu, standing nearby, replied on behalf of Wu Weiwei: "Doctor, our lady is a bit weak, so she wanted to abort the fetus, but after taking the medicine for several days, there's still no sign of it being expelled..."

"That's strange! Logically, it shouldn't be like that."

The doctor looked at Wanqiu, who was standing to the side, and asked, "Miss, could you please let me take a look at the madam's prescription?"

Upon hearing this, Wanqiu looked up in surprise. Did the doctor suspect that there was something wrong with the prescription their master was taking?

But the prescription was written by the doctor after he diagnosed the girl that day, and I personally watched the fire while it was being cooked. There couldn't possibly be a problem, right?

"Wanqiu, do you still have the prescription?"

"Here I am."

Wanqiu took out the prescription that the doctor had written for Wu Weiwei that day. The doctor took it and carefully looked at the names of the medicines on it.

"That's right, there's nothing wrong with the prescription, so why is it like this?"

The doctor was puzzled.

Listening to the doctor's words, Wu Weiwei looked outside at Wanqiu.

"Wanqiu, who picked the medicinal herbs that day?"

Since the prescription is fine, then the problem must be with the herbs that were brought in.

Wu Weiwei, behind the curtain, frowned.

Upon hearing this, Wanqiu was so frightened that she immediately knelt down.

"Miss, the herbs were picked by Sitao, and the medicine was brewed by this servant..."

Soon, Sisitao started walking.

"Miss, I watched the doctor at the pharmacy get the medicine that day, and I also confirmed it with the shopkeeper repeatedly. I don't know where the problem occurred!"

"Wanqiu, are the dregs of the medicine from that day still there?"

Wu Weiwei's voice sounded unusually sharp.

This matter involved whether there was a mole within the household, so Wanqiu dared not be negligent.

"Girl, yes, the dregs of the medicine are here. I buried them under the osmanthus tree in the front yard..."

"Doctor, would you please have my maid go and identify it?"

Wu Weiwei spoke up.

"Okay, okay!"

The doctor was invited by Ling Fu from the neighborhood. Listening to the conversation between the master and servant, he seemed to know that there might be something fishy going on, and he couldn't help but feel a little scared.

He had always heard that these high-ranking officials harbored secrets in their private lives, but he never expected to actually stumble upon them today.

Wanqiu looked at the pale-faced doctor, "Doctor, please come with me to examine him..."

"Okay, okay!"

At this point, the doctor just wanted to finish identifying the problem quickly so he could take the money and leave.

After Wanqiu and the others left, Lingfu stepped forward and said, "Miss, do you suspect that there is a traitor among us?"

Ever since the young lady moved out of the Marquis's mansion, everything has gone wrong.

First, she was pregnant with the prince's child after Granny Mei replaced her medicine. Now, even her abortion medicine has been switched. Of course, Wanqiu will only find out about this when she returns.

"Lingfu, the doctor you invited shouldn't know us, right?"

Wu Weiwei did not answer Lingfu, but instead asked about the doctor.

"Young lady, I invited this doctor from the neighborhood. I heard he's quite skilled, so he probably doesn't know us!"

Wu Weiwei frowned.

A quarter of an hour later.

But then Wanqiu and Sitao returned.

"how?"

Wu Weiwei looked at Sitao, whose face was calm.

"Young lady, the doctor just said that the herbs are fine, but the way they're being prepared is wrong..."

Sitao stepped forward and replied.

"What do you mean?"

Wu Weiwei's expression suddenly changed.

"Miss, it's my fault..."

Wanqiu immediately knelt down.

"It's all my fault. I was careless and listened to Granny Fang's words."

She told me that for the medicine to be more effective, the herbs needed to be soaked overnight before decocting, and that it would be best to simmer it for two hours for the best results…

But Dr. Ming just told her that the medicine the pharmacy owner prescribed for her could not be soaked in advance, as soaking it would greatly reduce its efficacy. In addition, she had been decocting it for too long, so the medicinal properties might have been lost.

It's all her fault...

Hearing this, Wu Weiwei felt a surge of anger rising in her chest.

Wu Weiwei looked at the chrysanthemum.

"Who is that old woman, Fang?"

"Miss, Granny Fang is a temporary worker hired by the manor to do menial tasks; she's been assigned to the kitchen..."

"Bring her here!"

"Yes."

A short while later, Sitao hurriedly walked into the courtyard.

"Miss, Steward Li said that Granny Fang took sick leave and went back to her hometown a couple of days ago!"

"Sick leave? Ha, what a coincidence?"

This is because they were worried about being caught after their deeds were exposed, so they fled in advance.

She looked at Sitao, her voice cold and stern: "Thoroughly investigate everyone who has come to this courtyard!"