It's really hard to just farm peacefully.

Chapter 187

Jiang Yan was very happy that she was assigned such a matter even though Madam Xiao was not around. He looked at the smile on her face and could not see any displeasure at all.

Xiaoniang was really happy. Apart from eating, her favorite thing in her life was to inquire about and share all kinds of romantic affairs, big and small, and even secrets.

When he heard Mu Niangzi say that the little girl who had fled from other places was very interested in the affairs of the imperial city, he sat down on the ground and began to tell her story in a very emotional way.

"If we want to talk about the turmoil and changes in the Imperial City, we have to start from the time when the late emperor returned to the Imperial City from Dongjun Mountain."

As soon as Jiang Yanfu heard Xiaoniang's opening remarks, he knew that no news could be more shocking than this. The late emperor, the late... the incompetent old emperor died. When did he die?

"The late emperor's eldest son and Miss Dai, the sister of the Minister of Rites, unexpectedly fell in love at the palace on Dongjun Mountain.

I heard that the eldest prince had promised Miss Dai to mourn her late husband for six months, but with the fairy by his side, before a month had passed, the eldest prince became impatient and secretly brought her back to his palace upon returning to the capital."

"Going back on one's word and bowing to the imperial power... This matter is, after all, a disgrace to the royal family, the Dai family, and the family of Miss Dai's late husband. So, even though the important officials in the capital knew about it privately, they still pretended that it had never happened and had no intention of exposing it.

I heard that the eldest prince was in high spirits during that period. Apart from attending court meetings, he stayed at home every day with Miss Dai. Not to mention other female relatives, even the eldest prince's wife, who had been in harmony with him before, was ignored.

During the New Year's Eve banquet in the imperial city, the eldest prince brought Miss Dai with him and placed her by his side.

For some unknown reason, the late emperor was extremely excited that day and got himself drunk. He ordered Cao Chong, who was by his side, to take out treasures from his private storehouse and rewarded the officials and their wives present.

When the eldest prince's wife and Dai Nulang and others came to express their gratitude, the drunken late emperor stared at them for a long time.

At this point, Xiaoniang asked Jiang Yan, "Who do you think the late emperor was looking at at that time?"

Jiang Yan answered cautiously: "You should look at the most outstanding person in the crowd." Whether it was experience or routine, it was hard not to be the beautiful Miss Dai.

Xiao Niang shook her head. "No one knows who it is. Some guess it's Miss Dai, some guess it's the eldest prince's wife, and some think it's one of the other people present."

Jiang Yan was puzzled: "Since no one knows, does it matter who it is?"

"It's not important for what happens later, but I've placed a bet in the capital. If I guess right, I can get a large sum of gold and silver, and I won't have to sleep in the open with the caravan."

Xiao Niang immediately continued her previous progress after complaining, "Not long after the New Year's Day incident, an official discovered that the late emperor was infatuated with married women. Within half a month, the Prime Minister of the capital found sixteen women from the common people and sent them to the imperial city.

At first, everyone thought that the late emperor had taken a fancy to Miss Dai, but because of the eldest prince, they secretly asked Prime Minister Wu to find someone to replace her.

The eldest prince was also very nervous during that period. He did not allow Miss Dai to leave the house and sent guards to protect her closely.

But after half a year, the late emperor started looking for newly widowed women and then forcibly took women from the divorced ones. Finally, he seemed to get bored and stopped doing anything for a long time.

The eldest prince gradually relaxed his vigilance.

At the end of July, Concubine Wu, the younger sister of Prime Minister Wu, could not stand the stuffy heat in the imperial city, so she invited the eldest prince's wife, Dai, who became a concubine, the second prince's wife, and the third prince's wife to escape the summer heat at the imperial farm outside the capital.

On the tenth day after they left, court officials were shocked to discover that the late emperor had not appeared for seven days.

Several princes who had been busy handling state affairs on behalf of the late emperor since the beginning of summer suddenly felt uneasy.

Some officials followed the eldest prince, whose face had turned pale, and went straight to the imperial estate where Concubine Wu was. They only found Concubine Dai and the third prince's wife, who looked a little haggard. The eldest prince's wife, the second prince's wife, and Concubine Wu were nowhere to be found.

The late emperor found it in an abandoned well in a remote courtyard of the imperial estate, its lower limbs shattered and its body crawling with maggots.