For a moment, Fourth Prince couldn't tell if Sixth Prince was truly indifferent to the throne or just making excuses to delay. He was quite indecisive.

2000 taels were already no small sum. To raise it to 3000 taels was not something Fourth Prince couldn't afford.

But that would be letting Sixth Prince off too easily.

Keep in mind, for Fourth Prince to nibble away 1000 taels from National Treasury took some minor scheming.

After much hesitation, Fourth Prince slowly spoke, "Little Six, as you see, I haven't found any crayfish lately. The road to wealth remains untraveled, so please don't make things difficult for me."

"How about this, lend me 2000 taels for one day, and I'll give you twenty percent of what the troupe earns that day?"

With Lin Yi presiding over the Qixi Festival, it was sure to be incredibly prosperous. As the most famous troupe in Imperial City, they were bound to make a fortune.

I'm not afraid of ten thousand risks, but there's always that 'if'. If Lin Yi pulls some tricks, losing everything is also a possibility.

We can't make it too easy for Sixth Prince; the best method is to share the risks.

Although Sixth Prince begrudged not getting 3000 taels, to show his determination of having no interest in the throne dispute, he could only nod in agreement.

After receiving the silver notes, Fourth Prince immediately checked whether the entertainment troupe was worth the price.

But with just one glance, Fourth Prince was captivated.

"This is outrageous, Little Six has been hiding treasures in his mansion. Each of the twenty courtesans is incomparably stunning, any one of them could surpass the leading courtesan of Yichun Courtyard."

"Little Six really is blessed with luck in love!"

While sighing, Fourth Prince started to contemplate, considering taking one of them as a concubine for his own mansion.

I remember Lin Yi mentioned on the court that apart from the song contest, there'd be a poetry contest; scholars and poets will surely be involved.

Finding scholars and poets is not a difficult task for Fourth Prince.

Hanlin Academy is brimming with talents, and Fourth Prince's foundation there is quite robust.

Fourth Prince had already made preparations. On the day of Qixi Festival, he would invite ten promising young scholars from Hanlin Academy to secretly support his influence and surely triumph over Lin Yi.

After all preparations were completed, Fourth Prince returned to his residence reassured.

Meanwhile, Lin Yi was quite leisurely. After the court session, he entertained the young Emperor for a while, then went to visit Princess Consort Jing.

Of course, he visited in the name of the young Emperor and brought many health supplements.

While peace reigned in the Imperial Palace, Princess Consort Jing seemed rather absent-minded.

On seeing Lin Yi arrive, she actually forgot to come forward to greet him until Magistrate Lin crossed the threshold and approached her, only then did she react.

"Magistrate... Magistrate Lin!"

"I've failed to greet you properly; I hope Magistrate Lin would forgive me."

Somehow, although this respectful greeting should be reserved for Your Majesty, Princess Consort Jing naturally blurted it out to Lin Yi.

Perhaps because the child in her womb was Lin Yi's, Princess Consort Jing felt an inexplicable affection towards him, yearning to be closer yet not daring to.

Seeing Princess Consort Jing's reserve, Lin Yi also felt awkward.

'Cough cough, my wife is still so reserved, why didn't she inherit Gongsun Mo's straightforward and lively character?'

Well, having a submissive and quiet little wife is also a joy in life.

Then, Lin Yi presented the health supplements he had prepared.

But the keen-eyed Lin Yi noticed two exquisite gift boxes on Princess Consort Jing's table, and upon closer inspection, they contained the rare Thousand-year-old Ganoderma.

This? That shouldn't be!

"Princess Consort Jing, this Thousand-year-old Ganoderma you have here has been earnestly sought by Your Majesty for a long time without any success."

Half a month ago, when the young Emperor had severe pregnancy reactions, Lin Yi had instructed the Imperial Physician to search for the legendary Thousand-year-old Ganoderma among the common folk.

Despite a large expenditure of manpower and resources, they could find none, yet today, it appeared in Princess Consort Jing's Suqing Palace.

This certainly was no coincidence.

"Please investigate thoroughly, Sir Lin. I did not steal this Thousand-year-old Ganoderma, and I have no idea how this came about. When I woke up this afternoon, I suddenly found it."

"I was even thinking of finding a time to tell the Empress about it, to ask the Empress to decide on the matter. I did not expect you, Sir Lin, to arrive beforehand."

Intuition told Lin Yi that this matter was no trifling issue. Princess Consort Jing by nature was quiet and unobtrusive, unlikely to lie.

Lin Yi stepped forward, examining the two boxes of Thousand-year-old Ganoderma carefully. Only when he lifted the Ganoderma did he discover a note hidden beneath the boxes.

The note bore the words "Xue'er, take care of yourself."

It was Gongsun Mo!

Looking at the robust and vigorous calligraphy, Lin Yi could not imagine that the eccentric Gongsun Mo could write such impressive characters.

'It really troubles Brother Gongsun Mo to clandestinely present Thousand-year-old Ganoderma to his daughter.'

'This old fellow had regained his freedom for less than two days, yet he was able to find this Ganoderma. His ability was indeed no small feat, having managed to evade the gaze of so many people in the bustling daylight of the Imperial Palace. It was truly not easy.'

But having said that, it also showed that the Palace's security had severe vulnerabilities. Fortunately, Gongsun Mo had no intention to harm Your Majesty; otherwise, Lin Yi would be quite busy handling the aftermath.

Since it was the father-in-law's well-intentioned gift, it must then be used for Princess Consort Jing.

It would prevent Gongsun Mo from making trouble for Lin Yi one day, should he see that the Ganoderma is not utilized for Princess Consort Jing.

Subsequently, Lin Yi surreptitiously slipped the small note into his sleeve without any noticeable movement.

"Princess Consort Jing, I almost forgot to inform you that these two pieces of Thousand-year-old Ganoderma were sent by Your Majesty."

"You are carrying our Dayu's first Prince, so you must take extra care of your health. The child in your womb represents the future of our Dayu."

"Someone, grind this Reishi Mushroom Powder and put it in a jar, and make sure Princess Consort Jing continues to consume it."

After all, the Thousand-year-old Ganoderma was excessively precious; even the Empress did not have any. If it was to remain displayed in Suqing Palace, it might give rise to gossipmongers.

The Harem has always been a place rife with gossip among women; it is better to avoid trouble than to invite it.

And Princess Consort Jing tacitly approved of Lin Yi's approach, having no objection to how the Thousand-year-old Ganoderma was handled.

"Then I must trouble Sir Lin."

Now that it was clear the gift was from Your Majesty, the heavy stone in Princess Consort Jing's heart was finally lifted.

Considering that Gongsun Mo might still secretly send gifts to Princess Consort Jing, Lin Yi decided to inform her.

There may be some objects secretly delivered in the future. Do not panic; they're all secretly from the little Emperor. You can safely accept them.

There was no other way; given that Gongsun Mo had just regained his freedom and learnt that his daughter was still alive, how could he not indulge in a little fatherly love?

However, after hearing Lin Yi's words, Princess Consort Jing could not bring herself to feel happy. With a complex look, she glanced at Lin Yi, searching for an answer in his eyes.

Lin Yi immediately detected the guilt in her gaze.

It was nothing but the struggle of not wanting to betray Your Majesty's deep affection and favoritism, while ironically, the child she carried was not Your Majesty's.

Her heart was tormented.

In order to comfort Princess Consort Jing, Lin Yi had to send away all the servants first.

"Princess Consort Jing, let me teach you how to use this Reishi Mushroom Powder," Lin Yi implied with an undertone that he needed to talk privately.

...End of Chapter...

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