Chapter 70: The General Begins His Revenge.

The billowing smoke rose rapidly into the air, sparks swirled in the air, and the raging flames spread outwards like waves, instantly burning the window paper to ashes. The window panes collapsed, leaving only a large, dark hole.

The fire came suddenly and caught the servants off guard. They were in a panic and couldn't get enough water to put it out. Some of them were so frightened that they ran away. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, Xu Congjing braced himself on the windowsill, lifted himself up slightly, and slipped into the study.

He covered his nose with a damp cloth, quickly searched through drawers and cabinets, and looked for secret passages, but found nothing. He then decisively went into Meng Shicheng's house. Just then, Meng Shicheng discovered the fire and rushed to the yard to direct the firefighting efforts, which gave him an opportunity.

His left ear was ringing unbearably, while his right ear was filled with the screams of a hundred people, giving him a splitting headache. He couldn't help but pound it a few times before continuing to probe the mechanism on the wall.

The sound of hurried, clattering footsteps was chaotic, but upon closer listening, one could discern two feet running purposefully towards the house. Just as the roof beams collapsed, the person pushed open the door and entered, their sharp gaze sending chills down one's spine in the fire. Fortunately, at that moment, Xu Congjing pressed a button, and with a rumble, a wall split in two, revealing valuable ceramics and calligraphy hidden within. He immediately recognized the imperial gold ruyi.

Persistence pays off; the stolen goods are right here, and we've finally caught them red-handed!

Xu Congjing breathed a sigh of relief, but then he vaguely saw a sharpened knife twirling behind Meng Shicheng. Meng Shicheng approached step by step with a half-smile, saying, "Minister Xu, you've come to my Grand Tutor's mansion as a guest, why didn't you give me a greeting?"

Caught red-handed, Meng Shicheng appeared calm on the surface, but Xu Congjing could tell that he was already seething with rage and murderous intent. However, instead of avoiding a confrontation, he spoke rudely, "When did I give notice before coming to your Grand Tutor's mansion?"

Previously, the two had been locked in a fierce battle, and he had frequently made secret incursions into the Grand Tutor's mansion. Meng Shicheng must have been aware of this. By bringing up this matter now, he intended to provoke Meng Shicheng's anger and use his life as a pretext. If Meng Shicheng were to make a move, he could be charged with murdering an official of the imperial court. At that time, with multiple crimes being punished together, his chances of winning would be even greater.

However, Xu Congjing underestimated Meng Shicheng's rationality. He was shrewd and cautious. Upon hearing such arrogant words, he was still able to calmly withdraw his sharp blade and avoid danger, which was worthy of being a Grand Tutor of the country.

He narrowed his eyes, the deep wrinkles around them pressing together, and asked in a cold voice, "You trespassed on an official's residence. Do you know what your punishment is?"

"Grand Tutor Meng is joking. I'm here to put out a fire. What crime have I committed?" Xu Congjing had prepared his words in advance. Thinking that he had outmaneuvered him, he couldn't help but smile. "On the contrary, you'll probably have to make a trip to the Dali Temple."

Meng Shicheng was a clever man, and after a moment's thought, he understood what was going on. He was seething with anger, wishing he could kill Xu Congjing with a single blow. After calming his resentment slightly, he asked, "Does the Emperor know of this matter?"

Xu Congjing smiled mysteriously after hearing this. A moment later, a corner of the black royal robe appeared, and the person outside the door gradually emerged. His eyes were sharp and piercing like a hawk's. He raised his sleeves with both hands, exuding nobility. Even his warning seemed nonchalant. "Grand Tutor Meng need not worry. I will inform the Emperor myself."

The Crown Prince had personally intervened, and Meng Shicheng knew he was doomed. So he said nothing more and had to swallow his anger as the Crown Prince's guards took him away.

As the fire subsided, the two men emerged together, exchanged a glance, and Xu Congjing bowed respectfully before stepping back, turning his back and flashing a smug smile.

Meng Shicheng was plotting against Prince Cheng, and the Crown Prince had long wanted to get rid of this thorn in his side. However, Emperor Xiaokang was unwilling to act rashly in order to maintain the balance between the two princes. Therefore, he came up with this plan to stage a scene with the Crown Prince to at least temporarily control Meng Shicheng and make it easier to carry out his plans.

Judging from the results, it worked.

The matter was passed around among officials, with some rejoicing and others worrying. The next day at court, before Xu Congjing could even speak, many people were already stirring with unease. Later, it was the Imperial Censor Zuo Liangzhi, who had clashed with Meng Shicheng a few days earlier, who took the lead.

"Embezzlement and perverting the law are serious crimes. What he has now embezzled is a gift bestowed by the emperor, which undermines peace between the two countries. This is an unforgivable crime! In my opinion, his head must be chopped off to appease the people."

Pang Liu and Meng Shicheng were birds of a feather, and fearing that the fire at the city gate would affect the innocent, he jumped out to refute, "The ins and outs of this matter have not yet been investigated, why is the Left Censor in such a hurry?"

"We have both witnesses and physical evidence, what else do we need to investigate?" Zuo Liangzhi's brows furrowed, his words filled with fervor and passion. "This is just what we found; who knows how much more we haven't found! Those were all imperial gifts; they simply don't respect the emperor or care about the country!"

These words nailed Meng Shicheng to the pillar of shame, making him wish the people would spit on him and throw rotten vegetables at him. He opened his throat, and his aged voice echoed in the hall, "Your Majesty! I implore Your Majesty to investigate Grand Tutor Meng and thoroughly investigate the Grand Tutor's mansion!"

Even after these words were spoken, the crowd remained uneasy, for the emperor remained silent, and the final decision on what to do with him depended on his mood.

Emperor Xiaokang, seeing the sudden silence in the hall, slowly raised his eyes, his sharp gaze sweeping across the room with an overbearing pressure that seemed to see right through everyone's thoughts. "Do all of you share this view?"

For a moment, the atmosphere was heavy, and no one dared to be the first to speak out.

Pang Liu had served the emperor for many years and knew him at least eighty percent of the details. If the emperor truly wanted to punish Meng Shicheng, he wouldn't be here to listen to the arguments. It was simply that he didn't want to shake the foundation and was just lacking a reason. Therefore, Pang Liu spoke again, "Your Majesty, although the stolen goods are in the Grand Tutor's residence, it's possible that some petty person has smeared them. We still need to investigate carefully!"

The Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies was a spineless coward; he confessed everything in a short time. And who today has the ability to stuff two large boxes of imperial gifts into the Grand Tutor's mansion to cover their tracks? With witnesses and evidence in place, Pang Liu still tried to defend himself by framing others—it's truly absurd!

But it was precisely this absurd statement that piqued Emperor Xiaokang's interest. He immediately leaned against the armrest, resting his hand on his temple, and asked, "Then tell me, how should we investigate, and who should we send to investigate?"

Then came another silence, with everyone below shrinking back, not daring to step forward. Pang Liu's gaze fell on Yue Zong, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and he had made his choice. "The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is upright and impartial, and is most suitable to investigate this case."

Yue Zong felt a chill run down his spine. He had originally been focused on investigating cases, and although his initial intentions remained unchanged after entering officialdom, he was no longer the naive young man he once was, and he could now see through some of the intricacies of the situation. The case was crystal clear: Pang Liu recommended him partly to distance himself from Meng Shicheng, and partly to buy time. He was helpless and could only secretly hope that Emperor Xiaokang would reject the proposal.

Before Emperor Xiaokang could speak, Xu Congjing stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I also believe that this case should not be rushed. It should be thoroughly investigated so that no one is wronged and no guilty person is let go." His words were arguably adding fuel to the fire. Yue Zong was now heartbroken. He just couldn't understand why Xu Congjing, who had been Meng Shicheng's mortal enemy for many years, didn't take the opportunity to kill him but instead bought him time.

In reality, Xu Congjing could not help but want to get rid of him as soon as possible. However, he had figured out Emperor Xiaokang's intentions. Since the Crown Prince's persuasion had failed, it would be better to give him a push, curry favor with the emperor, and then wait for an opportunity to act.

Even Emperor Xiaokang was somewhat surprised by this move. He coughed several times as he took a deep breath, but remained relaxed with a playful smile on his lips. "Oh? Minister Xu thinks so too?"

Xu Congjing agreed, and Emperor Xiaokang's gaze swept over the group of people wriggling around him, just to see how many would object. Sure enough, he saw one person step out of the line.

Instead of refuting this statement, he loudly proclaimed, "I second that!"

Xu Congjing turned around and saw Lu Hengzhi.

The British government has always been impartial and self-serving. Now that it has expressed its stance, the officials naturally understand the principle that those who obey the emperor prosper and those who oppose him perish, and thus they all echoed its sentiments.

Having achieved his goal, Emperor Xiaokang's expression softened slightly, and his gaze locked onto one person, "Minister Yue."

"Your subject is here." Seeing that he couldn't avoid it, Yue Zong had no choice but to bite the bullet and face the consequences. He heard the words hitting him hard, "I will give you a month to investigate the cause and effect. If there is any mistake, you will be held accountable."

"Your subject obeys the decree."

The case was temporarily settled, and the officials fell silent. The eunuch shouted "Dismiss the court!" and everyone silently took their leave. Xu Congjing stopped on the platform outside the palace, received a glance from the Crown Prince, and then headed towards the East Palace.

When he came out, his face was gloomy. After leaving the yamen, he went to the Lou residence.

Inside the Lou residence, Madam Zhang was playing dice with her maid when Lou Yanxu walked over with a smile and draped a plain-colored cloak over Madam Zhang's shoulders. "Auntie, you look much better, you have more energy!"

“You’ve been taking care of me every day, and I’ve even gained a few pounds!” Madam Zhang put away the quiver, pulled her to sit beside her, and pinched the new flesh on her belly. Lou Yanxu covered her mouth and smiled, “If you don’t gain weight, Zizheng will blame me for not taking good care of you.”

"He wouldn't dare!" Madam Zhang warned in her eyes, her expression conveying a sense of righteous indignation even at the cost of family ties.

Wan Qing strolled leisurely into the courtyard, secretly teasing Lou Yanxu, "How dare he? Only you can humiliate him!" Thanks to Lou Yanxu, after Xu Congjing locked her in the room last time, she gave him a good beating, and he didn't dare to fight back.

Understanding her unspoken meaning, Lou Yanxu's ears slowly burned. She pursed her lips shyly, her eyes smiling, revealing her bashful demeanor. This caused Zhang Shi's brow to twitch, and a cloud of doubt gradually rose in her heart. Her face showed disbelief, but her eyes sparkled with joy. "You and Zizheng? You two?"

Lou Yanxu smiled but remained silent, while Wan Qing'an patted Zhang Shi's shoulder to comfort her, "You can rest assured, the two of them are doing very well!"

"Okay, okay, okay..." Madam Zhang had been hoping for the two to reconcile. She hadn't mentioned the matter since being rejected at Huiju Temple. She never expected that happiness would come so quickly after all this time! She then smiled and her beautiful eyes curved into crescents, making her features even more delicate and charming.

Qingrui brought over a plate of translucent glutinous rice balls. Wan Qing'an swallowed one, washed her hands, and then slowly spoke, issuing a warning, "Madam Xu, your son is incredibly lucky to marry our Wanwan. I won't allow him to become a heartless man in the future..."

She really has audacity, daring to warn Madam Xu. Lou Yanxu didn't want Madam Zhang to get too involved between her and Xu Congjing, so she picked up a steamed rice cake and stuffed it into her mouth. "Even eating can't shut you up."

How could she be so biased towards outsiders? Wan Qing'an glared at her, but only reluctantly "let her off the hook" after seeing her smile ingratiatingly.

Immersed in immense joy, Madam Zhang failed to notice the two's subtle actions. She pulled Lou Yanxu over and spoke with righteous indignation, "Yes, yes, yes! If he dares to betray Wanwan, I will expel him from the Xu family. We, mother and daughter, will live together. I will never let Wanwan suffer in silence!"

The two women were taken aback, then exchanged a knowing smile. Wan Qing'an was satisfied; Madam Zhang seemed to be a reasonable person, a thousand times better than that damned Madam Zeng and Madam Du.

The two men stayed with Madam Zhang for a while longer, until she was exhausted and fell asleep before leaving.

As soon as she stepped into the room, Qingrui lifted the curtain and entered, saying, "Second Mistress, Minister Xu has arrived."

Lou Yanxu paused. It was already past curfew, so he must have come in a hurry for some urgent matter. He immediately turned and walked towards the banquet hall, instructing Qingrui, "Please invite him in to talk."

A moment later, Qingrui led Xu Congjing over. Her eyes were filled with a cold and stern expression. She pulled him to the side hall before asking in detail, "What happened?"

Xu Congjing shook his head, saying it wasn't anything serious, just that he was in a hurry and had rushed over. He looked around and asked, "Is Yun Bing at home?"

"He should be here. What do you want with him?" Lou Yanxu asked, puzzled. She couldn't understand why these two, who usually had little contact, would specifically come to her door.

Lost in thought, she vaguely heard his hoarse voice in her ears, "I want him to go to Suzhou and dig up my father's grave."

I looked up and was startled.

Who would order someone to dig up their own father's grave? Has he gone mad?!