Chapter 405 To Save or Not to Save?

Did the Prime Minister anticipate what would happen if Jiang Yu hadn't died in this assassination attempt?

A shrewd and calculating man like the Prime Minister would naturally make comprehensive predictions beforehand. Since he dared to plot the assassination, he must have anticipated the possibility of failure. Although Jiang Yu had only been in court for a short time, judging from her actions, despite her youth and being a woman, her intelligence and methods were on par with his. How could he be completely unprepared?

He hadn't anticipated Jiang Yu's swift counterattack, nor had he expected her to directly target Ma Mingqian, catching him completely off guard. Furthermore, how was Ma Mingqian's identity exposed?

The greatest hermit lives in the city. Back then, he brought Huiniang to the capital and arranged for her to live among the common people. On the surface, he had no contact with her, and their private meetings were even more secretive.

Later, when Ma Mingqian passed the imperial examination and entered officialdom, he never openly showed any concern for her, but secretly paved the way and made arrangements. Even the old people in his household might not know about this relationship. In the entire capital, there were only three to five people who knew about this secret, and each of them was a trusted confidant.

Where did Jiang Yu find this information? Was there a mistake somewhere? Or... did someone deliberately hand her this incriminating evidence?

After calming down, the Prime Minister began to reflect and devise a solution. His initial decision to keep Hui Niang outside the residence instead of bringing her in was primarily driven by considerations for his wife and the Xie family. Later, when Ma Mingqian was born and proved exceptionally intelligent, smoothly passing the imperial examinations and becoming a Jinshi, he decided to never publicly acknowledge this son.

He knew how dangerous his actions were; a single misstep could lead to the extermination of his entire family. Keeping Ma Mingqian hidden forever was a way to ensure the Pei family's survival should he fall from grace. Now, it was clear that Jiang Yu already knew Ma Mingqian's identity, which was why she was targeting him.

What should we do now?

To save or not to save?

He paced back and forth in the room, his steps growing increasingly anxious. If he didn't save him, that was, after all, his own son, the son he was using as a backup plan. Besides, Ma Mingqian had done things for him and knew many secrets. Now that he was arrested and taken to the Dali Temple, could he withstand severe torture?

If we manage to save them, how should we do it?

Jiang Yu claimed to have evidence, and although he believed the evidence was fake, what if Jiang Yu produced a perfect chain of evidence? It wasn't impossible. For people in their positions, creating a chain of evidence that was both true and false was not easy, but it wasn't impossible either.

In that case, if he went to rescue them, he might very well get himself killed. This assassination attempt was too impulsive, and he never expected Jiang Yu's counterattack to be so swift and in such a cunning way.

"Your Excellency, Lord Pu's personal attendant requests an audience." The steward's voice interrupted his thoughts. The Prime Minister frowned and remained silent for a moment before saying, "Bring him in."

"Yes." The butler responded and went out, returning shortly after with a man in his twenties.

"Greetings, Your Excellency." Pu Tonghe's attendant bowed.

The prime minister walked to the chair and sat down, asking calmly, "What does your master want with you?"

The attendant glanced at him cautiously, then bowed his head respectfully and said, "My master wishes to speak with the Prime Minister immediately."

The prime minister frowned and pondered for a moment, then stood up. "Very well."

The attendant, relieved to hear his agreement, immediately bowed and withdrew. The prime minister, having changed into a black robe, emerged through a secret passage. Upon reaching their usual meeting room, Pu Tonghe was already there, his face showing anxiety.

Upon seeing him, Pu Tonghe immediately stood up and asked, "I heard that Jiang Yu threw something, and when it exploded, it killed three or four people."

Seeing his anxious appearance, the Prime Minister frowned and sat down before saying, "Zishi, your mind is too chaotic. Especially at times like these, you need to remain calm."

Pu Tonghe's expression stiffened upon hearing his words, but he didn't change his demeanor. Instead, he anxiously asked, "Was that thing developed by Prince Rui? It's incredibly powerful! How many more do they have?"

It wasn't that he was losing his composure; it was simply that the explosion was too devastating. Every step we take now is already fraught with difficulty. If the emperor truly possessed such a powerful weapon, how could the great cause they were assisting possibly succeed?

The Prime Minister's brows furrowed deeply. Was he not terrified and shocked? It was just that he controlled the power of the Prince of Lingnan in the capital, so he could not show his emotions.

His hands clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white from the force, yet he never let a trace of genuine anxiety show on his face. The Prime Minister said, "The Heavenly Crafts Bureau is heavily guarded; it's obvious they're developing secret weapons. We tried every means to gather information before without success, but now that Jiang Yu has used it, we feel more at ease. However, they might have even more powerful firearms."

“This…” Pu Tonghe paced back and forth in the room, and after a while said, “This… does Your Highness still have a chance of winning?”

Everything was for profit; words of sworn loyalty were just empty rhetoric. He followed the King of Lingnan in doing things that could have led to the extermination of nine generations of his family, all for personal gain. Now, seeing defeat looming, how could he not be worried and fearful?

"Sit down!" The Prime Minister's voice was stern and reprimanding. "What good will haste do now that things have come to this?"

The Prime Minister's voice deepened, and his sharp gaze swept over him. "From the moment we decided to embark on this path, there has been no turning back. Whether we succeed or fail, you cannot afford to lose your composure now. Instead of panicking here, you should calm down and think of a solution."

Pu Tonghe was taken aback by the reprimand, his steps faltering, a hint of embarrassment flashing across his face. Composing himself, he suppressed his lingering panic and lowered his voice: "I lost my composure. The Prime Minister is right to reprimand me; I panicked just now. But why did Jiang Yu point the finger at Ma Mingqian?"

"Mingqian is my biological son." The Prime Minister suppressed his emotions. Now that things had come to this, he no longer needed to hide it from those who were on the same side as him.

Pu Tonghe was shocked upon hearing this, but only for a moment. Considering the Prime Minister was the son-in-law of the Xie family, and how powerful the Xie family was before its downfall, it was understandable that the Prime Minister wouldn't dare acknowledge his son. But now the difficult question was: what to do? To save him or not to save him?

After calming down, his intelligence returned considerably, and he asked, "What does the Prime Minister intend to do?"

The prime minister remained silent; he didn't know what to do. Or rather, he knew what to do, but couldn't make up his mind.

A silence fell over the room as Pu Tonghe took a sip of tea. The Prime Minister's silence revealed his true feelings: he wanted to get rid of Ma Mingqian, but he couldn't bring himself to do it because Ma was his own son.

But this also concerns him; if the Prime Minister can't make a decision, he will. Putting down his cup, he said, "I know the Prime Minister loves his son dearly, but there's no time to hesitate now."

Pu Tonghe's tone turned serious, his gaze falling on the Prime Minister's tense profile. "The instruments of torture in the Dali Temple are no joke; few can withstand three trials. If Mingqian can't hold on and confesses even a little bit of the inside story, all our years of planning will have been in vain."