Chapter 55 The Jade Seal as a Trap

Side hall.

Lin Shoubai presented a stack of evidence seized from the merchants, along with newly obtained confessions, to Shen Hegui.

Lin Shoubai: "The merchants involved are involved in far more than just the smuggling of medicinal materials and supplies. They also smuggle prohibited items such as copper, iron and gunpowder. According to the secret correspondence, six or seven out of ten officials and merchants in Jiangnan have either actively colluded with or tacitly condoned the activities, and have formed a network of interests with the Japanese pirates."

Shen Hegui quickly skimmed over the names and statements on the list, his face grim. "According to this statement, the merchant not only smuggled goods and colluded with the enemy, but also secretly monitored the court's personnel transfers and policy trends in the southern government."

Lin Shoubai: "Yes, so my subordinates specially investigated the Shang family and traced their origins. They discovered that their ancestors were surnamed Ma, and a hundred years ago they were a collateral branch of pirates in the South China Sea. Shang Lian's grandfather spent a lot of money to buy a large amount of land, repair the ancestral hall and update the genealogy, and also married into a declining official family to clean up the family's reputation. Four years ago, Shang Lian suddenly passed the imperial examination with top honors, and his fame spread far and wide. His family at sea heard about him and came to support him secretly, which is why the Shang family is where it is today."

Shen Hegui raised his eyes: "Does Shang Lian know what his parents have done?" This empire, in the hands of his father, has developed in a chaotic and disastrous way!

Lin Shoubai: "I don't know. Shang Lian was born to Shang Silian, who was arranged by the old lady of the Shang family. Shang Silian disliked the old lady's controlling nature, and by extension, she disliked Shang Lian and his mother. In fact, she could say she loathed them. Shang Lian was excluded from all decisions, big and small, in the family."

Shen Hegui turned to Feng Gou: "Summon Luo Jiangsheng to me, and also summon the Minister of War, the Commander-in-Chief of the Five Armies, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Capital Garrison to the West Warm Pavilion for a meeting." It's best not to know.

"This old servant will go right away!"

Lin Shoubai's breath hitched, and he asked, "Your Highness, are you going to send troops to attack Japanese pirates or officials and merchants in Jiangnan?" It is the spring planting season, and Your Highness has not yet ascended the throne. Sending troops rashly would have endless consequences.

"First, we'll deal with external threats, then internal ones. I'll make my stance clear and give them time to repent. If they remain obstinate, they can't blame me for being ruthless and only applying the law."

After organizing the statement, Shen Hegui looked up at Lin Shoubai, who seemed hesitant to speak, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Speak your mind. Don't just stand here staring at me without saying anything!"

"Your Highness, when do you plan to ascend the throne? If you send all the elite troops you've personally trained to the front lines, what will happen to your own safety?" He paused, then suggested, "How about I go and kill Prince Su and His Majesty now to eliminate any future troubles?"

Shen Hegui chuckled softly, exuding confidence that he was in control of the situation. "No rush. We'll play the long game. We'll eliminate the future troubles, but not now."

*

When Lu Wensheng was forced to wake up from a nap, it was already completely dark.

With her long eyelashes fluttering, Lu Wensheng realized she was in an unfamiliar place. Startled, she hurriedly began to check her clothes.

Thank goodness, I wasn't stripped. It was a close call!

Lifting the light blue curtain, Lu Wensheng glanced around briefly and swaggered out.

She got sick from the alcohol at noon, so Shen Hegui should be fine. Where is he? Did he just leave her here? What if she still has some poison left and something happens to her while she's unconscious?

Stepping out from behind the screen, I saw the familiar outer hall.

Lu Wensheng suddenly realized.

So she was still in Zhaowu Hall, so she slept in Shen Hegui's bed? Only a few days have passed, and everything has changed. It seems that the secret room is gone too.

hiss--

Could her confiscated storybooks be here? There are several she hasn't finished reading yet.

Lu Wensheng took a step back, turned around and went back to the inner hall, where he quietly began to search.

It wasn't on the bookshelf, it wasn't in the bedside drawer, it wasn't on the bed.

Her gaze shifted, and she walked to the desk piled high with memorials, beginning to search through them.

Still none, not a single one!

Just as I was feeling disappointed, I caught a glimpse of the nanmu wood box next to me out of the corner of my eye.

Curiosity stirred within her, and she reached out and gently lifted the lid of the box.

A large, green, coiled dragon seal was neatly placed inside the box.

"Could it be the imperial seal?!" Is it really just left lying around like that? Aren't they afraid someone will steal it?

She reached out and grasped the dragon head, took out the jade seal, turned it over and saw that it was indeed engraved with eight large seal characters: "May the longevity be everlasting, and may the mandate of heaven be received."

"Nothing new!" Lu Wensheng complained.

"What are you doing?"

Shen Hegui's cold voice suddenly came from behind, startling Lu Wensheng so much that his hand trembled and the jade seal fell to the ground with a crisp 'crack', his head and body separated instantly.

"Your Highness! Let me explain!" Lu Wensheng's pupils dilated in shock.

She hurriedly picked up the jade seal that had separated from her body and head, and tried to put it back together. "It can still be used if I glue it back on!"

That's it, she's probably going to lose her life here today!

"It will be a bit ugly, but the mark at the bottom is still good, or... or we can change it to gold-inlaid jade!"

Shen Hegui looked down at her flustered movements and expression, and after a long while, he slowly said, "Put it back, it's fake."

Lu Wensheng froze as he repeatedly pressed the jade seal, thinking he had misheard: "Huh?!"

Her neatly trimmed fingertips gently brushed against the carved headboard, and with a soft click, the hidden compartment slid open. Shen Hegui took out a fine white jade box and casually handed it to Lu Wensheng: "It's really here."

Lu Wensheng opened it with some skepticism, and sure enough, there was an identical large seal inside.

Her heart, which had been in her throat, instantly settled back down, and she whispered, "Your Highness."

"Um."

Why take a vacation and stay away from home?

"Fishing for people."

Lu Wensheng was speechless: "...Next time, let's use something sturdier!" It would break in two if it landed on the carpet; only a fool would take the bait.

She carefully placed the white jade box on the table, pushed it away, and then pushed it away again.

Stay away from hot potatoes!

Shen Hegui raised an eyebrow at her actions and explained, "The fake jade seal is coated with a deadly poison; touching it will result in death. Before it was corroded, the jade was still very hard."

"!!!" Lu Wensheng's scalp tingled, he gasped several times, and his voice distorted: "So I'm about to die from the poison?!"

He raised his hand to close Lu Wensheng's chin and soothed her gently, "No, I was worried you might accidentally touch my things. I've already given you the antidote."

Lu Wensheng felt a great weight lifted off his shoulders.

She vowed never to rummage through Chen Hegui's things again.

"Come here." Shen Hegui took out a blank imperial edict from somewhere, unfolded it, and dipped the imperial brush in thick ink, handing it to her. "I heard that you can imitate human handwriting so well that it is indistinguishable from the real thing. Help me write an imperial edict."

"What is it written? Whose handwriting is it?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Lu Wensheng realized it was a silly question, and she quickly corrected herself: "It's been a long time since I've seen His Majesty's handwriting, and I can't remember the details very clearly."

"Wait."

"good."

Standing there idly, knowing that the poison wouldn't reach her, Lu Wensheng involuntarily picked up the fake jade seal and examined it.

I wonder who leaked her skills. Luckily, Shen Hegui treated her kindly; if it had been someone more suspicious and petty, they would have killed her long ago to prevent future troubles.

She must take good care of Shen Hegui in the future. What her mother has, Shen Hegui must also have!

I've heard that highly poisonous substances are all bitter. I have to take this opportunity to try them and see if it's true.

Reaching out, Lu Wensheng picked at the dragon whiskers on the fake jade seal. After a moment's hesitation, he licked it and then smacked his lips twice.

It doesn't taste like anything.

Lu Wensheng changed the side and licked it twice more.

Still no!

Rumors are indeed not always reliable!

I wonder how potent this poison is. Should I take some back with me?

Lu Wensheng's eyes darted around, and he opened his mouth and started biting into the dragon's body.

Since it was broken, it's normal that a missing corner can't be found.

Just as Lu Wensheng was about to bite into it, a crisp sound rang out, and the fake jade seal, which had been split in two, was instantly broken into three pieces.

Shen Hegui, who had returned with the manuscript, paused in place, his gaze complex.

For a fleeting moment, he suspected that Lu Wensheng wanted to steal the Imperial Seal. As it turned out, he was overthinking it. In both his past and present lives, Lu Wensheng was the first and only person he had ever met with such intense curiosity.

Seeing that Lu Wensheng was about to continue chewing on the fake jade seal, Shen Hegui quickly unfolded the manuscript and called out, "Come here, take a look at these and see if they are enough for you to study."

Suddenly hearing the sound of paper unfolding, Lu Wensheng hurriedly turned to the side, quickly hiding his hands behind his back, and looked at the calligraphy that seemed to penetrate the paper. "That's enough, that's enough."

Thinking she had discreetly put the gnawed fake jade seal back in its place, she examined it intently for a moment, then picked up the imperial brush again. "What should I write, Your Highness?"

"An imperial edict demoting Prince Su to a commoner and imprisoning him in a villa on the outskirts of the capital." With that, Shen Hegui took out a piece of paper with ink-stained characters from his sleeve, unfolded it, and said, "Just copy it down."

Lu Wensheng paused in his writing, then praised, "Your Highness's preparations are truly thorough!"

Her handwriting was fluent and each character was written in one breath. After she finished writing, she put down her pen, glanced at the flickering candlelight beside her, and suddenly asked, "Your Highness, are the palace gates locked? Where will I sleep tonight?"

"Hmm, it's already Hai hour. Tonight, you will stay in Zhaowu Palace with me." Glancing at the teeth marks on it, Shen Hegui put away the fake jade seal.

So, the emperor and his subject are going to share a bed again? Although she doesn't mind sharing a blanket and sleeping fully clothed, she has only been awake for a short time and definitely won't be able to fall asleep, which would be bad if it affected Shen Hegui.

Lu Wensheng: "Can I sleep in the side hall?"

Shen Hegui stared at Lu Wensheng quietly for a few seconds, and seeing that she really didn't want to sleep with him, he said in a low voice, "Whatever you want."

After a pause, Shen Hegui added, "To silence the gossip during the day, I'm punishing you by making you copy the law a hundred times. I won't actually make you finish copying it, but for the next few dozen days, you'll have to put on a good show."

Lu Wensheng: "..."

Why tell her directly? Why not just have someone else tell her? It will lower her opinion of you!

*

After the Spring Equinox, the swallows return, and the days grow longer.

On a day with light rain and spring thunder, Huo Qian, along with Shang Lian and Zhang Mianzhi who had changed his name, were exiled to the southwest.

At Shili Pavilion outside Yanjing City, Lu Wensheng skipped work, rode his horse, caught up with the three, and called for the driver to stop.

The light rain dampened her brows and eyes. "Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"

If Shen Hegui hadn't sent someone to tell her, she would probably still be busy with the imperial examinations at the Ministry of Rites.

Zhang Mianzhi lifted the carriage curtain, and Shang Lian peeked out, speaking first to explain: "It's me who wants to leave quickly. The wedding was so grand and publicized that everyone knows about it, making us a laughing stock. I want to move to a different place."

Lu Wensheng: "But your leg needs rest!"

“Legs can be healed anywhere, but the air in Yanjing makes me feel nauseous with every breath. Xiao Lu, I try to convince myself every day that my father didn’t raise me out of love, but I find that no matter how many times I try, I still can’t accept it. Before, I thought that as long as I was good enough, I could change his attitude towards me, but when I really became better than my older brother, I became a commodity.”

Shang Lian coughed twice: "I didn't dare tell you that after the Lantern Festival, they have been forcing me to step on you to get closer to His Highness the Crown Prince."

"Will you come back in the future?" Lu Wensheng asked softly.

Shang Lian forced a smile: "Maybe."

Lu Wensheng dismounted and pulled out a thick stack of silver notes from his pocket, stuffing them into Zhang Mianzhi's hand. "You three can take this money and divide it among yourselves. I know I can't keep you here, but I can't leave you without the money."

Zhang Mianzhi examined the silver notes, his eyes wide with surprise: "Such large denominations! All of them are hundred taels and thousand taels!"

"Hide it well! If you encounter any difficulties, remember to write to me." She looked up at Huo Qian, who was standing silently to the side. "And you? What position did His Highness the Crown Prince give you?"

Huo Qian made no attempt to hide anything and frankly told the reporter: "The secret order I was given cannot be revealed."

Lu Wensheng mounted his horse and said, "I'm leaving. Your mother, children, and grandchildren will be settled once things calm down. Remember to send someone to pick them up after the end of summer!"

“Okay,” the three replied.

-----------------------

Author's note: May you live a long and prosperous life, as ordained by Heaven. —This is not my original work, and I don't want to trace its source.

I can't say too much, or I'll spoil it. And don't forget, the little deer transmigrated into the book! [Chin resting on hand]