Chapter 195 Balancing Advantages and Disadvantages and Taking Responsibility

Zhao Jieyu remained silent for a moment, without saying anything.

The palace servants, seemingly busy with their own affairs, were actually glancing at Consort Zhao out of the corner of their eyes.

It's like surveillance, but also like a warning.

Zhao Jieyu took a deep breath, then resolutely exhaled, walked to the window, and turned her back to Xiao Yongjing.

As if looking at the scenery outside, his finger tapped lightly three times on the corner of the window frame, pointing towards the northwest of the palace.

After completing this action, she turned around, her expression returning to its cold and hard state:

"I don't know what you're talking about. Your Highness, please leave! You are not welcome in Ruyu Palace!"

Xiao Yongjing glanced around and understood.

Now that the desired hint has been obtained, this information matches the report Mo Yu gave about the heavily guarded northwest corner of the Earl's mansion. It seems that Consort Zhao was not lying.

He gave Zhao Jieyu a deep look at the approximate location, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Watching his departing figure, Zhao Jieyu slumped weakly into a chair, her inner shirt already soaked with cold sweat.

A waiter approached with tea, his tone cold and unyielding, showing no sign of obedience.

"Your Highness, you'd better keep your mouth shut. The Ancestor has spoken. If Your Highness tries anything funny again, Princess, there won't be any medicine for next month."

Zhao Jieyu gave her a cold glance and swept the teacup in her hand onto the ground beside her:

"I don't need you to teach me how to do things."

The waiter wasn't angry; he tidied up the teacups and left.

Zhao Jieyu was lost in thought, and now she could only place her hopes on Xiao Yongjing. She knew too many of Zhao Ke'er's secrets, and she also knew that if Xiao Yongjing lost, she would be next.

...

As soon as Xiao Yongjing stepped out of the palace gate, he encountered Bai Mei, who looked anxious.

"Your Highness, you're finally out! Please save our young lady!"

Xiao Yongjing frowned:

"Have you found any clues?"

Bai Mei remained silent and stuffed the strip of cloth into Xiao Yongjing's hand.

"It's her... She's still trying to figure something out... This position matches what Zhao Jieyu said!"

"Pass on the order! Develop an infiltration plan based on this location!"

Just as he was about to leave, the emperor's chief eunuch approached him from nowhere:

"Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence."

Xiao Yongjing frowned; contacting him at this time probably couldn't be anything good.

"Mo Yu, take good care of Bai Mei. I will be back soon."

...

The Hall of Diligent Governance.

The emperor was not wearing a dragon robe, but plain clothes. He sat in front of the chessboard, holding a black jade chess piece between his fingers, which he did not put down for a long time.

Xiao Yongjing dismissed the eunuchs and entered alone, bowing respectfully.

"Father."

The emperor did not look up, his eyes fixed on the chessboard, his voice revealing neither joy nor anger:

"You're here. Have a seat."

Xiao Yongjing sat down opposite him as instructed, his gaze sweeping across the chessboard. The black and white pieces were locked in a fierce battle, the situation as tense as the current court situation.

The emperor slowly placed a piece down before raising his eyes to look at him, his gaze deep and piercing:

"Have you been listening to the rumors circulating in the court these past few days?"

Xiao Yongjing remained calm, showing no sign of panic.

“Your subject has acted uprightly and sat honestly; rumors and gossip cannot harm him at his core.”

The emperor gave a soft hum, the tone of which was neither praise nor sarcasm:

"You're quite composed. Better than your impatient uncles."

He changed the subject, his tone becoming subtle.

"I heard... you've been making quite a stir lately for the sake of the Marquis of Yongjia? You even surrounded the Earl's mansion?"

Xiao Yongjing knew he couldn't hide it any longer, so he frankly admitted it:

"Yes. Shen Yiqiu has rendered meritorious service to the country, been loyal to your son, and is someone your son admires. Now his whereabouts are unknown, and he is suspected of being imprisoned. Your son cannot sit idly by."

The emperor stroked the chess piece with his fingertips, his expression unreadable.

"Merit? Righteousness? I think you've lost your mind! For a woman, you arbitrarily mobilized the Eastern Palace Guards to besiege a minister's residence. Do you know what that means? The memorials impeaching you, accusing you of neglecting your duties for personal gain and of moral failings, are piling up like a mountain!"

Xiao Yongjing: "Father, you are wise! Shen Yiqiu is not only a woman, but also the Marquis of Yongjia, bestowed by the imperial court! If the royal family ignores the plight of a meritorious official, wouldn't that discourage the soldiers on the frontier?"

“She was imprisoned by Fu Langxing. The Fu family and the Zhao family are deeply connected with the remnants of the Three Halberds Guard of the previous dynasty. I suspect that this is not a simple personal grudge, but someone wants to use Shen Yiqiu to stir up the political situation. Their intentions are despicable!”

The emperor remained silent for a moment; the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

He showed no surprise at the Trident Guards, but simply stared intently at Xiao Yongjing.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke:

“Jing’er, do you know that sitting in this position, many times, we are not looking at right and wrong, but at advantages and disadvantages, and about balance.”

Xiao Yongjing's heart tightened:

“Father, if you can’t even protect the people you want to protect, if you can’t even stand up for justice for the meritorious officials, what’s the use of this balance, this weighing of pros and cons? Your son doesn’t want to be a crown prince who only knows how to weigh things and has lost his sense of responsibility!”

That was a rather harsh remark, bordering on defiant.

The emperor stared at him for a long while, then suddenly sighed:

“Courage…you’re right. When I was young, I was just like you.”

He stopped questioning and instead pushed aside the chessboard. “Shen Zhaohua… I have wronged her. She dedicated her life to the country, but in the end… If her granddaughter were to be harmed under my nose, I would have no face to meet the ancestors of the Shen family after my death.”

These words startled Xiao Yongjing.

The Emperor's words almost implied that there were other hidden reasons behind Shen Zhaohua's death.

The emperor stood up and walked to the window:

"Do whatever you want. I... can pretend I don't know. But remember two things."

Xiao Yongjing immediately stood up and listened respectfully.

"Be clean and don't leave any evidence against you. I don't want to clean up your mess."

"If anything shady is uncovered... those who need to be cleaned up should be cleaned up completely. This great Jin dynasty is not for some demons and monsters to stir up trouble."

Xiao Yongjing felt a sudden sense of clarity and bowed deeply:

"Your subject...understands! Thank you, Father!"

He was about to turn and leave when he suddenly hesitated.

Although he forcibly suppressed the filthy words about his bloodline that had been circulating in the court recently, they were still like a thorn stuck in his father's heart.

At this moment, only the father and son were in the imperial study. Some things would only become more troublesome if left unsaid, so he had to ask them now.

Xiao Yongjing stopped, his back to the emperor:

"Father... Recently, rumors have been rampant in the court, all saying that I... am not of pure blood, but am actually a fox spirit. Father... have you never had any doubts?"

He finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time.

After a long silence, the emperor finally spoke:

"Doubt? Why should I have doubts?"