Chapter 172 The Powerful Minister Returns to His Youth 26.

"Are you wondering why I'm here?" Prince Yong's hawk-like eyes burned with fierce anger, and he immediately saw the astonishment of Doctor Rong. "If I wasn't here and didn't know, what else do you want? To continue harming my whole family!"

Prince Yong's eyes were bloodshot with rage, and he was trembling with anger. He didn't care about the wound on his chest and swung his fist to smash it.

Doctor Rong tried to dodge in a panic, but because he was being held captive, he couldn't escape. He could only drag his dislocated jaw under the fists and feet of Prince Yong, letting out muffled screams.

At this moment, he finally realized that things were not as he, Mr. Liang, and many others in the Liang faction had thought! Ye Zangxing's act of being bewitched, venting his years of dissatisfaction with Prince Yong, and constantly making things difficult for him, was all fake! It was an act put on by these two brothers!

It's common for brothers in the imperial family to fight and kill each other. Is there really anyone with genuine affection for each other?

“Afu and Awang are still children! How could you be so heartless? How dare you! You deserve to die, you deserve to die…you deserve to die!”

Prince Yong was panting heavily, his fists quickly becoming stained with blood. "I... I deserve to die too. What a fool I was, letting the wolf into the house..."

Prince Yong slapped himself hard across the face, leaving a bloody mark instantly.

"Fourth Brother!" Ye Zangxing exclaimed in surprise. His hands, which had been busy striking Doctor Rong, immediately turned around, and he hurriedly grabbed Prince Yong. "Calm down! It's the villain who's cruel and cunning, why are you doing this..."

Yu Shiqing stepped forward and stopped Prince Yong, helping and pulling him along: "Your Highness, please calm down. The Princess Consort, the young princess, and the young prince are still waiting for you to return to the villa. Do not hurt yourself, lest you cause pain to your loved ones and joy to your enemies, and fall into the trap of evil people."

Prince Yong closed his eyes, his body swayed backward, and he almost couldn't stand up.

The guards immediately brought a chair and helped Prince Yong sit down.

Prince Yong's chest heaved, his gaze icy and furious. He swept his gaze over the bruised and bloodied Dr. Rong, who lay sprawled on the ground like a mangled mess, and demanded sharply, "Speak! Why did you harm Zhixia and Hanzhang! Who was behind this?"

Dr. Rong struggled to lift his head, his face covered in blood.

A guard bent down and, with a click, shoved Doctor Rong's jaw back into place. Doctor Rong groaned in pain, his mouth opening and closing for a long time before he finally managed to utter, "I've already said, we're working for the Sixth Prince, killing the Heir Apparent and the Princess is also..."

Before Ye Zangxing could speak, Prince Yong immediately stood up again and kicked him hard in the chest: "You're about to die, and you still dare to spout nonsense here! Guards!"

"Your Highness, please wait!" Yu Shiqing hurriedly stopped him. "This man is cunning and difficult to interrogate, but I have some suspicions about certain things. If Your Highness is at ease, I will speak with him."

Prince Yong paused, looked at him, and his mind flashed back to what the young man had done yesterday.

It was dusk when he received the news that his children were seriously ill. He was extremely anxious and wished he could tear off the gauze on his chest and ride back immediately. His confidants tried to dissuade him, and while they were arguing, someone came to report that the Sixth Prince had secretly come to see him.

He was surprised and frightened, fearing that his sixth brother would bring bad news, but to his surprise, it was Yu Shiqing who came in first.

Prince Yong had mixed feelings about Yu Shiqing.

He first heard this name when the results of the Huai'an provincial examination were announced. Ye Zangxing placed a bet on him, and Qiu Jingsong praised him with a smile. Although he admired the young man's integrity in enduring three years of filial piety, he did not think as highly of him as they did.

In the blink of an eye, it was Afu's heartfelt voice.

The young girl addressed him as "Mr. Yu" repeatedly, saying that this seventeen-year-old boy, after winning the provincial examination, would also achieve the highest honors in the imperial examination the following year, becoming the top scholar in the metropolitan examination, and then the top scholar in the imperial examination—a triple crown of excellence. Afterwards, he would enter the Hanlin Academy, compile new history, be appointed as a prefectural judge, then enter the Eastern Palace, pacify the northern deserts, reform the laws, and usher in a magnificent new era. Finally, in the third year of the Qianding era, at the age of twenty-four, he suppressed his rebellious army.

That's utterly absurd.

Prince Yong found it hard to believe, but the fact that each of Afu's stories came true made it hard for him not to.

Undoubtedly, Yu Shiqing is a man of extraordinary talent, and it is Daqi's good fortune to have him.

Yet this person seemed to be his enemy. Naturally, he didn't think he would actually rebel, but whenever he thought of the previous life that Afu knew, in which Yu Shiqing was the one who led troops to attack Cenzhou, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Afu thought it was easy and wanted to bring Yu Shiqing over as soon as possible, but Prince Yong saw clearly that such a young genius was not something that could be developed overnight. Although he was still young, it did not mean that he was not shrewd.

Although he couldn't discern anything from their two or three encounters, his instincts told him that this person was far from simple and cunning.

Therefore, when he and Ye Zang broke into his tent at night and uttered wild words to him, he was surprised but not astonished.

"Dr. Rong?" he asked the extremely certain man, "Mr. Yu said that he secretly murdered Afu and Awang, but is there any evidence?"

“No,” the scholar answered readily, “but Your Highness may not believe me, but you should believe the Sixth Prince. The matter of the Empress Dowager’s rebellion was not something we did recklessly. Doctor Rong is connected to the Empress Dowager’s rebellion and is the most suspicious person in the entire villa. I dare to ask Your Highness to try to deceive him.”

"The claim that Doctor Rong is connected to the Empress Dowager's rebel faction is merely your speculation and Gong Danian's implication; there is no evidence yet..."

"Your Highness," the scholar looked up, his eyes burning, "whatever your doubts may be, please set them aside for now. Do not forget why we are doing this. We are not from the Ministry of Justice, nor from the Court of Judicial Review. We are taking this risk because the young princess and the young prince are seriously ill and on the verge of death."

"I'm just trying to trick Doctor Rong and make him suffer, but if the culprit really isn't him, I'm willing to plead guilty and become his slave, to let him beat and scold me!"

Before the scholar could finish speaking, Ye Zangxing grabbed him and said firmly, "Sixth brother too."

He sat in the tent, gazing at the two young men, pondered for a long time, and then waved his hand.

Fortunately, he waved his hand, and only then did he realize that there really was a vicious wolf lurking beside him.

But if this Dr. Rong is truly a vicious wolf, then how much truth is there in Afu's inner voice about how he cured her headaches in her past life? And why has this vicious wolf changed in this life, suddenly trying to poison Afu? Is it because of Afu's rebirth or her inner voice?

But he observed that this person clearly could not hear Afu's thoughts, nor had he discussed past lives with Afu...

And then there was Mr. Yu's earlier shout about "the one who can foresee the future"...

Prince Yong was in turmoil. Standing in the hall of the abandoned post station, his gaze flickered and when he looked at Yu Shiqing, there was something heavy in his eyes.

“Mr. Yu, you’re too kind,” he said hoarsely. “If you wish to conduct the trial, then proceed with it.”

Having said that, he turned his head again, "Quickly send someone back to Huai'an, regarding that nine-blue flower..."

"Your Highness, the Sixth Prince has already sent someone," the guard replied.

While Prince Yong was beating Doctor Rong, Ye Zangxing had already ordered his men to rush back as fast as they could, as rescuing someone should be done sooner rather than later.

"Don't worry, Fourth Brother." Ye Zangxing's voice was deep, revealing a composure rarely seen in a young man.

Prince Yong looked at his younger brother and seemed to vaguely see a mature appearance in the boy's handsome features. He was slightly taken aback, closed his eyes, and said nothing more, but patted the boy's shoulder forcefully.

As the two brothers were talking, Yu Shiqing had already walked up to Doctor Rong.

His setup today, on the surface, is indeed risky, but in reality, it is not without precedent.

Yesterday afternoon, upon learning that Ye Zhixia and Ye Hanzhang were ill, his first suspicion was that of Dr. Rong. Other possibilities existed, but he was the most likely suspect.

Based on this suspicion, he took the opportunity of visiting the sick to inquire about the interactions between the maid, Doctor Rong, and the young princess, as well as some daily details. He also looked at the flowers and plants in the courtyard and the location of Doctor Rong's small medicinal garden.

In addition, based on Ye Hanzhang's account of how he contracted the disease, although there seemed to be no clear clues, Yu Shiqing already had a guess in his mind.

He lived a lifetime, navigating the court and the countryside, amidst countless open and covert attacks, but his methods remained remarkably similar. Similarly, a healer prescribes medicine using only a few methods: borrowing from people, borrowing from objects, and borrowing from the intangible forces of water and wind.

He had no evidence whatsoever, but he was at least 70% certain that he could convict Dr. Rong.

As for why Doctor Rong would take action against the young princess and the young prince, he also had some guesses.

"Stop pretending."

Yu Shiqing lowered his eyes and said.

Doctor Rong struggled to open his eyes, which were red, swollen, and bleeding from the blow, and looked up at Yu Shiqing: "I'm telling the truth. Everything is for the Sixth Prince. We've already pledged allegiance to the Sixth Prince..."

Yu Shiqing chuckled: "Did you come up with this excuse on the spot?"

“At first, you didn’t really believe that the Sixth Prince and the Fourth Prince had fallen out,” Yu Shiqing said in a light voice, “or rather, you were half-believing and half-doubting. The two princes have always had a reputation for being kind and respectful to each other, but is there any true affection in the imperial family? You couldn’t figure it out, so you kept testing them. Moreover, for some reason, although you had contact with the Sixth Prince, you also tried to curry favor with the Fourth Prince.”

"In the end, the danger we face today was actually within your expectations. Since you've become a fence-sitter, you should be prepared to be trampled by the east wind or the west wind."

"When the Sixth Prince captured you, exposed your identity, and forced you to pledge allegiance, you appeared shocked and frightened, but in reality, you remained calm and even more convinced that the Sixth Prince and the Fourth Prince were truly at odds. Therefore, you were not afraid to admit to harming the young princess and the young prince."

"You just didn't expect that the Fourth Prince was actually there too; it was all just an act."

Yu Shiqing lowered his head slightly: "At this point, it's impossible for you to go back on your word and say that you didn't poison the young princess and the young prince. The 'evidence is conclusive,' and no one will believe you, nor will you maximize your 'profit.' So you went along with it and claimed that although you poisoned them, it was for the sake of the Sixth Prince, and not for anything else."

"Even if the last person is saved and you are executed, there will always be a thorn in the hearts of the two princes. Perhaps at some point in the future, this thorn will play a significant role in your plans."

"Both right and wrong?"

Doctor Rong stared at him, his eyes trembling slightly: "I'm just telling the truth. I know you want to defend the Sixth Prince, but things have come to this, why should I..."

“The truth?” Yu Shiqing’s expression turned indifferent. “Let me tell you what the truth is.”

He suddenly moved closer, his voice low and soft: "You spoke to the young princess twice, just those two times, and you began to suspect her, thinking she was someone who could foresee the future, right?"

Dr. Rong frowned: "What are you talking about? I..."

"But why did you suspect her so easily? And why did you suspect her in this direction?" Yu Shiqing interrupted him, her voice softer and closer, as if only the two of them could hear. "After thinking it over, there is only one possibility, which is... that you yourself have the same ability, or that you have someone like that behind you. After meeting you, I ruled out the former."

"In that case, everything makes sense."

"You discovered that the young princess was a prophet, and you understood what that meant. So you contacted the person behind you, or perhaps you couldn't even wait to contact them and decided to kill her. In short, there is only one prophet in the world, and he is in your hands. That's the best outcome. There's no need for the others to live."

"Both right and wrong?"

Dr. Rong's eyes trembled: "Nonsense! What kind of prophet is this? He's utterly absurd!"

“That’s me,” Yu Shiqing suddenly said.

Dr. Rong's voice suddenly stopped, and his eyes widened abruptly.

Before he could even utter a sound, Yu Shiqing had already stood up, revealing a relaxed smile: "You've tricked me again."

Dr. Rong froze, then immediately understood, and glared at Yu Shiqing with a mixture of shock, anger, and hatred: "You scoundrel, you're full of lies!"

Yu Shiqing ignored him, his expression calm. He turned around, cupped his hands to Prince Yong, and said, "Your Highness has already seen it, hasn't he? As for the little princess, it was my guess. The Great Qi is vast, with many talented and extraordinary people. It's not uncommon for young children to have precognitive dreams..."

Yu Shiqing carefully considered his words, trying to smooth things over from his earlier probing.

He knew that Afu's murder was closely related to the matter of rebirth, and to resolve this issue, he couldn't completely ignore it. However, the word "rebirth" was far too shocking and would likely lead to countless uncontrollable events. Unless absolutely necessary, Yu Shiqing didn't intend to reveal this to anyone. Of course, Ye Zangxing was an exception. During their heart-to-heart talk on the winter solstice, he would recount the events to Ye Zangxing, whether he believed it or not.

Yu Shiqing pondered for a moment, then continued calmly, "However, unexpectedly, there are also extraordinary individuals among the rebels who intend to harm the young princess because of this. We..."

Before he could finish speaking, Dr. Rong, who had been silent for a while, suddenly opened his mouth and shouted at Prince Yong with all his might a strange and awkward voice that left everyone present confused and even he himself stumbled over his words: "Even if I don't change, Li Bopeng from Qinghai!"

"Long Ran, wake up! Have you forgotten your mission after transmigrating?"