Chapter 177 Sending Someone to Their Death

Shen Yanzhou's eyes were deep and unhurried as he said, "The Crown Prince's illness is somewhat strange, but the Imperial City Guards bring back medicine dregs from the Eastern Palace every day. In the past, they were all mild tonics, but recently, they have been using all strong medicines. If he wasn't sick, such potent medicines would have killed him long ago."

Emperor Muzong was a little annoyed. "What kind of person is that Physician Ge's apprentice? Have you investigated him thoroughly?"

"Rumor has it that Doctor Ge did indeed take on a disciple with exceptional talent. The Hundred Flowers Beauty Pill, which is being snapped up on the black market, is his creation, and many women are vying to buy it. However, how much real skill this person actually possesses is unknown. Perhaps he is just trying to use this opportunity to make a name for himself."

At this moment, Eunuch Feng came over and reported, "Your Majesty, Minister of Works Sheng Chunfang requests an audience."

The emperor was somewhat troubled. Sheng Chunfang was Sheng Xiyue's father, and his visit to him was undoubtedly to ask for money.

"Summon Minister Jiang of the Ministry of Revenue and Gu Zixiao, the Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai!"

As soon as the Emperor left, Shen Yanzhou's eyes instantly turned icy.

——

As Dou Wenyi emerged from Chongzheng Hall, she encountered Meng Jingshu on the official road. Meng Jingshu was dressed in an apricot and crabapple patterned jacket, with a white fox fur scarf around her neck and dazzling pearl flowers adorning her hair, making her appear flamboyant and glamorous.

She didn't have much affection for Meng Jingshu and was going to ignore her and walk past her.

"Please wait, Your Highness."

Meng Jingshu suddenly called out to her, and gave a perfunctory curtsy as a gesture of respect.

She chuckled lightly, "I heard that Xie Guidu had his right hand crippled in prison. He was a top scholar, and not only has he fallen into a quagmire, but he can no longer even write or paint in his spare time. It's truly tragic!"

"You two were childhood sweethearts and even got engaged. Aren't you upset at all?"

Cuizhi's expression suddenly changed; her words were too harsh.

Dou Wenyi smiled calmly, "If only Prince Rui were as compassionate as Miss Meng. After all, Xie Guidu doesn't have the ability to transport female prisoners out of Dali Temple without anyone noticing, and to make Meng Jingchuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, bow down and be willing to be his pawn."

“Once a person makes the wrong choice, they can only go down a dark path. This is true for him, Miss Meng, and it is also true for you.”

Meng Jingshu could easily hear the sarcasm in her words. She looked up at her and said meaningfully, "Your Highness, you really have a sharp tongue. I just didn't expect that someone who admires you would be so unlucky. I'm just a little touched. Your Highness, there's no need to be anxious."

"But what if your ability to 'harm people' happens to those honest and innocent people?"

The Shen family deserves much credit for solving this case so quickly, especially Shen Yanzhou. Although he was impartial, not siding with Prince Rui or the Meng family, that meant he was siding with the Crown Prince!

The Shen family's so-called 'neutrality' seems ridiculous.

Shen Yanzhou was a close advisor to the emperor; a single sentence from him was worth ten or even a hundred sentences from others.

He had no prior relationship with Pei Siyan, but after Dou Wenyi and Shen Lishu became friends, his scales of justice seemed to tip in favor of the Crown Prince...

Dou Wenyi naturally understood her unspoken meaning, and feigned concern as she looked at her, "Does His Highness Prince Rui know that Miss Meng is so worried about his safety?"

Meng Jingshu snorted indifferently, "I know what I'm doing, you don't need to worry about it."

"But my cousin is an upright and honest man, and I don't want him to follow in Xie Guidu's footsteps. Dou Wenyi, can't you just tell him to stop meddling in your mess? If this continues, you'll get him killed sooner or later!"

Dou Wenyi didn't want to waste words with her and turned to leave.

Meng Jingshu grabbed her arm, seemingly sneering, "Pei Siyan is half-dead, and the Emperor will change the heir sooner or later. Your Dou family's younger generation is dwindling in talent, with no one to support them. Even if there are one or two, they are just scheming people. Given any chance to climb the social ladder, they would willingly rush to their deaths even if they were plotted against!"

"With your stupidity, how can you possibly compete with the Meng family, Prince Rui, and the powerful clans of Tianning City?"

After saying that, she released her arm and led the people away first.

Dou Wenyi's expression changed drastically, and her heart skipped a beat.

The person she was referring to was Dou Ruzhang!

She rushed back to the East Palace, a strong sense of unease welling up inside her.

She had pressed Dou Bochang about Dou Ruzhang's promotion last time. Dou Bochang didn't give her a clear answer, but Meng Jingshu's words confirmed that it was a trap.

She just couldn't understand why Meng Jingshu would kindly remind her of this, and the fact that Meng Jingshu had gone to such lengths to hint at it meant that Dou Ruzhang had already fallen into the trap.

What tricks will they use to frame the Dou family this time?

Dou Wenyi immediately went to Chaohua Palace to look for Pei Siyan, but he was nowhere to be found.

Seeing that she rarely showed concern for Pei Siyan, Eunuch Anxi was both puzzled and relieved. "His Highness instructed that he would return at Hai hour (9-11 PM). Crown Princess, is there something urgent?"

Do you know exactly what powers the Deputy Transport Commissioner of Jianghuai has?

Anxi, the eunuch, was full of doubts, but seeing her anxiety, he carefully explained to her, "It mainly involves assisting the superiors, managing the tidal transport, and ensuring the supply of Tianning City. This involves transportation, tidal boat scheduling, and setting up transshipment warehouses. In addition, it also involves supervising taxes such as salt and iron. The affairs under its jurisdiction are complicated, and it is a truly lucrative position."

"Why does the Crown Princess inquire about these things?"

Dou Wenyi felt she hadn't grasped the key point at all, and her heart was filled with anxiety. "My half-brother, Dou Ruzhang, was promoted to deputy transport commissioner a little over a month ago. What if someone wants to frame him?"

Upon hearing this, Eunuch Anxi clearly sensed that something was amiss.

"The deputy transport commissioner mostly assists Gu Zixiao, the transport commissioner of Jianghuai, in his work. However, he is generally someone whom his superiors trust very much. After all, a lot of money is involved, and he will even help him keep the account books."

If Dou Ruzhang was promoted suddenly, then this promotion is somewhat intriguing.

Now that things had come to this, Dou Wenyi no longer concealed anything and told Anxi about Meng Jingshu's reminder in detail.

Anxi comforted her, "Please calm down, Your Highness must have been prepared."