Chapter 156 Bai Zhanhuang will definitely be furious
"Is that all you got out of them?" The Empress Dowager's voice was icy.
The steward dared not keep him in suspense and hurriedly said, "If this old servant is not mistaken, the boss surnamed Lü was named Lü Ruhui. She was the eldest daughter of Hanlin Lü and the ex-wife of Liu Xiangze, the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. She passed away not long after the New Year. This matter caused quite a stir and even alarmed His Majesty."
Liu Xiangze's ex-wife's hair turned white overnight, a fact known to almost everyone in the court. The steward happened to overhear the master telling the old master about this and made a note of it.
"Dead?"
"yes."
"What about the incense burner?"
"If the incense burner hasn't changed hands, it should be in the hands of the Lü family. This old servant will send someone to investigate immediately." Although the steward didn't know why the Dowager Consort and the Old Master were making such a fuss over an incense burner, he dared not delay in the slightest.
Before he could even leave, the Dowager Consort spoke up: "Wait."
The steward stood with his hands at his sides, waiting for the Empress Dowager's instructions.
"Zhao Yin, you go with them. If the items are at the Lü family's house, retrieve them; if not, find out where they went."
"Yes," Shang Yin replied respectfully.
"Keep things quiet and don't cause any unnecessary trouble."
The Lü family was, after all, an official family. Although the Empress Dowager wanted to retrieve the incense burner, she did not want to make a big fuss about it.
"Don't worry, Your Highness."
Shang Yin left with the steward. As he passed by Zhao Xun and his son Zhao Zeqian, Zhao Xun turned and glanced at him.
After the people who cleaned up the mess left, Zhao Xun tentatively spoke up: "Aunt, the whereabouts of the incense burner have been found. Zeqian didn't do it on purpose. What do you think, why don't you forgive him this time?"
Zhao Xun and his son Zhao Zeqian looked up at the Empress Dowager with expectant eyes. The Empress Dowager looked down at the two of them, her face expressionless, but she was very disappointed.
Her ex-husband, though a scholar, was also proud and arrogant, and with his talent, he was on par with the head of the Shang family.
Although he never expected his son to amount to anything, he still had some hope. Unfortunately, his son was mediocre, and his grandson was even more stupid and foolish, which was extremely disappointing.
Thinking of this, the Dowager Consort was too lazy to pay attention to them anymore. She turned to Zhao Qi and said, "Father, Zeqian stole things from your room after all. You should deal with them as you see fit."
"Then let him be whipped ten times according to family rules, and then reflect on his actions for three months."
Zhao Zeqian was determined to be whipped, and immediately began to wail and howl. Zhao Xun also kept begging for mercy for his son.
The Empress Dowager didn't even glance at it before getting up and leaving.
Zhao Zeqian was punished by his family and couldn't even get up. He had to be carried back to his residence.
His mother, Madam Li, held him and wept bitterly. Then she turned to Zhao Xun and accused him: "How could the old master be so heartless? Zeqian only took an incense burner, and he almost beat someone to death. And my aunt... Zeqian is her own grandson!"
"Shut up! Who do you think you are to speak ill of your aunt?"
Li was scolded, but instead of shutting up, she became even angrier: "Am I wrong? She became the Dowager Consort, but you, her own son, were adopted by your uncle. All these years, you haven't held a single official position. Otherwise, how could my son be so poor that he would steal the old master's things to sell for money!"
"That's because you taught him to be bad."
“I’ve corrupted you. Isn’t Zeqian your son? I knew it. You just can’t forget your first son.” Madam Li sneered. “You do remember him, but he was a ruthless man who wanted to kill me, Zeqian.”
"What do you mean?" Zhao Xun asked.
"Why do you think the old master investigated Zeqian? I've already had someone inquire about it. He was punished yesterday for saying things he shouldn't have."
"That's just your guess."
Madam Li glanced at him: "On the surface, the Dowager Consort is very affectionate towards you and your son, but behind the scenes, she still investigated Zeqian. She doesn't value you that much. Otherwise, how could she have made us live in such poverty all these years?"
Zhao Xun hadn't thought much of it at first, but after hearing his wife's words, he felt uneasy.
His mother was the Dowager Princess of the Northern Wilderness, while he was a nameless and dissolute playboy in the capital. His son couldn't even produce a thousand taels of silver and had to steal it, making him feel increasingly miserable.
As he thought about it, he became restless. Zhao Xun stood up and said to Li Shi, "I'm going to find my aunt."
Li was focused on taking care of her son and didn't care where he went.
In a moment of impulsiveness, Zhao Xun headed towards the Empress Dowager's courtyard. Halfway there, the cold night wind chilled him to the bone, and he suddenly felt a pang of fear.
It took him nearly an hour to finally knock on the gate of the Dowager's courtyard, even though it was only a short distance.
Upon entering the courtyard and meeting the Dowager Consort, the words he had prepared beforehand remained stuck in his throat.
He wanted to call her "Mother," but swallowed his words under the Dowager Consort's cold gaze, and stammered, "Aunt."
He remembered that when his mother gave him up for adoption to his uncle's family, he called her "Mom" and was whipped several times. He still can't forget that pain.
The Dowager Consort took a sip of tea and asked him, "What is it?"
"It's nothing..." Seeing the Dowager Empress frown slightly, seemingly a little impatient, Zhao Xun blurted out, "I just wanted to ask, did Zhao Yin say something that made my aunt suddenly suspect Zeqian?"
The Dowager seemed somewhat surprised that he would ask this, but she did not hide anything: "He did mention it, and as it turns out, his suspicions were correct."
“Aunt, Zhao Yin is of the Shang family bloodline. He might be doing this just to sow discord between you and Zeqian.”
“I raised him myself. I know him better than you do. So what if he’s of the Shang family bloodline? I can control him if I want to, understand?”
Zhao Xun didn't understand; he only knew that to nip the problem in the bud, one must eliminate the root of the problem. When he saw Zhao Yin, he was reminded of how he almost killed Zhao Yin's ex-wife after learning of the Shang family's massacre.
Fortunately, his aunt took the crazy woman away, but for many years afterward, he would still have nightmares occasionally.
Seeing Zhao Xun's disapproving expression, the Dowager Consort didn't bother to continue talking to him.
Her son is ruined; he'll never become a leader.
Looking at Zhao Xun, who was still rambling on and on, the Empress Dowager thought to herself, "Both sons are different, but Bai Zhanhuang is far superior to Zhao Xun."
Unfortunately, the child was ultimately bewitched by a fox demon and became estranged from his mother.
But no matter what, they are still mother and son.
The fox demon is dead. The mother and son will reconcile sooner or later. All that's left is for her to retrieve the things that were stored in the secret vault of the Zhao family and bring them back to the Northern Wilderness.
The prince was able to defy public opinion and make her his concubine because of these things back then, and now these things are enough to reconcile the mother and son as before.
She believed that her son had only temporarily gone astray and would eventually get back on the right track.
Zhao Xun spoke for a long time, but the Empress Dowager did not respond. Finally, having nothing more to say, he was politely asked to leave by the Empress Dowager's maid.
Feeling the Empress Dowager's perfunctory attitude, Zhao Xun grew angrier and angrier on the way back, but he couldn't vent his anger on anyone else, so he could only keep it to himself.
As he walked through a corridor, he happened to see Shang Yin walking towards him.
Shang Yin had just returned from the Lü family and intended to act as before when he saw Zhao Xun, but was suddenly stopped by the other party.
"Zhao Yin, where are your manners? You can't even speak properly in front of your father?"
Shang Yin stopped and called out, "Father."
"Don't use your underhanded methods on Zeqian again." Seeing his cold demeanor, Zhao Xun felt as if he were seeing the Empress Dowager, and his anger burst forth uncontrollably.
"You think I'd even glance at you like that? You're just like your damned mother, a lingering ghost. Why don't you both just die together!"
Shang Yin listened to Zhao Xun's curses, but remained unresponsive, like a puppet.
After he finished cursing and saw that Shang Yin remained silent, he felt it was pointless and left.
As Shang Yin watched his retreating figure, he suddenly felt that it was a bit of a loss to exchange his worthless life for the life of the Empress Dowager.
There were no secrets in the Zhao household. Before Shang Yin could even report to the Dowager Consort, news of him being stopped and scolded by Zhao Xun had already reached her ears.
The Empress Dowager didn't take it to heart; she believed Zhao Yin wouldn't care about such trivial matters.
When Shang Yin arrived, the Dowager Consort had already removed her makeup and was sitting in a chair, with her maid massaging her shoulders and feet.
Shang Yin knelt on the ground and reported the results of his investigation.
"Your Highness, after investigation, it has been confirmed that after Lü Ruhui's death, the incense burner she collected was given by the Lü family to a woman named Ji Chan."
"Ji Chan?" The word "Chan" made the Empress Dowager instinctively feel displeased, which made her think of that fox demon who had caused so much harm.
"Who is she, and what is her relationship with Lü Ruhui?"
"She was Lü Ruhui's neighbor in Changpingfang and ran an incense shop. It is said that she took good care of Lü Ruhui. In her suicide note, Lü Ruhui specifically requested that the incense burner be left to her."
"They deliberately left it for them; do they know how valuable that incense burner is?"
"Yes, I know. Lu Hanlin's wife said that the shop owner told them that the incense burner was a Yushan incense burner and was very valuable. However, they did not go against Lu Ruhui's last wishes and left the incense burner to the other party."
"You have a good eye." The Dowager Empress gave a light snort, then asked, "Has anyone in the Lü family noticed anything unusual?"
"No, the entire Lü family are ordinary people. I used a mind control technique on them, so they won't remember what they said to me."
The Empress Dowager nodded: "Then go to Changpingfang tomorrow and retrieve the incense burner."
"Then... what should we do with Ji Chan?"
The Empress Dowager glanced at Shang Yin: "He's just an ordinary person. Do I need to teach you what to do?"
If Ji Chan hadn't known how precious the Yushan Furnace was, perhaps she could have been spared. But she did find out.
If her things are lost, she'll definitely make a big fuss, so it's better to just let her die accidentally.
Moreover, she had an unpleasant name, so there was even less reason to let her live.
Shang Yin lowered his head: "Your subordinate understands."
As Shang Yin left the Dowager Consort's courtyard, he thought to himself that the most foolish decision the Dowager Consort had ever made was to have someone surround and kill A Chan.
It would be better if she died, but unfortunately, that eight-tailed fox's life is even tougher than the Empress Dowager's.
These past two days, Achan has been unusually diligent, getting up early to go to the front of the shop.
When Shang Yin arrived, A Chan was making incense seals, and in front of her was the Yushan Incense Burner that the Zhao family had been searching for for half a day.
The incense powder was lit with incense sticks, and the lid of the incense burner was put on. The wisps of smoke rising from the incense lingered above the incense burner. This was the first time Shang Yin had witnessed the peculiarity of the Yushan incense burner.
"Would the guest like to buy incense?" Achan asked as if she didn't recognize him, treating him like an ordinary customer.
"I wanted to buy incense, but the incense burner here is quite peculiar. I wonder if it's for sale?"
"A gift from a friend, not for sale."
That's a real shame.
Shang Yin walked step by step toward the counter, just then Chen Hui came out from the back door.
Upon seeing Chen Hui, Shang Yin was taken aback. He could sense that the daughter in front of him, who looked no different from an ordinary person, was not a living person, but a living corpse.
He was somewhat shocked. Ah Chan was actually raising living corpses in the capital. Had she eaten the gall of a bear and the heart of a leopard?
"If you need anything, please just let me know." Since her advancement, Chen Hui has become more perceptive than before.
Just now, she could sense a dangerous monk entering the shop from the backyard.
"Just browsing."
Shang Yin wandered around the shop for a while, with Chen Hui staring at him intently the whole time. In the end, he left on his own.
Upon seeing the living corpse that was at least at the second level of cultivation, Shang Yin knew how to deal with the Empress Dowager, but this was clearly not enough to persuade her.
Now, according to the plan, he needs to start investigating Achan's identity.
It wasn't hard to find out Ji Chan's identity. She was the legitimate daughter of Marquis Ji Heng of Jinyang. After her biological mother died, her maternal grandparents were also exiled. However, it was suddenly discovered that she was not Marquis Ji Heng's biological daughter and was driven out of the house.
These public reports are meaningless; it's obvious at a glance that this is just a dispute within the Marquis's household, and Ji Chan is the loser.
After being kicked out of her home, a pampered young lady should naturally be destitute.
But when it came to Ji Chan, it became a different story.
Within a year, the Marquis of Jinyang's mansion began to decline, and the culprit was Ji Chan.
The man who sold information about Ji Chan, having received Shang Yin's money, also offered a rather morally righteous reminder: "Sir, whatever you're investigating her for, you'd better stay away from her."
"Why?" Shang Yin was in a somewhat dilapidated tavern in Datongfang.
The wine the waiter brought was all diluted with water, but the news he delivered was guaranteed to be true.
The waiter bowed and whispered, "As far as we know, this young lady has a close relationship with the garrison commander of the Mingjing Division. The Marquis of Jinyang was arrested by the Mingjing Division not long ago, and as soon as he was released, his wife went in. In short, even heroes can't resist the charms of a beautiful woman."
Shang Yin found the waiter's description quite amusing: "So, do you sell information about that garrison commander here?"
The waiter's expression changed upon hearing this. He looked around and, seeing that no one was paying attention, whispered, "Sir, I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Don't go asking elsewhere, or you'll only cause trouble for yourself."
"Can't I ask?"
"Hehe, we still want to live a few more days."
If you're going to make money through shady dealings in Beijing, you need to know clearly who's money you can earn and who's not.
Shang Yin did not make things difficult for the waiter. After leaving the tavern, he found another slightly larger restaurant.
They spent more money, but the information they got wasn't much different from before. However, this shop added one more thing: the Marquis of Zhenbei had destroyed Ji Chan's shop for unknown reasons and later paid compensation. The shopkeeper's information was that the Zhenfu Envoy of the Mingjing Division had intervened to stop the Marquis of Zhenbei. Just like the previous shopkeeper's assessment, the shopkeeper believed that Ji Chan had a close relationship with the other party and shouldn't be easily offended.
The shopkeeper only gave the name of the garrison commander, refusing to say a word more.
Shang Yin did not go to a third house; if he continued, he would easily alert the other party.
At this moment, he finally understood why A Chan was so certain that her information could persuade the Empress Dowager to mobilize the Four Realms. He, a mere Third Realm cultivator, would be courting death if he dared to touch Bai Xiuming's people.
Shang Yin knew the name Bai Xiuming; he had heard about it from the Northern Wilderness King a few months ago.
Bai Zhanhuang himself admitted that Bai Xiuming was the person he feared most among the younger generation of the Great Xia royal family.
This person should have inherited the title of Prince and become a prince in charge of a region, just like him, but he took a completely different path from Bai Zhanhuang.
The adopted son, whom the Ming Emperor raised with his own hands, was ruthless and cruel, the sharpest knife in the emperor's hand.
As the eldest son of the King of Xiling, he destroyed the Xiling royal family and even killed his own father. After returning to the capital from Xiling, he revealed his fourth-realm cultivation, which shocked the royal family. However, no one knew exactly how long ago he had advanced to the fourth realm.
He was a man of hidden talents and extraordinary abilities. At the time, the King of the Northern Wilderness predicted that this man would surely be the successor to the King of Ming.
After leaving Datongfang, Shangyin reviewed the information he had received in his mind and suddenly laughed. He was really looking forward to the day when Bai Zhanhuang would find out about the relationship between Bai Xiuming and Achan.
Bai Zhanhuang will be furious.
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