Chapter 32 What grudge does the Duke of Zhenguo have against He Hansheng...?
Chapter 32
When Shen Suining entered the palace for the second time, the person who led the way for her was still Xiao Huizi from that day.
The summons came somewhat suddenly, and Shen Suining knew that this was a crucial time for He Hansheng to regain control of the city's garrison, so she couldn't help but feel uneasy and asked a few more questions on the way.
Xiao Huizi told her to relax, saying that His Majesty had only heard that the Princess was unwell and had summoned her to ask a few questions.
The more he evaded the question, the more uncertain Shen Suining felt. When she entered the imperial study, she discovered that Wang Jingde, the chief eunuch who served Li Bo, was not there this time.
Shen Suining pursed her lips and respectfully bowed to Li Bo, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
"No need for formalities," Li Bo said with his usual kind smile when he saw Shen Suining. "I heard that Jinling was poisoned yesterday. Take some of the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital to the Marquis's residence to examine Jinling, so that I can rest assured."
Logically, as the wife of the Marquis of Yong'an, Shen Suining should express her gratitude, but she felt that the emperor's words were somewhat strange, so she asked, "How does Your Majesty know that the Princess has been poisoned?"
When the eldest princess had an accident yesterday, He Hansheng immediately blocked the news, only saying to the outside world that she was unwell.
Li Bo smiled and replied deftly, "Jinling is my own sister, so naturally I have to care about her."
Shen Suining sneered inwardly, "Then what is the purpose of His Majesty's summoning me to the palace today?"
Li Bo: "Do you still remember what you promised me last time?"
“Of course I remember,” Shen Suining raised her eyes, “Whom does His Majesty want me to kill?”
“Minister of War Zhou Fu,” Li Bo said thoughtfully after saying the name, “he has recently been involved in a case of embezzlement and is currently suspended from his duties for investigation. The Court of Judicial Review probably won’t find any evidence. You kill him for me and make it look like he committed suicide out of fear of punishment, so that I can convict him in a justifiable way.”
Shen Suining glanced at him, “Zhou Fu?” She had heard He Hansheng mention this person before.
Li Bo hummed in agreement and looked at Shen Suining. “Didn’t Yun Chu want to take back the city garrison? Once Zhou Fu is convicted, I will have a reason to reclaim the Ministry of War’s control. By helping me kill this man, you are also helping Yun Chu take back what rightfully belongs to him.”
...
That night, Zhou Fu saw He Bufan in his study.
"Brother-in-law?" He paused, wondering if he was seeing things.
In connection with the embezzlement case, he was confined to his own residence, and outsiders were not allowed to visit him. The women and servants in the residence were also confined separately, with only Zhou Fu being locked up in his own courtyard.
Zhou Fu hadn't spoken to anyone outside for several days, but now that he saw He Bufan, he rushed forward as if he had seen a lifeline, "Brother-in-law, am I saved? Have you gone to see His Majesty? Did you tell His Majesty? I'm innocent, I'm innocent!"
With a sharp "smack," Zhou Fu was slapped and fell to the ground. He looked at He Bufan in disbelief, "Brother-in-law? Even you..."
"You're more trouble than you're worth," He Bufan said, wiping his hands with disgust. "You can't keep your composure at all, just like your sister. You panic at the slightest trouble. How can someone so weak and incompetent help me achieve great things!"
Zhou Fu was stunned by the slap and lay on the ground, whimpering in grievance.
"Stop crying!" He Bufan snapped, pursing his lips. "Where are your ledgers?"
Zhou Fu finally came to his senses, his eyes red as he looked at He Bufan, "What do you need the ledger for?"
"The Dali Temple is investigating your bribery and embezzlement of military funds. Your account book is the most important evidence. If it gets found, even the Heavenly King himself can't save you!" He Bufan said with exasperation. "Here, hand over the account book to me, and I'll hide it for you. You're a second-rank official in the imperial court. If they can't find the evidence, they can't do anything to you. As long as you keep denying it, I'll naturally find a way to exonerate you in time."
Upon hearing this, Zhou Fu scrambled to the bottom of the table, knocked open a hidden compartment, retrieved the ledger, and handed it to He Bufan.
Just as He Bufan's hand was about to touch the ledger, Zhou Fu suddenly woke up, clutching the ledger tightly and asking, "Brother-in-law, you won't hurt me, will you?"
"Fool!" He Bufan snatched the ledger away without saying a word. "You were born a spineless coward. If I wanted to harm you, I would just chop you down with one stroke! That would be the end of it! Why waste my breath arguing with you?"
After saying that, He Bufan turned and left.
Zhou Fu knelt on the ground, his eyes bloodshot, pounding the ground and shouting, "Brother-in-law! We're all in the same boat! If you can't save me, we'll all die!"
He Bufan left without looking back.
The room was quiet for a moment. Suddenly, Zhou Fu heard a noise on the roof. When he realized what was happening, a mysterious person wearing a black cloak and a mask landed silently in front of the door.
The mysterious figure was concealed beneath a wide cloak, making it difficult to discern her gender. She wore a bronze mask resembling a cat or beast, which completely covered her head. On her head were two pointed ears, resembling both a cat and a fox, adorned with two blood-red butterflies. Two red tassels, like drops of blood, dangled from the tails of the butterflies and swayed gently.
Her sudden appearance here was like a man-eating monster from folk mythology, incredibly eerie in this dark and windy night.
Zhou Fu was shocked. "Who...who are you?!"
Shen Suining did not answer his question, but only sneered: "A dignified Minister of War, you can't even detect that someone is hiding on the roof."
She held a sword in her hand, pressing closer step by step, creating an extremely strong sense of oppression.
Zhou Fu was so frightened that he backed away repeatedly, covering his head and trembling. "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'm innocent! I'm innocent!"
Shen Suining stopped in his tracks, turned his sword, and its cold light flashed.
"Take those words and tell them to the King of Hell."
...
The next morning, Shen Suining slept in a little late. After having breakfast with the Princess, she returned to her room.
However, having nothing else to do, Shen Suining picked up a storybook again. Xiang Yemingke already knew her habit and placed fruit and snacks within her reach.
The two of them held up fans to fan themselves. Shen Suining sat barefoot on the bamboo couch, and as if remembering something, asked, "Does your lord also read storybooks like this when he's at home with nothing to do?"
“When would the young marquis ever have time to read storybooks?” Mingke replied with a smile. “Everyone says that the marquis is a gentleman who excels in all six arts, but which young marquis would spend half a day doing that? Not to mention that Her Highness the Princess is always watching him. The young marquis is not allowed to touch any leisure reading materials such as storybooks or novels.”
"Then his life must be really boring." Shen Suining showed some sympathy, but she had long felt that the eldest princess was very strict in managing her household, so it was not surprising.
“The young marquis has had a tough time,” Xiangye said more calmly, her voice gentle. She told Shen Suining, “The young marquis is an only son and has imperial blood. Since he was born, the master and the prince have been very strict with him. The master teaches him riding, archery and martial arts, while the princess teaches him to read, write and learn court etiquette. Although they teach different things, they are both extremely strict. Sometimes they wish they could tear the young marquis in two, each teaching one half at the same time.”
"Everyone says that the young marquis is a martial arts genius. But that's not true. The real genius is the master. That's why the master often doesn't understand why the young marquis is progressing so slowly. When he gets anxious, he will urge the young marquis to practice day and night. Once, he practiced too much and the young marquis almost broke all his meridians. He will never be able to practice martial arts again."
Upon hearing this, Shen Suining couldn't help but shudder. "So ruthless?"
“Yes,” Xiangye sighed softly, “It’s probably because the master and the prince have high hopes for the young marquis that they are so strict with him.”
Shen Suining passed the time quickly by reading the storybook while listening to Xiangye and Mingke talk.
She overheard Jiang Yuchu mention Zhou Fu's suicide out of fear of punishment, but she just smiled and said that matters of the court were none of her concern, and that he should wait for He Hansheng to return so she could discuss the matter with him.
That night, Shen Suining couldn't bear being alone in such a large room, so she called Shen Fengyu in to stay by her bedside and talk to her until she fell asleep. Every night before falling asleep, she would count on her fingers how many more days it would be before He Hansheng returned.
Two boring and ordinary days passed in this way. On the day before He Hansheng returned, Shen Suining went to Pu She to talk to Shen Yan for a while. On her way back, she was stopped by the carriage of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.
After stopping the carriage, Gao Lanxin got out and stood on higher ground, throwing two large cabbages at Shen Fengyu, who was sitting outside, and yelled, "Tell your master to get down here!"
Shen Fengyu frowned and dodged, wondering where this crazy woman had come from, and shouted sharply, "Get out of the way!"
"I won't give in!" Gao Lanxin said, hands on her hips. "You coward who dares to do something but doesn't dare to admit it! What kind of skill is it to play tricks behind people's backs? If you're so capable, get out of the car and come argue with me!"
Inside the carriage, Shen Suining, who had been resting with her eyes closed, opened them impatiently. "Why waste words with her?"
"Understood." Upon receiving the order, Shen Fengyu lashed the horse's rump hard with the whip, and the horse immediately charged forward, forcefully smashing through the carriage blocking the road.
Gao Lanxin fell off the carriage, but fortunately the servants surrounded her and cushioned her fall, preventing her from getting hurt.
"Useless things!" Gao Lanxin kicked the servants aside, got up from the ground, and said, "Come on, let's go to the Marquis of Yong'an's mansion to demand justice!"
After being woken up, Shen Suining looked extremely pale.
She had seen it clearly just now; the carriage had lanterns with the four large characters "Zhenguo Duke's Mansion" hanging on it. And the Zhenguo Duke was the old man who had insulted her in the Nine Heavens last time.
Shen Suining had been holding a grudge since He Hansheng stopped her last time, and she hadn't been able to get over it. Today, she ran into her enemy again, and Shen Suining wanted to take this opportunity to vent her anger. However, she remembered He Hansheng and the Princess's repeated instructions that it was not a good time to cause trouble.
In all her life, Shen Suining had never been so submissive. She always settled scores on the spot, and anyone who dragged it out for even a night was considered a coward.
Upon arriving at the Yong'an Marquis's residence, Shen Suining was still unable to swallow her anger and instructed Shen Fengyu: "Go and find out what grudge the Duke of Zhenguo has against He Hansheng. Also, that woman just now, if she wasn't blind and mistook someone else for someone else, her hostility towards me wouldn't be unfounded. Go and find out the truth and come back to report to me."
"Yes." After helping Shen Suining down from the carriage, Shen Fengyu went to inquire.
Shen Suining returned to the manor alone. Just as she stepped through the gate, Gao Lanxin's carriage creaked and groaned as it came to a stop at the entrance of the manor.
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