Chapter 538 The Scheme of the Person Behind It All
Qiao Qinghe left Su Rongrong and Uncle Wu to talk, then returned to the inner courtyard and went to see Old Madam Wu.
Perhaps it was because she had taken Qiao Ning out yesterday, and Qiao Ning had been brought back by the princess's carriage, that Old Madam Qiao gave her a rare kind look.
Qiao Qinghe chatted with Old Madam Qiao for a while, then sat in Weijia's courtyard for a bit before turning back to the main courtyard.
As soon as she returned to the main courtyard, Madam He came looking for her.
"What's up?"
Madam He leaned close to Qiao Qinghe's ear and whispered, "The Earl of Enping is back. He's waiting by the wall behind the back gate. He said he's about to return to the Xishan camp and wants to see the old lady one last time before he sets off."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qinghe told the others not to follow, and only took A Shuang with her to the back door.
At the back door, Madam He had already shrewdly dismissed everyone, leaving only a tight-lipped gatekeeper.
When Qiao Qinghe saw the Earl of Enping, who had changed his clothes, put on a beard, and disguised himself, her heart began to pound uncontrollably.
Could it be that they killed someone and are now trying to escape?
Seeing the change in Qiao Qinghe's expression, the Earl of Enping quickly smiled and comforted her, "Grandmother, don't overthink it. I'm just preparing to return to the Xishan camp."
“Then what about you…” Qiao Qinghe pointed to his strange attire.
The Earl of Enping explained, “His Majesty has ordered me to train troops at the Xishan Camp for the past two days and I have not returned to the capital.”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Qinghe immediately laughed, "I never expected His Majesty to protect you so much! He can even handle such a big matter so lightly!"
The Earl of Enping smiled and said, "It was mainly because of what my grandmother said at the Jiang residence gate that laid the groundwork for me."
"His Majesty already harbored resentment towards Feng Yudie. By killing her, I not only intimidated the Feng family but also gave His Majesty more leverage over me."
"Now that he is doing me a favor, I can be even more devoted to him."
Qiao Qinghe breathed a sigh of relief, "It's good that you didn't act impulsively!"
Come to think of it, Yan Jin was able to escape unscathed after killing his mother and father, so how could he not consider an escape route when he was only killing a princess of a fallen kingdom?
Look, even Emperor Xiaozhao is personally covering for him.
"So you've come to find me now..." Qiao Qinghe wondered.
The Earl of Enping said in a low voice, "I came to tell my grandmother that before Feng Yudie died, she revealed that the news was sent to her by the Emperor."
Without even thinking, Qiao Qinghe shook her head and denied it, saying, "That's impossible!"
The Earl of Enping also said, "Indeed. I am the one who is really trying to sow discord between me and His Majesty."
"But I can't understand the purpose of the person behind this."
"To simply sow discord between me and His Majesty would be far too frivolous."
"Furthermore, I can't figure out whether the person behind this is targeting me, or..."
Earl Enping looked at Qiao Qinghe meaningfully.
Qiao Qinghe's face was grim, and she nodded slightly. "If nothing unexpected happens, they're here for both you and me."
"After all, you are now my biggest asset in the capital!"
"In a way, it's me who dragged you into this."
"If it weren't for the fact that you're close to me..."
Uncle Enping shook his head, interrupting Qiao Qinghe, "Grandmother, you flatter me. You treat Rongrong like your own granddaughter, so I'll treat you like my own grandmother. We're family, so there's no need for formalities. If you need anything, just let me know."
Qiao Qinghe smiled and said, "Okay. I won't hesitate to help if there's anything I can do for you."
"I came here to remind my grandmother and to ask her to take care of Rongrong for a while."
The Earl of Enping said apologetically, "I will have to stay at the Xishan camp for another ten days or so before I can return to the capital. During this time, let Rongrong stay at Grandmother's residence."
“Something happened at the Prince Shun’an’s residence, and I’m afraid they’ll take their anger out on Rongrong. I’m worried about her going back to live alone.”
"Okay. You can rest assured to entrust the person to me." Qiao Qinghe readily agreed.
It just so happens that Uncle Wu needs to stay at her residence to recuperate from his injuries, and she even has a ready-made excuse.
After finishing his business, Yan Jin prepared to leave.
Qiao Qinghe quickly told him what she had learned from Uncle Wu, and then said worriedly, "We can't keep Dingfeng. I just don't know where he is right now."
Yan Jin nodded with a gloomy expression: "Grandmother, don't worry, I will find the person as soon as possible."
Qiao Qinghe also said, "I will also ask Chen San and the others to help me find people."
"Thank you, Grandmother."
"Of course."
Yan Jin left with a few trusted confidants.
Qiao Qinghe's emotions remained unsettled for a long time.
Who is the person Yan Jin is referring to as being behind the scenes?
The answer is almost obvious.
Min Ji, besides Min Ji, she couldn't think of anyone else who could have such a brilliant scheme.
Thinking carefully about the scheming behind this farce, it's truly terrifying.
On the surface, it's a drama of Feng Yudie and Su Rongrong vying for a husband.
But what is the reality?
From the moment Feng Yudie threatened Su Rongrong, or rather, Yan Jin, with the truth about the Su family's massacre, Feng Yudie firmly stepped on Yan Jin's bottom line.
Therefore, Feng Yudie's death was almost a predictable outcome.
In this way, there are only two possible outcomes: Emperor Xiaozhao will either kill Yan Jin or protect him.
If Emperor Xiaozhao were to kill Yan Jin, it would undoubtedly be like cutting off one's own arm.
Although Emperor Xiaozhao has many military generals at his disposal, few of them truly earn his trust.
For Qiao Qinghe, it meant losing her biggest support.
Conversely, if Emperor Xiaozhao had protected Yan Jin, it would undoubtedly have angered the Shun'an Prince's Mansion.
Perhaps the Prince of Shun'an's mansion wouldn't dare to do anything openly. However, they would definitely hate Yan Jin and Emperor Xiaozhao.
In this way, it would be as easy as taking something out of a bag to subdue the Prince of Shun'an's mansion and bring it under their control.
What happened after they subdued the Shun'an Prince's Mansion?
Could we take this opportunity to win over the remaining stubborn forces in Shang'an?
Although Shang'an was destroyed, it actually retained a considerable number of troops due to its eventual surrender.
It's hard to guarantee that there aren't die-hard loyalists from the Feng family among them.
Therefore, the Feng family alone could have countless schemes to plot against them.
Qiao Qinghe took a deep breath; she was somewhat frightened by her own thoughts.
Is everything really as she imagines?
Seeing that she looked unwell, Ah Shuang couldn't help but ask with concern, "Madam, what are you worried about?"
"Uncle Wu has been saved, and Uncle Enping is also fine. With Princess Feng dead, no one will bother Lady Enping anymore. Aren't these all good things? Why do you still look so worried?"
Qiao Qinghe composed herself, sighed, and said, "I'm afraid this matter won't be so easily resolved."
Sure enough, in the following days, the Jingzhou government launched a full-scale manhunt for the culprit, and eventually the investigation pointed directly at the Enping Earl's Mansion.
The reason was simple: Princess Feng had just captured the old steward of the Earl of Enping when she died the very next day.
Given Enping Bo's reputation for both doting on his wife and being bloodthirsty, no one would believe that Feng Yudie's death had nothing to do with Enping Bo.
Unfortunately, the investigation by the Jingzhou Prefecture was limited to this. Apart from confirming that Princess Feng had a grudge against Lady Enping before her death, there was no substantial evidence.
Most importantly, the Earl of Enping has been training troops at the Xishan camp these days and has not returned to the capital. Even if the Prince of Shun'an wanted to pin the blame on the Earl of Enping, it wouldn't work.
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