Chapter 58 Separating the Family Property... Now that you're married... listen to her tell stories...
When Gao Zheng went to inquire about the He family, the He family had just begun to calm down after a night of chaos.
Several clan elders who had been living in retirement in their village on the outskirts of the city were brought back overnight and were now gathered together, all with somber expressions. The one leading them, Grand Tutor He, looked particularly haggard, his wrinkles deepening, as if he had suddenly aged several years.
"What exactly happened?"
An old man slammed his cane on the ground and demanded, "Has Consort Hui gone mad? Why would she send someone to kill Lin Si for no reason?"
"Yes, could it be... could it be that the incident at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence was really orchestrated by the Sixth Prince? Could it be that Consort Hui killed Lin Si to silence him and prevent him from revealing anything?"
"Pah!" someone spat disdainfully, their expression indignant. "Qi Jinghong made numerous mistakes even when he killed a palace maid on the pleasure boat during the Dragon Boat Festival. How could he possibly have accomplished something so significant at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence without anyone noticing? You overestimate him!"
The fact that he addressed Qi Jinghong by his first name directly in his speech revealed his deep dissatisfaction with him.
"That's not entirely true. It's not necessarily true that the Sixth Prince did the Dragon Boat Festival incident."
"If he didn't do it, how could he be framed and unable to recover? Doesn't that just make him look even more stupid!"
Everyone chimed in with their own opinions, some speaking vehemently, others speaking more gently but harboring resentment in their hearts.
Since Consort Hui entered the palace, the He family had used all their resources to help her rise to the rank of Consort, and they had also done their utmost to support Prince An. Unfortunately, the mother and son were disappointing; one couldn't even keep her Consort title, and the other was demoted to a Prince. Not only did they not bring glory to the He family, but they also caused the He family to be disliked and suspected by the Emperor.
A few days ago, the He family had already decided to abandon the incompetent sixth prince and instead submit to the fourth prince, Prince Ning. Who knew that they had only just expressed their willingness to surrender and hadn't even had a chance to do anything, they were dragged into this matter by this mother and son.
"What a tragedy," someone sighed. "If we had known this would happen, we shouldn't have sent Ninth Sister to the palace in the first place."
"What's the use of saying all this now? Let's think about how to deal with the current difficulties first."
The group changed the subject and looked at Grand Tutor He at the head of the table: "Now that things have come to this, what are your thoughts, elder brother? What exactly did His Majesty say when he summoned you to the palace yesterday?"
"What can they say? They'll just ask if I'm involved in this matter and then scold me for failing to raise my son properly."
Grand Tutor He said.
He didn't recognize Lin Si at all, so why would he let Consort Hui kill him for no reason? He didn't even know why Consort Hui did that.
Consort Hui was a concubine in the inner palace, and she was not allowed to leave the palace on ordinary days. She had to rely on the He family to maintain contact with anyone outside the palace. Since the He family had no dealings with anyone, how could she possibly have any dealings with them?
There must be more to this story.
Someone said in a deep voice.
"The four matters concerning Lin Si are related to the spring banquet at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence, and are the only clue in this case. His Majesty will definitely send people to keep a close watch on them. Although Consort Hui is impetuous and always makes mistakes, she would not be foolish enough to knowingly take such a risk."
"I don't think she's trying to eliminate the threat for her own sake or for the Sixth Prince. It seems more like she's being coerced into taking the blame for framing Prince Ping at this time."
Lin Si is dead, the trail has gone cold, and Consort Hui, as the one who eliminated him, is the prime suspect in this case.
Consort Hui is a palace concubine. Even if she did do it, as long as Qi Jingxuan is not dead or injured, she will at most be demoted or banished to the Cold Palace. The He family will also be affected and ostracized in the court.
If the emperor believes it, he might stop investigating and the person behind it would be safe.
"But what have we done to deserve this? Why should we be dragged into this mess?"
Someone said angrily.
"Yes, who in the palace can coerce Consort Hui, the Empress, or the Noble Consort? What do they have to coerce her with?"
Consort Hui's actions not only branded her with a false accusation but also ruined Qi Jinghong's future. Qi Jinghong was her own son; she wouldn't have done such a thing unless absolutely necessary.
Seeing that everyone was starting to investigate the reasons again, Grand Tutor He frowned and interrupted in a deep voice: "Alright, things have come to this point, there's no use in saying anything more. Whether she was coerced or went mad on her own, our He family has now been implicated."
"I have not summoned you here today to investigate this matter thoroughly, but to discuss with you what the He family should do in the future."
“We had already decided to abandon Consort Hui and the Sixth Prince. Today’s events only prove that this decision was correct. These two are indeed useless. Not only can they not be relied upon by the He family, but they will also drag us down.”
"Since the Sixth Prince is useless, we will inevitably have to rely on someone else. I previously chose the Fourth Prince, Prince Ning, but some of you are unwilling..."
He sighed and said, "If there are still those who are unwilling, bring it up today and let's divide the family."
"Separation of the family"
Everyone was shocked by these words.
"Brother, are you... are you just saying this out of anger? Why did you suddenly want to split up the family?"
“I’m not saying this out of anger,” said Grand Tutor He. “As the saying goes, you can’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
“I previously thought that since the Crown Prince has been established as the heir apparent for many years and already has many confidants around him, even if we follow him, it will only help him ascend the throne smoothly, which is far less meritorious than supporting Prince Ning. It would be better to follow Prince Ning than to follow him.”
"But this incident...made me more aware."
"If it were the Crown Prince who coerced Consort Hui to kill Lin Si this time, it would be one thing, but if it was Prince Ning... We had just surrendered, and he immediately pushed us out without any mercy. This shows that he is cold-hearted and not at all as gentle and kind as he usually appears."
"Following the Crown Prince is nothing to gain or lose, but following Prince Ning... it's either immense wealth or a terrible death. I don't know what will happen..."
"Therefore, let's divide the family. Those who wish to continue following Prince Ning can stay, and those who do not can leave. In this way, no matter what happens in the future, my He family will always have a bloodline, so that the entire clan will not be overthrown."
Everyone was stunned by his words and remained speechless for a long time. Finally, someone stammered, "So... what are your plans, brother?"
Grand Tutor He chuckled and patted his knee: "I'm already tied up and have no choice but to go all the way. You still have a chance; the decision is yours."
As soon as he said that, a buzz of discussion arose in the room and did not stop for a long time. On such an ordinary day, the He family quietly divided up.
…………
At the Prince Ping's residence, Xu Jinyu raised an eyebrow as Qi Jingxuan walked in: "How was your wedding night, groom?"
Qi Jingxuan frowned, looking rather impatient: "It was fine until you came, then it became worse."
Xu Jinyu chuckled and looked him up and down a few times: "What do you mean? In broad daylight, you wouldn't...?"
“I was listening to Aci tell a story, and you arrived just as I got to an interesting part.”
He plopped down in a chair, poured himself a cup of tea, gulped it down, slammed the empty cup on the table, and said fiercely, "You'd better have something important to say, or I'll kick you out."
Xu Jinyu looked bewildered: "What story are you telling?"
"Her experiences in Yingzhou are quite interesting. The customs and culture there are very different from ours. She even went to the yamen with Lord Shen... with my father-in-law, and helped solve quite a few cases. She was really capable!"
Xu Jinyu remained silent for a long while, then looked him up and down again: "Now that you're married... all you do is listen to her tell stories."
Shouldn't newlyweds be all lovey-dovey and clingy, blushing and stammering at the mere sight of each other, their faces flushed with shyness when they mention one another? Why does Qi Jingxuan seem... exactly the same as before, without the slightest hint of embarrassment?
Is it because he's so thick-skinned that he doesn't know what shyness is?
Xu Jinyu found it a bit strange, but Qi Jingxuan seemed to think it was perfectly normal: "That's right, what's wrong with telling stories? You can't tell stories after you're married."
"It's not that it can't be done, it's just..."
He hesitated, then swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Every couple has their own way of getting along, and maybe Qi Jingxuan... that's just his style.
Xu Jinyu herself was not married, so she couldn't say what was wrong with Qi Jingxuan's actions and simply changed the subject.
"Hey, let's get down to business. I didn't mean to bother you at this time, but something is really strange, so I couldn't help but tell you. You know the He family, right? The family of that Grand Tutor He who you particularly dislike."
"Regarding the Spring Banquet incident, my family has only been able to find out about one person, Cuiling. My father is furious, and a few days ago he had all the servants who might have come into contact with you and Miss Shen that day arrested..."
“Your Highness,” Qi Jingxuan corrected his wording, “she is now married to me and is my princess.”
Xu Jinyu rolled her eyes at him and continued, "My father sent all the servants who might have come into contact with you and your princess to the estate, saying it was to prevent any thieves from entering the family. They are not allowed to return to the manor until the matter is investigated."
"This was an idea suggested to my father by an official from the Hanlin Academy. He said that if the interrogation were conducted in the mansion, these servants, only concerned with their own safety, would try their best to clear themselves and would not easily implicate others. Once they said something about someone else, and it turned out to be a trivial matter that had no impact on either party, the other party might still harbor resentment."
"They will still be working together in the future, so unless something particularly wrong happens, they won't speak up easily to avoid misunderstandings."
“But it would be different if we sent them all to the estate. The work on the estate is hard, and the monthly allowance is less than in the manor. Except for those who are particularly idle and unambitious, they will all want to go back to the manor. At that time, they will not care about anything else and will spill everything they know. Maybe there will be new clues.”
"Besides, the real traitor within our household might also slip up in an attempt to appease his men who have been sent to the estate."
"This method really works! In less than ten days, more than a dozen servants have mentioned things they hadn't said before!"
He paused for a moment, waiting for Qi Jingxuan to express his admiration.
Qi Jingxuan listened and nodded, but when he noticed the servants stopped talking, he asked, "Is what those servants said related to the He family?"
Xu Jinyu was taken aback, then realized she had gone off-topic. She coughed lightly and said, "No, it's my second brother who's in charge of interrogating these servants at the estate. Our estate is very close to the He family's. He heard today that the He family elders suddenly went out last night and entered the city just as the city gates opened, as if something serious had happened."
"He just happened to come home today and told me about it. I was thinking, isn't the He family the maternal family of that sixth brother? And the sixth brother has always been at odds with you. During the Dragon Boat Festival, he even tried to frame you for killing the palace maid next to the fifth princess."
"I was worried that his family's sudden big move might have something to do with you, so I came to tell you."
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