Chapter 83 Code Words: Everything as Usual
Prince Ning received the news from Yingzhou three days later. At that time, he was still recuperating in his residence and had not left the house for a long time.
Although the imperial physician said that he had only suffered superficial injuries, and that these injuries would indeed not hurt much after a period of rest, since most of Qi Jingxuan's fists landed on his face, the bruises had not yet completely faded. If he went out and people saw him, he would inevitably be talked about, so he stayed in the mansion and did not go out.
Originally, he planned to wait until he recovered and figure out a way to deal with Qi Jingxuan properly, but before he could get that opportunity, he received a letter from Yingzhou.
"What did you say"
The usually composed Prince Ning abruptly stood up from his chair, his face contorted with rage: "Someone has broken into the mine!"
"yes."
The Xie family servant who came from Yingzhou was covered in sweat, clearly having rushed all the way. He didn't even have time to tidy his appearance before delivering the message.
"That group broke in at night. It looked like a young master with a few attendants. We sent men to chase after them, but we only discovered them when they left the mine. It was too late, and we couldn't catch up."
"We searched everywhere afterwards, but we never found any trace of that group of people."
"Seventh Master is worried that things might change over time, so he sent me to the capital to deliver a message to you and the Xie family, so that you can be careful."
The servant paused, swallowed, and looked somewhat frightened.
"But on the very day I left Yingzhou, Steward Feng returned to report that he had almost caught the young master. Although he eventually managed to get him to escape, he had seen the young master's appearance from afar, and it seemed to be... it seemed to be Lu Heng, the sixth young master of the Lu family."
"Seventh Master was immediately anxious and ordered me to ride at top speed to deliver the message back to the capital before Young Master Lu. I didn't dare delay and returned in just thirteen days. However... when I set off, seven or eight days had already passed since Young Master Lu led his men into the mine. I wonder if they had already sent word during that time. If they already know, then..."
The servant dared not think about it, and beads of sweat appeared even more profusely on his forehead.
Prince Ning broke out in a cold sweat and immediately summoned a middle-aged man, asking, "Has the Lu family made any unusual moves recently?"
The middle-aged man was taken aback, puzzled: "Why does Your Highness ask this? Has something happened to the Lu family?"
The Ning Prince's Mansion had no connection with the Lu family, so why would they bother sending people to keep an eye on them? Since they hadn't sent anyone to watch, how would they know if there was any unusual activity? Unless the Lu family caused some major incident like the He family splitting into separate branches, how could they possibly know what the Lu family was up to?
Prince Ning was annoyed, but he knew he wouldn't get anything out of asking that question, so he changed his mind and asked, "What about the palace, the Prince of Ping's residence, the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence, and the Gao family? Have they been making any moves lately?"
The middle-aged man understood perfectly and answered fluently: "As always, nothing has changed. Although the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion has found its own mole, it has not yet found the real mastermind. Therefore, Prince Ping is still investigating the March Spring Banquet with Prince Xu and Prince Gao, and as always, he sends people to our side to inquire about our movements from time to time. But we have already dealt with everything thoroughly, and they have found nothing."
"I haven't heard anything different from usual in the palace, but... because of your previous conflict with Prince Ping, His Majesty hasn't been to Yongning Palace for some time now."
Prince Ning breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Everything being as usual meant that Lu Heng hadn't yet managed to get the news into the capital. As long as he received the news before the palace, there was still a chance!
But out of caution, he asked again, "Has Father seen the Seventh Prince recently?"
“Yes, I have,” the middle-aged man replied. “The Prince of Ping and his wife often visit Consort Shu in the palace. They went there again three days ago, and His Majesty also went there at that time.”
Prince Ning frowned: "How long did he stay there? What did he say? Did he summon anyone afterward?"
"Whenever His Majesty has nothing to do, he often stays for a while, sometimes even for a meal. Occasionally, when he is busy, he will only stay for a short while before leaving. That day, he did not stay for too long. After going in, he talked with Consort Shu and her two children for a while before returning to the Imperial Study to attend to official business."
"As for what they said... His Majesty is surrounded by his own confidants, and he never allows others to approach him casually. The people in Zhaohua Palace are all personally selected by him and Consort Shu. Not even a needle can get in. I really have no way of knowing."
"However, when His Majesty returned to the Imperial Study, he summoned He Yuan for questioning."
This is not surprising. After the incident at the Spring Banquet in March, the Emperor transferred He Yuan to Qi Jingxuan's side. Since then, whenever Qi Jingxuan entered the palace, the Emperor would always summon He Yuan for questioning to ensure Qi Jingxuan's safety.
Especially after Lin Si was arrested, the emperor seemed to know something and questioned him even more frequently.
Prince Ning suspected that the emperor had gotten something out of Lin Si, but the emperor didn't mention it and acted as if nothing had happened, so Prince Ning naturally wouldn't bring it up either.
This time, Qi Jingxuan attacked him, but the emperor turned a blind eye and didn't even punish Qi Jingxuan, which made him even more certain that he already knew about the March Spring Banquet.
But that's not important. Since the emperor didn't pursue the matter, it means he thought it was just a dispute between brothers. Disputes between brothers can be resolved peacefully, so as not to escalate and become a laughing stock for the court officials.
Prince Ning thus concluded that the emperor had only discovered his involvement in framing Qi Jingxuan, and at most, his affairs with the wives of certain court officials; nothing more. Especially regarding the iron mine, he must have been completely unaware, otherwise he wouldn't have remained so calm and kept quiet about it.
Prince Ning had long since seen through his father's character. He could easily let go of anything that didn't concern his own interests. For example, the power struggles between concubines or the rifts between brothers—as long as things didn't escalate to an unbearable level, he could turn a blind eye.
But if anything threatens his throne, he will never tolerate it.
Upon hearing that the Emperor had summoned He Yuan for questioning, although he knew this was common practice, Prince Ning still pressed for details: "How long did they talk? Did Father summon anyone else afterward?"
"Not long after, He Yuan came out of the Imperial Study, and His Majesty did not summon any other court officials afterward."
The middle-aged man replied, then added, "Everything has been normal these past few days. Apart from the court sessions, His Majesty only kept a few important ministers behind after the court sessions to inquire about state affairs, and did not summon anyone in any particular way."
Upon hearing this, Prince Ning's tense shoulders and back finally relaxed completely, and his ferocious expression, caused by the lingering scars, gradually calmed down.
He took a sip of tea, his voice no longer as tense and hurried as before: "There haven't been any unusual troop movements in the capital, have there?"
Hearing him inquire about military matters, the middle-aged man became even more nervous: "I've never heard of that. Your Highness... what does this mean?"
Prince Ning put down his teacup and gave a slight smirk: "If they don't move, then it's time for us to make our move."
The middle-aged man was Xu Guang, the commander of the Eastern City Garrison. Upon hearing this, he was greatly alarmed and exclaimed, "Your Highness, isn't this too hasty? Although we have our own troops in the army, in terms of military strength, we are still no match for His Majesty. Moreover, the weapons forged in Yingzhou have not yet been transported to the capital. Why...?"
"We can't wait any longer!"
Prince Ning interrupted.
"News has come from Yingzhou: someone has broken into the mine, and our illegal iron ore mining has been discovered. This news hasn't reached the palace yet, so we can seize the initiative by acting now. If we wait until the news reaches the palace..."
He glanced at Xu Guang as he spoke, his voice cold and deep: "Then we can only die together."
Xu Guang had sensed something amiss when he heard him ask about those various matters. When he inquired about the troops in the capital, he felt even more strongly that something big was about to happen.
He originally thought that Prince Ning had been mistreated by Prince Ping a few days ago, and that His Majesty's indifference had made him resentful and want to take action in advance. Who would have thought... that the illegal iron ore mining had been discovered.
If it were anything else, it would be one thing, but illegal iron ore mining... this is something His Majesty absolutely cannot tolerate.
Seeing the look of fear on his face, Prince Ning rose and walked to his side, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "I know that acting now is indeed a bit hasty, but we have been preparing for many years, and we are not without a chance of success. Rather than waiting for things to be exposed and us to be purged, why don't we strike first? What do you say?"
Xu Guang felt a large hand press firmly on his shoulder. He had nowhere to dodge, and considering the current situation, he knew there was no other option but to fight to the death. So he suppressed his fear, steeled his resolve, and said, "Your Highness, please make the arrangements. I will do my utmost and serve you to the death!"
He then knelt down on one knee and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute.
Prince Ning nodded, sat back down with satisfaction, and discussed the matter with him in a low voice.
Xu Guang accepted the order and left. Just as Prince Ning was about to have someone summon Master Xie for a meeting, a servant announced that the Imperial Concubine had invited him to the palace.
Prince Ning frowned: "My mother summoned me to the palace now."
The man said, "Yes, he said he has something important to discuss with you."
Prince Ning had just learned that the matter of the Yingzhou iron mine had been exposed, and upon hearing this, he became alert: "Are you sure it was the Imperial Concubine who sent the message, and not someone else?"
“It was indeed someone from the Consort’s side who came to deliver the message. That person was waiting outside and said that if you were not willing to go, he could come in to see you. The Consort has a letter for you. I was going to pass it on for him, but he said that the Consort instructed that it must be delivered to you personally.”
Upon hearing that there was a letter, Prince Ning's suspicions deepened, and he immediately ordered someone to summon the person.
The man who arrived was indeed an inconspicuous eunuch from the palace. He wasn't dressed in the robes of a eunuch, but rather as an ordinary person, and looked unremarkable; he would have gone unnoticed on the street. However, Prince Ning, who frequently moved around the palace, was not entirely unfamiliar with this man, but neither was he a complete stranger, and recognized him at a glance.
The eunuch entered without saying much, greeted Prince Ning, and then took out a letter from his pocket.
The servant took the letter and handed it to Prince Ning. After reading the beginning, Prince Ning was certain that it was written by Consort Jia herself.
It wasn't just because the handwriting was familiar, but also because it contained a secret code agreed upon by the mother and son. This code was known only to the two of them, and no one else could know it, so it could not be forged.
Prince Ning quickly finished reading the letter and hurriedly stood up: "Enter the palace."
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