Xu Lanyin's legs were against Hong Zhen's legs, and she heard his inner voice and knew that it was Hong Wei who sent someone to assassinate him.
Xu Lanyin hadn't expected the opportunity she'd been looking for to arrive in such a way. With Hong Zhen's tip-off, Zhao Wu had ample reason to explain the situation to Min Hu, and the investigation into the Yi Ju Restaurant case began a full three years earlier than in the book.
Ever since that suspicion, Xu Lanyin had been conflicted, fearing she'd get into trouble. But with Hong Zhen as a catalyst, many things became much easier. If she had planned everything well, she could completely change the trajectory of her life, saving Hong Zhen's family and those she wanted to save.
She whispered into Hong Zhen's ear, "Brother Hong is being hunted. Is someone trying to silence him?"
Hong Zhen was stunned for a moment, looked at Xu Lanyin in disbelief, and asked, "How did you know?"
Xu Lanyin whispered again, "Zhao Wu had long noticed something was amiss with the Yiju Restaurant. Your personal guard Liu Yong was very close to them, so he probably noticed you entering the Marquis' residence peacefully." Her voice softened, "Lord Min Humin, Deputy Envoy of the Provincial Judicial and Administrative Office, also noticed them..."
"Sister..." Zhao Wu called out in disbelief. He guessed that Yiju Restaurant might have wanted to silence Hong Zhen because they had failed to win him over. But he hadn't expected Xu Lanyin to be so bold as to lie and drag Minhu into this. However, he wasn't stupid enough to expose Xu Lanyin's lies.
After hearing Xu Lanyin's words, Hong Zhen's eyes turned red. He didn't expect that the Hong family's treason and collaborating with the enemy had been discovered.
He said sadly, "I didn't collaborate with the enemy, but my family was eventually ransacked and our entire family was exterminated. We were wronged, so wronged..."
Xu Lanyin said, "Those people don't trust you, and they can't trust Mrs. Hong either. I'm afraid that Mrs. Hong and Fang'er and Wen'er will be silenced by them before the court confiscates their property and exterminates their entire family."
Hong Zhen clenched his fists tightly and cursed, "Hong Xihuan, that old thief, Hong Wei, that brat..."
Hong Xihuan is the current Pingjinbo. At that time, he was the assistant clerk of the Right Military Governor's Office, a second-rank official. The Right Military Governor's Office was in charge of the western military.
Xu Lan patiently coaxed, "If Big Brother Hong does something, the merits and demerits of the Hong family will offset each other's merits. Not only will this keep your family safe, but it might even protect the rest of the Hong family who weren't involved... Think about it, isn't that the truth?"
Hong Zhen understood and said, "You want me to be a nail..."
Xu Lanyin said, "Well, tell Zhao Wu what you know, and Zhao Wu will contact Lord Min..."
Hong Zhen asked again, "Does Lord Min trust me?"
Xu Lanyin said, "Lord Min is a smart man and a good official. After some secret investigation, he will naturally trust you."
Hong Zhen looked at the two corpses and said, "But they..."
Xu Lanyin said, "You have excellent martial arts and hearing, and you're familiar with the surrounding terrain. When you discovered someone was following you, you lured them into a trap and killed them. Afterwards, you thought for a long time, and for the sake of your wife and children, you had no choice but to cooperate with them... Being forced to cooperate like this might have reassured them more than if you had simply agreed."
Hong Zhen clenched his fists and thought for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, "I have no choice. I'm desperate... Damn it, I'll do it!"
He had several wounds on his body, none of which were fatal, so he was able to walk back to the barracks. Now the county gates were closed, so he had no choice but to return tomorrow morning.
Hong Zhen said that according to Hong Wei, the Hong family was secretly helping Crown Prince Liu Zhaoping. When the crown prince ascended the throne, he would make the Hong family's daughter, who was the crown prince's concubine, the empress...
Xu Lanyin's previous suspicions became even stronger. If Crown Prince Liu Zhaoping was really the big boss behind the scenes, how could he casually tell Hong Zhen, who had not yet been completely brought into their camp, such an important matter?
After a brief discussion, Hong Zhen stumbled away, and Zhao Wu dragged the two bodies deeper into a trap where wild animals would devour them at night. The incomplete remains would be unresolved, and unless a medical examiner examined them, no one would be able to tell how they died.
Zhao Wucai whispered to Xu Lanyin, "Sister, how could you lie to Brother Hong? How would Lord Min know about that?"
Xu Lanyin said, "Silly, why don't you find a chance to go to the provincial capital in the next two days and quietly report this to Lord Min? Wouldn't he know? You, Zhao Wu, have sharp eyes and are extremely smart. You noticed that the owner of the Yi Ju Restaurant was acting suspiciously, so you have been keeping an eye on this restaurant. Later, you accidentally saved Brother Hong and learned that the Hong family was collaborating with the enemy through the Yi Ju Restaurant..."
Xu Lanyin remembered that Gu Wangchen's report in the book was about a conspiracy between the Xijin Earl's Mansion and the Yiju Restaurant years ago to murder the late Crown Prince Liu Zhaoyin. Xijin Earl Hong Xihuan and Crown Prince Hong Wei, having learned of the situation in advance, committed suicide out of fear of the crime. Unable to endure the severe torture, Shopkeeper Jin confessed. He led his men to gather intelligence within the Daming realm, and through Hong Xihuan and his son, he collaborated with the Second Prince Liu Zhaoping to murder the late Crown Prince Liu Zhaoyin and frame the Ni King. The Second Prince promised to reward the Western Xia Kingdom handsomely upon his succession...
Several years ago, the late Crown Prince Liu Zhaoyin was assassinated and had his left arm severed while on his way to visit disaster victims. With his arm completely severed, even the experienced physician was unable to save the arm, sparing only his life. Several assassins were killed on the spot, and since the body of the Rebel King was among them, they were determined to be the Rebel King's culprit.
The book also explains that the late empress had only two sons. The eldest, Liu Zhaoyin, was exceptionally intelligent and greatly favored by the emperor, who appointed him crown prince at the age of five. The younger, the fourth prince, was somewhat dull and childlike. With one son impotent and the other crippled, the late empress was furious and died of illness two months later, deposing Liu Zhaoyin as crown prince.
After the former crown prince was deposed, the second prince Liu Zhaoping and the third prince Liu Zhaoxian both received high support.
The emperor favored both men, who were both intelligent, filial, diligent, and benevolent. The court officials were divided into two factions: some supported the second prince, while others supported the third.
The second prince's mother was Concubine Sun Shu, who was beautiful, gentle, and quite favored by the emperor.
The Third Prince's mother was Imperial Concubine Fu, a high-ranking official. The Emperor hadn't appointed another empress, and Imperial Concubine Fu had always been at the helm of the harem, a true uncrowned empress. Because of his mother's influence, the Third Prince's popularity was even higher than the Second Prince's.
Later, the emperor came up with a beautiful line in his dream: The beacon fires illuminate the capital, and the barbarians will be pacified soon.
The Emperor asked the Imperial Astronomical Observatory to interpret his dream, and the Observatory declared it auspicious, indicating that the Daming Dynasty would soon pacify its western borders. They also claimed it was a sign from heaven, indicating that the Second Prince, Liu Zhaoping, would be the next True Dragon Emperor...
Liu Zhaoping was so lucky that he won and became the crown prince thanks to the emperor's dream, while the third prince lost.
Later, thanks to Gu Wangchen's denunciation, the Minhu, then serving as the Hebei Provincial Criminal Commissioner, quickly cracked the case. Liu Xihuan, the Marquis of Xijin, colluded with the Western Xia Kingdom to assassinate the former Crown Prince Liu Zhaoyin, deliberately tricking the Rebel King into killing him to create a fake scene. Liu Zhaoping and Consort Sun Shufei, implicated in the "treason" case, committed suicide by poison, leaving the Third Prince Liu Zhaoxian as the ultimate victor.
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