Chapter 728 The Man in Black Bites His Tongue and Commits Suicide
Inside the majestic palace walls.
There were only two people in the Imperial Study: the current emperor and the Prince of Qin. After the Prince of Qin finished his report, the study was silent.
The emperor's fingers tapped the table rhythmically, and the coldness in his eyes gradually condensed into icicles, as if they were about to burst forth.
"Xiao! Jue!" the emperor coldly uttered a name. "He is not dead."
The King of Qin raised his head: "Eighteen years ago, he fled to Ji Province with his followers. My brother's men relentlessly pursued them, ultimately forcing him to jump off a cliff with all his confidants. Thousands of imperial guards searched the cliff below Ji Province for three whole years, but they never found his body, nor did they discover any suspicious persons. That's when we concluded that he was dead... If he really wasn't dead, where had he been hiding for the past ten years? How did he get involved with the He family? When did he become one with them? What are his next plans...?"
"Next, of course, is to seize the throne." A mocking smile appeared on the emperor's face. "He was born the crown prince, and everyone around him told him from childhood that the Xiao family's empire was his empire. When he was stripped of his crown prince status one day, he went mad..."
The King of Qin still remembered the scene when the Crown Prince was deposed that year. He was very young, about three or four years old, and didn't understand anything. He was playing with his older brothers.
Suddenly, the Crown Prince flew into a rage and chopped off a palace maid's hand in public. Just then, the Emperor happened to pass by the garden and flew into a rage, punishing the Crown Prince by confining him to his quarters and making him reflect on his actions.
However, the crown prince did not think he had done anything wrong. While under house arrest, in order to vent his dissatisfaction, he killed the four palace servants guarding the gate, causing a river of blood to flow.
It was only then that the Emperor realized that the Crown Prince was unbenevolent and immoral, and unworthy to be the Emperor. He deposed the Crown Prince almost without hesitation.
After the crown prince was deposed, the Eastern Palace was left vacant. In order to ensure their sons ascended the throne, the concubines in the harem formed factions in the court, creating chaos and turmoil. Thus began the struggle for the throne...
Because the tragedy of that year was so devastating, the emperor learned his lesson and, after ascending the throne, focused solely on cultivating the crown prince, determined to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.
The Crown Prince's position is now secure, the Crown Prince is benevolent, and the princes are friendly and respectful; no scandalous incidents have occurred.
Unexpectedly, the former crown prince was still causing trouble...
"Brother, I'll destroy the He family first," the Prince of Qin said coldly. "The He family should be Xiao Jue's right-hand men. If we cut off one of their arms, let's see how they can still fight for the country and seize the throne."
The emperor toyed with his thumb ring: "Even with the He family's help, he can't take away my throne, but he can bring me a lot of trouble. When he made a comeback back then, Duanmin died by his sword. I don't want that to happen again, so this time—we must eliminate him completely!"
"What does Your Majesty mean?"
"Walk into the trap."
The King of Qin understood the Emperor's meaning, and his expression became serious.
He only emerged from the imperial study after nightfall.
As soon as he left the palace, his confidant came to report: "Your Highness, there is news."
The King of Qin was taken aback: "What news is there?"
The confidant hurriedly said, "We have a lead on who is behind the kidnapping of Sui Shuren and Miss Ruan."
The King of Qin slapped his forehead, realizing that he had completely forgotten such an important matter because of Xiao Jue.
He gestured for his confidant to continue.
"I followed the footprints, but because the snow was so heavy, it took me quite a while to find them. Finally, I caught up with them at the gate of a manor near the south gate of the capital. I disguised myself as an old man selling vegetables and knocked on the door. After knocking for a long time, no one answered. Finally, I forced the door open and found four men in black lying dead in the courtyard. They had all committed suicide by biting their tongues."
The King of Qin frowned: "Were any clues found at the estate?"
The confidant shook his head: "It's just an ordinary farm. The owner's ancestors have farmed here for eighteen generations. There's nothing suspicious about it. Those four men in black probably chose a random grave to commit mass suicide in order to mislead people..."
The King of Qin's expression grew even more solemn; it seemed that the person behind this was no small figure.
He said coldly, "Continue the investigation. Report any leads to me immediately."
The dawn of deep winter comes later and later.
Cheng Wanwan lay in her warm bed, unwilling to get up at all.
The sound of reading aloud could be heard from next door. It was Si Dan and Yu Zhan reading. These two children were so hardworking. They got up before dawn, did some exercise, and then threw themselves into their studies. For the rest of the day, except for meals, they spent all their time reading and writing. They were even more diligent than she was when she was preparing for the college entrance examination.
It was almost noon when Cheng Wanwan finally crawled out of bed.
She put on her clothes, draped a fox fur coat over her shoulders, and carried a hand warmer before leaving the bedroom.
As soon as she came out, Granny Qi immediately told the maid to bring in the food that was warming on the pot and serve Cheng Wanwan her meal.
"After Lady Shu returned yesterday, Old Liu went out of the mansion in the middle of the night," Granny Qi reported in a low voice. "This old servant had Cheng Yi follow him, and Cheng Yi saw Old Liu enter a courtyard in a small alley in the south of the city and stay there for about half an hour before coming out. This morning, this old servant went to the street to inquire about the courtyard. The owner of the courtyard is surnamed Wang and runs a tofu shop. There doesn't seem to be anything suspicious about it."
Cheng Wanwan put down her chopsticks and smiled.
The news of her and Ruan Mingzhu's disappearance caused quite a stir in the capital. The He family must have heard about it, which is why they sent Lao Liu over to inquire about the situation.
She was originally painstakingly investigating her informant, but after being kidnapped, the informant himself came forward, saving her a lot of trouble.
Granny Qi spoke up, "Shouldn't we find an excuse to send Old Liu away?"
Cheng Wanwan shook her head: "If this inside man is used well, he can accomplish a lot of important things. Continue to give him important responsibilities and allow him to enter my yard without reporting to us."
She had read the background information of all the servants in the courtyard. Old Liu was a eunuch who served noble ladies in the palace when he was young. After the noble ladies passed away, he became a minor steward and lived a comfortable life in the palace. Logically speaking, when the emperor bestowed palace servants upon a third-rank court lady, he, at his age, should not have been chosen. However, he happened to become the temporary steward of her courtyard.
The He family sent the eunuchs they had carefully trained to her, so there must be other spies left in the palace.
It seems the He family has a very grand strategy at play.
I just don't know how the current emperor plans to handle this matter.
Granny Qi called Old Liu in, and Cheng Wanwan handed him the reading room's account book with complete trust, saying sincerely, "I'm a country bumpkin, and no one can beat me at farming, but when it comes to studying, I really don't know much. Old Liu, you came from the palace, you're knowledgeable and experienced. From now on, you and Granny Qi will be my right-hand men. Can you handle the things I ask you to do?"
Old Liu immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you for your trust, Lady Shu. This old servant will definitely make the Reading Pavilion even better."
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