Marquis Anning said, "If we analyze it from the perspective of 'relationships,' then it's because the Emperor is close to sycophants and distant from loyal ministers. The capital is relatively peaceful, but below, factions are forming and corruption is rampant. In some remote areas, people are starving, some have become outlaws, and some have even rebelled."
The Emperor continuously dispatched troops to suppress rebellions in various places, while also worrying about the inadequacy of the capital's defenses. He wanted to increase the number of Imperial Guards and expand the training camps. With taxes failing to be collected from below, yet the government demanding expansion, the national treasury was empty, and the Ministry of Revenue was in dire straits.
Bai Qingzhou was surprised, "That...serious?"
Marquis Anning nodded. "At this time, the Emperor wants to keep Prince Jin here and send Prince Qin to the border. We guess... it's possible that he values Prince Jin's practical experience."
Bai Qingzhou asked doubtfully, "While Prince Jin certainly has practical combat experience, what will happen to Northern Liao if he returns? Won't Northern Liao take advantage of the situation and invade? Can Prince Qin handle it?"
Marquis Anning sighed, "Your line of thinking is correct, but it differs from the actual situation. Even if Prince Jin is in his fiefdom, it's not Prince Jin who is in command, but Marshal Wang. Of course, Prince Jin is not without achievements, otherwise the Northern Liao people wouldn't have poisoned him."
Prince Jin doesn't directly participate in commanding battles, so his return and Prince Qin's replacement, as long as Marshal Wang remains unchanged, shouldn't be a major issue. However, such a sudden change in the title of prince raises questions about whether Marshal Wang will have any reservations. In short, this matter is complex and abrupt; it's unclear what the Emperor truly wants.
Bai Qingzhou was puzzled. "The Prince of Qin is decisive and ruthless. People say that the Prince of Qin's prison is the Emperor's knife. Does the Emperor intend to send the sharpest knife to the North Gorge? Who is being dealt with in the North Gorge?"
Marquis Anning sighed, "This matter is full of doubts and contradictions. I'm afraid that apart from His Majesty himself, no one knows the answer."
He paused, then continued, "Perhaps some of the sycophants around the Emperor know... Never mind, I'll tell you the rest when I get back from my leave. I need to go to the main courtyard and tell your mother so we can leave the city before the gates close."
Bai Qingzhou sat up straight. "Yes, Father, take care."
Marquis Anning nodded and strode away.
Soon, the room was empty.
Bai Qingzhou remained stiff, staring at the empty doorway, her mind still replaying the events of just moments ago, her heart filled with complex emotions and confusion.
...
When Marquis Anning arrived at the main courtyard, he told Lady Ding about the poisoning of the heir apparent. We will not go into how Lady Ding was shocked and frightened, or how she took Chen Mianmian to Qingfeng Courtyard.
Just say that.
Night falls.
The King of Qin returned to his palace, carrying with him a murderous aura.
The moment they entered the study, the large room was filled with the stench of blood, and the staff who had been waiting there were instantly chilled to the bone.
In the deathly silence, the occasional sound of teeth chattering could be heard.
After the King of Qin took his seat, he noticed the fear in the crowd, so he withdrew his imposing aura and deliberately used a casual tone to ease the atmosphere, "Today, about a hundred prisoners were sent into the imperial prison. His Majesty is eager for the results, and I have been busy all day. I was so overwhelmed by the smell of blood that I almost vomited. I should have taken a bath before coming here, but I was afraid you would be impatient. Please bear with me."
Everyone hurriedly cupped their hands in greeting, saying, "Your Highness is too kind."
The King of Qin nodded. "Any news today?"
A staff member stepped forward and reported, "Your Highness, news has come from the Northern Gorge. Our men managed to get information out of Marshal Wang, and judging from his reaction, he was unaware of the Emperor's plan to change the titles of princes. Furthermore, Prince Jin did not exhibit any unusual behavior before returning to the capital, indicating that he was also unaware of the matter before his return."
The King of Qin frowned and pondered for a long while. "Is there anything else?"
"Your Highness, this is all the information we have regarding the Northern Gorge."
The King of Qin nodded, and the advisor returned to his seat.
At this moment, another advisor stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, we haven't received any information from Chief Steward Ji, but I suspect that he knows about it."
Chief Eunuch Ji was the emperor's personal chief eunuch.
The prince frowned further. "Not enough silver?"
The advisor hurriedly explained, "We spent a lot of money, but no matter how much we increased the amount, Steward Ji insisted that he had no information. Moreover, when we left, our men tried to give Steward Ji some money, but he refused to accept a single coin. Therefore, I believe that Steward Ji must have known something."
The King of Qin lowered his eyes, his pale face expressionless, but the cracking sound of his knuckles betrayed his displeasure.
After a long while, he slowly raised his eyes and asked, "Did you administer the Gu poison we talked about last time?"
Xiang Chao, who was in charge of the poison, stepped forward, his face pale, and knelt down with a thud. "Your Highness, I am incompetent and have not been able to find an opportunity to administer the poison to the Emperor."
The King of Qin sneered, "You went through so much trouble to persuade me to use Gu poison, and in the end you say you can't use it?"
Xiang Chao trembled with fear, kowtowing repeatedly, "Your subordinate deserves to die! Your subordinate deserves to die! It was your subordinate who failed to consider the matter! Your subordinate did not expect that it would be so difficult to cast a poison spell next to the Emperor."
Whether it was because Xiang Chao was kowtowing too vigorously or because the King of Qin was extremely agitated, he suddenly felt inexplicably relaxed and sneered, "You think too little of the Emperor's close attendants. Do you know how many people want to assassinate the Emperor? Forget it, let's just forget about the poison."
"Wait, Your Highness!" At this moment, another advisor stepped forward and knelt beside Xiang Chao. "Your Highness, I have a bold suggestion. Since only two people know the inside story of changing the title of prince, and we can't use the Gu technique on the Emperor's side, why not try another one?"
The others, reminded, suddenly realized—that's right, the prince just wanted to know the inside story before the imperial edict was issued, so he could prepare a response in advance. Using Gu on the emperor and using Gu on Prince Jin, isn't it all the same?
Of course, this Gu would be best used on the Emperor, but it also has some drawbacks—even a prince cannot see the Emperor whenever he wants, nor can he get as close to the Emperor as he wants.
If you can't get close, you get less information.
However, if the target is changed to Jinwang, the opposite will happen.
Putting aside the reduced difficulty of using Gu poison, once the Gu poison is successfully planted, the King of Qin can easily find an excuse to meet the King of Jin and easily extract information about him.
Therefore, considering all this, planting Gu on the King of Jin is the most cost-effective approach.
The King of Qin raised an eyebrow and reminded him, "There are also people testing poison beside the King of Jin."
Xiang Chao hurriedly replied, "I know, I will try my best to find an opportunity!" This time, he did not boast that he would definitely succeed in casting the Gu poison.
The King of Qin stood up. "Then let's give it a try. Disperse. I also need to get rid of this disgusting smell of blood on my body quickly."
...
Three days later.
The Marquis of Anning's residence.
Bai Qingzhou did not choose to recuperate at Mingyue Courtyard, but insisted on staying at Qingfeng Courtyard. The reason was simple—he did not want to bring bad luck to Mingyue Courtyard.
Early in the morning, Chen Mianmian and Madam Ding went to Qingfeng Courtyard to take care of the young master.
Ding was sitting by the bed, peeling fruit for her son. When Chen Mianmian turned her head, she saw Liu Xiangning peeking out from the doorway, looking shifty and sneaky.
When Liu Xiangning saw her master looking at her, she hurriedly mouthed in an exaggerated voice, "Master! Come here! It's urgent!"
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