Chapter 68: The Pawn - Song Jie
When the thunder sounded again, Jin Ye, wearing a straw hat, was stopped by Pei Heng's soldiers guarding outside Yuqing Temple.
"Why are you alone? Where is Madam Pei? Is she going down the mountain to return to the Pei residence?" the soldier asked.
"A snake got into Suxinzhai, startling Yusu Nunnery. Yusu Nunnery instructed me to invite Lady Yong'an Marquis to keep her company." Jin Ye hurriedly waved them aside: "Don't block the way! Will you be responsible if we delay the mission?"
The soldiers didn't dare to stop her, so they helped her into the carriage. The person they were protecting was Madam Pei, so they didn't follow Jin Ye and stayed outside Yuqing Temple to watch her get into the carriage.
The driver was Wang An, Xie Yushu's man. He had just driven the carriage down the mountain when Jin Ye opened the carriage door and instructed him, "Go to the Meng residence."
Wang An didn't ask any further questions, simply acknowledged the order, and headed straight for the Meng residence.
Jin Ye was extremely nervous. Her mistress had instructed her that Lady Yong'an had just experienced a miscarriage that night and should not be disturbed, so she should go directly to Meng Jing.
This was the first time she had handled such a big matter for her mistress, and she was worried that she would mess it up.
Holding his breath, he arrived at the gate of the Meng residence, knocked on the door, and introduced himself.
Fortunately, everyone in the Meng family knew her, and they quickly informed Meng Jing. She didn't have to wait long at the gate before being invited in and heading straight to Meng Jing's courtyard.
The old woman led her into Meng Jing's bedroom. When she saw Meng Jing sitting on the couch wearing a robe, she immediately bowed to her and said, "This servant is Jin Ye. I deserve to die for disturbing Madam Meng in the middle of the night."
Meng Jing waved her hand to get up, as she hadn't gone to sleep yet.
So many things happened in the palace tonight: Yu Shu was summoned to the bedchamber, and Min Min had a miscarriage. How could she possibly sleep?
"Is something wrong with Yu Shu that you're here so late?" Meng Jing asked. The reason she met with Jin Ye so soon was because she was worried that the Emperor would cause trouble for Yu Shu again, and that the Pei family was unwilling to protect Yu Shu.
"No, Miss is perfectly fine." Jin Ye glanced at the maids serving in the room, and seeing that they were all Meng Jing's confidantes, she said, "Something has happened at the Yu Su Nu Temple. Miss requests that you go to the Yu Qing Temple immediately."
"The Jade Maiden Temple?" Meng Jing asked in confusion, "What happened?"
"It's an important matter, and I'm not entirely sure about it," Jin Ye replied. "Miss only instructed that we must invite you here."
Meng Jing knew Xie Yushu's character and conduct very well. She wouldn't bother her with such a trivial matter. If she came to invite her late at night, it must be something important. So she instructed the nanny to help her change her clothes.
As soon as she changed her clothes and went out, Zhenniang, who was by Meng Min's side, came to greet her and asked, "Madam heard that Jinye, who was by Miss Yushu's side, has arrived. Is there something wrong with Miss Yushu?"
Knowing that she was worried about Yushu, Meng Jing said to Zhenniang, "It's nothing. Perhaps Yushu's mother is feeling unwell at Yuqing Temple. I'll go check on her. Tell her to rest assured and that I'll take care of everything."
Jin Ye noticed Zhen Niang and realized that the Lady of the Yong'an Marquis's Mansion was also staying at the Meng Mansion tonight.
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Meng Jing followed Jin Ye out of the mansion in the rain, boarded Xie Yushu's carriage, and traveled swiftly to the foot of Yuqing Temple. She was wearing a raincoat and a bamboo hat, so her appearance was not visible. The four men from Pei Heng's army assumed that she was the Lady of Yong'an Marquis.
Meng Jing hurriedly entered Yuqing Temple, but instead of being taken to Suxinzhai by Jin Ye, he took a side path to the pilgrims' quarters.
"Madam Meng, please come with me. Miss will wait for you here," Jin Ye said in a low voice, acting furtively like a thief.
Meng Jing had no choice but to follow her into the corridor of the retreat, stopping in front of the most secluded retreat room.
Jin Ye knocked on the door.
Meng Jing heard a man inside ask coldly, "Who?"
How could there be a man there?
"It is I, Jin Ye," Jin Ye introduced herself, and only then did the door open from the inside.
Meng Jing only saw a man's figure before a sword was placed against her neck, and before she could see his face clearly.
"Cang Shu, stop." Xie Yushu's voice rang out: "He is a guest I invited."
Meng Jing then realized that the man holding the sword was none other than Song Jie's attendant.
Cang Shu was also surprised and puzzled when he saw Meng Jing. He couldn't understand why Miss Yu Shu would invite someone here. The Prime Minister was here tonight for the sake of the Prince of Song. If people found out now, wouldn't that expose the Prime Minister?
Miss Ke Yushu put on her outer robe, came out from under the bed curtains, and looked at him with eyes that left no room for doubt.
He had no choice but to withdraw his sword and step back, inviting Meng Jing inside.
Only a dim lamp was lit in the room. Meng Jing walked in quietly and saw Xie Yushu with her hair loose and her outer robe slightly open. She was both surprised and puzzled. If Xie Yushu was having a secret rendezvous with this attendant, it wouldn't have puzzled her. She was so young and had married such a good-for-nothing. It was normal for her to have a few men.
What puzzled her was why Xie Yushu had invited her in.
"Please sit down, Madam Meng," Xie Yushu said, taking the initiative to speak. "I have something very important that has troubled you to come so late at night."
Meng Jing glanced at Cang Shu, then fixed her gaze on the bedside where the bed curtains had been lowered. There was a pile of wet men's clothes and shoes lying beside the bed, and there seemed to be another man inside the bed. Two men? Could it be... Song Jie?
"What is it?" Meng Jing asked her directly without sitting down.
Xie Yushu got straight to the point, reaching out to lift the bed curtains slightly, allowing Meng Jing to see that the person lying inside was Song Jie.
Meng Jing was even more puzzled: "You invited me here late at night to tell me that you and Song Jie are having an affair?"
Xie Yushu did not deny it, but continued her words: "I brought you here directly so that you would believe that what I am about to tell you is true, because these inside stories were told to me by Prime Minister Song."
Cang Shu stared at Xie Yushu, his brows furrowed. What exactly was Miss Yushu planning to do? Was she going to reveal everything the Prime Minister had told her to Meng Jing? Had she discussed it with the Prime Minister? Did she know that the Prime Minister disliked the Meng family?
"His Majesty has ordered Pei Heng and Song Jie to secretly investigate the incident of Wan Susu being assassinated during her childbirth," Xie Yushu said without hesitation.
Meng Jing looked at her, never expecting that every word she said next would be so shocking.
"Because His Majesty suspects that the assassin took the real prince back then." Xie Yushu said succinctly, "In other words, His Majesty suspects that the Fourth Prince, Xiao Zhen, was switched at the time."
Thunder rumbled outside the window.
Meng Jing tried her best to control her expression, but her heart was trembling.
“The assassin tonight was the same one who switched the princes back then.” Xie Yushu walked up to her and whispered, “That assassin escaped here tonight and risked his life to see the Yu Su Nu Temple. Before he died, he said to the Yu Su Nu Temple: How could the Noble Consort treat the fake son as a real treasure?”
Meng Jing could no longer contain her emotions and her expression changed. She subconsciously asked in a low voice, "Could it be that Xiao Zhen is really a fake..." But she dared not say the words "fake prince" out loud and glanced at Cang Shu.
"Don't worry, Madam Meng," Xie Yushu said. "He is Song Jie's confidant, and he knows more about this matter than I do."
Meng Jing withdrew his gaze and immediately asked, "Is that assassin dead? Who else was present when he said those words?"
“Song Jie,” Xie Yushu said bluntly, “the assassin is dead, and his body has been sent to the palace. But Song Jie has not yet reported his last words to the Emperor.”
Meng Jing's expression changed several times as he looked at Xie Yushu and asked, "You invited me here to tell me news that even the Emperor doesn't know. What do you want me to do?"
He's definitely a smart person.
Xie Yushu didn't waste any more words: "I invited you here because I want to repay you and the Meng family."
Meng Jing frowned incredulously. Repay?
"Actually, His Majesty has already found the true prince, but he is looking for the midwife from back then to verify the prince's identity." Xie Yushu asked abruptly, "Have you seen the deputy general Xiao Dao who came back with Pei Heng?"
Meng Jing immediately realized that she was telling her that Xiao Dao was the real prince.
Xie Yushu then added, seemingly out of the blue, "He used to be my follower, and he was very loyal."
If this follower were to succeed to the throne in the future, it would be a meritorious act of supporting the emperor.
This is the repayment Xie Yushu was referring to.
Meng Jing stared into her eyes for a long time without speaking. This was indeed an astonishing "repayment," but it could also become a crime that could destroy the Meng family.
Regardless of whether she can support the prince who accompanied her to the throne, the fact that Xie Yushu revealed the identities of these princes to her today is enough for the Emperor to punish her and the Meng family.
“I know what Madam Meng is worried about.” Xie Yushu lowered his voice and said, “If you are worried about implicating the Meng family and do not want to get involved, then you should leave the room now. Jin Ye will take you to see Yu Su Nu Guan. Others will only know that Yu Su Nu Guan is not feeling well tonight and has invited Lady Yong An Hou to accompany her. No one will know that you have been to this room or heard me say these things.”
She gently took Meng Jing's hand and said, "Madam Meng, I am very grateful to you for protecting me in the palace tonight, no matter what."
Meng Jing faintly heard thunder, or perhaps it wasn't thunder, but the sound of her own heart pounding.
If she turned and left now, she believed Xie Yushu would do as she said, and she could completely forget what she had heard tonight and not get involved in this power struggle.
She and the Meng family could indeed remain unscathed, but the Meng family is now in decline, how many more days can it hold on?
No one understands the principle of "out of sight, out of mind" better than her. As long as she is alive, she can still maintain her father's old friends and relatives and control her mother's clan, thus supporting the entire Meng family. But if she dies, her daughter Jin Yue will not be able to support the Meng family at all.
It wasn't that she underestimated her daughter's abilities; it was the prejudice against women in this world that prevented the emperor from allowing her daughter to enter the court or go to the battlefield, much less allow a woman to be made a king or prime minister.
At that time, her daughter will only be a minor county princess, guarding the Meng family's vast fortune. Wouldn't that be like a piece of fat meat on a chopping board, waiting to be plotted against and devoured?
Why not take a gamble? Strive for a good career for your daughter and the Meng family?
Meng Jing seemed to have been standing there for a long time, yet it also seemed like only a blink of an eye before he asked, "The assassin is dead, so what else can prove the prince's identity?"
Xie Yushu watched as the corners of her lips slowly turned up. She knew that Meng Jing was a man of great courage and ambition, and would never miss this golden opportunity.
“If I didn’t have one, I wouldn’t have invited you here,” she said again.
Before she could say Jiang Hua's name, Cang Shu suddenly walked up to her, bowed, and said, "Miss Yu Shu, I have something I'd like to discuss with you."
Xie Yushu glanced at him. What could they possibly have to talk about at this point? Wasn't he just trying to stop her from continuing?
She said to Meng Jing, "Please ask Madam Meng to go to Suxinzhai to keep Yusu Nu Temple company. She was indeed frightened tonight. I also promised to ask Lady Yong'an Marquis to come and keep her company, but Lady Marquis is not feeling well tonight, so I can only ask you to come." She added, "Please pretend that you know nothing about this."
Meng Jing nodded; she knew how to handle the situation.
Jin Ye was already waiting for Meng Jing outside the door.
As soon as Meng Jing left and the door closed, Cang Shu couldn't help but ask, "Did Miss Yu Shu discuss with the Prime Minister whether she would tell Madam Meng about the midwife?"
"Are you questioning me?" Xie Yushu's face turned cold. "Cangshu, you still don't understand. It's not me working for your prime minister, it's your prime minister working for me."
Cangshu was stunned by her tone and stood there. Xie Yushu was different from usual at this moment. There was no gentleness on her face and no warmth in her eyes. She was like a ruthless tyrant who would not allow anyone to question her decisions.
It was also Miss Yu Shu's strategy that the Prime Minister was simply carrying out her plan from beginning to end.
When did the Prime Minister go from being the player to becoming Miss Yushu's pawn?
Cang Shu didn't know, but he vaguely felt that Miss Yu Shu had become a stranger. In the past, although she was greedy for money, she would rush to save the Prime Minister every time she heard that he was sick, as if she really had a soft heart for the Prime Minister and couldn't bear to see him suffer.
But tonight, she revealed her coldness and ruthlessness, as if anyone could be sacrificed to support Xiaodao in becoming a prince.
Cangshu stood there, his throat dry and sore, and said very softly, "This subordinate dares not. This subordinate only thought that since the Prime Minister almost risked his life to find out the midwife's whereabouts, you should tell Madam Meng that perhaps we can wait until the Prime Minister regains consciousness..."
"What if he doesn't wake up?" Xie Yushu asked Cangshu, "What if Wan Susu goes to Xiao Zhen before he wakes up and tells him everything that happened tonight?"
Cang Shu stood there, stunned, thinking, "How is this possible? The Prime Minister will definitely wake up..."
Xie Yushu continued with dissatisfaction, "Bringing Prince Song to see Wan Susu tonight was the biggest mistake you made. She has carefully nurtured and raised Xiao Zhen for more than ten years. Do you think she would suddenly stop loving Xiao Zhen and help a son she has never even met?"
She took this step so that, while Wan Susu was in a daze, the Meng sisters would coax her into recognizing her biological son.
Cangshu defended the Prime Minister: "The Prime Minister brought the Prince of Song here because the Prince of Song wanted to see Wan Susu before he died, and also to find out the whereabouts of the midwife..."
"Really? Doesn't he suffer because he sees Wan Susu in pain?" Xie Yushu asked coldly.
A flash of lightning streaked across the window, illuminating Xie Yushu's cold and ruthless face for a fleeting moment. In that brief glimpse, his face was as beautiful as a sharp sword.
Cang Shu felt as if he had been stabbed in the heart. He didn't know how to continue defending the Prime Minister, but he desperately wanted to beg Miss Yu Shu to take pity on the Prime Minister.
Inside the bed curtains, Song Jie had already opened his eyes. He pressed his mouth down, trying to stop himself from coughing, but he still coughed out.
"Prime Minister?"
The dark blue bed curtains were lifted by a hand, and he saw Xie Yushu's cold and aloof face. He heard those words, heard Xie Yushu's ruthlessness, but he had just had a dream in which Xie Yushu gently kissed his lips and slowly fed him some bitter medicine.
Was it a dream? But the bitter taste of medicine still lingered on his lips and in his throat...
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Author's Note: It's not a dream~ [Let me see]
I'd like to give you all a heads-up beforehand, but I suggest you wait until the chapters are finished before updating again. I'll be going back to my hometown for the National Day holiday to celebrate my mom's birthday and take care of some other things, so there will be a few days of updates during the holiday. I'm worried you might be waiting, so please wait until after the holiday to read on. [Hugs]
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