Chapter 242: Dog bites dog, a mouthful of fur
Emperor An was shocked by his own guess, but the more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
Xie Tianyu has never been a fool, nor is he the kind of person who would lose his mind simply for love. Even when the Crown Prince was so arrogant, he was still the only one among the princes who could "compete" with him. How could he lose his mind for a mere beauty?
He tried every means to marry Rong Yue for the benefits that the Rong family could bring. When Rong Yue gave birth to her son, Rong Qian'an was still in the court, and the Rong family was still at its peak.
If there were no other benefits to be gained, if there were no compelling "hardships", how could he have taken such a big risk to exchange for Rong Yue's son.
That is a royal descendant with Rong family blood. With that child in hand, even if Rong Qianan will not try his best to assist him, he will be biased towards him to some extent in his heart.
How could Xie Tianyu bear to do that?
unless……
The child he gets in return can bring him greater benefits!
Emperor An stood up suddenly, his eyes uncertain: "Feng is here."
Eunuch Feng quickly turned his head and said, "Your Majesty."
"Go and tell Xiao Yan to come to the palace."
"Now?" Eunuch Feng was stunned. "Superintendent Xiao just left the palace not long ago. He said he was going to interrogate a few people in the Ministry of War..." Before he could finish his words, he saw Emperor An looking at him with a frosty face. The expression on his face was particularly terrifying. He shuddered violently and lowered his head quickly. "I will send someone to pass on the message."
When Xiao Yan hurried into the palace, it was already more than half an hour later. When he entered the hall, he saw Emperor An standing barefoot on a jade footstool with coiled dragon patterns.
There were no outsiders in the hall. Emperor An lacked the formality of an emperor in the court. His clothes were half-open, and his wide cuffs were half-rolled up. He seemed anxious. He had a black bead string in his hand, and his exposed wrist was much thinner than a month ago.
"Your Majesty."
Just as Xiao Yan was about to salute, Emperor An waved his hand and said, "Stand up, you..."
Just as he was about to speak, his gaze fell on Xiao Yan. Emperor An frowned, "Why are you covered in blood?"
Xiao Yan glanced at the blood on his body and said, "After I interrogated the people from the Ministry of War, I went to see Prince Cheng. Shortly after the interrogation, someone from the palace came to say that Your Majesty urgently summoned me. I was afraid of delaying Your Majesty's affairs, so I came directly. I didn't have time to clean myself up. I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."
Emperor An immediately perked up when he heard this: "Have you interrogated Prince Cheng?"
"I have interrogated him, but he still refuses to speak." Xiao Yan's eyes were tinged with fatigue. "I took advantage of his unpreparedness to trick him into revealing the Lu family's affairs. Now, for some reason, he suddenly changed his mind and refused to admit it."
"After being tortured, Hou Rui and the others admitted that their collusion with Prince Cheng was related to the Lu family, but no one accused Lu Chongyuan. Instead, their statements were vague and it was difficult to tell whether they were true or not."
"Your Majesty also knows that Lu Chongyuan is shrewd and cunning, and the Lu family has a very deep foundation. If they only rely on these, the Lu family only needs to push one person out to save the king, and at most give up his official position, and Lu Chongyuan can escape unscathed, without being able to shake the foundation of the family at all."
Emperor An frowned, "You can't even ask about the methods used by the Criminal Department?"
Xiao Yan said in a low voice: "This humble official is incompetent."
Emperor An looked at the bloodstains on Xiao Yan's body and knew what method he had used.
He knew very well what the Criminal Court was like. Many tough guys couldn't survive a night there. But how could Xie Tianyu, a prince of great wealth and status, hold his own against the interrogation of the Criminal Court?
Emperor An sneered: "It's not that you are incompetent, it's that he doesn't dare to say it."
Xiao Yan was surprised: "Your Majesty, are you saying..."
"Have you ever thought about Xie Yin's background?"
Xiao Yan was stunned for a moment. "Prince Cheng said that when Princess Cheng gave birth, the child died shortly after birth. He was afraid of losing the support of the Rong family, so he took the child from the woman he had raised outside and passed it off as Princess Cheng's son."
"Do you believe it?"
Emperor An's words puzzled Xiao Yan. Seeing his frown of confusion, Emperor An scoffed, "Who is Xie Tianyu? He was once only one step away from the throne. Do you really think he's the kind of person who would lose his mind and disregard everything for the sake of beauty?"
"If he was really so foolish, and Rong Qian'an was implicated by the Crown Prince and forced to leave the court, and the Rong family fell into decline, he could have legitimately taken a concubine and brought the woman from outside back home. Why would he have to feign affection with Rong Yue to deceive the world?"
Xiao Yan was stunned: "But King Cheng said that the woman had already died..."
"You believe his lies. If that person is already dead, why wouldn't Xie Tianyu, who is so ambitious, want to have another child? Isn't he afraid that one day Xie Yin's true identity will be exposed, and he won't have anything to restrain the Rong family?"
"Unless that person is not dead at all, and has the means to control Xie Tianyu and prevent him from having children other than Xie Yin."
Emperor An leaned against the table behind him. Seeing Xiao Yan's disbelief, he stepped on the pedal impatiently and said:
"Think about it carefully. Rong Yue hasn't had any children in years. There have been rumors that she's in poor health, but she suddenly got pregnant recently. Obviously, there's nothing wrong with her body. Her childlessness for so many years is clearly due to someone's manipulation."
"That woman dared to cut off Xie Tianyu's offspring, yet Xie Tianyu still endured it. If it wasn't because she was deeply in love with him, then she had someone to rely on. If that was the case, why didn't she let Xie Tianyu take her back to the mansion openly?"
Xiao Yan's expression changed. "Your Majesty, are you saying...that woman's identity cannot be revealed to others?"
He couldn't help frowning as he said:
"But Prince Cheng is of noble status, and he can marry any woman he wants. Moreover, it has been more than ten years since the birth of Prince Cheng's wife, when the late emperor was still alive. If that woman could secretly have an affair with Prince Cheng and commit herself to him, why didn't she simply ask the late emperor for permission to marry her?"
Emperor An scoffed, "If the marriage is granted, how can Xie Tianyu gain any benefits from the Rong family?"
Xiao Yan's brows furrowed even tighter: "If you want to benefit from the Rong family, why would you take such a risk?"
"What if that woman comes from a noble family?"
"Aristocratic family?" Xiao Yan was stunned.
Emperor An said coldly, "Have you never thought about how Prince Cheng and the Lu family colluded?"
Seeing that Xiao Yan, who was always smart, looked puzzled, he suddenly seemed to have thought of something and his face was full of surprise.
Emperor An sneered, "Back then, Crown Prince Li wanted to suppress the aristocratic families, and Lu Chongyuan had no choice but to choose me. At that time, I was not as outstanding as Prince Cheng, so it's no surprise that he secretly supported Prince Cheng. But after I ascended the throne, Xie Tianyu was already half a cripple. Why would the Lu family take the risk of acting as a matchmaker between him and the Ministry of War?"
"The Lu family has private soldiers, though they haven't publicly stated this. But you should be aware of the family's resources. Their own stockpiles of military equipment are insufficient, and they've always wanted to push the Fourth Prince to the throne, trying to win over other families and repeatedly mentioning the appointment of a crown prince for the Eastern Palace. Why would they go to such lengths to provoke Prince Cheng?"
Xiao Yan's eyes widened. "Your Majesty, are you saying that the woman is from the Lu family, and Xie Yin is also of the Lu family's bloodline?"
"Not too stupid."
Emperor An glanced at him before leaning on the red sandalwood table behind him and saying, "Either the Lu family used Prince Cheng as a fallback, thinking that if the Fourth Prince fails, they still have Xie Yin's lineage. Or, there's a traitor in the Lu family, and even Lu Chongyuan has been tricked."
He smiled, full of interest.
"I hope it's the latter. That would be interesting."
Lu Chongyuan has been shrewd and scheming for many years, and he wants to plan everything to push the Lu family bloodline to the throne. He has been aggressive in the court over the years, and those aristocratic families have even treated the court as a hunting ground.
It would be really interesting if the Lu family rebelled and stabbed Lu Chongyuan in the back.
Emperor An seemed to be able to see Lu Chongyuan's expression after he learned the "truth". He suddenly laughed, and it was unknown what he thought of, but the more he laughed, the happier he became. His originally sinister eyes were filled with inexplicable excitement, his face was abnormally red, and the way he waved his hands and laughed revealed a bit of madness.
Eunuch Feng was startled and opened his mouth to speak, but suddenly he saw Xiao Yan looking at him.
“…”
Although he didn't say anything, Eunuch Feng felt his scalp tighten and he subconsciously swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.
Xiao Yan withdrew his gaze and stood there quietly, watching Emperor An "go crazy". After the excitement on his face faded a little, he spoke, "What about the Lu family..."
"check!"
Emperor An said excitedly.
Xiao Yan lowered his eyes, "But since Prince Cheng is silent, this matter is just speculation. I, a humble minister, cannot break into the Lu family and search each of the women one by one. Moreover, many years have passed, and those who knew about it back then are likely to have been silenced long ago. It is difficult for Xie Yin to verify his background alone..."
Seeing Emperor An looking at him, he paused and said, "The Lu family is extremely wary of me. I'm afraid that if I take action, I'll alert the enemy. It's better to let someone else investigate this matter."
"Others? Who?"
"The Fourth Prince."
Emperor An was stunned for a moment, obviously not expecting Xiao Yan to mention the Fourth Prince.
Xiao Yan said calmly, "It's difficult for others to find out about the Lu family's affairs, but the Empress and the Fourth Prince do know something, and Lu Chongyuan won't be on guard against them."
"The Fourth Prince is a man of exceptional character and talent. The Empress and Your Majesty have been married for many years. I believe their loyalty to Your Majesty must outweigh their selfish desires for the Lu family."
Seeing that Emperor An seemed to be lost in thought, Xiao Yan continued:
"Moreover, the idea of appointing a successor is gaining momentum. Your Majesty is clearly at the peak of his power, yet those court officials have long been eager to find another successor. Your Majesty, why don't you take this opportunity to test the intentions of the princes, especially the Fourth Prince? If he favors the Lu family, conceals the truth, and deceives the emperor, how can he be qualified to inherit the throne?"
Emperor An suddenly had an idea. He looked up at Xiao Yan and said, "What if the fourth brother sacrifices his own family for the sake of justice?"
"Isn't that even better?" Xiao Yan said slowly, "The Fourth Prince's loyalty to the emperor is commendable. Your Majesty will put aside past grudges and treat him the same as the other princes."
Emperor An understood what Xiao Yan meant and suddenly laughed: "You are a cunning thing, full of tricks."
Xiao Yan said: "Then this matter..."
"Just do as you say. Go find the Fourth Prince and explain the interests involved to him and see what he decides." Emperor An said.
"Your humble servant obeys your order."
…
Eunuch Feng stood by from beginning to end, watching Emperor An issue an order to hand over the Lu family affairs to the Fourth Prince for investigation. Then he waved to Xiao Yan to come closer and talked to him about his recent "cultivation of immortality and alchemy". There was no trace of his previous anxiety on his face.
Eunuch Feng shuddered for no apparent reason.
Xiao Yan's words seemed to be just a casual remark, but they led the queen and her son into a dead end.
The Fourth Prince went to investigate the Lu family, and if it succeeded, the Lu family would be disgraced, and the aristocratic families would lose face. Colluding with Prince Cheng and confusing the royal bloodline, any one of these could kill the Lu family. It would not only cut off the Lu family's path in the court, but also make the Queen and her son cut off their support with their own hands, and it would be difficult to get the support of the aristocratic families anymore.
But if that fails, the Fourth Prince is too selfish in protecting the Lu family. Even if he intends to protect his mother's family, the Lu family will still have a grudge against him. Given Xiao Yan's ruthless behavior in the past, he will definitely not have no tricks up his sleeve. Not only can he instigate a fight between the Queen and her son and the Lu family, but if he can prove that the Fourth Prince is deceiving the emperor, that would mean the end of his and the Queen's lives.
It seems that Xiao Yan is setting up a trap for the Lu family, but in fact he wants to push the queen and her son into a desperate situation.
Drive the dog into a dead end alley.
How had the Empress and her son offended Governor Xiao, causing him to be so cruel?!
When he came out of the hall, Eunuch Feng stood under the midday sun. The summer sun fell on his body, and the burning heat rising from his skin slightly dispelled the chill in his heart.
When Xiao Yan came out, he saw that the emperor's face was sunburned red.
"It's such a hot day, and Eunuch Feng is still basking in the sun. He really is in a good mood." Xiao Yan said with a smile.
"I only feel that human hearts are unpredictable and make people feel cold."
He didn't hide his sarcasm.
Xiao Yan smiled when he heard this and didn't take it seriously.
Eunuch Feng pursed his lips and looked at him. Seeing that he didn't care at all, he felt a little annoyed. He simply said directly, "Master Xiao, please excuse me for a moment."
There were imperial guards and several palace maids guarding the front of the palace.
Eunuch Feng had something to say, but he didn't dare say it in front of others. He led Xiao Yan all the way to the back of the side hall. He stopped only when there was no one around. He turned around and took out the things that the eunuch had given him from his arms.
Xiao Yan glanced at him and asked, "Eunuch Feng, what's going on?"
Eunuch Feng said in a deep voice, "Where did these things come from? Lord Governor Xiao, please don't tell me that you don't know. Lord Governor Xiao gave me such a generous gift that I dare not accept it."
He didn't want to make things too awkward, so he put on a conciliatory face and said, "Thank you, Governor Xiao, for your help with my son's matter. But just now, you also took advantage of my family. So we're even now. From now on, I hope Governor Xiao will show some mercy and not target my family again."
He stuffed the thing into Xiao Yan's arms, pulled himself away and wanted to leave.
Xiao Yan chuckled softly, "Eunuch Feng, that's quite straightforward, but haven't you heard the saying, 'It's hard to get off a pirate ship.'"
Eunuch Feng looked up suddenly: "Master Xiao, are you threatening my family?"
"I guess so."
Such straightforward and unconcealed words made Eunuch Feng's anger subside.
He originally thought that Xiao Yan would try to cover it up or say a few superficial words to get over it, but he never expected that he would admit it directly.
He was so angry that he didn't know whether he should express it or not, and along with his anger, he also felt uneasy.
Eunuch Feng tried his best to calm his mind and said coldly, "Master Xiao, I have never questioned what you have done in the palace over the years, nor have I ever made enemies with you. I only want to serve the emperor in peace. Why must Master Xiao drag me into this mess?"
"I have never interfered in your affairs with the aristocratic families. I have also defended you before His Majesty several times before. Is this how Governor Xiao repays me?"
Xiao Yan tilted his head and said, "The eunuch is only defending me because His Majesty's will is already in my favor. If His Majesty relied on the aristocratic families, I'm afraid the eunuch would be defending someone else."
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