Chapter 466 Questioning
Feng Lai said, "Don't worry, Governor Xiao. I'm here on His Majesty's orders."
"Your Majesty's order?" Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow. "What are your Majesty's instructions?"
Feng Lai smiled and said, "His Majesty said that he wants Governor Xiao to help Concubine Yu and Concubine Zhao prepare for the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet in two days. In addition, His Majesty has verbally instructed Governor Xiao to immediately send people to the South to arrest Lu Jiuan and bring him to justice. He should also investigate whether Prince Pingshan is planning rebellion."
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly. Although the palace banquet was a bit unexpected, time was tight and Concubine Yu and the others couldn't handle it. It wasn't surprising that Emperor An asked him to intervene. However, asking him to send people to capture Lu Jiuan and investigate Prince Pingshan...
"Didn't Your Majesty hand this matter over to Commander Liu?"
Feng Lai sneered: "I gave it to him before."
Xiao Yan raised an eyebrow.
Feng Lai didn't keep him in suspense: "Didn't Governor Xiao go to the Forbidden Garden before leaving the palace? After you left the palace with Imperial Physician Jiang, Commander Liu went to the Emperor's presence."
When Emperor An learned that Xiao Yan had beaten Liu Tong'en, and heard that no one was killed, he pretended to be ignorant of the matter.
When Liu Tong'en met the emperor and said that Doctor Jiang was "kidnapped" by Xiao Yan, he just said that Xiao Yan had a bad temper and told Liu Tong'en not to investigate the Lu family's affairs anymore. However, Liu Tong'en was stubborn and insisted that the matter was not that simple and that Xiao Yan was suspicious.
Feng Lai was not in the hall at that time and did not know what Liu Tong'en had said to Emperor An. When Emperor An asked him to come in to deliver today's golden elixir and asked Liu Tong'en to leave.
However, Liu Tong'en still refused to give up, and kept saying, "Xiao Yan is suspicious", "The affairs of the Lu family can be further investigated", and "If there are treacherous people with ulterior motives in the palace, there is no guarantee that they will not endanger the safety of Your Majesty."
His words implied that Emperor An had been deceived, hinting that Emperor An was confused. This made Emperor An, who always prided himself on his intelligence and had personally "inspected" Xiao Yan, look ashen in anger.
At that time, Emperor An's face was already very bad. He only said that Xiao Yan's injury could not be faked, Jiang Ji had also interrogated him, and Lu Chongyuan was dead, and the other members of the Lu family had been executed. There was no need to mention this matter again, but Liu Tong'en still held on to what Lu Chongyuan said before his death.
Feng Lai seemed to have a smile in his eyes, as if he had something to say:
"Commander Liu said that before his death, Lu Chongyuan insisted that Governor Xiao had left the capital. He also said that Zhao Yuanlang had left similar statements, saying that although he colluded with the Lu family, he never poisoned Madam Zhao, let alone sent people to hunt him down in the streets."
"Liu Tong'en said that Madam Zhao and Princess Xiangning's entrance into the palace that day was a fabrication. He accidentally mentioned that he had sent someone to Madam Zhao's family, and we'll know the truth soon."
Xiao Yan's eyes suddenly turned cold, and Tang Ning behind the screen couldn't help but clench her fingertips.
That day, the incident happened suddenly. The Zhao family suddenly launched an attack, and Lu Chongyuan was watching them covetously. In order to break the siege that day, he could only take risky measures, but it would inevitably leave loopholes.
After the Zhao family was convicted, Madam Zhao's family foundation was damaged due to "poisoning". Emperor An allowed her to break up with Zhao Yuanlang and return to her parents' home with her dowry, but he did not expect that Liu Tong'en would send people to investigate Madam Zhao.
Mrs. Zhao's poisoning was fake. Although she promised to pretend to be weak before leaving, fake is fake.
Given Liu Tong'en's suspicious nature, Madam Zhao might not be able to guard against it. If it is discovered that Madam Zhao's health is not as the imperial physician said, and her foundation is damaged, which will shorten her lifespan, then the drama that happened in front of the emperor that day will probably be completely exposed.
Xiao Yan had murderous intentions towards Liu Tong'en: "What did His Majesty say about this matter?"
Feng Lai said calmly, "I didn't say it explicitly, but I also didn't stop Commander Liu from investigating Madam Zhao."
Xiao Yan's heart sank. Emperor An seemed to believe him and let him do whatever he wanted, but he was actually unpredictable in his heart.
Feng Lai looked up at Xiao Yan and said, "But Commander Liu was wronged by Governor Xiao. When he left the Holy Palace, he was resentful of me for speaking too much this morning and treated me harshly. I apologized to him but he ignored me and even walked away in front of everyone."
"He is the commander of the Imperial Guards. I cannot afford to offend him. In my panic, I beg Your Majesty to allow me to apologize to Commander Liu."
"Who would have thought that Your Majesty was so kind and remembered my years of dedicated service. Not only did he forgive this matter, but he also took into consideration Commander Liu's injury and feared that it would be inconvenient for him to act. He sent me to Jiyun Lane and asked Commander Xiao to help Commander Liu investigate the true situation of King Pingshan and bring Lu Jiuan to justice as soon as possible."
Tang Ning sat behind the screen, and her expression changed when she heard Feng Lai's words.
When Xiao Yan looked at Feng Lai's kind and humble face, his eyes darkened.
Who is Feng Lai? He is Emperor An's close attendant and the chief steward of the inner palace. He has served Emperor An for many years. No matter how humble he is in his heart, he represents Emperor An's face when he is outside.
His status destined him to be different from other palace officials. Emperor An could beat, scold and reprimand him at any time, but other people could not do the same. As the saying goes, even a dog in front of the emperor's gate is noble. Liu Tong'en embarrassed him in public, treated him rudely, and even made Feng Lai, a person in front of the emperor, bow his head in fear and apologize to him.
What would Emperor An think?
He would not think that Liu Tong'en was dissatisfied with Feng Lai, but would only think that he was arrogant and conceited, ignoring the emperor's presence, and relying on the emperor's trust and respect to look down on even those in front of the emperor.
Emperor An likes obedient people. He uses Liu Tongen and gives him the most important trump card because he just wants a submissive puppet, not a shrewd person with his own thoughts who lacks docility.
Emperor An was already dissatisfied with Liu Tongen's previous "contradiction", and then there was Feng Lai's subtle eye drops.
No wonder Emperor An suddenly gave him the task of handling the matter between Lu Jiuan and King Pingshan. He was using this incident to warn Liu Tongen.
Xiao Yan figured out the key point and couldn't help but say, "Eunuch Feng's strategy of sowing discord is a masterpiece."
Feng Lai said modestly, "Not as good as Commander Xiao. When I left the palace, I met Deputy Commander Yu and heard that he had an argument with Commander Liu."
"Lord Xiao only made one trip to the Forbidden Garden, and the two masters His Majesty relies on have almost fallen out. I was just able to say a few words in front of His Majesty."
Xiao Yan lowered his eyes. Even these few casual words could sometimes turn the tide. He looked at Feng Lai seriously and said, "Eunuch Feng has come out of the palace specifically for more than just to tell me these things. If you have anything to say, feel free to speak frankly."
They are all smart people and know each other well.
Feng Lai's expression was calm: "I just want to ask Governor Xiao a question."
"You previously said that your actions in the court were intended to pave a way out for yourself. I, knowing full well that being an eunuch is not easy, helped you do that. But you first secretly interacted with the Queen and her son, and then used the Second Prince to divide the family and cause internal strife."
"The Fourth Prince is dead, the Second Prince is deposed, the Queen is buried in the cold palace, and even the Lu family is destroyed by you."
"You've disrupted the court situation, yet you haven't gained any benefit. Your so-called retreat is probably just an excuse."
At first, Feng Lai only thought that Xiao Yan was greedy for power and took action against the Lu family and other families just to please Emperor An. Only by acting in accordance with the emperor's will could he gain Emperor An's favor and hold great power.
But later, Feng Lai gradually discovered that the situation in the court was clearly controlled by Xiao Yan.
Emperor An had a deep connection with the aristocratic families. Before Xiao Yan entered the court, there was a tacit balance between imperial power and the aristocratic families. Emperor An hated the aristocratic families but only wanted to suppress them.
It was Xiao Yan who broke this balance, causing His Majesty and the aristocratic families to be in a situation of life and death, and even forcing His Majesty to eliminate the Lu family, which had the closest relationship with him.
Feng Lai's expression was unfathomable. "Where did Governor Xiao go after leaving the capital? I don't want to know. I just want you to tell me the truth. What exactly do you want to do?"
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