Chapter 499 A Game
"Xiao Yan is He Yan, the son of the He family. Even after returning to the imperial court, he never intended to serve in the inner court. He pretended to abandon the Xiao family and become a palace eunuch to gain the trust of the emperor, all in order to conceal his true identity."
"He is a member of the He family. He is targeting the Lu family because of the He family's conspiracy to rebel!"
The words of the Hateful Prince were like a basin of hot water poured into boiling oil, and the entire Zichen Hall was boiling in an instant.
Not to mention Liang Guangyi and the others who were unable to stand steadily, even Qian Baokun was stunned for a moment, then suddenly looked at Xiao Yan with a look of astonishment on his face.
He is actually a member of the He family.
Is he the son of the He family? !
Madam Fu also grabbed Fu Jinrou's hand beside her, looking stunned: "Xiao Yan...how could he be the son of the He family..."
Fu Jinrou: "Uncle..."
Old Madam Fu did not reply, but just looked straight at the young man standing in the hall, muttering "How is it possible?"
Fu Jinrou had never seen Madam Fu lose her composure like this before, and she couldn't help but follow her gaze, her eyes falling on Xiao Yan's exceptionally delicate face.
After she came to Beijing, she had heard of Governor Xiao a long time ago and knew about his past "deeds". She also heard people say that Princess Xiangning also relied on the protection of this eunuch to escape from the Song family and gain a foothold in Beijing. She vaguely knew what kind of family the He family was.
If Xiao Yan is really a descendant of the He family, does that mean that he is not a eunuch either?
If it weren't for the eunuch...
Fu Jinrou looked at Xiao Yan's face in a daze, and her usually gentle eyes flickered for a moment.
…
Prince Zeng's words were like thunder that shook the entire Purple Palace, and everyone was in an uproar.
There's actually someone still alive in the He family, and Xiao Yan is actually the He family's orphan?!
Emperor An's face was filled with horror. He looked at Xiao Yan in disbelief, his gaze fixed on his face: "Impossible, how could he be He Yan?"
Cui Lin's eyes widened. "He can't be He Yan. Back then, He Yan often entered and exited the palace. I've seen him several times. He looks like his father, and he was already a teenager back then. Even after more than a decade, there's no way there wouldn't be any trace left."
Xiao Yan's appearance has always been recognized as the best in the capital. Among all the young men from aristocratic families in the capital, there is no one who is more handsome than him.
Although He Yan's appearance was good back then, he was definitely not as good as Xiao Yan's. Moreover, only a dozen years had passed, so how could it be possible that all of He Yan's features had been erased?
Cui Lin still remembered the legitimate son of the third branch of the He family. Because he had a very good relationship with the emperor's eldest grandson Xie Chen'an, he often went in and out of the East Palace. Many old officials in the court had seen He Yan's appearance. He looked like his father He Wenzhuo and had the Confucian temperament of a gentleman that the He family always had.
If Xiao Yan was that child, how could no one recognize him, including the other families who were trying to kill the He family and were afraid that they would make a comeback?
Liang Guangyi was also panicking. He tried his best to calm himself and said in a deep voice, "Prince Zan, the He family was ordered by the late emperor to be exterminated. There is no way anyone is still alive."
"Then why did Grand Tutor Liang send people to investigate the Xiao family? Could it be that it wasn't to investigate Xiao Yan's background?"
"I……"
"Or did Grand Tutor Liang never doubt Xiao Yan's identity?"
Liang Guangyi was rarely left speechless when asked a question.
Prince Zang sneered, "If it weren't for Grand Tutor Liang's suspicion, how could I have borrowed your people to learn Xiao Yan's identity? And if you didn't suspect Xiao Yan had other motives for targeting the Lu family, realizing he was using our father to suppress the aristocratic families, and fearing he would relentlessly pursue your other families after bringing down the Lu family, how could Grand Tutor Liang and Minister Cui have teamed up to set up this game tonight?"
Master Liang frowned tightly: "What do you mean?!"
Prince Zang spoke coldly, "What I'm saying is that you and Minister Cui simply sensed Xiao Yan's identity was different, and were alarmed by his ruthless tactics against the aristocratic families. You suspected he wasn't simply trying to clean up the court for your father, which is why you set up Zheng Kun, who allegedly sneaked into the palace to avenge the deposed empress, and Madam Xuan, who happened to overhear those half-truths."
He pointed at Madam Xuan, whose face was pale, with a cold expression:
"Ever since Madam Xuan barged into the Purple Palace, I had some suspicions. Later, when she mentioned that the deposed empress was implicated in Xiao Yan, I felt something was wrong."
"Tonight's events were too coincidental, so coincidental it seems like everything was planned long ago. You set up a scheme to implicate Xiao Yan by deposing the Empress and the Fourth Prince's death. You were so eager to sentence Xiao Yan to death that you even pressured my father and bribed the Imperial Guards, Kang Muhai, and the imperial guards."
"You just saw that the situation was not going well, so you wanted to take precautions and kill Xiao Yan in advance to prevent future troubles!"
Grand Tutor Liang cried out in frustration, "You are accusing me of something. I have never known any Zheng Kun!"
"Did Grand Tutor Liang send anyone to Jiangnan?"
“This old man…”
"Grand Tutor Liang has always been a prudent man who protects himself. He never even pleaded for the Lu family when they were in trouble, and he never argued with my father. But tonight, he helped Minister Cui to pressure my father. Do you dare to say that you don't have other intentions?"
After asking Grand Tutor Liang, Prince Zeng turned to look at Cui Lin:
"And Minister Cui, you've been seriously ill for many days, and even the imperial physicians have been unable to provide care. Everyone in the capital knows that your eldest son once went to Jiyun Lane to seek medical advice from Lady Qin, through Governor Xiao. Although Lady Qin is a skilled doctor, you haven't fully recovered in just a few days."
"You clearly look sick, your broken hand hasn't healed yet, and you've already taken a long break from the morning court and the six ministries, yet you rush to attend the palace banquet. Don't tell me this palace banquet is more important than your daily political affairs."
"Ever since Madam Xuan came in, you've been constantly interfering with her words, all directed at Xiao Yan. You've even goaded me into joining you in taking advantage of her misfortune. Minister Cui, don't say you were just speaking up for justice tonight. You knew about this all along, and you're not conspiring with Grand Tutor Liang to plot against Xiao Yan!"
Cui Lin was stunned by Prince Zan's analysis. He did bribe Zheng Kun and arranged Madam Xuan's affairs. Even Tan Xia and Kang Muhai were instructed by him. However, he never thought that there was anything wrong with Xiao Yan's identity.
If he had guessed earlier that he was not a member of the Xiao family, he would have sent people to investigate the matter long ago. As long as he was caught deceiving the emperor, he could be put to death. Why would he go to so much trouble to cause what happened tonight?
And Liang Guangyi...
When did he join forces with Liang Guangyi?
Cui Lin was stunned for a moment by what he said, and was also stunned by the news that Xiao Yan was actually a member of the He family. He even forgot to refute the question from the King of He.
Seeing this, Qian Baokun sneered, "I was wondering why tonight's events were so coincidental. First, Madam Xuan missed the banquet, and then a traitorous maid appeared in the Queen Mother's palace."
"If Zheng Kun had the ability to sneak into the palace, why didn't he take action earlier? He hates Your Majesty and Xiao Yan so much, he could have found an opportunity to kill them secretly. Why did he go to such great lengths and even risk his life? I thought he was stupid, but it turns out it was all a trap set by you."
"If Xiao Yan is deceiving the emperor, then you and Grand Tutor Liang are no less guilty!"
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