Imperial Court
As winter approached and the weather grew colder day by day, Li Wan stayed at the Jiang residence to recuperate from her injuries, while undercurrents surged in the imperial court.
In the Golden Palace, Emperor Xiao Sheng, who was over fifty years old but still exuded majesty, was filled with anger.
"Half a month has passed since the Crown Prince was attacked, and the real culprit has still not been found. They arrested a derelict deputy commander, Yang Ti, and then he died mysteriously. What use are you to me?"
All the civil and military officials stood in silence, and Yan Xu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped forward and knelt down.
"Your Majesty, please calm down. The Court of Judicial Review is doing its best to find the real culprit. On the day the Crown Prince left the palace, he was ambushed. Although the attackers were slightly more skilled in martial arts, there were only three of them. At that time, the Deputy Commander Yang, who was in charge of guarding the Crown Prince, led a total of twenty-five Imperial Guards, yet the three villains still managed to escape."
The emperor paused slightly, his hand stroking the crimson gold dragon head on the armrest of the dragon throne. "Are you implying that Yang Ti colluded with someone behind the scenes to deliberately let the three go?"
Yan Xu lowered his head and said, “Your Majesty is wise. After Yang Ti was arrested, Yang Ti’s mother was instigated by someone to openly block the road and plead for mercy from Minister Xie of the Ministry of War. After her request was denied, Yang Ti was assassinated that very night.”
"I believe that the person behind this must be afraid that Yang will expose him, so he first had Yang's mother pretend to be weak and plead for mercy. When this plan failed, he simply killed Yang to silence him."
The emperor surveyed the crowd, his voice deep and resonant, “To harm the Crown Prince, one must be able to instruct Yang Ti, and afterwards, kill him without anyone noticing.”
His eyes darkened instantly, his gaze sweeping over the three princes standing before the officials, finally settling on the fourth prince, Xiao Fan.
"Fourth Prince, I remember that you have always been on good terms with the two commanders of the Imperial Guards. When Yang Ti's mother celebrated her birthday, you and Commander Ji even went to his residence to offer your congratulations."
"Your Majesty," Yan Xu glanced at the Fourth Prince Xiao Fan and said first, "According to reports, after Yang Ti was arrested, the Fourth Prince and Ji Cheng'an, the commander of the Imperial Guards, attempted to visit him in prison, but were stopped by the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review."
The emperor stared at Xiao Fan. "Fourth Prince, is this true?"
Xiao Fan's palms were sweaty, and his usually arrogant face was now filled with malice. He gritted his teeth and took a step forward.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to report. I have something to report. Late last night, I received a secret report from the Imperial Guards that the mastermind behind the assassination of the Crown Prince half a month ago was none other than Ji Cheng'an, the commander of the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards did not want to be implicated with Ji Cheng'an, so they secretly reported this to me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the Hall of Supreme Harmony fell into a deathly silence, and all eyes turned to Ji Cheng'an, who was standing in the ranks of military officers.
At this moment, Ji Cheng'an, who was usually tall, strong, and imposing, had his back soaked with cold sweat, and his fists hanging at his sides were clenched so tightly that his bones felt like they were about to break.
From the moment the Crown Prince attempted to attack Yang Ti to the moment Yang Ti was killed, he clearly felt a pair of hands pushing him from behind. Those hands first attacked the Crown Prince, then killed Yang Ti, and then framed him and Xiao Fan.
Finally, he forced Xiao Fan to personally pull him out to take the blow.
Xiao Fan placed all his family members under house arrest last night, leaving him no choice but to comply.
Ji Cheng'an closed his eyes and knelt down resignedly.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me. The Crown Prince values civil officials over military ones and intends to petition for a reduction in the Imperial Guards. I was dissatisfied and impulsively committed a serious crime. I only beg Your Majesty to consider that I have guarded the Imperial City for many years and to punish only me and not my family."
Xiao Fan pointed at Ji Cheng'an, looking heartbroken: "Cheng'an, you're so foolish."
The emperor gave Xiao Fan a deep look, then looked away and issued an edict: "Ji Cheng'an attacked the Crown Prince, a crime that cannot be forgiven. He shall be immediately removed from his post as commander of the Imperial Guards and imprisoned."
After Ji Cheng'an was taken away by the Imperial Guards, Xiao Fan's tense heart relaxed slightly, and he glanced sideways to the back.
The man met his gaze, raised an eyebrow, and revealed a satisfied look.
Xiao Fan turned around, his teeth grinding with hatred, and sure enough, he then heard his father's decree.
"The position of Commander of the Imperial Guards will be temporarily held concurrently by Xie Qi, Vice Minister of War."
Xie Qi, dressed in a scarlet official robe, looked even more outstanding. Upon hearing the emperor's decree, he simply bowed calmly and said, "Your subject obeys the decree."
After the court session ended, the officials slowly descended the white jade steps in front of the main hall.
A thin eunuch with his head down quickly walked behind Xie Qi and whispered, "Lord Xie, the master invites you to the East Palace for a talk."
Xie Qi did not stop walking and chuckled, "Tell the Crown Prince that I have other matters to attend to. We'll talk another time."
The eunuch dared not say another word and quietly withdrew.
Xie Qi walked to the carriage in front of the palace gate. Just as he was about to get on the carriage, he suddenly saw Jiang Nanyue walking from behind him. He paused, and it seemed as if those bright black eyes flashed before his eyes again.
Several days have passed since the woman jumped from Zuiyue Tower, and he has not received any more letters from her. According to his spies, she has been recuperating at the Jiang residence and has not mentioned him to anyone else.
I suppose it was because I was frightened by him that day that I completely lost faith in him.
It's good to have one less annoying thing.
Xie Qi withdrew his gaze from Jiang Nanyue and got into the carriage.
The official walking alongside Jiang Nanyue quickly tugged at him, "Lord Jiang, just now Vice Minister Xie seemed to be looking at you."
Jiang Nanyue paused, realizing he had indeed felt that gaze.
Before Jiang Nanyue could speak, another official lowered his voice and said, "What's with the name Xie Shilang? Ever since the Minister of War suddenly fell ill and took leave, the Ministry of War has been following Xie Qi's lead. They're just waiting for the Minister of War to breathe his last so that he can immediately take over."
"That's right. Xie Qi has the Emperor's deep trust, is the young commander of the Jinlin Army, and now he also controls the Imperial Guards. He truly holds great power."
"By the way, he is still unmarried. I wonder which family will be able to get such a distinguished son-in-law."
There was a moment of silence as everyone thought about their own daughters.
Jiangnan Yue naturally thought of Wan Jie'er as well, but he immediately shook his head. Wan Jie'er was simple-minded and there was absolutely no possibility of her being with a powerful official like Xie Qi.
"Father, you're back."
In the main hall of the Jiang residence, Li Wan and Madam Zou were waiting for Jiang Nanyue to have his meal.
Li Wan's ankle was only sprained, with no broken bones. After several days of rest, it has recovered to about 70-80%.
The fireplace in the hall was burning brightly, and even after Li Wan took off her embroidered cloak, her cheeks were still flushed pink from the warmth.
Looking at his lovely daughter, Jiang Nanyue was delighted and thought to himself that he would definitely choose a wealthy and leisurely family for her in the future, so that she could live a carefree life.
However, Madam Zou, who had just received an invitation to the birthday celebration of the old lady of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion, did not think so.
Marquis Yongyi had rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor, and even His Majesty had to give him some face.
For the old lady's seventieth birthday, all the powerful and noble people in the capital will come to offer their congratulations. It is said that not only the princes will attend, but even the crown prince will go on behalf of the emperor.
The opportunity was rare, and the young ladies from various noble families were all eager to seize it.
Madam Zou looked at Li Wan and said, "Master, the old lady of the Yongyi Marquis's mansion will be celebrating her birthday in a few days. I would like to take Wan'er with me."
Upon hearing this, Li Wan put down her chopsticks, which were about to pick up the stir-fried crab legs. She had not yet mastered the proper etiquette of a noble lady. No one paid attention to her at home, but if she went to a grand banquet where noble ladies gathered, she would definitely embarrass herself.
So she quickly said, "Mother, my injuries haven't fully healed yet, so it's probably inconvenient for me to go."
Mrs. Zou frowned. "The doctor said you are out of danger. Besides, you still have a few days left, by which time you will be fully recovered."
Li Wan looked to Jiang Nanyue for help, but Jiang Nanyue said, "You stay in the mansion all day, which is not good for your health. Why don't you go out for a walk with your mother? You can also get to know some girls your age."
Li Wan had no choice but to nod, "Yes, Father."
After the meal, Li Wan, carrying a hand warmer, took Xiu Zhu for a walk in the courtyard to aid digestion.
Xiuzhu said happily, "Miss, Madam just said that she instructed the embroiderer to come over tomorrow to make you a few new clothes. She also gave me some money to buy you the finest hairpins and rouge."
"Oh." Li Wan was not very interested. Although she had been recuperating these past few days, Xie Qi's matter had been weighing on her mind.
If she doesn't quickly find out the truth, how can she stop the tragedy of her previous life? What's the point of her coming here?
Why bother attending the old lady's birthday celebration! Annoyed, Li Wan casually picked a withered chrysanthemum and tore it off haphazardly.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar maid rushed over, "Sister Xiuzhu, the backyard says the medicine for the young lady has been mixed up, and they want you to go and take a look."
"What are you all doing?" Xiuzhu complained, then said to Liwan, "Miss, please continue your stroll, I'll go take a look."
Li Wan waved her hand, "Go ahead."
After Xiuzhu left, the little maid suddenly approached Li Wan with a ruthless expression, completely different from before.
“The master said that Miss Jiang met with Xie Qi in private last time without reporting it to the master, which displeased the master. He has arranged to meet you on the day of the old lady’s birthday at the Yongyi Marquis’s residence. If Miss Jiang refuses again, she will bear the consequences.”
Before Li Wan could react, the maidservant leaped off the wall.
Li Wan stared blankly for a while before she came to her senses.
She looked up and sighed. "Master? Which master is it this time? What do they want with me? Jiang Feiwan, are you even a proper young lady from a respectable family?"
Even an inconspicuous maid knows kung fu; the relationships in the capital are more chaotic than those in front of Widow Chen's door in their village.
Li Wan's dark eyes flickered, and she felt that she should first try to send a message to her father and brothers, telling them not to join the army in three years no matter what. That way, even if she couldn't prevent the tragedy in the end, she could at least protect the people closest to her.
"girl."
Xiuzhu ran back breathlessly, "Where is that maid? She said she didn't mess up the medicine in the backyard."
Li Wan had expected this, and asked her, "Have you seen that maid?"
Xiuzhu thought for a while, "I don't think I've seen her before, but we have many maids in our household, so I don't know which branch she belongs to."
"It seems she relayed the wrong message," Li Wan said.
Li Wan nodded, then suddenly thought of a question, "Do you know if my younger brother is in the manor?"
"Yes, this servant met Huan'er, who lives in the young master's room this morning. She said that the young master did not go to the palace today because he had something to do and did not come to dine with the master and his wife."
"Okay, let's go see my brother."
Jiang Feiche is well-read and should know how to send messages to the border; she could try to find out indirectly.
Jiang Feiche lived in Qingyan Hall in the front courtyard of the Jiang residence. When Li Wan arrived, he was reading in his study.
"My sister is here."
Jiang Feiche nodded to the servants, and soon the servants brought out tea and several delicate snacks.
Seeing that he treated her as well as before, Li Wan became even more certain that he didn't know about the dagger, so she felt at ease and started chatting with him.
"What books has my younger brother been reading lately?"
Jiang Feiche replied obediently, "The prince is off from class today, and I had nothing to do, so I read a travelogue or unofficial history."
"Yes, travelogues and unofficial histories are quite good; they can both pass the time and broaden one's horizons."
Jiang Feiche responded, then looked at Li Wan, as if waiting for her to continue.
Jiang Feiche has a delicate and handsome appearance, with slightly upturned phoenix eyes. When he looks at people, he is focused and gentle. Li Wan is embarrassed and looks away from him.
She took a sip of tea and said, "I recently read a book, though it was a storybook. It was about a man who went to the border to join the army, and a woman missed him more and more. She wanted to send him a letter, but she couldn't find anyone to help her. Her longing was difficult to convey, and it was a pity."
She glanced at Jiang Feiche and, seeing that he seemed normal, boldly said, "I think if she were in the capital of our dynasty, she would definitely find a good way to deliver the letter to the young man. Don't you agree, little brother?"
Jiang Feiche didn't answer, he just kept looking at her.
Li Wan asked, puzzled, "What's wrong, little brother?"
Jiang Feiche lowered his eyes, then raised them again, and said softly, "Sister, you may not know this, but according to the laws of our dynasty, anyone who communicates with the border, whether a commoner or a member of the imperial family, is guilty of treason and will be punished by having their entire family executed."
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