Chapter 417 The Death of Qin Keqing (7)
The four members of the Yinzhi group cleared the game ahead of time, while the four who were still stuck in the game were forced into a battle royale mode.
The main blame is on Yinzhi.
Yes, thinking that way is perfectly fine.
The story goes back to when they were hiding in Tianxiang Tower. As expected, the Jia family came to the tower to take refuge and subconsciously avoided the maids' quarters.
So, despite Qin Keqing's shrill cries outside, Yinreng and the other three managed to get through the night safely.
Furthermore, since the information about this hiding place was obtained by Yinzhu from Ruizhu and was incomplete, the four of them did not do anything extra.
On the third day, just as dawn broke, everything in Ningguo Mansion returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
After testing the waters for a while, the four of them, in order to fit their personas, returned to their normal work, though they were all relatively close together that day.
Because this was the day of Qin Keqing's funeral.
Colorful tents were erected along the road, banquets were set up, and music was played. The four kings and eight dukes all set up sacrificial tents to offer sacrifices along the way. Dai Quan, the Grand Chancellor of Daming Palace, also came to offer sacrifices with gongs and drums.
The funeral procession was vast and imposing, like a silver mountain pressing down on the ground, arriving from the north. The princes and nobles were countless, with about ten large sedan chairs, thirty or forty smaller sedan chairs, and more than a hundred sedan chairs and carriages belonging to their families.
As the funeral procession passed by, it was lined with large numbers of soldiers and civilians, blocking the roads and turning the streets into a bustling metropolis.
"This scale seems a bit off."
With more people around, it's easier to take advantage of the chaos. Without the threat of ghosts or monsters, the four of them quickly and inconspicuously gathered together again.
Even Yinzhi couldn't help but look solemn. This was hardly the funeral of a daughter-in-law from a fallen noble family; this was...
"It is a demonstration against the emperor."
Yinreng remained calm, his words hitting the nail on the head.
Yin Zhi added thoughtfully, "The new emperor ascended the throne because the retired emperor was ill. Now that the retired emperor is better, he wants to compete for the throne. These four princes and eight dukes are all former subordinates of the retired emperor..."
"Tsk, he really is the emperor."
Yinzhi's criticism was both bold and subtle, but even Yinzuo could hear the subtle allusion to his father, the Emperor, in his words.
Yinzhuo didn't quite understand, but Yinreng and Yinzhi knew perfectly well that their tragedy in their previous lives was caused by Kangxi's unwillingness to relinquish power.
Skipping over this unpleasant topic, Yin Zhi asked, "So, what exactly caused Qin Keqing's death?"
Yinzhi felt conflicted. Assuming Qin Keqing's hidden identity was true, and the Jia family supported the retired emperor, why would they harm Qin Keqing? And judging from the situation, it seemed impossible that the Jia family was a supporter of the new emperor.
If Qin Keqing's identity is fake, and she is just the adopted daughter of an ordinary fifth-rank official, then her daily necessities and the scale of her funeral are even more unreasonable.
Even if the Jia family wasn't smart, surely the four kings and eight dukes couldn't all be unintelligent?
"Don't underestimate the Jia family's foolishness and audacity."
Yinreng glanced at Jia Zhen, who was crying particularly sadly at the front, and Jia Rong, who was busy contacting other families, and gave a mocking smirk.
"You mean..."
Yin Zhi was somewhat incredulous. Could the Jia family really dare to do such a thing?
"Tell me in detail, tell me in detail." Yinzhi pulled Yinzuo closer, the two of them, one big and one small, their eyes revealing the same curiosity.
Yinzhi paused. According to Yinreng, the truth really went against his common sense about politics, but there seemed to be no other explanation.
He was so upset that he didn't mind talking to Yinzhi about it.
"When I first discovered the clues about Qin Keqing's identity, I thought the Jia family killed her to surrender or to comply with the situation; but looking at this funeral, the Jia family has always been the faction of the retired emperor, and they simply cannot see the winds of the previous dynasty."
Yinzhi nodded. As a popular contender for the throne, he was politically astute enough. "The Jia family may appear powerful, but they actually lack talent in the previous dynasty."
If they hadn't seen through this, they wouldn't have described the Jia family as "fallen nobles" from the beginning.
"So, according to Second Brother's meaning, it is very likely that the Ningguo Mansion initially arranged for its eldest son to marry Qin Keqing in order to curry favor with the Emperor Emeritus. They firmly believed that the Emperor Emeritus could suppress the new emperor."
Upon hearing Yinzhi's words, Yinzuo's expression was somewhat complicated. Even though he was young, he knew very well that while there was competition within the royal family, most of the ministers who dared to get involved were cannon fodder, not to mention a family like the Jia family, which was all show and no substance.
The new emperor has already ascended the throne, and unless the retired emperor has gone completely mad, it's impossible for him to drag the new emperor down.
Based on what they've learned in the last two days, even the smallest details, it's quite clear that the retired emperor desires power, but he's not so crazy as to cause turmoil in the world to seize power.
Therefore, the new emperor is clearly adopting a defensive strategy and is simply holding back for the time being.
But the retired emperor will always die. When the new emperor rises to power, the Jia family, a useless and out-of-touch family, will be the first cannon fodder.
“But Qin Keqing…” Yin Zhi clearly understood this as well. After Yin Zhi’s analysis, he could not understand Qin Keqing’s death.
"That's why my second brother said the Jia family is both bold and foolish."
Yin Zhi could no longer look at the words "meritorious service in following the emperor's rise to power" the same way. How could someone undermine him before he had even achieved any merit?
Yinzhi's face turned pale and then red, and he said incredulously, "So... the incestuous relationship is true?"
Yin Zhi nodded with difficulty.
"How dare they?"
Yinzhu couldn't help but ask.
"I'm afraid a fool might suddenly come up with a brilliant idea." After commenting, Yinreng raised an eyebrow at the three men's incredulous expressions. "Sixth brother is one thing, but eldest brother and third brother, haven't you seen enough?"
Yinzhi and Yinzhi looked up at him, only to see Yinreng slowly say, "It's like someone asking to kill the Crown Prince, or someone shaving their head during mourning..."
"Alright, alright, stop talking."
Yinzhi and Yinzhi frantically tried to cover Yinreng's mouth. How could this person be like this? Analyzing is fine, but why did he have to expose other people's shortcomings?
Yinzhuo didn't understand, but he seemed to be thinking about something. So, was the "foolish person" who had a sudden inspiration related to his eldest and third brothers?
Unfortunately, he was too young and didn't know much about what was happening outside. But that didn't matter; Yinzhuo had already kept it in mind and decided to share this gossip with his eighth brother when he went out.
...
Finally, with the people following and watching, Qin Keqing's funeral came to a complete end, and the group turned back to Ningguo Mansion.
"It's finally coming to an end."
Out of the corner of his eye, Yinzhi noticed that Yinreng had lowered his hand, and he subconsciously asked, "What did you do?"
"Since everyone already knows the truth about Qin Keqing's death, I've submitted it."
"Did you submit it?" *3
Faced with three surprised faces, Yinzhi couldn't help but lean back slightly, puzzled: "Yes, I submitted it. Is there a problem?"
Yinzhu frowned: "Brother, you..."
"What's wrong with me?" Yinzhi argued indignantly. "Look, surviving for three days is the basic requirement for passing the test, which means the truth is more important. So, if we submit the truth, won't we be able to leave earlier?"
"You said the truth is more important..."
Yin Zhi was powerless to explain, nor did he need to. The moment they stepped into the Ningguo Mansion, the sky suddenly darkened, and in an instant, day turned into night.
The once bustling and lively Ningguo Mansion instantly fell silent, as if no one was there.
To be precise, there wasn't a single living person present.
As the people walking in front of them suddenly stopped, pieces of human skin peeled off like crumbs, and they stiffly turned around to stare at them, their eyes filled with resentment and greed.
Yinreng immediately shouted, "Run!"
The four of them kept running and headed straight for Tianxiang Tower.
[Players have started the battle royale mode, limited to 2 hours. Good luck!]
"Don't come any closer, I have a high favorability rating—"
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