Chapter 84
The Duke was tied to an armchair and sat there, not showing any sign of panic. "Child, what nonsense are you talking about?"
His wide eyes were filled with pity and sighs. "His Majesty Jinning died decisively, so how could he have the time to issue a will? The court officials were trapped in the bridgehead with him, so who could have delivered the will? And where did you get the information?"
Lin Xiyue locked his eyes tightly, not letting go of any of his expressions. "Wang He, don't play dumb with me. The late queen trapped you in the palace before her death. You have been forced to live with the princess in Changchun Palace for so many years. I think you know the reason better than anyone else. I will not embarrass you because of your father's noble character. As long as you tell me where he is, I will treat you as the Wang family does."
The Duke looked at the stubborn young man opposite him and shook his head. "Since you also know that I have been trapped for decades and have never spoken, can I speak now that you threaten me? Don't even mention killing me, even if you kill my entire Wang family, I still say the same thing, no."
"No means no."
When Lin Xiyue heard his sonorous tone, the suppressed anger in her chest suddenly jumped to her brows. A cold light flashed in her eyes. In an instant, she reached out and grabbed the Duke by the throat.
There was a click, and the Duke was forced to raise his neck. His weather-beaten face slowly turned red. Even so, his eyes remained calm, without any hesitation or begging for mercy.
He glanced at Lin Xiyue silently, without even making a sound.
Seeing that he stood still with a murderous look in his eyes, Lin Xiyue suddenly remembered his father's last words. He couldn't bring himself to do it. His face trembled with a twisted expression, and he finally let go of the Duke in anger.
The Duke's head drooped, and he coughed a few times with his face drooped. He gasped and said, "Child, let me out. If you are any later, you will be exposed."
Lin Xiyue retreated to the corner, her expression still grim, "How do you know I will let you go? You don't meet my expectations, so I might as well kill you."
The Duke smiled weakly, "You know I won't betray you."
Lin Xiyue didn't know what he remembered, his eyes were red for a moment, he still looked at the Duke, his tone was heavy, "When His Majesty Jinning committed suicide, the bastard King Xian abandoned his nephew and stole the throne, what's the difference between that and usurping the throne? Many ministers in the court are not convinced, just tell me, you haven't given up yet, right?"
The Duke greeted him calmly and never spoke a word.
Facing such a pillar that was as unshakable as a mountain, Lin Xiyue suddenly understood why such a thing was given to the Wang family, and she inexplicably felt a sense of admiration in her heart.
"Duke Wang, you can try to trust me. Perhaps we are in the same boat."
The Duke said gently, "If we are really on the same boat, you should let me go. If you keep me here for a moment longer, you will be in danger. If you are discovered by the Princess and His Majesty's men, will you have a chance to survive?"
Lin Xiyue's face turned pale.
Just then, there was a knock on the door behind me, and I remembered the servant's anxious whisper.
"Sir, we have found out why the Queen was poisoned."
Lin Xiyue clicked his tongue and turned to look at the Duke. The Duke smiled warmly at him.
"My child, the descendants of Emperor Jinning are not the kind of thieves who steal chickens and dogs."
Lin Xiyue's eyelashes trembled and she was silent for a moment. Like a frustrated child, she reluctantly stepped forward and untied the Duke herself.
When Lin Xiyue helped the Duke out, there was a man standing with his hands behind his back in Xueqing's yard.
The study was pitch black inside and outside, without a single ray of light. Only a few large red lanterns were lonely and disheveled in the wind. The snow was heavy like a blanket. He was dressed in a snow-white outfit that was picturesque, tall and elegant, and not like an ordinary person.
Lin Xiyue looked at Wang Shuhuai warily.
Wang Shuhuai seemed not to see him. He walked slowly forward and personally helped the Duke up. The grandfather and grandson walked slowly and disappeared at the end of the corridor.
Lin Xiyue stared for a long time, and then her thin figure turned around and went back to the bridal chamber.
At that time, the bride Jiang Cairu was sitting on the wedding bed with a depressed look on her face, waiting for Lin Xiyue to come back. She was depressed when she thought about the mishap on her wedding day.
"How can I live in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion in the future?"
The maid advised, "Please think more about the young master. No matter how much resentment you have towards this person, it will disappear."
Jiang Cairu recalled Lin Xiyue's androgynous beauty, and her depression was swept away.
The door was suddenly kicked open at this moment, and a man walked in dejectedly.
The bright red wedding dress hung loosely on his thin yet upright body. He was not muscular nor tall, but had a kind of captivating beauty. Jiang Cairu was stunned by looking at him from such a close distance.
Lin Xiyue showed no expression towards Jiang Cairu. He leaned on the antique shelf, pointed his long arm towards the west wing, and said impatiently,
"This is my room. You will sleep in the side room from now on. You are not allowed to come here without my permission."
Jiang Cairu's shy smile froze immediately.
This is her wedding night!
Jiang Cairu refused, and immediately stepped forward with her skirt lifted, saying gently, "Husband..."
Before he could finish his words, Lin Xiyue grabbed his throat, dragged him and threw him into the side room.
After the Queen's poisoning case was investigated, the people from the Zhenguo Mansion left one after another. The old Duke personally escorted the Duke out. Perhaps because he was cold, the Duke's old cold legs flared up and he walked with a limp.
The wind and snow had not stopped yet, and snow fragments were flying in the face, choking the Duke and causing him to cough a few times.
He was helped into the carriage by Wang Shuhuai, and he turned his head and asked, "Have you found out the queen's condition?"
Wang Shuhuai supported him and said in a low voice,
"We have found out that the person who was poisoned by the Soft Foot Powder was a servant who then committed suicide by jumping into a well. It was not a very strong poison. The purpose of the person behind this was to use the queen to trap all the civil and military officials in the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion and cover up their real murder."
When the Duke heard this, he turned to look at Wang Shuhuai, his face suddenly darkened.
"What happened?"
The young grandson's hair was neat and his expression was normal. He helped him sit steadily in the carriage and said slowly,
"Just now, news came from outside the city gate that the prince encountered a group of refugees during the sacrifice. The refugees became riotous and shot the prince to death."
The Duke's heart skipped a beat. "Did something happen to the Crown Prince?"
Wang Shuhuai said, "I don't know whether the prince is injured, but I'm afraid the King of Han is not going to make it."
The Duke suddenly choked on his saliva.
"Why is the King of Han involved again?"
Wang Shuhuai said with a gloomy expression,
"The Crown Prince brought the Yulin Guard and Huben Guard with him for the suburban sacrifice. When something happened in the Zhenguo Mansion, the Wudu Guard and the Wucheng Bingma Division were called in. The King of Han was imprisoned in the mansion, and the defense was lax. If the furnace in the King of Han's mansion caught fire at this time, and the King of Han was accidentally buried in it, wouldn't it be a natural thing?"
The Duke listened to Wang Shuhuai's leisurely tone, and suddenly his throat tightened and he asked,
"Were you involved?"
Wang Shuhuai neither admitted nor denied it. "Grandfather, only Prince Xin could have killed the crown prince under the guise of refugees during the suburban sacrifice and organized a force with bows and crossbows in a short period of time. No wonder Prince Xin didn't celebrate New Year's Eve and asked for permission to go to Xiaoguan for defense. It turned out that he was clearing himself of suspicion in advance."
The Duke sneered, "Such a meticulous plan, involving the military, the cabinet and six ministries, I'm afraid it's not the work of one person."
Wang Shuhuai laughed, "Judging from Lin Xiyue's behavior today, I'm afraid that Jinning's old officials may have also added fuel to the fire."
"Besides, the princess wants to support the fifth prince. I'm afraid she would be happy to see the crown prince and the king of Han get into trouble."
The Duke glared at Wang Shuhuai coldly, thinking that there might be another person like him. Regardless of anything else, Wang Shuhuai was not unrelated to the death of the King of Han.
New Year's Eve was approaching, and the court had experienced such a great turmoil. The Duke was in a heavy mood and kept shaking his head.
"It has always been the case that princes compete for the throne. It is inevitable. The most important thing is that the court cannot be in chaos. Shu Huai, no matter what happens outside, you should do what you should do. Our Wang family's ancestral motto for generations is not to cause trouble, but also not to be afraid of trouble. In a peaceful era, we should go with the flow, and in a chaotic era, we should turn the tide."
When the Five Barbarians invaded China, the Wang family of Langya and the Sima family crossed the sea to Nanjing to establish a new nation. Later, the Jin Dynasty unified the north and the south and brought the last emperor back to the court, thus avoiding a war that would have affected the fourteen prefectures south of the Yangtze River.
This is the principle that the Wang family has always adhered to.
No matter when or where, the Wang family will never take the initiative to participate in party struggles, but at critical moments, the Wang family will always stand up to support the government.
This is the character of a generation of aristocratic families.
This is also the reason why the Wang family can stand at the top of the noble families.
After a moment of silence, Wang Shuhuai nodded, "Grandson will follow your instructions."
At 3 p.m., the crown prince, together with officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of War, were offering sacrifices in the suburbs. The ceremony had not yet ended when a group of refugees rushed out from the mountains and shot at the crown prince. The officials on the spot were frightened and fled in all directions. Gao Zhan immediately protected the crown prince and hid behind the altar. Unfortunately, the other side had a sharpshooter who caught the crown prince and would not let him go. One of the arrows went straight to the crown prince's face. At the critical moment, Gao Zhan pulled the crown prince, and the arrow pierced the crown prince's ear. A blood mist exploded immediately, and the horror of having narrowly escaped death caused the crown prince to lose control of his bladder on the spot.
All the officials who fled to the flowerbed and altar witnessed this scene.
The prince lost all face.
While Gao Zhan organized the Yulin Guard and the Huben Guard to fight, he sent people back to the capital to report and ask for help.
Unfortunately, today is the wedding banquet at the Duke Zhenguo Mansion. Most of the remaining court officials went there to celebrate, but because of the Queen's poisoning, they were all trapped in the Duke Zhenguo Mansion. Only a few officers and soldiers received the news.
The news finally reached the palace. The emperor was furious and naturally sent troops to support the cause. Unfortunately, it was not so easy to mobilize troops. It required an order from the Ministry of War or a document from the Cabinet. Invariably, one person was missing or another, and he was restricted in what he could do.
After finally getting the troops out, Gao Zhan had already fled to the city gate with the crown prince and court officials in a panic.
To make matters worse, a fire broke out in the Prince of Han's mansion. That night, the Prince of Han was singing and dancing with actors and got drunk. He was unable to escape in time and died on the spot.
That night the lights in the Fengtian Hall burned until dawn.
The emperor looked at the prince with blood on his face, then looked at the charred corpse on the ground. His eyes turned black and he fainted.
The imperial physician pinched the emperor's philtrum fiercely and finally woke him up. The officials from the Ministry of Rites, led by Minister Zheng, narrowly escaped death and came to the emperor crying, forcing him to get to the bottom of the matter. An investigation was definitely necessary, as anyone who dared to shoot the prince under the emperor's nose would be defying the imperial power.
The emperor lay on the couch gasping for breath, and ordered the Dali Temple, the Censorate, and the Ministry of Justice to conduct an open investigation, and the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot to conduct a secret investigation.
Although the prince saved his life, he only lost face, while the King of Han died in an even more confusing way.
Anyone with a discerning eye could guess that this was a power struggle among the princes. The Crown Prince had lost his prestige, and the King of Han was dead. Wouldn't it be that the King of Xin would become the most favorable contender for the throne? No one knew whether the case could be investigated or not.
In the past few days, the court officials have been investigating the case on the surface, but they have been trying to test the emperor's intentions in private. The emperor is very annoyed.
After experiencing the pain of losing his son, the emperor's condition worsened. He was also upset by the quarrels of his court officials and felt like he was being tortured in a frying pan all day long.
However, just when the court was in chaos, a man dressed in a third-rank scarlet official robe came with a clear and legible account book to the emperor. The emperor flipped through the tax accounts presented by Wang Shuhuai and his eyes became hot with excitement.
The national treasury, which had suffered losses for several consecutive years, finally reversed the situation at the end of this year.
The national policy of surveying land has achieved initial results.
The emperor looked at the meticulous young man in front of him, and then thought of those ministers who nag all day long. His resentful mood finally found a little comfort.
In the court where all voices are silent, there are finally some capable and practical ministers.
The emperor issued an edict, formally appointing Wang Shuhuai as the third-rank assistant minister of the Ministry of Revenue, and fully implementing the new tax policy.
The national treasury turned a profit, which is probably the best news on this New Year's Eve.
The heavy snow continued until New Year's Eve.
On the evening of New Year's Eve, Wang Shuhuai came back from handing in his seal at the government office. He shook off the snow on his shoulders and stepped onto the corridor of the study. Qi Wei came to meet him, took the cloak from his hand, and greeted him as he walked in, saying,
"When the Jinyiwei were investigating a case, I sneaked in and finally dug up an abandoned crossbow in a ditch. The crossbow was obviously of the Chang'an Military Equipment Bureau model. The Chang'an Military Equipment Bureau was under the jurisdiction of Prince Xin. Master, do we have evidence against Prince Xin? Should we hand it over to the court?"
Wang Shuhuai shook his head, and his slender figure strode into the inner room, "A crossbow machine cannot kill him, let's wait a little longer."
Then he asked, "Where is the lady?"
Qi Wei said, "Second Madam and my brothers and sisters are waiting for you to celebrate New Year's Eve at Chunjing Hall."
Wang Shuhuai's cold jade eyes softened in an instant.
When the King of Han died, the Emperor suspended court for five days, and the people were not allowed to hold wedding ceremonies with music and drums for a month.
Each room in the Duke's Mansion spent New Year's Eve alone in their own room.
Xie Yunchu and Ke Jie'er knelt on the kang bed to paste window flowers, while Er Ge'er sat on the bed and watched quietly.
Last year’s New Year’s Eve, Wang Shuhuai was not at home. This year, the family of four spent their first New Year’s Eve together.
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