Chapter 16
Inside the Xuanzheng Hall.
Zhang Tang got the thunder and the statement as quickly as possible and presented it to the emperor.
Liu Che slowly flipped through the pages. Huo Qubing couldn't see, so he could only ask Zhang Tang, "If Lei Bei wants to kill the Prince of Huainan simply because he accidentally injured him during a duel, that seems a bit excessive. What was Lei Bei's response?"
Liu Che glanced at the bamboo slips and found the answer.
Zhang Tang also gave an explanation: "According to Lei Bei, at first the Prince of Huainan was just making things difficult for him and had no intention of killing him.
"However, given the Crown Prince's attitude, he clearly can no longer remain in Huainan. He wishes to seek another way out, and so he wishes to request permission from the King of Huainan to enter the court and join the general in fighting against the Xiongnu."
Huo Qubing's expression flickered: "Is he about to go, or has he already gone?"
A single word can lead to a huge mistake. This is related to the role Liu An played in the incident.
Zhang Tang lowered his head and said, "I heard that he was about to recommend himself to the King of Huainan. When the Prince of Huainan heard the news, he thought that this move had once again embarrassed him.
"The Crown Prince thought Lei Bei was a thorn in his side, so he should stay in Huainan, where he could torture him and relieve his resentment. But Lei Bei wanted to escape, and the Crown Prince would not allow it.
"The Crown Prince first went to the King of Huainan and said that Lei Bei's intention to fight against the Xiongnu was false, and his real intention was to be dissatisfied with Huainan. He listed many disrespectful things he had done and even fabricated some crimes.
"On one hand, he was his son, and on the other hand, he was just a mere disciple. Naturally, the King of Huainan trusted the former more, and therefore dismissed Lei Bei from his post. Lei Bei saw that the situation was not good, and fled in disguise to protect himself.
"Lei Bei once again escaped his control. The Crown Prince was furious and a little panicked. He was afraid that Lei Bei would report him to the capital. He was even more afraid that Lei Bei would say that he was the one who prevented him from joining the army. So he sent people to hunt down Lei Bei."
Huo Qubing frowned. To fight the Xiongnu, Emperor Wu of Han had issued a decree to the world, summoning brave warriors. No one, no matter how determined, could stand in his way. This decree was disseminated to all lands, spreading among the various vassal states. Huainan was no exception.
Liu Qian's action was, at best, a personal grudge, and at worst, an attempt to obstruct the execution of the emperor's decree, a crime punishable by death and public execution. Furthermore, Liu Che was known for his subtle dealings with the princes, and Huainan was concerned he might exploit this incident.
So it is understandable that Liu Qian wanted Lei to be killed and Liu An acquiesced.
But is it really that simple? Was Liu An really just misled by his son?
Zhang Tang continued, "The princess has lived in the capital for a long time, and the King of Huainan was afraid that she would be inconvenienced, so he provided her with some staff to take care of her food, clothing, and daily life, as well as to protect her safety.
"Prince Huainan has issued an order that if these people are struck by lightning, they must be captured and killed without delay. They must not be given the opportunity to file a complaint before the emperor.
"Today, they spotted Lei Bei in Shengping Tower and followed orders, but were spotted by the princess. She chased them, stopped them, and rescued Lei Bei."
Huo Qubing looked at Liu Che and said, "When I chased after them, the princess was indeed in the same carriage with Lei Bei. They seemed to be on good terms with each other, not like enemies."
If Liu Ling wanted to kill Lei Bei, the scene and atmosphere would not be like that.
But there were three words in his words that were used very well - it seems.
This shows that although it appears to be the case on the surface, he has doubts in his heart.
Liu Che naturally heard the hidden meaning in his words and shook his head, saying, "Lei Bei is the victim and the plaintiff. It is not convenient to interrogate him too much."
Although this person's status is not high, he is involved in Huainan. If his methods are too harsh, people may think that he wants to use Lei Bei to frame the princes.
Moreover, Lei Bei was able to withstand being chased for thousands of miles, and even when he was seriously injured and dying, he insisted on swimming to a safe place and hiding in a cave before fainting. This shows his willpower.
Even if such people were tortured, I'm afraid it wouldn't be very effective.
Liu Che looked outside the hall and saw a man kneeling there. It was Liu Ling, who was apologizing on behalf of his brother Huainan.
Doubts and thoughts flashed across his eyes. His fingers tapped on the bamboo slips of Lei Bei's speech, and the corners of his mouth slowly curled up: "Let the princess go back."
After all, the evidence has been handed to him, so why is he still afraid that there will be no chance?
********
Flying Palace.
Liu Ling knelt outside the Xuanshi Hall in public to apologize, and the news of Liu Qian's death soon spread in the palace.
After hearing this, Shi Yi began to chatter: "This Liu Qian is really petty. He was injured in a sword fight, so what? He is just a prince of a vassal state, but he is so arrogant. Oh, Lei Bei is really miserable. But..."
Shi Yi frowned: "Why did he get on our carriage?"
The guard chief shook his head and explained, "He didn't know who the carriage belonged to, he just wanted to find a powerful person to help him see the emperor.
"Those who can enter Shengpinglou and afford a carriage must be either wealthy or noble. Our carriages are of exceptional quality, with exquisite materials and decorations inside and out. Therefore, he guessed that the carriage owner was of noble status."
Shi Yi was even more puzzled: "If you came to ask for our help, why did you leave later?"
"Caiqin went to get your dress. She was still inside Shengping Tower at the time. If she was discovered, she was afraid that it would attract the people from Shengping Tower. She didn't dare to take the risk inside the building. She planned to leave Shengping Tower with the carriage and then ask for help. So she changed to a nearby carriage.
"But the servants in the building had already noticed it, pretended not to know, and pretended to be guests of honor, pulled the carriage away and captured it."
Shi Yi nodded and sighed, "Fortunately, the princess was sensible and saved him, so he didn't die."
However, the comments in front of Liu Ju didn't think so.
A thousand-mile chase, an ambush at Shengping Tower—I don't believe it wasn't Liu Ling's doing. Almost killed by the enemy, yet Lei Bei still tried to protect her. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Is this what they call "even if you abuse me a thousand times, I'll still treat you like my first love"? Lei Bei, I'd like to call him Liu Ling's number one bootlicker.
Am I the only one curious about how Liu Ling managed to get Lei to do it willingly? Director, please change the camera. Why aren't you letting me see it? Is there something unspeakable going on?
Speaking of camera angles, have you noticed that our perspective is always following Liu Ju, with almost no other scenes except Liu Ju? Which TV show shoots like this?
That's not all, the plot is so fragmented, like a chunk of content was cut out. It's completely disconnected. Previously, it was Wei Huo returning to the court, and now it's Shengping Tower. Just bewildered, isn't that right? Such incredible casting and such exquisitely crafted costumes and props are a waste.
—Watch the plot for fuck's sake. I haven't left yet purely because the casting is amazing; every character is exactly how I imagined them, and most of them are incredibly good-looking. Hahaha, if you're just into looks like me, stay. If you care about the plot and pacing, I urge you to leave now, or you'll be pissed off.
Liu Ju subconsciously touched his face, the corners of his mouth twitched, and he had just cursed in his heart when he was pushed by someone. He looked up and saw Shi Yi.
"What are you doing? You're just standing there in a daze, not saying a word."
The guard came over and asked with concern, "Are you feeling unwell?"
Liu Ju shook his head: "No, I'm thinking."
Shi Yi chuckled: "Thinking? Then what are you thinking about?"
"I don't think that's right."
Shi Yi was a little confused: "What's wrong?"
"Lei Bei could quietly hide under our carriage, and could also quietly move to the carriage next to it, so he could also remain unnoticed even if someone got on. So he definitely didn't change carriages because Caiqin went to get clothes and was afraid of being discovered. There must be other reasons. Perhaps..."
The words were on the tip of his tongue, but Liu Ju suddenly stopped because he realized that if this "maybe" was true, then the person who caused the "maybe" was crucial. He glanced at Shi Yi, and a thought rose from the bottom of his heart, and he could no longer suppress it.
At this moment, many things flashed through his mind.
For example, the past between Liu Ling and her previous husband, and the various speculations people had about her; for example, the brainless slander of Concubine An on him; and for example, the memory he lost when he got into trouble.
A Yu was executed, and the case was over. But there was one thing Liu Ju couldn't figure out: why did he appear in the rockery with Fu Bao?
It would seem plausible that he was playing dirty and deliberately staying outside the agreed range, but Liu Ju didn't think so. He always felt that he wouldn't run so far for no reason.
He had previously thought the truth was out, and even if there was another reason, it wouldn't matter. He hadn't lost just one memory, so he hadn't taken it too seriously.
But now that I think about it carefully, it may be very important.
Before, he tried hard to think, but always felt his mind was confused, with many things mixed together, disorderly and he couldn't find the direction. But now he felt that he seemed to have found the thread that could connect everything together.
Shi Yi frowned in confusion: "Maybe what? Why are you in a daze again? Are you really sick?"
She stretched out her hand to touch Liu Ju's forehead, but was shot down by him: "Whoever is sick, can't you hope for me to get better?"
He looked normal, full of energy, and could even engage in banter with others, clearly not ill at all. Shi Yi felt slightly relieved, but also rolled his eyes: "It's your fault for always being distracted. You haven't been feeling well since you came back from Shengping Tower."
Liu Ju, unwilling to be outdone, rolled his eyes at her, "Who's distracted? I already said I was thinking. Do you think everyone is like you, with an empty mind and no thoughts?"
Shi Yi was immediately furious. She was still worried about whether he was sick. With his character, there was no point for her to worry about it!
"You are capable and you can think. Tell me what you have figured out. You said there was another reason why Lei was treated this way. What was that reason?"
His eyes were wide open, his face was red, and he looked like he would never let you go unless you told him the truth today.
Liu Ju snorted and raised his little face: "He must have seen that the carriage next to him is more luxurious than ours, and thought that the other party's status is higher than ours and can help him more.
"You really have no taste. You only care about the surface and only choose things that are superficial. Don't you know that what we call low-key luxury with connotation?"
Shi Yi never expected that he was thinking in this direction and was stunned on the spot.
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but burst out in laughter, but stopped immediately, so that the laughter was cut off in the throat, which seemed particularly weird.
"I'm going to go find my father and ask him to get me another carriage for traveling. I want one that's high-end, classy, and classy, so that no one will be fooled. Alas, there are indeed many fools in this world. Not everyone has the discernment of this prince."
Liu Ju stood up angrily, patted his butt, and ran away impatiently.
Ahhhh, this is a matter of great importance and there is no time to delay. He must quickly tell his father his guess.
Everyone: ...
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