Chapter 140 Chapter 140 "After this battle, Fifth Brother will definitely...
Chapter 140
The queen left the space to Ye Changning's family.
She took people outside to appreciate the flowers.
Ye Changning asked, "Where's father?"
Ye's mother replied, "The Crown Prince transferred him to the Ministry of War."
Ye's father used to work in the Censorate, serving as the Left Censor-in-Chief, mainly supervising cases in the Ministry of Justice, which were then submitted to the Dali Temple for review.
If any official in the court did something wrong, the Censorate also had the right to investigate, and in serious cases, report it to the emperor.
Clearly something happened with the Cheng family, but the prince still transferred my father to the Ministry of War... His intention was very clear.
But is it so easy to enter the Ministry of War?
"And then? Fight against the northern barbarians?"
"The Ministry of War has people leading the defense, so your father is not needed. He's just holding a sinecure. When Your Majesty returns, perhaps he can be transferred back to the Censorate."
Ye Changning asked, "Does the Queen want you and Shi Mo to stay in the palace?"
"Yes." Mother Ye said, "I declined, but the Queen disagreed. If I refused again, it would be inappropriate, so I agreed."
Ye Changning: "That's fine. I'll tell my father when I get home."
"Changning, don't get into a fight with the Crown Prince."
"No, mother, don't worry." Ye Changning asked again, "I heard that the Duke's wife, the General's wife, and Young Master Zhou's wife are also in the palace? Did you meet them, mother?"
Mother Ye said, "They live in Ruyi Palace near Zhongcui Palace. I haven't met them, but I've heard the Queen talk about them."
She looked at Ye Changning worriedly, "Changning, is what happened with the Cheng family... true?"
Ye Changning nodded: "The evidence is conclusive."
"Then the Wei and Qin families...are they true too?"
"Eight or nine times out of ten."
Ye's mother looked shocked.
Her husband and son were both talented people in charge of criminal cases, so she had heard of and witnessed many different types of cases. There were vicious villains, but she was most afraid of people like Cheng Lunian... who usually kept silent and hid in dark corners to secretly plot murder.
Because this kind of person will act without any warning, you would never imagine that he would be this kind of person.
"Then... do you still want to check?"
Ye Changning looked calm: "Of course I have to investigate." He was never afraid of criminals, let alone the powerful.
This does not change because of his identity.
Mother Ye sighed, then smiled: "Then be careful. Don't worry about us. I will take good care of Mo'er."
Ye Changning apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't expect to cause trouble for my mother and sister."
"It's no trouble. We'll just treat it as a vacation in the palace. The Queen and the Crown Prince are just trying to use us to threaten you, they wouldn't dare to do anything real."
Ye Changning frowned. If he got closer to the truth step by step and really confirmed Cheng Lunian's guilt, would the Queen and the Prince really not harm his mother and sister?
After much thought, he decided that the only way to ensure the safety of his mother and sister was to stay out of it.
Of course, he would not stay out of it so easily. He had to find out how far the prince would go.
The situation in the capital was complicated and confusing. Most of those who saw the situation clearly in advance claimed to be sick and retreated, while others completely joined the prince's party, eager to become the confidant of the "new emperor".
Ye Changning thought for several times before suppressing his irritation. At the same time, his face was filled with confidence and ease. "I understand, mother. I won't make things too awkward with my cousin and aunt. After all, we are family."
When necessary, acting is also good.
Just like...she...does.
After calming down, Ye Changning came out with a smile and chatted with the queen, all of them talking about family matters.
He also touched upon the Cheng family, intentionally or unintentionally, and lightly reminded the Queen, "Aunt, after all, we are a family. As long as my cousin doesn't have any contact with the Cheng family, even if Cheng Lunian is guilty, Your Majesty won't blame my cousin. Isn't my cousin the regent now? And he's doing a great job."
The Queen smiled uncomfortably. "That's true. However, the Prime Minister's influence in the court is immense. With his support for the Crown Prince, the Princes of Rui, Chu, and even Jing would not stir up trouble. Only with the Prime Minister's support can we contend with Duke Lin."
Ye Changning: "But too much is as bad as too little. Aunt, you can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. His Majesty has already begun to delegate power to the Crown Prince. If my cousin crosses the line... the consequences will be unimaginable."
The Queen rubbed the long nails of her right hand with the fingertips of her left hand, and finally smiled: "Your investigative skills are acceptable, but your analysis of the court situation is still a little lacking. That's all, you have been stubborn since childhood. Auntie won't force anything, you know your limits."
Ye Changning lowered his eyes and replied, "Yes, after investigating the cases of the Wei and Qin families, I resigned from the position of Junior Official of the Dali Temple. From now on, if you need anything, just ask, and I will do my best."
He thus made clear the limits of his position - he must investigate Cheng Lunian's murder of three successive imperial consorts.
As for how he would be arranged after the case was investigated, he accepted it all.
The Queen also knew that Cheng Lunian could not be implicated in this case.
Fortunately, Cheng Lunian was dead, and the final verdict was final. The prime minister would at most be accused of failing to educate his son properly, which was not serious. He was sending off a young man with his youth, and his hatred for the Zhou and Lin families would only deepen. As long as the prime minister's heart was still on the side of the prince, it didn't matter.
The prime minister's only son died, so he could only rely on his daughter and son-in-law. The son-in-law is the king of a country. Doesn't this guarantee the prime minister's wealth and prosperity and a peaceful old age better than an only son?
Therefore, Cheng Miao will definitely do his utmost to ensure that the prince ascends to the throne.
"Go ahead and talk to your cousin." The queen looked at Ye Changning again. His mother and sister were in the palace, so he would be prudent in his actions.
No matter how selfless he is, he will still give some selfishness to his family.
This is human nature, and no one is an exception.
Ye Changning went to the prince's study. The prince had left a way out for him, and his mood improved a lot at this moment.
He thought of what Ye Changning had reminded him just now and knew that Ye Changning was not wrong.
It is indeed inappropriate to let Cheng Manyu return home at this time.
"Changning, have you finished talking with your aunt and cousin?"
"Yes. Cousin, is there anything else you need me to do? I still have to investigate a case... I can't stay long."
The prince smiled and said, "No. You have always been impartial in enforcing the law, so you don't have to worry about anything. Go ahead."
Ye Changning and Yan Chongshan left the palace together.
When they reached a secluded place, Yan Chongshan asked, "Master Ye, I will do my best to take care of your mother and sister."
Ye Changning: "Thank you, Commander Yan." He was a little surprised. "The Crown Prince actually agreed to let you take charge of the palace defense again?"
"Yes." Yan Chongshan said, "As I said before, the prince should trust me more than Zhou Bokai."
If Cheng Lunian hadn't died, it is very likely that the defense of the palace would have been handed over to him.
Fortunately, after Cheng Lunian died, there was no suitable candidate.
On the other hand, Liao Ronghua expressed dissatisfaction with the prince's decision to let Ye Changning leave the palace.
The Crown Prince said: "He is my cousin, and his family is in the palace. He won't do anything wrong. You should stop doing anything wrong. Clean up what we have done as soon as possible. The Emperor may return at any time."
Liao Ronghua agreed on the surface, but privately, he immediately sent a message to the Northern Barbarians' stronghold in the capital.
He instructed them to send troops again, this time to attack the hunting ground directly, avoiding the road where Lin Zhiqi and the others might be.
Since the prince has begun to think about retiring... then he has to add fuel to the fire.
…
The defense of the hunting ground is tighter than when Emperor Longshun and his men first arrived, but the secret passage has been preserved - used as a 'hole' to lure the snake out of its hole.
Zhou Heng sent people to keep a close watch on this place.
Of course, Jing Zhuoran was also involved in this matter.
He had a fever for two days after being caught in the rain that day. Later, he put his sadness aside and volunteered to continue studying with General Zhou.
Emperor Longshun had been waiting for news from the capital.
He hoped to receive a letter from the Crown Prince or the Queen, but there was none.
There is only the latest information sent by Lin Zhiqi.
——Ye Changning, Yan Chongshan, Cheng Miao and Cheng Lunian have returned to the capital. There is no latest news yet.
If Ye Changning and Yan Chongshan haven't delivered any news, it will further confirm that the prince has wild thoughts.
That night.
As it approaches mid-month, the moon is no longer a crescent, but becomes more of a disk.
Bright and clear.
Sure enough, some unwilling northern barbarians rushed into the secret passage. They released poisonous smoke and tore a small gap.
Seeing the smoke, Zhou Heng made a prompt decision to take Jing Zhuoran away from the danger zone, and then ordered the Dayan soldiers to break the encirclement, let the northern barbarians in, and capture them all in one fell swoop.
——The people guarding the secret passage wore a peculiar mask, which was provided by Prince Consort Lin, Xie Junxing and Lin Zhihua. It could protect against poison and smoke.
Now that it is in actual use, the effect is very good.
Prince Rui also joined the night watch team. He was in a very complicated mood at the moment. On the one hand, he was happy that the prince had made such a big mistake, and on the other hand, he was worried about his wife, children and mother in the capital.
The prince is his mortal enemy. If the prince is determined to kill them here, then his family members in the capital will probably not survive either.
Unable to sleep due to all sorts of random thoughts, Prince Rui was also worried that Prince Chu and Prince Jing outside the hunting grounds would make great achievements that would surpass his and attract his father's attention, so he decided to join the "hunting" team.
Even though the fifth brother was so weak, he was willing to go into battle and kill the enemy. After all, his name contained the word "Wu". Although he was not as strong as the fourth brother, nor as skilled in martial arts as the third brother, he was definitely better than the fifth brother.
Lin Zhiyi didn't join in the fun, she stayed in the tent with Jingyue.
Tang Cong and others will constantly inform them of the latest news from the combat zone.
"It seems that Ye Changning and the others' return to the capital has provoked the Crown Prince, so he has made up his mind to take this risk."
"Why are there so many northern barbarians..." Jing Yue was a little worried. He held Lin Zhiyi's hand and asked her, "Are you scared?"
Lin Zhiyi shook his head: "Don't be afraid. You are here. Besides, we have many people who understand military tactics here, and our soldiers are brave and good at fighting. With Fourth Sister and Xie Er here, weapons can be made at any time."
Jing Yue hugged Lin Zhiyi and sighed, "I never thought things would develop to this point."
"You may not be able to sit in a wheelchair for too long." How can he successfully qualify to compete for the throne if he doesn't let His Majesty know that Jingyue is a prince?
"No, the more this happens, the more I have to hide." Jing Yue said rationally, "The trump cards are always revealed at the end."
He learned the term "trump card" from Lin Zhiyi.
"That's right. Then let's be the oriole and the fisherman."
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it. When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits.
Jing Yue gently played with Lin Zhiyi's fingers, then looked up at her: "Actually, you can also take this opportunity to step forward. No matter where we end up, as long as you have the ability and power to protect yourself, I can rest assured."
"Don't worry, it's not my turn yet. Didn't you just say that? The trump card must be revealed at the critical moment. Now let others perform." Lin Zhiyi said with a smile.
"Yes." Jing Yue nodded, looking towards the secret passage and the battle array to hunt down the northern barbarians. "Fifth Brother will surely be reborn after this battle."
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