Chapter 74 074 Get up and see me off.
When the third watch sounded outside, Qingli realized that it was already late at night. There seemed to be faint shouts outside, dull knocking against the darkness.
No one dared to investigate.
Qingli instructed the maids to prepare hot water. Meng Qingshan washed up and changed into the blue clothes that had been prepared for him. They fit him well and were comfortable. He glanced at the inner room, where the candle had been extinguished with a whoosh, and the beautiful figure by the window had vanished without a trace.
Meng Qingshan lay on a rocking chair under the eaves. The lanterns hanging above cast a soft orange glow, not at all dazzling. The insects in the corner had stopped chirping, as if they too sensed the unease of the night.
The Duan family actually betrayed her information. She must die, and she must fall from a great height into hell to make up for all the suffering she has endured over the years.
In the turbulent darkness, he slowly revealed the sinister intent in his heart. From beginning to end, he had always had ulterior motives towards her. He treated her well so that she couldn't live without him. No matter how well others treated her, she would only feel it was ordinary. He wanted to be unique in her heart.
His precious daughter deserves to die if anyone treats her badly.
He was no exception.
It's time to settle things, so let's start with the Duan family.
The sky was a hazy gray. Inside the palace council hall, the thick candles had burned to their last flames, the wax meandering on the candlesticks, looking menacing as the flames flickered. Eunuch Dexi glared at the junior eunuch below, who immediately understood and quietly extinguished the swaying candle.
The palace dimmed, making the outside light all the more dazzling. Emperor Mingkang rubbed his temples, opened his eyes, which were filled with weariness. Two breaths later, his imperial dominance became more apparent.
"Tell me, does he know or not?"
"Him?" Emperor Mingkang didn't say. Dexi knew but dared not speak rashly. After pondering for a long time, he finally said, "Whether it is or not, it's impossible right now."
While he could be considered neutral, upon closer examination, he did offer some assistance. However, Dexi understood that the outcome rested entirely on Emperor Mingkang's decision.
If the Second Prince had even a shred of pity for the First Prince, this matter could have been glossed over.
"Summon the Second Prince to the palace."
"Yes," Dexi bowed and replied.
The second prince is indeed different from the first prince.
The somber darkness gradually faded, and the palace began to bustle with activity. The officials coming and going all looked anxious. As soon as the palace gates opened, a line of people rushed out and another line of people entered.
At the corner, Cheng Shuyuan only appeared after watching the eldest prince's back enter Fengqi Palace. Her maidservant cautiously asked, "Your Highness, shall we return to the palace?"
In the hazy morning light, Cheng Shuyuan's face, unlike her sickly pallor, carried a sharp edge. She glanced at the maid, then strode back to the palace. The journey was safe, but the restlessness in her heart was building up, making it difficult to maintain her composure. She just wanted to burn this place to the ground.
But she held back in the end. She still had her son and couldn't act impulsively. However, she wouldn't let those people get away with it.
In Fengqi Palace, after hearing the eldest prince's words, the empress's face fell, and she said with disappointment, "Even if the Duan family admits their crimes, His Majesty will only suspect the second prince of having ulterior motives."
"By doing this, you've actually cleared the second son of suspicion. A living person is more useful!"
The Empress hadn't slept a wink all night; her eyes were dark and her head felt dull and numb, as if it had been chiseled open. Looking at the indifferent First Prince, a surge of anger welled up inside her. She had been scheming for so long to reverse the situation, but she hadn't expected the First Prince to interfere so easily, almost ruining everything.
But by this point, complaining was useless. He was so audacious that he dared to kill a court official. But since he had already killed him, all he could say was, "Do you know how many people were sacrificed this time to erase your traces?"
"If Mother had handed these people over to me earlier, you wouldn't have needed to worry about them."
"You!" The Empress paused, but the Crown Prince had been wanting these people for a long time and did not want to get bogged down in this pointless argument. He then waved his hand and said, "Go down."
The eldest prince stood up and said gently, "Mother, please rest early and take care of yourself. Your son will still need to rely on you."
The polite words flowed easily, and the Empress listened without saying a word. Watching the eldest prince leave the palace gate, she couldn't help but wonder, could he really have wiped out the Duan family? The Duan family was no ordinary rural family; nearly a hundred guards' corpses had been reported. How could it have been so easy? But after a careful search, no other traces were found.
I can only overthink it, yet I feel uneasy.
The Empress pressed her hand to her chest and gave the order, "Go and take a look over there."
Inside the council hall, the second prince crawled on his knees to Emperor Mingkang, his head hitting the ground heavily. When he stood up, a trickle of blood slowly flowed from his forehead, seeping into his eyes, turning them crimson. His eyes were filled with pain and sorrow, but without resentment.
Seeing the once radiant and dignified Second Prince so dejected, Emperor Mingkang's stern expression softened slightly.
"Father, I cannot defend myself in this matter, but I am truly innocent. The whole court and the people are watching me. Why would I invite trouble upon myself at this time!"
After the second prince finished speaking, he crawled two steps on his knees, thought of reaching out but then forcibly pulled his hand back, and solemnly said, "Father, I have encountered Duan Heng several times and found him to be quite eloquent and knowledgeable, so I have developed a desire to befriend him. As for his collusion with rebels and his association with treacherous officials, I was unaware of that. I failed to judge people properly, and I beg Father to punish me."
After speaking, the Second Prince bowed down and remained so for a long time. His heart pounded like a drum in his ears, making his nerves even more tense. He knew about Duan Heng's matter, and he knew it even more deeply than he did now. Back then, the Prince of Dingxi had many powerful ministers associating with him. This matter had angered his father, the Emperor. How could it not be that he had annoyed his father?
He is no match for the eldest prince!
The ruthless and sinister rage in his heart was almost impossible to suppress. The sound of footsteps above his head snapped the Second Prince back to his senses.
Emperor Mingkang walked up to the Second Prince and said indifferently, "Get up. The matter has not been investigated yet, why are you doing this?"
"The court officials all praise you for your virtue and talent, and your ability to recognize good people. Look at this, it's such a small matter, why are you so flustered!"
The words were ostensibly praise, but the Second Prince felt a chill in his heart. He quickly straightened up, his face less flustered by Emperor Mingkang's words, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips. "Father, it's not appropriate for court officials to speak ill of their son in front of you, so they used some lenient words. You know best what my abilities are, otherwise I wouldn't have embarrassed you this time."
The second prince adopted a humble attitude, speaking only of the intimacy between father and son, thus minimizing the severity of the matter.
Emperor Mingkang gazed intently at the Second Prince, frowned, and after a moment's pause, slowly said, "Go down."
The Second Prince was about to say a few more words when Dexi stepped forward and gently lifted him up, saying, "Second Prince, His Majesty knows your heart, but there is much discussion among the people and in the court. His Majesty is considering the overall situation."
The second prince understood and went out the door. The palace door opened and closed, letting in only a sliver of sunlight before plunging the interior into darkness again.
Emperor Kang of Ming had not personally managed state affairs for a long time. This matter was complicated and entangled, and the restless desire to kill had arisen in his heart. One by one, people were restless and wanted to cause trouble, which gave them a chance to live and instead made them more and more demanding!
"Playing around under my nose, I really feel like I've been living a peaceful life for too long."
Enraged by the emperor's outburst, De Xi lowered his head and knelt down in fear a moment later, pleading, "Your Majesty, spare my life!"
Emperor Mingkang glanced at it and said coldly, "Summon the Court of Judicial Review and the Ministry of Justice."
The imperial decree was issued, and the court fell silent, a sword hanging precariously, its fate uncertain.
When Meng Qingshan received the news, the two were having a meal. His gaze fell on Qingli. The soft morning light fell on her profile, making her look serene and beautiful. Her bamboo-colored clothes made her skin appear even whiter. She was so good; she deserved to reclaim her identity openly and honestly.
The time has come.
His gaze was so intense that Qingli couldn't ignore it. She picked out a mutton pancake and put it in his bowl. He had a big appetite and needed to eat some noodles and meat in the morning. Granny Qiu was a good cook, and she would cook for him whenever he came. Over time, she also preferred light meals, and they coexisted harmoniously at the table.
"What's wrong?"
Meng Qingshan wanted to say a few words of comfort to her, worried that she would panic in the turbulent days ahead and concerned about her grandfather's situation. But when the words were on the tip of his tongue, he thought that she was hiding something from him. For a moment, his mouth felt bitter and astringent. He also thought that he deserved all of this and did not want to mention irrelevant people. He briefly recounted the events of last night, saying, "The Second Prince went into the palace and came out safely in half an hour."
Emperor Kang of Ming did not believe it.
His tone was extremely confident; if he believed it, how could the Second Prince have come out so easily?
Emperor Mingkang was clearly not going to let this matter go so easily.
Her slender fingers were taut, leaving bluish-white marks. Duan Heng was treacherous, and the Second Prince had ulterior motives. The two were in cahoots. It was not unjust to pin this on the Second Prince, but it was wrong to involve her grandfather.
"Could this involve...other people?"
"The first thing to do in the case of cheating in the imperial examination is to arrest the officials who set the questions, so as to show the court's determination."
Qingli understood. This matter was complicated, and the outcome hung in the balance. It started with the Empress and the First Prince. The Empress wanted to strike decisively, but the death of the entire Duan family gave the Second Prince a chance to catch his breath. Duan Heng was dead, but there were many people involved. The search must be conducted among those who had access to the exam questions.
The grandfather acted uprightly, but what about Emperor Kangxi's heart? Whom did he hold dear?
Qingli let out a heavy sigh, feeling that the imperial court was in complete disarray; the emperor was not an emperor, the ministers were not ministers, and everyone else harbored their own ulterior motives.
"Don't worry, things aren't that bad."
Qingli guessed that he was comforting her by drawing her out of concern for Duan Heng. He already knew everything he needed to know, and there are no secrets that can't be kept forever. She didn't care, so this wasn't a shackle.
Meng Qingshan glanced at the time and got up to go to the palace. "Get up, see me off."
Qingli was momentarily bewildered, but obediently got up and saw him to the door, saying, "Come back soon."
He turned around, satisfied.
The sun had risen high, making my cheeks feel hot and my vision blurry.
“Miss, the General is acting strangely today.” Jiang Zhao blurted out, “In the past, the General was careful when he went out, worried that he might make a noise that would upset you. Today, however, he was pulling you to see him off, as if he was reluctant to part with you.”
Qingli retorted with a stern face, "Nonsense."
Jiang Zhao was about to say something more when Jiang Yue pulled her out the door, muttering, "I wasn't mistaken, the general is indeed strange..."
The voice, seemingly both near and far, accompanied her strong heartbeat. She thought to herself that he had many thoughts on his mind, but she wondered what those thoughts were. He never adhered to rules, and rules never applied to her. Unable to come to a conclusion, she gave up trying to think about it.
She thought of her grandfather again and felt uneasy. She picked up her pen, wrote a letter, and then burned it. She and her aunt kept in touch unless there was something to discuss, so she couldn't let herself get flustered.
You must trust your grandfather, and also your aunt, and your cousin... Meng Qingshan.
After calming her down for a while, they heard hurried footsteps outside. Granny Qiu threw the empty basket aside, rushed into the room, and said, "Miss, something terrible has happened! The Dali Temple is conducting a large-scale arrest operation in the capital."
“The officers and yamen runners all carried knives, their faces grim, and they drove us women and children away. Anyone who tried to cause trouble was beaten.”
"That's really scary."
Granny Qiu patted her chest, feeling a wave of fear. Seeing her young mistress's pale face, she realized she had scared her mistress by talking too much.
Qingli was surprised that the Dali Temple acted so quickly, so she hurriedly summoned the guards that Meng Qingshan had arranged in the front yard, "Go and find out which officials in the capital have been... summoned away."
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