In the past, Qingping was indifferent to other matters, especially those involving the royal family.
But today’s matter is related to Princess Zhenmin, and Qingping cannot turn a blind eye. So, whether there’s a conspiracy against Zhenmin, or an indirect use of the deceased Zhenmin against Su Rong, no matter who it is, royal family or not, she must step in.
She believes that her royal brother would never willingly remain ignorant of matters involving Sister Zhenmin. This belief stems from her understanding of him as his sister.
Sure enough, when the emperor heard Qingping’s words, he ordered the eunuch Yu in a deep voice, "Summon He Zheng."
He Zheng is the commander of the Imperial Guard.
Eunuch Yu complied.
In a short while, He Zheng appeared before the emperor and kowtowed.
The emperor ordered him, "Take your men to the Duke Residence to..." He was about to say bring back old Zhao to the palace for interrogation, but paused, thought for a moment, and changed his mind, "Go assist Zhou Gu. Tell him I command a thorough investigation of who was behind the chaos at the elegant tea house today, using old Zhao to disrespect Princess Zhenmin."
He Zheng was taken aback, but immediately agreed.
The emperor waved his hand, and He Zheng withdrew.
Qingping hadn’t expected her royal brother to send the Imperial Guard to assist Zhou Gu in the investigation, which would legitimatize Zhou Gu’s position in handling the case.
"Since the matter involves the royal family, I fear that even if we bring him back, the Imperial Guard won’t be able to keep a close watch, just like the Black Jails of Dali Temple," said the emperor, noticing Qingping’s expression. He casually addressed his sister.
Qingping was stunned, did the emperor mean that he now trusted the Duke residence more than his own? She wasn’t sure what led her royal brother to this thought. Was this a sign that he no longer suspected the Duke Residence after all these years?
"Qingping, Su Rong has been living in your residence for many days now. I’ve heard that many people in the Capital City who have seen her say she looks like Princess Zhenmin. What do you think?" the emperor suddenly asked.
Qingping’s heart skipped a beat. Looking up at the emperor, she saw him staring at her. She quickly thought and, after a moment, lowered her head and spoke the truth, "Royal brother, Su Rong is..."
She didn’t finish her sentence, but bowed her head in remorse and pleaded, "Please forgive me, royal brother. It was such a shock that it took me a few days to recover."
The emperor’s expression remained stern, "What is it?"
Qingping immediately said, "She is the daughter of Sister Zhenmin and the Nanchu King. Sister Zhenmin didn’t die in Dawei as we believed, instead, she..."
Qingping briefly recounted the details.
After she finished, she tentatively looked up at the emperor.
The emperor raised his eyebrows. "Did Su Rong tell you this herself?"
Qingping nodded. "Yes."
The emperor grunted and sternly inquired, "Was it because you were too shocked and hadn’t yet recovered, or did you never plan on telling me?"
"Royal brother, I never intended to hide it from you. Su Rong is a living person in the Capital City. Many people who have seen her are whispering about her ancestry. Sooner or later, you would have found out about her identity. It would be pointless for me to hide it from you."
"But because you didn’t tell me immediately, I had to confront the old Duke," the emperor’s voice grew heavier. "I missed the opportunity to meet her when very few people knew about her. Now, everyone is discussing it, watching every move I make. I can’t summon her to the palace immediately."
Qingping was at a loss for words. "Royal brother, I only found out about her two days before you did. While she was staying at the Princess Residence, I had my suspicions, but they were just that, suspicions. It was only after an assassination attempt and my return to the residence that I pressed her for answers, recognizing her true identity. Today, when I came to the palace, I planned to inform you."
Seeing that Qingping was sincere and hadn’t committed a grave mistake, after all, she had come to make amends after knowing the truth, the emperor dismissed her actions. As his own sister, he merely gestured and said, "Enough. Let this be the last time. Now get up!"
Qingping immediately stood up.
The emperor asked her, "She has been staying at your residence for a while. Tell me about her."
When it came to that topic, Qingping knew just what to say. She told the emperor about all the interesting things Su Rong had done and said during her stay at the Princess Residence. She held back nothing. Anything she could recall, she recounted to the emperor.
After listening, the emperor frowned. "Apart from her face, she doesn’t seem to resemble Zhenmin at all, does she?"
Qingping nodded, "Indeed, their personalities are quite different. Sister Zhenmin was composed and eager to learn, while Su Rong is unrestrained and naughty. According to Su Rong, Sister Zhenmin didn’t restrict her when she was a child. She wasn’t strict with her and tolerated her mischief. After Sister Zhenmin passed away, Su Rong was placed under the guidance of Xie Yuan. He, too, didn’t restrain her, which resulted in her current demeanor."
She laughed and said, "It’s precisely because of this, it might be a stroke of good fortune. From a young age she’s faced countless assassination attempts and survived them all. If she’d been genuinely raised as a pampered young lady, she’d probably be too afraid to even step out of the harem, let alone come to the Capital City."
The Emperor found solid reasoning in her observations, "She doesn’t possess traits like those of Princess Zhenmin?"
"She does have some. Princess Zhenmin taught her proper manners when she was young. When she chooses to follow those manners, her behavior and manners highly resemble those of Princess Zhenmin."
The Emperor slowly nodded, recalling, "It’s been too long; I do not clearly remember Princess Zhenmin’s manners."
Qingping remained silent, thinking to herself that his statement was intended only for her ears. The Emperor, who was raised by Sister Zhenmin, how could he possibly not remember? No matter how many years passed, he would always remember. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be a Imperial Concubine Zhen in the palace.
It was clear from the title ’Imperial Concubine Zhen’ that even the Empress retreated a step for her over these years, giving her some leeway, and never clashed with her. She had been favoured for many years, her favor was practically atop the six palaces.
She cautiously asked the Emperor, "Emperor, when do you plan to meet Su Rong? How long do you plan to wait? Ye Guixue came here to pick her up, and I am almost certain that she will go with Ye Guixue to Nanchu. According to my sources, Ye Guixue plans to stay in the Capital City for only a month."
"How are you so certain?" The Emperor counter-questioned.
Qingping chose her words carefully, choosing to relay parts of her conversation with her husband from earlier.
The Emperor seemed thoughtful, "I have yet to meet this Ye Guixue, despite having issued an invitation for him to visit the palace."
Given that Ye Guixue was not a local of Daliang, nor a court official of Daliang, but rather a respected minister from the Ye Xiang Residence in Nanchu, the Emperor did not feel it appropriate to forcibly invite him to the Imperial Palace.
Qingping replied, "I have seen Ye Guixue before, he is handsome and replete with talent."
The Emperor tapped his fingers on the table, "I must meet him. Tomorrow, I shall send Yu An to the Ye Xiang Residence once again."
He could not meet Su Rong immediately, but he could meet Ye Guixue and glean some information from him.
After speaking, the Emperor replied to Qingping’s earlier question, "In the case of the covert assassination attempt, as well as today’s storytelling incident involving Old Zhao, I need to first investigate who among us is conspiring with someone in Nanchu Country, plotting to murder Su Rong, before making a decision."
From this sentence, Qingping understood the Emperor’s intention. Because of Sister Zhenmin, he would protect Su Rong, that was enough.
She stood up, "Then I will not disturb you further, Emperor."
The Emperor waved a dismissive hand, "Go."
Inside the Duke Residence, Zhou Gu had tied up Old Zhao and Zhao Fei and brought them back to the residence. Naturally, he couldn’t conceal this from the old Duke. After hearing the reasons, the old Duke cast a sharp gaze at Old Zhao.
Old Zhao was already scared witless, almost kneeling before the old Duke.
The old Duke said nothing, but waved to Zhou Gu, "Carry out the interrogation process, and tell me once the results are out."
Zhou Gu nodded, then escorted the two men away.
Zhou Gu directed Old Zhao to sketch the person in black first. Then, holding the sketch, he scrutinised it for a while, finding no special features, and handed it to Su Xingze to examine. Subsequently, he posed a sharp question for Old Zhao, "Old Zhao, tell me, how did you learn about the matter of Princess Zhenmin? When that person came to see you, did he perhaps give you something to look at? Or did he merely speak about it? You’re just a common man, how could you know so much about Princess Zhenmin?"
Old Zhao responded, "He handed me a booklet on Princess Zhenmin and asked me to memorise everything. After I completed the task, he took away the booklet."
"So, you are saying, that he stayed at your place for quite some time?" Zhou Gu asked. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞
"He wasn’t there for long, as you know master, I used to earn a living using my painting and writing skills. I could easily remember up to 80% of any book or set of paintings after looking at it a couple of times." Old Zhao answered truthfully.
You were afraid of that man hurting your son, but were not afraid of bringing trouble to yourself after the incident came to light?", Zhou Gu asked again.
At this point Old Zhao was almost in tears, "I had no choice. If I didn’t agree, he was going to kill my son."
Narrowing his eyes, Zhou Gu asked, "Being skilled in both painting and writing, I find it hard to believe that you didn’t manage to get any leverage on this man after he spent so much time with you. Otherwise, wouldn’t he just kill you after he achieved his objective? How can you be so sure that he would let you live?"
Old Zhao went totally pale, his lips quivered for a long time before he finally whispered: "His boots, they bear the unique pattern of a white tiger, something only members of the Imperial Guard possess. He must not have regarded me as a threat, or he didn’t think about changing his boots."
Once he had finished speaking, he sat down heavily, "I didn’t dare to draw it, that’s all I know. I’ve told you everything and done everything I can. Young Master Zhou, please spare me and my son!"
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