Chapter 229 A Disappointing Father
Prince An considered whether Wei Dongchen had any grudges against the Duke of Chu's mansion, and whether Jiang Yu's current actions affected Wei Dongchen's interests.
As far as he knew, none of these were available.
“A rumor has been circulating from Yichun Tower these past two days,” Prince An said in a cold voice, “that the Duke of Chu has climbed into the Emperor’s bed. Are you aware of this?”
Xu Manniang was shocked; she hadn't expected Prince An to ask about this matter. But then she thought, this matter involved the Emperor, so it was normal for Prince An to ask.
She thought for a moment and said, "This servant...this servant does not know."
"I don't know?" Prince An's voice was very soft, but when Xu Manniang heard it, she couldn't help but tremble all over. Then she heard Prince An say again, "It seems that asking you won't do any good. I'd better call Wei Dongchen over."
He turned to a member of the Imperial Guard and said, "Go and invite Lord Wei over."
“No, no need,” Xu Manniang immediately said. “I…I remember now, I remember now.”
The Imperial Guard looked at Prince An, his eyes asking if he still needed to invite Wei Dongchen.
"Go ahead and let Lord Wei come and listen as well?" Prince An said.
He wanted everyone to know that he was investigating rumors, to shut up those who loved to gossip, and to deter those who spread rumors.
Xu Manniang was about to faint, but she didn't even have the right to faint now.
......
The Imperial Guard left Yichun Tower, mounted his horse, and headed towards the Wei family residence. Upon arrival, he produced his Imperial Guard officer's token and told the gatekeeper, "Prince An wishes to see Lord Wei."
The servant's mind went blank upon hearing the words "Imperial Guard." Things involving the Imperial Guard were generally not good. One servant quickly smiled and invited the man inside, while the other took off running towards Wei Dongchen's courtyard.
When they arrived, Wei Dongchen was in his study. The servant went in and explained what had happened. Wei Dongchen was shocked and thought about what he had been doing lately, but it seemed that nothing he had done would alarm the Embroidered Uniform Guard!
After pondering for a moment, he said, "Let's invite them over."
After the servant left, Wei Dongchen paced back and forth in the room, feeling that something big was about to happen. A moment later, Zhong Lin, the Vice Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, entered and bowed to him, "Lord Wei, His Highness Prince An is waiting for you at Yichun Tower."
Wei Dongchen was shocked again, shocked that Prince An had actually met him at Yichun Tower. Suddenly, he remembered that Yichun Tower seemed to be owned by his in-laws, the Zou family.
"May I ask what business Your Highness Prince An has with me?" Wei Dongchen asked.
Zhong Lin: "You'll know when we get there, Lord Wei. Please, Lord Wei, don't keep His Highness waiting."
Wei Dongchen forced a smile. "Okay."
Before leaving, he instructed the steward, "Tell Zou Qi to go to Yichun Tower as soon as possible."
The butler nodded immediately and agreed to do it right away.
The Wei family's residence wasn't far from Yichun Tower; it only took about fifteen minutes to arrive. After entering through the back door, the two went up to the third floor one after the other, and Wei Dongchen followed Zhong Lin into the room where Prince An and the others were.
Upon seeing the madam kneeling on the ground, Wei Dongchen's heart skipped a beat again, and he quickly bowed to Prince An, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness Prince An."
Prince An waved for him to sit down, and Wei Dongchen, wondering what was going on, carefully sat down on a chair to the side. At that moment, a member of the Imperial Guard came to report that the owner of Yichun Pavilion, Young Master Zou the Seventh, had arrived.
Wei Dongchen quickly told Prince An, "It was I who summoned him."
“Let him come and listen too,” said Prince An.
A moment later, Zou Qi entered, bowing low. He knelt and kowtowed to Prince An, who did not allow him to rise. Looking at Xu Manniang, Prince An asked, "A rumor has been circulating from Yichun Tower these past two days, saying that the Duke of Chu has climbed into the Emperor's bed. Are you aware of this?"
One sentence made Wei Dongchen jump to his feet. He had heard the rumor before, and naturally, he didn't believe it. He even wondered who was so bold as to spread such a rumor, which involved the Emperor!
However, this matter had nothing to do with him. He had been watching with a detached, gossipy attitude, but he never expected that the matter would take such a roundabout turn and involve him.
This guy got into all sorts of trouble just from being a gossipmonger!
Young Master Zou was already sweating profusely. He had heard the rumor before, but he never expected it to come from his own brothel.
Xu Manniang turned her head and cautiously looked at Zou Qi. Zou Qi was so angry that she wanted to kill her. She said directly, "Why are you looking at me? Just answer whatever the prince asks you."
Xu Manniang knew that neither Zou Qi nor Wei Dongchen would protect her, so she said, "I only heard about it this morning. After hearing it, I interrogated the people in the building and found out that it was Lord Jiang who said it when he was drunk that day."
Prince An frowned: "Which Lord Jiang?"
Xu Manniang: "Jiang Lihui, the eldest son of the Imperial Censor."
Prince An narrowed his eyes, and after a while stood up. "I will report the matter to the Emperor truthfully."
After he finished speaking, he strode out, and Wei Dongchen quickly followed. "Your Highness, I really don't know anything about this."
Prince An stopped and turned to look at him. "Lord Wei, it's no use explaining to me."
“This…” Wei Dongchen watched Prince An stride away and stomped his foot angrily.
Although he didn't spread the rumors, he could still be linked to Yichun Pavilion. Who knows if the Emperor might be so enraged that he'd even retaliate against him!
And then there's the Duke of Chu. This matter is clearly aimed at the Duke of Chu. If the person spreading the rumors manages to bring down the Duke of Chu, that's one thing. But if the Duke of Chu is already as powerful and influential as he is now, will he also retaliate against him?
"My lord," Zou Qi strode over, "what should we do now?"
"You still have the nerve to ask what to do? Turn it off, turn it off right now!" Wei Dongchen said angrily.
Zou Qi was startled, "How long will you be locked up?"
Wei Dongchen: "...Close down. From now on, there will be no more Yichun Tower in the capital."
"Is this... really necessary? It's not like we made up the rumor." Zou Qi asked cautiously.
"Is it really necessary?" Wei Dongchen sneered and said, "Putting aside the Emperor, if the Duke of Chu is vindictive, your Zou family can forget about being a royal merchant. Shut it down immediately."
Upon hearing that even becoming a royal merchant might be impossible, Zou Qi quickly replied, "Yes, yes, yes, we'll shut it down right away."
Wei Dongchen snorted and strode away; he needed to think about what to do next.
Jiang Lihui not only betrayed his father, but he also betrayed him!
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