Chapter 491 Should we kill her?
The Prince Rui's mansion was massacred, and the Lian family's property was confiscated. A climate of fear gripped the entire capital. Even ordinary people avoided going out to prevent getting into trouble.
The emperor's absence from court for several days heightened the tension in the court. Many ministers began inquiring about the emperor's condition, but were told that he was only slightly unwell. However, anyone who went to visit him was turned away. Only Prince Rui remained at the emperor's bedchamber at all times.
As a result, many people began to speculate that the Emperor's health might be in serious trouble. Several of the remaining princes had already begun to show unusual behavior. Many others went to Jiang Yu to inquire about the situation, but she managed to evade their questions.
Three more days passed, and the Emperor still did not attend court. Meanwhile, the Marquis of Chengen, in charge of the military camp outside the capital, took action; all the gates leading out of the capital were now heavily guarded by soldiers. That very day, Jiang Yu, wielding the imperial sword, raided the homes of five ministers. These ministers were all henchmen of the Prime Minister.
This series of actions further heightened the tension in the capital. The Prince of Lingnan, the Prime Minister, and the Crown Prince could no longer wait, and they met again.
"Let's do it." The Crown Prince said urgently, "Prince Rui and the Sixth Prince are in cahoots. He's the only one guarding the Emperor right now. If we don't act now, they might get their hands on the edict of succession."
These words received no response from the others, and the Crown Prince's expression darkened further. He stood up and paced around the room before turning his gaze to Lord Qingshan. Lord Qingshan had no choice but to speak.
He looked at the King of Lingnan and the Prime Minister, and said thoughtfully, "I also think we should act as soon as possible. Judging from the current situation, the King of An should have already received the help of the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Chengen. If we do not act quickly, we may miss a good opportunity."
The Prime Minister and the Prince of Lingnan exchanged a glance and remained silent. After a while, the Prime Minister said, "I don't think now is the time to act. So many days have passed; even if the Emperor was poisoned, his condition should have improved by now. But the Emperor still doesn't attend court; this could very well be a setup."
These words brought a solemn look to the faces of both Earl of Qingshan and the Crown Prince. At this moment, the King of Lingnan said, "Even if it's a trap, we have to act now. If we drag this out any longer, things might fall apart in Lingnan."
These words brought a moment of silence to the room. They all knew that although the Prince of Lingnan was currently trapped in the capital, Lingnan remained their greatest asset. As long as Lingnan remained safe, the Emperor and his forces would not dare to truly attack the Prince of Lingnan. And if they succeeded on their side, Lingnan would be safe as well.
The prime minister sat there silently for a long time, his eyelids drooping, before finally saying, "Then let's take action tomorrow."
At the same time, Li Zhong, the steward of the Duke of Chu's mansion, carried a snow-white carrier pigeon and hurried towards the study. Upon arrival, he presented the pigeon with both hands.
Jiang Yu took the carrier pigeon, took a rolled-up piece of paper from its leg, and unfolded it. On it was a short line of words: "One hundred li from Lingnan, to proceed in three days."
Ten words made Jiang Yu's hands tremble with excitement. Clutching the note tightly, she paced quickly in the study, pondering her next move. She considered the matter from the perspective of the Prince of Lingnan:
Having spent so much time in the capital, the Prince of Lingnan must have guessed that the imperial court had already dispatched a large army to Lingnan. He had to act before the army arrived in Lingnan; even if the information was inaccurate, he could still guess that the army was nearing Lingnan. Without the Prince of Lingnan, Lingnan would be utterly vulnerable to the imperial army, which possessed devastating firearms.
Therefore, even if they suspect the Emperor might have set a trap, they have no choice but to fall into it. Thus, they are very likely to make their move in the next two days.
They had no army of their own, only the power of the crown prince. Using the emperor's health as a pretext, they allowed the crown prince to govern. As long as the crown prince could govern, the remaining power of the prime minister could still stabilize the court. Then, some ministers would submit to them after seeing the crown prince effectively govern.
Their plan is easy to break; as long as the Emperor appears, they can punish the Crown Prince. But the key is, what grounds can they use to take down the Prince of Lingnan? Although almost everyone has known for years that the Prince of Lingnan harbors rebellious intentions, he has not left any incriminating evidence in public.
Using the crown prince's status as an excuse?
The thought crossed Jiang Yu's mind, but she immediately suppressed it. The Emperor valued his reputation, and regardless of whether this matter was true or false, it absolutely could not be made public.
Therefore, the only way to ensure the King of Lingnan's success is to make him believe that Lingnan has fallen and that his grand ambition can only be realized by guaranteeing the Crown Prince's successful coup. This would involve him actively participating in the Crown Prince's coup attempt, rather than remaining behind the scenes. In this way, sentencing him to death would be entirely justified.
In that case, Pei Tinglan would be the best entry point.
She paced around the room a few more times, then called the butler and instructed him, "Bring the master here."
"Yes." The butler left quickly, and a moment later Jiang Chengye entered the study with a nervous look on his face. He looked at Jiang Yu and said, "I... I haven't left the house during this time, and I get along very well with your mother."
Jiang Yu: "......."
She walked to the tea table, sat down, poured herself a cup of tea, and said to Jiang Chengye, "Father, please sit down too."
Jiang Chengye breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she wasn't going to scold him. He walked over and sat down opposite Jiang Yu, but then said, "Your mother praised me for making a lot of progress today. Don't you think your mother has become more and more radiant lately?"
Jiang Yu suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. She cleared her throat and said, "I know that Father and Mother have been getting along well lately. Father, please continue your efforts."
Jiang Chengye smiled, then realized that his appearance seemed somewhat inappropriate in front of his daughter, so he stopped smiling and asked, "Yu'er, what brings you to your father's attention?"
Jiang Yu didn't delay any longer, leaning closer to him and whispering, "Father, I have something to ask of you..."
After hearing her words, Jiang Chengye immediately patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I will definitely handle things well."
“Okay,” Jiang Yu stood up and said, “Wait until I leave for a quarter of an hour before you set off.”
Jiang Chengye nodded, then asked hesitantly, "Should we kill her?"
Jiang Yu nodded without hesitation and added, "Let her die however you like."
After saying that, she strode out and, once outside the door, instructed Steward Li, "Prepare the horses."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
