First Prince
Jun Qiyu burst into laughter upon hearing the Emperor's words, and a few tears welled up in his eyes as he laughed.
"Father, do you think I can accomplish anything great in my current state?" Jun Qiyu asked with a smile. "Even my elder brothers have never taken me seriously."
He slightly tightened his grip on the cup in his hand, a nonchalant smile on his face. "My greatest wish in this life is to have a beautiful woman in my arms."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the Emperor's voice rang out, "Is a lifelong pursuit of wine pools and meat forests?"
Jun Qiyu took in the expression on the Emperor's face and quickly nodded seriously, "Yes, yes, it's 'wine pool and meat forest.' Look at my memory, I can't even remember such a simple phrase." He tapped his head as he spoke.
"Father, I am already in this state, what can you expect me to do?"
"It's about the joint trial by the three judicial departments. I've never done this before, and it's driving me crazy. I just got the latest news and came to tell you about it." Jun Qiyu's face was drooping. "I'm really unlucky. I've never done such a difficult job before."
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt the emperor's hand fall on him, gently coaxing, "It's alright if you suffer, but we can't let the people suffer, isn't that the truth?"
"Of course, of course," Jun Qiyu nodded quickly, pretending to know nothing.
Thinking of the identities of the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Minister of Justice, Jun Qiyu took the opportunity to speak, "Father, I've heard that the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review and the Minister of Justice are both people of the former Crown Prince. How could someone like me gain their favor?"
Jun Qiyu clearly sensed that after the words "former crown prince" were uttered, the emperor's eyes darkened, as if he was quite unwilling to mention this son, and a fleeting emotion flashed in his eyes.
"Both Guan Qing and Wei Qing are people who work for the benefit of the people. They are honest and down-to-earth people, just like Lu Qing. If you handle this matter well, how could you not gain their favor?"
Jun Qiyu could clearly sense that the Emperor's words were relatively more relaxed than before.
“Father is right,” Jun Qiyu quickly agreed with a smile. “If Father has nothing else to say, I will take my leave now.”
"Stop going to brothels these days and deal with this matter properly for me," the Emperor ordered in a deep voice as he looked at Jun Qiyu. "And don't leave everything to Wei Qing and the other two."
Jun Qiyu stood up and bowed slightly to the Emperor. “Father, rest assured, I will handle this matter with all my heart and will live up to your expectations. But without beautiful women and fine wine, I feel unwell.”
He had barely finished speaking when the Emperor's voice rang out.
"Get out! I don't even want to see you."
After bowing, Jun Qiyu quickly left. The moment he turned around, the emotion on his face was completely different from before.
As he sat in the carriage, Jun Qiyu twirled the jade thumb ring in his hand, his expression cold and aloof.
"How is the situation?" His tone was icy.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, given the current situation, Fang Ye should be going to see the First Prince." Jiang Chen appeared before Jun Qiyu. "Should we make arrangements there?"
"Fang Ye is a fence-sitter and has connections with three other people. Apart from Fang Yuanchao, his other three daughters are all concubines. Do you think this man is very ambitious?"
“There is only one person.” Jiang Chen quickly said, “However, the three daughters who have married out were all born to Fang Ye’s concubines. I heard that the legitimate daughter is still unmarried.”
"The eldest and second eldest sons both have wives, only the third son and I are still unmarried. It seems that Prime Minister Xie has his eye on the third son."
After saying that, he took a small sip from the cup in front of him, and the words Xie Sili had said before came to mind again.
“With the blessing of the Phoenix, Xie Liu would never allow her to become a concubine, given Xie Xiang’s personality. Therefore, the most likely candidate now is the Third Prince.” He tapped the table after putting down his cup.
Thinking of this, Jun Qiyu curled his lips, his eyes revealing an unfathomable emotion.
"Fang Ye's matter, you follow up on it. Don't hand it over to anyone else." Jun Qiyu turned his gaze to Jiang Chen. "We need to give an explanation to the Three Departments. Just hand it over to those people."
As soon as he finished speaking, the image of how Lu Shiyuan had treated Xie Sili flashed through his mind again. "Go and investigate the relationship between Lu Shiyuan and Miss Xie again."
"Your subordinate obeys."
After Jiang Chen left, Jun Qiyu extinguished the candles in the car.
In the darkness, only Jun Qiyu had his eyes closed.
On the other side, Fang Ye, having nowhere else to turn, had no choice but to go and find the eldest prince, Jun Qixiu.
Although he wanted to find the Second Prince and the Third Prince, in fact, the other two princes were not as favored by the Emperor as the First Prince, who was also the most favored person besides the former Crown Prince.
"Your Highness, please save me. I have no other choice but to come to you."
Inside the study, Fang Ye spoke humbly to the man sitting in front of him, a hint of flattery in his eyes.
"I only have one son, Chao'er, and now that he has encountered such a thing, I hope Your Highness will lend a helping hand." Fang Ye lowered his head, his tone pleading, "Your Highness, I beg you." After saying that, he knelt down and kowtowed.
The man sitting in the high seat wore a black robe, his eyebrows and eyes showing a smile but never reaching his eyes. When he looked at Fang Ye, his eyes were deep and dark.
This person is none other than the eldest prince, Jun Qixiu.
The matter between the Fang and Zhao families has enraged the Emperor in the court today, and the joint trial by the three judicial departments will be presided over by Prince Yan, Jun Qiyu.
The joint trial was conducted by the Ministry of Justice, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and the Prefectural Government of the Capital, but none of these three parties belonged to his faction.
Minister of Justice Wei Lin, Chief Justice of the Court of Judicial Review Guan Lingsong, and Prefect of Jingzhao Prefecture Lu Shiyuan were all stubborn and unyielding. Even though Zhao Changgeng was formerly a member of the Jingzhao Prefecture, his stupidity ruined his important plans.
But Jun Qiyu is the breakthrough point. This man frequents brothels and indulges in beautiful women, so what problems can we expect him to uncover?
"How is Chao'er doing?" Jun Qixiu asked perfunctorily, his tone indifferent.
"Your Highness, his condition is very bad. There is no other way but to find the poisoner and get the antidote." Fang Ye looked at Jun Qixiu with a sorrowful expression. "Your Highness, I have never asked you for anything before. Now I only have Chao'er. Chao'er is my only child!"
He didn't give Jun Qixiu a chance to speak and continued, "Your Highness, the person who poisoned us is currently imprisoned in the dungeon of the Jingzhao Prefecture. With just one word from Your Highness, we can bring the poisoner here."
Not receiving a reply from Jun Qixiu, Fang Ye continued, "Your Highness, I beg you... Your Highness..."
"Enough." Jun Qixiu interrupted Fang Ye with a gloomy expression. "You brought this trouble upon yourself. Is this the only time Lord Fang remembers that you are one of my men?" His tone was full of sarcasm. "What do the affairs of your Fang and Zhao families have to do with me?"
"Even though you are my man in the eyes of the Emperor, you still believe in the Second and Third Princes in your heart. Lord Fang, you are such a fickle person. Only now do you remember my good deeds?"
Fang Ye was startled and quickly said, "Your Highness, what are you saying? The person I have always served is Your Highness. As for the Second Prince and the Third Prince, they are just nodding acquaintances. How can they compare to the friendship between Your Highness and me?"
"Oh." Jun Qixiu drew out the last syllable. "Is that so?"
Fang Ye wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, yes, look at all the money I've earned over the years, I've used it all to support Your Highness." His tone was still obsequious, "Your Highness, you and Chao'er are also friends."
"Who is this person?" Jun Qixiu asked without much thought. "And how did they find your son? Is there some hidden story behind this? Why does the matter of the grievance drum point directly at your Fang and Zhao families?" As he spoke, he tapped his fingers on the table in front of him. "Lord Fang, I hope you will tell me the truth."
He knew more or less about the affairs of the Fang and Zhao families. Fang Ye and Fang Yuanchao were both the kind of people who could get along well. Nowadays, the aristocratic families were connected and had their own small circles. The gossip in those circles was the talk of the town in the capital.
Now, however, this matter has been exposed by the grievance drum. He wished he could sever ties with Fang Ye, but who knew that Fang Ye would still come knocking on his door.
"Your Highness, all I want now is to save Chao'er's life." Clearly, he was unwilling to discuss this matter in front of Jun Qixiu.
"Lord Fang!" Jun Qixiu's voice rose involuntarily, "It seems you still haven't come to your senses!" After saying that, he slammed the cup heavily on the table, "Now that things have come to this, what you're thinking about isn't your son at all, but your own family's petty squabbles!"
Not getting a response from Fang Ye, Jun Qixiu continued, "Fang Ye, don't think that no one knows about your little scandal. The Emperor hasn't come after you because of this matter, and it hasn't caused any trouble yet. Now that the people are beating the drum to appeal their grievances, making it known to everyone, it has also been brought before the Emperor."
Jun Qixiu looked at Fang Ye with a cold expression, "How could Father not be angry! I have reminded you almost three times before not to act in this way, but you have never taken it to heart."
Seeing Fang Ye kneeling down, Jun Qixiu kicked him, saying, "A married daughter is like water spilled from a bowl; she's nothing more than a concubine. Lord Fang, you shouldn't bother pleading for her!"
"Your Highness, if you don't save him, won't Chao'er be doomed?" Fang Ye kowtowed heavily. "Your Highness, I beg you. Chao'er is my only son."
"Isn't your son more important than your mess? If so, why should I clean up your mess?" Jun Qixiu said with a sneer. "Lord Fang, are you worthy?"
"I was wrong, I was wrong. None of those things are as important as Chao'er's life." Fang Ye continued to kowtow, oblivious to the blood streaming down his face. "If Chao'er becomes a eunuch, then my Fang family line will end!"
After calming down, Jun Qixiu turned his gaze to Fang Ye. "Fine, fine. I suppose you came to me because you think the second and third brothers are unreliable. I can reluctantly bring that person to you."
Upon hearing this, Fang Ye quickly nodded in agreement.
"Tell me, what does that girl look like?" Jun Qixiu picked up the cup in front of him and drank it all in one gulp, but the gloom in his eyes did not dissipate.
Fang Ye carefully described Xie Sili's appearance to Jun Qixiu. Even though he had never seen Xie Sili's face, he felt that Xie Sili was just an ordinary person based on Fang Ye's description.
Ever since the incident involving the grievance drum occurred, Jun Qixiu has felt that someone was pulling the strings behind the scenes, but so far there has been no progress.
Jun Qiyu is nothing but a good-for-nothing, spending his days indulging in pleasure quarters and beautiful women, and has never accomplished anything in the court. The reason why the Emperor entrusted him with this matter is because the Emperor knows that Fang Ye is actually his man.
He was too outspoken in court, which aroused the emperor's suspicion.
For some unknown reason, Jun Qixiu's eyes were deep and thoughtful.
After learning Xie Sili's general appearance from Fang Ye, Jun Qixiu waved his hand at him, saying, "If I get the antidote, I will naturally give it to you. You may leave now."
Although Fang Ye was displeased, he did not show it on his face. He bowed to Jun Qixiu and then turned to take his leave.
After a short rest, Xie Sili was personally escorted back to the dungeon by Lu Shiyuan.
She had just sat down when she saw the old man lean over, his words full of concern and inquiry. Lu Shiyuan knew about the relationship between the old man and Fang Ye, and answered all his questions.
"Lord Lu, no matter what happens tonight, there's no need to take any action," Xie Sili said casually, fiddling with the hairpin in his hair.
Noticing Lu Shiyuan's gaze, she looked up at him briefly before lowering her head again.
Midnight had passed, and the dungeon had fallen silent, with only the flickering candlelight.
Amidst the flickering light, footsteps seemed to be heard, and Xie Sili lowered his head and curled his lips into a smile.
"The person is here."
An unfamiliar voice sounded in her ear, and the footsteps stopped in front of her.
Under the lamplight, Xie Sili's face was revealed to the man in black, and even a single glance was enough to make him unforgettable.
“She’s quite the beauty,” another voice chimed in, “but unfortunately, she’s offended Lord Fang.”
During the conversation, he picked Xie Sili up and disappeared into the dungeon in a few flashes.
No one noticed that after they disappeared, a figure slowly emerged from the depths of the dungeon, following closely in their footsteps.
...
The intense candlelight forced Xie Sili to open her eyes.
As soon as she opened her eyes, she saw a man squatting in front of her.
He was dressed in a long black robe, his eyes were filled with gloom, and his right little finger had a severed section.
Those eyes were fixed on her, as if they wanted to tear her to pieces.
He is the eldest prince, Jun Qixiu.
"So you're the one who poisoned Fang Yuanchao?"
Hearing Jun Qixiu's words, Xie Sili looked up at him, a nonchalant smile on his lips, "So what if it is? Do you want to take lives so lightly?"
“Once you’re in here, do you think you can get out?” Jun Qixiu didn’t seem to take her words to heart.
Seeing Jun Qixiu's outstretched hand, Xie Sili instinctively dodged it.
Perhaps her actions provoked Jun Qixiu, for in the blink of an eye, the two of them had already exchanged two or three blows.
"Jun Qixiu, isn't it just that you want to know if someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes in the case of the Judgment Drum?"
Xie Sili stood there, freeing herself from the iron chains on her hands, and looked up at Jun Qixiu's eyes, which met hers with a hint of emotion in them.
"I am the mastermind behind this!"
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