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"A letter!" Qin Sang exclaimed anxiously. "Oh dear, quick, go to the Prime Minister's study and see if that letter is still there!"
Her shout startled both adults.
"What letter?" Pei Ying's eyes narrowed slightly.
Xie Ying also frowned.
Qin Sang winked at Xie Ying, making it obvious, as if afraid others wouldn't notice.
Pei Ying leaned forward, blocking Qin Sang and Xie Ying: "?"
Qin Sang's chin twitched. She looked at Pei Ying, then at the deputy general, as if she had made up her mind. She stood in the center of the courtyard, bowed deeply, and knelt down.
"Your Excellency, please see the truth! The Prime Minister was framed by a villain!" Her voice trembled slightly, and her suppressed sobs were heartbreaking to hear.
Xie Ying stepped forward, somewhat nervously: "What do you know?"
Qin Sang stood up, her fair skin slightly flushed, and her moist eyes filled with tears that were about to fall: "I am indeed the daughter of the Prime Minister's old friend. I did return to the capital this time for a purpose. I brought back a letter to the Prime Minister."
She paused appropriately, then prostrated herself again: "This letter... concerns the truth of the Prince Su's rebellion case. I am a descendant of someone implicated in this case. The letter was left by my father and contains evidence proving that this case was a miscarriage of justice!"
As soon as Qin Sang said this, the whole courtyard was in an uproar. However, as if a gust of wind had suddenly swept across the reeds, after a soft rustling, only a deathly silence remained.
Everyone present held their breath.
Seven years have passed, and who dares to bring up what happened back then?
The case of treason has been closed and concluded, with countless deaths and injuries. Who would dare to bring it up without cause and say that it was a wrong judgment back then?
Who made the wrong judgment?
Did the current emperor make a wrong judgment and unjustly kill his eldest son?
Absurd! This is suicidal, and it drags everyone present down with it.
The lazy summer insects' drawn-out calls became the only sound here, breaking the silence.
After a long silence, the young Physician Pei was the first to shout angrily, his veins bulging: "Nonsense! How dare you spread rumors and mislead the public, and discuss state affairs so recklessly! Guards!"
"Wait!" Xie Ying stopped Pei Ying.
Pei Ying glared at them angrily, showing no mercy, and continued, "Anyone who dares to stop us will be punished!"
Xie Ying, fearless and shameless, took two quick steps to block Qin Sang's path, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist. His men, including his personal guards, followed suit.
The sound of dozens of knives gently rubbing against their sheaths was so terrifying that it inspired fear in those who heard it.
Pei Ying: "Are you trying to rebel?!"
"This matter is still unresolved. She said there was a letter that might be evidence of the Prime Minister's murder," Xie Ying said without changing his expression. "Lord Pei, ignoring the facts and making arbitrary arrests, is this how your Dali Temple usually handles cases?"
Pei Ying choked, and Qin Sang seized the opportunity to continue defending herself: "My whole family suffered a disaster back then, and there are other hidden reasons for this. The Prime Minister was willing to take me in, and I also needed his help. Why would I want to assassinate the Prime Minister?" Qin Sang pretended to realize something, "Ah, someone must have learned about this letter and was worried that the matter from back then would be brought up again, so they took the risk. They even dared to assassinate the Prime Minister!"
This step was actually taken very badly. Although the incident back then was a miscarriage of justice, it had been settled, with the emperor issuing an edict himself.
Now, rashly proposing that it is a miscarriage of justice is like throwing a boulder into water, stirring up more waves, and the Xie family may be implicated... But Xie Zhongxu's death was already a shocking case. If she doesn't use another big case to suppress it, she will die now, and be pushed out by her own people to be a scapegoat.
Having said all that, I felt a little guilty. My words, as a weak woman, were not really credible. But it was precisely at this critical juncture that some people wanted Xie Zhongxu's death to be "suicide," while others wanted it to be "murder by a woman," which complicated matters.
Even if Xie Ying and that white-bearded old man originally intended to push her out, the clue she has now revealed is enough for them to risk their lives to save her, right?
“If that’s the case,” Pei Ying quickly composed himself and sneered, “things are even more complicated now. You should come with me, young lady. We can talk about it later…” As he spoke, he raised his hand, signaling his men to fight and snatch her away.
Qin Sang said loudly, "Although I gave the letter to the Prime Minister, I memorized its contents and also gave a copy to my friend for safekeeping. If something happens to me, the contents of this letter will be scattered all over the streets and alleys. Your Excellency, do you know what the contents of the letter are? Are you sure what the consequences will be if the people find out the truth?"
Pei Ying gritted his teeth until his cheeks were bulging. He turned his back, and after a moment, having seemingly calmed down, he turned back with a gentle smile: "According to what you've said, if you hold crucial clues to a major case from back then, which led to the Prime Minister's death, wouldn't it be even more dangerous for you to stay here? We..."
“Come with me.” Pei Ying’s words were interrupted before he could finish. It was the old man with the goatee who spoke; he had been listening half-drunk, half-awake, and finally said, “This matter concerns important officials and the prince; this man should be handed over to our Censorate…”
Qin Sang hid behind Xie Ying: "I'm innocent. Unless there's concrete evidence that I'm involved in the Prime Minister's death, I'm not going anywhere. If you have any questions, come here and ask me. I'm not going anywhere!"
Who knows if there are assassins in the Inspectorate? If she leaves this compound, will she even survive?
She reached out and grabbed Xie Ying's sleeve, looking timid: "The Prime Minister entrusted you with protecting me before he died. You can't let them take me away!"
Xie Ying: "...??" The Prime Minister had given him such a life-threatening instruction?
But now, Qin Sang has thrown out a powder keg, bringing up an old case again, a case that could lead to the extermination of an entire clan and the confiscation of property. He really doesn't dare to hand Qin Sang over casually, otherwise he would be at the mercy of others, and the entire Xie family would suffer.
If it weren't for the Prime Minister's rescue back then, he would probably be nothing but a pile of bones now. If the Prime Minister truly died because of this, then naturally we must investigate the truth for him.
He could only save Qin Sang.
"If the adults want to take someone away, they should at least have some plausible evidence. Right now, it's not appropriate to rely on just words without any proof, is it?"
Pei Ying found it unbelievable: "Didn't you say that the new woman in the manor was acting suspiciously, which is why you brought all of us here?"
Xie Ying sneered: "But her maidservant testified that she did not go to Ninghui Hall yesterday."
Pei Shaoqing felt like he had been played. In order to clear Xie Xiang of suspicion of suicide, this group of people had deliberately thrown out a suspect. Well, he originally planned to come and go through the motions with them and see how they performed. Who would have thought that he would stir up a hornet's nest as soon as he arrived!
The Prince Su's treason case?
Prince Su was the most favored prince after the current crown prince many years ago. He was kind, humble, gentle, virtuous and talented. Everyone said he had the ability to be the crown prince, and perhaps the emperor would give up the eldest son and choose the eldest son instead... Unfortunately, in the end, he exposed his ambition and made a big mistake because of the emperor's favoritism towards the crown prince.
However, this matter cannot be discussed in detail. In the struggle for the throne, the winner takes all, and everyone keeps quiet about the various disputes.
So many years have passed since the incident, and he has already sided with the princelings, been appreciated, and been promoted. But someone came forward and said that there was another story behind the plot to rebel back then.
What's the inside story?
Was he persecuted or framed?
Who could have framed them besides the Crown Prince? Who can gain the most benefit in this battle without bloodshed?
But that's the Crown Prince! Now that the Emperor is seriously ill, the Crown Prince is assisting the country, and all the ministers bow down to him. He has so many followers that he has the power to overthrow the dynasty.
If the Right Chancellor and his group of upright officials were to find out now that the Chancellor's death was related to Prince Su's treason, the Crown Prince's faction would be in big trouble. And he, being at the source of the fire, would likely suffer a terrible fate, possibly losing all chance of promotion...
His small heart swayed inside his chest like a swing, making him almost unable to stand.
This woman cannot be allowed to live.
He had only one thought in his mind.
He gritted his teeth, preparing to renege on his promise, and shouted again, "Guards! This woman is highly suspicious. Take her back to the yamen for questioning!"
"Swish, swish, swish!" In an instant, the sound of broadswords being drawn could be heard incessantly.
Qin Sang gripped Xie Ying's clothes tightly and whispered, "If you don't protect me, the Prime Minister will be punished for harboring a traitor. All his hard work and achievements will be lost, and the Xie family will be destroyed. You..."
"What are you bringing? Where is the suspicion? Show it to me." Qin Sang had only spoken half of her whisper when she suddenly heard a slightly hoarse voice coming from the courtyard gate.
"Cough cough cough..." The hoarse voice coughed a few times.
Hmm, that sounds familiar.
Everyone looked towards the doorway, and Qin Sang also turned her head slightly, seeing the Ning'an Prince, whom everyone described as capricious, eccentric, sickly, and ill.
Although dressed in plain white, the subtle silver patterns on the clothes shimmered like moonlight under the lamplight, exuding a noble yet understated elegance, and a refined yet aloof air.
The person was similar, pale-faced, with delicate features, handsome but thin.
He looked even thinner today than when I last saw him at the city gate.
From a distance, he walked past the crowd and nodded to Qin Sang.
The courtyard was quickly filled with people kneeling down: "Greetings, Prince Ning'an!"
With a pale face and a slight cough covering his mouth, Prince Ning'an quietly walked past the crowd, stood in front of Pei Ying, and held out his hand: "Did you want to arrest people? Come, let me see the evidence."
What evidence? Where does Pei Ying have any evidence?
He gritted his teeth for a long time, until his cheeks ached: "This woman spoke..."
Prince Ning'an interrupted him: "Hmm?"
"Hmm? What 'hmm'? Before he could finish speaking, he continued, "This woman said herself that she once gave Prime Minister Xie a letter, which was about what happened back then...back then..."
Prince Ning'an looked at him with a smile, but his eyes were cold.
Pei Ying couldn't understand what he meant. The thing that was about to be said, something that everyone present could hear, suddenly became impossible to say.
Unexpectedly, Prince Ning'an coughed twice: "The treason case from back then, right? Hmm, I've heard a little about it."
Qin Sang: "...??" You've heard about the story I made up?
After saying this, Prince Ning'an ignored Pei Ying and walked towards Qin Sang instead.
His smile was gentle, even carrying a hint of... inexplicable doting, which made Qin Sang shudder. What did this mean? This Prince Ning'an, an unknown figure in the history of factional struggles, was appearing here at this moment, walking towards her with such a smile. What was he trying to do?
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