Chapter 132
132
Kyoto was unusually quiet tonight, with every house closed and doors shut, as if they had keenly caught some unsettling message.
The Xie residence in the south of the city was brightly lit, with white decorations throughout. A gloomy cloud hung overhead, its dark, oppressive atmosphere suggesting an impending downpour of autumn rain, followed by a long, harsh winter.
Xie Sui'an knelt in the mourning hall, his face pale, his expression cold, and his whole body radiating unspeakable grief and indignation.
Jinyun, also dressed in white linen clothes, came in from outside the hall and whispered something in his ear. His dull eyes finally moved, and he got up and hurried towards the gate of the Xie residence.
Qin Sang rested in the military camp for an afternoon, and before the city gates closed, Prince Ning'an personally escorted him back.
Stepping down from the carriage, Qin Sang saw two large white lanterns at the entrance. She couldn't help but recall the last time she saw her, and the arrows that covered her body.
My legs buckled, and I almost lost my balance again.
The mansion gates opened, and Xie Sui'an rushed out, but withdrew his outstretched hand when he saw the two people leaning intimately together.
Lingding ran out from inside, bypassed Xie Sui'an, and went straight to help her young lady. Qin Sang pulled her hand away from Zhao Kun's, visibly relieved.
It wasn't that she wanted to lean on it; her leg was seriously injured, and if she didn't take good care of it, she might be crippled.
Seeing Lingding struggling to climb the stairs step by step, Xie Sui'an rushed down the stairs and picked her up in his arms.
"Hiss..." Qin Sang's back wound was immediately aggravated, and her face changed in pain.
Xie Sui'an's expression also changed.
"She has a deep knife wound on her back, which required stitches. Please take good care of her," Zhao Kun instructed without changing his expression. He added, "I will send people over to secretly guard the Xie residence. You take good care of her and make sure she doesn't leave the residence recently."
Xie Sui'an was about to say something when his gaze suddenly passed over Prince Ning'an and looked towards a more distant place.
Prince Ning'an also noticed it. When he turned around, he saw a fire dragon gradually approaching from the other end of the street. Who else could be the leader but the Prefect of the Capital?
Without turning his head, Prince Ning'an ordered, "Carry the person inside. I'll handle the rest."
Xie Suian nodded, picked up the person, and walked towards the main gate.
However, a dark figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere, leaping into the air and landing right in front of Xie Sui'an.
The man in black reached out to block Xie Sui'an's path. Xie Sui'an's eyes practically blazed with fire as he coldly hissed, "Jinyun!"
Jinyun was only a few steps behind, and when he arrived at the gate, he leaped out and started fighting the man in black.
"Hey, wait a minute, don't be impatient, don't get worked up!" The fire dragon procession was already approaching, and the middle-aged prefect at the head of the procession, panting, raised his hand and shouted, "Don't attack! We mean no harm!"
However, Jinyun only obeyed his young master's orders, and if his young master did not tell him to stop, he would ignore what others said.
The two started fighting.
Seeing that he couldn't stop them, the prefect had no choice but to bow to Prince Ning'an with a bitter face: "Your Highness, may you be well? Your Highness, please tell them to stop fighting!"
Zhao Kun sneered, "A little sparring wouldn't hurt. Sir, you've come here so diligently."
"Alas, it's all to share the burdens of the emperor; I can't say I'm diligent, it's just my duty." Prefect Chen Jin was an extremely shrewd man; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to hold his position as the prefect of the capital, a position fraught with hardship, for over ten years.
Zhao Kun: "It's late tonight. The Xie family is in mourning tonight. I advise you not to disturb them. Ask them tomorrow if you have anything to say."
Chen Jin laughed and said, "Your Highness is so considerate of us, we should be grateful. However, such a major case has occurred in the Xie family, and the pressure from above is really great. We are afraid that things might change overnight, so we can only come in a hurry. We thought we should first conduct an autopsy and take statements, so that when the higher-ups ask us tomorrow, we won't be unable to say anything. This crime could cost me my official hat."
Prince Ning'an raised his hand without making a sound, and the guards who came with him immediately drew their swords. The sound of their swords clashing made the prefect's expression change slightly.
But it was only for a very brief moment. The next second, he continued with his fake smile, saying, "Your Highness, what is this...?"
“I will explain to my father myself,” Prince Ning’an said, not giving him a chance to speak again. “I was also present today. I saw with my own eyes the bandits attack the Xie family’s carriage, rob and kill the maid and coachman, kill the head lady of the Xie family and injure my wife… Lord Chen, the evidence you want is with me. I will personally go to the palace to present it tomorrow. You should go back and not disturb the Xie family tonight.”
"Does Your Highness have evidence?" Chen Jin's smile finally turned ugly.
"Isn't this what you came for? Hmph, the motive for intercepting and killing the Right Chancellor's family members is still unclear, but it can't be a simple personal grudge. Lord Chen, I advise you to act cautiously and not be used as a pawn by others."
The flickering lights brought Chen Jin to a standstill. A sudden silence fell over the area, while Jin Yun and the man in black engaged in a lively exchange of blows. Xie Sui'an, carrying the person, tried to go inside, but the man in black was about to stop him when Chen Jin coughed softly.
The gate was parted to make way, and Xie Suian quickly carried the person inside.
The fight at the entrance stopped in time. Chen Jin squinted at the backs of the two people entering the gate, then smiled and cupped his hands to Prince Ning'an: "Since Your Highness will personally present the testimony tomorrow, then I will not disturb you any longer. I hope the future princess will take good care of herself and recover soon."
After saying that, he glanced inside the door again, then smiled and waved, leading his men away.
Seeing the men leave, the prince's servants also sheathed their longswords. One of the guards leaned forward, as if to say something: "Your Highness..."
But Zhao Kun raised his hand to stop him.
He turned to look at the backs of the two people inside the Xie family mansion, closed his eyes briefly, and said, "Let's go. After all, I'm the one who came later. Let's give them some time."
***
Xie Sui'an wanted Qin Sang to go back to her room to rest, but she insisted on going to the mourning hall.
Xie Jingze and Xie Wu were kneeling in the mourning hall. They both turned around when they heard the sound.
Xie Wu jumped up and rushed over to grab them: "What happened? You were all fine when you went out this morning, how... how could this happen? Who sent these people...?"
Xie Jingze and Xie Wu had been crying for the entire afternoon. Both of them had red eyes and looked dejected. Qin Sang couldn't bear to watch, her eyes stung, and she also shed tears.
"I'm sorry, Madam, perhaps... you've been implicated because of me."
On her way back, Qin Sang had already discussed it with Prince Ning'an. Whether it was the assassination attempt in the palace last time or this time, it was because someone wanted to stop her marriage to Prince Ning'an. She was just an unknown person, so if the other party wanted to kill her, they could kill her. In short, no one would stand up for her.
Perhaps Xie Zhongxu had this consideration when she chose to have herself replace her granddaughters?
Unexpectedly, both attempts failed, and Qin Sang couldn't help but wonder if Si Ming was actually protecting her in secret. That's true, otherwise she would have died countless times over.
At this moment, she felt only guilt towards Xie Wu. Why hadn't she thought of this danger beforehand? Why hadn't she taken precautions after already experiencing it once? If those people were so audacious as to act inside the palace, wouldn't it have been easier to act outside?
"What are you talking about? What do you mean by implicating me?" Xie Wu was heartbroken and couldn't understand Qin Sang's words at all.
But Xie Jingze understood, and he said, "She is also injured. Don't ask anymore. Let's talk about it when she's better."
The hand that was gripping Qin Sang's sleeve slipped limply to the ground. Xie Wu's sobbing was like hammer blows to Qin Sang's heart. Her throat ached, and she took a step forward and knelt down in front of the coffin.
She whispered in a voice only she could hear, "Siming, Wang Huiwen is a good person, but she has been burdened by me. Please let her be reborn into a peaceful and stable family, where she can live a peaceful and stable life, and no longer have to toil in such a family." In such a wealthy family, where there is constant intrigue and fear, how can there be any peace and stability?
She believed that Si Ming could hear her; if he couldn't, she would personally oversee the matter when she returned.
After leaving the mourning hall, Xie Sui'an remained in the courtyard, waiting to escort her back to her room.
She supported herself with his hand and said as they walked, "Let's put our relationship aside for now. I have more important things to do and can't worry about you for the time being."
Xie Sui'an naturally understood her meaning, but couldn't help worrying: "What do you want to do?"
"Marriage, murder."
Xie Sui'an: "...Does Prince Ning'an already have a detailed plan?"
Qin Sang was slightly taken aback. She didn't know whether she should tell him these things, but he was already a part of this situation. Xie Zhongxu died, and he was transferred to the Imperial Guard, all for the sake of this future attack.
Before she could speak, Xie Sui'an added, "Never mind, I won't ask. I'll find out when the time is right. I just hope you can take care of yourself and not risk your life."
Qin Sang's legs ached, making walking extremely difficult; she leaned almost entirely on Xie Suian's arm. It was hard to say whether she could survive this final outcome, but regardless, she hoped he would be safe and sound. Even if their relationship didn't end well, she wished him a happy and fulfilling life, after all, he was such a lovely and kind person.
Not wanting him to worry, she simply said, "Okay."
***
The evidence presented by the Prince of Ning'an was not limited to the assassination. There were also cases of cheating in the imperial examinations, abducting women from respectable families, illegally minting coins, beating and killing palace maids, and raping and murdering officials' concubines. All of these cases had long been quietly placed on the Emperor's desk. It wasn't that the Emperor didn't want to deal with them, but that he couldn't.
King Ning'an started too late. He was like a fledgling that had just grown wings. The Yellow Emperor would only give in and go all out when his wings were fully grown and he could fly on his own.
The deposed crown prince was something that had been brewing for some time.
Perhaps years ago he was blinded by greed and misled into killing his most beloved and most suitable successor prince, but over the years, this old emperor has seen things clearly.
He sat on his magnificent throne and carefully wrote two imperial edicts, one for his most trusted chief eunuch and the other for the eunuch who delivered them.
The following day, news of Prince Ning'an's wedding, which would take place in ten days, spread throughout the streets and alleys of Kyoto.
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