Chapter 129 Testing
Princess Shu'an suffered a great loss this time due to her recklessness.
Because the Crown Prince's wife was pregnant, and the second daughter-in-law was a concubine's daughter-in-law, Princess Qing had always looked down on her. Only after she fell ill did she call her daughter back. Prince Qing felt guilty about the past and didn't care much about the inner palace, so he didn't object.
Unexpectedly, Princess Shu'an's interference in her maternal family's affairs, for what he considered a trivial matter, almost ruined his grand plan!
Enraged, Prince Qing not only stripped her of her authority but also nearly sent her back to her husband's family. Princess Qing, despite her illness, rushed over and pleaded with the authorities to preserve Princess Shu'an's last shred of dignity.
"This is all thanks to you!" Princess Shu'an retorted mercilessly to Xu Rong, "I'm about to settle accounts with you!"
“Princess, please calm down,” Xu Rong bowed. “Your Highness has been wronged. I had no choice yesterday.”
Princess Shu'an wasn't buying it: "Stop pretending. You've already achieved your goal. You still want to trick me into telling you things? Do you think I'm easy to bully?"
Xu Rong coughed lightly. This princess was of noble status, spoke directly, and acted willfully, but she was not stupid after all.
“How dare I try to trick the princess?” she said, her expression unchanged. “It’s just that yesterday we arrested Prefect Zheng and brought him back. He implicated General Chang, who was brought in this morning. He gave some statements that were detrimental to the Prince’s residence. That’s why I’ve come to see the princess.”
Princess Shu'an leaned forward slightly. It wasn't that she was easily swayed, but now that Prince Qing had rejected her, if she didn't listen to Xu Rong, she would completely lose her way of observing the outside world.
"—What confession?"
Xu Rong didn't keep her in suspense and told her the truth. Princess Shu'an was instantly shocked and furious: "That Chang fellow has betrayed my father again?!"
Again? That's an interesting word.
Xu Rong instinctively realized that this was very important, but she didn't have time to think about why. She calmly said, "General Chang is not lying. It is true that Prefect Zheng was taken in by the Prince's orders?"
Princess Shu'an's eyes flickered for a moment, then she became self-righteous again: "What fate? Zheng Yuansheng came to us on his own, but Father was too lazy to deal with him and just threw him away somewhere. Chang Rongshi wanted to take him in himself, what does that have to do with my father?"
That's quite clean, isn't it? Xu Rong nodded: "That's what I thought too. Since the princess says so, then I can go back and talk to her."
She looked as if she was about to take her leave without disturbing her any longer, which startled Princess Shu'an, who said, "Wait."
Xu Rong sat back down and waited.
Princess Shu'an pondered for a long time before finally asking with a hint of suspicion, "Do you really think so too?"
Xu Rong smiled and said, "What I think is not important at all, Princess. You don't need to care."
So whose opinion matters? For someone of Prince Qing's caliber, is it really necessary to care about whose opinion?
Naturally, it could only be the one on the imperial court in the capital.
Can that person accept such a perfunctory answer?
Princess Shu'an understood: "You are threatening me."
Xu Rong immediately denied it: "This humble woman dares not."
Princess Shu'an sneered: "Did you just kindly inform me?"
Xu Rong said sincerely, "No, this humble woman has a request to make of the princess."
Princess Shu'an raised her chin. She wasn't angry; instead, she felt reassured: "What do you want from me?"
"Your Highness knows why I traveled all the way to Pingliang," Xu Rong said slowly. "My children, Baiquan and Xiaoliu, are still being held in the Prince's mansion. They both have relatives in the capital who miss them dearly."
Princess Shu'an realized that she had almost forgotten about the two servants if Xu Rong hadn't mentioned it. She relaxed and scoffed, "If Father wants to keep them, I can't help you. Besides, why should I help you?"
Xu Rong smiled: "Why is General Chang helping the Prince again?"
"You—!" Princess Shu'an's expression changed drastically. "You knew—what exactly did you know?"
“I come from the Xiao family,” Xu Rong said meaningfully. “What does the princess think I should know?”
Princess Shu'an's expression changed again.
She didn't want to show her emotional changes at all, but she just couldn't control herself—she had never met anyone more cunning than Xu Rong, who could set traps and inducements in every word, making it impossible to guard against them!
“Father is right,” she suddenly said bitterly.
None of those from Beijing are any good!
She didn't say it explicitly, but her eyes conveyed it perfectly.
Xu Rong couldn't possibly be confused, and she felt a rare bit embarrassed: it seemed like she was the one bullying someone, when the one with a higher status and the home-field advantage was clearly Princess Shu'an.
"So what if you know?" Princess Shu'an suddenly became arrogant again. "It was the Chang family who wronged my father, and the Xiao family is no better. My father was exiled to the Northwest, while they enjoy wealth and honor in the capital, and their descendants live in luxury for generations. In this world—" Her voice turned cold, "There is no such thing as a free lunch."
Xu Rong fell silent.
Princess Shu'an waited a moment but received no response. She glanced at her and asked, "Are you mute?"
Xu Rong certainly didn't.
She was merely concealing her emotions; amidst the chaotic clues before her, she seemed to have stumbled upon the crucial one. She cautiously opened her mouth: "Lord Xiao raised the young lady to adulthood; he must have repaid the Prince in some way."
"Pah!" Princess Shu'an couldn't stay calm anymore when this was mentioned, and spat out a mouthful of rudeness. "Does the Prince's Mansion really care that little slut? If Xiao Yuanhong really knew shame, why would he go through all this trouble to get related to the Chang family by marriage? They're clearly from the same boat!"
Xu Rong was startled, and his expression changed slightly.
The problem actually lies in Xiao Lun's marriage to Chang Shuyin.
Yes, she should have realized it sooner. The Marquis of Changxing's mansion and the Duke of Zheng's mansion had a more distant connection than the Xu family, which had a smaller population. And Madam Xiao was so ambitious. Why didn't Xiao Lun just marry Chang Shuyin directly? Why did he take the long way and choose the Xu family first?
Back then, there were probably some taboos surrounding it.
As families that had both openly and covertly ties with Prince Qing, they dared not get too close.
As time went by, the old stories faded and the taboos lessened. With Xiao Lun's status as the heir apparent, it wouldn't be easy for him to find another unmarried noblewoman of a high family who was a good match for him. That's why the Duke of Zheng's mansion came back into his sights.
Looking back, during the entire process of annulling her engagement with Xiao Lun, Lord Xiao rarely appeared; it was all handled by Madam Xiao. She used to think it was because Madam Xiao was strong-willed and the Xu family only had Madam Xu. Now, reflecting on it again, she has a different feeling: even if the taboo is lessened, it still exists, which is why Lord Xiao, although he did not object, always maintained a lukewarm attitude.
Xu Rong's change in expression made Princess Shu'an realize that she had said too much. She quickly thought about it carefully and, fortunately, it didn't seem to be anything serious. It was all an open secret. She breathed a sigh of relief and looked over inquiringly: "You are willing to speak up for the Xiao family. After all, you have a debt of gratitude to your husband for raising you, right?"
Xu Rong was both amused and exasperated. How could Princess Shu'an have such a misunderstanding? The Duke of Ying's mansion was sandwiched between the two families, and she only maintained a superficial peace with the Xiao family because of the Duke of Ying's influence.
However, this question was somewhat difficult to answer. She didn't acknowledge any favors or kindness shown to her, but given the values of the time, it was inconvenient to deny it entirely. Just as she was pondering this, Princess Shu'an seemed to see through something and smiled, "No wonder. A few servants are not worth you coming all this way. Are they really just people you sent out to do business?"
"..." Xu Rong's thoughts about the previous question had dissipated, and she said slowly and carefully, "Yes."
After answering, I saw a dismissive look on Princess Shu'an's face.
She didn't believe it.
What did she think?
Or rather, what does Prince Qing think?
Xu Rong's purpose in making this trip was not actually to retrieve Bai Quan. She had just tricked Princess Shu'an. Now that she was coming to ask for people, no matter how eloquent she was, Princess Shu'an would never grant her wish. Her purpose was actually the same as Lin Xin's: to test whether Prince Qing had any rebellious intentions and to find out how much Prince Qing was involved in the volatile situation in Pingliang Prefecture.
With Prefect Zheng arrested and Chang Rongshi appearing in public, this was a good opportunity.
She and Lin Xin probed separately, and by verifying their findings with each other, they could arrive at the final answer.
Now, Xu Rong unexpectedly received her first answer: Bai Quan's detention was not accidental. She remembered clearly that An Zi, who came back to report the news, said that Bai Quan entered Pingliang Prefecture at the beginning of the year. The timing was very clever, as she and Lin Xin had just reunited with Lin Ding and returned to the capital.
In other words, Lin Xin's background was not yet public at that time. In most people's minds, she and Lin Xin were still considered to be people of the Changxing Marquis's mansion. Servants followed their masters, and Bai Quan was no exception.
So this originally very simple gold-mining trip might have looked quite different in Prince Qing's eyes.
Bai Quan was from the capital, and his accent was also from the capital. When he traveled, he generally didn't use the Marquis's name, but since he didn't intend to do anything malicious, he didn't bother to conceal his origins. With Prince Qing's power, tracing him shouldn't be difficult. And after tracing—
Prince Qing would not believe that this was just a coincidence.
If she were in his shoes, Xu Rong would also find it hard to believe. She would definitely think: What is the Marquis of Changxing's mansion trying to do by sending a servant to Pingliang under the guise of doing business? And why hide their origins and act in the name of their daughter-in-law? The more roundabout the question, the more suspicious it becomes.
After this, Lin Xin's true identity was revealed, but firstly, he didn't openly break ties with Lord Xiao, and secondly, Lin Xin was later appointed as an imperial envoy. From any perspective, Prince Qing still had a need to continue detaining Bai Quan, and even Xiao Liu wouldn't be spared. At this moment, Xu Rong understood Prince Qing's thought process: Let's see how many people you can send. If one comes, detain one; if two come, detain two.
...
Xu Rong said sincerely, "Princess, this is really a misunderstanding."
Princess Shu'an sneered, "Keep making things up. Do you really think I'm a fool?"
Xu Rong sighed helplessly: "..."
She tells the truth, but nobody listens anymore.
Princess Shu'an gave her a triumphant glance, then leaned back in her chair: "You know you're speechless now. I'm in a good mood, so I don't need your apology. And don't even think about getting anything out of me. Go!"
She served tea to see the guest off, and Xu Rong, unable to resist, had no choice but to take his leave.
As she walked out of the side gate, she saw that Lin Xin had finished earlier than her and was already waiting for her outside the mansion gate.
Upon seeing his expression, Xu Rong knew he had gained something and smiled, "Has the prince agreed to sell us grain?"
Lin Xin nodded slightly, a smile appearing on his face: "Five thousand shi (a unit of dry measure)."
The shortfall is 12,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), so this solves about half of it, which is a very good result. The other half is already in the hands of Prefect Zheng, and when things get too difficult, he can be used to fill the gap.
"It's sunny outside, let's talk in the car," Lin Xin gestured to her.
The two then got into the carriage, and Lin Xinxian recounted his meeting with Prince Qing. It was still the same Jingxin Hall, under the same calligraphy scroll, and Prince Qing still had that inscrutable demeanor. Lin Xinxian brought up Chang Rongshi's confession, and Prince Qing's reaction was much calmer than Princess Shu'an's; he merely chuckled.
"Was this expected?"
Lin Xin nodded: "A little bit, but more importantly, he didn't take Chang Rongshi seriously. Judging from his tone, he seemed to know Chang Rongshi very well and was certain that he was just putting on an empty city ploy."
Xu Rong's eyes flickered: "Prince Qing knows that he did not send any attendants."
The so-called memorial was nothing more than a self-directed act, a pre-arranged ambush to exonerate himself. As for the fact that the memorial never reached the capital, that's not hard to explain. It either happened by accident or was intercepted—specifically referring to Prince Qing. Whether Prince Qing admits it or not doesn't matter, as it's difficult to verify anyway. As long as Zhou Qianxian has a record proving that such a "memorial" ever existed, that's enough.
"General Chang is no ordinary man either. We arrested Prefect Zheng from his home, which actually got him out of trouble. No wonder he surrendered so readily."
Xu Rong sighed in admiration. Otherwise, keeping such a hot potato would have been a real problem. She had only met Chang Rongshi once, and at the time, her attention was drawn to Chang Shuyin's reaction, so she hadn't paid much attention to him. Now, she realized he wasn't a formidable character, and that's why he hadn't been sent to Pingliang.
Lin Xin shook his head: "I'm afraid he'll be outsmarted by his own cleverness."
Xu Rong straightened up with interest: "How so?"
“From the moment he took in Prefect Zheng, he was trapped,” Lin Xin explained. “When Prince Qing mentioned him, his tone was kind and there was no anger in his eyes.”
Xu Rong: "..."
A chill ran down her spine.
When it comes to cunning, there's always someone more cunning than you.
She whispered, "No, even earlier, from the moment he was asked by Chang Shuyin to investigate Xiao Shan's background."
From that moment on, he was trapped. He was a border general and a descendant of a noble family that had been related to Prince Qing. Either of these identities was too sensitive. He was forced to take in Prefect Zheng, but why did he interfere in Prince Qing's residence and cause Princess Qing to fall ill? No one forced him to do that.
Prince Qing has no reason to blame him, because the less he blames him, the more others will blame him.
“Your Highness,” a servant suddenly approached from outside the curtain, his voice tense, “the situation behind us is not good. Some of the refugees who were guarding outside the palace are following us.”
Lin Xin was startled and lifted the curtain to look. Xu Rong also hurried over and saw that there were indeed some disaster victims with their faces covered in dirt behind the carriage. Xu Rong had seen these disaster victims when she first came to the Prince Qing's mansion, but at that time she could do nothing but sigh.
“Xiang Tou has good hearing. He overheard them talking about how the young master had received a large amount of grain and they wanted to ask him for food.”
That's alright. Lin Xin did indeed reach a deal with Prince Qing—though he didn't know how these disaster victims found out, perhaps they were just making wild guesses out of extreme hunger. He nodded and said, "Stop the car. I'll go down and tell them to wait a little while. Once the grain is bought, it will be distributed to them."
The retainer quickly shook his head: "No, they don't look right. I've been with the young master in Pingliang for so long and have seen many disaster victims. They don't look like they're begging for food; they look like they're about to cause trouble."
There are indeed such people, quite a few of them. Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Xin personally handled several cases when he first arrived. He could see that these disaster victims were indeed unusual. Their faces looked numb, yet there was an excitement shining through their numbness. Some of them walked unsteadily, but their eyes flashed with a fierce light.
He made a quick decision: "Let's go back to the government office first."
He could force his way out of the car and suppress the crowd if he were alone, but Xu Rong was still in the car, and he couldn't afford to take that risk.
In the time it took to say just that one sentence, the disaster victims quickened their pace and ran to catch up.
The carriage began to speed away. The Prince's Mansion was not far from the government office. The problem was that the disaster victims following them had become out of control. Despite the tremors, Xu Rong insisted on lifting the curtain to observe for a moment before saying, "No, we can't take them into the city center!"
The streets surrounding the government office were bustling with activity, filled not only with homes and shops but also with many people who knew that Prefect Zheng had been arrested and were eagerly awaiting the distribution of grain. The emotions of the disaster victims were contagious, and once the out-of-control crowd expanded, they wouldn't even be able to reach the government office; a civil uprising would have already occurred. In just a short time, some disaster victims along the way had already started running after them.
"Go north out of the city gate!" Lin Xin leaned forward and shouted to the coachman.
There was a small hill outside the north side of the city. At this time of year, the trees had been almost completely stripped bare, and the area was sparsely populated. Only by controlling the number of disaster victims and having family retainers to protect them could the situation be dealt with gradually.
The carriage veered off course again, shaking violently. Bai Fu was tossed about, and asked in alarm, "Grandma, did we anger Prince Qing? Is he inciting the disaster victims to retaliate?"
This is a very likely guess. The disaster victims in the city respected both imperial envoys and were reasonable enough to listen to them. It was rare for them to chase after the carriage with such a crazy look and disregard for reason. Moreover, these disaster victims were already outside the Prince Qing's mansion.
With one hand firmly held by Lin Xin, Xu Rong tried to reach Bai Fu with the other. The three of them finally managed to stabilize their bodies together. She didn't answer Bai Fu's question, but first turned her head to look at Lin Xin.
She knew she must be filled with disbelief, and then she realized that Lin Xin was too.
I thought—
Xu Rong finished his sentence with the second half: "Prince Qing has no intention of rebelling."
Yes, that's what they all got. Lin Xin even managed to buy grain from Prince Qing; was it just to lull them into a false sense of security—?
But that shouldn't be the case!
The carriage sped by, the guards roared, and the refugees clamored. Amidst the upheaval, Xu Rong felt not fear, but rather confusion and resentment.
Could it be that her deductions were completely wrong, and she was just overthinking things? But really, it doesn't make sense!
For the first time in her life, she began to doubt her own intelligence.
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