Chapter 255: Buried in Fire
Jiang Fei had been forced to step back by the flames, but upon hearing this, she subconsciously took two steps forward. "What did you say? Explain clearly! He committed suicide. Why did he commit suicide? Ahem... why ten years?"
The wood crackled in the flames, and the coughing sounds inside became more and more rapid.
Wei Ciying took a few steps back, avoiding the flames that were whipped around by the wind. A mysterious smile appeared on the corner of her mouth. "Just wait underground. He will come and tell you the answer in ten years."
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a loud "boom" and half of the beam collapsed with sparks, and even the coughing sound stopped abruptly.
Wei Ciying looked at the collapsing flames, certain that Jiang Rufei had no chance of survival, and turned around and said, "Let's go!"
As they stepped out of the gate, they heard the sound of hurried horse hooves approaching rapidly, and the ground shook slightly. A group of guards quickly surrounded them.
There's no escape.
As soon as this thought came to mind, Wei Ciying laughed. First it was a sneer, then a wild laugh of burning everything together.
"Pei Jing, you're here too, just in time! Jiang Rufei is in there. If she dies, I can't escape either. No one will have an easy life! There are not many things in this world that go as planned. Burning them all will bring peace!"
Pei Jing looked at the burning house and his face instantly turned as pale as paper.
…
News came last night that the eldest prince Pei Yi set an ambush on the way, intending to surround and kill King Zhaoning, but this plan failed and King Zhaoning was injured.
This incident made Emperor Zhaowen so angry that he summoned the imperial physician overnight and even canceled the morning court session. He reprimanded Pei Yi and placed him under house arrest in the palace.
Emperor Zhaowen half-leaned on the dragon couch, his face a little more gloomy because of what happened last night. The bitter medicine slid down his throat. He frowned and handed the empty bowl to his personal eunuch Meng Yuande.
"Is the Emperor feeling better?" Meng Yuande bent over, took the bowl and passed it on, then reported, "The eldest prince is still crying foul, saying he had absolutely no intention of killing Prince Zhaoning."
Emperor Zhaowen closed his eyes and asked, "Do you believe what he said?"
Meng Yuande didn't dare to answer, he just lowered his head and said, "The eldest prince has been shouting all night."
"He mobilized nearly a hundred men to block the enemy right under my nose, even preparing bows and crossbows," Emperor Zhaowen said, his eyes snapping open. "He even engaged in a direct confrontation with Jing'er. If he wasn't trying to kill Jing'er, was he actually escorting him? Absurd!"
As he was speaking, a young eunuch walked in with a bow, followed by two imperial doctors.
The imperial physician entered, carrying a pulse chart. He kowtowed and then stood up, saying, "Your Majesty, His Royal Highness Prince Zhaoning was shot in the arm. Fortunately, no bones were injured. I have already applied medicine to His Royal Highness. He will be fine after a period of rest."
Emperor Zhaowen hummed, waved his hand to dismiss the imperial physician, and asked again, "Is Marquis Dingyuan still kneeling outside?"
"Yes." Meng Yuande paused. "Marquis Dingyuan's daughter, Wei Ciying, set fire to Jiang Rufei and the seven-year-old son of the Jiang family in Dengke Lane last night. They have now been taken to the Imperial Court. I think Marquis Dingyuan is pleading for his daughter."
"Let him kneel." Emperor Zhaowen said in a deep voice, "Jing'er doesn't even want to see me now. If I meet Marquis Dingyuan, he might even bear a grudge against me."
Meng Yuande said, "I just found out that Miss Xiao Cui was Jiang Rufei. Now that Jiang Rufei has passed away so suddenly and tragically, Your Highness is a sentimental man and cannot help but feel sad. It is only natural that he does not want to see anyone right now. Once this pain subsides and he feels at peace, everything will be fine."
Emperor Zhaowen sighed, "I'm afraid he'll get stuck in a dead end. Jing'er has always been stubborn, and once he sets his mind to something, nothing can change him."
Meng Yuande fell silent, and for a moment the only sound in the warm room was the crackling of the charcoal fire.
After a moment, Emperor Zhaowen suddenly said, "Wei Ciying is just a girl. How could she have so many people to plan the siege and the assassination? There must be someone behind the scenes plotting this."
"Your Majesty is suspicious of Marquis Dingyuan?"
"Who else could it be besides him?" Emperor Zhaowen's eyes were sharp. "How could I not know about the conspiracy between Marquis Dingyuan and Pei Yi? Wei Ciying is his biological daughter. It's clear that he was using her to do this. Pei Yi attacked Jing'er, and Wei Ciying surrounded and killed Jiang Rufei. This coordination was nothing more than a conspiracy that was planned long ago."
As he spoke, his brows furrowed even more tightly. "Pei Yi's personality is such that he can't tolerate Jing'er being in such a predicament. It would be fine if he were more lenient, but he's so narrow-minded and cruel. If I really hand over the throne to him, won't I be pushing Jing'er into a dead end?"
Meng Yuande lowered his head and never responded.
How could a eunuch like him dare to interfere in matters like appointing a crown prince? It would be wrong to speak for anyone.
The warm room was quiet for a while, and then a young eunuch winked at Meng Yuande at the door.
Meng Yuande quickly bowed and left. After a moment, he reentered and said to Emperor Zhaowen, "Your Majesty, I heard that the man from Quanshan heard that Prince Zhaoning was injured and sent someone to inquire about his condition."
Emperor Zhaowen hesitated for a moment and said, "Go and get my casual clothes."
Meng Yuande hurriedly advised: "Your Majesty, your body is not well yet."
"No problem." Emperor Zhaowen waved his hand. "When Zhihe hears about this, she'll definitely make a scene with me. If I don't go, I'm afraid she'll start to suspect that I, as a father, have disowned all my relatives."
…
Meng Yuande accompanied the emperor to Tingquan Mountain, and when they returned it was already late at night and the dew was heavy.
After helping Emperor Zhaowen change his clothes and rest, Meng Yuande had just left the bedroom when the eunuch guarding outside hurriedly approached him and whispered, "Godfather, the eldest prince has sent people to ask several times, saying that he wants to see you for something important."
Meng Yuande naturally knew why the eldest prince was looking for him. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and said, "I understand. I'll be there right away."
The eldest prince was placed under house arrest in Chongli Hall and was closely guarded by the palace guards.
Meng Yuande was a close associate of the emperor, so the guards quickly let him pass when they saw him.
Pei Yi was pacing in the hall when he saw Meng Yuande come in. He quickly stepped forward and asked, "Eunuch Meng, has the emperor calmed down?"
Meng Yuande saluted and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness."
"How could I not be anxious?" Pei Yi slammed his fist on the table, causing the teacup to clink. "I'm wronged! Eunuch, please explain to my father clearly on my behalf. I never intended to kill Pei Jing. I just... just wanted to capture Jiang Rufei."
He grabbed Meng Yuande's sleeve and said urgently, "The people I arranged were about to withdraw, but Pei Jing showed up at that moment, and the two groups clashed. No one would believe this if I told anyone. I really can't clear myself of this. Please, father-in-law, please speak up for me!"
Meng Yuande lowered his eyes and said, "Your Highness, the Emperor is still furious and I'm afraid he won't listen to what I'm saying. In my opinion, it's better to wait and see until the Emperor calms down. Marquis Dingyuan knelt for a whole day and the Emperor didn't even see him."
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It will be revealed tomorrow, and you should have noticed it, it’s in the final stages.
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