Chapter 47 Suspected Gut Makes a Mistake
East Palace.
After receiving the letter from Prince Ning's Mansion, the prince sat quietly for a long time. His elegant figure looked like a dead sculpture in the dim light.
Huo Dao spoke slowly: "Your Highness, don't worry too much about Prince Ning. Miss Yu is very smart and will definitely find a way to escape. Our spies in the palace will also fight to protect her. Then Prince Ning will no longer be able to hinder Your Highness. For now, you can give him whatever he wants."
Jing Cang gently handed the letter in his hand to him.
Huo Dao took it with both hands, looked at it carefully, and was shocked. He said angrily: "Prince Ning is so shameless that he wants you to hand over the evidence of his and Zhu's conspiracy, and he also wants you to give up your legs and give up your throne. Please make him the crown prince."
He was just about to complain, saying that everything was caused by Yu Fei's betrayal, otherwise how could the prince have such a soft spot? Then he changed his mind and thought that what Prince Ning said in the letter was also very vicious to Yu Fei.
He said that if the prince did not obey, he would let Yu Shuang throw Yu Fei into a beggar's den and let her be insulted to death on the pretext that the sisters went outside the city to burn incense. If the prince died with her, it would be an accident, and the emperor and empress would not be able to blame Ning Wangfu and Zhu family for it.
This was truly a huge trouble, as if the sky was falling and the earth was collapsing. Huo Dao thought about it and was about to suggest taking the letter to discuss a solution with the Emperor and Empress openly, but he saw that the letter, which was covered in dense black words, had turned into a piece of snow-white rice paper in an instant.
Jing Cang seemed to have expected this. He took a look and said, "The ink used by Jing Yi to write will automatically disappear after two quarters of an hour."
He rubbed his brows, "How's Yu Fei?"
Huo Dao replied, "After we left last night, I followed your instructions and spread the news to all the spies to see if we could rescue Miss Yu. One of them has revealed her identity, and Prince Ning is very alert now. He has locked her in her bedroom and is keeping her under strict surveillance, making it difficult for our people to get close to her."
Seeing the prince's face getting colder, he hurriedly added, "Prince Ning has been resting in the study these two days, the eldest lady is still safe."
Suddenly, he remembered something and reported, "Prince Ning called a Gu doctor to examine the eldest lady last night, and then killed the doctor. Could it be that the Gu doctor had an accident and he was angry because of shame?"
"Your Highness, you haven't checked this same-rooted snake since we came to the capital. Can I ask someone to take a look at it for you again?"
Jing Cang was stunned.
He was a thoughtful man, and he was in love with a lover. According to common sense, he would have placed a lover doctor in the East Palace, ready to receive orders at any time. But after Yu Fei entered the palace, she acted coquettishly and foolishly, saying that the lover doctor was like a scalpel hanging over her head. If they lived under the same roof, she would be restless day and night, and it would be difficult for her to conceive no matter how much rain and dew she received. The imperial physician also said that pregnancy requires a woman to be open-minded, so he let her do it.
But she lied to him when she said she wanted to have a child. While she was enjoying the pleasure of having sex with him, she secretly used saffron to avoid having a child.
Jing Cang felt a headache thinking about this, but he suddenly realized that the male dragon seemed to have been motionless for a while. He hadn't experienced the feeling of being eaten by insects for a long time. He thought that the male dragon would be calm if the two dragons were together, but he had been separated from Yu Fei for a day and a night, and he was so anxious about her situation, so the male dragon should be manic and agitated.
He pondered over Yu Fei's abnormality during this period. Ever since Yu Shuang sent her maid to follow Yang Zhi to expose her deeds in Shu County, she had been like a little snake that was afraid of the cold and sleepy, often hiding in the bedroom, and would refuse his summons whenever possible, and avoid him whenever possible. She was often absent-minded when they were making love, and even once asked him how he would deal with her if he was freed from the pretext of killing Zhu, until she exchanged his marriage for the Yang family's golden medal of immunity from death, and even called it a way out for him after he was freed from the pretext of killing Zhu.
He still hasn't found out which palace maid in the study was having an affair with Yu Fei, so he tells her that he once wrote a marriage proposal to Yang Zhi.
This matter will be put aside for the time being. The key point is that she used to be a tyrant and did whatever she wanted in the East Palace, living as if she was the emperor's beloved, but later she became cautious and had nightmares, as if she was forced to commit the mistake of deceiving the emperor.
Although she was afraid that her past evil deeds would be known by her father and mother, and that she would be doomed in the future, there might also be the hidden truth that Gu had gone on a business trip and made a mistake.
Jing Cang figured out the reason behind Yu Fei's abnormal behavior from recent events as easily as pulling out a thread from a cocoon. He readily agreed to Huo Dao's suggestion and ordered people to find a parasite doctor.
When the venom doctor came in, he became hesitant again.
He must report to his father, the emperor, and his mother the matter of Jing Yi forcing him to give up his throne by saying that Yu Fei was of the same origin as him, along with the evidence of Jing Yi and the Zhu family's corruption and treason. Only then can he lead his troops to encircle and suppress the prince's mansion, rescue Yu Fei, and destroy the Judiciary.
But if he finds out now that the pig can no longer harm him, should he tell the truth to his parents when he meets them tomorrow, or should he keep the secret?
If he told the truth, his father and mother would not forgive her for the fact that Yu Fei had bewitched him. If they got to the bottom of it and found out all the evil things she had done to him, I'm afraid they would never be able to have a happy ending. Even if they managed to stay together, he couldn't imagine the disappointed and sad look in his parents' eyes as if they were a foolish and rebellious son.
But Jing Cang was sure of one thing, if it did not harm him, his father, the emperor, and his mother would definitely send officials to encircle and suppress the Ning Palace for the sake of his status and safety. A merchant woman who dared to plot against the prince deserved to die in this war!
Apart from him, no one in the court cared about her life or death. Some even wanted to take the opportunity to get rid of her in exchange for merit.
He couldn't imagine that she, such a beautiful woman, died tragically in this massacre.
And he could have saved her.
But he couldn't lie to his parents. He had already lied to his mother once before, when she was exposed last time, so he couldn't be unfilial again.
Jing Cang thought for a long time, and then told Huo Dao: "Take Doctor Gu away and settle him down. I will see him again tomorrow night."
"Your Highness, you..."
"I have my intentions."
Jing Cang thought, ignorance is not a crime. He didn't know that Gu had a problem, so he asked for troops and rebelled himself. Even if something happened later, his father, the emperor, and his mother would hardly complain.
But the matter of Yu Fei's betrayal has to be mentioned.
After the morning court session the next day, Jing Cang went to Yu's study to present evidence of Jing Yi and the Zhu family's corruption and treason, and then invited the empress to come, saying that he had important matters to report to them.
He briefly recounted his dispute with Yu Fei in Shu County.
As she had explained to the Queen, she snatched him from her concubine's sister just to have him play with her, but he ignored her, and the two of them accidentally pushed and shoved each other, causing him to lose his memory. She was afraid of being blamed for pretending to be his savior, and was tricked by a quack into buying the same-rooted snake and taking it with him. Since then, their lives have been linked until now.
He didn't want to lie anymore, but Yu Fei had already lied, so he had to follow suit and cover up her motives for framing him - an ignorant girl being fooled, not a vicious villain with ulterior motives. As she said, "an ugly daughter-in-law has to meet her parents-in-law", she had behaved improperly in the past, and he wanted to be with her, but he couldn't expose her past in front of his parents.
Jing Cang tried to comfort himself in his heart after hearing what he said, but he still clenched his fists in guilt.
The Queen stared at him with a gaze as sharp as a knife, as if she wanted to cut a tear out of his body.
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Prince Ning has now submitted a petition to appoint the second daughter of the Yu family as his concubine. Could it be that Yu Fei was a hidden stake that he had planted for you long ago?"
Jing Cang shook his head, saying that the Yu family had done him a favor, and described the contents of Jing Yi's letter in detail.
The queen slammed the table and said angrily, "I knew that Qilin's misfortune in Shu County was caused by this rebellious son. Not only did he cause his leg to be broken and he needs to recuperate, but now he wants him to give up his leg and give up his throne. He is simply a wolf and a beast, and he is so bold!"
The emperor said gently, "Don't be angry, Queen." He looked at Jing Cang lovingly, "Prince, since you have informed your father and mother about this matter, I believe you have a plan in mind. Tell me about it."
Jing Cang has a countermeasure, but it is not comprehensive. How to implement it will depend on the situation after checking the dragon tonight.
The dragon on Yu Fei was like a wire net that Jing Yi had put over his head. He didn't dare to fight him to the death, so he could only let him play by the rules and act accordingly in order to survive. If he wasn't careful, he and Yu Fei would both die. If the dragon was no longer a hindrance to the two of them, he and Jing Yi would be like a car and a mantis. It would be effortless for him to crush him, and rescuing Yu Fei would be a natural thing.
In itself, Yu Fei, who has no use as a parasite, is like chicken ribs to Jing Yi. If he can get some practical benefits in desperation, he and his rebels will never get it.
Jing Cang thought for a while, then said conservatively, "I will pretend to agree to Prince Ning's request, but ask to meet Yu Fei. When they meet, I will order people to work together inside and outside to rescue Yu Fei and wipe out the rebels."
The queen looked as if she was going to kill him, and said angrily, "Qilin, you have memorized Sun Tzu's Art of War since you were a child, but you are so reckless when it comes to actual combat? It's a pity that you have been to the battlefield twice with my famous generals!"
The emperor sighed: "Qilin, Prince Ning is already like that. Your mother and I have high hopes for you, and you..."
Jing Cang's point is hard to explain.
If he was hindered by Gu, it would be like going to his death. But if Gu made a mistake, he would have a bargaining chip to turn against Jing Yi's army, a woman. If Jing Yi handed them over, he would leave them a glimmer of hope. If not, he would threaten to order the three armies to encircle and destroy the palace, leaving no one alive, and all those who participated in the rebellion would be exterminated.
Faced with life and death, and under torture, even if Jing Yi did not want to fulfill his wish, his subordinates would probably try their best to advise him, or even turn against him and report him to Yu Fei.
This tactic is also a trick in Sun Tzu's Art of War. He thought it over carefully and was eager to try it, but he could not tell them the truth.
At this moment, Jing Cang seemed to understand why Yu Fei was sometimes timid and rambling in front of him.
As he was hesitating, the Queen suddenly remembered something and ordered the nanny beside her: "Go, find a few orchid doctors to come into the palace to check the prince's pulse."
Jing Cang was startled and stopped him: "Mother, I asked someone to check last night and there is nothing serious."
The Queen stared at him thoughtfully, especially at his right arm. He followed her line of sight and saw that his right hand was still clenched tightly, as he had always done since he was a child when he was in a panic.
Jing Cang seemed to have a premonition of something and looked up at the Queen.
She just smiled as if she understood, and said lightly: "Qilin, your father's appointment and military power can be given to you, but we as parents must first understand the child's physical condition clearly."
The implication is that they must check the situation of the dragon.