life for a life
Blood flowed from Baili Hongyuan's forehead, instantly staining half of his face and dripping onto the golden dragon-patterned carpet.
The corner of Emperor Sheng's eye twitched. Why didn't this person hide for a moment...
Baili Hongyuan let the blood flow, his back erect as he replied, "Your Majesty, I have absolutely no treason against my master! All evidence of Marquis Xichang's crimes is sealed in Bailu Terrace and will never be leaked. I guarantee this with my own head!"
Emperor Sheng's anger subsided a bit, and he asked, "Where did Jian Wei get the evidence? If it wasn't found in the Sang family, how could it have fallen into the hands of the Ministry of War at this time?"
Baili Hongyuan said, "Perhaps the Sang family has made two preparations. Your Majesty, please give me two days. I will investigate thoroughly."
Baili Hongyuan did not lie. On the night when the Sang family was surrounded, they sent out two groups of people. They knew very well that they could not put all their eggs in one basket.
Although the Supervisory Office intercepted both groups of people, they delayed for a day before sending a copy to Prince Bao.
When Prince Bao received the message and planned to save the Sang family, the three brothers of the Sang family had already died in prison. Prince Bao kept it secret until yesterday when he learned that the wife of Marquis Xichang had burned down the temple and aroused public outrage, so he took the opportunity to impeach them together.
"Then go and investigate for me. I want to know who dares to force me like this!"
Baili Hongyuan has been in bad luck recently, suffering from major and minor injuries all the time.
Although the cut on his head caused by Emperor Sheng was not serious, it was indeed unsightly and greatly affected his image, so he deliberately avoided people after leaving the palace.
As luck would have it, Liu Ying was just coming out of the harem after paying her respects to the empress dowager. She saw that there was a hole on his head and his shoulder was covered in blood, so she told Qin Yousi about it as gossip.
"That's why they say serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. I usually see those people in the Censorate. They are all respectful and avoid the imperial officials, but who knows, they still allow themselves to be beaten and scolded by the emperor. Lord Baili has blood all over his face. It's so tragic."
Qin Yousi's face was stern as he asked Liu Ying, "Do you know what happened? Why is the emperor so angry?"
Liu Ying told her the news he had heard from the palace during the morning court session, and asked in confusion, "You said the court officials impeached the Marquis of Xichang, but the Marquis of Xichang is still fine. Why did Lord Baili get beaten first?"
Qin Yousi said angrily: "Emperor Sheng is incompetent. He can't protect his own dog, so he takes his anger out on others!"
Liu Ying gasped in shock when he heard this: "I dare not say that... After all, he is my cousin."
Qin Yousi was still furious. "You treat him like family, but how does he treat you? The Prince of Pingtung is guarding the eastern border for the imperial court, living in the open air at sea, yet the emperor forcibly summons his family to the capital. How could you not know what his intentions are?"
Liu Ying fell silent.
The Pingtung Prince's Mansion has been in charge of the Eastern Border Navy for generations, but it was only after Emperor Sheng ascended the throne that he began to detain family members as hostages and was wary of generals from all sides who held heavy troops, regardless of their relationship.
Qin Yousi was worried about Baili Hongyuan's injury, so he went to Qingshan Lane with a small medicine box. However, Baili Hongyuan was hiding in Bailu Terrace and had not returned at all.
Qin Yousi said to Uncle Zhou, "Please go to Bailu Terrace and ask the master to come back to recuperate."
Upon hearing the news, Baili Hongyuan had to return, but he had already changed into clean clothes and washed his hair in Bailu Terrace. The wound on his forehead was also simply treated and bandaged, so it didn't look that serious.
As Qin Yousi applied medicine to him, he said in annoyance, "The emperor is angry, can't you hide away?"
Baili Hongyuan said, "It doesn't matter if I suffer a small loss. After the incident, the emperor will feel indebted and will be more cautious about the affairs of my subordinates."
Qin Yousi asked doubtfully, "What do you want to do?"
Baili Hongyuan said, "The Emperor has ordered the confiscation of the Sang family's land and weaving workshops by the county governments and sold them cheaply. While this is ostensibly according to established practice, he secretly intends to have the Marquis of Xichang's people take over at a low price. The Marquis of Xichang is currently under trial by the Three Courts, so these matters cannot be arranged. I know all the other compradors the Emperor can use. I'll manipulate the situation so that the Emperor thinks they're competing with the Marquis of Xichang for profit, and therefore leak evidence. The Emperor will certainly not let them succeed. This way, the Oujiang Boat Gang will have a much smoother time taking over."
Qin Yousi also recently received a message from Fuying that was sent back to the capital. The letter said that several major imperial merchants were eyeing the few pieces of fat meat that fell from the Sang family. Although the Oujiang Boat Gang had bribed some officials who were responsible for disposing of assets, they could not guarantee how much they could take over.
Qin Yousi knew that he was plotting for himself, and felt guilty. He muttered, "There's no need to resort to the tactic of self-torture. What if I accidentally smash you into a fool?"
Baili Hongyuan laughed, feeling Qin Yousi's concern for him, and his heart gradually warmed.
"Okay, I won't do that next time."
Since returning from Yangcheng, he has noticed that Qin Yousi's attitude towards him is different. It is not only the trust and support between comrades, but also a bit of affection that he wants to express but cannot.
But he also knew that this was not the time for Qin Yousi to talk about the love between her children. The hatred in her heart, the responsibility on her shoulders, and her sick and disabled body were all the reasons for her concerns.
After treating his wound, Xin Chen went to Qingshan Lane and reported a piece of news he had just received.
"The wife of the Marquis of Xichang has died."
It is both expected and unexpected.
Baili Hongyuan asked, "How did he die? When?"
Xin Chen reported, "After court dismissed today, the Dali Temple was ordered to go to the Marquis of Xichang's mansion to interrogate him. While clearing the inner chambers, they couldn't find the Crown Prince's wife. Just when they thought she had escaped, they received a message from the Jingji Guards: a carriage had lost control and plunged into the moat, drowning the occupants. The Dali Temple brought Duan Zheng to identify her, and he confirmed it was Yan Rong."
There is no need to think too much about this way of death, it must be Duan Zheng's means of revenge.
Qin Yousi died in the water, and he wanted Yan Rong to die in the same way.
Baili Hongyuan knew what Yan Rong had done to Qin Yousi and hated her to the core. Although he knew there would be no mistakes, he still ordered Xin Chen: "Go to Jingjiwei and confirm it clearly. Don't let anyone get away with it."
Xin Chen took the order and withdrew.
The changes that have occurred in the Xichang Marquis Mansion in the past two months have caused widespread discussion in the capital.
The Marquis of Xichang was tried by the three courts for impeachment, his wife was implicated in the Hongye Temple arson case, and the Crown Prince's wife drowned. Only Duan Zheng was able to protect himself.
It is like a large ship that is sinking rapidly, leaking everywhere and beyond rescue.
The next day, when Qin Yousi went to Prince Bao's Mansion to prepare a prescription for the princess, Princess Bao and her closest relative, Nanny Ban, were also discussing matters concerning the Marquis of Xichang's Mansion.
"Your Highness is uneasy about recent events. It seems someone is behind this, fanning the flames. Everything is happening so fast. The situation in the capital is chaotic, and the Emperor is in a bad mood. You must warn all stewards and servants to be careful and not make any mistakes at this critical juncture."
Nanny Ban wrote down everything and said, "I have repeatedly warned the subordinates. They dare not act rashly. Princess, rest assured."
Seeing Qin Yousi present the prepared medicine, Princess Bao glanced at Nanny Ban, who immediately remembered something and spoke on her behalf, "Miss Sang, the prince has recently taken your medicine, and his sexual desire has gradually increased. But as you said, you want the princess to abstain from sex for the first three months, and the prince will stay in the concubine's room. What if one of the concubines gets pregnant? What will we do then?"
"Although the secret medicine has been discontinued, the damage it has done to the Prince and Princess' health over the years cannot be eradicated in a day. Even if a concubine is pregnant now, the child she gives birth to would be extremely risky. In my opinion, three months is too short. It would be best for the Princess to wait six months before reconsidering the issue of an heir with the Prince."
Nanny Ban frowned and said, "Half a year is such a long time...why don't you prescribe some contraceptive soup to avoid any trouble."
Qin Yousi understood that this was Princess Bao's intention, but she still shook her head and said, "If you're worried about other concubines getting there first, why don't you remind the prince? Given the current situation, if the news of a child coming out of Prince Bao's mansion gets out, it would probably be the biggest sensation in the capital, and the prince probably doesn't want that. It would be better for the prince to take action than for you, Princess."
If the person who checks and balances Prince Bao falls and Prince Bao has a new heir, the emperor will immediately direct all his criticism at him.
Princess Bao also thought it made sense. Just as she was about to agree, she heard a man's approving voice coming from outside the door: "Miss Sang is indeed thoughtful."
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw that it was Prince Bao who had returned.
Everyone quickly stood up and saluted. Prince Bao, wearing a dragon robe, a jade belt around his waist, and a winged crown on his head, walked into the main house in a heroic manner and sat in the seat previously occupied by the princess.
Prince Bao, now thirty-five, is the late emperor's youngest brother and the current emperor's uncle. He studied government affairs with the late emperor from a young age and even shared the same bed and food with the crown prince. Although uncle and nephew, they resembled brothers. However, this relationship gradually changed after the emperor ascended the throne.
Prince Bao looked at Qin Yousi. The woman in front of him was not what he imagined. She had a frail body, standing upright like a small poplar. Her overly graceful face had a generous and frank expression, without any fawning attitude of a woman. She had the demeanor of a lady from a noble family.
She didn't look like a child who was left behind and grew up in the countryside, but instead reminded him of the daughter of an old friend.
Princess Bao personally served tea to Prince Bao and said, "Why did you return home at this time, Your Majesty? Would you like to have lunch here?"
Prince Bao said, "Don't bother. I'll come back and change my clothes and leave soon."
As Nanny Ban and Qin Yousi were about to leave, Prince Bao suddenly said, "I was unaware of the Sang family's harsh treatment of their wives and daughters and their evil deeds in the countryside. I had no intention of letting them do evil. I'm sorry Miss Sang has suffered any injustice. In the future, the princess will compensate Miss Sang generously on my behalf."
Qin Yousi was a little surprised that Prince Bao actually showed weakness and goodwill to him personally. She was not arrogant and said, "The dispute between me and the Sang family is a family dispute. There is no reason to blame the prince."
Prince Bao nodded and said, "Since Miss Sang is so sensible, I am relieved."
After Qin Yousi left, Princess Bao helped Prince Bao change into his regular clothes and asked tentatively, "Your Highness seems to have a special liking for Miss Sang. Does he want to take her into his palace to serve him?"
Prince Bao frowned and said, "This prince has no such intention, Princess, please don't think too much."
Princess Bao said aggrievedly, "I am sincere in my words, not testing you. Although you have secretly verified the existence of the secret medicine Miss Sang mentioned, I am still unsure whether the antidote is effective. If she becomes one of our own, I will feel much more at ease."
Prince Bao said, "The Supervisory Office took action against the Sang family, but she was able to stay out of it. This shows that she has a close relationship with Baili Hongyuan and is not a simple woman. Don't treat her as a woman who uses her beauty to please others, otherwise she will offend her. Miss Sang has the Qin family's secret recipe, which shows that she has a closer relationship with her mother's family. I did not do anything to take advantage of the Qin family back then. Compared to Your Majesty, she should have turned to us. Princess, just treat her sincerely."
"yes……"
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