Chapter 60: A Surge of Killing Intent
Inside the Prince's Mansion.
Qi Chengming's attention had been completely diverted from the two imperial envoys.
He sat there blankly in the guest courtyard where his wet nurse had been settled, the cold stone bench under the big tree making his bottom feel icy cold.
Zhang's wet nurse leaned against the empty grape trellis, gripping a bamboo pole and saying urgently, "Your Highness, everything I've said is true... If someone wants me dead... and I can't see Your Highness, then it'll all come down to these old matters."
Qi Chengming waved his hand to stop her, his expression somewhat complicated: "I'll first... have someone investigate the clues about when you were abducted in Yulin Prefecture. Then I'll have someone look for the two people who came with you, so we can let the Marquis of Weiyong's mansion know you're safe."
Even though the clues are slim, we still have to investigate.
The wet nurse's eyes softened. She responded with a sound and quietly stepped aside, saying nothing more.
"Also, you can change how you address me later—your husband's family is surnamed Zhang, didn't you plan to break away?" Qi Chengming suddenly added.
The wet nurse insisted on coming to Liuzhou to take care of His Highness this time, without bringing any family members with her. I heard that she wasn't doing well at home, suffering from exhaustion and hardship every day. In that case, why call her 'Wet Nurse Zhang'?
"..." The wet nurse looked up and stared blankly for several seconds, her eyes flashing with disbelief, as if she couldn't understand what she was saying.
Since she got married, people have always addressed her as "Sister-in-law Zhang," "Wet Nurse Zhang," "Zhang the Tofu Shop's Wife," "Bean's Mother," and so on. Her own surname has never been mentioned again. After all, ordinary people like her don't have the opportunity to use more literary terms like "Mrs. So-and-so" or "Mrs. So-and-so."
After being called "Zhang the Wet Nurse" for so long in the palace, many people actually thought her surname was Zhang.
"Yes... From now on, remember to call me 'Nanny Liu'." These were the words the nanny said to Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi, who were not far away.
Only when those few old friends were present did the atmosphere remain as warm and welcoming as it had been back in the Second Prince's residence, without excessive constraints of rank or status. For example, Xiao Chengzi, though listening silently to old stories, was holding a plate of crispy sugar cakes. Although these were a gift from Aunt Fang to His Highness, His Highness had instead given them to the two of them to eat.
“Liu…” Qi Chengming murmured.
He didn't say it directly earlier because he didn't know what the wet nurse's original surname was. He could only use roundabout language to coax the wet nurse to say it herself, "It's a good surname, wet nurse. From now on, we'll live well here."
The wet nurse surnamed Liu came to Liuzhou without hesitation; it was a wonderful fate, and she would have a good life from now on.
"Your Highness, just don't forget what I said," the wet nurse repeated worriedly. "If you think of anything else important, I will speak up immediately."
She didn't care whether her life would continue to be threatened, but she cared about the very nature of the dangers she had faced: someone didn't want her to meet the Second Prince, which meant that some of the old court secrets she knew might contain important information. What would happen if the Second Prince knew those secrets?
This is important.
"I'll find a way to verify it," Qi Chengming reassured her.
The wet nurse revealed several old palace stories today, all of which she suspected might be related.
The first thing that Nanny Liu remembered most clearly was the reason she was driven away:
That year, Qi Chengming, who had just turned six, left the Second Prince's residence to go to school. Before he turned six, his wet nurse, Liu, had kept the Second Prince's residence under tight protection, keeping him cautiously hidden in that secluded corner, unnoticed by anyone. His presence was only noticeable during holidays like New Year's. His biggest daily annoyance was being constantly harassed by the Imperial Household Department, those troublesome little devils.
But after starting school, the second prince had to spend time with his brothers. Only the eldest and third princes were in the study at the time, and it quickly developed into the third prince secretly bullying his older brother for his own amusement. The eldest prince, like a good-natured man, protected his younger brother and tried to smooth things over.
That day, the Second Prince ran crying back to his residence, but the Third Prince wouldn't let him go and even chased after him, making things difficult. The wet nurse, Liu, mustered her courage and devised a plan to distract the Third Prince, finally managing to bring her son back safely. She thought the matter was settled, but children forget things easily…
The very next day, Liu, the wet nurse, was punished and banished from the palace for carelessly ruining the Empress's meal, and could no longer protect the Second Prince...
The wet nurse revealed this not because she considered herself important, but because if the person behind it was the Third Prince or his mother, Consort Rong, then it all made sense—
The Third Prince has been vindictive since childhood; he even drove away his wet nurse, the only one who helped his elder brother, and bullied her mercilessly. Who can guess if the grown-up Third Prince has finally gotten what he deserved this time?
It's possible that he simply wanted to annoy his older brother, whom he had always bullied, and also harbored resentment towards his wet nurse, so he might have hired someone to attack her.
"..." Qi Chengming couldn't draw a conclusion after hearing this, because he didn't know the original owner of this body or his brothers, but he felt it was unlikely. Who would do such a thankless task?
The next few things that Nurse Liu talked about all happened around the time of Qi Chengming's birth.
When the Second Prince was a few years old, he suffered a serious illness. His wet nurse, Liu, almost thought he would die like the Fourth and Fifth Princes. Fortunately, he survived, though his health deteriorated considerably. That time, it was thanks to the Empress's meticulous care that he survived. Indeed, Liu, the wet nurse, harbored a degree of apprehension towards the Empress.
Who made the deaths of the eldest and second princesses so mysterious and unclear?
When the Second Prince was still in his mother's womb, Consort Hua and Consort Shu had several disagreements. Because the Marquis of Weiyong was still on the battlefield at the time, the Emperor sided with the Consort...
Yunyun.
Qi Chengming had been listening to a cacophony of court intrigues, and now his temples were throbbing with a dull ache. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples a few times. He hadn't come up with many clues, but his worries had only increased.
The worst situation is when the enemy is in the dark and we are in the light. He's already so insignificant, yet there are still people secretly trying to make things difficult for his wet nurse.
On the one hand, we must lie low; on the other hand, we must develop even faster!
It was time to extend his reach beyond Liuzhou city limits; every city gate and every village entrance needed his men. Those selected to build houses throughout the city formed the initial core of his team—ordinary villagers from every village and alley—perfect for the task.
In this way, Qi Chengming won't panic if something happens in the future. Otherwise, he wouldn't even know if some scum had been mixed into the chaotic city of Liuzhou one day...
Thinking this through, Qi Chengming gave the order.
A few days later, Wang Chuandao and Shen Shuzhi had had enough of their stay and couldn't find any more excuse to be busy, so they had to head back home, taking two prison carts with them as they left. Official appointments arrived promptly at the post station—
Magistrate Xiao Mu was promoted to Prefect of the local area, achieving a two-level jump, and from now on he will be addressed as Prefect Mu. Several county magistrates were recommended locally and received approval from the capital. The position of Prefect is vacant and needs to be selected by Prefect Mu.
"Very good!" Qi Chengming thought to himself.
The smooth appointment of the new county magistrates must have been largely due to the efforts of Grand Secretary Mu in the capital. These new magistrates were all trusted confidants of Qi Chengming, recruited after the last hurricane—sons of prominent local families and scholars. With them as his right-hand men, Qi Chengming would finally be able to issue orders much more easily.
His influence expanded to the entire territory of Liuzhou Prefecture in an instant.
Then--
Three days after the imperial envoy's entourage departed, an unexpected incident was reported to Prince Rui's residence.
The person who reported this on behalf of the chief steward was Xiao Song.
Behind him followed a round-faced, burly man, his face covered in greasy fat, broad shoulders and a thick waist. He wore a coarse cloth bag around his waist, looking like an ordinary, unassuming commoner, extremely anxious.
Two eunuchs were also carrying a long piece of cloth.
"You are..." Qi Chengming received the familiar-looking man in the flower hall. His eyes fell on the list of talents, and he remembered, "You are Chen Dabao, the butcher who supplied animal bones to the Prince's Mansion a few times?"
"I, uh, this humble commoner, this lowly one…!" Chen Dabao's legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground. His blank face was filled with excitement, a mixture of crying and laughing. His lips trembled, and he could not speak coherently.
He never imagined that the high and mighty prince—such a noble person—would actually remember his name!
Chen Dabao used to proudly boast every day that someone from the Prince's mansion had bought things from him—that was a respectable eunuch! Now, now his name was actually coming out of the Prince's own mouth… How could he feel so unreal?
The usual smile was absent from Steward Song's face. He glanced at the overly excited butcher and said succinctly, "Your Highness, Butcher Chen's house is at 'seventeenth of seven,' and he can keep an eye on the entire street leading to the West Market. Yesterday evening, he discovered that two out-of-towners had bought two large knives."
The two eunuchs shook the cloth they were carrying, and it fell down, revealing a brand-new, gleaming wide-bladed knife.
Qi Chengming glanced at the knife a couple more times.
Isn't that just a pig-slaughtering knife? It's the same as the one used by butchers, only it's not called that now.
"I...I thought it was strange at first glance." Butcher Chen barely managed to compose himself, forcing himself to answer the prince's questions. "Who buys a knife like this? Even for self-defense, a wide-bladed knife isn't as useful as a dagger or a longsword. It's just good for butchering pigs quickly and bleeding them fast..."
Qi Chengming's expression changed upon hearing this.
He already had a guess.
He felt a sense of crisis after his wet nurse was attacked, and secretly assigned some familiar and reliable civilians to keep watch over the city. As this gradually expanded to other counties, the Jinyiwei (Imperial Bodyguard) began to take shape. Qi Chengming used the format of a Go board, dividing the rebuilt Liuzhou city into 19x19 grid lines, creating a total of 361 surveillance points.
Each stronghold was responsible for an area of varying size. As long as each stronghold reported a number, such as Chen the Butcher's house being "seventeen out of seven," Qi Chengming could immediately understand the specific location.
"Those two outsiders were planning to attack someone?" Qi Chengming asked calmly.
“Yes,” Song Gu replied coldly. “After Butcher Chen reported the suspicious activity yesterday, they hired two skilled men from the same street to keep an eye on the inn where those two out-of-towners were staying. They overheard them discussing…”
"...We need to find a way to get rid of Madam Zhang, preferably by making a huge commotion, just in time when she goes out to the West Market. We even spent a long time discussing how to escape afterwards."
Qi Chengming's heart sank suddenly, and his expression turned somewhat strange upon hearing this.
Normal things wouldn't be reported to him, and the name 'Zhang Niangzi' gave him a sense of déjà vu...
really.
Song Gu paused for a moment, looking at the pale-faced young prince with some concern and worry, and gave the answer: "They said that Lady Zhang had only recently joined the Prince's household."
"When I heard it was related to the Prince's Mansion..." Butcher Chen muttered, this was no longer a small matter that a few of them could handle.
The butcher was bewildered, only knowing that the stranger might intend to harm the people of the Prince's mansion. Song Gu, however, knew perfectly well that the only person he had recently encountered was "Madam Zhang," whom he had never met in his previous life, and who had only recently joined the Prince's mansion.
—Isn't that His Highness's wet nurse, surnamed Liu?!
Song Gu felt a pang of sadness in his heart for a long time.
No wonder... no wonder the Second Prince, after becoming the new emperor in his previous life, asked him to investigate those childhood memories.
presumably……
well.
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Author's Note: Good news, I'm discharged from the hospital today!! But I still need to take medication and recover for a week. Bad news: the water pipe burst as soon as I got home… Exhausted smile, I frantically fixed everything, and then quickly started beating my keyboard for the day!
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