Chapter 156 A Collective Act...
“Your Highness, I don’t know anything else, but the most urgent thing is… how to convince His Majesty that this was not something you did to protect yourself.”
Dr. Bian reminded him.
"You mean, the poisoning incident?" Qi Chengming was taken aback and began to think.
He wasn't stupid; he'd read quite a few novels and watched plenty of TV dramas about succession struggles before he transmigrated. If it were simply poisoning, he could find ways to seize on it and fight back—a self-inflicted injury scheme, a sting operation, or simply seeking attention.
However, if these two events occur too close together, and the timing and order in which they are exposed are also quite subtle...
Emperor Hongren in the capital sent someone to inquire about his recent situation.
Could it be that... he's gained power outside and developed inappropriate thoughts, hence his guilty conscience? Is he refusing to enter the capital? Is he making excuses to avoid questioning in the capital, trying to cover something up?
In the blink of an eye, Qi Chengming came up with a bunch of conspiracy theories.
Before he has established a firm foothold, he cannot confront Emperor Hongren head-on. What image Emperor Hongren has of him... this is of paramount importance.
In particular, he was very self-aware. The original owner of this body was the second prince, who was always the son that Emperor Hongren disliked the most.
A major inherent disadvantage.
"Then we can only trust the people His Majesty sent," Qi Chengming said thoughtfully.
Was he genuinely murdered, or were two groups of people working together?
Rather than racking his brains to prove himself, it's much better to just use the same old three tricks again. Emperor Hongren would be more likely to believe what he himself has investigated, wouldn't he?
The only thing to be careful about is that this person who comes is not some careless fool.
That would be a much bigger problem.
Qi Chengming mentally calculated his backup plan, while Doctor Bian looked at him with a complex expression.
The elderly physician noticed the way Prince Rui had addressed him earlier.
...Is it "Your Majesty" instead of "Father"?
Recalling the rumors that the Second Prince had a very difficult time in the palace, and the fact that he had been recuperating from his frail health for several years, Doctor Bian understood something even more clearly.
"I understand," he said calmly, offering no further comment, and began discussing the follow-up plans with Prince Rui...
...
The imperial eunuch sent from the capital to reprimand Prince Rui was a senior eunuch named Dai Xiyu.
There's no room for negotiation in this matter.
From the very beginning, when Dai Xiyu heard this, her heart skipped a beat, and she had a vague premonition as she looked miserable.
Go and issue an edict to a local vassal king to reprimand him. Even if he is the most disliked prince, he is still a son of the dragon, a prince with a title and a fief.
Therefore, the eunuchs were all ruled out.
But which of the chief eunuchs would be willing to travel thousands of miles for such a thankless task? If Prince Rui were favored, or if this trip were to deliver a reward, perhaps some would hesitate a bit...
But this time, it was another blatant reprimand, which turned into a thoroughly arduous task.
Of the three chief eunuchs before the Emperor, Eunuch Fuman was undoubtedly the most important and indispensable. The other was also a prominent eunuch, well-known to His Majesty.
He was left in this awkward position, neither high nor low. He was usually the center of attention among the younger guys, but when it came to this kind of job... he could only swallow his bitterness.
What else could Dai Xiyu do but go through with it, no matter how unwilling she was?
After months of living in the open and enduring harsh conditions, he was in even more distress. He hadn't even celebrated the New Year yet, and he had a whole basketful of complaints to tell.
As a result... after the New Year, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
An urgent message arrived from the capital via the post station, ordering him to thoroughly investigate the matter of Prince Rui.
To be honest, Dai Xiyu read that secret letter three or four times in disbelief.
He immediately realized, as if he had lost his parents...
His death was imminent.
"Damn it... Why am I so unlucky?" Dai Xiyu almost cried as the car entered the Liuzhou border area.
What was originally just a tough job has now turned into a life-threatening situation if he makes even the slightest mistake!
If Prince Rui were just like before, an unloved and neglected prince, there would be nothing to worry about.
but……
Prince Rui seems quite extraordinary behind the scenes, yet His Majesty still orders him to investigate truthfully?!
Dai Xiyu felt that either he would confess to this matter someday in the future, or he would confess inexplicably during this trip to Liuzhou.
In his eyes, Liuzhou was like a den of dragons and tigers.
In order to protect himself, Dai Xiyu made up his mind to avoid gathering as much information as possible, and to pretend to be deaf and dumb, saying as much as he could by playing dumb.
Try to survive in the cracks.
...With these thoughts in mind, Dai Xiyu finally arrived in Liuzhou after some dawdling and was successfully welcomed into the Prince Rui's Mansion.
Before the complete incense table, the Emperor's reprimand was read aloud in a very formal manner.
"...Your subject accepts the decree." Qi Chengming led everyone in the Prince's mansion to kneel in the courtyard and listen respectfully to the entire proceedings before rising to receive the decree.
This is imperial power.
The son not only had to be publicly scolded, but also had to accept the imperial decree without uttering a single complaint, swallowing his anger and humiliation.
However, Qi Chengming understood that these were all just superficial procedures.
Compared to his earth-shattering act of imprisoning high-ranking officials, this punishment was negligible and the best possible outcome.
Qi Chengming knew in the past that he still held modern ideas, but in this matter, he suddenly realized that he was gradually integrating into this era.
He never felt resentful or humiliated for kneeling and submitting to imperial power, because he clearly knew what he wanted and what he was doing.
"...This eunuch, and all of you gentlemen, please come up to the hall for a cup of tea to relax."
Song Gu greeted the chief eunuch and the other escorting guards with a warm smile, his every move polite, though it was a smile that was not quite genuine.
...Perhaps it was the image of the new emperor I first saw that left such a deep impression on me.
Song Gu was the one who found it hardest to accept the current emperor's downfall and the way he was caught up in the power struggles within the imperial court.
Therefore, back when he was in the palace, he dared to take drastic measures to retaliate against the prince's concubines on behalf of the second prince. At this moment... he is probably the person in the main courtyard who is most bothered by this scene.
"No, time is of the essence. Steward, please take us directly to see those who are imprisoned and convicted." Dai Xiyu was wary, but instead put on a fake and friendly smile.
He always felt that the head steward of the Prince's mansion was looking at him with an unfriendly gaze.
— Being unfriendly is the right thing to do.
Dai Xiyu was also self-aware and didn't want to stay and cause trouble. The key issue was that every extra moment he stayed meant he might witness more of their private matters. It was better to finish his work quickly and leave immediately.
"Cough cough..."
Qi Chengming's face paled; the composure he had been maintaining during the reprimand was finally breaking down.
"Is Your Highness alright?" Xiao Dezi asked in a worried whisper, while Xiao Chengzi, who was more robust, earnestly and diligently supported his Highness.
"...It's alright, just open the doors and windows and let it air out."
Qi Chengming, still somewhat uneasy, lowered his voice and gave the order, his throat sounding hoarse as if he was about to cough up blood.
His voice was very low, and he stood far away in front of the hall.
Dai Xiyu had noticed earlier that Prince Rui looked strange, and that he had applied makeup to his face to make it look normal.
Those who served as imperial eunuchs could be incompetent in many other areas, but they had to be exceptionally astute in judging situations and reading people's expressions; otherwise, they wouldn't even know how they died.
Prince Rui looks... not sick, the color of his lips is a bit off.
Dai Xiyu's heart sank further, so after he finished reading the decree, he kept his eyes closed and his mind blank, only exchanging pleasantries with Steward Song before quickly slipping away.
Naturally, they pretended not to have discovered anything and had no curiosity to investigate.
But the guards who came with him—the best of the Imperial Guards, skilled in martial arts—one or two young guards at the back of the group, turned their heads away silently.
...and just in time to see Prince Rui's slightly unsteady state and his final instructions.
This large group of guests from the capital left with Song Gu.
"Put away the incense table." Gan Tang instructed the palace maids to tidy up the other things, while she herself held the imperial edict and respectfully asked, "Your Highness, where should we put this?"
"Storeroom," Qi Chengming said irritably, "Just keep it well and don't damage it."
Let them gather dust along with the pile of imperial gifts he brought out!
Once there were no outsiders in the main courtyard, he stopped pretending to be sick and weak, let go of Xiao Chengzi, shifted the weight he was supporting back, and slowly went into the house.
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi followed closely inside and closed the door. Only then did Qi Chengming eagerly ask the eunuchs about their observations: "—How was it?"
Xiao Dezi, with a sour face, said very rudely: "That Eunuch Dai is no good; only a few guards seem to be paying attention."
That's too much of a self-preservation tactic.
Not to mention that he didn't find much of anything unusual, the little he did find didn't seem to be anything he planned to report. His main strategy was to be vague and avoid offending either side, hoping to get by by muddling through.
"...As expected." Qi Chengming's brows furrowed, and he gave a light, mocking laugh.
Unfortunately, this eunuch didn't realize that his actions would only offend both sides this time.
"Go and give him a quiet reminder." Qi Chengming tapped the table. He wasn't angry, but he needed this imperial eunuch to know how to do things, so he was willing to give him another chance.
"No need to say more, just let him know about the guards and the prefect's unusual behavior. That's enough."
Qi Chengming decided to wait and see what his father-in-law did next.
"Your Highness..." Xiao Dezi wanted to ask something, but swallowed his words and replied with a puzzled look.
"This is a senior eunuch serving the emperor," Qi Chengming patiently explained to Xiao Dezi, seeing his confused expression.
Even though Xiao Dezi wasn't as shrewd and worldly as Chief Eunuch Song, Qi Chengming was still willing to analyze things carefully for him and nurture his personal eunuch to grow gradually.
"Xiao Dezi, we have too few people, especially those from the palace." Qi Chengming knew that this Grand Eunuch was probably not very respectable and was just an unlucky fellow.
But no matter how badly he fared, the other party was still a Grand Eunuch of the Emperor, so he had little room to be picky.
Whether he could successfully relay the information about the poisoning back to the Emperor, and whether he could further cultivate a connection with Eunuch Dai, were all things that Qi Chengming was concerned about.
It's always better to be prepared.
but--
If this eunuch Dai is either clueless or truly timid—no, then he could be considered foolish.
Qi Chengming was not afraid.
Those guards weren't just mindless mummies; who knew if Emperor Hongren's men were among them?
Even if it hasn't happened yet, the fact that Prefect Lu hasn't come, contrary to his usual behavior, without even sending a message, proves that he is also being watched by the capital.
So... even if Eunuch Dai was tactless and the final outcome was much more complicated and difficult, Qi Chengming still had a way to get the information back to the capital.
"Go ahead, everyone, just bear with it for a little longer," Qi Chengming instructed the two of them, then encouraged them, "Once this is all over, I'll take you out for a good meal."
As he said this, Qi Chengming's eyes fell on his system panel, where a new task had already been refreshed.
Gan Tang once again had to furtively brew medicine while trying to cover up the smell.
—Let's keep performing for a while longer and try to completely fool these people from Beijing!
"yes!"
Xiao Dezi and Xiao Chengzi perked up and agreed wholeheartedly.
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Author's Note: I'm back to update again after recovering from my illness!
Let's change it to hoping that we can finish updating in January...
Let's not dwell on this awful winter. Anyway, I'm praying I eat well, sleep well, and exercise well, so I never get cold or catch a cold again qwq. Sorry for keeping you all waiting.
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