Chapter 138 Leaving the Capital (22) Nothing gained.
Just as Yu Qi was about to reply, Wan Sheng raised her slender hand and pointed at Jiu Li behind him, "Let this girl speak. Since she accompanied you into the palace to investigate the case, she must have some ability. If there are any clues, she should be able to see them."
Jiuli glanced at Shen Quan and saw that Shen Quan was giving her a wink. She had no choice but to step forward and curtsy. "Your Highness, the garden has already been cleaned up. They even turned over the soil. Even if there were any clues, they can't be found now."
Unexpectedly, Wan Sheng's face turned cold, and she glanced at him sideways, "Do you mean to say that the palace servants who were cleaning up the mess are too much trouble, or do you think that someone deliberately sabotaged the scene and obstructed the investigation?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Qi and Chen Quan were both somewhat alarmed and secretly glanced at Jiu Li. Although Jiu Li was also flustered, she quickly calmed down. Glancing at Wan Sheng's sharp expression, she felt even more strongly that Consort Chen was guilty.
She dared not say such a thing. Instead, she buckled her knees and knelt on the ground, repeatedly explaining, "This humble woman would never have meant that! Even if I am ignorant of the rules, I understand that in this harem, so many noble ladies reside. How could they possibly see such ominous things as blood and the dead? Naturally, cleaning up is the priority. If there are no clues here, we can still examine the body outside the palace. Please rest assured, Your Highness, there will definitely be other discoveries!"
As soon as she knelt down, Consort Chen regretted her haste and smiled, glancing around. "Look how frightened this girl is. Quickly help her up."
After Jiuli stood up, she said in a slightly more amiable tone, "You come from the common people and have been granted special permission by the Emperor to move around in the palace. I was just reminding you not to offend anyone with your words. There are more than just me in this palace. Besides, those palace maids and eunuchs are not to be trifled with. If a palace maid causes a death, everyone will be in a state of panic, afraid that they will be suspected. I'm afraid they will overthink things."
Jiuli hurriedly lowered her head and admitted her mistake, "This commoner is ill-mannered, please punish me, Your Majesty."
"That's too much of an exaggeration."
As she spoke, Wansheng stretched out her arm to the side, and the palace maid Yun'er quickly helped her up from the stool. A little eunuch took the hot water bottle, and another palace maid put warm sleeves on her. When Jiuli saw that she was about to leave, she quickly stood aside.
She draped a white fox fur sleeve over her abdomen, and as she was about to leave, she glanced at Yu Qi again. "I heard you used to be a doctor, extremely skilled at autopsies, even better than a coroner? It's a pity that you're not able to use your talents this time. Shuqiang's body was taken away by her parents outside the palace long ago, and now they've probably returned to their hometown to be buried. If you want to see it, I'll send someone to her hometown to dig up her body and send it to the capital."
Yu Qi slightly raised his forehead and saw her slightly smug profile. He could only turn his gaze away, lower his head, and say calmly, "Those words were just polite words from others, and I dare not accept them. Since a coroner has already examined the case, I will only look at the case file and dare not disturb the deceased, much less trouble Your Majesty."
Wansheng turned her neck and glanced at him sideways, then slowly nodded before gracefully stepping out of the pavilion. Her embroidered shoes, with their low heels, rustled softly in the snow, a sound that seemed to resonate in one's heart, making one feel slightly uneasy in the stillness.
After a while, she glanced behind her, and Yun'er immediately stepped forward. She stared intently and asked in a low voice, "Has that Shunzi returned to the palace?"
Yun'er shook her head. "Shunzi has just recovered from dysentery. The eunuch in charge of the clock room was afraid that he might pass on his illness to others before he was fully recovered, so he was allowed to rest in the alley for a few more days."
"Send someone to tell Chen Jia later that he must keep Shunzi's mouth shut."
Yun'er leaned closer and said, "If Your Majesty is worried, why not make sure that Shunzi never speaks again?"
Wansheng glanced at her and said, "This is bad. The Emperor just ordered Yu Qi, who has no official position, to investigate this case in order to show fairness to all officials. If the witness dies at this critical juncture, the Emperor will inevitably suspect our Chen family."
“Your Majesty is right. Even if he doesn’t die, he won’t be able to speak. His parents have already been taken to the capital by the Second Master and imprisoned. Even if he had a few more lives, he wouldn’t dare to speak out of turn.”
Wansheng silently walked to the winding path, turned her head and saw that there was no one in the pavilion. Following the path, she saw that the three figures were heading towards the Qingniao Pavilion.
At this moment, the Emperor granted Yu Qi such great privileges and even had Shen Quan personally accompany him. Did he truly believe in Prince Zhao's innocence, or was he putting on a show for the officials? It's truly hard to fathom.
Meanwhile, after Shen Quan led Yu Qi and Jiu Li on a tour of Qingniao Pavilion, he ordered a eunuch to escort them out of the palace, and then went to Yugan Palace to report back to Zhou Hao. Zhou Hao was inside the palace with the doors closed, discussing matters with a group of ministers. Listening carefully, it seemed to be about the establishment of a crown prince.
Due to the Emperor's declining health in recent years, court officials are eager to establish a heir to the throne, lest unrest arise both within and outside the palace. Since the birth of Consort Chen's son, the Emperor now has a biological prince. Those who previously supported Prince Zhao naturally dared not openly advocate for his appointment as Crown Prince. However, whenever someone proposes the establishment of a new prince, these officials often object, arguing that the Emperor's will is too heavy and the prince is too young, and that establishing a Crown Prince too early might harm the Emperor's health. Moreover, there has long been discussion in the court that the former Crown Prince, who was originally vigorous and energetic in his youth, gradually became weak and sickly after being established as Crown Prince. Who knows if this was not due to the heavy will of Heaven?
After a year of debate among the ministers, the two imperial brothers-in-law said, "The prince is still young, while the emperor is in his prime. Who knows how many more princes he will have in the future? Choosing one among them to be a man of great talent and ability would be a blessing for the court and the people."
Such were the pleasant words, of course, but who didn't know that the Emperor's health was failing and that he was over forty? Even if he could still have children, who could say for sure whether it would be a princess or a prince? And even if he did have a prince, he would be several years younger than the current Fourth Prince. All things considered, the position of Crown Prince would most likely belong to the Fourth Prince. Therefore, the two imperial uncles could speak so eloquently. In any case, because of the two imperial uncles' words, the matter was shelved for two or three months without being discussed. Who knew that now, because of the case of Shuqiang's murder, it had been brought up again by the ministers.
One of the men said, “This case is full of suspicious circumstances. In my opinion, it is ultimately because someone is in turmoil over the position of Crown Prince and has devised this vicious scheme to frame Prince Zhao! When the late Emperor was on the throne, he issued a clear decree to adopt Prince Zhao as the Emperor’s son. The late Emperor said that Prince Ping fought for the country and for personal reasons, while the Emperor was the Crown Prince at the time, and Prince Ping fought for his brother. The Crown Prince should regard Prince Ping’s son as his own. Your Majesty, Prince Zhao is now wronged and the truth of the case is unclear. If you were to appoint the Fourth Prince as Crown Prince, I fear it would go against the late Emperor’s wishes. I urge Your Majesty to reconsider!”
Zhou Hao leaned back in his chair and remained silent. Seeing this, someone retorted, "Lord Zhang, you are mistaken. Since the case is unclear, how can you conclude that there is a miscarriage of justice? If, as Lord Zhang suggests, the vacancy of the Crown Prince's position is causing unrest among the people, then my appointment of the Fourth Prince as Crown Prince at this time will be just the right time to stabilize the hearts of the court officials!"
A court official named Chen glanced at him and said sharply, "Lord Wang, since the late emperor decreed that the emperor should regard Prince Zhao as his own son, and your own son is currently involved in an unclear case, why are you in such a hurry to establish a crown prince? Aren't you putting the emperor in a position of being heartless and ungrateful? How will the people of the world view you in the future? The two imperial brothers-in-law are the fourth prince's own uncles, and they are not in a hurry, so why are you in such a hurry?"
"The two imperial brothers-in-law are avoiding speaking out because they are related to the fourth prince. If they don't speak up, fine, but if we, the ministers who receive salaries from the court, don't speak up, wouldn't we be neglecting the affairs of the state?"
"Hmph, since this is a matter of national importance, and both of you are high-ranking officials in the cabinet, you are truly selfless. Why should we be so discreet?!" Lord Chen smiled and bowed to the person in front of him. "Your Majesty, I learned yesterday that a young man named Du Zhong also traveled to the capital with Yu Qi, Qi Xubai, and others. He was an orphan adopted by Yu Qi, aged seventeen, and like that Miss Jiu Li, he was originally a bright and promising young man. But somehow, I heard that Du Zhong was poisoned to death on his way to the capital."
As soon as he finished speaking, several adults looked surprised and doubtful. Zhou Hao also frowned slightly. "This Du Zhong is also an orphan adopted by Yu Qi? You mean that his poisoning is also related to the case of King Zhao?"
"I only learned of this matter yesterday from Lord Yan of Nanjing. According to Lord Yan, both Du Zhong and Miss Jiu Li are exceptionally beautiful and unforgettable. Moreover, they are of similar age, so many people in Nanjing mistake them for twins."
Nowadays, anyone who knows that Jiu Li is Quan Shan Heng's illegitimate daughter cannot help but suspect Jiu Li's relationship with the Emperor. Since there is a young man suspected of being Jiu Li's sister, he will naturally become a thorn in the side of some people.
Zhou Hao remained silent for a long time with a cold face before asking, "Then are they compatriots or not?"
"Your Majesty, Qi Xubai already sent people to Suzhou to investigate. This Du Zhong is the son of an ordinary family in Suzhou. His parents died early due to illness, and he was taken in by Yu Qi as an apprentice and raised there. This is probably a precautionary measure taken by someone with ulterior motives, so—"
As Lord Chen reported, he glanced at Zhou Hao. Seeing that Zhou Hao's eyes were resolute and cold, he swallowed his words that would lead to speculation. Without evidence, it was just speculation. The Emperor was always suspicious, and he would guess as much as they, his ministers, had guessed.
After a moment, he continued, "I have another matter to report. According to Lord Yan, Yu Qi and his men encountered several assassins on the road. These assassins knew their names and identities but asked for their names without explaining why. Fortunately, Yu Qi was skilled enough to kill the assassins. Their bodies were sent back to Nanjing. Judging from the tattoos on their faces, the assassins were all death row inmates who had committed crimes. The leader was named Jiang Da, and they were several death row inmates held by the Ministry of Justice. Coincidentally, several prisoners on the Ministry of Justice's roster died suddenly half a month before the incident."
Zhou Hao remained silent for a moment, then asked Minister He of the Ministry of Justice, "Minister He, are you aware that several death row inmates have escaped from your prison?"
Lord He, being quite old, slowly and shakily knelt on the ground, answering in a deep and calm voice, "This humble subject was unaware of this matter. It is likely that the family members of some condemned prisoners intervened, and the prison officials devised a scheme to substitute one prisoner for another, thus releasing several condemned prisoners from the prison. Regardless of the truth of the matter, I am guilty of negligence, and I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"
Zhou Hao's eyes hovered over his graying head for a long time. "As the Minister of Justice, you are indeed guilty of negligence. However, you are in charge of all criminal matters in the country and have many important duties to attend to. You are bound to have some oversights in the prison. Therefore, I will waive your salary for half a year as a warning to others."
As he spoke, he leaned against the armrest, waved his arm downwards, and said in a weary voice, "Go back and investigate this matter thoroughly. In three days, bring up all the officials in the Ministry of Justice who have abused their power and punish them accordingly."
As the discussion inside the hall reached this point, a young eunuch brought medicine to the outside of the hall. Shen Quan deliberately stepped forward and spoke loudly to him, "Is it time to take the medicine?"
The young eunuch answered loudly, and the officials inside, not daring to delay the emperor's health, had no choice but to kneel down and ask for their leave.
-----------------------
Author's note: Thank you for reading.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
