Chapter 145 Leaving the Capital (Twenty-Nine) Why are you siding with outsiders...?
After Minzhong finished speaking, Xiangyuan gave him a resentful look, but had no choice but to swallow her anger and reluctantly told Jiuli and Zhang Da to get up. A maidservant hurriedly came in to clean up the broken teacups on the floor. Xiangyuan, still angry, took her anger out on the maidservant, repeatedly scolding her for being clumsy. Minzhong, on the other hand, said gently and kindly, "Hurry up and leave after you're done cleaning up. Don't make the princess angry here."
Jiuli noticed Xiangyuan glaring at him resentfully again, but she didn't say anything, showing consideration for his dignity as a husband. He remained unmoved and still smiled, inviting Jiuli and Xiangyuan to sit down.
Seeing that Princess Yuan had a fiery temper, Zhang Da figured he wouldn't get anything out of her by asking any more questions, and would only end up getting nothing in return. So he smiled and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness. We won't bother you any longer; we'll be taking our leave now."
Xiang Yuan sneered, "You two came here today simply to interrogate me and the prince consort, using a trivial matter as an excuse. You haven't gotten anything out of me, and you're already leaving?"
Jiuli immediately put on a fawning smile, "We wouldn't dare. We just came to ask about what happened that night and see if there were any overlooked clues. More clues will help us solve the case as soon as possible. We even asked the eunuchs who served at the banquet that night. They didn't suspect the princess's husband at all. Please don't misunderstand, Princess."
To everyone's surprise, Xiang Yuan became even more enraged, her eyebrows furrowing and eyes slanting upwards. "Are you comparing us to those lowly palace maids?"
Zhang Da hurriedly bowed and said, "Princess, please calm down. Yu'er is a young girl who grew up in the countryside. She hasn't seen much of the world and isn't very good at speaking. Please forgive her, Your Highness."
Hearing that he belittled Jiu Li in his words, Xiang Yuan's expression softened a little. He glanced at Jiu Li with disdain and then turned away. "Don't think that just because you have the Emperor's decree you can act like a bully in front of me. You should know your place. This is the capital, not your rural backyard where you can run wild and act recklessly."
Jiuli finally understood that Princess Yuan's anger was mostly due to the rumors about her background. She was probably afraid that the Emperor would suddenly have another biological daughter, threatening her supreme position.
However, it is not necessarily true that she was the only one who was supreme. As she herself said, how come the palace servants present did not notice her leaving the banquet?
"Although Princess Yuan is the only princess in the current dynasty, her position in the palace is rather delicate because she is not the emperor's biological daughter. She enjoys all the honors and treatment a princess should have, and the emperor will grant her any request as long as it is not too outrageous, out of respect for the late emperor and Prince Ping. However, it is said that when she was still living in the palace, the emperor rarely visited her. Since they are not biological father and daughter, how can there be any father-daughter affection? Therefore, it is normal for the palace servants to be somewhat neglectful of her. Don't underestimate the palace servants just because they are servants; the more they are, the more snobbish they are. This has become even more pronounced after Consort Chen entered the palace and gained favor."
As the two left the Prince Consort's residence, they found a restaurant across the street and went straight up to the second floor, where they sat down by the window. It was well past noon, and there were few guests in the hall, so Zhang Da had to lower his voice.
Jiuli ordered some wine and dishes from the waiter, and after sending the waiter away, she leaned forward on the table and asked, "How did you know?"
"I asked Eunuch Shen about it this morning."
"Eunuch Rong Le?"
Zhang Da popped a peanut into his mouth and chewed. "He served the Emperor at Yugan Palace. Don't let his youth fool you, what doesn't he know? He said that although Princess Yuan and Prince Zhao are both descendants of Prince Ping, there is a difference between a princess and a prince. The Emperor has never been very attentive to Princess Yuan's upbringing, letting her develop this domineering and arrogant personality. As long as she doesn't cause any major trouble, he doesn't really care about her. She must know her place in the Emperor's heart, which is why she was so angry when she saw you today."
Jiuli didn't take it to heart. "I'm not afraid of her getting angry at me, I'm just afraid that she'll hold a grudge against me and won't tell me the truth."
As they spoke, two waiters brought in the food and wine, and placed a stove for warming tea under the table. Jiuli hurriedly grabbed the hem of her wet skirt and warmed herself by the stove. Soon, the sun shone on the table, and the bowl of hot tea steamed in the sunlight. Seeing Zhang Da devour his food, Jiuli ladled herself a bowl of hot soup to cool, opened a crack in the window, and gazed across at the gate of the Prince Consort's mansion.
He turned to Zhang Da and said, "Brother Zhang, you should keep an eye on the Prince Consort's residence. Otherwise, if I offend the princess here, she will become more wary of me and won't be able to find out anything."
Zhang Da put down his wine cup. "What else is there to investigate? I think the princess and the prince consort were just resting in the back hall that night; it has nothing to do with this case."
"That's not necessarily true. Just now, when we were talking to the Imperial Son-in-Law, he blurted out Shuqiang's name. You don't know, there are still people in Consort Chen's palace who don't know Shuqiang's surname. Everyone just calls her by her given name. He's an Imperial Son-in-Law, and he has absolutely no connection with Shuqiang. How could he know her name so clearly?"
"Hey, I think you're just paranoid. When someone dies, people start talking about it, and naturally they'll hear the deceased's full name. What's so strange about that? No matter how noble the prince consort is, how could he be indifferent to such a big thing happening in the palace?"
Jiuli hesitated for a long time, thinking about what Shen Quan had said earlier: Consort Chen had once asked the Chen family to send two daughters of the Imperial Son-in-Law as concubines. Given the princess's domineering nature, it was inevitable that she would harbor resentment towards Consort Chen. If this caused a grudge, it was not impossible that the palace servants in Consort Chen's palace would be implicated.
Moreover, the couple had also left their seats on the night of the incident, although they rested in the back hall. Could it really be a coincidence? Jiu Li had seen the Azure Bird Pavilion before. The back hall had a back door that led to the camellia garden.
"Tsk, I still feel there's something off about this couple. What a coincidence, someone just died in the palace and the prince consort fell ill? I just took his pulse, and it's not a serious illness at all. Why isn't he getting better? Is it because the Imperial Medical Bureau is incompetent, or is he preoccupied with something and worried about it, which is why he can't get better? Besides, the palace servants at Qingniao Pavilion must have been extremely busy that night. No one noticed when the princess and her husband left their seats. So, I doubt any of the servants noticed them resting in the back hall."
“That’s not right. Rong Le said that after they went to the back hall, a young eunuch brought them a bowl of hangover soup.”
"But that night they were alone with two maids. The eunuch served them some hangover soup and then took his leave. Who noticed whether they actually went out through the back door?"
While there was some truth to this, Zhang Da thought it over and over again, and couldn't help but sigh, "What's going on between you and Mr. Yu? So many people suspect that Consort Chen colluded with the Chen family to frame someone, but it seems that you uncle and nephew think Consort Chen is innocent? If we can find out that Consort Chen is the real culprit in this case, the Du Zhong brothers can get revenge."
Jiuli gently chopped at the bowl with her chopsticks. "I know that makes sense, but we can't just call white black because of personal grudges, can we? My uncle said that even if this case has nothing to do with the Chen family, he will find another way to avenge Du Zhong."
"As long as the Chen family's power remains intact, what other way is there to take revenge?"
However, neither she nor Yu Qi would resort to distorting the truth for the sake of revenge. Even if they were to harden their hearts and act like villains for a while, trying to fabricate some "evidence" out of thin air to frame Consort Chen would only be asking for trouble.
"Oh, you just did as I said. You can stay here and keep an eye on the Prince Consort's residence. Anyway, there's nothing else to investigate right now, so keeping an eye on it won't hurt you, don't you think?"
Zhang Da had no choice but to comply. After the two finished their meal, Jiu Li left him behind, leaving him five taels of silver beforehand, telling him to order some tea and snacks so he wouldn't be bored sitting there. He then hired two carriages to return to the Qi residence.
Meanwhile, Yu Qi and his party returned first and had lunch. Yu Qi went back to his room to rest alone. Xu Bai kept Zou Chang for half a day and then saw him out of the mansion. Just then, they ran into Jiu Li returning. Xu Bai then went back to the mansion with Jiu Li, asking her about her situation over the past half day, and walked with her to the guest courtyard.
Jiuli remained silent for three out of five questions, her eyes fixed straight ahead, a step away from him, her attitude even colder than before. Xu Bai couldn't help but glance at her cautiously, and smiled, "Are you still angry with me?"
Jiuli glanced at him and muttered, "What's there to be angry about? You've explained everything that needed to be explained. Uncle is right, even if you didn't explain, we couldn't hold you accountable for any crime."
"The fact that you're saying this means you're still blaming me."
Unexpectedly, Jiu Li suddenly stopped in front of him, staring coldly at him. "Stop talking about grievances, as if there's something between us that I could resent or be angry with. Let me be clear with you: we came to the capital because of your schemes. But rest assured, since we've been ordered by the Emperor to investigate this case, we will definitely get to the bottom of it. However, don't think we can implicate Consort Chen without any evidence. I know what you're up to. Do you think that if Consort Chen and the Chen family fall, you'll have a bright future?"
Xu Bai paused for a moment, his expression turning dejected, but then he smiled and said, "You still don't understand. The prince's imprisonment, the Qi family's downfall, the people's livelihood in ruins, and my future being hindered—these are all related to the Chen family, but they are not the root of the problem. If Aunt Quan were still alive, she would definitely understand, and perhaps her thoughts would be the same as mine."
Jiuli, holding back her anger, said, "My mother was born into a prestigious official family, so naturally she knows more than me and is more concerned about the country and its people. I am just a wild girl who grew up in the countryside. You don't need to talk to me about those grand principles. I don't understand them, and I can't help you!"
"You'll understand. Remember back in Liyuan, when you pleaded with me for that girl's name—"
"Her name is Meng Ran!"
Xu Bai smiled and said, "Look, you even remember her name. You keep the suffering of these little people in your heart. You and Aunt Quan are actually very similar."
Jiuli glared at him silently, then pulled off her cloak and turned to walk away. After a while, she returned to the main room and saw Yu Qi sitting in the warm pavilion drinking tea. She went over, hurriedly picked up the half-bowl of tea he was drinking and drank it all in one gulp. Then she turned around and sat on the couch before telling him the results of her investigation over the past half day.
Just as Yu Qi was about to speak, he saw Xu Bai walk in from outside the screen, and his face immediately darkened. Xu Bai pretended not to see him, walked to the couch, pulled up a round stool, sat down, and smiled at Jiu Li, saying, "According to what you said, you've also gained nothing all day?"
Jiuli glanced at her lightly, "Who said there was nothing to be found? The princess and her husband also had time to commit the crime on the night of the incident, but Lord Zou and Lord Qin hadn't investigated it beforehand. They probably thought that the princess and her husband didn't know Shuqiang at all and had no motive for committing the crime, so they let this clue go. But in my opinion, that's not necessarily true. The princess and her husband often enter and leave the palace, and they would inevitably have to pay their respects to Consort Chen during festivals. It's hard to believe that they didn't know Shuqiang."
After speaking, he warmed his hands over the incense burner in front of him, glancing at the two of them.
Xu Bai looked at her and smiled dismissively. "You mean that just because the princess and her husband had the time to commit the crime, they are suspects? The princess is the prince's younger sister. The two siblings have relied on each other for many years. We even ran into the princess at the prince's residence this morning. She was very worried about the prince's affairs. I don't think she was just pretending. If that's the case, why would the couple go to the trouble of murdering someone and framing the prince?"
“I didn’t say she intentionally killed someone to frame someone—” Jiuli rolled her eyes and said to Yu Qi, “Anyway, based on my feeling, the princess and her husband must know Shuqiang. They’re lying. Why would they lie about something like this? It’s because they’re guilty! I’ve already had Brother Zhang keep an eye on things over there. If we go there today, we’ll alert them. If they’re up to something, they’ll show their true colors.”
Xu Bai still felt it wasn't entirely believable, but he didn't want to contradict her too much, lest he offend her even more, so he just smiled and asked, "What do you think, sir?"
Yu Qi listened quietly for half a day, and the matter of Zhou Yu losing his dagger had already come to mind. This thing was neither important nor unimportant to Zhou Yu. If it had been lost outside, there would surely be some clues. However, when asked this morning, Zhou Yu couldn't remember anything at all, so it was probably not lost outside, but at home.
But among all the servants of the Prince's mansion, who didn't know that this item was a relic of Prince Ping? Who would dare to steal it? Even outside thieves couldn't get in. Unless it was a princess who could freely enter and leave the various rooms of the Prince's mansion.
"Second Master Qi, we won't go to Jixiang Alley today. You should go and rest. Yu'er and I want to wander around this afternoon and buy some things, so we won't trouble you to accompany us."
Xu Bai was met with a cold shoulder, but he had gotten used to it by now. He got up and took his leave, thinking that he would go back to his room. On the way, he met the steward Yang Qingnian, so he pulled him aside and whispered a few words in his ear.
After resting for a while, Jiuli changed her clothes and came out with Yuqi. The sun was out for once, and it made her face look sickly red, and the tip of her nose was also red. Yuqi secretly squeezed her hand, and fortunately her hand was warm, not like she had caught a cold. So he agreed to let her go to the Prince Zhao's mansion without a carriage.
She strolled along, admiring the bustling stalls and shops, complaining to him about how she had been "taken advantage of" at the驸马府 (the Prince Consort's residence). Hearing the word "eat," Yu Qi suddenly remembered, "Where did you have lunch?"
“There was a big restaurant on the street. Brother Zhang and I ordered a meal there. Brother Zhang ate with great relish, but I didn’t like the food and only ate a little.”
Are you hungry?
If you don't ask, it's not a problem, but as soon as you do, Jiu Li's stomach growls. Yu Qi smiled and walked towards a stall selling fried dough sticks on the side of the street, buying her a red bean paste-filled fried dough stick.
As she ate, she complained about the princess's temper, "She was so eager to find a reason to punish me. What could Brother Zhang and I ask? We wouldn't get the truth out of her anyway, so we had to leave quickly, lest she not only smash the bowls, but she might even smash the water vat at me!"
Yu Qi laughed after hearing this, "You've finally met someone even more stubborn than you. It'll be good to teach your temper a lesson."
Looking around, she wrinkled her nose at him and said, "Hmph, you're definitely siding with her, aren't you?" Seeing Yu Qi smiling and silent, looking like he was on the side of reason rather than family, she glared at him and said, "I'm not as arrogant as you say. That's what you call arrogant. Compared to her, I'm actually quite good-tempered. I even kowtowed to her to apologize."
Yu Qi, however, wouldn't tolerate her. "She's a princess by right, and you're just a commoner girl. Shouldn't you kowtow to her?"
In terms of status, isn't that how it is? Jiu Li felt a lump in her throat, speechless, and could only purse her lips. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a familiar figure in the crowd behind her. Looking closer, she saw that the person was acting suspiciously, clearly following them intentionally.
"Hey, Butler Yang is following us."
Yu Qi didn't turn around to look, and smiled indifferently, "It must have been Qi Xubai who sent him. It's nothing, let him come if he wants to."
"Shall we still go to Prince Zhao's residence?"
“Go.” Yu Qi lowered his arm and looked ahead. “The reason we didn’t let Qi Xubai come along is because we were afraid he would be concerned about the relationship between the princess and Prince Zhao, and worried that the princess might be implicated and would interrupt our questioning.”
"I thought you were being wary of him for some serious reason." Jiu Kui smiled gently, still secretly hoping that Xu Bai wasn't a truly wicked person.
She glanced casually at the side of the street, where several ragged beggars were huddled together. Judging by their age, they seemed to be a family, with both old and young members. One of them, a little girl of seven or eight, looked so thin that she was just skin and bones.
She watched them for a moment, then turned to Yu Qi, peering at his expression. "I'm not speaking up for Qi Xubai, but I think there's some truth to what he said last night—"
Yu Qi glanced at the roadside for a few moments, remained silent for a while, and then sighed, "Important matters of the court are none of our concern. I am merely a doctor, and my duty is to treat the sick and heal people. As for you, even if you are a princess, you cannot concern yourself with matters of state."
Before he knew it, he had arrived at the gate of Prince Zhao’s mansion. The leader, Song Wen, was still on duty. When he saw Yu Qi, he thought he wanted to enter the mansion and was about to order someone to open the gate. However, Yu Qi said that he only needed to call out the servant in charge of the gatehouse and ask him a few questions. Song Wen casually sent someone in to call the servant and chatted with Yu Qi casually in front of the gate, while his eyes intentionally or unintentionally sized up Jiu Li.
Yu Qi looked around at the street and took the opportunity to laugh, "Deputy Commander Song is really working hard, having to guard this place in the dead of winter. I think the Emperor doesn't really consider the Prince a criminal, he's just putting on a show for those serious officials in the court. Why does Deputy Commander Song have to be so meticulous? Let the brothers take a break when they can."
“How can an imperial decree be taken lightly? Mr. Yu does not serve in the imperial court, so how would he know the implications?”
Yu Qi deliberately tied his hands behind his back and smiled, "I don't think it's a big deal. We can still easily come and go from the Prince's mansion."
"Sir, you are joking. You are able to come and go because you are carrying the Emperor's decree. Anyone who trespasses without permission will be executed without exception by order of the Emperor."
Yu Qi glanced at the guards, each of them with their hands on their sword hilts, looking ready for battle at any moment. Judging from Song Wen's tone, they didn't seem to be guarding a murder suspect, but rather someone who was preparing to rebel.
The thought of this possibility startled him, and he immediately drifted off into a daze.
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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