Chapter 151 Leaving the Capital (35) His intentions weren't with Prince Zhao, but with the Imperial Concubine. ...
Back in the guest courtyard, Zhang Da went to his room to sleep, and Yu Qi also returned to the main room. Unexpectedly, Jiu Li followed him in. Yu Qi ignored him, lit a lamp, went behind the desk, laid out paper and brush, and began to grind ink haphazardly.
Jiuli asked, "What do you want to write?"
“Write a letter to Fengqiao. I thought Guan Youjun was going back to Nanjing and could send us a message of safety. Since she won’t be back until after the New Year, I’ll write a letter to Fengqiao so that our family won’t worry about our safety.”
"Uncle Fengqiao has probably sent Du Zhong back to Suzhou by now."
“There will always be someone left in Nanjing to watch the shop.” Yu Qi looked up and saw that she wasn’t looking at the letter, so he was relieved. He quickly finished writing it in a scribbling, then folded it up, put it in an envelope, and tucked it into his pocket.
Speaking of Du Zhong, Jiu Li immediately thought of Du Zhong's unresolved grudge, and a heavy weight seemed to press down on her heart, causing her great pain. Fearing that continuing the conversation would inevitably stir up their shared sorrow, she deliberately chuckled, "Why are you carrying it in your bosom? It's just a letter from home. Are you going to sleep without taking off your clothes?"
He emerged from behind the desk with a smile, "I'm afraid you'll forget about it tomorrow if I leave it on the table. Aren't you going to sleep?"
"You dozed off in the car, but you're wide awake now. Shall I make you some tea?"
As she spoke, Zhenge went to fetch the tea stove, removed three pieces of charcoal from the charcoal brazier, added a few more pieces of new charcoal, and placed a teapot on the small stove. Yu Qi noticed that since she went to Nanjing, without servants to keep her occupied, she had become increasingly adept at these tasks, unlike in the Suzhou countryside where she would burn herself even while tending a fire.
He sighed and sat on the couch. "Today, the Emperor intends to return the entire mansion to you. Why did you refuse?"
She moved a low stool and sat opposite the stove, slowly fanning the bottom of the pot with one hand. "Why would I want it? If I take it, can we still go back to Nanjing or Suzhou? I know it's my family's property, but there's no one left in the family except me. What use is that house? Didn't you hear what the Emperor said? My mother also loves freedom and certainly doesn't want to trap me under the Emperor's feet."
Yu Qi smiled with satisfaction, but inwardly he was filled with worry. As a commoner, even though he was ordered by the emperor to thoroughly investigate this case, he hadn't encountered much difficulty or obstruction in the past few days. These high-ranking officials in the capital were far too righteous, showing him, Yu Qi, such high regard—
"Uncle, what's wrong with you today? Why do you look so melancholy? Have you discovered something you're not telling me?" Jiuli wrapped the teapot handle in a handkerchief, lifted it to the kang table to pour tea, and sat down at the other end while peeking at him.
Yu Qi smiled and shook his head. "If there were anything, would I not tell you? It's nothing. I just feel that the Emperor's attitude has changed a bit too quickly."
"What attitude?"
"His attitude towards Consort Chen and the Chen family." He took a sip of tea, stood up, and brought the tea stove to her lap. "Everyone says that the Emperor has abandoned the beauties of the six palaces and dotes on Consort Chen, but why did he betroth such a beautiful palace maid as Shuqiang to the Consort? After so many years of marriage, doesn't he know Consort Chen's jealous nature?"
"Are you saying that the Emperor did this on purpose?" Jiuli answered herself, "Consort Chen has been dictatorial in the harem for many years, and the Emperor wanted to give her and the Chen family a warning?"
He paced back and forth in front of the bed, hands clasped together, "Very likely."
She lowered her eyelids and pondered for a moment, "If you were to warn the Consort and the Chen family, then why did the Emperor show leniency towards Chen Jia back then?"
Just then, they heard Xu Bai knocking on the door. The two exchanged a glance, and Jiu Li went to open it. Xu Bai came in carrying a food box and placed it on the kang table, saying, "Master and Yu'er ate outside early. I was afraid you would be hungry, so I ordered the kitchen to cook two bowls of wontons and two side dishes. You might as well eat some and go to sleep, so you don't wake up hungry in the night."
She spoke the last sentence while looking at Jiu Li, knowing that Jiu Li usually ate little and got hungry quickly. Jiu Li only looked at Yu Qi, who nodded slightly, before she began to set the table.
Xu Bai retreated to a stool and sat down, saying, "Just now I heard you and Yu'er discussing the Emperor and the Chen family outside the door. I have something to say, but I don't know if you would still be willing to listen."
Yu Qi took the chopsticks from Jiu Li and casually said, "Go ahead."
"Just now, Yu'er asked, since the Emperor intended to warn the Consort and the Chen family, why didn't he punish Chen Jia before? Yu'er doesn't know, these are two different things. On the surface, it's because of the Consort's influence that the two Chens were favored by the Emperor, but in reality, wasn't it also the Emperor intentionally using the two Chens? When the Emperor first ascended the throne, he incurred the criticism of many ministers for executing the entire Feng family. Take my grandfather as an example, everyone felt that the Emperor was cold-blooded and ruthless in killing his own brothers. After six years on the throne, he relied on his achievements to live a life of extravagance and waste, which aroused even more resentment. Later, because the Emperor's health was poor, the court officials dared not speak out! It was at this time that the two Chens gradually gained power. Everyone said that the two Chens took advantage of the situation to disrupt the court, but have you not heard that the Emperor tolerated evil and used the two Chens as a shield to cover up his own mistakes and to control those court officials who spared no effort to find fault!"
Although Jiuli felt that these words made sense, she couldn't help but recall the Emperor's loving gaze earlier that day. She hesitated and could only remain silent, gazing at Yu Qi.
Even though Yu Qi had always disliked Xu Bai, he was speechless at this moment. He had considered these points before, but he had previously thought they were none of his business, so he had been indifferent. But this time, it seemed that he could no longer remain aloof.
"Has Master Qi heard from Lord Zou that the court is recently pressuring for the appointment of the Fourth Prince as Crown Prince?"
Xu Bai nodded, "I only heard Lord Zou mention it today, but His Majesty has not yet agreed."
Why do you think the Emperor is delaying the decision?
According to Zou Chang, many of the opposing court officials advised against delaying the matter, citing the young age of the fourth prince and the prime of the emperor's life. However, no one knew what the emperor was really thinking.
Xu Bai sneered, "Anyway, the Emperor didn't put this matter aside for the sake of the Prince."
“That’s natural.” Yu Qi smiled as well. “I suspect that the Emperor intends to abolish the Consort and weaken the power of the two Chens before bestowing titles upon them. No matter which dynasty’s emperor, he would not feel at ease with a young master and a powerful mother. This time, the death of a mere palace maid has caused a great uproar in the court and among the people. Who knows if the Emperor is intentionally condoning Consort Chen’s slander of Prince Zhao?”
Xu Bai pondered for a moment, then tilted his head and said, "Sir, do you mean that because this case has become so big, the Emperor's interest is not in the Prince, but in the Consort and the Chen family?"
Jiuli sighed in realization, "That's right! How could the death of a servant in the palace cause such a commotion? No wonder the Emperor only placed the prince under house arrest in his residence!"
Xu Bai then asked, "Could it be the Emperor—"
“No.” Yu Qi guessed what he was going to say and cut him off. “Even if His Majesty wanted to get rid of Consort Gui, he wouldn’t do it this way. I think it’s just a coincidence. Shuqiang just happened to die, and Consort Gui accused Prince Zhao of murder. His Majesty thought that, according to Consort Gui and the Chen family, as long as there is that dagger as evidence, they will definitely seize this opportunity and not let go. They will most likely even produce some false evidence.”
Xu Bai pondered for a moment, then continued, "When the time comes, as long as someone investigates and exposes those false testimonies, they can rightfully depose the Imperial Concubine. The Chen family's influence in the court will inevitably be affected. In this way, the Chen family will have brought this upon themselves, and naturally they won't have to blame the Emperor." He then pondered for a moment, "But how can you be so sure that this case wasn't a scheme set up by the Emperor from beginning to end?"
"According to what you, Second Master Qi, said, the Emperor cares a great deal about the opinions of his court officials and future generations. Therefore, he could have followed the ancient practice of 'discarding the mother and keeping the child,' but because this method is criticized by the world, he hesitated and did not do it. Since the Emperor is unwilling to implement this method, killing a palace maid to plot against the Consort and the Chen family is also not feasible for the Emperor, because once the truth comes out, the Emperor's actions will also attract criticism."
Upon hearing this, Xu Baiyou had no choice but to nod. "What you say is indeed the Emperor's character and style. In that case, we should interrogate that Shunzi more thoroughly. If we can get information from him that the Chen family forced him to give false testimony, wouldn't that please the Emperor?"
Only Jiuli felt a pang of unease upon hearing Zhou Hao's schemes against his bedmate. But then she thought, emperors have always been ruthless, so it wasn't surprising. The three chambers remained silent for a while, until they heard the distant sound of the night watchman's drum. Xu Bai then rose to take his leave.
In front of Xu Bai, Jiu Li couldn't linger and returned to her room. That night, however, she tossed and turned, unable to resist wondering about the truth behind the fire that had engulfed the entire mansion years ago. If, as Yu Qi and Xu Bai said, the current emperor was indeed so cold-blooded and heartless, then the fire seemed rather suspicious. She casually guessed that perhaps the emperor feared her mother would expose their affair during trial, ruining her reputation, so he forced her mother to "commit suicide out of fear of punishment" before the public trial?
She didn't fall asleep until late at night. When she woke up in the morning, her eyelids were slightly puffy and her face looked a little haggard. She didn't eat breakfast properly and just stared blankly at her bowl.
Zhang Da looked at her for a while and couldn't help but say, "Look at Yu'er, her eyes are all dark from staying up so late. How can she go out today?"
Jiuli glared at him. "Go out when you need to. I'm not afraid of looking bad. I still need to go to Jixiang Hutong to ask Shunzi about it later."
Yu Qi said, "Go back to your room and sleep for a while. I'll go to Jixiang Hutong with Master Qi."
Xu Bai asked, "What about Constable Zhang?"
Zhang Da picked up his bowl, ate a couple of mouthfuls of rice, and chuckled, "Since the weather is nice today, I'd like to buy some local specialties from the capital so I can bring them back home later."
Jiuli still insisted on going, but Yu Qi refused, telling her to go back to her room to sleep. She had no choice but to go back to her room and sit there. She listened as Yu Qi explained that he had left first, and Zhang Da followed him out after closing the door. She hurriedly ran out and called to Zhang Da, insisting on going with him.
"What are you going there for? Are you going to help me carry things?"
She glanced at me and snorted, "Don't try to fool me. You're not going to the market to buy things. Your uncle must have something else he wants you to do, and he wants me to go with you so I can have some help, right?"
"Don't be so suspicious! I really am going to buy things. Would I hide anything from you if I had a mission?"
"Who knows what you and your uncle are up to in secret? Even if you didn't ask me to go, I'd still follow you!"
The two were arguing when suddenly Yang Qingnian led a young eunuch into the courtyard. It turned out that the Imperial Concubine had sent word that Jiuli was to come to the palace. Jiuli was surprised and asked why, but the young eunuch said he didn't know and only urged Jiuli to hurry up, as a sedan chair was already prepared outside the mansion to carry her. Jiuli had no choice but to leave Zhang Da and follow the young eunuch out of the mansion.
Upon entering the palace and arriving at Cangwu Pavilion, a eunuch went to announce their arrival before leading Jiuli inside. There, Chen Wansheng sat high on a chair, smiling and saying, "I don't have anything else to do. Last night, I specially requested an imperial decree to invite you to the palace for a simple meal today. Although your identity is not yet public, it is an open secret. In a way, we are family, so don't be as reserved as last time. Being reserved would be too formal."
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Author's note: Thank you for reading.
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