Chapter 336 Wang Xiangrong assassinates Shen Lanxi!
Arrows and torches covered in tung oil fell like a meteor shower onto the Zhenbei Marquis's residence.
"Charge! Charge! Kill Shen Lanxi!" With a shout, the men in black jumped into the Zhenbei Marquis's mansion like dumplings being dropped into a pot.
Where are they?
"How come not a single person managed to escape?"
"Oh no, we've been tricked! Get out of here..."
Shen Lanxi appeared from the shadows with the Imperial Guards.
"His Majesty is truly insightful, sending the Imperial Guards to protect me so early!" Shen Lanxi exclaimed loudly.
Three hundred Imperial Guards drew their bows to the brim and surrounded the Zhenbei Marquis's residence.
The commander-in-chief of the Imperial Guards personally announced: "Those who surrender will not be killed; those who reveal the mastermind will have their sentences halved. The first person to step forward and surrender will receive a lighter sentence!"
Some of the assassins, surrounded inside the mansion, were unwilling to give up and tried to escape.
He was shot into a pincushion as soon as he jumped into the air.
"I surrender!"
"I'm willing to reveal who's behind this..."
Wang Xiangrong's name was easily revealed by the assassins.
The Imperial Guards stormed into the Princess's residence that very night and imprisoned Wang Xiangrong in the imperial prison.
Shen Lanxi: "Keep a close eye on everyone who comes out of the Princess's residence. Record everything they say and who they meet. Remember, don't alert them!"
"yes!"
...
Before dawn, news of the assassin's intrusion into the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence had already reached the ears of certain people with long arms, ears, and mouths.
Before attending court, the ministers would gather in twos and threes to exchange information.
Once inside the main hall, most people already knew what had happened at the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence the previous night.
Even though Emperor Renxiao's face was ashen, he did not shout about it in the main hall, as it concerned a royal secret.
Instead, they used the Empress's influence to summon Zhou Qiwu, her daughter, and Zhou Ru'an to the palace!
"This is the testimony sent by the Dali Temple. Please take a look!"
Emperor Renxiao's face was dark, and his gloomy gaze swept over Zhou Ru'an and Zhou Qiwu.
Unexpectedly, these two seemingly unrelated individuals are actually quite close. They even went to congratulate Zhou Qiwu on his birthday?
Emperor Renxiao recalled that the time coincided with the time when he sent Zhou Ruan to the north to provide disaster relief. Thinking of this, he felt a splitting headache.
Wang Bao quickly brought over the ginseng tea.
Emperor Renxiao took two sips of ginseng tea, only to find his mouth filled with bitterness, which only fueled his anger.
He gets bothered every few days, and there's never a time when things go his way. Even if he were to eat a thousand-year-old ginseng raw, it wouldn't help!
Thinking about it this way, Lanxi is really thoughtful.
They knew to send him ginseng, rare treasures from outer space, and try every possible way to give him the best things.
On the contrary, these very people are constantly trying to anger him. His sons practically wish they could kill him off as soon as possible so they could ascend the throne!
After delivering the ginseng tea, Wang Bao thoughtfully placed a glass bead in Emperor Renxiao's hand.
Emperor Renxiao touched the bead and sighed again.
What use are these bastards? Even if these people had half of Lan Xi's filial piety, they wouldn't be so easily angered by even a thousand-year-old ginseng.
Zhou Ru'an's face turned pale; naturally, he dared not look at the testimony.
Zhou Xiwu was also terrified after just one glance.
How did His Majesty know that Zhou Ru'an went to Tianjin? It must have been Shen Lanxi. She really regrets not getting rid of this eyesore sooner.
"Your Majesty, my son did not mean it. Please, Your Majesty, show leniency." Zhou Qiwu knew that no amount of explanation would help, so he could only plead weakly.
Emperor Renxiao's eyes were as cold as ice: "Wang Xiangrong has already confessed to hiring someone to kill someone. According to the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty, he should be executed immediately. Shen Lanxi is still an official of the imperial court. His crime of hiring someone to kill an official of the imperial court is aggravated by one degree, and his entire family should be exterminated!"
Zhou Qiwu turned pale and fell to the ground in fright.
"Your Majesty, Xiangrong is still just a child. I beg you, Your Majesty, to show leniency for the sake of my journey from afar to the capital. I promise I will never let Xiangrong step out of the house again. I only beg Your Majesty to spare Xiangrong's life!"
No matter how much Zhou Qiwu pleaded, Emperor Renxiao remained unmoved.
"With so much commotion last night, the whole capital knows about it now. How can you expect me to pardon someone who dared to lay a hand on an official of the court? How can that silence the gossip of the people?" Renxiao coughed incessantly, clearly angry.
Wang Bao hurriedly brewed another cup of ginseng tea and handed it over.
"Your Majesty, please take care of your health!"
Zhou Ru'an snapped out of his daze and hurriedly explained, "Father, the reason I stayed in Tianjin back then was because of the great unrest among the refugees in the north, and I chose to travel by boat. I absolutely did not intentionally conceal my itinerary; it was simply because of the refugee rebellion at the time. I remember that because of the rebellion, many exiles deviated from their planned routes and instead traveled by water. The Shen family was one of them, and I would like to ask the Shen family to testify on my behalf!"
Wasn't Shen Lanxi setting him up? Didn't she expose him?
Then he'll bring the Shen family out there and see how they explain themselves to the Emperor!
Unexpectedly, Emperor Renxiao raised his teacup high and smashed it on Zhou Ruan's head.
"You scoundrel, Lanxi already told me about this."
Zhou Ru'an was shocked; he couldn't believe it.
Father Emperor is suspicious. Isn't Shen Lanxi afraid of being punished by Father Emperor?
“Father, even if Shen Lanxi told you, she didn’t tell you as soon as she returned to the capital. She must have told you in the last few days. She just wanted to make amends and drag us into this mess.”
Emperor Renxiao was furious.
“Lanxi told me this as early as when she returned to the capital.”
Zhou Ru'an collapsed to the ground in shock. Impossible, absolutely impossible.
Isn't Shen Lanxi afraid of death, or the execution of the entire Shen family?
Emperor Renxiao became even more certain of his thoughts: Lanxi truly regarded him as her uncle and family. She had grown up in the palace since childhood, and her father did not care about her.
Lanxi respected and loved him as if he were her father.
On the contrary, all of his sons and sisters are plotting against him!
"Zhou Ru'an, starting from this day forward, you shall relinquish all your posts, confine yourself to your residence and reflect on your mistakes. Without my permission, you are not to step out of the gate of your residence!"
The color drained from Zhou Ru'an's face quickly. Was his father going to imprison him?
"Zhou Qiwu has failed in his duty to educate his son. From this day forward, he is not to step out of the mansion without my permission."
Zhou Qiwu panicked.
"Your Majesty, my brother, Xiangrong is your own nephew..."
"Is his life less important than Shen Lanxi's?"
"Your Majesty, I married into this desolate land for the sake of the Great Zhou. I have worked hard all these years, even if I have not made any great contributions. I beg Your Majesty to spare my son Xiangrong's life!"
"He is Wang Mingru's only son and the heir to Qinglan Academy. His brother-in-law is from the Liu family, which controls the maritime naval forces. If anything happens to my son, Tianjin will definitely become estranged from the Great Zhou. I beg Your Majesty to reconsider!"
Emperor Renxiao hesitated.
It wasn't because of Qinglan Academy, but because of the maritime naval forces.
"Go back now, and let me think it over carefully!"
Seeing that Emperor Renxiao was wavering, Zhou Qiwu immediately wept and was helped up by his daughter.
"Your Majesty, there must be some misunderstanding. My son must have been instigated by someone, which is why he lost his mind!"
Emperor Renxiao waved his hand coldly, dismissing them.
"Wang Bao, has the person you sent to investigate returned?"
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