Chapter 26 Wanting to Save the Crown Prince
"Never mind! Never mind!" Minister Ye slammed his fist on the table in anger. "That palace maid was someone the Third Prince's mother worked for in the palace. She said the Crown Prince had dragged her from the palace to the Imperial Garden. Now the witnesses and evidence are all there, and the Crown Prince has no room for defense."
Ye Wanning frowned. It was indeed a scheme orchestrated by the Third Prince; even the people involved were arranged by his side.
"Father, elder brother, this matter is definitely not what everyone sees. Although His Highness the Crown Prince is cowardly, he is not the kind of person who would do such a stupid thing. It must be a trap set by the Third Prince," Ye Wanning said in a deep voice.
“We know it’s a setup! But the problem is, we have no evidence! The Emperor is in a fit of anger right now and won’t listen to any explanations,” Ye Chengjing said urgently.
Ye Wanning remained silent. Evidence, evidence. The Third Prince's actions were meticulous. How easy would it be to uncover evidence of him framing the Crown Prince?
She walked to the window, gazing at the bare branches of the trees outside, her mind racing. The Crown Prince was imprisoned in the Eastern Palace, guarded by the Third Prince's men, making contact impossible. That palace maid was undoubtedly under the Third Prince's control; trying to extract information from her would be an impossible task.
what to do?
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and a very young servant boy rushed in: "Master, Second Miss, Eldest Young Master, Prime Minister Pei has sent someone!"
Ye Wanning's eyes lit up. Pei Zhi! He must be thinking of a solution too.
"Please come in quickly!" Minister Ye said hastily.
Soon, a man dressed in a blue robe followed the servant in. He was Pei Zhi's trusted bodyguard, surnamed Qin.
"Lord Ye, Miss Ye, Young Master Ye." Guard Qin clasped his hands in greeting. "My master sent me to inform you that he has found some people and wants Miss Ye to come over to discuss something."
"What did Lord Pei find out?" Ye Wanning asked.
“My master said that the palace maid’s name is Xiao Cui. She was originally a maid in the laundry department, but she was transferred to serve the Third Prince’s mother half a month ago. Moreover, Xiao Cui has a younger brother in the capital. He was suddenly taken away a few days ago and is now living in a courtyard called ‘Xianju’ in the Third Prince’s residence.”
A glimmer of light finally appeared in Ye Wanning's eyes. Yes! It must be the Third Prince. He's using Xiao Cui's younger brother to threaten her, forcing her to cooperate in the charade.
“I’ll go over there!” Ye Wanning said.
“I’ll go with you!” Ye Chengjing said quickly.
Ye Wanning quickly said, "Father, elder brother, don't worry, I will be careful."
She followed Guard Qin outside, and just as they reached the door, Ye Chengjing suddenly said, "Ningning, wait a moment."
Ye Wanning turned around and saw Ye Chengjing take a dagger from his waist and hand it to her: "Wear this, for self-defense."
The dagger was small and exquisite, with a beautiful sapphire set in its scabbard. Ye Wanning recognized the dagger; it was a gift from the emperor to Ye Chengjing when he was a child, and he had always carried it with him.
"Big brother, I..."
"Take it!" Ye Chengjing shoved the dagger into her hand before she could finish. "Don't believe anything now, and be careful. If anything seems amiss, find a way to escape."
Ye Wanning looked at the worry in his eyes. His concern for her touched her deeply, so she nodded and said, "I understand, brother."
Ye Wanning followed Guard Qin into the carriage, but it was not a carriage belonging to the Pei family; it was just an ordinary blue cloth carriage that did not attract much attention.
"Guard Qin, where are we going?" Ye Wanning asked.
"Don't worry, Miss, my master is waiting for you in a safe place," said Guard Qin.
Ye Wanning didn't ask any more questions, but leaned against the carriage wall, closing her eyes to rest. Pei Zhi must have his reasons for doing that. Now, the Third Prince has spies all over the capital, and the slightest carelessness could alert him.
The carriage traveled for about half an hour before stopping at the entrance of a secluded alley. Guard Qin alighted first, looked around to make sure no one was watching, and then said to Ye Wanning, "Second Miss, we've arrived."
Ye Wanning followed him out of the carriage and into the alley. The alley was deep, flanked by high walls overgrown with weeds. At the end of the alley stood an inconspicuous little wooden door. Guard Qin knocked, and the door creaked open. An old man dressed in coarse cloth peeked out: "Are you Guard Qin?"
Guard Qin nodded: "Uncle Liu, the person has been brought."
Uncle Liu nodded and opened the door to let them in. The courtyard wasn't large, but it was very clean, with several fruit trees planted in it. Under the trees was a stone table and a few stone benches. Pei Zhi was sitting on a stone bench, reading a book. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, saw Ye Wanning, put down his book, and stood up: "You've come."
"Lord Pei." Ye Wanning bowed respectfully.
"No need for formalities, please sit down." Pei Zhi pointed to the stone bench beside him.
Ye Wanning sat down as instructed, and Guard Qin and Uncle Liu left the house and closed the courtyard gate.
The courtyard suddenly fell silent, with only the rustling of leaves in the wind.
"Lord Pei, have you found anything?" Ye Wanning asked directly.
Pei Zhi picked up the teapot on the table and poured her a cup of tea: "Have a sip of tea first, then we can talk slowly."
Ye Wanning took the teacup, brought it to her lips, and took a small sip. The tea was slightly cool, and a faint fragrance lingered on her lips, calming her long-troubled mind.
“I’ve already found out some things about that palace maid, Xiao Cui,” Pei Zhi said slowly. “Her family are farmers, and her parents died early. She only has a younger brother to depend on. Half a month ago, the Third Prince sent someone to bring Xiao Cui’s brother to the capital, saying that he had found a good job for him. In reality, he was putting her brother under house arrest so that he could blackmail Xiao Cui into cooperating with his act.”
Ye Wanning frowned: "Can we find her brother now?"
Pei Zhi shook his head: "It's difficult. The Third Prince hid the person very well. I sent people to look for him, but they couldn't find him."
Ye Wanning was somewhat disappointed. This was currently the only clue; if it were lost, saving the Crown Prince would become even more difficult.
"Then... what about the Crown Prince's residence?" Ye Wanning asked again, "Is there any way to contact him?"
Pei Zhi said, "The Eastern Palace is so well guarded by the Third Prince's men that not even a fly can get in. Even if I send someone in, it won't work."
Ye Wanning fell silent. Was there really no way at all?
She looked at Pei Zhi and saw that although he had no expression, his eyes were firm, so he was not completely helpless.
"Lord Pei, don't you have another way?" Ye Wanning asked Pei Zhi.
Pei Zhi looked at her and smiled: "There is a way, but it's a bit risky."
"What method?" Ye Wanning asked anxiously.
Pei Zhi said, "Although the Third Prince has guarded the Eastern Palace tightly, tomorrow is the Empress's birthday. According to the rules, the people of the Eastern Palace should go to wish the Empress a happy birthday. The guards will be a little lax then, so you can take the opportunity to sneak in and see the Crown Prince."
Ye Wanning's eyes lit up: "It's an opportunity! But, who should go?"
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