Chapter 3: Bait attracts fish, the prince becomes the target
Shang Yuwan and the OP were almost done playing chess when they heard a knock on the door.
“Knock knock.”
Shang Yuwan's heart settled down and he said loudly, "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and a woman in gray-green tights walked in. She had deep eyebrows and a high nose bridge. On both sides of her waist hung a long knife and a dagger with a green agate inlaid on the handle.
Behind the woman were two men and a child. One of the men had three shallow scratch scars on his right temple. He was the "old friend" who had gone to Zhenxi Mansion to see Zhang Jiuquan an hour ago!
"Meet the host, Lord Shang."
Before coming in, Twelve and the others took off their wet hats and changed into clean clothes to avoid passing the cold air on their bodies to the owner of the building.
They clasped their fists and bowed in unison.
"Success?"
Bai Xiaoye stood beside Twelve, wearing a gray and white robe, with only a sandalwood hairpin on his head, and was not conspicuous.
He looked at Shang Yuwan who had spoken, took out the oil-paper wrapped thing from his arms, placed it on the table, and said respectfully, "Yes, Cheng Yishui wore a human skin mask to scare Zhang Jiuquan, attracting a large number of troops. Qi'er and I went into the study and found the transaction book between Zhang Jiuquan and the Langjiang people, but there was only this one copy. Twelve people were watching outside the whole time, so nothing happened."
The poster picked it up, opened it and took a look. Shang Yuwan looked at Shang Mingqi who was hiding behind Twelve.
"Isn't he in Baijialou?"
twelve:"……"
Bai Xiaoye: “…”
Cheng Yishui rolled his eyes secretly while wearing a human skin mask on his face.
Shang Mingqi replied with a guilty conscience: "...I, I secretly followed along halfway. I don't blame Twelve Sister and Master."
Seeing that he had no signs of injury and no smell of medicine on his body, Shang Yuwan stopped asking questions and instead changed the teacup, poured him a cup of hot tea, and called him over.
Shang Mingqi just turned eight this July. He is the son of the second master of the Shang family and the only member of the Shang family who survived the day when the Shang family was executed.
Bai Xiaoye coughed to hide his embarrassment, "After Cheng Yishui escaped, I followed Zhang Jiuquan's attendants and found someone."
As Bai Xiaoye spoke, he watched Shang Mingqi walk towards Shang Yuwan.
When Shang Mingqi came up to him, Shang Yuwan subconsciously raised his hand to cover his throat, but suddenly paused, then turned around and handed him the hot tea.
Shang Mingqi respectfully took the tea and said thank you, then drank it respectfully and put it away. He was mature and calm for his young age, without a trace of childishness.
"Are you feeling cold?" Shang Yuwan asked softly.
He lowered his head and replied, "I'm not cold. Thank you for your concern."
When Shang Yuwan first came to Baijialou, Qi'er had been brought there by Twelve for more than half a year. He had made a fuss.
He firmly believed at that time that the person with the same name and surname as his elder sister but different appearance was the "Shang Yuwan" from his Shang family.
Later, no one knew what Lord Shang said to him, but when he came out of the room, he became what he is now.
When Bai Xiaoye saw his apprentice like this, he sighed in his heart but said nothing.
Shang Yuwan knocked on the table and asked, "Who did you find?"
Bai Xiaoye came back to his senses and replied, "Bai Nongqiao, the prince's man."
Bai Nongqiao is the prince's personal attendant. In order to find out who was plotting against Shang Junhu to commit treason, Baijialou secretly checked the information of all the dignitaries and royal children in Kyoto so as not to make a mistake.
The prince...
The fish lured out with a bait turned out to be the crown prince of the current dynasty.
Oh.
Shang Yuwan smiled.
The host shifted his gaze from the booklet and said, "Everyone, go down. Bai Xiaoye, find someone to follow Bai Nongqiao closely."
Shang Yuwan stopped them: "Wait."
Bai Xiaoye and the others knew they couldn't escape, so they all accepted their fate and said, "We acknowledge our mistakes and voluntarily pay a three-month fine."
Shang Yuwan looked at Twelve and said coldly, "Shang Twelve, your salary will be deducted for half a year."
Such different punishments left Bai Xiaoye and others stunned.
Shang Yuwan's eyes swept across their faces. "Why? The host once said that I am his equal, of equal status, and that I hold some power. You don't agree?"
The twelve bowed their heads and said four words: "I accept the punishment."
Bai Xiaoye and the others were tactful enough not to ask any further questions. They took their leave and disappeared without a trace.
The host had no opinion on what she had just done and handed the booklet to Shang Yuwan.
"What do you think?"
Shang Yuwan took the book in his hand and flipped through a few pages, then smiled again, with coldness in his eyes.
“It’s too easy.”
The book contained few details about the transactions, the amounts were neither excessive nor insignificant, and it had no connection to the Crown Prince. If it were presented to the Emperor, Zhang Jiuquan could have simply said that Yanmen City was remote and harsh, and Langjiang happened to be close to Yanmen, with many merchants trading between them. He wanted to earn more money for the people of Yanmen, so that he could use it to help them in times of need.
Ever since the empress of Langjiang ascended the throne, Dayu and Langjiang had frequent trade exchanges in tea, cloth, medicine and poison. According to Emperor Chengming's temperament, such private transactions would be treated as a minor punishment or a severe warning.
The host nodded, "Yeah, the evidence was pretty easy to come by, but it's not really useful either."
Shang Yuwan put the book aside and placed a white chess piece. "The matter of treason may be related to the crown prince, but now it seems that the crown prince is more like a target."
"Yuwan, people do change. No matter how kind and gentle the prince was when he was young, a living person, let alone a child who has lived in the deep palace walls since childhood, would have changed beyond recognition in places that no one could see."
The host smiled faintly and followed Shang Yuwan to play the black chess piece. "How could a dignified prince become someone else's target?"
"What if there are other royal heirs?"
Prince Qi was disfigured and would never have the chance to be emperor. The Fifth Princess was just a woman, and even her mother's family was not on her side, let alone the possibility of her seizing the throne. From the civil and military officials in the court to the common people, everyone knew that the prince's ascension to the throne in the future was a foregone conclusion.
The host categorically denied: "That's even more impossible."
Shang Yuwan yawned, his eyes a little hazy. "How is it impossible? The people under the OP can't find out my past, right?"
“…”
This is the fact, and the author cannot refute it.
"However, the possibility of having an illegitimate child is indeed low. If there really is one, based on the Crown Prince's behavior in recent years, Emperor Chengming would have already brought the illegitimate child back to the palace to raise him carefully."
Shang Yuwan looked out the window at the fading spring rain. Her gaze seemed to pierce through thousands of mountains and rivers, and she saw a child she had met within those high walls in her childhood. "I once heard that the prince was just a little kid who liked to keep cats and dogs, and privately write poems and paint portraits."
Everyone knew the throne was already in the Crown Prince's pocket, so why would he collude with Lang Jiang? Either the Crown Prince was being used as a target to deflect the blame, or there was someone else behind him.
Shang Yuwan suddenly had an idea and thought of another possibility: the prince volunteered to be a target.
But after this speculation, she couldn't figure it out.
There were no fools in the imperial family, but if her speculation was correct, why would the Crown Prince risk destabilizing the military in Yanmen by getting involved in a scheme to frame a loyal minister? If his actions were exposed, Emperor Chengming would only dislike him even more. Since childhood, the Crown Prince had disliked government affairs, preferring instead to delve into the care of cats and dogs' fur. As a child, he even vowed to become Dayu's foremost pet trainer.
Emperor Chengming has always disliked this about him. He doesn't behave like a prince at all. If the eldest prince hadn't been disfigured and his own illness hadn't worsened, it would never have been his, Xiao Qingji's, turn to sit in the Eastern Palace.
The speaker may not have meant it, but the listener may have taken it seriously. The author of this post thought to herself: Why does she know the prince so well?
"Forget it, no matter who's behind him or who he's being targeted for." Shang Yuwan lowered his eyelids, hiding the hatred thick in his eyes. "They all deserve to be hanged on the city gates when the truth comes out, and die before the eyes of the world!"
The chessboard was filled with black and white pieces, and she let out a breath.
"Today, there is still no winner."
The host reached out and collected all the black pieces and put them back into the chess pot. "Now it seems that you are not the only one looking for them."
They are also exposing some clues to lure people like Shang Yuwan who want to overturn the case for the Shang family.
Shang Yuwan also took back the white chess piece and sneered, "Yeah, this can be considered a bit of damn telepathy."
The host rubbed his sore neck and asked, "Do you want to play another round?"
Shang Yuwan shook his head and said, "Let's stop here today."
She stood up and straightened her clothes. "Now that the Crown Prince has joined the game, whether it suits his wishes or not, we should move on to the next step as soon as possible. The Crown Prince has already performed on stage, so we should also show our appreciation."
A very light laugh came from behind the mask. "The person I sent out should be back tomorrow. I will let you know as soon as I have any news."
"Okay, you should rest early."
Shang Yuwan nodded, put on a hoodless brocade cloak, and left without looking back.
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