Chapter 197 Secrets
The Hall of Diligent Governance.
The emperor sat upright on the dragon throne, looking expressionlessly at the guards below.
"You mean, when you arrived, Meng Lingge had already gone somewhere else? And then you couldn't find her anywhere?"
The guard below was the leader of the guards who had gone to Jiangnan to find Meng Lingge. Upon returning to the capital, he immediately went to the Hall of Diligent Governance to report. Hearing the Emperor's tone, he knew that the Emperor was in a very bad mood, so he quickly replied.
"Your Majesty, I have already sent men to guard outside the Du residence. As soon as Meng Lingge is found, they will be brought back immediately. In addition, I have also sent someone to contact the prefect of Jiangnan to assist in the search. I believe we will have news of Meng Lingge soon."
Upon hearing this, the emperor's expression softened slightly.
"Did anything major happen?"
He had already ordered Meng Lingge to divorce Wen Zhiming, and Meng Lingge even went to Jiangnan to avoid trouble. Now that Wen Zhiming has rebelled, he wants to arrest Meng Lingge. If this gets out, it will cause criticism from all the officials, and that old man Meng Xingyuan will definitely come to him to plead his innocence.
They could only openly protect him while secretly arresting him.
The guard bowed his head and said, "I have kept His Majesty's orders in mind and have not made this public. I have told the Du family and the government that it was for the safety of the eldest daughter of the Meng family that we were escorting her back to the capital."
The Emperor said, "After finding Meng Lingge, bring her back to the capital secretly. Do not send her to the Meng residence; bring her directly to the palace. I have other plans."
The guard replied, "I understand."
The matter was not accomplished, and the Emperor was deeply frustrated. After waving away the guards, he spoke to Eunuch Chu, who was waiting quietly to the side.
"Tell me, are Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming still in contact privately? Did Meng Lingge hear something about her sudden departure from the Du residence?"
Eunuch Chu said, "I heard that after Meng Lingge and Wen Zhiming divorced, she never went to see Wen Zhiming again. Instead, after hearing that Wen Zhiming was favoring another woman, she went to Jiangnan. This shows that the Meng family is prudent and self-preservationist, and Meng Lingge is also an opportunist. They are seeking profit and avoiding harm, and for their own safety, they certainly will not contact Wen Zhiming."
"The day after Wen Zhiming rebelled, you sent people to Jiangnan to look for him. News of events in the capital wouldn't have spread so quickly, so it must have been a coincidence. Meng Lingge is a divorced woman who has been living under someone else's roof for a long time. She must have suffered some grievances. Under such circumstances, it is reasonable for her to leave the Du family and go out to relax."
The Emperor walked to the window with his hands behind his back, gazing at the vermilion walls and jade tiles of the Hall of Diligent Governance, its eaves reaching towards the clouds. On the bluestone path, palace servants stood silently on both sides, motionless.
Every brick, every tile, every blade of grass, and every tree exudes imperial majesty.
He has been in power for nearly twenty years, but his emphasis on imperial power has only increased. He will ruthlessly suppress any princes who pose even the slightest threat to his position.
Now, however, his brother's son has risen up in rebellion, rescued five people from his palace, and seized three of his ministers and his most elite army.
How could he possibly swallow this insult?
He cannot eat or sleep peacefully until Wen Zhiming is eliminated.
But this kid's ability to feign madness was truly remarkable; even he was fooled.
Wen Zhiming knew him inside and out, but he couldn't quite figure out Wen Zhiming's thoughts.
"So, even if I bring Meng Lingge back, I still won't be able to threaten Wen Zhiming? I can only let him cause trouble in the Northern Frontier?"
When Wen Zhiming left the capital, he had only 60,000 elite troops. Now, after arriving in the northern frontier, his number has reached nearly 100,000, which shows that he is indeed capable.
Given time, his forces might outnumber the capital's defenses, and that would be the day he attacks the capital.
We absolutely cannot let him live to see that day!
But after Anshun Wang and others were rescued by Wen Zhiming, there was no one left in the capital who could be used to restrain him.
After much thought, the only one he could possibly use was his former wife, Meng Lingge. Since Wen Zhiming's idiocy was an act, then Meng Lingge was the wife he had chosen himself. They had spent several months together, and she was forced to divorce him by imperial power. She was different from others.
But if the two have not been in contact recently and have no feelings for each other, then it would be useless for him to find Meng Lingge again.
Eunuch Chu shook his head and said, "This servant believes that the Meng family does not want to contact Wen Zhiming, but Wen Zhiming must still miss Meng Lingge. Think about it, Meng Lingge divorced Wen Zhiming when he was most isolated and helpless. Although it was out of necessity, any man who was abandoned under such circumstances would feel resentment to some extent."
"If Wen Zhiming wanted to take revenge on Meng Lingge, he only needed to say a few words about being on good terms with the Meng family, or fabricate some evidence that Meng Lingge was still in contact with him. He could then use you to deal with the Meng family and Meng Lingge and avenge the past abandonment. However, Wen Zhiming deliberately kept his distance from the Meng family before and after his rebellion, avoiding suspicion even more than the Meng family. On the surface, it seemed that he had a problem with the Meng family, but in reality, he was protecting them in a roundabout way."
“This servant has also learned some secrets these past few days. According to the guards who previously took care of Wen Zhiming, Wen Zhiming’s favoritism towards Meng Lingge and Li Yan’er is not the same. When Wen Zhiming is with Meng Lingge, the two are inseparable and extremely intimate. While Wen Zhiming seems to be open about Li Yan’er, he has never taken the initiative to get close to her. If Li Yan’er doesn’t go to Wen Zhiming, Wen Zhiming will definitely not go to Li Yan’er.”
"Therefore," the Emperor continued, "the woman Wen Zhiming truly loves is Meng Lingge. If that's the case, then he must be searching for her right now. I must send more men to find her before he does. With Meng Lingge in my hands, I have nothing to fear from Wen Zhiming!"
He recalled the day he held Wen Zhiming's wedding banquet. When Wen Zhiming was being chased around by everyone to offer him a toast, he walked around Meng Xingyuan's table. At the time, he thought that Wen Zhiming was blaming Meng Xingyuan for making his daughter divorce him, which was why he ignored him.
Now, after listening to Eunuch Chu's analysis, I find it quite reasonable.
Wen Zhiming was clearly deliberately keeping his distance from the Meng family, fearing that the rebellion would implicate them.
Thinking of this, he instantly perked up and prepared to send more men, but when he was about to give the order, he hesitated.
“If I were to search for Meng Lingge in a grand manner, I would not be able to hide it from Meng Xingyuan. He is quite loyal to me, and it would not look good if word got out that I would use his daughter to deal with Wen Zhiming. If I could get rid of Wen Zhiming, I would be willing to sacrifice some reputation, but I am afraid that if I damage my reputation and hurt the feelings of my ministers, I will still not be able to find her.”
Now that the initiative has been lost, news of Wen Zhiming's rebellion may have already reached Jiangnan. Knowing this, Meng Lingge might find a place to hide and enjoy some peace and quiet. Or perhaps Wen Zhiming's men will find her first and secretly protect her.
"Meng Lingge is hard to find, but the Meng family has a hundred or two people under your nose."
Old Master Chu's aged face resembled withered tree bark, and even his smile lacked any warmth.
“Wen Zhiming cares about Meng Lingge, Meng Lingge cares about the Meng family, and Wen Zhiming naturally cares about the life and death of the Meng family as well. As long as you have the Meng family under your control, Wen Zhiming will be at your mercy and will not dare to act rashly.”
The Emperor frowned slightly. "You mean, you want me to seize the Meng family and imprison them all?"
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