Chapter 440 The one who delivered the secret letter was Minister Nong.
The footsteps were steady. The person was dressed in an official robe and hurried into the West Garden. His face was anxious. Before he even reached Xie Yun, he had already spoken hastily.
"Your Highness, how could His Majesty know about our affair?"
Minister Nong spoke directly, just as he had cultivated an image in front of Xie Yun.
But deep within those eyes lay a hint of inquiry and utilitarianism.
Xie Yunyang's fingers paused, and when she looked up, a layer of cold mist had already formed in her eyes. However, she deliberately lowered her voice: "Father Emperor may have sensed something was amiss and is testing me. If Father Emperor and Second Brother truly possessed evidence, they wouldn't have allowed me to prove myself so easily. The Zheng family is declining, Mother Emperor is under house arrest, and now even I..."
Xie Yunyang clenched his fists, his eyes filled with anger.
Minister Nong pondered for a moment, then said with considerable insight, "The Zheng family used to be very powerful, and the Empress is quite assertive. His Majesty must be afraid of the growing power of the maternal relatives, so he is taking this opportunity to suppress them. According to His Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty is now suspicious. We are all in the same boat, and we must continue to work together!"
"Don't worry, do you think I don't understand what you're saying? It's just that our secret correspondence has never passed through anyone other than those assassins. What do you think caused the leak?"
Xie Yun-yang's words were loaded with meaning; she deliberately didn't say everything.
Seeing the slight change in Minister Nong's expression, Xie Yun knew that he had successfully lowered his guard.
Xie Yunchuan frowned again, his voice turning cold as he suppressed his anger, saying, "Minister Nong, when I was far away in Jin, I received a secret letter from you and knew your sincerity. I trusted you completely, showing you the utmost respect and sincerity, which is why I entrusted you with all matters without interfering in others. In the future, when I ascend to that position, you will undoubtedly be the most powerful minister by my side!"
Indeed, the secret letter that Xie Yun received in the State of Jin was from the Minister of Agriculture.
The fact that Minister Nong, a mere Minister of War, secretly contacted Xie Yunyang without anyone's knowledge reveals his true intentions.
The Ministry of War is also a very important department among the Six Ministries. The Minister of War wields considerable power and can even influence the entire Yu army in certain matters.
Despite holding real power, Minister Nong secretly bypassed the central government and colluded with the Crown Prince. Ostensibly, he was siding with the Crown Prince, but in reality, he wanted to profit from the succession struggle and use the court's military power as his bargaining chip.
This ambition hidden beneath the mask of loyalty is also what makes it most feared.
The Yu Kingdom is peaceful, but if he can stir up trouble for his own selfish reasons today, he can do even more outrageous things for greater benefits tomorrow.
At that moment, Xie Yun realized that Minister Nong was not someone to be allowed to live.
This was not only because he had no interest in Minister Nong's proposal, but also because he knew that Minister Nong and his associates were not to be allowed to live.
Moreover, you can't reject him and make him give up on the idea.
We must lure out all the evil within him, force him to do more, and extract more information, before taking him down in one fell swoop.
Otherwise, if he has this thought today, he can turn it into reality tomorrow.
Xie Yunyang scoffed inwardly, but his face remained impassioned, each word sharp and eloquent. "But I never imagined that, even now, you wouldn't be able to manage your own men, allowing the news to reach Father Emperor's ears! Minister Nong, Minister Nong, this makes me seriously doubt your abilities. Or perhaps... this is a trap you deliberately set for me, luring me into a scheme, making me appear to be on your side, while you secretly passed the information to Father Emperor to help him completely destroy the Zheng family?"
Xie Yun-yang spoke as she approached him.
As he finished speaking, Xie Yun's eyes grew sharper and his voice lower, becoming a whisper as cold as ice, close to Minister Nong's ear.
Minister Nong's heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively retorted, "Your Highness, how could I dare!"
He hadn't entirely believed Xie Yun-yang's intention to cooperate with him before, because despite several rumors of discord between Xie Yun-yang and Xie Yun-chuan, he had remained cautious and hadn't told his subordinates, who had also secretly pledged allegiance to him, just to be on the safe side.
To show his sincerity, Xie Yunshang never asked.
Even now, their affair was almost exposed. His Majesty was furious and confined the Crown Prince to the Eastern Palace, but ordered the Crown Prince to produce evidence within three days and prove his innocence in front of the court officials at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.
Who wouldn't say that His Majesty is leaving His Highness the Crown Prince no way out?
Confined to the Eastern Palace, how could he find evidence to prove his innocence?
Even if His Highness the Crown Prince sends his men out, His Majesty can easily stop them.
Unless a miracle occurs, the Crown Prince will have no choice but to suffer this injustice in silence at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet.
Moreover, there are no miracles in the world, and his connection with the Crown Prince is real.
Until this point, Minister Nong completely trusted Xie Yun.
This matter was not leaked to His Majesty by him, nor could it have been leaked by Xie Yun.
Then it can only be one of his subordinates.
Whether it was an accident or intentional,
Xie Yun-yang is trying to get him to hand over a scapegoat.
No, she can't be considered a scapegoat.
It was that person who let slip the secret, almost causing the deaths of both him and His Highness the Crown Prince.
Whoever that person is, their crime deserves to be punished!
Xie Yun stared at him for a long time without saying a word.
Seeing that Minister Nong's face was ashen, he chuckled softly and slowly sat down to drink tea.
The tea had gone from being scalding hot to room temperature, and almost all the steam had dissipated.
Xie Yunyang took a sip and spoke calmly, as if he hadn't been the one who had just been emotionally agitated, "Fortunately, I didn't reveal any flaws. However, before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, you and I must be even more cautious. If we can use this matter to turn the tables on Second Brother... as long as we have enough evidence, even if His Majesty doesn't want to believe us, the officials and ministers at the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet will have no choice but to believe us. At that time, no one will be able to stop us!"
Minister Nong looked up: "Your Highness means... to cut off an arm to save the body, to graft a flower onto a tree?"
By implicating the person who leaked the information to the Second Prince, it can be confirmed that the Second Prince did this evil deed in order to frame the Crown Prince!
In this way,
Minister Nong was overjoyed and immediately replied, "Your Highness, rest assured, I understand! Although time is somewhat tight, I will certainly find the person who leaked the information as soon as possible and then..."
He didn't say the second half of the sentence, but looked at Xie Yunyang and exchanged glances with him.
The meaning is self-evident.
Xie Yun smiled, seemingly quite pleased with his sudden realization.
She nodded slightly and instructed, "Go ahead, but remember to make sure it's clean. My second brother is very meticulous and perceptive; don't leave any traces, or he'll turn the tables on you again."
"Your Highness, you can rest assured that I will handle matters properly!"
To prove his abilities to Xie Yun-yang and that this incident was purely accidental, Minister Nong presented a list of his retainers and other "friends." He promised, "Your Highness, this is a list of my retainers and other 'friends.' If I fail to handle this matter properly, Your Highness is welcome to hold me accountable with this list!"
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