There are many people who practice magic in Nanxia. Women are called witches and men are called shamans. There are records that say "the witch is a Gu, so it is called Wu Gu."
There are many witches in this place, but only the Wu family is loyal to the royal family. It is said that their witchcraft has been passed down for hundreds of years, and is only passed down to females, not males. They can predict good and bad luck, pray for rain and blessings, and are also good at raising poisonous insects and cursing.
For Shen Huaixu, these were nothing to fear. What concerned her was the words in the letter, which had come true one by one. If this witch didn't have the ability to predict the future, then the events that had occurred during this period were most likely planned by this witch.
The only one who could target her and her father like this, and also take Fu Yin with him, is Qiao Man.
After returning to Beijing, the court seemed calm on the surface, but undercurrents were surging inside. Even though Marquis Xuanping was temporarily unemployed at home, the Marquis Xuanping's Mansion was the center of the undercurrent. During this New Year's holiday, apart from the Jiang family, the family also had dealings with the Marquis Xuanping's Mansion. Although the mansion seemed deserted on the surface, there were people visiting from time to time at night.
Taking advantage of the quiet time, Shen Huaixu found some books about Nanxia and made up for the many customs of this remote place.
When Jiang Erlang came to find him, Chen Huaixu was in the study, reading an obscure book with no desire to live.
"A Xu." He stood at the door, knocked, and called softly.
"Second brother?" Shen Huaixu's eyes lit up. He put down the book in his hand, stood up and greeted him. "You're here? How's your review going?"
Jiang Erlang wore a smile, but a look of worry flashed in his eyes. He spoke in a lighthearted tone, "I only knew the Marquis as a military commander, but I didn't know he was a master of both civil and military skills, and that he had his own unique perspectives. During his rest days, I often came to ask for his advice, and I've learned a lot."
Chen Huaixu poured Jiang Erlang a cup of hot tea. "Dad is a little low-key. When he's sick, he can't wield swords and sticks, so he has to spend time with books. Thank you for visiting him often when I'm not at home."
"It's just my job, not worth mentioning." Jiang Erlang said naturally, "I've heard some things recently. I wonder if the Marquis has any solution to it?"
Shen Huaixu tilted his head and smiled slightly: "You also know that I went to the Northern Territory, how could I not do anything?"
At the first morning court session after the New Year, Marquis Zhenyuan, who had been ill at home for a long time due to a headache, rarely attended the morning court session. The first thing he did was to impeach Marquis Xuanping for leaking the secrets of the Jin Dynasty and colluding with foreign enemies, and he deserved death.
The emperor only asked: "Does the Marquis of Zhenyuan have any real evidence?"
Shangguan Zhu presented the firearms manufactured by the Northern Qiang and the Great Jin. Not only that, he also described the battle situation in the northern border in detail. Finally, he said: "When the two armies were facing each other, the Princess Mingyi happened to appear at the border. It can be said to be a coincidence.
During this period, a woman broke into the military camp at night and slipped into General Meng Juemeng's tent, attempting to steal military secrets. Fortunately, General Meng was alert and fought the woman fiercely, preventing the thief from succeeding. Each of these incidents is inextricably linked to the Shen family father and daughter. Your Majesty, please investigate!"
Then, court officials knelt on the ground and shouted, "Your Majesty, please investigate!"
The emperor's sharp gaze swept over the people who were still standing one by one, finally landing on one person, "What do you think, Prince?"
The Crown Prince took a step forward and said, "Your Majesty, I have a question for the Marquis of Zhenyuan."
"allow."
The Crown Prince looked at the Marquis of Zhenyuan and asked directly, "If I remember correctly, General Meng Jue was a former subordinate of the Marquis of Zhenyuan. If she wanted to steal military secrets, why didn't she choose General Qi Zhan? Furthermore, as far as I know, Princess Mingyi, aside from her strength, possesses only rudimentary martial arts skills. Is she really worth a fight with General Meng?"
Although the prince raised the question seriously, he could not hide the joking in his tone, and he almost called Meng Jue a waste by name.
Marquis Zhenyuan naturally understood the hidden meaning of the prince's words. He had a headache, but now his vision was getting darker.
He was naturally aware of the relationship between Prince Jinghe and Shen Huaixu, and he even brought gifts to test the Crown Prince's opinion. They had a very pleasant conversation at that time, so why did the Crown Prince change his mind now?
Trying his best to calm down, he insisted, "Your Highness, as far as I know, County Lady Mingyi is quite skilled in martial arts, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to save Princess Chaoyang on Zhongli Bridge in time. Furthermore, she went to the northern border but claimed to be heading south. On the way, they split up into two groups. County Lady Mingyi went to the northern border, and a maid took her place and went south. Such secrecy makes it hard not to be suspicious..."
The prince frowned impatiently and said directly, "If that's the case, why not summon Mingyi and ask him about it? How about you two confront each other in court?"
"This old minister is not afraid."
The emperor gestured to Chang Xi, who immediately shouted, "Call Princess Mingyi into the palace!"
Shen Huaixu, who had been waiting outside the palace, arrived so quickly that Shangguan Zhu almost thought that Shen Huaixu had anticipated what would happen today.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. Long live the Emperor."
It was Shen Huaixu's first time attending court, and she felt quite fresh. She was walking with her head held high, but when the young eunuch beside her reminded her, she immediately came to her senses and lowered her noble head.
"Stand up."
After standing up from the ground, she still kept her eyes slightly lowered and did not look up.
The emperor pointed at Shangguan Zhu, who was not far from her. "Mingyi, the Marquis of Zhenyuan said that he went to the northern border to collaborate with the enemy. How do you respond?"
"Your Majesty, I consider myself quite clever."
"Oh? What do you mean?" The emperor said with a smile.
"You're collaborating with the enemy and even going all the way to the northern border yourself. Isn't that just giving people something to talk about?"
At this time, a minister asked loudly, "I wonder why the county lady went to the northern border this time? Has the county lady ever been to General Meng's camp?"
Shen Huaixu smiled sheepishly, "To be honest, Your Majesty, it was indeed me who broke into the military camp at night."
Everyone was astonished, and the court was suddenly like a boiling oil pan. "Your Majesty, trespassing into the military camp is a taboo. Your Majesty, please..."
"County Lady Mingyi's crime of stealing secrets is unforgivable!"
"Your Majesty, please deal with this as a warning to others!"
······
The prince roared angrily, "Shut up, everyone! You're noisy and noisy, worse than the shrews on West Street!"
The emperor glanced at him with a warning in his eyes. Then he glanced at Shen Huaixu, whose ears pricked up and his face was full of curiosity, and sighed helplessly.
However, the effect of this roar was very significant, and the court gradually quieted down.
"My Lords, please don't get excited. I haven't finished what I want to say yet." Chen Huaixu said with a smile, "The Xuanping Marquis' Mansion is loyal to Your Majesty and has no second thoughts. We broke into the military camp at night just to investigate and clear our name."
She took out a letter and said, "Your Majesty, please take a look."
The young eunuch immediately took the letter carefully and handed it to Chang Xi, who checked it before handing it to the emperor.
While the emperor was reading the letter, Shen Huaixu said, "I have read this letter many times and have not noticed anything wrong. However, since I returned to the capital, I have experienced several assassination attempts along the way, and someone often visits the Xuanping Marquis's mansion at night. I suspect it is because of this letter."
She looked at the Marquis of Zhenyuan and asked curiously, "My Lord, I wonder who the witch is that General Meng mentioned in his letter to you?"
The Marquis of Zhenyuan's face turned pale, "Your Majesty, this old minister is not aware of this matter."
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