Chapter 108 Cause and Effect (Part 6) When did you become so concerned about me and my husband...?
Xiao Cheng died on his way to Jiangzuo.
It wasn't an assassination attempt, nor was there any conspiracy or scheming; it was simply youthful ignorance and stupidity.
When he passed through Huaiyin County, he found the scenery so beautiful that he did not continue on his way. Instead, he lingered there with five or six beautiful women. The governor of Huaiyin, in order to please him, sent him many gifts for his amusement. At such a young age, indulging in sensual pleasures was too much for his body to handle, and he died in Huaiyin.
"Currently, all of the dozen or so beautiful women involved have been executed. The magistrate of Huaiyin County has also been escorted to the capital along with the funeral procession and is on his way. They will arrive soon. The problem now is that this matter may implicate Changjun."
Li Jinghe's concerns were not unfounded. Not to mention that the Prefect of Huaiyin was a collateral descendant of the Yan family, Xiao Cheng had accompanied Yan Ning on this trip. If nothing had happened, all would have been fine, but now that something had happened, he would definitely be held accountable.
Li Yunru was furious. Since everyone here was one of their own, she didn't hold back and cursed, "The Xiao family is really something. One of them, the father, doesn't care about his son. He's only in his early teens and instead of studying properly in the palace, he has to be sent out. The other one cares about himself, taking his father's orders to Jiangzuo and even bringing his own beauty along. Now that something's happened, he wants to find someone to take responsibility!"
The world is in a bad state, but with the Huo family guarding the border, it's not yet hopeless. When the whole nation is mobilized for war and a teenager is needed to go to the battlefield, Emperor Wucheng's actions are actually aimed at seizing military power in Jiangzuo.
He wanted his son to take the lead and help keep watch. Even if he couldn't seize military power, it would be a good thing to find an opportunity to take over the mine. Such a large mine was just as tempting as military power. He was not willing to just collect a little tax revenue.
Who could have imagined this situation!
When Empress Yang received the reply, she burst into tears. After regaining her composure, she disregarded etiquette and ran to Emperor Wucheng, demanding an explanation!
The man was in the middle of a discussion when his sudden intrusion made him lose face. However, Madam Yang didn't care about that. She called him by his name and told him to return his son.
Several ministers stood there, unsure whether to stand or sit, exchanging bewildered glances at this farce.
Emperor Wucheng closed his eyes helplessly and ordered her to be escorted out. Empress Yang refused, furious, and pointed at him, cursing, "Xiao Yuanshan, you are ungrateful! Don't forget how you got this position. It was my Yang family who helped you rise to power. Even that late empress, I helped you get rid of her. Now you're turning your back on me..."
"Shut up!" Emperor Wucheng roared.
His roars did not quell his wife's anger; they only made her more irritable.
Seeing that the man was about to reveal more, Emperor Wucheng had no choice but to order the others to leave temporarily.
The minister left, and he stepped down, saying weakly, "What exactly do you want?"
Empress Yang said, "What do I want? I want you to give me back my child's life!"
She was upset that he was so young, yet she was pushing her child out into the world. But in Xiao Yuanshan's eyes, it was just a normal thing. How could a boy be pampered? At his age, he should start to experience real things. Otherwise, how could he shoulder great responsibilities in the future? It was because Yang Shi spoiled him too much that this had happened.
Hearing her say that, he got angry and said, "Fine, I'll return it to you. As soon as the corpse arrives, I'll send it to your palace!"
Empress Yang burst into tears, "Xiao Yuanshan, how dare you speak of your son like that! You are heartless and ungrateful!"
Emperor Wucheng roared, "If I were heartless and ruthless, I should have divorced you long ago! Look at the kind of children you've raised! Just like those scions of noble families, they're all arrogant, extravagant, and useless!"
"His current predicament is all your fault; you spoiled him rotten!"
Emperor Wucheng said, "Those beautiful concubines who accompanied him, you must have given them to him!"
Empress Yang, who had initially been in the right and appeared superior, was instantly rendered speechless by the question.
Emperor Wucheng was so angry he spun around in circles, "I knew it was you!"
Empress Yang's voice trailed off, "It's his first time going so far away, and I'm worried... that others won't be able to take good care of him."
Emperor Wucheng said, "Now, if you serve them well, or even to the point of death, will you be satisfied, will your Yang family be satisfied?"
"What do you mean, 'my Yang family' or 'your Yang family'? Don't forget, without my Yang family, you would have been dead long ago, and you wouldn't be where you are today's riches!"
Both sides got so worked up that they started digging up dirt on each other, hurling insults for who knows how long before finally calming down.
Madam Yang sat there, weeping bitterly, saying, "My father never wanted me to marry you. You came from a commoner family and had nothing. With my status, I could easily marry into any aristocratic family. I was so foolish to believe your lies..."
Emperor Wucheng was also annoyed and sat on the dragon throne without saying a word.
In the years since he ascended the throne, he has been suppressed by other powerful families in every way. On the other hand, he has been constrained by the favors of the Yang family and has been indulged for so many years. Even the women in his harem were chosen by the Yang family and other powerful families, none of whom were truly what he wanted.
That would have been fine, but Lady Yang used her favors to blackmail him at every turn, even disallowing him to make decisions about how to raise his children, turning them into incompetent good-for-nothings. He appointed the former Crown Prince Li Xun as the Crown Prince's tutor and sent him out to gain experience, hoping to salvage some of his character, but this is how it turned out...
"We are both at fault in this matter, but this is not the time for us, husband and wife, to fight each other. Making a scene like this will only hurt our loved ones and please our enemies!"
After venting her emotions, Yang felt much better and said, "Then what do you suggest we do?"
Emperor Wucheng said, "Naturally, we should make this child's death worthwhile."
His gaze turned sinister and ruthless, sending chills down one's spine.
...
The day after Xiao Cheng's death.
An uninvited guest arrived at Yan Ning's small courtyard. The man looked five or six parts like Yan Ning, and was also handsome and elegant. He was not wearing an official robe, but simply dressed in a black collar.
"It's been a long time, Lady County."
He is Yan An, the second young master of the Yan family, and the current head of the family.
He was quite outgoing; after entering the courtyard and looking around, he sat down and asked, "Where is Changjun?"
"What makes you say that, brother?" Li Yunru feigned ignorance, but Yan An directly exposed her, "County Princess, this is not about past grievances. You should understand the seriousness of the matter. The Crown Prince is dead, on his way to Jiangzuo. Do you think... you and Changjun can get away unscathed?"
"When did my brother become so concerned about me and my husband?"
She knew this wouldn't be easy, but Yan An was a man of many schemes, and even Lord Yan and the Yan family clan couldn't do anything about him, so she had to be cautious.
Yan An said, "What I care about is myself!"
He said, "I don't want everything I've worked so hard for to be ruined because of this!"
Seemingly to convince her of his words, Yan An dropped a bombshell: "I've received word that His Majesty and Empress Yang have summoned many court officials to the palace since yesterday. Apart from some commoners, most of these officials are from the Xiao and Yang clans, or those who are affiliated with them. You know how your father was banished from that high position, right? Guess what they've been saying during their long stay in the palace?"
When he returned to the Yan family at the age of seven or eight, as an outsider, he was never well received. His keen insight into people's expressions and manners was something he had cultivated over time.
Xiao Cheng's death in Huaiyin is an excellent reason...
Yan An knew.
“He went to find my brother.”
If it weren't for the fact that she needed to settle the old servant who had been with her for several years, she would have passed away.
This matter is not so simple today. No one knows how it will develop in the end, so everyone has made the worst-case scenario plan. Yan Ning went to her brother and sister to discuss the matter again. She dismissed the only old servant in the family to avoid being innocently implicated when the True Saint's decree is issued.
"Foolish!"
Yan An angrily shouted, "What are you doing running around at a time like this!"
He spoke slowly, then quickly; the words had barely left his mouth when a group of men in armor burst in.
Li Yunru recognized the leader; he was the guard who stopped her outside the palace gates when her father had his accident, and he was one of Xiao Yuanshan's men!
Her specific name is unknown.
He strode in, and upon seeing Yan An, greeted him, "Oh, Lord Yan, you're here too."
"I don't need to report to you where I go!"
The man grinned and said, "Of course, of course. I was just asking to avoid accidentally hurting anyone."
Yan An's face darkened as he said, "You brought so many people here, and some have already been accidentally injured."
He wasn't intimidated at all, and said with a smile, "Oh, I'm sorry, but Her Majesty heard that the County Princess had come back from the dead and wanted to know the secret behind it, so she specially sent me to invite the County Princess to the palace for a gathering."
Everyone assumed that Yan Ning and the Yan family would be the first to be affected by this incident, but no one expected that she would be the first one to be "invited" to the door.
Yan An was clearly taken aback as well.
"You're making quite a grand gesture by inviting me here!" Yan An said sarcastically.
The man said, "A person of the county magistrate's stature naturally deserves such a grand display to match her status."
He was pretending to understand while feigning ignorance.
"Alright, go back and tell Her Majesty that Yan San will bring the County Princess to the palace for an audience another day. She is not feeling well today and should not go to the palace."
"My lord, I know you hold a high position and are young and promising, but this is a royal mission, and I dare not neglect it! Besides, Yan San has already left the Yan family, so it seems a bit unreasonable for you to do this. People who don't know the situation might misunderstand something."
His gaze swept over the two of them, and Li Yunru felt a wave of nausea. It was utterly absurd and rude!
This is insane!
But she also knew that she couldn't go this time. If she were trapped in the palace, they would have another hostage.
Yan Ning, her elder sister, her elder brother... their schemes would be hampered by many concerns, becoming obstacles and ultimately failing.
But given the current situation...
Not going would be tantamount to disobeying orders and defying them. With so many people involved, if a fight broke out, she wouldn't gain any advantage.
If I go...
This is a real problem!
Li Yunru turned her gaze to Yan An. She wasn't sure if he would help her, but he had just said that he was doing it for himself and had even spoken up for her. It seemed that at least for the time being, past grievances had been put aside and the two of them needed to be on the same side.
"How dare you!"
Li Yunru pointed at him and shouted angrily, "How dare you make such a ridiculous accusation against the Grand Commandant!"
Yan An understood, cleared his throat and said, "What's going on? I haven't even come down from my post yet, and even my words don't carry weight, and reputation can be fabricated at will. Is this the attitude of the Yang family?"
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