Chapter 283 Entering the Palace
After going around in circles, I ended up back at the Shangshu Mansion.
This news made Sun Wei both surprised and hesitant.
The pleasant surprise was that there was finally some progress. What made him hesitant was that Wang Han had many grievances with the Yuzhang Palace, not the least of which was this one, and Sun Wei was unable to shake him for the time being.
"There's no time to lose." Sun Wei thought for a moment and said to Yu Yi, "Master Yu, please send someone to capture Yang Qi immediately."
"It's too late." Chu Yue shook his head. "He's dead, and his family is currently holding a funeral."
Sun Wei was shocked: "How did he die?"
"They say he was walking at night last night and fell into the river and drowned." Chu Yue said, "You know he was alone, and no one knows how he fell in."
"Where are those two bandits?"
"They never came out after entering Yang's house. This morning, someone saw their bodies outside the city."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hall fell silent.
"In short, the Shangshu Mansion is inextricably linked to this," Yu Yi said. "Yang Qi was an aide to Wang Pushe and was also involved with the thieves. It's only natural that the investigation would lead to the Shangshu Mansion."
"Even so, we still lack witnesses and physical evidence," Chu Yue asked. "What we know now is all verbal evidence, which is not enough to hold the Shangshu Mansion accountable. In this way, the clues to the Shangshu Mansion are cut off again."
Sun Wei pondered for a moment and asked Yu Yi, "I wonder if the group of warriors who attacked the Crown Prince have been found?"
"We're still investigating," Yu Yi said. "I've already reported this to the Crown Prince, and he's ordered the Seventh Lieutenant Commander to join me in the investigation. However, the Imperial Guards are numerous and dispersed, so the investigation will be time-consuming and laborious."
Sun Wei nodded and asked Chu Yue, "General Chu just said that the Yang family is holding a funeral? Could it be that Yang Qi still has family members?"
"Exactly."
Sun Wei said to Yu Yi, "Since the two bandits disappeared after entering the Yang family, we should start with Yang Qi's family."
Yu Yi pondered, "If we openly investigate the Yang family, we'll probably alert the enemy. If Wang Pushe is indeed behind this, I wonder what tactics he'll use."
Chu Yue snorted coldly: "What are you afraid of? I will personally escort Master Yu to the Yang family and see who dares to make a move."
"General Chu, please do not act rashly," Sun Wei said. "This matter requires careful consideration. General Chu controls the Northern Palace, and is coveted by Wang Pushe. We cannot afford to make any mistakes now."
After she finished speaking, she said to Yu Yi, "Please ask Master Yu to wait for news from me. If we have to confront the Shangshu Mansion, we must first get someone's consent."
After the three of them discussed it, Chu Yue and Yu Yi took their leave.
Sun Wei Ku sat there, thought about what to do next, calmed himself down, and stood up.
Since Sima Jun was injured, the palace seemed particularly deserted. As she walked through it, she felt dazed for a moment, as if she had returned to the past.
At that time, Sima Jun was in Jiangzhou, and she was the only one in the huge mansion from morning to night.
I feel a little cold.
Sun Wei pulled her fur coat closer and walked into Sima Jun's bedroom.
Cao Song personally fed Sima Jun the medicine, and now he was packing up and about to leave.
"How is the prince today? I heard that the imperial physician just arrived?" she asked.
"The imperial physician just left. As usual, he gave me acupuncture and said we have to wait for the prince to wake up." Cao Song replied, "But the imperial physician said that the prince's condition is stable, which shows that the medicine is effective."
Sun Wei agreed, looked at Sima Jun, and sat down beside the bed.
The west wind was howling outside the window, and occasionally one or two firecrackers were heard in the alleys, which spread into the yard, making it even more lonely.
"The Lantern Festival is in two days. I heard that the lanterns this year are very lively. I want to go and see them. Will you go, my lord?"
He still kept his eyes closed and didn't respond.
Sun Wei took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
She stood up, walked out the door and called Aju.
"Have Attendant Cao deliver a letter to the palace, saying I want to see the Queen Mother."
——
The Queen Mother allowed Sun Wei to enter the palace, but did not see her immediately.
The eunuch led her to a side hall to rest and wait for an audience.
On weekdays, Sun Wei was always generous in managing the eunuchs and palace maids. When these people met her privately, they were also quite warm.
Sun Wei took the hot tea handed to him by the eunuch and said kindly, "Just now, I saw the eldest princess's carriage outside the palace. I wonder if she was talking to the empress dowager?"
"That's right," the eunuch said with a smile, "Not only the eldest princess, but also the eldest son of Wang Pushe's family is here."
Sun Wei said, "It's the New Year, and the Queen Mother loves the hustle and bustle. She must be very happy to have her children and grandchildren around."
"To be honest, Princess, yes and no."
"oh?"
The eunuch looked around and lowered his voice, "The eldest son is going to Jingzhou to serve as the governor. Although the empress dowager is pleased to see this, she is also very worried. She has been giving the eldest son instructions in the palace for nearly half an hour."
Sun Wei looked calm, but his heart skipped a beat.
Earlier, she had discussed with Sima Jun that Wang Han would probably seize the position of Governor of Jingzhou through the court.
But I didn't expect that he was so anxious and had already accomplished it.
She took a sip of tea, nodded, and smiled. "Young Master is a rare talent. Not to mention the Governor of Jingzhou, his future is bound to be extremely promising. I wonder when he will leave, so I can offer him a small gift."
The eunuch replied, "I heard they'll be leaving in two days." He then quickly added with a smile, "But that's all hearsay from me. Princess, please don't tell anyone."
"Of course." Sun Wei said, and gave Aju a look.
Aju immediately took out a purse and stuffed it into the eunuch's hand.
The eunuch weighed the purse and realized it was gold. He accepted it with a smile and saluted Sun Wei.
After drinking tea for a while, the eldest princess also left.
The eunuch led Sun Wei into the palace and met the eldest princess and Wang Zhi at the door.
Sun Wei stepped forward to greet him. The princess asked with concern, "I heard about Ah Jun's situation. How is he doing now?"
At first glance, the expression on his face seemed to be about 70% sincere.
Sun Wei showed a worried look and said, "Princess, the prince is still unconscious, and the murderer is still missing."
"What an injustice." The princess sighed sadly, took her hand, and said, "If there is anything I can help with, just send someone to my house to let me know."
"Thank you for your care, Princess. I understand."
The eldest princess nodded and left with Wang Zhi.
Sun Wei stood in the corridor, looking at the backs of the two people, thinking about something.
"Princess, the Queen Mother invites you." The eunuch reported.
Sun nodded slightly and followed the eunuch into the hall.
The Queen Mother was quite tired. Seeing Sun Wei, she didn't waste any words and just said, "I heard from the imperial physician that Ah Jun's injury is still not getting better?"
"That's right," Sun Wei said, tapping the corner of her eye with a handkerchief. "The high fever subsided yesterday, but he still shows no sign of waking up. I am useless. I could only watch the prince suffer and couldn't help at all."
"You're not an imperial physician, how can you help at this time?" The Queen Mother rubbed her forehead, quite impatient. "Who on earth is so blind as to actually target Ah Jun in the capital? Ah Jun too! Didn't he say earlier that he was still in Jingzhou? Why did he suddenly return to the capital to arrest bandits? When I first heard it, I thought I had misheard. Didn't Ah Jun say that Huan An had been arrested? Where is Huan An now?"
"I don't know either." Sun Wei choked up, "To be honest, this matter is quite strange. The prince had just returned, and those thieves attacked Tang Garden by such a coincidence. The prince was so anxious to catch the thieves that he didn't even have time to eat a bite before leading his men to fight the thieves, let alone where Dai Huan'an was."
The Queen Mother said angrily, "There must be someone evil behind this!"
She glanced at Sun Wei's tearful appearance and said, "Tell me, why did you take the initiative to ask for an audience this time?"
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