Follow the clues
After Su Yueming returned to the palace, she acted as if nothing had happened, even more diligent and respectful than usual. She duly paid her respects at Hengwu Courtyard and reported on trivial purchases, but her eyes occasionally flickered across Lu Qinglan's face, trying to detect a hint of panic or anxiety. However, all she saw was the same calmness as always, perhaps even a deeper, more profound presence than usual.
Lu Qinglan didn't alert her, merely assigning her the usual errands, even handing her some of the trivial tasks of checking the external hospital's purchase accounts, his words hinting at a sense of reliance. Su Yueming was secretly delighted, assuming Lu Qinglan hadn't noticed, or was simply helpless. She diligently played the role of loyal servant, secretly awaiting the next contact with the outside world.
Xiao Jingche, on the other hand, was under immense pressure. Although he had temporarily suppressed the Shuntian Prefecture governor, rumors of the Seventh Prince's wife's business being suspected of trafficking in illegal drugs had already spread through the court. The next morning, at court, an imperial censor appeared and fiercely impeached Xiao Jingche for "lax family management" and "connivance and shielding," even hinting at his own involvement. Officials from the Third Prince's faction further fueled the flames, demanding a thorough investigation and upholding the law.
Xiao Jingche's face turned livid. He argued forcefully in the court, accusing them of "framing and slandering" him and swearing a military order: if Yunshang Pavilion was proven to be connected to him or the princess, he would accept the blame for negligence. This tough stance temporarily silenced the public's concerns, but it also put him at the center of controversy. If he couldn't overturn the verdict within two days, the consequences would be disastrous.
After returning home from court, Xiao Jingche was surrounded by a layer of low pressure. He went directly to Hengwu Courtyard and dismissed his attendants.
"Princess, time is running out." His voice was hoarse, with a hint of subtle fatigue. "Is there any movement from Su Yueming?"
"Your Highness, please be patient." Lu Qinglan offered him a cup of chrysanthemum tea to soothe his heart and relieve his internal heat. "The fish has taken the bait and is testing the water depth. If we add more fuel to the fire, she will surely be tempted to search for the person holding the fishing rod."
She walked to the desk, picked up a pen and wrote a note, then handed it to Fu Yu, who was standing beside her. "Give this to Su Yueming and tell her that I feel she has been working hard recently, so I want to give her a ginseng to nourish her body. Tell her to go to the storehouse and withdraw it in person."
Fu Yu took the note and saw the warehouse number and the name of an old ginseng written on it. He understood what he meant and immediately left.
The warehouse where this ginseng was stored was located in a remote area with relatively loose management, and was close to a side door for servants to enter and exit the palace. This was an opportunity that Lu Qinglan created for Su Yueming.
Sure enough, Su Yueming received the "reward," and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes, but more of an eagerness to complete the task and receive the subsequent reward. After thanking him, she followed his instructions and headed to the warehouse.
Zhao Tieshou had already ambushed his men along the path leading to the side door of the warehouse, like a cheetah lurking in the shadows. Lin Wanru, accompanied by two reliable maids, roamed the surrounding area under the guise of inspecting internal affairs, both as a backup and to guard against unexpected events.
As time ticked by, the atmosphere within Hengwu Courtyard grew almost stagnant. Xiao Jingche stood by the window, his hands behind his back, gazing out at the dark night, his brow furrowed. Lu Qinglan sat upright in a chair, her fingertips unconsciously twirling the Buddhist beads on her wrist. Her expression was calm, but only her slightly accelerated heartbeat betrayed her inner restlessness.
About half an hour later, a very faint cuckoo call was heard outside the window - this was the signal agreed upon by Zhao Tieshou, indicating that the target had taken action!
Xiao Jingche and Lu Qinglan looked at each other and saw the sharp light in each other's eyes.
"Action!" Xiao Jingche shouted in a low voice.
In an instant, several torches suddenly lit up in the previously silent side courtyard of the palace, illuminating the darkness like daylight! The guards, already in ambush, descended like divine soldiers, surrounding Su Yueming, who was sneaking towards the side door, clutching a box that was clearly not a ginseng box!
Su Yueming was so frightened that her soul was about to be shattered. The brocade box in her hand fell to the ground with a "bang", and several unsigned secret letters and some gold and silver scattered out. Her face was as pale as paper, and her whole body was shaking like a sieve. As she watched Xiao Jingche and Lu Qinglan slowly walk out of the firelight, her legs gave way and she collapsed to the ground.
"Princess... Princess... Your Highness..." She spoke incoherently, tears streaming down her face.
Lu Qinglan stepped forward, picked up the secret letter from the ground, and glanced at it briefly, his eyes instantly cold as a knife. The letter not only detailed the "achievement" of framing the Bliss Powder in Yunshang's warehouse, but also demanded a subsequent reward. It also mentioned some irrelevant information he had gathered regarding personnel changes at the Seventh Prince's residence and Xiao Jingche's mood. A small crescent moon was drawn at the end of the letter.
"Xinyue...Liu?" Lu Qinglan snorted coldly, his eyes piercing Su Yueming like ice spikes. "At this point, what else do you have to say?"
"I am innocent! I am innocent!" Su Yueming hugged Lu Qinglan's legs and cried, "It's... it's Miss Liu! It was Miss Liu who forced me to do this! She said that if I didn't obey, she would expose my family's past and ruin my reputation! I... I was confused for a moment, Princess!" She pushed all the blame onto Miss Liu.
"Miss Liu?" Xiao Jingche's voice was cold. "Which Miss Liu?"
"It's...it's the young lady from the household of Minister Liu of the Ministry of Personnel!" Su Yueming confessed hastily to save her life. "It was she who gave me gold and silver and asked me to sneak things into the warehouse. It was also she who asked me to inquire about news in the mansion...it was she who gave me the Bliss Powder!"
It was indeed her! Lu Qinglan and Xiao Jingche understood. Minister Liu was a die-hard supporter of the Third Prince, and his daughter was in collusion with Su Yueming. The mastermind behind this was self-evident.
"Besides Miss Liu, who else are you in contact with?" Lu Qinglan pressed. "And what about those Western Region medicinal herbs?"
Su Yueming's eyes flickered as she stammered, "No... no more... medicinal herbs. I don't know..."
"It seems you won't cry until you see the coffin." Lu Qinglan said indifferently, and gestured to Zhao Tieshou, "Bring the person up."
Soon, the Yunshang Pavilion clerk who had been caught by Zhao Tieshou and was trying to escape was brought in. Upon seeing the scene and Su Yueming limp on the ground, he immediately confessed everything, accusing Su Yueming of being the mastermind, the one who had contacted the nanny accompanying Miss Liu and given him the Bliss Powder.
With both witnesses and evidence present, Su Yueming completely collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.
"Take her away and keep her under strict guard!" Xiao Jingche ordered, "No one is allowed to approach without my order!"
"Yes!" The guards immediately dragged Su Yueming, who was like mud, away.
"Your Highness, we now have all the evidence, enough to prove that Yunshang Pavilion was framed." Lu Qinglan looked at Xiao Jingche, "Minister Liu's daughter is implicated, and her father is also implicated. Should we immediately..."
"No." Xiao Jingche raised his hand to interrupt her, his eyes flashing with a cold, calculating light. "Su Yueming and Miss Liu alone can't touch Minister Liu, let alone my third brother. They can just say that this is my ignorance and that I was deceived by the evil slave, or they can simply abandon the car to save the king."
He paced for a moment and said in a deep voice, "Miss Liu is just a mouthpiece. The real order comes from the Third Prince's Mansion, or even from Yongquan Temple! What we are looking for is direct evidence of their collusion with Yongquan Temple and Prince An's Mansion! The Su Yueming connection cannot be broken!"
Lu Qinglan immediately understood his intention. He wanted to use Su Yueming to spread false information in the opposite direction, lure the snake out of its hole, or use this opportunity to contact more core figures.
"Your Highness, do you want to... take advantage of the situation?"
"That's right!" Xiao Jingche's eyes were sharp. "Don't they want Yunshang Pavilion to fall and ruin my reputation and yours? I'll let them think their plan has succeeded! Princess, immediately draft a secret letter asking for help. Use a panicked and helpless tone, pleading with your allies for help. Explain that Shuntian Prefecture is under tremendous pressure and Your Highness is implicated. Request them to try to quell this situation. At the very least... save Chen Xing's life."
Lu Qinglan understood. This was to create the illusion that they were in dire straits, forcing them to relax their guard or take the next step, thereby revealing a bigger flaw.
"I understand." She immediately walked to the desk, imitated Su Yueming's handwriting and tone, and quickly wrote a secret letter. The words were sincere and filled with despair of having no other choice.
Xiao Jingche read it and nodded. "Have Zhao Tieshou find a way to deliver this letter to Miss Liu naturally. At the same time, spread the word that the owner of Yunshang Pavilion has a strong background and this case may be difficult to investigate further. The Shuntian Prefecture Governor is under tremendous pressure."
"yes."
The order was given, and an invisible countermeasure network was quietly spread out.
As the night deepened, the palace returned to silence, but the battle within intensified. Su Yueming's capture was like a stone thrown into the opposing camp, inevitably causing ripples. Lu Qinglan and Xiao Jingche would use these ripples to discern the true crocodile lurking beneath the surface.
Follow the vine to find the melon. The vine is in hand, and the next step is to pull out the hidden melon.
Lu Qinglan stood in the corridor, looking at the faint glow of dawn in the eastern sky.
Daybreak is almost here. But the darkness before dawn is often the thickest. The real game has just begun.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com