Chapter 27 I Saw Spring Return (Part 4) "Clearly, it shouldn't be her who feels guilty..."
The air fell silent for a moment, and even Lan Huaien, standing to the side, couldn't help but frown. He secretly glanced at the emperor's expression and noticed that it was indeed slightly stiff.
Seeing this, Yan Chao had no choice but to speak softly first: "Father, since Deng Shaoqing has a different opinion, why not listen to his views?"
The emperor turned away with a flick of his sleeve, leaving behind the words, "Go into the hall and speak."
Lan Huaien was about to follow him inside when he thought for a moment and turned back to look at Deng Xunyi, who had just stood up: "Lord Deng, this is before the Emperor, please be careful with your words."
Deng Xun lowered his head, lightly brushed the dust off his robe, straightened his sleeves, and glanced at him sideways: "Eunuch Lan just blocked my way in a hurry, telling me that Lord Qiu had misunderstood the case and that lives were at stake. But judging from the current situation, it's probably not that simple."
"Since Lord Deng is an official of the Court of Judicial Review, he naturally has the responsibility to distinguish right from wrong." Lan Huaien's posture was quite distant, his tone arrogant, and his expression unreadable. He turned and entered the hall as if nothing had happened.
Deng Xun suppressed his displeasure, quickly composed himself, and followed them inside.
He had barely stepped into the Wenhua Hall when a eunuch informed him that the Crown Prince had been summoned by the Emperor. He had originally planned to return home due to his busy schedule, but unexpectedly, Lan Huai'en pulled him back.
He was initially worried that such a hasty response might lead to mistakes, but when it came to matters of life and death, he couldn't contain himself.
Therefore, when that sentence was blurted out, it was partly because of his own free and unrestrained nature, and partly because he was really afraid that someone would die in a wrongful case.
In the heat of the moment, the consequences were not considered.
He presented the broken dagger, which Lan Huaien took and placed before the emperor. The emperor glanced at it briefly and asked, "What does this have to do with the jade talisman?"
"Your Majesty, I visited Physician Cao at his residence. According to Physician Cao, he fell into the water after being stabbed by an assassin and became unconscious. Therefore, Physician Cao should not know what happened afterward."
"The physician in the manor said that Lord Cao's coma was caused by his head hitting a hard rock at the bottom of the water and falling into the water. However, just to be on the safe side, I also brought a physician to examine Lord Cao. It was found that the head injury was not enough to cause fainting, and it is speculated that drowning was more likely the cause."
"Moreover, in addition to the sword wound, Lord Cao also had a knife wound in the same spot on his chest. Lord Cao himself said that he did not have the knife wound before he lost consciousness. However, Lord Cao was found in the bamboo forest at the bridgehead, and there were no obvious bloodstains along the way. The footprints next to him were not among the five assassins."
"Lord Qiu's jade talisman was found by the shallow water, and my dagger was dug out of the bamboo forest. The seriously injured monk in the temple testified before his death that he vaguely saw the assassin flee in panic, and then another person appeared."
The emperor felt a headache coming on. He gently closed his eyes, rubbed his temples, and slowly said, "This cannot clear Meng Tingke of suspicion."
Deng Xun glanced at Qiu Cong, who was listening intently beside him, paused, and then said, "Yes, but I suspect that someone wants to use another person to do the dirty work. If Lord Cao dies, they will frame someone else."
He simply wanted to inform the emperor that, aside from suspicion, nothing else was conclusive. Since Meng Tingke was a crucial lead, if something had happened to him in the imperial prison, the investigation would truly be difficult to complete.
Perhaps he will die unjustly like Meng Huai.
After a moment of silence, the emperor looked up at Qiu Cong and asked, "What do you think?"
"The monk was already dead when the Imperial Guards arrived. I was negligent. Your Majesty, please forgive me." Qiu Cong kowtowed.
Deng Xunyi's eyes showed a hint of curiosity: "I am curious, why is Lord Qiu only focusing on Physician Cao?"
During his investigation, he discovered that the Embroidered Uniform Guard was slower than him in uncovering many clues related to the case within the temple.
Qiu Cong remained silent, but the emperor spoke up to answer for him: "I ordered him to investigate Cao Fu. Deng Xunyi, since you have leads, continue your investigation. Also, Master Yuanhe is the nephew of Empress Dowager Cining, and he also perished this time. You must investigate this carefully."
Deng Xun agreed immediately. Although he had some doubts, he knew he shouldn't ask, and simply said, "This is my duty, and I will definitely investigate the facts."
The Emperor looked at Yan Chao: "Crown Prince, do not forget what you just said. I will give you three days. If there is no result after three days, do not blame me for investigating your Eastern Palace."
Yan Chao's breath hitched, his heart sank, he bowed and replied "Yes," then hurriedly took his leave.
She had only been out of the Qianqing Palace for a short while when she heard someone chasing after her. Hearing the somewhat familiar footsteps, she thought for a moment, turned around, and sure enough, it was Lan Huaien.
Her expression was calm as she looked up at him and asked, "Does His Majesty have any further decrees?"
Lan Huaien adjusted the whisk in his arms, bowed slightly, and shook his head, saying, "No. But I have a question for you, Your Highness. What did you promise His Majesty?"
He was genuinely alarmed by the emperor's last words. The Eastern Palace had been unstable since the beginning of the year, and to investigate further now would be to disregard the Crown Prince's feelings in the slightest.
If such an imperial decree were to be disseminated, it would inevitably cause considerable turmoil within the court.
Yan Chao didn't answer him, but instead asked, "What's it to you?"
Lan Huaien sighed, "I know Your Highness is angry right now, but before the case is cleared up, you should not act too impulsively..."
Before he could finish speaking, he saw Yan Chao's cold, piercing gaze and had no choice but to shut his mouth. After a moment of silence, he added, "Three days is indeed a bit tight. If Your Highness needs my help or the Eastern Depot's assistance, please feel free to ask."
Yan Chao turned around: "Thank you."
Her brow furrowed almost imperceptibly; it seemed that Lan Huaien's attitude had changed drastically since they both learned of those secrets. She didn't know his intentions and almost deliberately avoided him. Clearly, she wasn't the only one feeling guilty.
The sunlight on the palace path was slightly dazzling. She looked up at the palace walls and eaves, and suddenly felt a stinging pain in her eyes. She hurried several dozen steps before turning to Liang Lu behind her and saying, "Go find Qiu Cong and bring Xiao Jiu back first..."
Liang Lu was about to reply when she changed her mind: "No need. Tell people not to torture him for now... and Meng Tingke, wait a little longer."
"yes."
He looked at her expression, which was extremely somber. He wanted to say something more, but hesitated for a moment and remained silent. He nodded, bowed, and turned to leave.
.
Lan Huaien did not return to the Emperor's court but went straight to the Eastern Depot. Cheng Tai greeted him and suddenly asked, "How's the investigation on Lu Xun's side going?"
Cheng Tai said respectfully, "Your Excellency, no one has been targeting him yet. But we dare not make any rash moves at the moment, only knowing that his unusual behavior is closely related to Meng Huai's death."
"Where did you go that day?"
“Lu Xun is not usually allowed to go out at will, but he stayed in the city for about two hours that day. Besides meeting with you, he also appeared near the residences of the Li and Meng families. The rest seems to be…” He pondered for a long time, then suddenly exclaimed, “Our scouts reported that he met with Lord Shen, the Junior Chamberlain, earlier, for no more than a quarter of an hour.”
Lan Huaien's eyes darkened: "Chen Wei?"
How did this matter involve him again?
He sighed softly and shook his head: "...She really is someone who trusts those she should doubt without question, and avoids those she shouldn't doubt like the plague."
Cheng Tai was suspicious and was about to ask him what he meant when he heard him say, "Secretly pass these messages to the Crown Prince's ears... But forget it, she might not believe it anyway. Go and find a way to expose Lu Xun, or even just provide clues to Deng Xunyi."
"Yes. But Lord Eunuch... didn't you go to great lengths to push the case onto the Crown Prince to extricate us from the situation? Why are you doing this now..."
Lan Huaien leaned back again and said leisurely, "Your suspicion will never be cleared until it is thoroughly investigated. His Majesty chose Qiu Cong from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who is only good at obeying orders and is too easy to manipulate. Now that he is investigating the Cao family with us, he will not stand on our side if anything happens."
Cheng Tai seemed to understand but not quite, and hesitated with his head down, saying, "I think that even if Lu Xun really has a problem, he is probably being used."
Lan Huaien exclaimed "Huh?" and looked up at him: "You actually thought of that. Not bad, not bad, you've improved since before."
He then pondered for a moment and said, "Then you should focus your investigation on whether Lu Xun has had any contact with Prince Xin's faction. At that time, Meng Huai's death was vaguely related to Prince Xin, but there was never any evidence. His Majesty does not want to bring up this matter again, so you must investigate in secrecy and make sure the news does not leak out."
"Yes, I understand."
.
Yan Chao then met with Deng Xunyi alone. This time, he was not as impatient as he had been in front of the emperor, and he recounted the details of his investigation from beginning to end.
The general situation remains unchanged. Yan Chao looked at him and asked, "How likely do you think Meng Tingke is to make a move?"
Upon hearing the subtle hope in her words, Deng Xun asked instead of answering, "Your Highness, do you think that Meng Tingke only acknowledged a jade talisman?"
Yan Chao was silent for a moment, then said softly, "He was tortured in the imperial prison and has not confessed to anything else."
"But Lord Meng did not defend himself. He was in deep mourning and carried a burden of guilt that he could never wash away."
She closed her eyes briefly.
Deng Xunyi told her clearly, "It's that His Highness doesn't want to believe it. The scene does look like a frame-up. To be honest, no one would leave the jade talisman that represents their identity at Zhong Wenqiao under those circumstances. But if there is no other evidence, then that jade talisman can only be evidence."
He pursed his lips and added, "Although the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Court of Judicial Review were dispatched, His Majesty doesn't seem to care much about Cao Langzhong's case, so the outcome isn't that important. I think you can see that too. His Majesty only wants a murderer who can appease the Cao family's anger, and if that person is Meng Tingke, that would be perfect, since His Majesty already had suspicions about Grand Tutor Meng at the time..."
"Deng Xunyi, you are the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review!"
Yan Chao nearly slammed his fist on the table and stood up, his face full of anger.
“Your Majesty, please forgive my indiscretion,” Deng Xun said, kneeling down with his robes lifted, his expression remaining unchanged. “I only wanted Your Majesty to know that since you have taken on this case, no one can be trusted before the final verdict is reached. Even I could be the murderer. I know you have biases, but right and wrong are never decided by one person alone. If you continue to be stubborn, His Majesty’s suspicion of you will only grow stronger.”
Yan Chao remained silent, his fist clenching slightly in his sleeve, all his emotions ultimately turning cold.
She then realized that she had indeed been too emotional about this matter.
She tilted her head slightly, looked at Deng Xunyi quietly, and after a while said, "I was a little out of line."
Some of her words were truly inappropriate, even outrageous. She had no intention of pursuing the matter further, but she also had to prevent anyone from using them against her.
Deng Xunyi knew she had taken his words to heart, and he was slightly relieved. He opened his mouth and said, "I have a favor to ask."
"you say."
"If Your Highness has some free time these days, I would like to ask Your Highness to condescend to accompany me to Juehui Temple. What you see with your own eyes is more credible than what I say."
His tone was quite gentle, and Yan Chao was slightly taken aback. It wasn't that he didn't want to go, it's just...
"Is there anything else that has been found out but you haven't said?"
“Your subject dares not conceal anything,” Deng Xunyi said, not daring to look directly at her, his gaze fixed on her robes. He shook his head and said, “But the case is a bit complicated. Your Highness must be more anxious than I am. Going to the temple might yield different discoveries and alleviate your anxiety.”
That's a novel idea.
She vaguely sensed that he wanted to lead her to see something, but she wasn't quite sure. After thinking for a moment, she nodded: "Okay."
Yan Chao walked a few steps to him, about to tell him to get up, when a thought of doubt suddenly flashed through his mind. He asked softly, "You are not often in the Emperor's presence, who told you those words?"
This refers to the matter of guessing the emperor's intentions just now. It seems to be a flawless statement, but in fact, the emperor's intentions are not obvious, and only a few people in the Cao family know about them.
Deng Xun was slightly startled. He hadn't expected the Crown Prince to be so vigilant about these matters; he thought he had been extremely careful. He could only answer truthfully, "Before I requested an audience with Your Majesty, it was Governor Lan who inadvertently revealed the information. Furthermore, the Embroidered Uniform Guard does seem to be more focused on the death of Master Yuanhe..."
Yes, if Meng Tingke hadn't suddenly brought up Xiao Jiu and her Eastern Palace, the Emperor wouldn't have paid much attention.
But why did Lan Huaien tell him all this? He's so loose-lipped even in front of the Emperor, isn't he afraid of being discovered?
She added, "Just do your job well, don't worry about anything else, or you'll get into trouble for what you say."
Deng Xunyi responded with a "yes" and stood up at her prompting.
Yan Chao looked out the window, standing quietly in the hall. After a while, he asked again, "Do you need to interrogate Meng Tingke?"
Deng Xun replied, "I am not necessarily going to hold a joint trial in the imperial prison. Since we cannot find out anything, we can only continue the investigation. Lord Meng's crime does not warrant death, but he cannot escape punishment."
Her heart sank, as if Meng Huai had felt the same way back then. She was too focused on the case itself, yet she was also terrified that someone might make a move in the shadows.
But it had only been a few months since Meng Huai passed away.
A sense of sadness welled up in her heart for no apparent reason.
"Perhaps I should go and see him..."
"Your Highness, something has happened!" Liang Lu's voice suddenly came from outside the hall. He was somewhat anxious and said urgently before even entering, "Physician Cao has passed away!"
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