Chapter 48 Dense Clouds (Part Two) "A slight sense of loss."...
Yan Chao broke free from his restraints, took a few steps back, and was about to leave when he saw Lan Huaien still kneeling, baring his teeth and claws as if he might pounce at any moment.
She frowned and said, "Your Excellency, please get up first. If people see this, they will think that I am going to do something to the Eastern Depot."
He suddenly chuckled softly, completely concealing his anger from just moments before.
Lan Huaien took a deep breath, and Xie En stood up, brushing the dust off his clothes. He then looked up and met her enigmatic gaze.
"Was Your Highness joking just now?" He smoothed out the wrinkles at the hem of his sleeve and asked in a low voice.
"What do you think?" Yan Chao's expression softened, her eyes calm as a deep pool. She had indeed been too hasty just now; regardless of the truth, what she said was highly inappropriate.
Lan Huaien's expression froze, momentarily undecided. He bent down, picked up the silk palace lantern, and handed it to Liang Lu. He then stepped back a few paces and pondered for a moment before saying, "I have neither the intention nor the courage. If my words just now startled Your Highness, then it would be my fault."
He bowed and apologized, but Yan Chao refused to accept it and silently turned and left.
Liang Lu followed beside her, observing her expression; she seemed somewhat weary. He didn't know what had happened in the bedchamber, only wondering if His Highness had suffered some injustice again, and dared not ask further.
A group of eunuchs were already waiting beside the sedan chair. When Yan Chao lowered the sedan chair curtain, he saw through the gap in the lamplight that Lan Huaien had not left and was still standing in the same place.
The hand that was about to lift the curtain paused in mid-air. He sighed softly and ordered in a low voice, "Liang Lu, go and see the Grand Eunuch off."
"yes……"
"Thank you, Your Highness. I can go back on my own." Knowing that she was giving him the order to leave, Lan Huaien felt a little disappointed.
“Your Highness, I cannot explain this to you in a short time. If there is an opportunity in the future…” He paused abruptly, still unsure how to begin. Fearing she might become impatient, he simply said, “But tonight’s events have only just begun. I will need Your Highness’s help tomorrow. Please take care.”
Yan Chao nodded almost imperceptibly, his mind filled with complex emotions.
.
The Eastern Depot was known for its swift and decisive actions. Ji Weixian was dealt with cleanly and efficiently; his body was thrown out of the palace that very night. Lan Huaien deliberately suppressed the news, so it wasn't until the next day that the matter was reported, causing quite a stir in the court.
Ji Weixian's reputation is far better than Lan Huaien's.
For decades, he served in the imperial court, remaining unassuming and low-key, always suppressed by those above him, rarely stepping forward. It was precisely because of this that people couldn't help but recall his good qualities. For example, during the month Lan Huaien was away, Ji Weixian got along very well with the cabinet.
Last night's incident happened suddenly, and everyone was confused. They only knew that Lan Huaien was also there, so they naturally regarded him as the culprit.
The emperor insisted that Ji Weixian had deceived him, and most people dared not speak out. Only a few people privately discussed that Lan Huaien had slandered him. Naturally, they dared not say this out loud.
Lan Huaien was already used to this.
After listening to the Eastern Depot eunuch's report and glancing at the list on the paper, he chuckled lightly, casually crossed out a name, and tossed the paper back to the eunuch. He thought for a moment, offered a few words of advice, but didn't seem to care much.
With her delicate, alluring eyebrows and a slight upturn at the corners of her lips, she exuded an air of smug satisfaction.
"By the way, if the Crown Prince gets involved, remember to report it."
"yes."
His smile froze for a moment, he put his hands behind his back, and remained silent in thought. He pondered for a while longer: should he be happy?
The late spring and early summer sun had been particularly intense these past few days, shining brightly into the main room. A cup of warm tea sat on the sandalwood table; his hands touched the rim of the cup, then inexplicably withdrew, the slight burning sensation on his face only adding to his irritation.
"Is Ji Weixian really dead?"
Prince Xin's face was cold and stern, his tone still carrying an air of disbelief and uncertainty.
There haven't been any problems all these years, so how come suddenly a hidden mole was removed because of a trivial matter?
He looked at Li Shih-huai, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes: "Uncle, could it be that Father has discovered us..."
“It shouldn’t be,” Li Shihai said after a moment of contemplation, looking at his unsettled appearance. “His Majesty’s intention to kill him, though not solely because of Cheng’an, would not extend to the Prince Xin’s residence.”
The mere mention of Cheng'an made Prince Xin increasingly uneasy.
"But Cheng'an is still in the Crown Prince's hands."
He regretted his decision as soon as Xu Cheng'an entered the Prince's mansion, but hesitated, fearing that Ji Weixian would cause him more trouble. He thought it was the Crown Prince chasing him, but unexpectedly, it was Lan Huai'en from the Eastern Depot who came after him.
He lost dozens of people in a daze, lost Cheng'an, and it seems he also offended the Eastern Depot.
Li Shihuai pondered, unconsciously raising his hand to stroke his beard, his eyes deep and thoughtful: "Cheng'an doesn't know much about us. Now, as long as he keeps insisting on Ji Weixian, there's no way to prove it. If the Crown Prince lingers too much in front of the Emperor, it will only annoy His Majesty."
In recent years, the emperor has become increasingly composed in his actions, wielding power with swift and decisive force. However, he occasionally shows impatience in certain matters, which has been particularly evident this year. Since the beginning of the year, matters concerning the Crown Prince have been somewhat complicated, perhaps due to Meng Huai, as the emperor has shown less patience towards the prince.
Hopefully, it will be the same this time.
Prince Xin had spent a considerable amount of time before the emperor and was naturally aware of this. Therefore, when dealing with the case of Cao Fu, he and the Li faction simply watched from the sidelines, feeling more at ease the longer it dragged on.
He clenched his fist in his sleeve, his thin lips pressed tightly together, and remained silent for a long time. Prince Xin turned around, picked up a teacup, tilted his head back and gulped down the cold tea, his breath coming in a deep breath.
"Cheng An's family is in Lan Huai'en's hands."
The mere thought of the densely packed eunuchs from the Eastern Depot lining up in front of the Prince's mansion last night sent chills down his spine. It wasn't so much fear, but rather the sheer number of troublemakers Lan Huai'en was, and he held a grudge. He had previously relied on the Prince's favor, and Lan Huai'en had remained indifferent. But the Prince knew that Lan Huai'en's words carried considerable weight.
Li Shih-huai also fell silent.
The two remained silent.
Since there was no confirmed news yet, they could only speculate without making any conclusions, and dared not act rashly. The two were anxious, but there was nothing they could do.
"I will keep a close eye on things in court, Your Highness, please rest assured for now." Li Shihai comforted him a few more times before taking his leave.
Prince Xin nodded slightly, then got up to see him out. As he passed the window, he glanced out the window and saw a vibrant color flash amidst the lush greenery.
Before he could react, he suddenly heard a clear, crisp voice calling out from outside: "...Don't let it hurt Tang'er!"
A few meows followed. The only person in the manor who kept cats was the young prince's birth mother, Lady Wei. Because the prince was raised by the Princess Consort of Xin, Lady Wei rarely saw him.
However, at this moment, the person holding the imperial grandson was the wet nurse, and Lady Wei followed behind for some unknown reason.
Li Shihuai paused with the foot that had just stepped out the threshold, then stepped over it again. He glanced back at Prince Xin and noticed a slight change in his expression. After thinking for a moment, he hesitated, then bowed and left.
Prince Xin strode out and saw the wet nurse holding Tang'er standing under a willow tree not far away, several dozen steps away from the front hall, which was not overstepping the bounds of propriety.
Tang'er was young, reaching out from her wet nurse's arms to fiddle with the willow leaves, with three or four servants watching over her. Madam Wei chased the cat far away, and only when the fluffy, snow-white figure disappeared into the grass at the corner of the wall did she stop.
To her surprise, she turned her head and saw Prince Xin standing before her on the steps. She was immediately startled, her pretty face turning pale. She was so nervous that she could barely breathe, and she knelt down with a thud to pay her respects: "Your Highness, Your Highness, I..."
"What are you doing here?" He knew that Wei was always timid, so his tone softened a little.
"Your Highness, please go change your clothes. I'll watch over the young master for now..."
"What brings the Princess here?"
She shook her head.
Prince Xin then stopped asking questions and told her to get up. After a moment of silence, he instructed the wet nurse to send the imperial grandson to Lady Wei, saying only that it would allow Tang'er to get closer to his birth mother. Lady Wei naturally thanked him happily, so much so that she forgot that Princess Xin had not yet returned, and left with her son first.
Seeing that the front yard had quieted down, Prince Xin instructed his personal attendant: "Have someone keep an eye on the Wei family."
All the flowers and plants in the Prince's mansion were cultivated with exquisite care, even the willow branches had a more charming appearance than elsewhere, and the garden was filled with a light and refreshing fragrance that made people so comfortable that they almost forgot the bloodshed of the previous night.
.
When Yan Chao went to interrogate Cheng An, he also took Deng Xunyi with him. Deng Xunyi was discussing the case with his colleagues in the government office at the time. When he heard the Crown Prince's urgent summons, he thought something important had happened and solemnly left everyone to hurry over.
As a result, his face changed completely when he stepped into the imperial prison.
"Your Highness, this place is not under my jurisdiction..."
He secretly wiped away his sweat, trying his best to maintain his composure. He wasn't unfamiliar with this place, but he simply couldn't get used to it.
How many wrongful convictions have occurred here, and how many people have died tragically? His Dali Temple is clean and honest, a place where justice is served. While it may not be fair in every case, at least there is no pungent smell of blood.
Yan Chao casually pointed to someone to lead the way, and said without turning his head, "I heard that you recently personally examined a corpse, and Shaoqing is not a coroner."
Deng Xun choked, thinking to himself, how could these be the same? If it were the Ministry of Justice, it would be fine, but he was now stepping into the Imperial Prison.
He felt a draft in his sleeves, so cold that his teeth chattered. He instinctively pulled his sleeves tighter and followed behind, taking small steps forward.
Just as she was about to relax slightly, she suddenly heard the Crown Prince speak: "You are best at interrogating criminals, and you are quite familiar with the Lu Yan case, so I will entrust Cheng'an to you."
The group entered the interrogation room. Yan Chao nodded in acknowledgment and then pressed Deng Xunyi into a chair. Deng Xunyi was so restless he almost jumped up: "Your Highness!"
"You conduct your trial."
"Then Your Highness..."
"I am merely listening in."
"..."
Yan Chao sighed, "Enough with the nonsense, I have other plans."
Deng Xunyi barely managed to calm himself down, flipped through the case files, found a breakthrough, and quickly got into the zone. Cheng An's confession basically matched the records, and because his family was still under control, he quickly admitted to plotting the assassination at Juehui Temple with Lu Yan from the inside. He had naturally taken advantage of Lu Yan's desire for revenge.
Deng Xun watched as the clerk beside him finished taking notes before asking, "What grudge do you have against the Crown Prince?"
Cheng An was already injured and had been tortured, so he was now on the verge of death and did not answer, whether due to weakness or deliberate silence. Deng Xun gave a wink to the side, then poured a basin of cold water over him, bringing him back to his senses.
He forced his eyes open, looked up and saw the Crown Prince still standing in the room, and said with trembling lips, "Hmm, Your Majesty instructed me, but I do not know the reason."
Yan Chao's eyes were deep and dark. He first instructed the person who was writing furiously to the side: "Record it."
The minor official deliberately changed the paper and wrote it down solemnly.
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