Chapter 6 Pine Tree Embracing Snow (Part Six) "Your Highness, please save my life..."
After Meng Huai's incident, the emperor fell ill again. The imperial physician said it was because of the sudden anger and stress, coupled with his lingering old ailment, that his health was actually worse than a few days ago.
But the true cause of the anger—whether Meng Huai committed suicide out of fear of punishment or the cause of his death remained unclear—was the subject of much speculation. Suddenly, both the Eastern Depot and the Eastern Palace were thrust into the spotlight.
The emperor had witnessed everything from beginning to end, knowing that someone was secretly pulling the strings, trying to use him to get rid of Meng Huai. But when he finally understood everything, the sudden unexpected event caught him off guard. How dare they scheme against the emperor!
But before everything was settled, the emperor had no intention of taking the lead again, and being bedridden, he simply decided to relinquish control for the time being. The Eastern Depot naturally also adopted a wait-and-see attitude.
Memorials from court officials poured into the cabinet like snowflakes. The cabinet ministers were divided in their opinions and feared offending the emperor if they handled them poorly. Ultimately, the decision-making power returned to the Crown Prince. However, under normal circumstances, the Crown Prince should have avoided any appearance of impropriety.
As expected, Yan Chao firmly stood on Meng Huai's side.
Lan Huaien was likely truly innocent this time. He wept bitterly before the emperor and even threatened to die to prove his innocence, just like Meng Huai. The emperor, annoyed by his nagging, simply locked him out. Although he didn't say how he would be dealt with, the emperor's attitude was evident from the constant bustling around Ji Weixian.
If things continue like this, once the Crown Prince issues an edict, his position will truly be in jeopardy.
Lan Huaien gritted his teeth and shamelessly went to the East Palace.
Of course, we went when there were fewer people.
But by sheer coincidence, they happened to run into Xu Zhen, who had just stepped out of the East Palace gate.
Xu Zhen was the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination of the eleventh year of the Xuan Ning era. Back then, his handsome appearance was among the best in the entire capital. Although he is now over thirty, he still retains his former charm. He is currently the fourth-rank Vice Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate. His official reputation is not bad, but his bad temper is almost universally known.
He looked up and saw Lan Huaien standing in front of him with a whisk tucked in his arms, looking at him coldly. This arrogant attitude was exactly what he had always despised, and he didn't hide his disgust. He frowned and spat, "What bad luck!"
The two were, after all, brothers from the same father, and there was still some resemblance between them. However, the Xu family no longer recognized Lan Huaien as their son, and besides, he was now a eunuch, and no matter how glorious he was, he was a disgrace to the clan.
Now that Xu Zhen has a wife and children, a stable career, and upright character, he naturally looks down on his half-brother, who is adept at navigating social situations, impotent, and lives like a dog. Not to mention that he is also a mistress from a concubine, someone who cannot be brought into the open.
In truth, Xu Zhen had suffered greatly at Lan Huaien's hands, yet he remained unwilling and relentless in his refusal to yield. Furthermore, Lan Huaien dared not go too far, as this would only cause him to lose popular support and jeopardize his position. Therefore, although the two were at odds, they never reached a point of life-or-death conflict.
No matter how he acted elsewhere, Lan Huaien was always arrogant and domineering in front of Xu Zhen, never willing to lose face. Perhaps feeling that speaking to Xu Zhen would lower his status, he only glanced coldly at Xu Zhen before looking at the East Palace again.
Xu Zhen saw that look in his eyes and felt a surge of anger, but he held back and left with a cold snort.
.
When Liang Lu entered the palace to announce Lan Huai'en's request for an audience, Yan Chao had just sat down and picked up his teacup when he heard the name and was somewhat surprised.
At first, I thought it was an imperial edict. I wondered why it was Ji Weixian who had delivered the edicts in the past few days.
However, she dared not be careless, so she composed herself slightly, stood up, and stepped out to greet him. Her steps were quite steady, but Lan Huaien, who was coming towards her, was not so well-mannered.
Yan Chao frowned slightly, but before he could speak, the figure in front of him lunged at him, almost colliding with him.
Her face instantly darkened as she coldly stared at Lan Huaien, who had collapsed to the ground. Just a few days ago, he had been trying to intimidate her about Shen Wei, and now he had actually gone this far. But then again, in the palace, if you weren't a bit tactful, you really couldn't have the same prestige as him.
Lan Huaien was always quick to take things in stride. Just as the Crown Prince was about to back away, she grabbed the hem of his robe and said with considerable restraint, "Your Highness, please save my life!"
Yan Chao: "..."
She knew this matter would involve Lan Huaien, but she didn't expect Lan Huaien's solution to be to come directly to her for help.
When Liang Lu went out to summon Lan Huaien into the palace, he did not dare to stop him. But as soon as he stepped across the threshold, he saw this scene. Surprised, he quickly stepped forward and rescued Yan Chaoxian.
"What is the eunuch doing! Is this insubordination?"
Yan Chao frowned and silently took two steps back. It was best not to make any rash moves before seeing his true colors.
She knew perfectly well what Lan Huaien meant, so she gestured to the eunuch to help him up, turned around and sat back in the main seat. She glanced at the cup of tea she had just put down and said in a low voice, "Someone, bring tea to the factory director."
At this point, Lan Huaien dared not rise easily. He crawled forward on his knees, but Liang Lu stopped him with an outstretched arm. He had no choice but to speak first, "Your Highness, I..."
"It's rare for the factory supervisor to come to the Eastern Palace, so how can we not treat him with the utmost hospitality? Fill the cup to the brim."
The palace maid serving tea noticed the Crown Prince staring at her and her hand trembled slightly. As instructed, the teacup, which was usually only seven-tenths full, was now almost overflowing, like a wine cup.
Lan Huaien's words caught in his throat. Even though his complexion had been good just now, it didn't look so good now.
A full cup of tea is deceiving.
It was clear that the Crown Prince did not want to see him, and probably did not want to listen to him. But at this point, there was obviously no way out. He gritted his teeth and kowtowed directly: "Thank you for the tea, Your Highness. I dare not accept it."
Yan Chao finished his tea before asking Lan Huaien to rise. Lan Huaien, as expected, declined. Yan Chao said calmly, "Although I am aware of this matter, His Majesty's will remains unclear. If you have a grievance, you can directly plead your case before the Emperor. Why come to the Eastern Palace and put me in a dilemma?"
She spoke gently, but only Lan Huaien understood the meaning behind her words.
Yan Chao lifted his eyelids and dismissed all the irrelevant people in the hall, leaving only Liang Lu.
Lan Huaien dared not respond. He calmed down and pondered how to change the Crown Prince's attitude.
"You're the one who led the investigation into the fact that Meng Huai and Han Yu have a past relationship?" Although Yan Chao tried his best to suppress his hatred, he couldn't hide his sharp edge at all.
“Yes,” Lan Huaien nodded in acknowledgment, but fearing the Crown Prince’s wrath, he quickly added, “But I don’t have the guts to frame a loyal official. That memorial was submitted by Grand Secretary Cao. His Majesty became suspicious and ordered me to investigate…”
Yan Chao grunted, "So you mean His Majesty and Grand Secretary Cao put on a show, framing loyal officials and then making you take the blame?" She raised an eyebrow and clicked her tongue coldly, "Then you're really being wronged."
Lan Huaien immediately bowed his head in fear: "Your Highness is wise, I would rather die than..."
"Alright, I'm not going to listen to nonsense. Just say what you have to say, and then get out of here."
Lan Huaien lowered his head and said, "I truly knew nothing about Lord Meng's suicide."
Yan Chao was skeptical of him. Although Meng Huaiyi's death would do him more harm than good, aside from the coincidence of the timing, the scheme he was involved in was indeed intended to kill Meng Huaiyi. Perhaps he was just unlucky to be used, but that cannot cover up his sinister intention to frame Meng Huaiyi.
"Since you know the inside story and are a former eunuch, you can investigate however you want. Once you find out the truth, your innocence will be cleared."
From the beginning until now, Yan Chao has maintained a distant relationship with Lan Huaien and has made no attempt to hide his dislike for him.
Lan Huaien didn't come with good intentions; he was adept at wearing a mask, like a wolf eyeing its prey. Even in perilous situations, he never forgot to lay a trap for himself, either to achieve a resounding victory or to become ensnared in his own web.
Lan Huaien lowered his head and looked vaguely at the exquisite white jade belt around his waist, which seemed somewhat loose. His words also carried a hint of dejection: "After this incident, His Majesty intends for the Eastern Depot to avoid suspicion, so I dare not act rashly."
Yan Chao considered his meaning carefully; it was indeed within his expectations. The emperor had become suspicious of his close attendants, and both the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard were implicated. But did the emperor intend to abandon the investigation? If so, the only way to resolve this matter quickly was to find a scapegoat.
She was uncertain. Lan Huaien had been serving the emperor for several years and had always been favored by him; usually, he would only be reprimanded for his mistakes. But this time, the emperor had not made a statement, which made even Lan Huaien uneasy.
"The factory supervisor should speak frankly."
“Your Highness, I am also aware of the situation in the Cabinet. Nowadays, the calls for justice for Lord Meng are growing louder and louder, and there are many requests for the Three Judicial Offices to retry the case. I dare to suggest that this request be granted.”
Yan Chao thought for a moment and realized that he had seen the memorial this morning, and Lan Huaien had reacted quickly.
"Your Majesty took the Bai Cunzhang case very seriously at the time. Although all the officials involved were severely punished and those who escaped were investigated afterward, it was not a good thing to let this matter cause panic and instability in the court. Now that the storm has just subsided, the Meng Huai incident has occurred. Your Majesty's decision to keep quiet about it shows that you do not want this matter to get involved in anything further. The Director of the Imperial Household Department can see this, can't he?"
Lan Huaien readily agreed. When he looked up, he met the Crown Prince's gaze, which was as cold and distant as ever.
He had seen those eyes, that gaze, once before outside the Meridian Gate, but back then Yan Chao's expression was more one of urgent anger.
Yan Chao continued, "From the very beginning, no one else is to blame. You were the one who investigated Meng Huai, and you were also the one who stirred up trouble in front of the Emperor. Now that something has happened, His Majesty wants to settle things peacefully, so it is reasonable for him to come after you. At present, whether it is to clear Mr. Meng's name at the request of the ministers, or His Majesty himself does not want to get entangled in it, or to close both cases at the same time, dealing with you is the simplest, quickest and most appropriate way."
Moreover, Lan Huaien's reputation has never been good, so he can also shut up the censor.
"Your Highness, even without using the three judicial departments to investigate, don't you want to give Lord Meng justice? I dare not say that I have suffered a great injustice, but there are others behind Lord Meng's death."
Yan Chao's gaze hardened. She naturally wanted to find the real culprit behind it all, and she could roughly guess who it was, but with the emperor watching from above, she couldn't do anything.
"Mr. Meng will not die unjustly. I will find out the truth behind this sooner or later. But Lan Huaien, you tried to take action against my people a few days ago. Now you want to test my words, to use me to get rid of the person you want to get rid of, and you even want me to exonerate you in front of the Emperor. Isn't that a bit too greedy?"
A note from the author:
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