Chapter 137 It May Also Be Because of Hate
In the court, the discussion about the Pei family's suspected treason was very heated. Several officials from the History Bureau believed that privately digging a secret passage was an act of treason, and that the matter should be investigated thoroughly to find out the mastermind behind it.
Some people also believed that this was done by the Pei family and that all nine generations of the family should be punished.
The emperor listened to the quarrel below, his expression solemn: "He'an, Minister Jiang, what do you two think about this?"
Jiang Jie is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, and he is in charge of investigating this case: "Your Majesty, I think this matter cannot be taken lightly and should be thoroughly investigated. Even if it was only done by the Pei family, all of their followers should be eliminated."
"Well, what you said is very true."
The emperor looked at He An and said, "I heard that the Prince of Chen held a Spring Festival banquet a few days ago, and there were many incidents during the banquet. Can you tell me about it?"
He An bowed and said, "Your Majesty, it was just some misunderstanding after drinking. At first, I wanted to investigate it, but His Royal Highness Prince Chen said it was an internal matter of the palace, so I couldn't ask about it."
Upon hearing this, Prince Chen came out and said, "My Lord Father, it was because the princess was not strict in managing the household that a maid dared to covet the Prime Minister, which led to these unfortunate incidents."
Ji Lingchuan then walked out and said, "Your Majesty, what Prince Chen said is true. Not only was the maid excessive, but I also caught two men with ulterior motives, which caused many misunderstandings between Li'er and me."
The emperor frowned when he heard this: "A man?"
"That's right. Two men dressed as women were caught by me in the west corner of Prince Chen's mansion. They were then handed over to me for interrogation."
The emperor's face was grim: "Prince Chen, what's going on?"
"Reporting to the emperor, those two servants stole some items and were caught by General Ji when they tried to dig a hole to hide them."
"It seems that Prince Chen has not gained much from his self-cultivation. On the contrary, the people in the mansion have become more unruly."
"I am not strict in my management of the household. Please punish me, father."
**
Inside the Prince's Mansion Study
Ji Lingchuan drank the tea in a gloomy voice: "The emperor intends to protect Prince Chen. Could it be that everything we have done before is in vain?"
After that, neither the prince nor He An responded.
Ji Lingchuan felt more and more unbalanced: "Because of the matter in Prince Chen's Mansion, Chu Li has ignored me for several days. I have lost my wife and my army."
The prince shook his head: "Only you can come up with such a ridiculous idea. You knew Li'er's character very well, but you still tried to test her. You deserve it."
As a result, the Crown Princess was also worried about the two of them. Ji Lingchuan was a military genius on the battlefield with extraordinary strategies.
How come when it comes to relationships between men and women, you act like a fool and just don't understand?
Ji Lingchuan glared at He An in dissatisfaction: "When I first proposed this idea, he didn't object?"
The prince was speechless.
He An raised his eyes and said, "Why should I care about your business?"
"Then you can choose not to help?"
"Didn't you ask me to do this?"
"Just do it when I ask you to. Why don't you help me analyze whether this will work?"
He An frowned: "Now it seems that this move is just a good way to test Chu Li's intentions. Then it will be feasible."
Ji Lingchuan: “…”
The truth was revealed after the test, but the person got angry and ran away.
The prince returned to business: "I heard that the Jiang family has recently started preparing for the wedding."
Ji Lingchuan was unhappy when he heard this: "Everyone is busy with the Pei family's case, but he wants to get married. Isn't this delaying things?"
"I'm afraid he just wants to use this opportunity to get out of the Pei family and Prince Chen's affairs." He An left a child: "Also, if the emperor really investigates Prince Chen, I'm afraid the Wei family will not be able to protect him. If we don't marry him now, we may not be able to marry him anymore."
Ji Lingchuan sneered: "Minister Jiang doesn't seem like such a sentimental person. He would fall in love with Qi Siwei in such a short time."
Prince: "Sometimes, wanting to keep someone by your side may not necessarily be out of love, but may also be out of hatred."
Ji Lingchuan: “…”
He vaguely felt that He'an and the prince knew something that he didn't know, and he immediately felt unhappy.
Seeing that the two were playing chess seriously, he moved a stool and came forward: "Although Jiang Jie and we are in a cooperative relationship, he does not follow the rules. Does Your Highness really trust him so much?"
The reason why I didn't tell Ji Lingchuan the truth earlier was because I was worried that he would be hot-tempered and give away the truth.
Now Jiang Jie is the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice appointed by the Emperor. Even if his identity is revealed, the Emperor can still charge him with slander. Otherwise, he would be admitting that he was not careful in selecting the right people.
The chess game was treacherous. The prince rested his hand holding the chess piece on his leg and said, "Jiang Jie's father was once a close confidant of Qi Yuanchang's mansion. He was responsible for most of the correspondence between him and His Royal Highness Prince Chen."
"Later, he knew too much, so King Chen killed him."
Ji Lingchuan: "Since he is from the Qi family, how could Qi Siwei not recognize him?"
"Jiang Jie is the youngest son of the old steward of the Qi Mansion. He is considered a family child. When the old steward died, he was only five or six years old. He was able to escape the assassination. It was his fate not to die."
"He was not supposed to die, or was he saved by someone?" He had seen people with good luck before, but it was not easy to escape from King Chen.
He An: "I was saved by my father by accident."
Later he was sent to a master to learn martial arts, and then he entered the officialdom, which was relatively smooth.
But this person has a gloomy personality and acts without any rules. He is not easy to control.
Ji Lingchuan exhaled: "No wonder, no wonder you and the prince trust him so much, it seems I am the only one who is kept in the dark."
"You were in the army earlier, so you didn't have the chance to say it. Later, when you returned to the capital, his card hadn't appeared yet, so you never mentioned it." The prince patted him on the shoulder: "Now that you know, you have to act this drama more realistically in the future."
Ji Lingchuan raised his eyebrows and said, "Don't worry, Your Highness. I'm good at finding faults. It's just a matter of creating discord. It's too easy for me."
"However, he knew that Qi Siwei was Qi Yuanchang's daughter but still wanted to marry her. Was it for revenge?" Ji Lingchuan wondered, "It was Prince Chen who killed his entire family. Even if he wanted revenge, Prince Chen should be ranked first, right?"
**
The sky gradually darkened, and the crescent moon in the distance was as white as paper.
Qi Siwei stood in the porch holding a heater, her lifeless eyes drifting from the moon back to the courtyard. She was so upset that she didn't even notice the maid who walked into the courtyard.
It was not until she spoke that she regained her composure: "Miss, Lord Jiang has come to the mansion and is now talking to the old man in the front hall."
The heater fell to the ground with a plop. Even though I tightened my pockets, charcoal ash still fell out.
Qi Siwei felt nervous.
The maid hurriedly cleaned up and said, "What's wrong with you, young lady? You look distracted."
Ever since the Qi family married the Jiang family, the servants in the mansion have been secretly happy, except for the young lady who has been restless all day long.
The old man is now guilty and the Qi family is declining, which is not a big deal. But if they are really convicted, they, the servants, will not have a good ending.
Lord Jiang is now in the emperor's favor and his career is going smoothly. With the support of Minister Jiang, even if the old man loses his job, he may be able to keep the Qi Mansion.
Then these servants of theirs will also be free from being implicated.
Moreover, Lord Jiang has come several times. Although he looks a little serious, he is handsome and talented. Considering the current situation of the Qi family, it is already a great honor for the young lady to marry into the Jiang family.
Qi Siwei didn't want to see Jiang Jie, so she turned around and went back to her room: "If my father sends someone to invite me, just say I'm sick and can't see guests."