Chapter 201 Night Talk
"I left in a hurry and didn't have time to tell my mother the details."
"The person hosting the banquet today is an old acquaintance of my daughter's from Beijing. He has just arrived in Changhe and heard that my daughter also lived here after leaving Beijing and returning home, so he invited my daughter to meet him. He has no ill intentions."
Even if there is malicious intention, you have to say that there is no malicious intention, otherwise it will only add to the panic and worry.
Yunniang patted Lu Mingchao's arm, and the image of the driver shouting and consciously drawing his sword emerged in her mind.
Although she had little experience, she knew that if the nobleman coming to the capital was truly kind and treated Chao Chao as a friend, he would not forcefully ask the Xie family to go with him.
Chao Chao didn't want to talk much, so she didn't ask any more questions.
"Raising a child for a hundred years is like worrying for ninety-nine."
"Good morning, mother will be fine."
Seeing that Lu Yao was not at home, Lu Mingchao asked and found out that Lu Yao had gone to the residence of Xu County Magistrate to inquire about the news.
County Magistrate Xu has great respect for Lu Yao and will certainly not make things difficult for him.
It's the middle of the night, the candlelight flickers.
Lu Mingchao, Xie Yan, and Shu Yuan sat together and shared what they had.
Shu Yuan rubbed his arms in disgust. "Fortunately, I was prepared. Xiao Fei is such a hateful brat. He was suspicious and ordered his followers to accidentally spill the soup on me. He also arranged for a servant to help me bathe and change clothes."
"If Xie Yan hadn't reminded me in time and I had been prepared, I'm afraid Xiao Fei would have discovered my identity."
After Shu Yuan purified herself and entered the palace, she never undressed or appeared naked in front of anyone again.
Xiao Fei knew his taboos very well, but he still took this approach to verify his identity.
"Xiao Fei, after all, is no longer the prince of Prince Kang's mansion."
There was anger, sighs, and regret in Shu Yuan's voice.
It was like a gust of wind from the wilderness, sweeping up all the scenery and scents along the way, rushing in all at once, making people's noses sore and their eyes wet.
The late emperor respected Prince Kang and loved Xiao Fei as well.
Shu Yuan was the childhood sweetheart and beloved wife of the late emperor. He was also the eunuch in charge of writing, second only to the emperor in power. He was of one mind with the late emperor and had always treated Xiao Fei with kindness and love.
It can be said that Shu Yuan truly treated Xiao Fei as his junior and Xiao Fei also rode a horse on Shu Yuan's shoulders.
Shu Yuan could understand Xiao Fei's doubts, but he could not agree with Xiao Fei's way of verifying his doubts.
Lu Mingchao raised his hand and poured Shu Yuan a cup of hot tea.
Anyway, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
"Now he is the Prince of Duan who is walking on thin ice and is always on the alert, not the carefree and pampered Prince of Kang."
"Don't worry, we Huaiqian are much more conscientious than Prince Duan."
Lu Mingchao paused and returned to the topic, "Prince Duan first expressed his wish for me to serve him. After being rejected, he retreated to achieve his real wish and asked me to expand Chaofu Commercial Company to Lingnan, which is full of insects, poisons, and miasma, in the spring of next year."
"He wanted to protect the Chu family members who were exiled to Lingnan, but he couldn't let anyone know that he had anything to do with the Chu family."
"Prince Duan is afraid of the gaze of the emperor, but at the same time he can't help but long for the emperor's attention."
"The emperor's true attitude towards Prince Duan remains to be discussed."
"To put it bluntly, Prince Duan's glory is superficial. He has no outside family and no indestructible allies."
The Chu family, who were of the same clan as Prince Duan, were exiled, and the Xie family, who were very close to Prince Duan, were exterminated.
"The court officials' support for Prince Duan stems from the emperor's apparent preference for him. This preference, which is hard to tell whether it is real or fake, can be withdrawn by the emperor at any time."
"The emperor can favor Prince Duan, but he will never sit idly by and watch Prince Duan become powerful."
"So, Prince Duan needs help that is hidden beneath the waves and no one can detect it."
"Those who are involved in this matter behind the scenes will be in trouble!" Lu Mingchao said decisively.
Shu Yuan curled his lips and said, "Like father, like son. I'm afraid Xiao Fei is also thinking about replacing him one day."
Lu Mingchao did not comment, but looked at Xie Yan.
"Ah Yan, what about you?"
The low pressure on Xie Yan seemed to be turning into reality.
"Prince Duan's attendant told me the whole story of your past with Gu Huai as if nothing had happened, and then warned me indirectly to be self-aware and not to indulge in delusions."
"Why does Xiao Fei always speak for Gu Huai?" Shu Yuan muttered, "Could it be that Gu Huai has secretly surrendered to Xiao Fei?"
Under the round table, Lu Mingchao secretly pinched Xie Yan's fingers.
Xie Yan took advantage of the situation and pulled Lu Mingchao's hand back, and the coldness on his face melted away like ice and snow.
Lu Mingchao felt relieved and said, "Impossible."
"Gu Huai dared to surrender, but Xiao Fei did not dare to accept him."
"Behind Gu Huai is the Zhenguogong Mansion, which holds military power. Gu Huai's surrender is not a strong arm but a death warrant for Xiao Fei."
"Then why does he want to bring up the old matter again?" For a moment, Shu Yuan couldn't think of a more appropriate reason.
Xie Yan said in a deep voice, "To sow discord."
Shu Yuan: "What good can Xiao Fei gain by not taking the trouble to sow discord?"
"Just out of free time?"
Lu Mingchao hesitated for a long time and then confessed, "Prince Duan asked me if I would be willing to marry him if he accepted me as his concubine."
“I refused at the time!”
Shu Yuan: ...
Xie Yan: …
Shu Yuan swallowed his saliva and said, "In the past, Xiao Fei didn't have the habit of stealing other people's wives."
How could the young boy have changed so much?
"Shu Yuan!" Xie Yan's expression turned cold again.
Shu Yuan shrank his neck and said, "Xie Shilang, you should be calm and rational when encountering things. It is not the style of the Xie family to deceive yourself and others and pretend that everything is fine."
Lu Mingchao advised, "Prince Duan has no romantic feelings for me at all. It seems more like he is trying to use me for his own purposes."
Shu Yuan looked left and right, then stood up suddenly. "It's late, you guys continue chatting, the old man is going to sleep."
The moment the door opened, the night wind rushed in.
Xie Yan's voice blended into the night wind. "Ming Chao, I will never let you regret the choice you made."
There was a sound when it was thrown to the ground, and every word was like an oath.
…
The next day.
The story was widely spread throughout Changhe County. When His Royal Highness Prince Duan was traveling around the country, he passed by Changhe and happened to hear about a long-standing unsolved case in which a mother accused her son of murder. The case had been progressing slowly and there was no conclusion yet.
His Royal Highness Prince Duan felt that this matter concerned the welfare and trust of the people, so he decided to intervene personally to find out the truth and restore justice to the people. This move was aimed at restoring the faith of the people of Changhe in the laws of Daqian and their trust in the officials appointed by the court.
County Magistrate Xu handed the case over to Prince Duan without hesitation.
Before one wave subsides, another wave rises.
A major case also broke out in Shunhe County, which is adjacent to Changhe County.
Hong Biao was frightened and went crazy, and revealed that he was a gangster pretending to be a bandit to rob passing merchants for money and kill them.
The magistrate of Shunhe County heard the news and arrested him. After interrogation, he found out that Hong Biao was a subordinate of Yuxian Gongzi of Changhe County.
The magistrate of Shunhe County did not dare to make a decision on his own and drove to Changhe County to meet His Royal Highness Prince Duan.
His Royal Highness Prince Duan combined the two cases into one, and ordered people to continue to investigate the crimes committed by Sun Zhiye in detail, without allowing even the slightest omission.
At this time, Sun Zhiye was anxiously waiting for reinforcements in the county prison.
And Tiandong was completely despairing.
Hong Biao, who was supposed to go to Shangjing, became the last straw that broke the camel's back for the eldest son.
No one can help the eldest son get rid of the crime.
Mr. Sun changed his attitude according to the situation and directly distanced himself from Sun Zhiye.
[Gu Huai Suffering]