Chapter 149 Wei Qingyan is a chess piece
Xie was a treasure in her natal family, and she married into the Eastern Palace smoothly when she grew up.
Although she did not marry the man of her dreams, her husband was the future emperor, and her grandmother and mother-in-law were all members of the Xie family and were very kind to her.
Shi Mingxi needed the help of the Xie family. Besides, he had the Empress Dowager and the Queen to protect him, so he did not dare to treat Xie badly.
Xie's life was extremely smooth. The only thing that made her unhappy was Shi Mingxi's status as the crown prince, which meant that he was destined to have many women in his backyard.
Most of those women respected and tried to please her as the Crown Princess and did not dare to act rashly in front of her, except for the daughter of Qin Xueshi, a Hanlin scholar.
He even dared to show off Shi Mingxi's favor towards her in front of her.
She wanted to kill Qin as soon as possible, but at that time, the prince needed the help of Qin Xue Shi to establish his prestige among the students.
Touching Qin would ruin Shi Mingxi's plans, as it concerned the prince's future. Xie didn't dare to act rashly, but she was still holding a grudge in her heart, and it was inevitable that she would find trouble with Shi Mingxi.
It was at this time that Defu, the old eunuch who served Shi Mingxi, comforted her and said that after Qin Xue Shi was completely used by Shi Mingxi, he would find a reason to deal with Qin.
At that time, even if the Qin family had any suspicions, they could only continue to work for Shi Mingxi.
She endured Qin for three whole months, and when Qin showed off again how much Shi Mingxi loved her at night, she took advantage of a cold to kill Qin.
As Defu said, the Qin family did not investigate Qin's death, but sent another concubine's daughter into the Eastern Palace.
Far from being as arrogant as Qin, the concubine's daughter was humble and submissive to the Crown Princess, and treated her with respect in everything.
Shi Mingxi also acquiesced to Qin's death and never even mentioned it.
In Defu's words, Qin was just a pawn in Shi Mingxi's eyes.
Mr. Qin has been won over, so whether this chess piece retires after achieving its goal or is discarded will not affect the outcome.
Afterwards, she rewarded Defu and also took the opportunity to win over Defu so that she could learn some of Shi Mingxi's daily life from Defu to consolidate her position as the Crown Princess in Shi Mingxi's heart.
When news of Wudan's surrender reached the capital, she learned from Defu that he had surrendered. Shi Mingxi was troubled by the fear that Wei Qingyan's triumphant return would embolden Prince Rong.
Defu's face was filled with worry for his master. "This old slave really feels sorry for the master. He is just a chess piece. How can he worry about it?"
Yes, Wei Qingyan calls himself a general and a minister, but in reality, isn’t he just a pawn obeying the royal family?
When Xie heard this, it was as if she had been enlightened. She thought of Qin, who was dealt with quietly by him.
She also thought of the days when Qin Shi annoyed her, and the sleepless nights she tossed and turned. Wei Qingyan to the prince was like Qin Shi to her.
They are all thorns in their hearts. Only by removing them can they sleep peacefully at night.
As for Wei Qingyan's role in the court, she thought it was simple. The Qin family could use a concubine's daughter to replace Qin and maintain the relationship between the Qin family and the Eastern Palace.
The imperial court could then select a new military general to replace Wei Qingyan. If handled properly, they could also take the opportunity to promote their own people.
With 100,000 National Protection Army troops at hand, who wouldn’t know how to fight?
In her opinion, Defu was Shi Mingxi's servant, and a servant's thoughts always followed those of his master.
Defu said those words probably because Shi Mingxi had that idea in mind but couldn't make up his mind at the moment.
Then she took the opportunity to be a virtuous wife and help her husband solve his problems.
Therefore, when Mingxi complained to her about his troubles, she agreed with him and said that he would not be able to return to Beijing.
She was just following Shi Mingxi's wishes and agreeing with him. As for whether Shi Mingxi should do it or how to do it, it was all Shi Mingxi's decision.
It had nothing to do with her, so after she said it, she put it behind her mind.
Now that Shi Mingxi was pinching my neck, I remembered it bit by bit, and then I wrote it down bit by bit while enduring the pain in my body.
After reading what Xie wrote, Shi Mingxi thought she was just trying to shirk responsibility, his eyes bloodshot, "When did I ever think of killing Wei Qingyan?
It was you who reminded me of that idea, and now you dare to blame it on me and Defu."
As he roared, the emperor and Shi Yu moved at the same time.
The emperor looked at Feng Ruobao, and Shi Yu winked at Jingzhe.
Feng Ruobao and Jingzhe rushed out of the imperial study together and headed straight for the East Palace.
After Shi Mingxi was placed under house arrest, the eunuch Defu beside him was naturally also confined to the Eastern Palace.
After Xie recalled the incident, she belatedly realized that if the emperor investigated, she would be considered involved in the murder of Wei Qingyan.
He quickly picked up his pen and wrote, "Wei Qingyan and I have no grudges or hatred. It was you who had those thoughts. I couldn't bear to see you worry, so I said those words."
"You're still denying it..." Shi Mingxi roared.
"Shut up." The emperor interrupted him harshly, "I want to ask you, Prince Rong had already left for his fiefdom at that time, and you two haven't seen each other for nearly two years.
Why do you think of Prince Rong because of Wei Qingyan's victory?"
Shi Yuyi looked at him steadily, "I don't recall ever doing anything arrogant towards you. Why do you think I'll bully you after General Wei returns to the capital?"
"I..." Shi Mingxi paused, "I... I..."
He kept saying "I" for a long time but couldn't make any clear statement. Finally, he fell to the ground with a plop.
Yes, when Wei Qingyan went to the war, Prince Rong had already gone to his fiefdom and had not returned to the capital for two years. Why did he think that Prince Rong would become more arrogant if Wei Qingyan had made a contribution?
"It was Defu who hinted to you, right?" Shi Yu's voice sounded again.
Shi Mingxi nodded sadly.
He was originally happy about Wudan's defeat, but Defu had a sad face and sighed, "Prince Rong never took Your Highness seriously. Who knows how arrogant he will be this time."
After hearing similar words so many times, Chen Nian's frustration at being suppressed by Prince Rong was also brought up.
But why would he suspect that Defu was instigating things with ulterior motives?
That was the virtue and blessing bestowed upon him by the late emperor since he was born. It was the virtue and blessing whose heart and eyes were filled with only him, the little master.
He stared blankly outside the door, waiting for Feng Ruobao and the others to bring Defu.
He wanted to ask, "Why?"
But what he waited for was the news of Defu's death.
When Jingzhe and others rushed there, Defu had already hanged himself. His body was still warm and he had just died.
"Your Majesty, the Ministry of Punishment has investigated and it is indeed suicide."
Feng Ruobao replied, "I heard from the eunuch beside him that after I took Mrs. Xie away, Defu said he was tired and would not wait for the Crown Prince this time. He asked the eunuch to stand guard at the gate on his behalf and apologize to the Crown Prince."
Jingzhe also nodded slightly to Shi Yu.
That's true.
The young eunuch was puzzled as to how Eunuch Defu could still sleep when the deposed prince and his wife had been taken away.
But I didn't dare ask too much, thinking that Defu was old and in poor health, so I didn't think much about it.
It seems that after Shi Mingxi and Xie were taken away, Defu guessed that his affairs would be exposed, and that "I'm sorry" was his last words.
"Why?" Shi Mingxi's lips turned pale. He looked at the emperor, "Father, Defu is the one who took care of me. Why...?"
Why do you want to betray and use me?
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