Using someone else to kill
Time flies, and before you know it, Yan Shu's belly is starting to show; she's almost four months pregnant.
That day, the imperial physician came to take her pulse. After examining her carefully for a while, he withdrew his hand and said with a smile, "Your Highness's pulse is still stable. The pregnancy is temporarily under control, which is truly wonderful. As long as you continue to take good care of yourself, you will be safe and sound."
Yan Shu's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down. She gently stroked her slightly protruding belly, her eyes and brows brimming with undisguised joy. At least for now, things weren't going according to that damned history book.
Chun Tao saw Physician Zhang out, and Yan Shu leaned against the soft pillows, planning to have the kitchen add a dish of steamed perch that Ling Yuan loved for dinner.
---
Meanwhile, the scene in Prime Minister Cui's study was quite different.
Minister Xie Mingde of the Ministry of Revenue knelt on the ground with a thud, his official hat askew, not even bothering to straighten it, tears streaming down his face: "Your Excellency! You must save me! Back then, back then, I was blinded by greed and embezzled the remaining funds for the river repair... But, but I only did it to bribe my superiors and subordinates, most of it was for personal gain..."
"Thank you, sir!" Cui Chong abruptly interrupted him, "You mustn't speak carelessly."
Xie Mingde shuddered in fright and quickly changed his tune: "Yes, yes... I was confused! But now His Majesty has already noticed and has even handed this matter over to Prince Chen to investigate! Who is behind Prince Chen? It's Prince Duan! They... they're going to investigate to the death! Prime Minister, I've served you for so many years, and even if I haven't made any great contributions, I've certainly put in a lot of hard work. You and His Highness the Crown Prince can't just stand by and watch us die!"
Cui Chong sat in the armchair, slowly fiddling with the lid of his teacup, without even lifting his eyelids: "Lord Xie, I no longer concern myself with such trivial matters; I only wish for peace and quiet. His Highness the Crown Prince has also been focused on his studies lately and has no interest in these things."
Upon hearing this, Xie Mingde's face turned deathly pale. He knelt forward two steps, almost grabbing Cui Chong's legs: "Prime Minister! You can't..."
“However…” Cui Chong changed the subject, put down the teacup lid, and finally looked at him directly, “Considering our long-standing friendship, I can’t completely ignore this. How about this, I’ll find an opportunity to help you out. But things are tense right now, so why don’t you… go and lay low for a while?”
Xie Mingde grasped at a straw: "Escape? Escape to where?"
"The farther you go, the better," Cui Chong said calmly. "To a manor outside the city, or even further. Once things have calmed down, I'll find a way to smooth things over for you."
He leaned forward, staring at Xie Mingde: "Remember, watch your mouth. Know what you should say and what you shouldn't say. Otherwise, even I can't protect you."
"I understand! I understand!" Xie Mingde kowtowed repeatedly. "Thank you, Prime Minister! Thank you, Prime Minister!"
"Go, pack your things, and leave tonight. Otherwise, things might get complicated."
Xie Mingde thanked him profusely and left, his steps hurried.
The study door closed again, and a dark shadow silently appeared in the corner.
The feigned gentleness on Cui Chong's face vanished instantly, leaving only cold calculation.
"Did you hear that?" he said to the shadowy figure. "You 'accidentally' leaked the news of his escape to the people on Prince Duan and Prince Chen's side."
The shadowy figure nodded silently.
Cui Chong's lips curled into a slight smile: "Remember, get it done cleanly before their people arrive. Be quick and efficient, leave no trace."
Xie Mingde knows too much and is insatiable; he'll be a menace sooner or later. He's wanted to get rid of him for a long time, but hasn't found the right opportunity. Now is the perfect time; by using Prince Duan and Prince Chen as pawns, he can both eliminate a major threat and shift the blame onto the other side.
Kill two birds with one stone.
---
Xie Mingde scrambled back to his residence, urging his family members to pack their valuables as quickly as possible, his heart pounding with fear.
"Master, what could have happened in the middle of the night?" Madam Xie asked, holding her bewildered infant son in a panic.
"Stop asking! Hurry up and leave! If you don't leave now, you'll die!" Xie Mingde was covered in sweat and haphazardly stuffed the silver notes into his hand.
In less than an hour, two inconspicuous blue cloth carriages quietly drove out of the back gate of Xie's residence and headed straight for the city gate.
The soldiers guarding the city received orders to only conduct a cursory inspection before letting them pass.
The carriage left the city, quickened its pace, and sped along the main road. After about half an hour, it turned onto a relatively secluded side road and entered a dense forest.
The moonlight was fragmented by the layers of branches and leaves.
The carriage suddenly stopped abruptly.
"What's going on?" Xie Mingde asked, his heart pounding as he lifted the carriage curtain.
The driver has disappeared.
Instead, a man in black appeared in front of the carriage at some unknown time. The man was tall and thin, his face was covered, and the knife he carried gleamed eerily in the pale moonlight.
"Who...who are you?" Xie Mingde's voice trembled.
The man in black didn't speak, but approached step by step.
"Hero, spare my life! You want money? Here, here, take it all!" Xie Mingde hurriedly threw the box containing the silver notes away.
The man in black didn't even glance at the box.
A flash of light.
A scream shattered the silence of the woods, startling several night birds.
---
Inside the study of Prince Duan's residence, candlelight shone brightly.
Ling Yuan was holding a military treatise, while Yan Shu leaned against the soft couch beside him, flipping through a notebook. Since her pregnancy had stabilized, Ling Yuan had allowed her to occasionally come to his study to sit and accompany him while he handled official business.
"Your Highness," Yan Shu put down her book and rubbed her tired eyes, "it's getting late, you should rest."
Ling Yuan had just put down his military treatise when there was a knock on his study door.
"Come in."
Ling Ying strode in, her expression grave: "Your Highness, Your Highness. We just received news that Minister Xie Mingde of the Ministry of Revenue has left the city overnight with his family."
Ling Yuan frowned: "When did this happen?"
"About an hour ago, when our men discovered them, they had already left the city gates. His Highness Prince Chen also received the news at the same time, and Qingfeng has already led his men to pursue them outside the city."
Yan Shu sat up straight. Xie Mingde? She vaguely remembered this person; he seemed to be in charge of money and grain, and was very close to the Cui family.
Ling Yuan stood up: "Which direction did they go?"
"Judging from the tracks, it's heading west on the official road. They might be trying to detour to the dock and take the waterway," Ling Ying said. "I've already dispatched a team to meet Qingfeng."
"Go, and make sure you bring them back," Ling Yuan said in a deep voice.
Ling Ying accepted the order and quickly withdrew.
Yan Shu looked at Ling Yuan's profile, a vague unease creeping into her heart. Xie Mingde's escape was too sudden, and the news of his escape seemed to have been deliberately leaked, even including the specific route.
More than an hour later, hurried footsteps came from outside the window.
Ling Ying returned, this time forgetting to knock before barging in, her face more grim than ever before.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!" he said, "When we arrived at the Black Pine Forest, thirty miles west of the city... Lord Xie and his family... had already met with a terrible fate."
Ling Yuan asked in surprise, "Dead?"
"Yes. Lord Xie, Madam Xie, their two children, and the coachman, a total of five people." Ling Ying's Adam's apple bobbed. "The scene... was very clean, leaving no trace. The other party was a master."
The study fell into a deathly silence.
Yan Shu gasped, instinctively clutching her stomach. A family of five... wiped out?
Ling Yuan remained silent for a moment, then slowly sat back down in his chair, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table.
"How long did it take between when we received the news and when his whole family was killed?" he asked, his voice as cold as ice.
“Less than two hours,” Ling Ying replied. “The other side timed it perfectly. It was as if they calculated exactly when our people would arrive and made their move just a moment before they could.”
Yan Shu felt a chill rise from the soles of her feet.
This is not a cover-up.
This is using someone else to do the dirty work.
Someone deliberately leaked the news that Xie Mingde was going to escape to them and Prince Chen, luring them into giving chase. Then, they arrived ahead of them and killed Xie Mingde's entire family.
In this way, to outsiders, Xie Mingde appeared to have been silenced because Prince Chen was investigating and Prince Duan's mansion sent people to intercept him. This smear campaign was firmly pinned on their heads.
Who is it?
She and Lingyuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the same name in each other's eyes.
Cui Chong.
Only he had both the motive to silence Xie Mingde and the ability to calculate the timing so precisely.
But they had no evidence.
There is absolutely no evidence.
"What a clever scheme to use someone else to do your dirty work." Ling Yuan suddenly chuckled, his laughter devoid of any warmth. "Truly... a brilliant plan."
Yan Shu looked at Ling Yuan, her heart heavy.
With Xie Mingde's death, all leads regarding the embezzled funds and the people he might have been involved with have been cut off. Moreover, the blame has been shifted onto them.
The other party, hiding in the shadows, gave them a gentle push, leaving them speechless with frustration.
“Your Highness,” Ling Ying said in a low voice, “I have examined the body. The wounds are clean and neat, indicating a fatal blow. The weapon used was also very ordinary, and I cannot discern the method of attack.”
Ling Yuan waved his hand: "Understood. Go down and tell the people below to be more vigilant."
"yes."
After Ling Ying left, only the two of them remained in the study.
The candle flame crackled and popped.
Yan Shu gently grasped Ling Yuan's hand, which was resting on the table, and noticed that his fingertips were icy cold.
Ling Yuan grasped her hand in return, his grip a little too strong.
He paused, looking at Yan Shu's protruding belly with a complicated expression.
"From now on, we need to be even more careful."
Yan Shu leaned on his shoulder, feeling the cold aura emanating from him, and the unease in her heart was gradually replaced by something firm.
No matter how many conspiracies and schemes lie ahead, she will protect this family.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
