Ming King exiled to the northern border
Jiang Wanzhi practically scrambled back to Wanzhi Pavilion, her heart still pounding wildly as she closed the door and leaned against it, gasping for breath.
When Chuntao and Qiuju saw her disheveled and panicked appearance, they turned pale with fright and quickly stepped forward to help her up.
"Miss! You're finally back! I was so scared! What happened to you? What happened?" Chun Tao's voice was trembling with tears.
Jiang Wanzhi waved her hand, unable to utter a word. The scene at the alley entrance kept replaying in her mind. What exactly was Zongzheng Hengyu trying to do?!
A strong sense of unease gripped her. She had thought she had found a "kindred spirit" ally in King Zhao, obtained a solution to the crisis, and that her future seemed bright.
But King Keheng's sudden appearance was like a bucket of ice water, chilling her to the bone.
King Zhao is a reborn being, with a deep mind and unpredictable methods.
King Heng appears cold and aloof, yet his behavior is unpredictable and elusive.
The Ming King may seem like a clown, but he's also incredibly daring to resort to underhanded tactics.
And she, a transmigrator whose plot has collapsed... is caught in the middle of three princes... isn't that a bit too difficult?!
"It's alright... I'm fine..." She managed to reassure the two maids, changed back into women's clothing, and sent them to rest. However, she herself was wide awake, sitting by the window, looking at the flowers, plants, and trees outside, her mind in turmoil.
Zongzheng Hengyu's warning was still ringing in her ears, so why did he specifically come to warn her? If he was truly as unfathomable as King Zhao said, then what was his purpose in doing this? To sow discord?
She recalled the times he had come to her rescue, and his feigned retreat... Could it all have just been an act?
Jiang Wanzhi scratched her head in frustration. There was too little information, and people's hearts were too unpredictable! She felt her modern brain cells were simply not enough!
"No! I can't let myself panic!" She forced herself to calm down. "The most important thing right now is to follow Prince Zhao's plan and clear my name of the injustice done at the Hundred Flowers Banquet! As for the rest, we'll see how things go!"
For the next two days, the Prime Minister's residence remained shrouded in a low-pressure atmosphere.
Jiang Wanzhi stayed obediently in Wanzhi Pavilion to "reflect on her mistakes" and dared not do anything out of line again.
When Prime Minister Jiang returned from court, his expression remained solemn, but it did not seem to have gotten any worse.
Just as Jiang Wanzhi was getting impatient and restless, the winds in the capital began to shift silently.
First, a rather alarming rumor quietly circulated among the people: a disfigured male corpse was found in a stinking ditch in the south of the city. It was said to be a gambler who died a gruesome death, as if he had been chased by enemies.
Normally, such news comes every day and is nothing special, but soon an "insider" revealed that the deceased had worked at Fuyuzhai before his death and owed a large debt to an underground bank. He had recently become rich, but unexpectedly, he lost his life in the blink of an eye.
Then, an even more explosive piece of news leaked out from some government office: during the investigation of that small smuggling case, following the clues, they discovered that the silver the deceased used to pay off his gambling debts seemed to have something wrong with it, and appeared to bear some kind of imperial mark? This really stirred up a hornet's nest!
Before people could even process the news, the coincidence that the deputy head of the Inner Court had accidentally discovered that the eunuch who had misled the investigation had an affair with a former palace maid of the Ming King's mother spread like wildfire within certain circles.
These message lists may seem vague at first glance, but when you connect them with the recent Hundred Flowers Banquet, the Drunken Butterfly Flower, and the rumors pointing to the Prime Minister's residence... the meaning changes completely!
The public's imagination knows no bounds. Soon, a new version of the rumor emerged: it turned out that everything was orchestrated by King Ming himself! To frame Prince Heng and Prime Minister Jiang, he found the Drunken Butterfly Flower, arranged for palace maids to participate, and even attempted to pin the blame on them! When the truth was about to be exposed, he killed them to silence them! He even used the palace's silver! How ruthless!
Although no one dared to openly discuss the prince, the knowing glances and whispered atmosphere spoke volumes.
…………
The Imperial Palace, the Imperial Study.
Emperor Zongzheng Hong looked at the latest secret report sent by his secret guards, which detailed the shift in the rumors circulating in the city, as well as the verification of clues about the batch of official silver and old people in the palace.
His face was terribly gloomy.
He had previously harbored suspicions about Prince Heng and the Prime Minister's residence, but also felt that Prince Ming's actions were too hasty and ruthless. Now, these "new pieces of evidence" seem to perfectly confirm his latter suspicion!
"Fool!" The emperor slammed a memorial on the table, his voice icy. "To bring down your brother, you resort to such despicable means! What a fine son of mine!"
The personal eunuch was so frightened that he dared not breathe.
"Issue my decree," the Emperor said wearily, rubbing his temples. "The Second Prince, Zongzheng Mingchen, is to be removed from the imperial clan and exiled to the northern border. Let him reflect on his mistakes! The Deputy Director of the Inner Court's Treasury is to be dismissed and investigated for dereliction of duty! All those involved will be severely punished without exception!"
"Then... Miss Jiang and His Excellency the Prime Minister..." the head eunuch asked cautiously.
The emperor was silent for a moment, then waved his hand: "The matter of the Hundred Flowers Banquet has been investigated and found to be due to the negligence of the palace staff and the framing of villains, so let it end here. Tell Prime Minister Jiang to keep a close eye on his daughter and prevent any further trouble in the coming days."
"yes."
Although the imperial edict did not explicitly apologize, it undoubtedly cleared Jiang Wanzhi and the Prime Minister's residence of their innocence. The dark clouds that had lingered for days finally dissipated.
When the news reached the Prime Minister's residence, Prime Minister Jiang breathed a long sigh of relief. His brows, which had been furrowed for many days, finally relaxed, and his gaze towards his daughter softened. "Although this time it was a close call, you must be careful with your words and actions in the future, and never give others a handle to use against you again."
Jiang Wanzhi nodded obediently, finally feeling a huge weight lifted from her heart. At the same time, she was filled with admiration for King Zhao's methods, which were swift, ruthless, and precise!
…………
Meanwhile, at the Ming Prince's Mansion.
Confined to his room, Zongzheng Mingchen smashed everything he could in the study, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace as he roared madly, "Who?! Who is trying to frame me?! Mr. Ghost Face! Get out here! Is this the brilliant idea you gave me?!"
From the shadows, the masked man appeared silently, his voice still hoarse and calm: "Your Highness, please calm down. This matter... is indeed suspicious. It seems that a master has intervened behind the scenes, turning the tables on us."
"A master? Which master?! Zongzheng Hengyu? Or that hypocrite Zongzheng Zhaoran?!" Zongzheng Mingchen's eyes were bloodshot.
The masked man was silent for a moment, then said in a low voice, "I will investigate as soon as possible. But Your Highness, the most important thing right now is to be patient."
"Endure?! I've been exiled! How can I endure it!"
"His Majesty is in a fit of anger. If we act now, we will only make more mistakes. Waiting for the right opportunity is the best course of action."
Zongzheng Mingchen, panting heavily, finally collapsed helplessly amidst the mess, his eyes filled with resentment and unwillingness.
…………
In a secluded room hidden beneath an abandoned villa in the western suburbs of the capital, the air was damp and cold, with only a few dim oil lamps casting long, distorted shadows on the walls.
The Lord of Night Hawk Pavilion stood with his hands behind his back in front of a huge map of the Great Entropy Territory. His figure was shrouded in a wide black cloak, and his face was still covered by a mask, revealing only a pair of unfathomable, cold eyes.
The masked man stood half a step behind him, bowing his head to report the final fate of the Ming King, who was removed from the imperial clan and exiled to the northern border. His voice was as hoarse and steady as ever, without the slightest emotional fluctuation.
"...That's how it is. Zongzheng Mingchen is now a discarded pawn," Mr. Ghostface concluded.
The Night Hawk Pavilion Master was silent for a moment, then let out a very soft laugh, like a viper flicking its tongue: "A pawn? He was never a qualified pawn, at most... a stupid dog that rushed forward eagerly when it smelled blood, only to end up with its head bleeding."
His voice was specially processed, hoarse and distorted, with an inhuman eeriness.
"Your Excellency is wise," said the Ghost-Faced Man respectfully. "It was indeed this man's impetuousness and greed that ruined everything."
The Night Hawk Pavilion Master slowly turned around, his gaze from behind his mask falling on Mr. Ghost Face, carrying a scrutinizing pressure.
"I'm afraid... it wasn't just him, was it? If no one had been there to turn against us and push things along, how could we have failed so miserably? Mr. Ghost Face, don't you think so?"
Mr. Ghostface felt a chill run down his spine, but his face remained impassive. He even bowed slightly and said, "This subordinate failed in his duty and did not notice the hidden hand behind the scenes in time. Please punish me, Master."
The Night Hawk Pavilion Master stared at him for a moment, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate his skin. After a long while, he finally looked away, returning his gaze to the map of the territory, his tone inscrutable: "So be it. In the game of chess, there are wins and losses. The loss of one piece will not affect the overall situation. Since the old piece is useless, then... let's use the new one."
His slender fingers slowly traced across the map, finally landing on a spot somewhere between the northern border and the capital region.
"Although Zongzheng Mingchen is stupid, his downfall is actually an opportunity."
The Pavilion Master's voice carried a hint of calculating coldness, "Exile to the Northern Border? Ha, that bitterly cold land is a good place to bury bones, and also... a good place to raise troops."
The masked man's heart stirred slightly: "What does the Pavilion Master mean..."
"Our spies in the North have been buried for so many years, it's time to make an move."
The Pavilion Master said calmly, "Send an order to 'Lone Wolf' to find a way to contact Zongzheng Mingchen. This deposed prince must be filled with resentment and bitterness, right?"
"Yes." Mr. Ghost Face immediately accepted the order.
…………
The decree exiling the Ming King to the northern border was officially issued, like a boulder thrown into a lake, creating ripples in the capital before slowly returning to an eerie calm.
The dark clouds that had been hanging over the Prime Minister's residence completely dissipated, and the air inside the residence felt much lighter.
Jiang Wanzhi felt a great weight lifted from her shoulders, and her gratitude towards Prince Zhao Zongzheng was palpable.
This immense favor deserves a heartfelt thank you to King Zhao, his "lifesaver and revolutionary comrade-in-arms"! After all, in a book whose plot is so absurd that even its own mother wouldn't recognize it, finding an ally who is also a "non-original product" is like winning the lottery.
So, Jiang Wanzhi chose an auspicious day, which was actually just a sunny day according to the weather forecast. She packed her carefully prepared thank-you gift, a "portable tea set" that she designed based on modern concepts (the main advantage of which is that it is unbreakable and can be tucked into a sleeve), and had Chun Tao deliver an invitation to Prince Zhao's residence, inviting His Highness Prince Zhao to the "Liuli Pavilion" in the suburbs of the capital for a serious and earnest "deepening of ally friendship talks".
The Glazed Tile Pavilion—just from the name, you can tell it's a place of high taste, with beautiful scenery, suitable for… well, suitable for pretending to be a cultured person. The key is, it's secluded enough to avoid being seen by paparazzi… uh… mainly by other princes' cronies and the like.
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