Chapter 814, Intensification
Jiang Jinghui's death in the fire made everyone sigh, but no one dared to comment.
At the palace gate, the officials kept silent and quickly left in their cars.
Anyone with a little common sense could see that the fire on the lampstand was extremely strange.
The one who died was the eldest grandson of the Jiang family, but several of the eldest princes were also killed. If they had not been rescued in time, the emperor's several adult princes who had already served in the court would have been wiped out.
No one dared to think about it any further and they all strictly forbade their family members to mention what happened tonight.
Before Daohua could wait for Xiao Yeyang, she saw Prince Ping leading everyone from the palace out first.
"Yan girl, I just ran into Ye Yang. He has some errands to attend to. The palace gates will be under martial law soon. I want you to come back with us first."
Daohua nodded, and just as she got into the carriage, she heard Princess Ma's complaints.
"That Luo Qiong is becoming more and more outrageous. Her parents-in-law and husband haven't left yet, but she just left without even saying goodbye."
Daohua leaned against the carriage, the more she thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong with Luo Qiong. She couldn't help but say to Wang Man'er, "After we return home, have someone keep an eye on Chenyuan."
Wang Maner nodded in agreement.
That night, Xiao Yeyang did not return to Pingxitang until late at night.
The candle in the bedroom was still on. Daohua was half lying on the bed with her eyes closed, holding a book in her hand.
As soon as Xiao Yeyang saw her, he knew that Daohua was waiting for him. He walked over quietly, took the book from her hand, then held Daohua's head with one hand and pulled away the pillow with the other.
As soon as I laid Daohua flat on the pillow, she opened her sleepy almond eyes and asked, "Are you back?"
Xiao Yeyang smiled and said, "Well, I'm back, go to sleep!" Then he covered Daohua with a quilt, got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. When he returned to the bedroom, he saw Daohua lying in the quilt with clear eyes waiting for him.
"Why aren't you sleeping yet?"
Xiao Yeyang swiftly lay down on the bed, naturally hugged Daohua, and bent down to kiss her cheek.
Daohua leaned against Xiao Yeyang's chest and asked, "Why did the Emperor's uncle call you back?"
Xiao Yeyang held Daohua in one hand and rested his head on his other hand, looking at the ceiling of the tent. He did not answer directly, but instead talked in detail about what happened tonight.
"This year, the lanterns presented from all over the country were in charge of by officials affiliated with the Jiang family. A large amount of phosphorus powder was placed at the bottom of each lantern."
"The Emperor's uncle knew about this a long time ago and used the trick to see how bold the Jiang family and the Queen Mother were and what they were planning to do."
"You saw what happened tonight. The Queen Mother and the Jiang family wanted to capture the Emperor's adult sons. If their plan tonight succeeds, their next target will probably be the Emperor's uncle."
"If something happens to the emperor's uncle, the Jiang family can support another easy-to-control prince to succeed to the throne, and then continue the Jiang half dynasty's tremendous power and wealth."
Daohua was dumbfounded when she heard this.
Xiao Yeyang continued, "When the officials started to clamor for the eldest prince and the others to go up on the lampstand, my uncle knew what the Queen Mother and the Jiang family were up to, so he asked my brother Jiang Jinghui and I to go up on the lampstand as well."
"I went up there to protect the princes, but my uncle, the Jiang Jinghui brothers, didn't intend to let them come down alive."
As he spoke, he paused and turned to look at the rice flowers.
"Someone is hiding in the dark tonight."
"Uncle Huang asked the frightened Jiang Jingrong, and from his words, he confirmed that it was that man who stopped Jiang Jinghui from escaping from the lampstand."
"Originally, the Emperor had arranged for the secret guards to handle this matter. Who knew that before the secret guards could even make a move, someone got there first? It was because the secret guards wanted to identify that person that Jiang Jingrong narrowly escaped."
Rice Flower: "Who could that person be?"
Xiao Yeyang shook his head.
Daohua: "Could it be someone who has a grudge against the Jiang family?"
Xiao Yeyang: "It's not impossible, but who would have the guts to kill someone right under the Emperor's uncle's nose?"
Daohua was silent for a moment: "Is it possible that the person who made the move wanted to intensify the conflict between the Jiang family and the emperor's uncle, and it would be best if both sides suffered losses."
Xiao Yeyang suddenly looked at Daohua: "Why do you think so?"
Daohua: "You are right. No one dares to kill anyone under the Emperor's nose unless there is a big enough benefit to make people willing to risk their lives and take the risk."
Xiao Yeyang couldn't help but fall into deep thought.
Daohua didn't disturb him. She waited for a while before telling him what was wrong with Luo Qiong.
When Xiao Yeyang heard that there might be someone hiding in Luo Qiong's carriage, he immediately got out of bed and walked to the window. He called the secret guard and asked him to send someone to watch Chenyuan. Thinking that Luo Qiong was from the Weiguo Mansion, he also kept an eye on the Weiguo Mansion.
After he returned to bed, Daohua asked again, "Will the Emperor's uncle take action against the Jiang family this time?"
Xiao Yeyang: "Jiang Banchao is not so easy to deal with. When the Jiang family planned what happened tonight, they had a plan for retreat. All the officials responsible for the lantern fire committed suicide after the incident. I was called back to deal with this matter."
Daohua frowned: "When will we be able to get rid of the Jiang family?"
Xiao Yeyang: "The true leaders of the Jiang family are the Queen Mother and Duke Cheng'en. One is the Emperor's uncle's nominal mother, and the other is his uncle. The Jiang family certainly played a role in the Emperor's succession to the throne. Unless they commit a serious crime and there is irrefutable evidence, the Emperor will not touch them."
"However, although it is not easy to make a big move, it is still possible to weaken the power of the Jiang family. And now that Jiang Jinghui is dead, the Jiang family will only become more extreme than before. I am not afraid that they will not make mistakes."
Daohua lay in Xiao Yeyang's arms and said in a muffled voice, "In this case, Master will have to continue hiding in Four Seasons Villa."
Xiao Yeyang patted Daohua on the back and said, "It won't be long. Uncle Huang may not have planned to wipe out the Jiang family before, but after this incident, Uncle Huang will not hold back."
"Um!"
Because of what happened on the night of the Lantern Festival, the atmosphere in the court was somewhat depressed throughout the first month of the lunar year. Officials who used to argue endlessly were now behaving well when they came to court.
The emperor directly dismissed Duke Cheng'en and Prince Jiang from their duties on the grounds of Jiang Jinghui's death, allowing them to stay at home and handle the funeral with peace of mind.
A white banner was hung in the mansion of Duke Cheng'en. Duke Cheng'en suddenly looked more than ten years older, and his back became more hunched. Prince Jiang's eyes were full of hostility, and anyone who looked at him would tremble in their heart.
Mrs. Jiang Da fell ill due to the death of her son, so Mrs. Jiang Er had to come forward to receive the female relatives who came to express their condolences.
Prince Ping also came with people from the palace, but Daohua and Xiao Yeyang did not come with them.
Originally, Prince Ping felt embarrassed about this, but when he arrived at Duke Cheng'en's Mansion, Prince Jiang actually looked at him as if he were an enemy. Prince Ping immediately felt uncomfortable. Thinking about Prince Jiang's loss of his son, he did not get angry, but just sat for a while and then left with a sullen face.
Pingxi Hall.
As spring is approaching, Daohua is busy with spring plowing. She has used the space to cultivate a batch of cotton and corn seeds obtained last year, and she is preparing to start trial planting in the farm.
Xiao Yeyang was also busy. Although the Jiang family had dealt with the Lantern Festival lantern fire very cleanly, everything that happened would leave clues. For this reason, he had caught hold of several officials from the Jiang family's party.
However, the person who attacked Jiang Jinghui that night has never been found.
During this period, Xiao Yeyang had been sending people to keep an eye on Luo Qiong and the Duke of Weiguo's Mansion. Unfortunately, there was nothing unusual on either side, which made him and Daohua think that they had made a mistake.
(End of this chapter)
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