105. Breakthrough

There was a heavy rain in Jinjing last night. It came and went quickly, adding only a bit of coolness to the early autumn wind. Rongse prepared steaming hot casserole tofu in the mansion, which did not take time and could also warm the body.

Liang Shenyu was still in the study taking care of military affairs, Yun Chu and Yun Zhi were busy outside, but Lan Ying and Rong Zhixu were free at home, so they went to the kitchen to see Rong Se busying around.

"You two." Rong Se stood up helplessly and pointed at the two girls one by one. "The palace is so big, there is no room for you two, right? Do you have to come here?"

He was dressed simply in the mansion, with his long hair tied up only with a jade hairpin. A few days ago, he felt that his hair was too long and cumbersome, so he cut it a little. His waist-length hair now just reached his butterfly bones, making him look even more neat and simple, without any of the airs of the Regent Prince in the Xuanzheng Hall.

"Come and see if there's anything I can do to help you." Lan Ying pursed her lips. "Like maybe chop some wood or make some sauce for the master?"

Rong Se sneered, let down his rolled-up sleeves, and covered his fair wrists with the black cuffs embroidered with dark orchid patterns. He glanced at Rong Zhixu who was obviously hesitant to speak.

"That's not credible, so forget it." Rong Se put his arms around his shoulders and said firmly, "What do you two want to ask me?"

Rong Zhixu hesitated for a moment, pursed his lips, and said softly: "Although Xuanhe doesn't go out often, he knows a little about the outside world... The emperor's uncle and the Xi family..."

She paused, as if considering something, before continuing, "Isn't it... not easy?"

Even though the prince behaved no differently than usual in the mansion, the news that the Xi family was imprisoned and the Xi house was searched had already spread throughout the city. However, the Xi family had been in prison for many days, and there was no result yet, which showed that this game was not easy.

Rong Se was silent for a moment, then he pretended to be relaxed and raised his eyebrows, "Xuan He, this is not something you should worry about. This king did not do all this for you, um..." He tilted his head and thought for a moment, then continued: "Let me put it this way, this king hopes that you and Madam Xue leave the Xi family, just to avoid hurting innocent people. Didn't I say it before, this king will not let the Xi family go."

Xi Yan forced Yan Shuang to death and persecuted loyal officials in the court. Xi Chaoyi is an absolute bastard. There is no good person in the Xi family.

In terms of stance and personal feelings, what Rong Se did had little to do with Rong Zhixu. At most, it just brought forward her plan against the Xi family.

Rong Zhixu also fell silent. Then he folded his hands in front of his forehead and slowly bowed. The hair by his temples swayed slightly, still steady.

This is the highest etiquette for younger generations in Dajin to pay respects to their elders, except for three kneelings and nine kowtows.

"In any case, thank you for your concern, uncle."

After Rong Zhixu stood up, he gave Rong Se a faint smile.

"Xuan He has figured out what the emperor's uncle said last time. After the dust settles, Xuan He wants to meet the Xi family."

She spoke casually, much more frankly than she had been a few days ago.

"That's easy." Rong Se nodded in agreement, his calm eyes slightly colder, "It won't be long."

Rong Zhixu was about to say something when she saw her uncle's eyes suddenly light up. His airs of an elder disappeared completely. He suddenly walked quickly down the stairs and walked right past them, with even his tone filled with joy.

"Are you done?"

Rong Se ran straight towards Liang Shenyu who had just walked to the door.

Liang Shenyu had already changed into his regular clothes, a sky-blue cross-collar and wide sleeves, without any ornaments. He looked handsome and elegant, with a smile on his face, like a young man from an ordinary family, without a trace of the murderous aura honed on him from the battlefield.

"Almost." Liang Shenyu nodded slightly to the two girls not far away, then moved his gaze back to Rong Se and lowered his head slightly, "I asked the servants and they told me you were here, so I came."

Rong Se paused, "Anything else?"

"Not really." Liang Shenyu laughed softly, "Is there anything else I need to see you for? But I would like to ask the prince for a piece of paper."

"Document?"

"Yes." Liang Shenyu said in a low voice, almost touching his forehead, "Someone will go to the prison of the Ministry of Justice tonight to rob Xi Yan. Tomorrow, I will ask the prince to issue an order to allow the Jinbei cavalry to surround Jinjing and capture the fugitive."

Rong Se was confused and grabbed Liang Shenyu's sleeve with a frown: "Someone wants to rob the prison? Then why besiege the city? Arrest and interrogate them together!"

Liang Shenyu laughed and shook his head gently, "My Lord, just give the order tomorrow."

Rong Se paused after realizing what was going on, and asked suspiciously, "What do you want to do? The Jinbei cavalry is besieging the city. People who don't know the truth would think you want to force the emperor to abdicate. We won't go that far."

"It hasn't come to that yet." Liang Shenyu whispered, "Prince, trust me."

Rong Se frowned slightly and looked at him.

Liang Shenyu's eyes were gentle and determined, as if everything was under control.

Finally, Rong Se nodded slightly.

.

That night, a group of masked men in black broke into the Ministry of Justice and kidnapped Xi Yan, who was imprisoned alone. The imperial guards tracked him to no avail and the wanted criminal was lost.

The next day, upon learning that Xi Yan had been kidnapped, the Regent Prince was furious and ordered the Jinbei Cavalry to guard all exits of Jinjing strictly and the Imperial Guards and the Jinbei Cavalry to search for the wanted criminal in the city together and make sure to capture him and bring him to justice.

For a while, the whole city was in turmoil.

Xi Yan was also confused when he was kidnapped. When he was placed in a small courtyard in the East Lane, the other party was not very polite to him. The leader only said: "The Ministry of Justice will determine your crime today. We have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure. You can stay here peacefully."

There is nothing else.

Xi Yan said with a serious face: "Who are you?"

"You don't need to know these things, sir." The man in black repeated in a cold tone, "Just stay here and feel at ease."

Then he turned and left. Xi Yan wanted to chase him out, but he heard the door locked. He panicked and pushed the door twice, shouting, "Who are you?!"

There was only one guard left outside, and he did not respond.

Xi Yan just felt that something was wrong. These people didn't seem to be trying to save him, but instead seemed to be imprisoning him here.

Moreover, the fact that the Ministry of Justice has been slow to convict him of a crime proves that there is still room for improvement. Now that he has been kidnapped, doesn't it prove that he is a guilty thief who is on the run for fear of punishment?

"Who sent you?" Xi Yan said in a deep voice.

There was silence.

Xi Yan's heart sank as well.

Rong Jing in the palace was also upset. Xi Yan was kidnapped from the Sky Prison, but he was not the one who did it. So who was it?

After Cao Lun came out of Linghui Pavilion, he hurried into the palace to see Rong Jing, and his face did not look very good.

Rong Jing asked quickly: "What happened?"

Cao Lun shook his head. "We haven't found him yet, but the gates of Jinjing have been guarded by the Jinbei Cavalry, and the imperial guards are searching the city. Now that Xi Yan is missing, it will be difficult to find an excuse for him."

Rong Jing stood up slowly and said with a serious face: "It must be Rong Se, the thief is crying thief!"

"But people in the world don't think so." Cao Lun sighed a little tiredly, "Not to mention people in the world, I'm afraid even the officials in the court think Xi Yan is afraid of committing a crime. And the Jinbei Cavalry... The capital of Jin has been besieged by the Jinbei Cavalry. I think Dingbei Marquis's search for Xi Yan is fake, and the siege is real!"

Rong Jing stood up slowly and gritted his teeth: "Does he want to rebel?!"

"It's just a siege now." Cao Lun said, "I'm afraid they are threatening us. Don't interfere in the Xi family's affairs anymore."

There was silence for a moment, the only sound in the hall being Rong Jing's sudden heavy breathing.

Rong Jing suddenly dropped the pen holder in front of him and shouted angrily, "How outrageous!" He raised his eyes and said coldly, "Where are the soldiers from Yunnan Province? What are they doing here?"

Cao Lun was helpless as he knew what Xi Yan had done. All the officials who had been oppressed were either convicted or demoted. Those who remained in the court would naturally not expose the matter for the sake of their future.

But the Regent Prince was determined to punish Xi Yan even at the cost of making a big fuss.

"The Jinbei Cavalry has no intention of forcing the emperor to abdicate. They are under the pretext of searching for wanted criminals, and Xi Yan's charges have not been cleared. If we confront him now..." Cao Lun paused, lowered his eyes and said, "The public will accuse Your Majesty of shielding a criminal."

Rong Jing was stunned, and sat back on the dragon chair somewhat stubbornly, still unwilling to give up, "What should I do? Is there no other way?"

The rest was silent.

Cao Lun didn't say anything for a long time.

“It’s not like there is no way out.”

After a long while, Cao Lun finally said this.

Rong Jing raised his head suddenly, "What good ideas do you have, uncle?"

Cao Lun stared at him, pausing after each word: "Just wait and see."

"…What?"

Rong Jing couldn't believe it.

"Strengthen the earth and break the wrist." Cao Lun said slowly, "The Regent King is determined to take action against the Xi family, so why not give in to his wish?"

"But..." Rong Jing frowned, "This case involves so many people. If Rong Se continues to investigate, we won't have much to use."

"Your Majesty, there is no shortage of people who want to stand out, get promoted and make money." Cao Lun gave him a meaningful look and continued, "Xi Yan himself is incompetent, and Yu Qingzhou alone can find evidence against him. Moreover, he has acted so recklessly and has taken root too deeply over the years, making it increasingly difficult to control him. He is just a chess piece. Your Majesty, I have taught you to make decisions when necessary. If this move is useless, then change a chess piece."

Cao Lun was indeed reluctant to give up Xi Yan, his helper, but Xi Yan's behavior was indeed absurd. Ever since the incident with the eldest princess, Cao Lun had already had ideas about him.

Since it is chess, it is not indispensable.

Rong Jing himself didn't understand all this, nor did he care much about Xi Yan's life or death. What he cared about from the beginning was his own throne and power. He just felt unwilling to lose this round to Rong Se.

"Is there no other way?" Rong Jing pursed his lips.

"The situation has reached a dead end." Cao Lun said solemnly, his tone becoming more serious, "There is no construction without destruction."

Even Cao Lun was frightened by the alliance between the Regent King and the Marquis of Dingbei. One had power and the other had soldiers, so they were almost invincible. This situation was originally designed by him to deal with Rong Se.

Ever since he became the late emperor's confidant, he had never encountered such a difficult situation. Even he once felt that it was a foregone conclusion that the throne would fall into the hands of a child of Cao's bloodline.

All the misfortunes were caused by the Ninth Prince, whom he had never taken seriously before.

No matter how calm and composed he appeared, Cao Lun was still a little panicked.

He vaguely felt that they were the ones who were truly struggling in the cage.