Just as Prime Minister Xiao was secretly plotting how to keep Qiaoqing, another guard ran over with news that several boxes of things that had been stolen from the Duke of Enguo's mansion had been found under Xiao San's bed!
Upon hearing this news, Prime Minister Xiao's plump face instantly turned solemn. His heart sank, and an ominous premonition of being plotted against surged into his mind.
"How is this possible?" Prime Minister Xiao muttered to himself. "Xiao San is just an ordinary coachman. How could he possibly have the ability to steal from the Duke of En's mansion?" He was very confused and shocked by this sudden situation, and his original idea of taking Qiao Qing away vanished.
He hurriedly pressed on, "Were those things found at Xiao San's house from the Duke of En's mansion?"
"Yes, the bronze box bears the mark of the Duke of Enguo's mansion," the guard replied nervously.
"Damn you, you lackey!" Prime Minister Xiao cursed.
The facts are clear: those items from the Duke of Enguo's mansion were indeed found under Xiao San's bed, and were even recognized on the spot by the Duke of Enguo's head guard.
This put Prime Minister Xiao in a dilemma, unsure of how to handle the situation.
When Prime Minister Xiao's concubine, Lady Ren, heard the news, she rushed over and first inquired about the situation from the guards outside.
Then, Madam Ren came out of the room and calmly offered a suggestion, "Sir, why don't you do this..."
The prime minister immediately agreed and praised him, saying, "You're so clever."
He immediately made arrangements: "Summon Captain Ma and Constable Lin, and have them prepare another table of food and wine."
Before long, Prime Minister Xiao hosted a banquet, and Chief Guard Ma and Chief Constable Lin were invited to sit at the table, feeling uneasy.
Prime Minister Xiao frankly stated, "The things belonging to the Duke of Enguo's mansion must have been framed. Chief Guard Ma, do you think you can find a way to shift the blame to someone else to resolve my predicament?"
Seeing the Prime Minister speak like this, Chief Guard Ma said honestly but cautiously, "Prime Minister, how can someone like me make a decision on this matter? I have several things on my mind, and I don't even know if I'll live to see tomorrow. Besides the theft of the Duke's property, your second wife's nephew, Ren Chuanhu, killed a guard from the Duke's mansion. If I don't bring him to justice, the Duke won't let me off the hook. Sigh, what a headache."
Prime Minister Xiao frowned, secretly pondering how to persuade the man surnamed Ma to follow his arrangements.
At this moment, Chief Guard Ma said again, "Prime Minister, in my opinion, you should persuade Xiao San's family to reveal who is behind them. Only in this way can you completely clear your name of suspicion."
Just as Chief Guard Ma finished speaking, a slight noise suddenly came from outside the door.
Prime Minister Xiao became alert and quickly glanced towards the door, only to find that Madam Ren was carrying a pot of wine and slowly walking into the house.
With a smile on her face, Madam Ren said seemingly casually, "Guard Ma, this matter really has nothing to do with our manor. Xiao San was also wronged." Her voice was clear and melodious, but it made people feel that she was not being sincere.
Upon seeing this, Ma Shiwei and Lin Daowei hurriedly stood up, bowed to Madam Ren, and said in unison, "Second Madam."
Seeing this, Madam Ren smiled with satisfaction. She waved her hand gently, indicating that the two did not need to be so polite, and then continued, "You two are both intelligent people, and you should know that the current situation is not favorable for you. If you can choose a wise ruler, you will surely be promoted and become wealthy in the future. Why not do it?"
Upon hearing this, Ma Shiwei was taken aback, clearly not expecting Ren Shi to say such a thing.
Lin Daowei reacted quickly, immediately kneeling down and kowtowing to Prime Minister Xiao, saying, "Prime Minister, I am utterly loyal to you and have no other intentions. I am willing to follow you to the death!" He had finally found a powerful patron.
Seeing Lin Daowei's actions, Prime Minister Xiao nodded slightly, indicating his satisfaction with his loyalty. He then looked at Guard Ma, anticipating his reply.
But Ma, the guard, remained standing there in silence, seemingly unwilling to agree to Ren's proposal.
Prime Minister Xiao stroked his beard and said slowly, "Chief Guard Ma, your current situation is extremely dangerous. This not only concerns your personal safety but also your family. If you don't think about yourself, don't you even consider your son?"
Prime Minister Xiao's words struck Ma Shiwei like a bolt from the blue, jolting him awake.
He began to realize that he had committed a serious crime by leading people to smash the prince consort's shop, and how could the princess possibly let him off easily?
While he was still searching for the missing valuables from the Duke's mansion, he inadvertently found himself at the Prime Minister's residence. Although he found the missing items at the Prime Minister's steward's house, there were only three boxes. How could he explain this to the Duke? And how could the Prime Minister let him off the hook?
At this moment, Guard Ma was in a desperate situation; every path before him seemed to lead to death. His heart was filled with fear and despair, and he didn't know what to do.
Lin Daowei gently comforted him, "Brother Ma, we have never received any benefits from our service, nor can we bring wealth and honor to our families, but at least we cannot let them be in danger. Just agree to the Prime Minister's request and pledge your loyalty to him; perhaps your family will still have a glimmer of hope."
After hearing Lin Daowei's words, Guard Ma felt conflicted.
He knew that Lin Daowei's words made sense, but betraying the Duke was a difficult decision for him. However, in this life-or-death moment, he finally gritted his teeth, decided to put aside his concerns, and knelt down to acknowledge Prime Minister Xiao as his master.
"From now on, I will obey Your Majesty's orders and be loyal to Your Majesty!" Chief Guard Ma kowtowed, expressing his filial piety and loyalty.
"Very well, here's a reward of one hundred taels of silver." The Prime Minister laughed heartily. He helped the head guard up and promised, "From now on, you will also be my head guard, and your official rank will be promoted to fourth-rank general."
"Thank you, Prime Minister." Chief Guard Ma was deeply grateful for the Prime Minister's favor, which led to his promotion from fifth to fourth rank.
To show his sincerity, he even went so far as to reveal a secret about the Duke of En: "Prime Minister, the Duke of En sent his eldest son's two pregnant concubines into the palace. Now these two women are in the Empress's service, managing jewelry and shops."
Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Xiao was utterly astonished, his eyes widening as if they were about to pop out of their sockets. He slowly rose from his seat, his body trembling slightly.
His lips parted slightly as he muttered to himself, "I knew there was a problem, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Now I finally know. It turns out that Duke Enguo wanted to use a substitute!"
Prime Minister Xiao's voice was low and slow, revealing an expression of disbelief. His brows were furrowed as he pondered the consequences of this astonishing discovery.
Needless to say, the Empress will announce her pregnancy in a couple of days. If it goes unnoticed, ten months later, she will use a descendant of the Hu family to impersonate her child, and the baby boy will be made Crown Prince.
This matter was of utmost importance, and Prime Minister Xiao was urgently looking for a solution.
Lin Daowei listened with trepidation, his face turning ashen. "How dare the Duke be so audacious!" he muttered under his breath, his voice filled with fear and shock.
Ren, standing to the side, chimed in quietly, "He clearly intends to rebel and usurp the throne!"
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