Zhu Gaozhu waved his hand, and several men in black immediately stepped forward and took down Yan Biao, who no longer had much strength to resist.
Zhu Gaozhuo stepped down from the carriage with a smile, his grin as sharp and pointed as shattered porcelain. He walked up to Yan Biao, saying nothing, just smiling and staring at him, as if to make him see his face clearly, so that he wouldn't go back to the ghosts and not know for whom he served or died in this life.
Yan Biao still wore a bewildered expression. Had he been deceived? Deceived by the person who had instructed him?
The man had instructed him to go to the Imperial City Guard to expose Li Qingchen as the mastermind behind the Eighteen Linked Fortresses, but the master before him was not Li Qingchen. The man was deceiving him, probably just using him to bring down Li Qingchen so he could profit from it.
Indeed, once Li Qingchen is accused of colluding with bandits, that person can bypass the eldest son, Gong Jue.
Unfortunately, he only realized he had been used as a pawn when he was about to die...
He coveted the four thousand taels of silver in someone else's hands, but the other person coveted his life!
Yan Biao gritted his teeth and looked at the "lord" in front of him, as if he had a lot of complaints to say. But before he could utter a single word, he suddenly saw the "lord" flick his sleeve, and a cold light flashed in his hand as he thrust straight toward his chest!
Yan Biao was forced to kneel on one knee by two men in black. He had no chance to resist and was forced to take the knife wound, after which he lost consciousness.
The man in black released him, leaving him lying sprawled on the ground. "Zhu Gaozhuo" returned to the carriage and reported back to the man sitting in the shadows.
"As you requested, I disguised myself as Zhu Gaozhuo and stabbed him, leaving the ring beside him. I believe that when he wakes up, he will, as you predicted, go to the Imperial City Guard to expose Zhu Gaozhuo. With witnesses and physical evidence, Zhu Gaozhuo is doomed this time!"
As he said this, he tore off the mask from his face, revealing a beautiful face, which was none other than Feng Wan.
For her, this action was not only a way to pledge her loyalty and open the door to the palace, but also a source of immense satisfaction! From now on, she would no longer be Feng Wan, a courtesan, but Consort Wan! She would take revenge on everyone who had humiliated her over the past five years, and Zhu Gaozhuo was one of them!
Li Qingchen, hidden in the shadows, leaned forward, his face still covered by the ghost head mask. "Did you know your limits when you attacked just now?"
"Don't worry, I didn't hurt him in any vital areas, he won't die." After making this confident promise, Feng Wan eagerly asked, "Now that things are settled, when can you send me back to the palace?"
"No rush, we need to wait for the right opportunity."
Li Qingchen tapped the door frame twice with his fingers, and his subordinate sitting in the driver's seat raised the whip and drove the carriage down the mountain.
About half an hour later, Yan Biao, who had been lying dead in the woods, gradually regained consciousness.
He saw the thumb ring on the ground and immediately guessed that it was left behind by his "lord" when he stabbed him. He carefully put it away, then clutched his chest wound and struggled to his feet. Even though he was extremely weak, he knew that if he stayed on the mountain, he wouldn't survive the night. So, with his last strength, he began to shuffle down the mountain…
He cannot be used and discarded like a pawn; he must go to the Imperial City Guard to expose the Prince Jing's Mansion!
*
At daybreak, Emperor Pingjia, Zhu Xian, awoke from Consort Wen's palace. As soon as he changed his clothes, Eunuch Cao came in to report that the Imperial City Envoy had an urgent report and was requesting an audience outside the palace.
Zhu Xian knew that the Imperial City Guard had been investigating Li Qingchen recently, which was also a question in his mind. These past few days, he had not even wanted to see Li Qingchen, because he was worried that the other party was indeed colluding with mountain bandits and had rebellious intentions, just as the Imperial City Guard had reported.
Therefore, Zhu Xian directly summoned the Imperial City Guard to the palace, but the content of the report was quite different from what he had expected.
"You're saying the person who colluded with those bandits in Yandang Mountain is Zhu Gaozhuo, the second young master of Prince Jing's mansion?"
"Your Majesty, that's right! The second-in-command of the Eighteen Linked Strongholds who reported the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan not long ago suddenly came to the Imperial City Guard last night, already seriously injured. According to him, he was stabbed by Young Master Zhu. Young Master Zhu colluded with the bandits and then killed someone to cover it up. Now we have all the evidence."
Zhu Xian paused for a moment, slowly accepting this reality. He even recalled that when the late emperor appointed the crown prince, Prince Jing had actually harbored thoughts of competing for the position.
"It seems that after all these years, my younger brother is still not settled..."
"Then, Your Majesty, how should this matter be handled?"
"Sigh—" Zhu Xian sighed deeply and said, "Since all the blame is being directed at Zhu Gaozhuo, let's put him in jail first. As for the others in the Prince Jing's mansion, leave them alone for now."
Half an hour later, the Imperial City Guards stormed into Prince Jing's residence with an imperial decree and took Zhu Gaozhuo away while he was still asleep.
Prince Jing and Princess Jing were greatly shocked, but since it was the Emperor's decree, they could not disobey it and could only watch helplessly as their son was taken away by the Imperial City Guard.
Prince Jing then changed his clothes and went to the palace to see Emperor Pingjia. However, Emperor Pingjia refused to see him. Prince Jing only learned about his son's crime from the eunuch Cao, whom he knew well. Finally, he left the palace in a panic.
When Eunuch Cao returned, he reported, "This old servant has explained Zhu Gaozhuo's crimes to Prince Jing as His Majesty instructed. Prince Jing is probably aware of the implications, so he did not dare to say anything more."
Zhu Xian gave a muffled "hmm," and then said, "Li Qingchen has been wronged for no reason. What do you think I should do to compensate him?"
Eunuch Cao smiled and said, "It wouldn't matter if others suffered a little grievance, but the Prince of Qiaochuan is, after all, the son of a vassal king, and his status is special. It's inevitable that some people will have doubts and give him the impression that the Emperor is suspicious of him. If Your Majesty is willing to make amends, why not reward him with something to reassure people?"
Eunuch Cao was already a mind reader for Zhu Xian. With him around, Zhu Xian was too lazy to even think. "Then tell me again, what should I reward him with?"
This time, Eunuch Cao pondered for a long time before replying, "Your Majesty, the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan has neither gold nor silver. Rather than bestowing these mundane gifts, it would be better to grant him a marriage to better reflect Your Majesty's compassion."
"A marriage decree?" Zhu Xian smiled, thinking it was a good idea. It showed his concern as an elder and would also make Li Qingchen feel more at ease staying in Shengjing.
So he asked, "Have you heard that he's interested in any young lady?"
"This old servant has never heard of such a thing, but as long as it is bestowed by His Majesty, I believe that the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan will gladly accept it and be grateful for His Majesty's grace."
Zhu Xian shook his head this time. "Li Qingchen has a special status and is handsome and dashing. He is the dream man of countless noble ladies in Shengjing. If I were to randomly assign him a princess consort, I'm afraid he wouldn't be willing to accept it."
Eunuch Cao chuckled in agreement, thinking to himself that the Emperor was well aware of this young prince's arrogance.
Zhu Xian looked out the window. Beneath the vermilion palace walls, a few white plum blossoms were just beginning to form buds. Suddenly, an idea came to him: "Autumn is turning into winter, and the winter plum blossoms in the Imperial Garden are just beginning to bloom. Why don't we have the Imperial Concubine host a plum blossom appreciation banquet and summon the noble ladies of marriageable age from the residences of officials of the fifth rank and above in the capital to the palace, so that he can choose for himself!"
Eunuch Cao was slightly taken aback. The only people who could mobilize such a large force to select a concubine throughout the capital were probably the Crown Prince and the Prince of Qiaochuan.
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