Morning next day.
As usual, Emperor Jingyuan was reviewing memorials when he saw Minister Xue's letter, and his brows furrowed deeply.
He has been troubled by Pei Xuan's imprisonment in the General's Mansion recently, and is trying to find a satisfactory explanation to resolve the matter.
Unexpectedly, before a solution could be devised, the minister's memorial arrived first.
Although Emperor Jingyuan was troubled, he had no reason to ignore the memorials, so he could only call on Minister Xue to speak.
"His Majesty."
Minister Xue stepped forward and bowed.
"The Crown Prince's guards have been confining General Chengping to his residence for many days, causing all sorts of speculation among the people and creating widespread panic. They wonder where His Highness the Crown Prince is and whether he can offer an explanation for this matter."
As soon as he said it, several officials stood up to agree.
Emperor Jingyuan's eyelids twitched.
Pei Xuan was imprisoned in the Eastern Palace, but this matter could not be known to others, otherwise the mistakes he had made would be difficult to cover up.
“Your Majesty, I have heard about what happened at the investiture banquet for the Crown Prince of Song. Even though the divorce between the Song and Jiang families still needs to be considered, Lady Jiang has done nothing wrong. How could Your Highness send troops to imprison her?”
The officials who spoke out were always outspoken.
"How will the people view the Dayong royal family and the imperial court after the Crown Prince's actions?"
"Where is His Highness the Crown Prince? He should come out and give us an explanation!"
“…”
Chaos erupted in the hall.
Emperor Jingyuan frowned, about to speak, when a eunuch suddenly entered from outside the door, rushing in to report.
"It's terrible, Your Majesty! The Donglai people have besieged and stormed General Chengping's residence!"
Emperor Jingyuan was furious: "What!"
In the General's Mansion, in the Xingzhi Courtyard.
Jiang Wan was drinking tea while listening to Biluo read the letter in a low voice.
The letter arrived in chronological order.
A few days ago she asked Shi Xu to investigate Teng Gelao, and today she finally got news.
"Grand Secretary Teng's real name was Teng Yan. During his time stationed in Youzhou, he became acquainted with the eldest princess of the Miao royal family. Their relationship was quite close, and they even reached the point of discussing marriage. Unfortunately, the princess died unexpectedly, and the two never had any further contact."
"Afterwards, war broke out between Dayong and Miaojiang. Tengyan and the Miaojiang princess were separated forever. However, General Song married the daughter of the Youzhou royal family, who is now the Yuan family."
Biluo reads ten lines at a glance.
"According to the intelligence, General Song and Minister Teng used to be close friends. However, after the Miao region was recovered and he was transferred back to the capital, the two never had any contact again, which is really strange."
“Indeed.” Jiang Wan nodded, then pondered for a moment before asking, “How old was the Miao princess when she passed away?”
Eighteen years old.
Jiang Wan raised an eyebrow.
By calculation, this Miao princess was the same age as Yuan.
A thought struck her, and remembering the extraordinary close relationship between Grand Secretary Teng and the Yuan family, she suddenly guessed something.
Biluo handed over another letter: "Madam, Shixu has also collected a lot of evidence of crimes committed by the Teng family members in the court, including embezzlement of government funds, bribery, and so on."
Teng Yan was an honest and upright official, but unfortunately his son and grandson were disappointing and committed many illegal acts over the years.
The combined punishment for these crimes was enough to ruin the Teng family.
Jiang Wan said, "Organize these things and send a copy to Grand Secretary Teng. If he wants to protect the lives of his descendants, he can exchange them for the secrets of Youzhou."
Biluo responded and was about to turn and leave when she bumped into a startled butterfly.
"Madam!" Cai Die exclaimed urgently, "Many Donglai people have arrived at the gate. They are carrying knives and forcibly breaking through the gate. The guards of the Eastern Palace have already started fighting with them!"
"What?" Biluo exclaimed in surprise, "Have these Donglai people gone mad in broad daylight?"
Jiang Wan also frowned.
"Is the patrol battalion nearby?" she asked.
"It's said that cultists from the Illusion Moon Sect appeared near the outskirts of the capital this morning, and the patrol battalion soldiers have been transferred out of the city," Cai Die said urgently. "It seems these Donglai people came prepared, specifically choosing to cause trouble when the patrol battalion is not around!"
At this moment, panicked cries also rang out in the courtyard.
The Donglai people's last attack on the capital had already instilled fear in people's hearts.
Now that they are about to launch a strong attack on the general's mansion, the servants inside are bound to be afraid.
Jiang Wan lifted the curtain and stepped out, her voice calm.
"Don't panic. Even without the patrol battalion, there are still the general's men. The palace will soon send reinforcements. The Donglai people can't cause any trouble."
She instructed Steward Zhao: "Go find Shen Ci and have him guard the gate of the mansion with his men." She also instructed Biluo to bring Aunt Ru to Xingzhi Courtyard for temporary refuge.
Biluo gripped her soft whip and walked away quickly.
Jiang Wan returned to her room, took out the token from under her dressing table, and quickly considered the current situation.
The Phantom Moon Cult has appeared in the outskirts of Beijing, and Song Yu will likely go there as well, and won't be back for a while.
Fortunately, the General's Mansion is not far from the palace. The palace must have already received news of the Donglai people's blatant actions, and the Imperial Guards will arrive soon.
With Shen Ci and A Si guarding the gate, they can hold out until reinforcements arrive.
Jiang Wan frowned slightly.
The Donglai people broke into the general's mansion for only one reason: the imperial edict.
Putting aside the fact that the imperial edict was no longer in the general's mansion, the Donglai people's bandit-like actions were simply too reckless.
Once the Imperial Guards arrive, they have virtually no chance of winning.
A strange feeling arose in her heart.
As Jiang Wan was thinking, she suddenly noticed a figure flash past the window.
She suddenly stood up, and with a slight twist of her wrist, a row of silver needles shot towards the door.
"Haha! As expected of Madam Jiang, your reaction was so quick!"
The door was kicked open from the outside, and a man in his early twenties, wearing a brown sheepskin coat, walked in. He had a high nose bridge, deep-set eyes, and the typical features of a Donglai man.
The man waved his sleeve, and a row of silver needles fell to the ground with a soft rustling sound.
Jiang Wan's expression tightened, and she took a few steps back, secretly gripping a hairpin containing poison in her right hand, watching the newcomer warily.
The courtyard was quiet, and no guards came after him, proving that the person did not come from the main gate, but sneaked into the backyard.
The commotion had just started in front of the mansion gate when he appeared at Xingzhi Courtyard, which shows that he was very familiar with the layout of the General's Mansion.
Jiang Wan had never been to Donglai before and couldn't immediately guess the man's identity, but she knew he was not to be underestimated.
"Madam Jiang, there's no need to be nervous. I won't take your life."
The man grinned and drew a sharp curved knife from his waist.
"As long as you cooperate with me obediently and hand over the imperial edict."
Jiang Wan said, "The imperial edict is not in the mansion."
“I advise Lady Jiang to think it over carefully before answering me.”
The man snorted coldly and drew his curved sword.
Jiang Wan felt nervous and placed her finger on the protruding switch of the hidden weapon. In the next instant, the man raised his curved knife and slashed fiercely.
With a crisp snap, the apple on the table was split in two.
He sat down leisurely, put the bright red apple into his mouth, and looked Jiang Wan up and down while smiling.
"It's still early, Madam Jiang can take her time to think it over."
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