Translator: Jalyss
Editor: Odyssey
Chapter 60
Early yesterday when the government office was closed, a person from the first-rank official’s residence came in a hurry to report the news. This person happened to bump into Suo Etu, who was returning home.
Suo Etu was wearing a feather ornament on his head and had not changed out of his court robes. He was sitting in a spacious sedan chair with his eyes closed as he took a nap. He appeared to be in a good mood.
The sedan slowly shuttled through a downtown street, and then entered Zhumen alley. This was the residence of rich and prosperous families, and the direct descendants of the Hesheli family naturally lived here.
The sound in his ears gradually fell silent, and Suo Etu seemed to feel something. He raised his eyes and looked out the window. He then withdrew his gaze and stroked his beard with satisfaction.
He smiled and thought, if Ming Zhu continued his dodgy practices, then he would eventually meet a bad end. Your Mrs. Nala still has her day!
He saw the emperor summon Hang Ai, and then arranged Tuyue’s position, not to the Ministry of Civil Personnel nor the Board of Revenue, but to the Ministry of War. Suo Etu was surprised. He wished he could look up at the sky and laugh a few times. He was so happy that the anxiety in his heart disappeared.
It was beyond his expectation that Consort Yi’s proposal would be successful. As there was no possibility of the Nala family and Guoluoluo family joining forces, he could sit back and relax.
Tuyue was so highly regarded by the emperor that he was appointed as the Right Vice-Minister of the Ministry of War at the age of thirty. He had a bright future. The fact that Consort Yi was on good terms with him also meant that Tuyue was on good terms with the Hesheli family. How could Suo Etu not be happy?
While Suo Etu was overjoyed, he was also secretly alarmed by Consort Yi’s understanding of the emperor. He decided to strengthen his cooperation with Yikun Palace, selectively forgetting Imperial Concubine Ping’s complaints in Chuxiu Palace.
His niece was still too young.
Consort Yi was a great help. If one couldn’t be good friends with her, at the very least, one should not offend her. Imperial Concubine Ping was fine, but she continued to have conflicts with Consort Yi!
As far as Suo Etu knew, it was his niece who started the trouble.
—Consort Yi was not someone who helped others without taking care of her own issues. After thinking for a while, he was about 30% angry. It didn’t matter if Imperial Concubine Ping had the support of the Hesheli family behind her.
First it was the promotion to Imperial Concubine, and then the Buddhist scriptures. Imperial Concubine Ping was repeatedly at a disadvantage. Consort Yi gave birth to two princes and raised a princess. How could Imperial Concubine Ping survive?
Why didn’t she have some brains?
Suo Etu would not be easily shaken once he had determined something. He thought that if he indirectly helped Tuyue, it was equivalent to indirectly helping Consort Yi. Now that the one in Yikun Palace was on the same side, the petty conflict between her and Imperial Concubine Ping should stop.
When one entered the palace, one should always put one’s family first, and the matter of the fifth prince must never be repeated. If Imperial Concubine Ping was still willful and went against Consort Yi, then he and the Hesheli family could always count on another beautiful girl from the family to take her position.
He put aside Imperial Concubine Ping’s troubles and sneered. He thought with some satisfaction that the emperor was too wise and mighty to listen to the slander of Ming Zhu. Who gave Ming Zhu the courage to act first, then report the attempt to win over the Guoluoluo family?
Wasn’t this a bitter pill? He thought he had a chance to win, but he didn’t expect to be defeated. He really became the laughing stock of the capital, and his dignity was wiped out.
There was also Consort Hui. When she was co-managing the harem, she passed on so many messages to Ming Zhu overtly and caused so many obstacles for the Hesheli family. It was good now that such a person had been cowed. It was very satisfying.
Consort Hui was frustrated, and the eighth prince moved out of Yanxi Palace. Suo Etu was ecstatic when he heard that the eldest prince was scolded and made to kneel by the emperor.
Because he was happy, he threw away all the doubts in his mind. For example, at Yuqing Palace, Hu Ming and Hu Guang had not sent him any news for half a month.
…
When the official’s mansion came into view, the coachman was about to stop when several men rushed forward and shouted in a loud voice, “Master!” Their tone was urgent.
Suo Etu dropped his smile. He frowned, opened the curtain, and was about to scold them, but when he saw their faces clearly, the thought of scolding them disappeared in an instant.
These were the men he sent to monitor Second-Rank Prince Rong’s wet nurse, Mrs. Liu.
Suo Etu had a bad feeling. Before he could ask anything, the leader with a beard stepped forward and said urgently, in a low voice, “Master, Mrs. Liu… Mrs. Liu is missing!”
Suo Etu stood up suddenly and said angrily, “Missing? What do you mean missing?!”
Cining Palace.
“Your Majesty, this concubine doesn’t ask for Your Majesty’s forgiveness. This concubine just asks for Your Majesty to cherish Yinzuo a little and give him justice!” Imperial Concubine Wu cried so hard that her eyes were filled with tears and she could hardly breathe. “He is not even five years old. Not only is he facing the pain of separation from his mother, but his energy and intelligence are no longer what they used to be. This is simply tearing out this concubine’s heart and cutting off this concubine’s flesh…”
As she said that, she knelt down and kowtowed to the empress dowager and great empress dowager. She then said, with a tearful voice, “Revered Elder and Empress Dowager, even if Yinzuo is Second-Rank Prince Rong, he is still your great-grandson and grandson, and his admiration has not lessened. Now that the culprit has been found, this concubine has nothing to ask for except that the culprit will receive severe punishment!”
Kangxi’s face was solemn, and the great empress dowager closed her eyes and said nothing. Both of them did not know what to feel in this moment.
Only the empress dowager picked up the paper on the tray and looked at it carefully. After a while, she said, “Don’t kneel. Get up. We don’t know whether this confession is true or false. If it is false, then there will be no justice to discuss.”
The empress dowager’s tone was a little calm, which was evident to everyone in the room.
The day that Imperial Concubine Wu ‘made trouble’ in Yuqing Palace and tried to attack Consort Yi still left a deep impression on the empress dowager. In addition, all of Mrs. Wuya’s crimes were exposed by the emperor. After this incident, her disgust towards Imperial Concubine Wu reached an all time high!
The empress dowager felt sorry for Yinzuo, but because some time had passed since the incident, her feelings had quietly reduced. Most of her care was devoted to Yinqi and the crown prince. As time went by, the empress dowager almost forgot about Second-Rank Prince Rong’s poisoning.
Now, she was not blaming Imperial Concubine Wu for asking for justice for Yinzuo, but she was frightened by the confession presented by the Department of Punishment.
If this was true, then what was the point?
It was absolutely impossible!
Kangxi turned the jade ring on his hand and said in a deep voice, “Imperial Mother, please don’t worry. The truth cannot be faked, and what is false cannot be true. The confession mentioned Suo Etu and Yuqing Palace. The small courtyard where Mrs. Liu lived belongs to Suo Etu. The evidence for this matter is conclusive. As for Yuqing Palace…”
He paused and his voice became much softer. “Baocheng has approved the search and is just waiting for Liang Jiugong to return.”
The great empress dowager sighed, but still did not make a sound. The empress dowager shook her head and said anxiously: “Emperor, you must not listen to just one side of the story. How could the crown prince be the messenger when he is only ten years old? Don’t forget that it was he who saved Yinzuo’s life!”
Kangxi thought exactly the same as the empress dowager, and did not believe at all that the crown prince was involved in this matter.
Baocheng was one of the best brothers in the world. If he wanted to harm Yinzuo, why would he bother to save him?
After Mrs. Liu was arrested and sent to the Department of Punishment, the investigation contained many things that could not be covered up.
In the early years, when Suo Etu was still the minister of the Imperial Household Department, he secretly replaced the officials with a large number of confidants who went to Yuqing Palace to serve the crown prince. They were still in contact with each other half a month ago.
This incident almost touched the emperor’s nerves. He was shocked to realise that Suo Etu was plotting something so grand. After being furious, his first thought was that the crown prince was being held hostage by Suo Etu!
Baocheng knew about Yinzuo’s poisoning, but because Yuqing Palace was controlled by Suo Etu, he couldn’t reveal anything to others. Therefore, he had to do his best and use the opportunity of choosing a horse to rescue his sixth younger brother…
After Kangxi thought about it this way, he was moved and sad. Mrs. Liu’s confession soon arrived.
The testimony: ‘The sachet that poisoned Second-Rank Prince Rong was the crown prince’s idea, and it was polished and perfected by Lord Suo, all for the sake of the ‘Zuo’ in Yin Zuo! The crown prince ordered Ming Yun and Ming Xin to make the incense sachet. Because the raw materials were hard to find, there were only two copies of the finished product. One was passed to the servant and the other was hidden in Ming Yun’s dowry for future use.’
‘If this is not believable, just search Ming Yun and Ming Xin’s residence, which is on the east side closest to the sleeping chambers… The two of them are the crown prince’s personal maids, and they couldn’t be more loyal to their master. This servant retired after this servant’s achievements, and was taken outside the palace by Master Suo and raised in honour. They will have the same destination in the future. The Crown Prince will never mistreat those who have made contributions!’
The confession was unambiguous, and it was very clear about Ming Yun and Ming Xin’s residence and the hiding place of the sachet. It was very convincing.
But the crown prince usually only took He Zhu’er and a few young eunuchs with him. As for Ming Yun and Ming Xin, let alone Kangxi, Liang Jiugong had not seen them…
The only way to confirm Mrs. Liu’s confession was to conduct a search.
Imperial Concubine Wu was still in confinement and was not supposed to appear in Cining Palace. Even though she was Yinzuo’s biological mother, Kangxi did not want to see her.
The empress dowager also didn’t want to see Imperial Concubine Wu, so in the end it was the great empress dowager who invited her to come, and that was when she cried out in grief.
After hearing the remarks about ‘true or false confessions’, Imperial Concubine Wu was filled with hatred. Every word that came from the empress dowager was to excuse the crown prince. How could she not understand?
And the emperor…
The emperor’s love for the crown prince was no longer just at a whim. Even if the evidence was clearly placed in front of the emperor, he may not punish the crown prince, but let Suo Etu bear all the charges.
Even though Imperial Concubine Wu was mentally prepared for the crown prince to be unharmed, she was still trembling with anger at the scene before her.
She just wanted to seek justice for Yinzuo!
During these days of confinement in Yonghe Palace, she thought about revenge all the time. Now the mastermind behind the scenes had been revealed, and it was the crown prince in Yuqing Palace who everyone praised. Suo Etu was just an accomplice.
At only ten years old, with such vicious thoughts, he even plotted against his four-year-old younger brother because of a name. Was he worthy of the position of crown prince?!
The funny thing was that, even though the evidence was conclusive, the emperor was still so partial. Yinzuo was poisoned and this matter was closely related to Yuqing Palace. The emperor also asked the crown prince about his wishes, and defended everything in his words…
One after another, Imperial Concubine Wu’s eyes were red with hatred, and her tears flowed even more fiercely. “Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, how can this testimony be false? It is a fact that Suo Etu protected Mrs. Liu. As for Yuqing Palace, it is also true that Suo Etu has frequent contact with the Crown Prince!”
As she said that, she smiled sadly. “If the people around Yinzuo hadn’t discovered the clues that pointed to Mrs. Wulan becoming friends with Mrs. Liu, they would never have known where Mrs. Liu went! You said that the Crown Prince saved Yinzuo… Yes, this concubine will admit that this is true. But that was not the Crown Prince’s purpose. He did not want Yinzuo’s life… He wanted Yinzuo to stop being smart so that Yinzuo would not be a threat…”
One stone stirred up a thousand waves. Before Kangxi could take action, the great empress dowager closed her eyes and shouted sternly, “Mrs. Wuya, you are so presumptuous!”
Imperial Concubine Wu instantly fell to the ground and kowtowed. She said in a hoarse voice, “Revered Elder, Yinzuo’s intelligence has been ruined, and so has this concubine’s life! This concubine just wants justice -”
…
The way the emperor looked at her could no longer be described as ‘full of foreboding’.
Just at this moment, Liang Jiugong entered the palace door panting. He had a complex expression on his face. When he saw Kangxi, he said, “Your Majesty, the sachet is real…”
After speaking, he pointed to the tray behind him. There was a poison sachet placed neatly on the top, which was exactly the same as the one Mrs. Liu handed to Yinzuo.
When the great empress dowager heard this, she stopped twisting her beads. Her face changed drastically. Imperial Concubine Wu smiled sarcastically and Kangxi frowned suddenly.
The Crown Prince, who happened to step into the palace gate, heard these words.
His hands and feet were cold, and his heart suddenly sank.
Ming Yun and Ming Xin were the palace maids sent in by his uncle. He thought they had been bribed.
Was even fixing Yuqing Palace futile? Such an insidious and ubiquitous means of infiltration…
Immediately afterwards, Liang Jiugong paused and said without changing his expression, “But it was not found in the east room. It was found in a cubicle next to the stable. Ming Yun and Ming Xin were not palace maids who served the Crown Prince personally, but servant girls who fed the horses! This servant thoroughly checked. Mrs. Liu’s confession is not valid, and Imperial Concubine Wu’s words against the Crown Prince are even more nonsense.”
Steward Liang clearly said that this was a set-up.
…
The stable?
Everyone was shocked.
The crown prince was shocked. His nervousness and anxiety disappeared, and his mouth was left open in surprise.
He quietly turned to look at He Zhu’er, and then quietly turned back. He felt as if he was surviving a disaster. He was shocked beyond words.
A few days ago, he listened to Consort Mother Yi’s words and made up his mind to deal with the confidants sent by Suo Etu. He also ordered He Zhu’er to keep Hu Ming and Hu Guang who had surrendered. He also ordered He Zhu’er to drive the others out and to closely monitor their movements as well as assign them any tasks as appropriate.
He thought that He Zhu’er sent Ming Yun and Ming Xin to the stables from the east chamber.
The crown prince tried to remember what else he ordered.
They were not allowed to send messages. If there was anything out of line in their words or actions, then the person who shadowed them must come and report it. Also, everything must be packed away and nothing was to be left behind!
The last two were what Consort Mother Yi taught him.
At the time, he disagreed a little and felt it was too cruel. After all, they were palace servants sent by his uncle. After serving him for so many years, there was no merit but hard work.
After he left Yikun Palace, and after much hesitation, the crown prince gritted his teeth and did as Yun Xiu said.
After coming back to his senses, the crown prince breathed in slowly, his eyes astonishingly bright.
Consort Mother Yi… was really good at predicting things!
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