inspire-indiana Chapter 151 (55)
Chapter 151 (55)
"What evidence does General He have to prove that the Crown Prince has nothing to do with this matter...?"
The second prince looked uneasy, staring at He Pingyan with suspicion.
He Pingyan slammed his teacup down on the table, meeting the Second Prince's gaze without flinching: "What evidence does the Second Prince have to conclude that His Highness the Crown Prince was responsible?"
"Who else could have such ability besides him?" Ever since the Second Prince learned that the matter might be related to the Crown Prince, he couldn't listen to anything else. He was completely convinced that the Crown Prince was the one who was causing trouble.
His anger had clouded his judgment; it wasn't just anger, but also fear.
Although the second prince was older than the crown prince, he had never been able to surpass the crown prince in anything since childhood.
The second prince considered himself noble, but his status was inferior to that of the crown prince. He could not compare to the crown prince in terms of knowledge, and all the teachers praised the crown prince for his talent in governing the country. Even in horsemanship and swordsmanship, he could not compare to the crown prince.
For so many years, as long as the Crown Prince was there, no one could see him or pay attention to him. The Second Prince's resentment had long been secretly twisting and fermenting.
This southern tour was partly due to his desire to expand his network of connections and influence, and partly because he was blinded by the sudden surge of power.
After the Crown Prince became disabled, it was as if he had finally seen a ray of light after so many years. What should have belonged to the Crown Prince was now given to him by his father. During that time, the Second Prince felt as if he was walking on cotton.
So he went a bit too far...
In the dead of night, he also felt a sense of unease and fear, worrying about what would happen if his actions were exposed.
But when the sun rose, he lost himself again, until the great robbery of government silver brought him to his senses.
These days, I'm even woken up by nightmares every night in the middle of the night, and when I open my eyes, I'm covered in cold sweat from fright.
The Emperor is currently in relatively good health. If he is rejected, the Emperor will have ample time to depose him. What will he do then?
It's either him or the Seventh Prince...
The Second Prince knew perfectly well that there was no brotherly affection between him and the Seventh Prince, and that their relationship was even worse than that between him and the Crown Prince.
He and the Crown Prince had once studied together and practiced martial arts together, while the Seventh Prince had been spoiled by his concubine mother since childhood and was arrogant and ignorant. The two had long harbored a secret grudge.
If that position really goes to the seventh brother, I will definitely not have a good end. Given the seventh brother's vicious nature, he will definitely not let me live a good life!
If that were the case, what would be the point of living? The thought of having to endure humiliation at the hands of the seventh prince for the rest of his life made the second prince's head ache with hatred.
The second prince was worried that his actions would be discovered, and during the investigation, he was constantly on edge, fearing that the seventh prince would notice something amiss.
But that idiot... Hmph!
Not only did he not notice anything, but because there were no results, he was also reprimanded by his father several times for the lack of progress, which made him want to give up.
The Seventh Prince did want to let go. He originally felt that there was something fishy about this matter, and how could he let the Second Prince handle such an important matter alone?
Unexpectedly, getting involved didn't bring them any benefit whatsoever.
The truth remained undiscovered; instead, the father and son, surnamed He, were annoyingly rigid and meticulous. They wouldn't let go of things that could be easily dismissed...
As a result, not only was he exhausted, but he also had to be scolded by his father. The seventh prince was inwardly miserable and wished he could find an excuse to do something else right now so that this matter would have nothing to do with him.
Just then, the Imperial Concubine discovered that the Emperor's headache had flared up again and that the Crown Prince had regained favor, which made him shift all his attention to those matters.
He had no time to spare, focusing entirely on investigating the case. With the He father and son in charge, there was no way he could hide anything...
Seeing him like this, the second prince mocked him for his lack of perseverance and willpower, while secretly breathing a sigh of relief, as one less person was watching him.
Before he could even relax for two days, he was once again gripped by anxiety and panic.
If this matter is indeed related to the Crown Prince...
Ji Shumin will definitely find out what I did! I can't hide it from him!
The second prince became increasingly certain of this idea. He might have harbored a glimmer of hope if it were anyone else, but this was Ji Shumin.
The second prince hated and envied Ji Shumin, but he could also be certain that Ji Shumin could see through him completely.
What should I do...what should I do!
He maintained a forced calm as he watched He Pingyan defend Ji Shumin, a thought lingering in his mind.
The only solution is to completely crush Ji Shumin!
Only by making the Emperor completely despise Ji Shumin, utterly distrust him, or render him unable to speak at all...
Only then can you ensure your safety!
Driven by fear, the Second Prince could not hide the resentment in his eyes. He stared at He Pingyan and squeezed out through gritted teeth, "We cannot make an exception just because the Crown Prince is currently unwell. This matter concerns the foundation of the nation, and I will definitely investigate it thoroughly!"
"Even if it's the Crown Prince, I will not show any favoritism for the sake of my father!" He made his stance clear.
"Your Majesty, I agree with the Second Prince's words." The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review nodded solemnly, looking sternly at his somewhat arrogant son: "Pingyan..."
"Yes," He Pingyan finally replied, bowing his head.
The second prince breathed a sigh of relief, straightened his back, and left, but his heart was still in suspense.
Distracted, he didn't notice the father and son behind him exchanging a serious glance.
"Drink less..."
In a small tavern under the cover of night, a handsome young man gently persuaded someone while continuing to pour wine.
The handsome young boy, holding the glass, stared intently at it. Seeing that it was full, he carefully brought it to his lips, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Hiss—good wine!" she said in a low voice, her eyes glistening with a hint of spiciness. One leg was propped up on the edge of the chair, her demeanor casual and unkempt.
This contrasts sharply with the formally seated wine pourer who is of high status.
"Is Uncle not at home today?"
The young man turned around, and it was none other than He Pingyan, who had argued with the Second Prince that afternoon.
"Whether my father is in the mansion or not doesn't prevent me from coming out..." As the sentence went on, his voice became less restrained, revealing a hint of softness.
In the dim light, upon closer inspection of her features, it was Zhuang Yuxun.
“That’s true.” He Pingyan nodded in agreement. General Zhuang had always been rough around the edges when raising his daughter. He didn’t care at all about what women should or shouldn’t do.
Someone once advised him that raising a daughter requires her to have the demeanor of a proper young lady, otherwise how will she ever get married...
General Zhuang glared at him and said, "What nonsense is this! What do I care about what she can do! Xun'er may not be able to embroider, but she can kill barbarians! How about that? Other people's daughters can't do that, hahahahaha!"
After saying that, he stroked his beard with great pride, looking as if he wanted to tell everyone about his daughter's military achievements.
When it came to his daughter's marriage, General Zhuang simply waved his hand and said, "My daughter can lead troops into battle, so how could she not be able to find a suitable husband? Let her choose according to her own wishes!"
His wife asked his daughter to go on a blind date, and he even helped his daughter get rid of the pressure.
The general's wife scolded them both, saying, "You two are truly a den of snakes and rats!"
General Zhuang waved to his daughter with his hands behind his back, shamelessly coaxing his wife, "Xun'er and I are just like father, like son!"
Therefore, He Pingyan followed General Zhuang, but never dared to reveal his feelings in the slightest.
The general said he didn't care, but he was very protective of his daughter. If he knew that he had feelings for Xun'er, he would definitely find fault with her.
"You should drink too!" Zhuang Yuxun poured him a glass.
"I won't drink anymore. I'll take you home later." He Pingyan shook his head.
"Hey! I'm not some delicate little thing that comes with being in the capital. Do I need you to escort me?" Zhuang Yuxun waved his hand. "That person followed the path you set up?"
She asked cryptically.
"Ah."
"That's good. All my hard work these past few days hasn't been in vain." Zhuang Yuxun breathed a sigh of relief.
"Approximately when will we get the results?"
"When will you be surprised?"
Their conversation was concise, and only the two of them could understand it.
"And the other one?" Zhuang Yuxun had just asked the Second Prince, but now he was asking the Seventh Prince.
"What exactly is that person going to do?"
General Zhuang appears to be a rough and unrefined military man, but he is actually quite meticulous.
Zhuang Yuxun was of one mind with her father.
"The lives of myself and tens of thousands of soldiers were saved by His Highness the Crown Prince..." General Zhuang once exclaimed.
Those who practice martial arts have clear likes and dislikes and will repay kindness. This time, Zhuang Yuxun returned to the capital with his father, ostensibly because his term of service had come to an end and the border was stable, so he was returning to the capital to report on his duties.
In fact, it's not just that.
"I don't know," He Pingyan said truthfully.
Zhuang Yuxun did not press further; there were some things she could not fully understand.
Finally, Zhuang Yuxun finished a pot of wine by herself. When she stood up, He Pingyan subconsciously stood up as well, protecting her by her side, worried that she might not be able to walk steadily.
As a result, Zhuang Yuxun strode out of the tavern steadily. It was already very late at night, and curfew was approaching. The night watchmen were already dragging their feet through the streets and alleys.
The tavern flags and the aroma of wine carried far into the distance. Stepping onto the bluestone pavement, Zhuang Yuxun spread his arms and jumped a few times: "There's nothing fun in the capital."
"The liquor here isn't as strong as the liquor back home. Let's go back after this is all over."
The cold-faced young man following behind heard her say "we" and quickened his pace, saying, "Okay, let's go back after we're done."
"We'll go horse racing and archery then. I haven't been able to move around much lately, and my skills have gotten rusty." Zhuang Yuxun took off his hat, revealing his long hair hanging down.
“Sigh…” He Pingyan wanted to say something, but stopped himself. He remembered the girl in front of him, her eyes sparkling, riding a horse galloping towards him before he set off.
Her hair tie had probably come off, and her long, jet-black hair was flying wildly in disarray, but he didn't seem to care.
With his legs clamped around the horse's belly, one hand loosely holding the reins, and the other carrying the gray rabbit he had just hunted.
"Let's go back and roast rabbit! Once we get back to the capital, I wonder when we'll be able to taste this again!"
She laughed and shouted, and the desolate, frozen, and withered wilderness behind her could not conceal her bright and carefree spirit.
On this day, Lu Liruan met Lu Yushi, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. She looked thinner and knew to bow respectfully to Lu Liruan.
"Crown Princess..." she hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself.
Lu Liruan didn't want her to come in, but she insisted on waiting outside.
Unsure of her true intentions, Lu Liruan grew suspicious.
Lu Yushi didn't say anything, just made small talk, which made the atmosphere quite awkward, since there wasn't much of a casual conversation between the two of them.
Then, as Lu Liruan was drinking tea with her head down, she noticed a scratch behind her ear.
Noticing something, Lu Liruan secretly observed and discovered that there were faint bruises visible in the area covered by her sleeve.
But Lu Liruan didn't ask anything and just ate her snacks by herself.
Lu Yushi wasn't sure if Lu Liruan had seen her typhoid fever, so she casually showed it twice more, making it seem like Lu Liruan was deliberately pretending not to see it.
Putting down her cup and sitting in the chair with her head down, Lu Liruan had never seen her so meek and submissive before.
“Sister Li Ruan,” she said again.
This time, Lu Liruan did not correct her.
"Just say what you need to say." Lu Liruan wasn't the kind of person who would soften her heart for no reason. Rather than caring about what had happened to her, Lu Liruan was more concerned about what she wanted to do.
“In the future… Sister Li Ruan, could I… come and sit here for a while? That way, they won’t dare to look down on me or mistreat me.” Her voice was barely audible, as if she were extremely ashamed but had no choice but to plead.
"Oh?" Lu Liruan raised an eyebrow, without asking who the "they" she was referring to was.
Lu Yushi began to sob softly, completely unlike her arrogant demeanor when she first entered the palace.
When she saw her off, Lu Liruan did not respond to her belated sisterly affection, but she also did not directly refuse.
After Lu Yushi left, glancing back every few steps, Lu Liruan's languid expression quickly vanished. She instructed Qinghe, "Check everything she was in and everything she used, then throw it away."
She was once a vicious girl who, at a very young age, secretly put honey, which Lu Wanqing was allergic to, into her cup.
When Ji Shumin returned, he naturally heard about this. After finally finishing his medicine bowl after a long time, Ji Shumin, in a bad mood, casually said, "Then next time you come, just kick me out."
"I'd like to see what she's up to." Lu Liruan leaned over and carefully examined Ji Shumin's medicine bowl, watching as he drank it all.
He popped a candied fruit into Ji Shumin's mouth: "She didn't shed a single tear when she cried..."
Ji Shumin listened to her assessment: "If the Crown Princess wanted to deceive me, I would definitely fall for it, but I couldn't tell whether she was crying real or fake."
Lu Liruan scoffed, "Your Highness, who's lying to whom between us?"
After Lu Liruan finished speaking, she turned to practice calligraphy, unaware that Ji Shumin pursed his lips and looked uneasy for a moment.
The large flowerpot that Ji Shumin made by hand was put into use by Lu Liruan after he decided not to plant the Crown Princess in it.
Lu Liruan couldn't manage to tidy up the outer yard, but she could still plant some things in these flowerpots.
Lu Liruan noticed that the things in the flowerpot were growing exceptionally well.
Once, when Lu Liruan casually mentioned it to Xiao Xizi, who was helping out, Xiao Xizi glanced at the flowerpot with lingering fear.
"But...it might be that Your Highness...when making the flowerpots, you...added some fertilizer..."
"Huh?" Lu Liruan didn't quite hear.
"You servant, you're talking nonsense!" Xiao Xizi hurriedly said.
Lu Liruan didn't investigate further, assuming that since it was something made by His Highness the Crown Prince himself, perhaps... he really did have some kind of aura?