inspire-indiana Chapter 22: You can trap anyone you want with absolute certainty.
Chapter 22: You can trap anyone you want with absolute certainty.
Jia Daihua handed the paper containing the silver to Jia Daishan and said:
Is there something wrong with this paper?
After taking the paper, Jia Daishan carefully rubbed it between his fingers, held it up to the light, and then tucked a corner of it into his teacup.
Jia Daihua was extremely puzzled by Jia Daishan's actions, but out of trust for his younger brother, he did not ask any questions.
After taking the paper out of the teacup, Jia Daishan squeezed it again with his hand. Finding that it hadn't soggy, he said:
"Sure enough."
Jia Daihua quickly asked, "What did you find?"
Jia Daishan said to Jia Daihua:
“Brother, do you still remember last year when Huzhou sent a batch of paper as tribute, saying it was made by chance and that they only had this much, so they sent it all to the Emperor. The paper was made like silk, thick to the touch yet translucent, and it was also water resistant.”
Jia Daihua thought for a moment and said, "Brother, you know I never care about these things. How could I possibly remember what those people offered last year? But what does this edict have to do with this matter? Could it be that..."
Seeing his elder brother's thoughts becoming increasingly skewed, even conjuring up images of that person, Jia Daishan quickly stopped him:
"Brother, be careful what you say!"
Jia Daihua realized he had almost said the wrong thing, and quickly added:
"Then stop being so mysterious, what's the connection?"
Jia Daishan was a little helpless. How could he keep such a matter a secret! It was just that his elder brother was too impatient. Thinking about this, Jia Daishan didn't have time to think it through further and said:
"When His Majesty first received it, he was still quite excited about it. However, after using it for two days, he felt it was not as good as what he had used before, so he discarded it. Feeling it would be a waste to keep it there, he bestowed it upon the princes."
The princes who received the imperial favor at that time were the Crown Prince, the First Prince, and the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Princes, who were already of age. The Second and Sixth Princes were also present, but because they had not performed their duties well and had angered the Emperor, they were not rewarded.
I was there at the time, and His Majesty even asked me if I wanted some, offering to bestow some upon me. Some of the princes didn't even have any, so how could I dare to accept? I declined, saying that I wasn't particularly fond of studying, and none of my family's children were as well-educated as me; it would be a waste to use them. His Majesty even laughed and scolded me, saying that I, this old woman, was too strict with the children in my family.
Jia Daihua thought for a moment and then said:
"According to you, the Second Prince did not receive any reward, so he should not have this kind of paper."
Jia Daishan said:
"From the current perspective, that is indeed the case."
Jia Daihua stood up, took two steps, and said:
"That means someone wanted to frame the Second Prince, so they deliberately said it was that casino."
Jia Daishan took a sip of tea and said:
"That's how it should be."
Jia Daishan thought to himself that this method was very clever. If Hu'er really had an accident, he would not be able to investigate the truth so calmly. He would be blinded by anger and would only want to avenge Fu Hu'er. The Second Prince who appeared in the open would definitely be the target of his revenge. It was not hard to see how vicious the person who used this plan was.
Jia Daihua sighed and said:
"Then our lead has gone cold again. There are still so many princes with documents. If we investigate them one by one, it will cause too much of a stir and attract the attention of the higher-ups."
Jia Daishan said:
“If they’re going to investigate us, they’ll definitely investigate whether someone can casually use imperial gifts to wrap silver. This person is either stupid or doesn’t care if we investigate them.”
Jia Daihua said somewhat anxiously:
"How dare he be so bold as to say he's not afraid of us investigating?"
Jia Daishan said:
"There are too many people involved. What can we find out with just this one clue? So he's not afraid. He might even hope that we implicate other princes. If we make a bigger fuss, it might make the emperor wary of the Jia family and take action against us."
Jia Daihua slammed his fist on the table in anger and said:
"That shameless brat actually used such a vicious scheme to plot against our family."
Jia Daishan handed Jia Daihua a cup of tea to calm his anger. He said:
"Which princes tried to win you over before?"
Jia Daihua thought for a moment and said:
"Yes, there are several. Among the princes you just mentioned, the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Sixth Prince have all expressed their interest."
Jia Daishan said:
"My daughter-in-law Zhang's father is one of the Crown Prince's teachers, and they have a close relationship. It's unlikely to be him. The eldest prince is skilled in martial arts and doesn't like studying. He has a good relationship with the Crown Prince, so it's unlikely to be him either."
The Fourth Prince never showed any intention of winning me over; he always acted as if he were distant from court officials and uninterested in politics. I wonder if that was just a facade.
Jia Daihua continued, "Then only the second, third, fifth, and sixth princes remain."
Jia Daishan nodded and said:
"At present, these are the most suspicious individuals, and we can only investigate them secretly for now."
Jia Daihua was still very angry and said:
"Although I don't like reading, I know that throughout history, whether it's princes or ministers, how many of those who participated in the struggle for the throne have ended up with a good ending? Our Jia family must not get involved in this matter."
Jia Daishan sighed and said:
“My brother thinks the same way. No family can guarantee its prosperity forever. Our Jia family has been glorious for generations, which is indeed too conspicuous.”
Jia Daihua comforted his younger brother, saying:
"At least now His Majesty trusts and values our Jia family."
Jia Daishan said:
“If that’s the case, we should be even more careful and not betray this trust. During the last general election, His Majesty wanted to bring Min’er into the palace, saying that he wanted to betroth her to the Crown Prince. However, the Crown Prince already had a Crown Princess. He also said that if Min’er felt wronged, she could choose which prince’s wife she wanted. Fortunately, I had prepared in advance and had already arranged a marriage for Min’er before the general election. His Majesty then gave up and kept saying that I was too cautious.”
Jia Daihua nodded repeatedly and said, "You did an excellent job in this matter. Our family must never produce a princess."
After saying that, he was still very angry and said:
"We still can't find out who that bastard was who did it! He got off easy."
Jia Daishan smiled, but a dark glint flashed in his eyes as he said, "How could we let him get away with this? Although we can't find out who harmed my Jia family and hurt my grandson, how can we just let this matter go so easily?"
Hearing Jia Daishan say this, Jia Daihua became interested and, rubbing his hands together, leaned closer and whispered:
"Do you have any plans, or what do you need your brother to do? I'll make sure to do it perfectly, leaving no trace."
Seeing Jia Daihua rubbing his hands together in anticipation, Jia Daishan finally smiled and said:
"Brother, how old are you? You're still thinking about putting sacks on. Be careful not to hurt your back."
Jia Daihua said angrily, "Even if I'm a hundred years old, I can still trick anyone I want!"
Jia Daishan laughed and said, "Yes, yes, brother, you're still as sharp as ever. But the method I suggested would be better!"