On the day the truth about Wu Fuqing’s death was thoroughly investigated, Wei Yun immediately entered the palace and met with Emperor Qi He in the Qianlong Hall.
“Have you figured everything out?” Emperor Qi He asked, pressing his fist to his lips and coughing for a while before speaking.
Wei Yun lowered his eyes and responded indifferently, “Yes.”
Then, he pulled a document from his sleeve and looked towards De Yu, the steward standing next to Emperor Qi He.
De Yu glanced at Emperor Qi He carefully before bowing and walking down to take the document from Wei Yun’s hand. He then turned, stepped up the stairs, walked to the side of Emperor Qi He, and, holding the document above his head, presented it to him.
Emperor Qi He, holding a silk handkerchief to his lips, coughed a few more times. He lifted his eyelids, and even the act of reaching for the memorial was sluggish, with a constant, disorderly sound emanating from his chest, now hidden, now apparent.
At that moment, the hall suddenly became quiet, except for the occasional cough from Emperor Qi He, and there were no other sounds.
The steward De Yu stood there, even his breathing careful and cautious.
It was then, as Emperor Qi He finally saw the content of the memorial, his wrinkled, aged face suddenly darkened. He threw the memorial away in an instant, and its corner, being very hard, grazed Wei Yun’s cheek, leaving a shallow, visible blood mark.
Yet, Wei Yun still stood there, not even his long eyelashes quivering.
“What do you mean by this, Imperial Advisor?” Emperor Qi He coldly huffed, slapping his palm on the desk. “I entrusted you with this investigation because I trusted you, but you have turned your investigation against me?!”
As soon as these words were spoken, De Yu, the steward standing by, immediately bowed down even lower.
Upon hearing these angry words from the emperor, Wei Yun merely bowed slightly, his voice as cold and calm as ever, “Your Majesty wanted me to uncover the truth, so I followed Your Majesty’s command to present you with the truth.”
Upon hearing Wei Yun’s words, Emperor Qi He fell silent for a long moment, then laughed out of extreme anger, “Well, Wei Yun, you truly are a good servant of mine!”
“What truth did Your Majesty want me to find?” Wei Yun suddenly raised his head to look at the emperor standing above him.
If he continued the investigation based on the so-called secret reports sent from the Inspectorate, as provided by He Mingrui, the Minister of Dali Temple, the “truth” presented to Emperor Qi He would likely point to Prince Xin as the murderer behind Wu Fuqing.
This was the result Emperor Qi He desired.
But it was not the truth.
Emperor Qi He had ordered Wu Fuqing’s death because he discovered that this official, whom he had always considered a close aide, had begun planning his career for after the emperor’s demise.
A loyal official who appeared so deeply faithful in the pursuit of immortality, willing to oversee alchemical matters for him, had, in fact, been secretly interacting with his two sons.
How could this not infuriate Emperor Qi He?
It’s unacceptable for someone to sleep soundly by the side of one’s couch, even if these two were his own flesh and blood.
But such a reason could not be openly disclosed, so he had someone kill Wu Fuqing. To ensure no mistakes, the assassin even poisoned the tea served to Wu Fuqing’s concubine beforehand.
At that time, Wu Fuqing was sitting in his study. The emperor’s secret guards killed everyone in the Wu residence, but when they finally attempted to kill Wu Fuqing himself, he activated a mechanism on his chair, falling into a tunnel leading to a secret chamber.
With the mechanism destroyed, the secret guards couldn’t enter the tunnel and had to return to the palace.
Meanwhile, Wu Fuqing, in his secret chamber, tried every antidote he had preserved for emergencies, but still couldn’t neutralize the strong poison in his body, only managing to delay the onset of the poison’s effects.
When Wu Fuqing fled from the secret room in a daze, he was already delirious, and eventually, he died on the busiest street in Yingdu, right in front of everyone’s eyes. Thus, the matter had to be brought into the open.
There were many speculations in the court, most of which were fueled by Emperor Qi He’s behind-the-scenes manipulations, aiming to pin the blame either on Prince Xin or Wei Yun. Emperor Qi He’s decision to have Wei Yun investigate the case also harbored a test, intending to use Wei Yun’s efforts to send Prince Xin back to his fiefdom. He had grown accustomed to having the Imperial Advisor carry all the blame for him.
He was also brewing plans to one day break the prideful spine of this seemingly invincible young man and to take from his hands the command of the valiant cavalry. Primarily, he wanted to make Wei Yun the most despised traitor in the court and even in all the land. Emperor Qi He was well aware that jealousy and prejudice were the sharp blades that could pierce through someone who seemed invulnerable.
However, he miscalculated.
The young Imperial Advisor before him never cared about others, much less about himself. Hence, what would be a sharp blade to ordinary people was merely a minor irritation to Wei Yun. As Wei Yun stepped out of the Qianlong Hall and walked down the white jade stairs, the cold wind blew his wide sleeves and brushed his cheeks, bringing a chill.
In the end, Wu Fuqing’s death could not be attributed to Prince Xin. This was the outcome both Prince Xin and Wei Yun desired. If Prince Xin were to leave Yingdu, then due to Emperor Qi He’s partiality towards him, combined with the Grand Tutor Xu Dian’s guidance, the situation might have become much more complicated than it currently was.
It was better to keep Prince Xin around to contend with the crown prince. After all, one of them was bound to fail first.
Just as Wei Yun reached the palace gate, Wei Jing reported, “My lord, the lady has been taken to Plum Garden by Princess Heyu’s people.”
Upon hearing this, Wei Yun’s expression immediately turned frosty, “What happened?”
“Soon after you left, someone from the crown prince’s side came and invited the lady to the marquis’s mansion for lunch… but unexpectedly, her carriage was stopped on the street by the princess’s maid,” Wei Jing reported truthfully.
“And Shao Liyin? She didn’t stop them?” Wei Yun’s voice contained a hint of anger, momentarily losing control of his emotions.
“The princess’s maid is highly skilled in martial arts, and besides… she also had the imperial token given to Princess Helan by His Majesty,” Wei Jing said with his head bowed.
Princess Helan was another of Emperor Qi He’s most cherished blood relatives, aside from the crown prince Zhao Zhengtai. Both the crown prince and Princess Helan were offspring of the late Empress Liu, full siblings, and Emperor Qi He always harbored a sense of nostalgia and sorrow for Empress Liu.
Thus, it was not surprising for Princess Helan to possess an imperial token.
The matter of Xie Tao going to the marquis’s mansion was something Qi Ji mentioned to him the day before, and Wei Yun had agreed, especially since Xie Tao had not mentioned going out since the assassination attempt. She was afraid of causing him trouble, but he did not want to confine her. Considering Qi Ji was a trusted friend, he thought it would be good for her to visit the marquis’s mansion, and he planned to fetch her after settling the palace matters.
He always wanted her to see more of the world he lived in, rather than being confined to a corner of the Imperial Advisor’s mansion.
Therefore, he had asked Xie Tao to come today, but he did not expect that Princess Heyu, failing to get her way, would resort to forcefully taking someone on the street, even bringing out the imperial token of Princess Helan.
Wei Yun closed his eyes, immediately got into the carriage, and ordered Wei Jing, “Go to Plum Garden.”
“Yes!” Wei Jing immediately cupped his fists and took the order.
The Plum Garden is a royal garden on the outskirts of Yingdu City, often used for the princesses to enjoy plum blossom viewing and play. Occasionally, Princess Yu would also hold poetry meetings there, inviting noble ladies and gentlemen to participate.
At this moment, Xie Tao, with a veil on her face, was sitting in front of a specially arranged table in the wooden corridor that traverses through the plum blossom forest, enduring the diverse gazes of everyone around her, almost as if sitting on pins and needles.
Outside the corridor, plum blossoms bloomed in abundance against the slightly chilly breeze, as if they were the only bright colors in this world.
The long, light-colored gauze curtain in front of the corridor danced with the wind, with flower petals occasionally entangled in the wind-blown corners of the curtain, dancing gracefully, just like ripples wrinkled by the wind on the surface of a lake.
“Do not be afraid, master, I will protect you.”
Seeing Xie Tao’s unease, Shao Li, who had been standing behind her, bowed her head in time, gently leaned to her ear, and said.
Xie Tao turned her head to look at her and nodded with pursed lips.
The low chatter around them suddenly stopped, and then Xie Tao heard a maid shouting loudly, “Princess Yu is here!”
When Xie Tao looked up upon hearing this,
She saw a beautiful woman, dressed in an apricot-colored soft smoke Luo skirt with its hem dragging on the ground, surrounded by palace maids, walking gracefully toward her.
Black hair like clouds, exquisite eyebrows like those of a beautiful maiden.
A droplet-shaped crimson flower ornament lightly dotted on her forehead, her phoenix eyes seemed to be moist with the color of the stars and moon, tender and affectionate.
Her every pose and gesture were filled with charming grace.
The golden tassels swayed gently with her lotus steps, entangling with the hairpin by her ear, producing a crisp sound, and the ornaments around her waist also jingled.
Xie Tao was almost lost in her beauty.
When had she ever seen such a beauty?
Just as Xie Tao was stunned, the slender beauty, who was about to walk past her like a gentle breeze through willows, suddenly turned her head, and those slightly upturned phoenix eyes looked towards her.
Her lips, tinted with cherry-like lip color, curved up slightly,
In that moment, Xie Tao heard her soft and gentle voice coming:
“Is this the young lady from the Imperial Advisor’s mansion?”
