Xu Shixian ran away. The steward of Zhuangzi took people to search the bamboo forest across the lake, but they couldn’t find any trace of him. Behind the bamboo forest was a cliff with no other path. It was unclear if he had fallen down or managed to escape. Zhu Yunxun was not in the mood to inquire about Xu Shixian’s matter again, so the next day, he returned to the palace early in the morning.
After that, Zhu Yunjing did not appear in the court hall for several days, saying he was ill. The Eastern Palace was also closed to visitors. Emperor Zhaoyang sent several imperial physicians to check on him, but Zhu Yunjing sent them away.
After the morning court session that day, Zhu Yunxun stopped He Huailing, who was about to leave, and asked him with a smile: “Cousin, if you don’t have much to do in the court today, why not come to my place for a cup of tea?”
He Huailing hesitated and agreed, and went back to Zhu Yunxun’s palace with him. When passing by the Eastern Palace gate, He Huailing glanced at the tightly closed palace gate with complicated eyes. Zhu Yunxun beside him snorted slightly: “The Crown Prince went to his private estate on Phoenix Mountain before he fell ill. It was like this when he came back the next day. I don’t know what kind of illness he has, and he refuses to let imperial physicians examine him.”
He Huailing coughed lowly and lowered his gaze to hide the embarrassment in his eyes. He replied: “Maybe it’s because of the continuous rainy and changeable weather these days. He might have caught a cold.”
Zhu Yunjiu seemed to hear something unusual in his tone and gave him a strange look. But seeing He Huailing’s usual coldness on his face, he didn’t think much and said: “Who knows?”
After returning to Zhu Yunxun’s residence, Zhu Yunxun asked someone to serve He Huailing tea and set up a chessboard. They chatted while drinking tea and playing chess. He Huailing seemed a little absent-minded and misplaced the chess pieces several times. Zhu Yunxun couldn’t help but ask: “Cousin, you seem so restless. Do you have something on your mind?”
He Huailing shook his head slightly: “It’s nothing.”
“I heard that our aunt held a banquet at her estate on Phoenix Mountain a few days ago, and my cousin, you also went. Didn’t you take the opportunity to investigate the Crown Prince’s private estate?”
“I did,” He Huailing didn’t hide it, but he didn’t elaborate either. “I couldn’t find him. Perhaps he’s not there anymore.”
Zhu Yunxun frowned slightly upon hearing this: “It is said that the Crown Prince wouldn’t let him go easily if he had been detained there. Xu Daren is a civil official without any martial arts skills. It can’t be that he escaped on his own, right?”
“I don’t know. If I still haven’t found him again, I will find a way to visit the Crown Prince’s Zhuangzi again in a few days.” Naturally, He Huailing would not talk about those unspeakable things to Zhu Yunxun. He didn’t believe that Xu Shixian could really escape from the Crown Prince’s estate. But Zhu Yunjing’s appearance that day indicated that such absurd things had already happened. It seemed that nothing was impossible.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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He Huailing replied lightly: “It’s not about kindness. He is my friend, and now that he is in danger, I should save him.”
Zhu Yunxun nodded in agreement: “It should be so.”
Passing by the Eastern Palace again on his way out, He Huailing stopped and hesitated for a moment. Then, he stepped forward to request an audience.
Inside the Warm Pavilion, Zhu Yunjing was reclining on the soft couch with his eyes closed, feeling unwell. Wang Jiu came in with a shrunken body, and softly reported that Dingyuan Marquis was waiting to see him. Zhu Yunjing suddenly opened his eyes and glared at the other party: “Gu said Gu didn’t want to see anyone. Don’t you understand human language?! Tell him to go as far away from Gu as possible!”
Wang Jiu explained in a low voice with a bitter face: “Your Highness, you said last time that if Dingyuan Marquis entered the palace to see Second Highness, I must have him brought over. That’s why this servant came to report.”
How could he have known Zhu Yunjing’s reaction would be so strong? When other people came to seek an audience, His Royal Highness just said no, and had never directly told someone to get lost…
Zhu Yunjing was very annoyed. Had he said such a thing before? Maybe he did, but circumstances had changed. Now, whenever he heard the word Dingyuan Marquis, he can’t wait to devour his flesh and bones.
He has indeed been sick for these past few days, and his condition was not light. That night he started to have a high fever, and he did not recover intermittently. His lower abdomen was experiencing waves of pain, accompanied by a burning and swelling sensation. However, he didn’t dare call a physician and could only endure the pain silently. Wang Jiu went to ask his trusted physician Lin several times, but there was still no solution. Wang Jiu didn’t dare to directly mention that His Royal Highness ordered this man to have the abortion formula. Naturally, Imperial Physician Lin didn’t think too much about it. Instead, he advised Wang Jiu not to go engage in sinister methods that harmed others and oneself. Wang Jiu couldn’t tell what he was suffering; every time he came back, he would be punished by Zhu Yunjing. It would have been better to kill him.
“Tell him to get lost!” Zhu Yunjing gritted his teeth, full of resentment. He regretted that he hadn’t personally killed that beast that day due to hesitation and consideration.
Wang Jiu stammered in agreement, got up and was about to retreat. But just as he walked to the entrance of the hall, Zhu Yunjing stopped him again. His eyes flickered a few times, and he changed his mind: “Let him come in!”
Wang Jiu: “… Yes.”
He Huailing followed Wang Jiu in, paying his respects and observing proper etiquette. Only after that did he raise his eyes to look at Zhu Yunjing, who was still leaning on the couch. Seeing that his face was pale and haggard, as if he was really sick, He Huailing furrowed his brows involuntarily. Zhu Yunjing waved Wang Jiu away, holding back his impatience and asked in a deep voice, “Why had Dingyuan Marquis come?”
He Huailing was at a loss for words for a moment. He didn’t know what he wanted to do by coming here to pay his respects. It was just that what happened that day lingered in his mind. Even though it was a mistake, and there was a high possibility that Zhu Yunjing not only failed to harm others but also ended up harming himself, he still took advantage of the situation and committed acts unworthy of a gentleman, which made him deeply unsettled and overwhelmed with guilt.
“Your Highness… If you are not feeling well, why not summon the imperial physician?”
Zhu Yunjing raised an eyebrow and said with a sneer, “Marquis is genuinely concerned about Gu? Is Gu hearing correctly? Since when did Marquis have leisure for such matters? Could it be that because of what happened that day, Marquis, having tasted the forbidden fruit that day, has developed feelings for Gu?”
The furrow on He Huailing’s brow even deepened. He thought that Zhu Yunjing would be ashamed to bring up the matter that day. However, to his surprise, Zhu Yunjing showed no hesitation at all and even used it to mock him.
Seeing He Huailing’s reaction like this, Zhu Yunjing’s voice grew colder, every word dripping with resentment: “He Huailing, take your thoughts away and spare yourself from pondering irrelevant matters. Gu will kill you sooner or later.”
He Huailing sighed inwardly, and the tenderness in his tone he had unintentionally expressed earlier dissipated: “This servant said before that whether you want to kill or mutilate me, I am at your mercy. But what about Xu Shixian? Is he really no longer in Your Highness’ Zhuangzi?”
Now that Zhu Yunjing had been offended, there was no need to beat around the bush again.
“Xu Shixian, Xu Shixian! You are still asking Gu about Xu Shixian!” Zhu Yunjing was so angry that he picked up the inkstone on the table and threw it towards He Huailing. He Huailing didn’t dodge, and the inkstone hit his chest before falling to the ground, shattered into pieces.
Outside the door, Wang Jiu shrank his neck when he heard the commotion inside, silently lamenting that Dingyuan Marquis must have done something treacherous and wicked. How could he offend His Highness the Crown Prince so severely, causing the prince’s anger to be directed at him?
Inside the warm pavilion, Zhu Yunjing said angrily: “I’m telling you! Xu Shixian ran away! If he is still here, Gu will definitely kill him first! Get lost now! Don’t step into the gate of the Eastern Palace again!”
He Huailing looked at him deeply. Zhu Yunjing’s eyes turned red at the corner. The anger in his eyes was on the verge of turning into tears. After a moment of stalemate, He Huailing lowered his gaze and cupped his hands, saying: “This minister retreats.”
He Huailing got up and left without hesitation. The sound of porcelain shattering echoed once again behind him. Zhu Yunjing fell back onto the couch sweating profusely. His hands clutched his cramped abdomen in pain. Damn it… He wanted to kill He Huailing. He must kill him!
After coming out of the palace, He Huailing went to the court to do errands. He did not return to the mansion until sunset. Just as he entered the house, the steward rushed to report that someone had delivered two items in the afternoon: “They were wrapped in a piece of black cloth. I just glanced at them and dared not make any claims. I asked Lord Marquis to make a decision.”
The steward presented the items, and He Huailing lifted a corner of the black cloth. Inside was a memorial to the emperor, and beneath it, there was an account book. He Huailing opened the memorial, and his gaze suddenly darkened. This memorial was actually written by Du Tingzhong, the former magistrate of Jingzhou, who had already been beheaded. This was to impeach several officials, including Fang Chengpeng, the Governor-General of Jiangnan, and Liao Bingfeng, the Salt Transport Commissioner, for colluding with salt merchants in Jingzhou, engaging in corrupt practices, and illegally trafficking private salt!
According to Du Tingzhong’s Memorial, the account book was written by the largest local salt merchant in Jingzhou. All the records in it were evidence of trafficking in smuggled salt and bribing officials. Later, the steward of the merchant’s household, due to a falling out with the family, developed grievances and resentments, which led him to steal the account book and hand it over to Du Tingzhong.
He Huailing flipped through the account book, and a piece of a letter that had not been signed floated out. He picked it up and saw the handwriting on the letter paper clearly. His pupils shrank slightly, and a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. The person who wrote the letter succinctly described the cause and effect of the matter, saying that this is Du Tingzhong’s second memorial. The first one had been sent to the capital long before his accident, but it seemed to have vanished into thin air. The only thing waiting was an emperor’s decree to take him to prison. Fortunately, he had sensed something amiss beforehand and gave the second memorial and account book to a close friend for safekeeping. Now that Du Tingzhong’s entirely family was dead, they only hoped that this memorial and account book could be presented to the imperial court, revealing the truth and bringing justice to the wrongfully accused individuals.
At the end of the letter, there were only four words “Take care, don't worry“. As He Huailing looked at the familiar handwriting and tone, he let out a sigh of relief. A moment later, he placed the letter paper onto the candle flame, and the flames quickly burst up and consumed the letter paper.
During this period of time, he had sent people to collect evidence in Jiangnan. Now someone had delivered it to him, and there was nothing better than this.
He Huailing asked the steward, “Who delivered the package this afternoon?”
“A clever beggar who looked to be seven or eight years old. He didn’t look for the gatekeeper but squatted at the entrance. When he saw me coming out, he bumped into me on purpose and handed it over to me. Later, when I tried to find him, he had already run away.”
He Huailing nodded. That was fine too.
Thank You for the new chapter ♡(ŐωŐ人)
Thank you for the chapter!
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