Chapter 30: Notice From The Prince’s Mansion
Huo Yun straightened up and secretly glanced at Wei Zhang.
Lan Qin knew that Yue Tang was asking for leniency for Huo Yun and also giving Wei Zhang a way out, so she immediately smiled and said, “Why aren’t you going yet? Could your master’s attitude possibly override the princess’s?” After speaking, she picked two pills from the medicine box on the table and stuffed them to him. “You got injured on your arm; remember to take the medicine.”
Huo Yun immediately smiled at the smiling Yue Tang, then loudly acknowledged the order and ran out.
Wei Zhang looked at his retreating figure and sighed as he turned to Yue Tang: “You spoil that child too much.”
Yue Tang smiled and sat down: “Is this called spoiling? Heh, in the past, I treated you all the same way.”
Wei Zhang fell silent.
Yue Tang was the favored daughter of heaven, the sole daughter of Prince Duan high above; before being assigned to Prince Duan’s Mansion, the Empress had instructed them that she was their eternal master, and even in death, even in the underworld, they absolutely could not betray her.
So she was the leader in every one of their hearts, their sky.
And this golden branch and jade leaf, who at a young age bore the heavenly fate calamity, the imperial niece secretly gossiped about as a disaster-bringer, from the first moment they met her up to now, had never once vented her inner grievances to them, never once trampled their dignity.
Even though there was a strict class boundary between them, Yue Tang had never overlooked them when they needed attention.
Yet such a benevolent-hearted woman, who could be called free from worldly strife, had still been dragged into a conspiracy, nearly becoming a sacrifice!
Yue Tang said, “Tell me about your journey. What happened to Zhang Ji?”
Marquis of Guangling was still searching for Wei Zhang; Yue Tang and the others had always known that the day before they arrived in the Capital City, Wei Zhang had turned back and left the city, throwing out a clue that successfully lured the Du Family to find He Xu to take on the task.
Then he turned back to the Imperial Capital Region and waited outside the city for the people the Du Family sent to chase and kill him.
So even if He Xu hadn’t died at her hands at the time, he would have died at Wei Zhang’s hands after leaving the city.
Yue Tang absolutely would not allow a single fish to slip through the net; Wei Zhang was the one to plug that gap.
Now that the Zhang Family side had closed the net, he naturally should return as well.
Wei Zhang nodded: “On the way back, I happened to encounter Du Family people chasing him down.
“He was killed in the inn.”
Yue Tang nodded and said, “The He Family and Zhang Family are settled; next is dealing with the Du Family.
“Prince Jingyang’s Mansion has no ties to the Imperial Secretariat; if the person behind the Du Family father and son truly belongs to the Imperial Secretariat, then Prince Jingyang’s suspicion can temporarily be reduced somewhat.
“However, based on his stance, I do not believe he would be willing to give up the ready-made lackey that is the Du Family.
“Once it reaches a critical moment, Prince Jingyang might very well step in to protect the Du Family.
“After all, the life or death of an irrelevant princess means nothing to Prince Jingyang. But if Marquis of Guangling’s Mansion falls, that would be no small loss to him.”
“Stop talking! Something big has happened!”
Yue Tang had just taken a sip of medicine when Hua Lin hurriedly came in holding a crumpled piece of paper, clumsily spreading it out on the table—it turned out to be a notice!
“Today on the street, this paper is posted everywhere; Prince Jingyang’s Mansion is searching everywhere for ‘Wang Huan’ for some reason!”
The two in the room changed expressions at the same time.
Wang Huan was precisely the alias Yue Tang had used when she disguised herself as a commoner woman outside, and it was also the identity she used now only when necessary to show.
Prince Jingyang’s Mansion was looking for her?
What was this about?
“There must have been a loophole left from last night’s incident!” Wei Zhang was full of annoyance. “That little brat A Yun, when he gets back, I must give him a good lesson!”
“Why say these things?” Yue Tang looked at him discontentedly, walked a few steps along the curtain, then turned back and picked up the paper again. “It only writes my name, identity, and ancestral home above, without drawing my portrait; it’s not yet at the critical stage!”
Hua Lin said anxiously, “With Prince Jingyang’s Mansion’s power, if they get serious and search house by house, even if you turn into a bird, they could catch you!”
Wei Zhang also reacted: “How did Prince Jingyang know your name?”
“How would I know?” Yue Tang’s brows furrowed just as tightly as his. “I have no dealings with this person, and this household registration of mine is just for an ordinary good citizen; almost no one in the entire Capital City knows this name of mine. If it’s just a coincidence of names, the birth date and ancestral origins match up too!”
Everyone’s expressions were very grave.
Being targeted by Prince Jingyang, even if not yet critical, was absolutely not good news.
“We can’t let Xiao Huo take it slow; we need to take the initiative and speed up the move on the Du Family!”
After thinking briefly, Yue Tang decisively said, “Zhang Shaode confessed that the Du Family is vigorously trying to win over Top Scholar Xu He.
“This Xu He is the only candidate among the scholars the Du Family is currently pulling in who was personally selected by the Emperor, and he is also the top scholar; for this, the Du Family personally arranged the match, betrothing the niece from the maternal home of Du Minghuan’s wife of the Duan clan to him.
“Go carefully investigate this person.”
Wei Zhang stepped forward: “Does the princess intend to use Xu He?”
Yue Tang nodded: “Zhang Shaode spat out this information at the brink of life and death to save his life; I think this clue is not simple.
“Moreover, Xu He placed as top scholar at just over twenty, and he is the only jinshi personally selected by the Emperor; his future is clearly bright, and he has no need to take the path of connections to rise.
“But right now, he is actually willing to humble himself as the Du Family’s nephew-in-law; don’t you find that strange?”
Wei Zhang couldn’t help nodding: “It is somewhat a waste of talent. With the status of top scholar, he could still marry higher.”
He held his arms and pondered for a moment, then turned and went out.
Yue Tang picked up the notice on the table again, smoothing out the creases on it with her palm bit by bit.
Above it, the information about Wang Huan was clearly displayed before her eyes.
That night three years ago, not only did “Princess Yongjia” and her mother and child “die,” but also Prince Duan, the First Prince born of Consort An, the Former Emperor, and even the Second Prince now sitting on the throne nearly died; it was only thanks to the guards exerting all their strength to fish him out, and the attending imperial physicians giving their all, that he was saved.
Empress Dowager Shen, who had entered the palace for only three years, wielded great power, and her maternal home the Shen Family also rose accordingly, but the son born to Empress Dowager Shen still had not sat on the throne.
Could it be that she did not want to?
That the Shen Family did not want to?
Of course not.
It was because the Mu Family absolutely would not yield.
A son relies on his mother’s nobility; by emotion and reason, the throne should go to the Second Prince, the legitimate son of the original empress.
But after Shen became the Successor Empress, her son also became legitimate.
The Shen Family, relying on that edict, could control the court, divide imperial power, and even in the future have the chance to obstruct the Second Prince’s governance.
Could the Former Emperor not have foreseen such a confrontational situation in the later period?
Of course he should have calculated it.
So, in the year when Yue Tang was busy with marriage and giving birth to a child, busy seeking stability for Prince Duan’s Mansion before her “heavenly fate calamity” curse took effect, thus having no time to return to the palace, what exactly happened in the Capital City?
