Chapter 34: To Repay You
If the Second Prince died, it would be even more impossible to uncover the truth of those past accidents.
From the moment the Former Emperor suddenly decreed that Prince Jingyang’s Mansion, long removed from the Imperial Court, return to the capital to take charge of the Bureau of Military Affairs, this upheaval showed unusual signs. When sending guards to pick up the Second Prince, Yan Bei went to view the Former Emperor’s corpse, as well as Prince Duan’s corpse placed beside it under the pretext of being buried with him.
According to the palace servants’ account, the Former Emperor had only kept Prince Duan by his side to attend him before his death.
The Former Emperor had loudly rebuked Prince Duan in the hall, saying it was his proposal to have the First Prince go welcome the Second Prince back to the capital, resulting in both brothers meeting with accidents. Prince Duan wept bitterly and kept begging for forgiveness.
Shortly after, the Former Emperor, in extreme anger, suffered a heart attack, spat blood, and died.
And Prince Duan, out of guilt, slit his own throat before the imperial spirit.
These were ultimately just words from the Imperial Palace, not something Yan Bei had seen with his own eyes.
But these two brothers, so close to each other, both died on the same night, which was truly unexpected. However, after Yan Bei examined them, he found their conditions of death matched exactly what the palace servants had described.
However—the palace coup in which the Former Emperor and Prince Duan died together, why did it coincide exactly with the news of the First Prince and Second Prince encountering danger reaching the capital?
And why was there also the unexpected death of Princess Yongjia?
There were not only doubts in the Palace, but also in the Imperial Court, and even in his own Prince’s Mansion—for instance, that teacher of his who was secretly sending letters out.
This was all a trap, and Yan Bei himself was caught in the vortex.
He bore the responsibility for the lives of over a thousand people in the entire mansion, with various forces swelling around him. From then on, he strictly adhered to his duties, loyally serving the Emperor as per the decree, without getting entangled with any faction.
As time passed, he also became convinced that Wang Huan could not possibly still be alive.
But now there was her handwriting.
Moreover, she seemed to be targeting the Du Family.
So, if her portrait was made public, what if someone with ulterior motives recognized her?
“She appeared at Fei Yun Temple, yet I failed to discover her. I guess the Du Family probably hasn’t discovered her either.
“Or rather, they still don’t know who the assassin who killed Zhang Shaode really is.
“Otherwise, with the Imperial City Department’s power, they could easily find a pretext and issue a widespread manhunt for her.”
At this point, Yan Bei had already had Gao An redo his hair. He looked in the mirror and said this.
While adjusting his hat, Cui Xun walked in from outside the door. He glanced at the two men inside the room and said, “Your Highness, the Marquis of Guangling requests an audience.”
A trace of chill immediately appeared on Yan Bei’s face.
“He comes at just the right time!”
……
Last night, Du Yu went to Fei Yun Temple to capture He Hui, and the Marquis of Guangling waited for him in the study.
At midnight, Du Yu returned and shared the good news that He Hui and Zhang Shaode were both dead, but he also brought back the bad news that the mastermind assassin had escaped.
The original plan was foolproof: use He Hui’s hand to eliminate Zhang Shaode, then kill He Hui under the pretext of capturing the criminal—perfectly legitimate and seamless. With so many assassins dispatched, the mastermind could not possibly escape once they showed up.
In this way, they would catch everyone in one fell swoop.
From then on, they could rest easy, and the events from three years ago could no longer pose a threat.
But under the encirclement of so many people, the assassin still got away!
She met Zhang Shaode right under the noses of so many in the Imperial City Department, killed him, and in the end, didn’t even leave a shadow behind!
The Marquis of Guangling was so angry he spat blood.
With the real culprit escaped, what use was it that the He Family and Zhang Family were wiped out?
No one knew what this person had grasped, or what she gained from meeting Zhang Shaode?
Even more so, he and his son didn’t even know who this person was or what she looked like!
It was all for nothing!
Before they could catch their breath here, at dawn, the guards actually brought news that Prince Jingyang’s Mansion had suddenly posted a notice seeking a woman surnamed Wang.
The shock of this news was no less than letting the assassin escape last night.
After all, Yan Bei had never been involved with any woman, so his sudden search for a commoner woman could not but be seen as a strange move.
Every strange move must have a reason.
With such a big disturbance at Fei Yun Temple last night, Yan Bei still hadn’t summoned anyone from the Du Family for questioning up to now. The Marquis of Guangling was extremely afraid; he simply couldn’t grasp what Yan Bei was thinking.
Just as he was planning a way to go to the Prince’s Mansion to probe, Yan Bei actually sent a guard to summon him over!
He bolstered his courage again and again, gritted his teeth, and bowed before Yan Bei: “A while ago, Madam sent someone to the Northern Lands specifically to deliver some local specialties from home to the Imperial Concubine Dowager, and the Imperial Concubine Dowager happened to send a reply.
“Madam said Your Highness resembles your mother by six or seven parts; seeing Your Highness is like seeing her own sister. She hopes Your Highness can find time to come over for a visit, to soothe her longing for family.
“This official was just about to pay a visit, but unexpectedly Your Highness summoned me.”
The Marquis of Guangling put on a shameless display of diligence, but facing Yan Bei’s indifferent gaze, he felt he couldn’t continue.
Yan Bei took a sip of tea and looked at him: “A while ago, I also heard some rumors that General of Martial Virtue He Jianzhong’s entire family died one after another in just a few short days, and even his in-law Zhang Shaode’s family was assassinated last night at Fei Yun Temple. For such a major event, why didn’t you come report it to me?”
The Imperial City Department originally reported directly to the Emperor; when Prince Duan was alive, it only took orders from the Former Emperor alone.
But now the Emperor had not yet fully taken charge, so naturally the functions of the Imperial City Department had also changed.
Fortunately, Prince Jingyang was the force appointed by the Former Emperor to the Emperor, and the Marquis of Guangling was his relative, so temporarily, Yan Bei, as the Minister of the Bureau of Military Affairs overseeing the Bureau of Military Affairs, was supervising the Imperial City Department, and there weren’t many objections in the Imperial Court.
The Marquis of Guangling’s face twitched: “This, this matter with the He Family, though it happened coincidentally, Shuntian Prefecture didn’t find anything suspicious either.”
Both He Jianzhong and Zhang Shaode were his subordinates; if Yan Bei wanted to investigate, wouldn’t it sooner or later lead back to him?
“Whether there’s anything suspicious isn’t for you to decide.” Yan Bei toyed with the teacup lid. “I had Shuntian Prefecture bring the case files for me to review, and overall I felt there were too many coincidences. I heard these two were your loyal subordinates; with such tragic ends, aren’t you saddened for them?”
The Marquis of Guangling stiffened his resolve: “Yes, this lowly official is naturally heartbroken. So I also hired monks to chant scriptures for their deliverance…”
“That’s all empty gestures.” Yan Bei said, “If you truly cared for them, shouldn’t you thoroughly investigate this case to the end and give them justice?”
The Marquis of Guangling was sweating profusely: “This lowly official will go back and immediately organize manpower for a thorough investigation. These past few days, I was just too busy…”
“I know you’re busy,” Yan Bei continued drinking tea, “So this prince will personally handle this matter for you.
“Additionally, for the Fei Yun Temple incident last night, within one hour, bring all related testimonies and witnesses to the Prince’s Mansion.
“I’ll personally review the He Family and Zhang Family cases.”
The Marquis of Guangling went numb all over: “How dare I trouble Your Highness with this!……”
“Why say such polite words? Just now, didn’t you say Madam misses me and misses the Imperial Concubine Dowager?
“Given the deep affection between our two families, this prince naturally should reciprocate.
“Moreover, this case is already causing a stir. If someone other than me takes it over, you probably wouldn’t feel at ease, would you?”
Yan Bei’s gaze deepened as he said this, and the Marquis of Guangling’s sweat was already about to cover his entire face!
Mwah mwah~ Going on shelves tomorrow. After going on shelves, two updates per day. Tomorrow at midnight upon entering V, the first chapter will be released, and the second chapter will be at 7 PM.
After that, the first chapter each day will update at 7 AM, and for the second chapter, I’m thinking whether to update together or delay to 10 PM (separating might help me stick to a fixed time).
Regarding the story, this is indeed a revenge story centered on the female lead. Since Yan Bei is both the male lead and a key player in the events, the background before and after their intersection needs to be explained clearly, so these few chapters have more of his scenes.
Regarding the male lead’s character, I like the steady type too, but actually I’m not very good at writing a strictly serious male lead. After much deliberation, I still chose to write Yan Bei this way. If there’s anything out of line, please bear with me, and of course discussions are welcome.
Since there’s a satisfying opening, there will definitely be a satisfying ending too. The author will put heart into writing the story, so please support generously and choose official subscriptions.
See you in the V chapters~
