Chapter 51: Entanglements
Xu He looked at the woman before him in shock.
At the tea banquet, he had noticed that this woman actually had some connection with Prince Jingyang. Countless thoughts flashed through his mind, but he did not dare reveal even a hint.
Thinking that she was, after all, a woman and should have some worldly concerns in her heart, he deliberately adopted this attitude to test her. Once he grasped some details, he could act accordingly in front of Prince Jingyang in the future.
But he had never expected that she would not take the worldly conventions that others regarded as ironclad rules seriously at all, and instead so deftly turn the tables on him!
Although she was impersonating He Shi, where was there even a trace of He Shi’s timid compliance?
This sharp momentum was even stronger than that of the high officials he saw in the yamen.
At this moment, after she had only responded with a few sentences, he already did not even dare to meet her gaze!
“Go down.” Yue Tang saw that his spiritedness had completely deflated and knew he had become obedient. “Weigh what is light and what is heavy yourself. In the future, if not summoned, there is no need to come in.”
Xu He’s face flushed red, and he retreated out over the threshold.
Lan Qin watched coldly from under the door until he was far away, then came in: “Wei Zhang and the others are back. Xiao Huo has prepared to set out for Luoyang. Does the Princess have any other instructions?”
Yue Tang thought for a moment and said, “Have him go find Xu He and ask for He Shi’s exact address.
“After finding He Shi, bring her into the capital. She may no longer be safe.”
She added, “Prevent Xu He from being slippery. Be sure to get the real address.”
Lan Qin nodded and went out. Wei Zhang and Hua Lin followed right after and came in: “Princess!”
There was excitement in their eyes. It seemed they had already learned the ins and outs of the encounter with Yan Bei from Lan Qin’s mouth.
Yue Tang spared the verbosity and first said to Hua Lin: “A Li was just a hundred-day-old infant back then. The suffering he endured is unimaginable, and it was already extremely difficult for Yan Bei to keep him alive.
“This is your specialty. Go to the prince’s mansion right now and watch over him day and night just as you treated me back then. Be sure to heal him completely.”
After thinking, she added: “Be even more diligent than when saving me. I want him to live to a hundred.”
Hua Lin slung the medical kit over his shoulder: “If I can’t heal that child, I won’t bear the surname Hua!”
“That’s not necessary,” Yue Tang sighed. “Go see him first.”
From childhood to now, Yue Tang had never acted like a niece. It would already be good if she didn’t tease her uncle Hua Lin. Seeing her tone like this now showed just how anxious and uncertain she felt.
Hua Lin silently nodded twice and went out.
Wei Zhang stepped forward: “It is this subordinate’s incompetence. Back then, I actually failed to see that the son-in-law had such a special identity.”
Yue Tang curved her lips: “I didn’t even see it myself. Why blame you? Besides, he entered the capital as a border defense minister at that time. Any slight mistake would implicate the entire prince’s mansion. If he had easily revealed a flaw for you and me to catch, he wouldn’t have been up to the task.
“Enough, that’s all in the past. No need to mention it again.
“It’s best that Yan Bei did not participate in the conspiracy.
“We look ahead.
“As long as A Li is alive, I cannot disappoint him. I must more quickly uncover the mastermind of the conspiracy from the Du Family side, so that I can openly bring him back to Prince Duan’s Mansion and never separate from him again.”
To reunite mother and son and properly protect A Li, she naturally needed to reclaim the seal to protect him as Princess Yongjia.
Previously, she had not carefully considered this step, only because hiding in the shadows brought more benefits.
But with A Li lost and found again, how could Yue Tang bear to separate from him for long once more?
Not to mention the child’s repeated cries of “Mother,” which gave her endless morale.
Back then after he was born, Prince Duan had someone take hand and foot molds of him and register them at the Imperial Clan Court.
The former emperor had also granted the jade tablet seal of the prince’s heir, allowing him to recognize ancestors and return to the clan. There was no issue procedurally.
“If we can welcome back the young heir apparent, then the prince can rest content even under the nine springs.” Wei Zhang could not suppress the tremor in his voice. “But the problem is, will Prince Jingyang let go?”
That was also Yan Bei’s own flesh and blood, a child he had personally saved and raised for three years.
He and his wife had already divorced, and Prince Jingyang’s Mansion dominated Mobei. Yan Bei was not one to speak softly either.
“Ignore him for now.” Yue Tang said, “Just do what we should do.”
She picked up her brush, frowned in thought as she dipped it in ink, then wrote a string of names on the white paper.
“The names at the top are the owners of that batch of evidence of crimes from Du Minghuan’s study.
“The Du Family stores them so securely. Either they are weapons to use against opponents, or they are for those who differ in stance, kept as needed.
“If they involve the same stance, then these people’s affiliations must be opposed to those behind the Du Family.
“Go investigate them.”
Wei Zhang took the paper.
After he left, Yue Tang took out the beaded bracelet from her bosom and slowly held it up to the light to examine it closely.
……
Yan Bei left when the banquet was seven or eight-tenths through.
For someone of his status to attend was already rare. Staying too long would make everyone uneasy while eating and drinking, so leaving early was only natural.
After seeing him off, Marquis of Guangling went with Du Yu to the study.
Du Yu spoke first: “The prince lingered so long in Chang Xuan earlier. The plan to publicly announce Xu He’s foster son identity at the banquet could not be carried out. Now we don’t know how to handle him.”
“Put this matter aside first. You tell me what exactly he is up to?” Marquis of Guangling turned from the window. “Does that wife of his look like she comes from a small household? With such appearance and demeanor, is Xu He still not satisfied? He even has to disdain his original wife?”
Du Yu stepped forward: “Father suspects this He Shi has questionable origins?”
Marquis of Guangling stroked his beard: “The prince has been widowed for three years. The Ministry of Rites has urged him countless times to take a princess consort, but he never showed the slightest interest. Today, upon suddenly seeing He Shi, he acted that way—
“Admittedly, He Shi is breathtakingly beautiful, but you can’t say that Prince Jingyang, of all people, would act like some worldly naive youth and turn lovesick upon seeing He Shi, can you?”
Du Yu pondered: “Actually, son has a guess. Some days ago, the prince’s mansion posted notices everywhere looking for a woman named Wang Huan. This He Shi, even if not Wang Huan herself, might well have some connection to her.”
Marquis of Guangling nodded thoughtfully: “Some reason in that.”
Thinking of this, he immediately ordered: “Quickly send someone to Luoyang again to check the truth!”
Du Yu turned and went to give orders to the servants.
Marquis of Guangling stood for a moment, took a letter from his sleeve, unfolded a few pages of documents inside and glanced at them, then walked into the inner room and opened the hidden compartment in the wall.
At today’s banquet, someone had again gathered handles on two officials and given them to him.
These things could bring him considerable benefits.
The hidden compartment opened, and he put the things inside.
In the instant he withdrew his hand, he suddenly paused, then reached in with his entire arm and rummaged inside.
He even found the covering painting obstructive, yanked it down, and dug into the hidden compartment with both hands!
Du Yu had just finished issuing orders and walked in to see this scene: “What happened?”
Marquis of Guangling’s expression shattered: “Someone has been here!”
Du Yu froze.
“Quickly call all the hidden sentries outside!” Marquis of Guangling gritted his teeth. “What are you waiting for?!”
