All of Yu Hanjiang's conjectures were merely theoretical speculations. The only actual evidence was the piece of cloth tightly clutched in Lin Shaobo's hand—a piece of cloth that matched the color and material of the guard's clothes. This was the most crucial piece of physical evidence in the case.
Thinking of this, Yu Hanjiang looked at Long Sen and asked, "How many sets of clothes do the guards in the Prince's mansion have?"
Long Sen said, "Everyone made two sets of clothes of the same color and style for changing."
Yu Hanjiang said, "You are the chief guard of the Prince's Palace. After you return, immediately gather all the guards and carefully check their clothes. They should have another set of clothes to change into. See if any of their clothes are missing a piece or have been patched."
Long Sen nodded immediately: "Understood, I'll go check right away."
Regardless of who the mastermind is, it's highly likely that the person who directly killed Lin Shaobo was a guard from the Prince's mansion; otherwise, Lin Shaobo wouldn't have torn a piece of fabric from the guard's sleeve during the struggle. Finding the murderer through physical evidence is currently the safest approach.
To find out if Eighth Prince was involved in the rebellion, Yu Hanjiang decided to return to the Yu family in Jiangzhou to ask his elderly grandfather. According to the established storyline, his grandfather had once held the high-ranking position of Prime Minister before resigning and returning to his hometown. Yu Hanjiang also grew up in Jiangzhou with his grandfather.
Yu Hanjiang served as the Crown Prince's companion for a period when he was young. In this world, his age is similar to that of the Crown Prince back then, who is now His Majesty—both are in their early twenties. His grandfather is close in age to the Former Emperor, over 70 years old, and he may know some secrets.
That noon, Yu Hanjiang took Xiao Lou back to the Yu family home.
Yu Hanjiang's father did not pursue an official career; instead, he spent his days composing poetry and painting, becoming a leisurely scholar who remained in Jiangzhou. When Yu Hanjiang went to the capital to take the imperial examination, his father tried to stop him, but Yu Hanjiang was stubborn and, full of enthusiasm, went and became the top scholar.
The Yu family lived in the suburbs of Jiangzhou. The entire courtyard was quiet and simple, clearly belonging to a scholarly family.
Stepping into the house, Yu Hanjiang felt a strange sense of familiarity, after all, in the storyline, this was where he grew up.
The guard at the gate was overjoyed to see him and exclaimed excitedly, "Young Master and Young Madam are back? I'll go and inform them right away!"
Yu Hanjiang nodded and gently put his arm around Xiao Lou's shoulder as they walked into the courtyard. The two followed the bluestone path to the main hall, where their parents had already received the news and rushed over. Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou bowed to their elders together.
Although these two are not Yu Hanjiang's real parents, but just characters set up in the plot, Xiao Lou still felt very awkward being suddenly brought back to "meet the parents." He could only bite the bullet and play along with Yu Hanjiang, calling out, "Dad, Mom."
Yu's father asked, " Hanjiang, when did you take up your post in Jiangzhou? Why haven't you come home to visit us?"
Yu Hanjiang explained, "I have just arrived in Jiangzhou and have a lot of official business to attend to. I have been very busy these past few days and only managed to find some time to come home to visit you today. Father, Mother, how have you been these days?"
Madam Yu smiled and said, "Your father and I are doing well, but you two seem to have lost weight in the three years we haven't seen each other." She looked at Xiao Lou with a loving expression and said, "Xiao Lou, did you suffer a lot while you were in Kyoto with Hanjiang?"
Xiao Lou said, "Mother, please don't say that. My husband is busy with official duties in the capital, so it's only right that I stay by his side."
He himself found the lines cheesy, but he still had to grit his teeth and keep acting.
Yu Hanjiang quickly changed the subject: "Where's Grandpa? Why isn't he home?"
Yu's father said, "Your grandfather goes fishing in the mountains every day, and he hasn't come back yet."
Yu's mother looked at Xiao Lou and said gently, "You two can stay home for dinner. I'll have the kitchen prepare some good food for you."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang chatted with their parents for a while.
Grandpa returned leisurely around lunchtime, carrying his fishing rod and basket. His basket contained several fish he had just caught. Seeing his grandson and granddaughter-in-law return, the old man smiled broadly and immediately handed the fish to the cook to make soup.
Xiao Lou stayed in the side hall to talk with Yu's mother, while Yu Hanjiang took the opportunity to call his grandfather to the study alone.
He briefly told his grandfather what had happened at the Prince's Mansion.
Despite his advanced age, Grandpa Yu was in excellent spirits. Upon hearing that someone had died in the Prince's mansion, the old man frowned slightly, stroked his long beard, and said, "This matter is not simple. You must investigate carefully, but you must also learn to protect yourself. Pretend not to know what you shouldn't know, so as not to cause trouble for yourself."
Hearing his grandfather's pointed remark, Yu Hanjiang asked in a low voice, "Grandpa, you served as the Prime Minister to the Former Emperor for more than ten years. Why did the Former Emperor pass the throne to his grandson instead of a prince?"
Grandpa Yu sighed softly: "Alas... this is a long story. Former Emperor had no choice but to do it."
Yu Hanjiang sat beside him, listening attentively: "Unavoidable? What exactly is the reason?"
Grandpa Yu said, " The Former Emperor had few children. Many of his sons died shortly after birth. Only five princes survived: the First Prince, the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, the Sixth Prince, and the Eighth Prince. The First Prince was the eldest son and was born to the Empress. The Former Emperor doted on the First Prince the most and made him the Crown Prince when he was still an infant."
Recalling those events, a trace of sorrow appeared on the old man's face: "The eldest prince was exceptionally intelligent, kind-hearted, humble, and studious. The ministers all believed he would be the best successor. However, at the age of twenty, he was wounded by a poisoned arrow while hunting and died on the spot. An investigation revealed that it was actually the Third Prince..."
His Majesty, enraged that someone had done this, simply gave the Third Prince a cup of poisoned wine.
Yu Hanjiang was taken aback: "So it was Third Prince who assassinated His Highness the Crown Prince? His Majesty, in his fury, ordered his execution?"
Grandpa Yu said, "Alas, royal secrets are naturally not to be spread. After the eldest prince died young, the position of crown prince was temporarily vacant. His Majesty originally wanted to carefully examine the other princes before making a decision, but not long after, the empress also died. Later, the investigation revealed that it was actually Consort Shu who was responsible. Consort Shu poisoned the empress, and Consort Ming poisoned Consort Shu in turn. It also involved the forces behind the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince."
"The concubines in the harem used such ruthless methods to compete for the emperor's favor that the Former Emperor became disheartened. So the Former Emperor secretly made a will that all the concubines should be buried with him after his death."
Yu Hanjiang was also shocked after hearing this story. He thought about it carefully and said, " The Third Prince was given poisoned wine by the late emperor, and the fifth and sixth princes joined forces with their mothers to seize power. But the Eighth Prince... the original Eighth Prince, did not participate in the struggle for the crown prince position. Why didn't the late emperor consider making him the crown prince?"
Grandpa Yu smiled and said, " Eighth Prince was the one who saw things most clearly. Among the late emperor's sons, he was the most learned and talented, and was originally the best candidate for crown prince. When the late emperor consulted us ministers, we all suggested that Eighth Prince be made crown prince. However, just when the late emperor decided to make Eighth Prince crown prince, he took the initiative to submit a memorial, suggesting that the late emperor establish a rule that the Great Qi State should only pass the throne to the eldest son born to the empress. If there is no eldest son, the throne should be passed to the eldest son. The order must not be disrupted, so as to avoid the struggle for the crown prince in future generations."
Historically, bloodshed over the struggle for the crown prince position has been common. The Eighth Prince clearly understood the importance of self-preservation. At the time, he and his mother were powerless; if His Majesty appointed him crown prince, he would become the next scapegoat, suppressed by the Fifth and Sixth Princes. Was he truly indifferent to power back then, or was he feigning weakness while waiting for the perfect opportunity?
Grandpa's next words provided Yu Hanjiang with an answer: "The year the late Emperor passed away, the Crown Prince ascended the throne. At that time, the Crown Prince was only eighteen years old. The Fifth and Sixth Princes raised an army to force the emperor to abdicate. It was the Eighth Prince who assisted the Crown Prince and, with the help of both inside and outside forces, quelled the rebellion. Although the current Emperor is young, he is far-sighted. He had long anticipated that his two uncles would not be content with their lot and made arrangements in advance when the Former Emperor was seriously ill. It's a pity that the two princes underestimated this young nephew. They were shot to death by arrows in the palace, and in the end, His Majesty found the excuse of 'dying of illness' to bury them."
Yu Hanjiang: "..."
Yu Hanjiang, who had just become the top scholar in the imperial examination, was unaware of what happened back then. He only realized the truth after hearing his grandfather's explanation.
The power struggles within the palace are mostly secrets that cannot be revealed to outsiders. Although my grandfather is old and living in seclusion in Jiangzhou, several high-ranking officials in the court are his favorite students, and he has his own sources of information.
Upon hearing this, Yu Hanjiang couldn't help but wonder—if the Eighth Prince really wanted to rebel, wouldn't it have been easier for him to launch a rebellion when he had just ascended the throne and his position was not yet secure? Why would he need to help the Crown Prince quell the rebellions of the other two princes?
Now that the Crown Prince has been on the throne for four years, most of the court officials are very convinced of His Majesty's authority, and His Majesty has gradually cultivated his own confidants. If the Eighth Prince wants to rebel again, he has already missed the best opportunity.
Is the Eighth Prince really a lazy prince who only loves beautiful women and has no interest in politics?
Yu Hanjiang frowned slightly, lost in thought.
Grandpa Yu sighed, "Being in the royal family, sometimes you have no choice in what you do. In the palace struggles of the past, many concubines, princes and princesses died unjustly. Eighth Prince and Ninth Princess are some of His Majesty's few remaining relatives."
Yu Hanjiang suddenly remembered the secret letter His Majesty had given to Prince Eighth …
Was my guess wrong?
Just then, his mother called for someone to bring him food, so Yu Hanjiang helped his elderly grandfather over.
The family enjoyed a reunion dinner around the table. Yu Hanjiang chatted with his parents for a while before taking his leave with Xiao Lou.
After leaving the Yu family, Xiao Lou asked with a smile, "How was it? Did you find anything useful on this trip?"
Yu Hanjiang whispered, "Our reasoning may be wrong again."
Xiao Lou asked, "Are you saying that Eighth Prince is not suspected of treason?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Judging from Grandpa's description, Eighth Prince doesn't seem like that kind of person. It is said that when the Former Emperor died and the Crown Prince ascended the throne, the Fifth and Sixth Princes joined forces to raise an army and force the emperor to abdicate. It was His Majesty and Eighth Prince who quelled the rebellion from within and without. Both of those princes were killed by stray arrows in the palace. If Eighth Prince wanted to rebel, there was no need to wait until His Majesty's power was already strong enough to take action."
Xiao Lou was also somewhat surprised to hear this: "So, it seems that Prince Eighth is actually very loyal to His Majesty?"
Yu Hanjiang said, "Since His Majesty is a far-sighted person, if he is wary of the Eighth Prince, he shouldn't be foolish enough to let the Eighth Prince's legitimate daughter, Princess Shuan, marry into Zhao State, leaving himself with such a big hidden danger."
Xiao Lou thought about it carefully and said, " Does the fact that His Majesty has allied Eighth Prince with Zhao State mean that he actually trusts Eighth Prince a lot?"
Yu Hanjiang said thoughtfully, "His Majesty also gave Eighth Prince a secret letter, but we don't know what it said. Perhaps our reasoning has gone astray. Eighth Prince is not plotting a rebellion, but rather joining forces with His Majesty... to suppress any potential rebellious forces in Jiangzhou?"
Xiao Lou's eyes lit up: "That makes sense! The prince goes from being the villain to the hero. Someone is plotting a rebellion, but it's not the Eighth Prince. He's in cahoots with His Majesty?"
The process of reasoning is like peeling back layers; if one line of thought is wrong, immediately switch to another.
The murder case at the Prince's mansion uncovered too many clues. At first, it was thought to be a power struggle within the inner quarters, with the Fourth Miss and Lin Shaobo's affair being discovered and leading to their murder. Later, suspicions arose that the guards and Eighth Prince were plotting a rebellion...
Now it turns out that everything was wrong.
Lin Shaobo is not the murderer, Qin the bodyguard is not the murderer, and Eighth Prince is very likely not the murderer either.
So, who exactly broke into the Prince's mansion and killed two people on the Prince's birthday?
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and said, "I wonder how things are going with Long Sen. Let's go to the Prince's Mansion again."
******