The late emperor had many concubines in his harem. The empress was his first wife and the woman he loved most.
Both Consort Shu and Consort Ming came from powerful and influential families. Consort Shu was the daughter of a military family, and Consort Ming also had a group of ministers behind her. In contrast, Eighth Prince's mother had a terrifyingly low presence in the harem, almost like a transparent person.
Even now, neither of them knows her name or title.
Yu Hanjiang said in a low voice, " Eighth Prince's mother... I remember, my grandfather seemed to have mentioned that his mother did not participate in the palace intrigues and seemed to be a woman who was indifferent to worldly affairs."
To live a life free from worldly strife?
In the ever-changing and turbulent imperial harem, is it truly possible to remain "uncontested"?
Xiao Lou frowned and said, "If our deduction is correct, the mother of the Eighth Prince should not be some woman who is indifferent to worldly affairs, but a cunning and resourceful woman who is like Zhuge Liang. She killed four birds with one stone, causing the Crown Prince and the Third Prince to die one after another, and then causing the Fifth Prince and the Sixth Prince to fall out of favor one after another. Among the late emperor's sons, only the Eighth Prince is left to inherit the throne. This scheme is truly ruthless and vicious!"
Yu Hanjiang thought for a moment and said, "We'll go see Princess Ninth as soon as it's light tomorrow morning. She should know what kind of person Prince Eighth's mother is!"
Xiao Lou nodded: "Okay, we need to hurry."
**
Early the next morning, Long Sen returned to Jiangzhou City and secretly went to the prefect's backyard to report.
Long Sen looked extremely tired, with dark circles under his eyes, probably because he hadn't rested for two days and two nights and had been traveling back non-stop.
Seeing that he was almost exhausted, Xiao Lou immediately poured him a glass of water and said gently, "You've worked hard."
Long Sen gulped down his water, wiped his mouth, and said, "I changed horses three times along the way, and didn't dare rest for a moment. I finally made it in time. It was really dangerous. His Majesty's selection of consorts is in two days! If we hadn't delivered the message in time, His Majesty might have been assassinated!"
Xiao Lou was taken aback and said, "It seems that if we are too slow in our reasoning, by the time we figure out the origins of the Yan State assassin group, His Majesty in the capital may already be dead."
It was a false alarm.
Fortunately, Xiao Lou remembered his younger brother at the front lines and lured him out to investigate. Otherwise, they would have had no idea that His Majesty had also been assassinated. They were focused solely on investigating the Prince's Mansion case; if His Majesty died, the entire secret investigation would fail!
Yu Hanjiang gave Xiao Lou an approving look and said, "Luckily, we made it in time."
Xiao Lou nodded and asked, "Yes, what was His Majesty's reaction after reading the secret letter?"
As the Shadow Guard appointed by His Majesty, Long Sen could contact the Shadow Guard in the capital and have them directly introduce him. This was why Yu Hanjiang had Long Sen personally deliver the letter; this letter could not be compromised.
Although His Majesty is young, he is very shrewd and had secretly trained a large number of Shadow Guards before ascending the throne.
Long Sen said, "His Majesty led me through a secret passage. I was blindfolded and taken to a very strange place. When I met His Majesty dressed as a young nobleman, I handed him the secret letter. After reading it, he frowned and said, 'I didn't expect these assassins to be so arrogant, daring to come to the palace to assassinate someone!'"
Long Sen mimicked His Majesty's speech perfectly: "Go back and tell Lord Yu that I will handle the selection of officials with care. The selection will take place in two days, and everything will proceed as usual. This will be a good opportunity to expose all the assassins lurking in the capital and the spies who are colluding with the enemy in the court!"
Yu Hanjiang frowned and said, "Is he trying to risk his life to lure the snake out of its hole?"
Long Sen said, "His Majesty does indeed mean that. The Ministry of Rites has been planning the talent show for a long time, and many suitable showgirls are already on their way to the capital. It would be difficult to explain if it were canceled abruptly, and it might even cause wild speculation among the people. His Majesty said that he would make arrangements in advance, keep an eye on the more beautiful showgirls, and find the assassins mixed in among them. He told Lord Yu to rest assured."
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Since His Majesty has made arrangements, I think, with his shrewdness and strategy, he won't be afraid of just a few assassins. The Yan State assassin line should be able to come to a perfect close."
His Majesty will take care of catching the assassins and investigating the Ministry of Rites spies. Yu Hanjiang's next task is to unravel the poisoning case.
Currently, there are still some secrets to be uncovered in this poisoning case.
With that in mind, Yu Hanjiang brought Xiao Lou and Lao Mo to the Prince's Mansion.
Yu Hanjiang personally reported the results of his investigation into the assassin organization to the Eighth Prince, informing him that it was a force from Yan State, personally established by the Crown Prince of Yan State. He also stated that Yan State was preparing to send assassins to assassinate His Majesty, and that he had already sent a letter to the Emperor overnight to inform him.
The prince suddenly realized, "So it was the people of Yan State who did this! How dare they assassinate His Majesty! They're scoundrels!" The prince slammed his hand on the table, almost overturning it.
Yu Hanjiang calmly replied, "The assassins have all been captured. In your opinion, Your Highness, what should be done with these assassins?"
The prince thought carefully for a moment and said, "Assassinating His Majesty is a capital offense. Lord Yu, there's no need to show mercy. Just fabricate a charge and execute them. Besides, since Tianxiang Tower is an intelligence organization's stronghold, we can't leave any survivors here."
Yu Hanjiang said, " There are still four young ladies left in Tianxiang Tower. I have carefully investigated and found that these four are indeed innocent and have no knowledge of Aunt Qing's actions. We should not indiscriminately kill innocent people. Why don't we let these four find their own way?"
The prince frowned: "Are you sure these four people are alright?"
Yu Hanjiang nodded: "Your Majesty has already obtained the organization's list from Aunt Qing, which does not include these four people. Moreover, Your Majesty has personally interrogated and investigated them, and these four people are indeed completely unaware of the situation."
We absolutely cannot execute all the girls at Tianxiang Tower, since Ye Qi is also at Tianxiang Tower.
The prince said, "Very well, you are the Perfect of Jiangzhou, so you can decide how to deal with these four." The prince stroked his chin and added, "By the way, are the two murders in the Prince's mansion also related to these assassins?"
Yu Hanjiang couldn't directly say, "Your daughter was very likely killed by your son," so he made up an excuse, saying, "The assassin doesn't admit to killing the young lady. I'm still investigating the case of the young lady and Young Master Lin. I've found some clues. Please grant me a few more days, Your Highness, and I will definitely catch the murderer as soon as possible."
The prince nodded and said, "Then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Yu."
Yu Hanjiang said, "Your Majesty, I have a few more details I would like to ask Princess Ninth. I wonder if Princess Ninth is still at the Prince's residence?"
The prince couldn't help but laugh: "Of course she's still here. My sister has always been willful. She was almost stabbed through the back by an assassin that day, and she was terrified. She hasn't dared to go anywhere since she came back, and she's been staying at the prince's mansion to recuperate for the past two days."
He beckoned to a maid and said, "Go to the backyard and call Princess Ninth. Lord Yu has something to ask her."
A moment later, Princess Ninth led Qu Wanyue to the side hall in the front yard.
The two had changed back into women's clothing.
Qu Wanyue's women's clothing perfectly captured the gentle and beautiful image of an ancient Jiangnan woman, making Long Sen's eyes light up.
Yu Hanjiang first used some palace gossip as a prelude to confirm the old story that Ninth Princess told Qu Wanyue: "Back then, I served as His Highness the Crown Prince's study companion in the palace for a period of time and heard some rumors... Consort Shu poisoned the Empress, and Consort Ming then poisoned Consort Shu. Princess Ninth grew up in the palace. Is that true?"
Princess Ninth said, "These are all rumors, and there is no real evidence. My father did not banish Consort Ming to the Cold Palace. He only left a will ordering all the concubines in the harem to be buried with him."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "What about the Eighth Prince's mother? Does the princess know anything about her?"
Princess Ninth thought for a moment and said, "Eighth Prince's mother is Consort Xian. It is said that Consort Xian was a commoner woman whom Father Emperor rescued when he went to Jiangzhou. She had no relatives. She was the most beautiful of all the concubines in the harem, with a pure and refined temperament. After Father Emperor brought her into the palace, she chose to live in the most secluded 'Qingxin Garden' in the harem. She has always been indifferent to worldly affairs and did not interact much with the other concubines. She only knew how to brew tea and chant Buddhist scriptures every day."
Yu Hanjiang asked, "What did the late emperor think of Consort Xian?"
Princess Ninth said, "My father doted on her. She was very quiet and gentle. He often went to her place for tea, saying that drinking Consort Xian's tea could calm the mind and refresh the brain. When I was little, I often went to play with Consort Xian. Of all the concubines in the harem, Consort Xian was my favorite. She was really gentle and always smelled of tea. By the way, she knew some medicine. She treated me when I was little and gave me some medicinal tea to nourish my body."
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged a glance.
Consort Xian, the birth mother of Eighth Prince, was a woman brought back to the palace from the common people by the late emperor.
This woman appears gentle, virtuous, and unassuming, and usually lives in the most secluded corner, brewing tea and chanting Buddhist scriptures. Perhaps, she is the most terrifying boss in the harem.
She loves brewing tea; perhaps she could put poison in the tea leaves, silently poisoning the Empress and Consort Shu, and then frame someone else!
Yu Hanjiang followed up with, " The Former Emperor left a will ordering all his concubines to be buried alive with him. What about Consort Xian? Was she also buried alive with him?"
Unexpectedly, Ninth Princess
He actually shook his head and said, " Consort Xian is still alive!"
Everyone: "..."
Everyone's hairs were practically standing on end!
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lou's heart clenched, feeling as if a venomous snake had its eyes on his neck.
This hidden boss is still alive?
Yu Hanjiang immediately pressed, "How could this be? Didn't the Former Emperor order all his concubines to be buried alive with him? Is Consort Xian disobeying the Former Emperor's will?"
Princess Ninth sighed softly and said, "More than ten years ago, my father made the current emperor the crown prince, and my eighth brother was enfeoffed as the Prince of Zhenjiang. My father built him a magnificent Zhenjiang Prince's Mansion in Jiangzhou. My eighth brother liked to be a carefree prince, so he returned to Jiangzhou with several wives to settle down. He spent his days traveling and enjoying life. When Consort Xian found out, she informed my father that she wanted to go to Qingshan Temple to pray for my father's well-being..."
— Qingshan Temple, that is, the temple outside Jiangzhou City!
Princess Ninth said with admiration, " Consort Xian truly saw through the illusions of the world and had a heart as still as water. When the Former Emperor discovered that she spent her days in the palace eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures, he simply let her go. So Consort Xian entered the Buddhist order and came to Qingshan Temple, becoming a nun there. The Former Emperor's last will and testament was that all the concubines in the harem should be buried with him, but Consort Xian was no longer part of the harem, so of course she didn't have to be buried with him."
Ye Qi and Liu Qiao, who were tracking the Zhao State's envoy last night, happened to arrive at Qingshan Temple and discovered Qi Fenghua having a secret conversation with the second prince of Zhao State.
Jiangzhou is such a big place, and there are so many places in the suburbs and woods that are suitable for chatting, so why Qingshan Temple in particular?
I see!
Consort Xian is still at Qingshan Temple!
Yu Hanjiang looked at Xiao Lou and met his bright gaze.
The truth of the case has finally come to light.
Consort Xian, who seized the opportunity to "enter the monastery," was probably furious with her own son. She had schemed for so long, eliminating all her enemies, only to be betrayed by her own son in the end. Who could have imagined that the Eighth Prince, with no interest in power, would actually submit a memorial to abdicate in favor of the throne at the last moment, just as the late emperor was about to pass it on to him?!
In Eighth Prince's view, traveling and enjoying beautiful women is one of life's greatest pleasures.
Sitting on the dragon throne was too much trouble; he preferred to be a carefree prince.
Consort Xian's scheme failed, so she had no choice but to kill a group of people in the capital to silence them. This is very likely the reason for the series of poisonings that occurred in the capital back then. After all, Consort Xian could not have done so much by herself. She must have secretly cultivated a group of subordinates and even joined forces with some court officials, including people from the Ministry of Justice.
Since the plot failed, these people could not be spared, so she poisoned a group of people, which implicated Xiao Lou's father. Perhaps her father was also silenced because he had investigated the Empress and the Crown Prince's affairs.
After handling the aftermath, Consort Xian then pretended to have seen through the vanities of the world and wanted to become a monk.
The late emperor was already old at the time, and the empress and princes had both met with misfortune. The old man must have been very tired. Considering that she had always been gentle and virtuous, and also worried that she would be harmed if she stayed in the palace, the late emperor agreed to let her leave the palace and enjoy her old age in a temple.
The late emperor probably never imagined that Consort Xian, whom he considered the gentlest and most unassuming, was the real culprit hiding behind the scenes.
She hid it so well!
Even Xiao Lou couldn't help but admire her cunning. If women could become empresses in this world, Consort Xian might have been able to become an empress herself. She had the entire harem of the late emperor completely under her thumb, and in the end, all the women in the harem were forced to commit suicide, while she alone survived.
Her son was a disappointment, wasting all her carefully laid plans.
Therefore, she turned her attention to her grandson—and began to assist Qi Fenghua in his rebellion.
******