The Second Prince saw that Marquis Wenxin's face was turning pale and blue, and he quickly said, "It's really not the fault of Governor Xiao. You know my father's temper. It's ok for the affairs of the court, and he can tolerate a few arguments, but Governor Xiao should not interfere in the affairs of the palace, even if he is trusted. Otherwise, he would be ignorant of the limits."
Wu Huai also said: "Your Majesty looks rosy and does not seem to be ill. He just drank some wine, so he should be fine."
Marquis Wenxin thought about it and realized that Emperor An spoke with full energy and did not look ill.
He glanced at Xiao Yan and reflected that he had indeed been "being unreasonable" just now. Xiao Yan was in his current situation because of the emperor's favor, so how could he do something that would displease the emperor?
Moreover, His Majesty's temper has become increasingly unpredictable in recent years, especially since the beginning of this year. He has been furious several times in the court, and countless court officials have been punished.
Censor He, who was beaten ten times a day and knelt in front of the Imperial Palace to recite the Five Classics, was almost unrecognizable, but Emperor An never said a word to spare him...
When Marquis Wenxin thought of Censor He, he couldn't help but glance at Xiao Yan, but in terms of ruthlessness, the one in front of him was still more ruthless.
Censor He knelt for a few days and then claimed to be sick and lay in his house, unwilling to enter the palace. However, this person only sent someone to the He family and almost broke the He family's life. Even though Censor He had a broken leg, he still asked people to carry him into the palace every day regardless of wind or rain, and he lay in front of the Imperial Hall in a emaciated state to "recite".
Those court officials from aristocratic families who had originally been against Xiao Yan were beaten so hard that their faces were bruised.
Xiao Yan seemed not to notice that Marquis Wenxin was looking at him, and simply changed the subject: "Thank you for your help tonight, Your Majesty. I will remember your kindness."
Marquis Wenxin quickly said, "No need, I am just helping my wife."
His wife had been friends with Princess Cheng for many years. After learning about the affair between Princess Cheng and Prince Cheng, she begged him to help. He had received favors from the Rong family in the past, and saving Rong Yue was considered as repaying the favor. Xiao Yan was just a by-product.
Marquis Wenxin didn't want to have anything to do with Xiao Yan, so he distanced himself from her and said, "My wife is concerned about the safety of Princess Cheng. Now that the matter is settled, I will go back first to avoid her worrying."
Seeing Marquis Wenxin turn around and leave without stopping, Xiao Yan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows: This Zhou Datou is said to be a military general, but I didn't expect him to be more perceptive than anyone else?
He suddenly missed the new "Uncle Qian".
Xiao Yan looked at Wu Huai without changing his expression: "Thank you, Lord Wu too."
Wu Huai didn't dare to accept Xiao Yan's thanks, and since he had pledged his allegiance to Xiao Yan, he was naturally extra tactful.
"It is my duty to handle murders in the capital. Lord Governor Xiao does not need to thank me. However, the old concubine in Prince Cheng's mansion is adamant that it was the Princess of Cheng who killed the old concubine. I am afraid that Prince Cheng and his men will not change their words."
"Even if Prince Cheng is convicted of treason and other matters have been uncovered, the matter of murdering the old concubine...I'm afraid Princess Cheng can't explain it clearly."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan said, "Let the coroner do an autopsy first to see if the old concubine has any other injuries."
Wu Huai hesitated: "This autopsy requires taking off clothes..."
That old concubine was the concubine of the previous emperor, a noble lady in the palace.
Xiao Yan glanced at him and said, "Even Prince Cheng could use torture, and Xie Yin was deprived of his position as Crown Prince. Do you think His Majesty would care about a dead person?"
Wu Huai reacted after hearing what he said and said in a hurry, "It's my humble servant who is confused. I'll have someone arrange it when I get back."
…
After Wen Xinhou left, Wu Huai did not stay long. He spoke a few words to Xiao Yan, appointed a coroner to perform an autopsy, and then sent the results to Jiyun Lane before leaving as well.
After they left, Xiao Yan left the Imperial Dragon Terrace. The Second Prince did not leave with Marquis Wenxin and the others, but followed Xiao Yan closely.
Xiao Yan was not surprised. He led the people to a secluded place. The Second Prince could not help but speak: "Tonight is all thanks to Governor Xiao."
"I was originally planning to say that what happened tonight was just a coincidence, and to use the same excuse I had used to fool Prince Cheng to reply to my father. If it wasn't for Governor Xiao's reminder when he entered the palace, I would have gotten into big trouble."
Xiao Yan was calm when he heard this: "Your Majesty is not the King of Cheng, and Marquis Wenxin is not your confidant."
He stretched out his hand to smooth the water stains on his sleeves and said to the Second Prince:
"Although I can make Wu Huai shut up, there is no guarantee that the news will not leak to Marquis Wenxin in the future. Moreover, if Your Highness wants to compete with the other princes, you can't always hide behind others. Appropriately showing your ambition will not only not annoy His Majesty, but will make His Majesty put you at the top of the test for the position of the Eastern Palace."
"If you want to compete for the throne, you have to let people see that you have the ability to compete for the position. Keeping a low profile will only make you look incompetent. His Majesty doesn't like people who are too stupid, nor does he like people who are too smart. Only those who are ambitious and easy to control, and have simple and straightforward personalities, can make him feel at ease."
The second prince complimented as if he heard the voice of a fairy, "It is still Lord Xiao who knows what father means."
Xiao Yan shook off the water on his hands and looked down at the Second Prince: "After tonight, Your Highness can feel free to approach people in the court. Even if they slightly cross the line, His Majesty will not be angry."
"As for Marquis Wenxin, he has never been close to the prince, but he must feel guilty about you for accidentally hurting you tonight. This is also an opportunity for you to make friends with him. You can interact with him openly from now on without worrying about people's suspicion."
The Second Prince didn't notice anything wrong. He just thought that if he could subdue Marquis Wenxin, he would have someone to rely on in the army. He said happily, "Thank you, Governor Xiao, for your advice."
As soon as Wen Xinhou walked to the palace gate, he suddenly sneezed and felt a chill on his back.
After Xiao Yan said a few words to the Second Prince, he stopped and looked at the Second Prince who followed him closely: "It's past midnight, Your Highness should leave the palace."
The second prince quickly asked, "Are you going to the Empress Dowager's palace? I'll go with you to take a look..."
"Your Highness shouldn't put your mind on someone you shouldn't."
Xiao Yan's eyes were slightly cold, but no one noticed it under the cover of night.
"You have meddled in Prince Cheng's affairs tonight, so let people see your methods. Tomorrow morning, His Highness will have to speak on the affairs of Prince Cheng's mansion. You should go back early to discuss countermeasures with the staff in the mansion."
Seeing the Second Prince frown, he said, "I know that Your Highness is kind and filial, but His Majesty would not want to see you get too close to the Grand Empress Dowager, Your Highness, please don't use the wrong mind."
The second prince was stunned. Father didn't want to see them getting close to the Empress Dowager?
He did not doubt Xiao Yan's words. When he thought about it carefully, although the Empress Dowager was of noble status, it seemed that his father only showed respect to her on the surface. He had never even held a grand celebration for her birthday in the past.
In recent years, I have only heard that the Empress Dowager was suffering from hysteria and talking nonsense. Although people from the Imperial Medical Bureau often looked after her, my father has never shown any concern.
Just now in the palace, the Second Prince still remembered the look on Emperor An's face when he heard that a palace concubine was "disturb" the Grand Empress Dowager's rest. Originally, he just wanted to use the Grand Empress Dowager's identity to earn a reputation for filial piety.
But if this action would anger his father and make him unhappy, then he would naturally not do such a stupid thing.
The second prince quickly retracted his thoughts: "I was mistaken, I will leave the palace first."
Xiao Yan said, "Your Highness, remember to spend more time with the Cui and Feng families, and also pay more attention to the head of the Li family. The rift between the noble families is deepening. Once the Lu family falls, they will definitely choose another master. Your Highness, don't miss the opportunity."
"Cui Lin is very wary of me, and he only wants to use me to deal with the Lu family. You should be more careful in front of him. Your Highness, do you know how to tell him about what happened tonight?"
The second prince quickly said in a serious tone, "Of course, I accidentally learned of Lord Xiao's intentions, and took the opportunity to show my good will to you. Lord Xiao, rest assured, I will not do anything stupid."
He wants the Cui family and the Feng family, but he wants Xiao Yan more.
Compared with the aristocratic families whose internal strength is in chaos, Xiao Yan, who can enter and leave the emperor's presence at any time and has great power in the court, is his greatest helper. After all, only he can make him be valued by those families in such a short period of time, and even have a clear way in front of his father.
Others may not have such means.
The second prince left with great joy, thinking in his heart how to make friends with Marquis Wenxin and others and deal with the Cui family.
Xiao Yan waited quietly for him to leave before his face turned cold. He glanced in the direction where the Second Prince left with some disgust and slightly opened his thin lips.
"Send someone to Fengxi Palace to tell Queen Lu about the incident at Prince Cheng's Mansion."
Jinyun nodded: "Yes."
"Send someone to check what happened to the Lu family when Princess Cheng gave birth. See if you can find the midwife who delivered Rong Yue. Also , check if there were other women of childbearing age in the Lu family who were pregnant when Rong Yue was pregnant, and if the babies they gave birth to were stillborn or not raised."
Jin Yun was stunned, and then shocked: "The governor said that Xie Yin is from the Lu family..."
He was full of astonishment. He didn't think that the "Lu family" mentioned by the governor referred to someone else. But if this was true, even if Xie Yin was only a descendant of the Lu family, it would be considered a shocking news.
If this is really found out, the Lu family will be in big trouble if they don't die.
He quickly said, "I will have someone check it out after I leave the palace."
Xiao Yan walked towards the Empress Dowager's palace. Compared with the Imperial Dragon Terrace and Fengxi Palace, that place seemed much more remote and simple.
The outer door of the palace was old, with mottled and peeling red paint, which made people realize how much the palace, beneath the surface of respect, neglected this elderly man who should have been the most honorable and noble.
After the palace door was pushed open with a "creak", Xiao Yan stepped into the palace. Compared with the old-fashioned outer room, the palace was exquisitely decorated everywhere, and the burning calming incense was better than the tribute in the palace.
When Xiao Yan walked to the partition door, he saw an old man with white hair lying in the inner room with his eyes closed.
"Madam Qin gave her acupuncture before she passed away. The Empress Dowager fell asleep all night, but she occasionally muttered in her sleep." The palace servant who followed in whispered.
Xiao Yan waved his hand and the man retreated.
Canglang and Jinyun also stopped outside the screen.
Xiao Yan stood in the shadows for a long time before he walked to the bed with wet steps. He leaned over and squatted in front of the bed, reached out and held the old man's wrinkled hand on the bed. His pale and thin fingers almost held her whole in his hand.
As the candlelight flickered, the old man on the bed murmured softly in his sleep, perhaps sensing something.
"Yuan Sheng..."
Xiao Yan's coldness and brutality were completely restrained. He gently placed his face on the old man's hand, and his sword-like eyes were slightly lowered with an indifferent look in his mind.
"Grandma, I'm here to take you out of the palace."