What happened that night shook the entire court.
The drama started in King Yan’s Manor. A concubine disappeared, King Yan was drunk on his bed, wearing bloody clothes. In front of his bed, a servant died in the strangest manner.
The drama then continued in a house of King Chu, where an assassin gravely injured King Chu.
The most unfortunate king was King Xuan, who got caught under the brothel that he frequented. The lusty King Xuan was trapped beneath the rubble and was still in a coma when he was rescued. Good medications were sent in heaps to his manor as if they had been free of charge.
Since all three princes suffered greatly in one night, King Yan, who suffered the least loses (only a dead servant), became the most suspicious individual of them all even though he was also a victim. He suffered no injuries other than some mere bloodstains. Of course, some suspected King Chu of staging his own assassination.
After all, no one saw what happened within King Chu’s house that day. All evidence was from servants of King Chu, which might not be credible.
The most innocent prince would be King Xuan. He was always known for being promiscuous, and his visit to the brothel was unsurprising. Everyone thought that he was unlucky when the building collapsed as he was dancing with the girls. It was truly suspicious for the collapsed building as it was unprecedented. Furthermore, it was rumored that there were marks on the large pillars which indicated that they had been cut off.
That meant that someone wanted the enchanting King Xuan dead!
Only King Chu and King Yan would do that!
On the court meeting the second day, before the investigation of this matter was even discussed, a few officials were kneeling and crying in front of the imperial court about the corruption relating to the funds for disaster relief at the two lakes. They explained that peasants were left without a home, even eating their children for a living. Furthermore, they took out the pieces of evidence from the investigation.
The official seal of the court was stamped on it!
Thousands of peasants wrote in to complain about their rough living conditions. The ones still alive wrote the letter using blood, just so the Emperor could address the issue.
The entire imperial court was astonished by these discoveries. Instantly, requests came like snowflakes, all wishing to be in charge of the investigations. They all wished to leave a good reputation in the historical records.
However, some officials were suddenly quiet. They were those that supported King Chu. They used to say that King Chu was the smartest and most benevolent prince of all time. However, everyone knew that the political and military leaders in the two lakes were all subordinates of King Chu. Furthermore, Consort Su’s family originated from the two lakes, which gave King Chu power in that area.
All funds to relieve the disaster at the two lakes must go through the hands of King Chu.
If such a matter was really related to King Chu, the matter would definitely not end well for him. King Yan’s men were immediately energized. A few old court officials came to court even in their old age. They kneeled by the imperial Emperor, crying their old tears, begging Emperor Zongwen to save the peasants of the two lakes and to punish the mastermind behind it.
They were referring to King Chu.
Anyone with a tinge of political sensitivity knew that the fight for the throne was about to get increasingly intense. Such a matter occurred in all dynasties. The next emperor would either be King Chu or King Yan, with officials forced to discuss quietly and choose a stance.
King Chu’s supporters were in danger.
Seating high up in the jade-white throne of the nine dragons, Emperor Zongwen watched the quarrels of his officials nonchalantly.
All the officials requesting he punish the officials of the two lakes belonged to Feng Yulei’s side. While all those that wanted him to take the slower approach were on Feng Yuxuan’s side. Some officials helped neither of the two princes, but that did not mean that they didn’t have a stance. Some were still waiting for more information, watching others fight without expressing their own.
Many officials were looking down at their boots as if flowers would grow from them.
Before the matter cleared up, those jumping up and down in excitement might not be the real winners.
The two parties argued consistently throughout the meeting as if the court were a marketplace. Some knocked their head on the floor, others kneeled down; some cried out words of passion, while others debated with logic… Emperor Zongwen did not speak at all, choosing to merely analyze the situation. Finally, he slammed down a blood-red jade seal, silencing all in the room.
“Immediately send out my order to investigate matters in the two lakes.” Emperor Zongwen left these orders and left.
He immediately pushed this responsibility to the parliament. Grand Secretariat Wang had to bring the officials in and discuss in the internal court, failing to come up with a solution after half a day’s discussion. After all, this matter involved two princes with the most support. Any mistakes could mean the end of them as no one knew who the future leader of Great Qin would be.
If they supported the wrong prince now, none of them could afford to bear the consequence in the future. When the emperor raged, tens and thousands would pay their price. Furthermore, the future emperor might be suffering in their hands now, making matters even more confusing in the future. Even though Emperor Zongwen was not old, no one could guarantee what would happen in the future.
The most conservative way was to not have any stance, supporting only Emperor Zongwen. However, being an official with no party affiliates had its downsides too, as none of the future emperors would treat them as confidants. Older officials were all sly and each had their own ideas, with no one sure of their alliances.
Thus, they all looked extremely fair, discussing matters strictly based on facts.
However, in that case, the squabble became impossible to resolve. They had to send out a letter for Emperor Zongwen to order someone to investigate matters at the two lakes, seeking evidence before making decisions.
In comparison, there was not much attention given to the story of Fifth Princess falling into the pond!
No one even cared about Mo Xuetong!
Few even knew that Mo Xuetong disappeared in the Qin gathering and returned to her household that night. Even though there was something amiss with that, the entire atmosphere was focused on bigger issues instead of the small problems between the women. The consequence of the matter was so small that no one noticed that Mo Xuetong’s disappearance was related to King Yan and King Chu.
However, someone was still aware of the issue.
Staying in his peaceful palace house, it seemed that the political situation of the Qin Kingdom had nothing to do with Bai Yihao. He was still a hostage, a hostage closely related to Qin Kingdom’s royal family.
Bai Yichen came to the imperial city and his brother Bai Yihao naturally had to treat him. He invited some friends and some dancers. Music was played in the feast as they watched the slender waists of the dancers in a delightful mood.
On the white banquet hall, Bai Yihao held the feast on a table from the Jin Dynasty. He lifted up his cup and drank it all while glancing at Bai Yichen. The elegance of his actions was deep in his bones. The exact actions would have a different aura to it if done by a different person.
The romantic demeanor could make any man lower his head in shame.
“I heard that brother came here to marry a wife. Are women from our Yan Kingdom not outstanding enough?” Bai Yihao smiled and asked Bai Yichen, showing a tinge of warmth in his smile to appear sincere. However, such a question made Bai Yichen felt that he was mocking him.
“Mother wishes Qin and Yan Kingdom to have an alliance, and thus Father sent me here. There’s nothing to do with the women of our Yan Kingdom!” Bai Yichen was alerted by his remarks as he knew the brilliance of his brother and hence told himself to be careful.
The plot for the Fifth Princess was initially to surprise him. However, he did not expect a drama in the Qin Kingdom at such timing. Now, Emperor Zongwen had no time to deal with Fifth Princess’ marriage, even though the matter spread far and wide.
“There are no beauties in the Qin Kingdom. Most of them are less pretty than the women of the Yan Kingdom!” Bai Yihao seemed to still be mocking him. “I heard that your childhood sweetheart also moved into your harem, and are you going to wrong her?”
Bai Yichen did have a childhood sweetheart. However, that woman was born of the peasantry and had no official title in his harem. It was rumored that she was recently pregnant but had been drugged and had a miscarriage. Furthermore, her vitals were injured. That was a sore spot of Bai Yichen, and he immediately became hostile now that Bai Yihao mentioned it.
“What do you mean, Fifth Brother? I have no childhood sweetheart. However, I heard that in the Yan Kingdom, you got injured saving a woman. That certainly made me envious!”
He was referring to Bai Yihao saving Mo Xuetong. Even though he believed that Bai Yihao used that as a distraction when he received the news, he was sure that Fifth Princess would hate him if she was convinced that Bai Yihao liked someone else. He then could naturally marry Fifth Princess.
His words made Bai Yihao’s handsome face freeze before he turned nonchalant. “It was merely a coincidence. We hadn’t been close to each other at all.”
After he finished talking, he held up his cup and drank his wine. His long sleeves covered his face, hiding the suspicious fierceness in his eyes.
“I heard that woman is a princess, someone important…” Bai Yichen curved his lips upward in a smile.
“Merely a nominal princess…” Bai Yihao changed his tone and the topic. “What kind of nobility is Big Brother looking for? I have stayed in the Qin Kingdom for a long time, and have seen and heard of many beauties.”
His calm and peaceful eyes were all smiles, making it difficult for anyone to dislike him. However, that made Bai Yichen more vigilant.
It was not the first day that he had dealt with Bai Yihao. Failures after failures made him extremely alert or he would have lived all these years in vain. Furthermore, he remembered that when he plotted to marry the daughter of the prime minister, Bai Yihao somehow got wind of his plan and sabotaged it. The girl married his cousin instead. Now, he would not let Bai Yihao ruin his marriage once more.
Not only would he not give him a chance, but he would also ruin Bai Yihao’s marriage.
“Please, tell me about the beauties in the Qin Kingdom.” He pretended to be indifferent to the topic but focused his gaze on Bai Yihao, observing his every facial expression.
“The most famous beauty will be the second miss of Ding General Manor. However, you have no hope with her as King Chu is going to marry her!” Bai Yihao’s tender eyes hid a slight shimmer of brilliance. It was like a lake in autumn, with elegance and purity hidden deep within.
“However, there is a young beauty that will suppress Second Miss Ling after a few years. I have never seen a beauty like such in the Yan Kingdom, and it will be a blessing for any man to marry her!” Bai Yihao glanced at him, the corner of his mouth slightly tilted upwards. He seemed to be smiling. “Can Big Brother guess who this beauty is?”
