Prince Jing hadn’t considered this angle. He assumed his imperial father wanted to favor Prince Yu and feared that having finally grasped evidence against him, Prince Yu might still have a chance to redeem himself. Therefore, he immediately acted, placing all the letters and account books collected by Shen Zaiye before the Emperor.
“Father, please look. Here are the letters proving Prince Yu and Minister Meng’s bribery. The flow of embezzled silver and account books is all clear as day! No matter how eloquent he may be, he cannot escape punishment!”
Emperor Mingde frowned, remaining silent for a moment before reaching out to examine the documents.
“Wugou, do you have anything to explain?”
Prince Yu was stunned, utterly bewildered as to how these items had fallen into Prince Jing’s hands. His dealings with Minister Meng had always been watertight; unless betrayed by a confidant, no one should have known about their private interactions. How could even the account books have been unearthed?
Even if Shen Zaiye had truly sided with Prince Jing, he shouldn’t have known about the affairs with Minister Meng. Hadn’t Minister Meng kept everything well hidden?
Unable to make sense of it all, Prince Yu failed to answer the Emperor’s question. An awkward silence fell over the court. The Emperor’s expression was so grim it was difficult to tell whether he was angry at Prince Yu or Prince Jing.
Amidst the stalemate, Shen Zaiye stepped forward, bowing respectfully: “Your Majesty, I believe corruption is a serious matter that cannot be thoroughly investigated at this moment. Since Prince Jing has evidence, in my humble opinion, we should first file a case. The most pressing issues to address now are the murder committed by Prince Yu’s servant and Minister Meng’s two-faced behavior and corruption.”
Emperor Mingde, like a cat perched on a high branch, finally seeing someone climbing up a ladder to rescue him, was almost moved to tears: “What the beloved minister says is right!”
Prince Jing was taken aback. He glanced at Shen Zaiye, who kept his eyes lowered, his expression serene.
Did he have other plans?
Pursing his lips slightly, Prince Jing dropped the matter, intending to clarify things with Shen Zaiye later to avoid disrupting his strategy.
As for Prince Yu, kneeling on the ground, he naturally remembered Shen Zaiye’s life-saving favor today. Even if he would face punishment upon returning to the palace, it was still better than being forced to his death by his brother Prince Jing. He shot a grateful look at Shen Zaiye before lowering his head in silence.
“He helped Prince Yu,” Consort Lan frowned in the side chamber. “How did his mind change so quickly?”
Taohua, standing beside her, tilted her head: “Where does Your Highness see that the Prime Minister is helping Prince Yu?”
“Isn’t it obvious?” Consort Lan sneered. “Earlier on the road, he tried to help Prince Yu out of trouble, and now he’s directly speaking for Prince Yu, giving the Emperor a way out and letting him escape disaster.”
Taohua’s eyes flickered as she smiled, turning to look at Shen Zaiye outside without commenting.
It seemed Shen Zaiye understood Consort Lan well, but Consort Lan didn’t necessarily understand Shen Zaiye’s thoughts. This viper had made Prince Jing offend the Emperor, pinned down Prince Yu, and positioned himself as the good guy in the middle. He gained the Emperor’s favor and Prince Yu’s gratitude and even Prince Jing had to thank him for his help.
Not only did he kill three birds with one stone, but Shen Zaiye’s arrow didn’t even require any effort! In the end, nothing would change: Prince Yu would still be punished by the Emperor, and Prince Jing would achieve his goal. As for the Emperor, while punishing Prince Yu, he probably wouldn’t have a good opinion of Prince Jing either.
Only Shen Zaiye stood at the edge of the mud, still fragrant with flowers.
How shameless!
“What are you thinking about?” Consort Lan turned to look at her, her eyes quite displeased. “I see your expression is quite similar to the Prime Minister’s.”
Just looking at it makes one feel annoyed.
Taohua smiled apologetically, “This servant was just wondering when we could return to the manor. My shoulder still hurts.”
Glancing at her shoulder, Consort Lan frowned, “Your temperament is too good. Suffering such a serious injury, yet still accompanying him out, unable to rest. Don’t you ever get angry?”
“What is there to be angry about?” Taohua smiled. “The Lord is the Prime Minister. If even the Emperor hasn’t returned to the palace, how could he rush back to the manor?”
“Forget about returning to the manor, he didn’t even show much concern. You’re not bothered by this?” Consort Lan couldn’t understand. “The Prime Minister said last night that he was going to leave you at the hunting lodge today and then accompany the Emperor on a hunt in the mountains.”
Blinking, Taohua looked at her in confusion: “Is there something wrong with that?”
Consort Lan was stunned, her eyebrows rising: “Nothing wrong? You were injured protecting him, yet he doesn’t consider your injury the most important thing!”
Shrugging, Taohua said, “The husband leads the wife, and the emperor leads the minister. This servant should listen to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister should listen to the Emperor. Isn’t such a decision very normal?”
Consort Lan: “…”
Is there something wrong with this woman? Why does she speak so similarly to Shen Zaiye? If she weren’t a princess of Zhao, she would think Jiang Taohua might be Shen Zaiye’s long-lost biological sister!
Turning her head away in anger, Consort Lan waved her handkerchief, “If you think it’s normal, then it’s normal. It’s not the Imperial Consort’s business, why should I worry needlessly?”
Taohua paused, secretly observing the expression of this Imperial Consort, feeling it was both awkward and somewhat childish.
If she and Shen Zaiye had truly been in love before, it was easy to guess why these two didn’t end up together in the end — how could a venomous snake like Shen Zaiye live with a purebred white rabbit? If he were to live with someone, it would have to be someone like her, who only appeared to be a white rabbit on the outside!
The Emperor quickly issued an imperial edict: Minister Meng was guilty of corruption, bribery, and wanton disregard for human life, tarnishing the reputation of the Great Wei court. His entire clan was to be executed.
As the gavel fell, the crowd outside burst into cheers and applause, overjoyed. In an instant, everyone forgot about Prince Yu’s corruption.
Seeing that Prince Jing still wanted to speak, Emperor Mingde abruptly stood up, quickly supporting himself on a eunuch’s hand as he departed for the palace.
Consort Lan opened the door, and as she stepped out, she looked back at Taohua, her eyes filled with a complexity that was hard to decipher.
Taohua smiled innocently, curtsying to her: “Farewell, Your Highness.”
With a light snort, Consort Lan returned to the Emperor’s side. Shen Zaiye, unhurried, walked over to Taohua and asked, “Does it still hurt?”
“It hurts!” Taohua’s face immediately scrunched up, and she pitifully reached out to him. “I need a hug!”
“…” Torn between laughter and exasperation, Shen Zaiye was about to chide her for impropriety when he heard someone call from behind: “Prime Minister.”
His body stiffened, and Shen Zaiye immediately turned around, shielding Taohua behind him.
Prince Jing approached with furrowed brows, looking at him and speaking in a low voice: “Why did you let Prince Yu off the hook? We could have eliminated him just now!”
Shaking his head slightly, Shen Zaiye replied, “Doesn’t Your Highness understand? Indeed, we could have pinned a capital crime on Prince Yu earlier, but the Emperor didn’t want that. If you want to eliminate Prince Yu, you surely can’t sacrifice yourself in the process.”
“But…” Prince Jing frowned, “If we don’t eliminate him now, it will be difficult to find another opportunity.”
“There will be plenty of opportunities,” Shen Zaiye said. “This time the evidence is irrefutable. If the case is transferred back to the palace for investigation, His Majesty may not easily forgive Prince Yu. As long as Your Highness returns now to advise and unite with influential ministers in the court to emphasize the severity of a prince’s corruption, even if the Emperor doesn’t execute Prince Yu, he will likely banish him from the capital. Once banished, how could he possibly return?”
Lowering his head in thought, it did seem to make sense. Prince Jing’s brow smoothed out, instantly realizing that Shen Zaiye was truly looking out for his interests. He bowed deeply to him: “Thank you, Prime Minister!”
“Your Highness is too kind,” Shen Zaiye smiled. “What happens next is up to you. Lady Jiang is injured, so I will return to the manor now. Please convey my apologies to His Majesty on my behalf.”
“Very well,” Prince Jing smiled, craning his neck to try and see the person behind him. “Speaking of which, I’ve never had the chance to see the true face of the Zhao princess. To have captured the Prime Minister’s attention so thoroughly, she must be a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms.”
“Your Highness flatters her,” Shen Zaiye said, shifting his body to block Taohua more completely. “Her looks are ordinary, but she is naive and adorable, which is why I’m somewhat fond of her.”
Behind him, Taohua rolled her eyes dramatically.
The words “naive and adorable” might be compliments when used to describe others, but coming from his mouth and applied to her, they sounded odd no matter how she heard them.
Prince Jing was taken aback, observing Shen Zaiye’s protective stance, and smiled in understanding.
Not even allowing a look — he must truly care for this princess. Fortunately, she had no significant backing in Great Wei, so no one would object to Shen Zaiye’s doting on her, no matter how much he indulged her.
“In that case, I’ll take my leave,” Prince Jing said.
“Your Highness, take care,” Shen Zaiye replied.
Bowing in farewell, Prince Jing turned and left. Shen Zaiye breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at Taohua, saying, “Let’s hurry back to the manor.”
Taohua looked at him curiously: “Aren’t you going to the palace with His Majesty? There’s still the matter of dealing with Prince Yu.”
“The wound has been opened; they can fight over the remaining blood and flesh as they please,” Shen Zaiye said, his lips curling into a rather wicked smile. “I don’t partake in the smell of blood.”
… This air of arrogance and dominance left Taohua starry-eyed. She clapped her hands, exclaiming, “My lord is truly a white lotus, rising unsullied from the mud!”
Though it sounded like praise, for some reason, he couldn’t seem to feel happy about it. After giving her a sidelong glance, Shen Zaiye picked her up and headed outside.
The original plan was to be away for two days, but now they were returning early. He wondered what state the manor would be in.
At the Prime Minister’s Manor.
A servant had returned early with news, yet the manor was still in chaos. Mei Zhaoxue was in Lady Gu’s Wenqing Chamber, gently consoling her, while outside, people gathered in small groups, whispering discussions.
There were also people standing at the entrance of the Zhengchun Chamber, which had been turned upside down inside. Several maids were kneeling in the courtyard, looking tense.
As soon as Taohua entered the manor, she sensed something was amiss. Upon seeing her courtyard, she immediately buried her face in Shen Zaiye’s chest: “My lord, I’m truly exhausted and don’t have the energy to deal with their antics. Whatever has happened, could you please handle it for me?”
Shen Zaiye frowned, his expression darkening. He stepped forward and grabbed a servant at the door, demanding, “What’s going on?”
(End of Chapter)