flstandardbreds Chapter 159 Undercurrents
Chapter 159 Undercurrents
"Yinyin, don't be afraid."
Pei Yuanling gently patted Chu Qingyin's hand, comforting her, "I have already increased the number of people inside and outside this palace. If they dare to come again, I will make sure they don't leave alive."
Chu Qingyin nodded slightly, her eyes still showing undisguised worry: "Your Majesty, I naturally trust you, but I've been feeling uneasy these past few days, as if something bad is about to happen."
Pei Yuanling held her even tighter, a barely perceptible glint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "With me here, no one can hurt you."
That would be best.
Chu Qingyin sighed softly in her heart, and leaned against him listlessly again, "Your Majesty is so kind."
These are turbulent times, and Pei Yuanling still has official business to attend to. He did not linger in Xingyue Palace, only exchanging a few private words with Chu Qingyin before leaving.
Although the number of guards in the palace has increased considerably since the assassination attempt, it is still not as secure as the capital.
After the assassination attempt, Chu Qingyin rarely went out anymore, spending her days playing with Little Snowball in the yard.
It is unknown what happened before, but Pei Yuanling has been unusually busy these past few days. Since he left after delivering the hairpin, he has not come to Xingyue Palace for a long time.
The Empress's side was also unusually quiet, even the concubines' greetings were waived, which allowed Chu Qingyin to enjoy her freedom.
However, life is not so good for some people.
The mastermind behind the assassination has been identified, and Pei Yuanling claims that it was the work of Zhang Xian's old party, causing widespread panic.
After all, nineteen years ago, Emperor Taizu had exterminated the faction of Crown Prince Zhangxian because of the witchcraft case.
Not only was the crown prince deposed, but people were also sent to execute the entire crown prince's family, with blood splattering the streets. Officials who were on good terms with Crown Prince Zhangxian had their homes confiscated, and some were exiled.
The former subordinates of Crown Prince Zhangxian harbored resentment over this, and their assassination attempts against the royal family never ceased until Pei Yuanling ascended the throne. To this day, this old story has been largely forgotten.
Unexpectedly, it has made a comeback again, which cannot be ignored.
In the small court of the imperial palace, in the main hall of the secondary capital, many officials who had come to the imperial palace to escape the summer heat gathered below.
Upon learning that the mastermind behind the assassin was actually a former subordinate of Crown Prince Zhangxian, everyone's expression became extremely solemn.
The court was completely silent. Wang Chengxun, a high-ranking official, broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this, and his inner robe was quickly soaked.
Thinking of the several disfigured corpses of assassins that had suddenly appeared in his villa, he dared not look up at the young emperor on the dragon throne.
"What does Minister Wang think of this matter?" Pei Yuanling sat high in the Mingtang Hall, dressed in a black dragon robe, looking solemn and majestic.
His voice echoed in the hall, and Wang Chengxun suddenly came to his senses, his voice trembling as he said, "Your Majesty, the old party of Zhang Xian is still full of treacherous intentions. This time they dared to openly attempt an assassination, which is a truly rebellious act! I believe that the most urgent task is to thoroughly investigate the remaining party members and eliminate them completely to prevent future troubles."
After saying that, he secretly wiped the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve.
The assassins' corpses were thrown in front of him.
It was clearly the emperor warning him that he had investigated the matter thoroughly and was aware of the Wang family's despicable deeds, but he simply chose not to pursue the matter further.
In an attempt to distance themselves from the Wang family, they even shifted the blame onto the former subordinates of Crown Prince Zhangxian, who had long since faded into obscurity.
This demonstrates the extent of Pei Yuanling's tolerance towards the Wang family.
“What you say, Minister Wang, is quite right. I have already ordered people to investigate secretly. However, such rebellious parties always act in secrecy. There must be someone in the court colluding with them and tipping them off. Otherwise, how could they have infiltrated the palace so easily?”
Pei Yuanling's tone was icy, and his gaze slowly swept over the assembled officials, who all lowered their heads, not daring to meet his eyes.
"Minister Wang, this matter will be entrusted to you. Do you have any objections?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Chengxun felt another shiver. Others might not know the truth, but how could he not know?
This was not done by Zhang Xian's old party, so where is he going to arrest people?
If they can't catch the person, wouldn't that mean he's incompetent?
"What, Minister Wang, are you unable to do it?" Pei Yuanling narrowed his eyes and glanced at the sweating man below the hall.
Those eyes seemed to see through everything, making Wang Chengxun feel even more guilty.
Only now did he truly realize that the young emperor exuded an imposing and oppressive aura, a far cry from the new emperor who could be manipulated at will by the royal family.
"Your humble servant accepts the decree." Wang Chengxun accepted the imperial edict with trepidation.
“Your Majesty, this matter is of great importance. The old faction of Zhang Xian has been lying in wait for many years and is probably well-prepared. If we stay in the palace, it may not be safe. It would be better to return to the palace as soon as possible to avoid any further worries,” Qiao Gongquan suggested.
His only legitimate daughter has suffered greatly while living away from home, and he doesn't want such a thing to happen again.
"What Lord Qiao says is absolutely right."
As soon as he made the suggestion, people quickly echoed his sentiments, each saying they were concerned for His Majesty's safety.
Unexpectedly, Pei Yuanling said, "The matter of returning to the palace will be postponed for now. I want to see how many people in this palace are traitors and their cronies."
Upon hearing this, the court fell into an eerie silence.
The ministers looked at each other, none daring to say anything more, for fear that they might be caught up in the storm and become traitors in the emperor's eyes.
Wang Chengxun was even more distressed, knowing that this was a difficult problem Pei Yuanling had set for him.
If he doesn't hand over a few people, Pei Yuanling's suspicion of him will only deepen. Right now, he'll probably have to find a few scapegoats to gloss over the matter.
Seeing that his proposal had been rejected, Qiao Gongquan dared not say anything more and silently returned to his position, secretly worried about Qiao Qingyin's safety.
Looking at the various expressions on the faces of the ministers below, Pei Yuanling sneered inwardly.
"If you have nothing else to say, my ministers, you may leave. My dear Wang, you must thoroughly investigate the traitorous ministers and their associates, lest you disappoint me!"
Pei Yuanling finished speaking coldly, then waved his dragon robe and strode away from the main hall.
The ministers, feeling as if they had been granted a pardon, bowed and took their leave.
Wang Chengxun walked unsteadily out of the main hall. The summer sun shone on him, but he felt no warmth whatsoever.
Beneath the seemingly calm surface of the lake within the palace grounds, undercurrents surged.
After the court session, Lu Zhiheng did not return to his residence, but went to a sizable county town outside the Xishan Palace.
Because the royal summer palace was built here, wealthy merchants from all over the world who came here built a summer resort along the riverbank for tourists to stay.
In addition, many high-ranking officials and nobles also chose to build their residences here so that their relatives could live in them.
Therefore, the county town of Qinghe was extremely prosperous in commerce.
Lu Zhiheng took Ling Xiao on a painted boat across the lake and headed straight for a restaurant in Qinghe County after leaving the palace.
This restaurant, named Zuixianju, is renowned for its excellent cuisine, attracting many high-ranking officials and dignitaries to entertain their guests.
Upon seeing the two, the waiter immediately gestured for them to enter, saying, "The guests have been waiting for quite some time."