Chapter 590: Conditions for Reinstatement
Chapter 590: Conditions for Reinstatement
Five days later, Zhang Qiao used medicine to seal the poison in Zhao Xiaonian's body. All that was left was to use medicine and ointments combined with acupuncture to draw out the poison little by little. Zhang Qiao no longer needed to take care of this, as Zhao Juaner herself knew medical skills and would draw out the poison for her father.
Zhao Juan'er was grateful for the magnanimity of His Royal Highness Prince Jin, so she swore allegiance to him and officially became one of the female guards in Prince Jin's mansion. She was responsible for arranging mechanisms to deal with assassins.
That afternoon, Xiao Ai brought Zhao Juaner to see Xiao Xia.
"Juan'er, tell His Highness!"
Zhao Juan'er bowed and said, "Your Highness, I have carefully studied the blueprint of the palace left by the assassin and found some errors. The five elements and directions are slightly different. The palace is east-west, but the palace on the blueprint should be north-south. The location of the hot spring is also different."
This sentence made Xiao Xia suddenly realize that the palace on the blueprint should be Jiangdu Palace. His own palace was completely built by moving Jiangdu Palace here. It was almost exactly the same, but there would definitely be some minor differences, such as the location of the hot spring.
Also, since the two are moving in different directions, the five elements will also be slightly adjusted, but this adjustment is very subtle and cannot be seen by non-professionals.
Zhao Juaner is good at mechanical engineering, so she could see it.
But there is also a problem here. The Jiangdu Palace underwent a major renovation to welcome the emperor's southern tour, and the court would not have the blueprints of the renovation.
Even if it is Jiangdu Palace, where did the other party get the blueprints from?
In the final analysis, someone betrayed himself and gave the drawings of the rebuilt Jiangdu Palace to the other party.
The next morning, Wang Hongye was publicly executed and his entire family was exiled to Jian'an County.
If we are merciful at this time, only more people will betray us. The betrayers must pay a heavy price in order to deter those with evil intentions.
The tenth year of Daye arrived amid the explosion of paper fire thunders. On New Year's Eve, the Xiao Xia family, under the auspices of Yang Lihua, offered sacrifices to the late Emperor Yang Jian.
On the third day of the first lunar month, Yuan Wenzhen found Xiao Xia again.
In the guest hall of the Prince of Jin's mansion, Yuan Wenzhen bowed and said, "Your Highness, we have been trying our best to find the mastermind behind the assassination of He Xu. At present, it seems that it may be related to Wei Chong."
"Is it just a possibility?" Xiao Xia asked indifferently.
Yuan Wendu smiled bitterly and said, "The head of the family wrote me back that He Xu went south with a bounty hunter named Sun Kuocheng. We found this Sun Kuocheng, and according to him, the two of them did not come directly to Jingkou, but first went to Liyang County, and then crossed the river from Liyang County. Sun Kuocheng went to Jiangning, and He Xu went to Xuancheng County. He Xu went south without any luggage. He got his box after he went to Xuancheng County, which means he received the mission in Xuancheng County."
Yuan Wendu's explanation revealed another mystery in Xiao Xia's mind. Because of the heavy snow, the Yangtze River was too rough and nothing could be seen on the river. The Yangtze River ferry was suspended for two days, and other civilian ferries had to stop as well. So how did He Xu cross the river to Jingkou? There was only one explanation: He Xu did not come from the north of the Yangtze River, but from somewhere else in the south of the Yangtze River.
Xiao Xia asked puzzledly: "What does He Xu's going to Xuancheng County have to do with Wei Chong?"
"That's why we speculate that Wei Chong is the mastermind behind this. Wei Liang, the governor of Xuancheng County, is Wei Chong's nephew-in-law. He Xu went to Xuancheng County most likely to find him. Your Highness can follow this clue to investigate."
Xiao Xia nodded, "Brother Yuan, please tell your family master, thank him for his help!"
"No! No! As it should be, we are allies with His Highness. Those who want to assassinate His Highness are our enemies. I will never stand aside."
This sounds so nice, but who sent Zhao Juaner to steal in his study?
Xiao Xia smiled and didn't say much. He sent Yuan Wendu away, then wrote a warrant and sent it to Li Luming.
It was the first time that he knew that Wei Liangcai, the chief historian of Xuancheng County, was actually the nephew-in-law of Wei Chong, and he had hidden it very well. After the New Year, Xiao Xia received an imperial edict from the emperor, asking him to transfer the ships to Donglai County to provide freight and logistical support for the second expedition against Goguryeo.
Xiao Xia immediately wrote back to the emperor, saying that he would send warships and naval forces to provide support after the spring.
On the surface, it seems that the Prince of Jin and the Emperor have a tacit understanding between them, and Xiao Xia also expresses her willingness to cooperate with his father in the Eastern Expedition. But in fact, there is only a balance between them. In order to march eastward to Goguryeo, Emperor Yang Guang had to ask Xiao Xia for help. He had to turn a blind eye to some of the excessive things Xiao Xia did and pretend not to know.
For example, after Xiao Xia rescued 200,000 prisoners of war, he did not return them to the court, but sent most of them home. He secretly left 30,000 elite soldiers and stationed them in Donglai County, led and trained by Zhou Fashang.
For example, Xiao Xia sent troops to Beihai County, Qi County and Gaomi County in the name of suppressing bandits, and controlled the four counties of Shandong Peninsula.
Emperor Yang Guang knew all these things. If anyone else dared to do this, Yang Guang would have been furious. But now Yang Guang needed Xiao Xia's help, so he had to swallow his anger.
That afternoon, Wei Chong came to pay a visit to Prime Minister Yu Shiji. Because he was implicated in the rebellion of his son-in-law Yang Ling, Wei Chong was dismissed from his official position and was unemployed at home. His brother Wei Yue was also dismissed from his post.
In the VIP Hall, Yu Shiji drank a sip of hot tea and said slowly: "As a minister, we should share the worries of the emperor. Although the emperor does not say some things, we have to take the initiative to do them. The emperor wants to take back Jiangnan and control the navy and army in Jiangnan, but a mountain blocks the emperor's wish. We have to find a way to move this mountain. I asked Wei Gong for help before, but the final result disappointed me!"
Wei Chong said quickly: "Prime Minister Yu, I tried last winter, but failed. Prime Minister Yu also promised me that as long as I tried my best, he would let me return to my post."
Yu Shiji smiled slightly and said, "I have told the emperor that he has agreed to reappoint you as the Minister of the Eastern Palace, but if you try your best once more, I promise to let you return to the position of Minister of Revenue."
"Does Xiang Guo really mean what he said?"
Yu Shiji nodded, "I promised to help you get your position back. Although I'm not the Minister of Rites, I'm still a third-rank official, so I've kept my promise. Lord Wei, don't you still believe me?"
Wei Chong nodded slowly, "Then it's a deal!"
After returning to the mansion, Wei Chong immediately called his brother Wei Yue over. Wei Yue lowered his head and accepted his brother's harsh criticism. "How did you promise me? You said He Xu would never fail, but what happened? He died on the street and didn't even get close to the King of Jin."
Wei Yue whispered, "It can only be said that the King of Jin's defense is too tight, and it is difficult for ordinary assassins to succeed!"
"That's because you didn't find the right person. Now I'll give you another chance. You go to Jiangnan in person and have a good discussion with Wei Liangcai about what to do. As long as you succeed this time, I'll promote you to the Minister of Rites, and I promise to let you be the governor of Shangjun."
"Brother, it's too dangerous for me to go to Jiangnan in person!"
Wei Chong glared, "I didn't ask you to be an assassin, so why would it be dangerous? You just hide behind the scenes. This time I'll give you 10,000 strings of cash. You must find a reliable assassin and make a thorough plan. Don't make any mistakes again!"
Wei Yue had no choice but to nod and said, "Okay! I'll leave early tomorrow morning."
Wei Chong thought for a moment and said, "Bring Song Guang with you this time and let him be your contact person."
Song Guang is Wei Chong's aide, and is very smart and capable. With his assistance in planning, the chances of success are greater.
(End of this chapter)