Chapter 987
Let’s Go on a Tour
Zhu Kongshan did not know what exactly Feng Yuheng’s arrangements could be, but she at least understood that as long as Feng Yuheng was willing to help, her safety was guaranteed. She never had any intention of keeping this life, but she should not give it away so quickly at a time like this. She needed to keep it for a little while longer. She would need to give the eighth prince and Noble Lady Yuan one more push to be satisfied!
Through Hundred Herb Hall’s efforts, the poisoning situation in the northern part of the city was alleviated. Though those who died from freezing to death could not be revived, almost everything possible was done to ensure the lives of everyone else.
Two days later, the Yu Palace made an appearance in the northern part of the city and began a project to build up the area. The blueprints and design philosophy were provided by Feng Yuheng. They would be standardized residential homes, but they would not have their own yards. Like modern apartments, each family would have their own residence with separate rooms inside. There were some with two rooms and a living room, and there were some with three rooms and a living room. They were given out based on the size of the family. In the northern part of the city, there were nearly no people living alone. Even if they were lone wolves in the past or were beggars, they would be separated into groups of two or three and given a residence.
Thinking back to the winter disaster, Feng Yuheng had already worked with the Yu Palace to construct new residences for the people in the capital. It was just that the magnitude of that disaster was quite broad. It was not as localized as this event, thus she did not make any standardized plans. Most of it was just providing repairs to the existing buildings. As for the buildings that had been rebuilt, they were built under the Yu Palace’s name. Things would be the same this time around, as all houses were registered under the Yu Palace’s name. These would be provided to the poor people of the northern part of the city for free.
This time, all of the people affected by this crisis gathered in the northern part of the city. It was such that there were already people anticipating the houses being built by the Yu Palace. The northern part of the capital had become an area owned solely by the ninth prince, and these citizens who had received this grace had become completely loyal to the ninth prince and Imperial Daughter Ji An.
After the eighth prince, Xuan Tianmo, had been beaten by the citizens that day, he very rationally filed a report, and he filed it directly with the Board of Punishments. Xu Jingyuan officially took on this case; however, he simply sent the eighth prince back. He would be called back every day, but he did not go and capture a single one of those violent citizens.
Xuan Tianmo knew that Xu Jingyuan was unfair in his duties; however, he was left powerless by what Xu Jingyuan said- “This official is just going through the motions. His Majesty said that he wished to personally try this case.”
With this, Xuan Tianmo withered up, as the weight pressing down on his heart was not relieved. A bad feeling quickly surged forth, as intuition told him that this hurdle with the Emperor would likely be hard to get over.
There were too many citizens who had died. It was such that the situation in court could no longer favor the eighth prince’s side. In addition to this, due to the interference of Zhu Kongshan, those officials from his faction no longer wished to speak for him. For a while, everyone in court wanted to express their disdain toward the eighth prince. There were even some who had begun speaking about Noble Lady Yuan. On more than one occasion, someone had asked the Emperor to punish her together with him.
Recently, the Emperor had been in low spirits and was always listless. Even if the matter in the northern part of the city made him angry, he always felt that he was powerless to do the things that he wanted.
He was indeed sick. It was not some serious illness, as it was just a minor cold. It just left his entire body feeling weak, and he was also feeling angry. When this anger reached his heart, it made him look extremely exhausted.
As for the cause of this belly full of anger, the reason was none other than having been angered by the eighth prince. The Emperor was very clear on what had happened with the previous incidents. Although he did not let it show on his face, the fire of rage burning inside his heart was not normal in size. Both were his sons, and he had to be fair for the sake of Da Shun. What he wanted to see was the two sons compete fairly, and this would let him see just who was most capable of keeping the world steady. Of course, he mostly just did not want old ninth to carry the burden of the title of “Imperial Concubine Yun’s son.” It was such that it would become a criticism for those with other intentions.
Back when the incident had occurred with the jade mine, he had wanted to get rid of old eighth, but old eighth was one with many ploys. He was one with many arguments and many skills. It was such that not only was he able to get away from the mine incident with his clever words, but even a case as large as the incident in the south had become an unsettled issue with the death of General Bi Xiu.
The Emperor felt quite dejected, but he also understood that the reason that such an outcome existed was a result of his own attitude. Old eighth was his son, and he never wanted to see this son meet the same outcome as the late old third. After all, this was his actual son. Just like with old fourth, even though he had made such a big mistake, he only confined him to his palace. Even now, he had chosen to forgive him.
He was a stern ruler and a loving father. He had always hoped that these sons would be able to get along peacefully; however, he kept in mind that they had been born into the imperial family. There would eventually come a day when they would oppose each other. He always hoped that this day would come later on, but it seemed that what should come would still come. He would need to face the things that had to be faced.
“Xu Jingyuan.” The Emperor spoke, his voice and expression were both fatigued, “We give you a limit of three days to prepare a case for the situation in the northern part of the city. Whether it’s the eighth prince or Noble Lady Yuan, investigate to the fullest of your ability. As long as it can be found out, write it all down for Us. It must be clear and understandable. In three days at this hour, We will make a decision!”
All of the officials in court inhaled sharply, as intuition told them that the Emperor was resolving himself to tidy up his family situation. The eighth prince, the current Prince Sheng, would he suffer a meteoric fall from this?* Those who were part of the eighth prince’s faction were quietly surprised, as they feared that this matter would implicate them.
As for the seventh prince, Xuan Tianhua, and the ninth prince, Xuan Tianming, they quickly exchanged a glance and saw the anxiety in each other’s eyes. Who knew why, but when faced with the Emperor making a decision, the two became on edge. They felt that something was about to happen; however, they did not know what sort of thing would happen.
After the eighth prince, Xuan Tianmo, had been scratched by Zhu Kongshan and been given a beating by the citizens, aside from going to file a report with the Board of Punishments, he had been staying in the Sheng Palace and refusing to go out. He did not even attend morning court because of his injuries. In private, Xuan Tianmo had been thinking of all kinds of ways to try and find Zhu Kongshan. Even after he heard that Zhu Kongshan had been sent to Feng Yuheng’s imperial daughter’s manor, he did not give up and sent out a group of hidden guards to try and get her out of the imperial daughter’s manor. As a result, none of the hidden guards that had been sent by the Sheng Palace returned. It was as though the imperial daughter’s manor ate people alive. It was a chilling thought.
Xuan Tianmo found Zhu Kongshan, but that bore no fruit. He also heard that the Emperor had given the Board of Punishments three days to prepare the case before he would make a decision on the case. He faintly felt a bit worried and felt that this trial might be very difficult to get over. But this time, he really was innocent. This time, he really had not done anything. Those rotten clothes had nothing to do with Noble Lady Yuan. The clothes that Noble Lady Yuan had made were clearly good. Who exactly had swapped them out? He thought long and hard and felt that the swapping of those clothes was really odd. After thinking a bit more, there could only have been a problem with the environment in which they were made.
They had told the citizens in the northern part of the city that the clothes had been made in the palace by the palace maids and grannies inside. In truth, how could the palace have made so many of them? Noble Lady Yuan also did not have that many subordinates. To rush out so many sets of clothes in such a short period of time, it was an extremely large job. That was why Noble Lady Yuan’s palace maid went to find a tailor in the capital and gave them this job. They were given banknotes to arrange for a large number of people from the textile shops to make them. Only like that could they manage to get such a large number made in such a short period of time.
He had asked Noble Lady Yuan if there was some trick involved here, but Noble Lady Yuan denied it. He trusted that Noble Lady Yuan would not treat his future as a joke, thus… Xuan Tianmo’s eyes squinted, as a thought came to mind: Zhu Kongshan! It had to be that Zhu Kongshan did something!
But so what if he thought of it? Right now, he could not get to Zhu Kongshan. He clearly knew where she was, but he could not catch her. Damn! Xuan Tianmo realized that this was a critical piece that Feng Yuheng had taken. He just never thought that the opposition would help Zhu Kongshan turn on him.
The Sheng Palace arranged for someone to visit the tailor that Noble Lady Yuan had arranged to make the clothes, but the servant reported: “The ones who participated in producing those clothes were invited by Lord Xu, Xu Jingyuan, to the Board of Punishments, and they have not been let out. At present, the tailor’s shop was closed, and not a single person was inside.”
Xuan Tianmo immediately understood what was happening. They were planning to cut off all of his escape routes. Zhu Kongshan had done something to the clothes and added poison to the congee. It was such that the people in the northern part of the city were either dead or poisoned. By the end, everyone pushed this onto him. He had become the target of public criticism. Zhu Kongshan, however, remained a Bodhisattva in everyone’s eyes. That girl was even able to say something like she had been raped. It was probable that she had already burned all of her bridges. This time, Xuan Tianmo felt regret. He regretted taking action so quickly against Liu shi, as it was enough to have Zhu Kongshan become so resentful.
Forget it, what more could he do? Now, his face was so scratched that he could not see anyone. Even if he went to the Board of Punishments, he would be going with his face covered. His body ached all over, and it made him feel powerless to do what he wanted to do. At present, the only thing that he could do was to place his hopes on the Board of Punishment and hope that Xu Jingyuan’s mind would be a little sharper, being able to find the truth of the situation and declare him to be innocent.
But while this was what he desired, Xuan Tianmo knew that Xu Jingyuan was one of old seventh’s people. He definitely would not help him. In addition to this, Feng Yuheng was mixing things up. Even if Xu Jingyuan uncovered the truth, he definitely would not reveal it. This was something that was evident based solely on Feng Yuheng protecting Zhu Kongshan in the imperial daughter’s manor.
In the Sheng Palace, the eighth prince, Xuan Tianmo, spent the entire day feel frustrated. In the Yu Palace, Feng Yuheng was thinking of checking up on Zhu Kongshan and talking with her a bit after taking care of the corpses of the deceased from the northern part of the city. But before she could even stop out of the palace, she saw a group of carriages mightily heading in her direction. At the front was a gorgeous imperial carriage. She recognized it, as it belonged to Palace Princess Wu Yang, Xuan Tiange. Looking past that, very well, there were the carriages belonging to the right prime minister’s manor, General Ping Nan’s manor, as well as countless lower-ranked officials. The carriages were lined up and moved very slowly, only stopping once they reached the Yu Palace’s entrance. The order was maintained quite well.
Xuan Tiange pulled the curtain open and looked out, immediately seeing Feng Yuheng, who was about to go out. She laughed and waved to Feng Yuheng: “A-Heng, A-Heng! I was coming to look for you! Quickly, quickly, climb into my carriage. Let’s go to the Sheng Palace together.”
“Hm?” Feng Yuheng was puzzled, “What are we going to the Sheng Palace for?”
Xuan Tiange cheerfully said: “Our eighth brother had his face scratched by his cousin, and it’s quite bad. Say, as one of his cousins, and you as his sister-in-law, isn’t it a little too lacking in decency if we don’t visit?” While she spoke, she pointed at the carriage procession behind her and said: “Look, when I brought up visiting the eighth prince, there were so many who wished to come along. Don’t offer an excuse and refuse. I see that you’ve already gotten changed. Come, let’s go. Climb in my carriage, and we’ll set out.”
As she spoke, another two maidservants came to invite Feng Yuheng. Feng Yuheng was practically forcefully dragged into the imperial carriage before the carriages slowly began to move out. She lifted the curtain to look out and saw Ren Xifeng and Fung Tianyu waving to her from the window. They even happily asked if she wanted to eat some of their pastries. This instantly gave her a feeling of having been whisked away on a tour…