After everyone left, a figure appeared in the hall and knelt down. The Emperor's expression turned grim, "What exactly happened?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, Consort Xian, in her grief over the death of the King of Han, sought revenge. She practiced蛊术 (gu art), hired assassins, and caused a disturbance at Xingqing Palace, where she was slain by the palace guards," the secret guard reported truthfully.
"Were the assassins also sent by Consort Xian?"
"It seems someone took advantage of the chaos to assassinate Princess Yongning and frame Consort Xian..." the secret guard hesitated for a moment before saying. As for who sent the killer, it was bound to be a master within the palace. The most suspicious was the Empress Dowager, after all, Xiao Man was forcibly kept in the palace by the Empress Dowager.
"Has it been investigated who it was?"
"Not yet."
"Go investigate. I want to know who is playing tricks behind my back."
"Your servant obeys."
Hu Wan brought a cup of calming tea and offered it to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, please have some calming tea."
The Emperor took it, "Hu Wan, what do you think of tonight's events?"
"Reporting to Your Majesty, your servant's eyesight is poor and his mind is not sharp. However, there is one thing that puzzles your servant," Hu Wan cautiously glanced at the Emperor, "If Consort Xian intended to kill Princess Yongning, why did she die in Consort De's Xingqing Palace?"
"Yes, if she wanted to kill Yongning, why did she go to Xingqing Palace?" The Emperor was also very puzzled.
"Your servant is also puzzled. Moreover, Consort Xian's entourage were all poisonous scorpions. Your Majesty had skilled guards, and many of them were injured. Yet, Xingqing Palace was able to kill Consort Xian. That's quite a capability."
The Emperor glanced at Hu Wan. Seeing his face full of admiration, he couldn't help but frown. Indeed, Consort De was very capable. She usually kept to herself and didn't contend for anything, and Prince Qi was fond of indulging in food and drink. However, recently, Prince Qi had taken in several concubines who were daughters of powerful ministers from the six ministries.
"A few days ago, Prince Qi dismissed the women in his harem. I thought that boy had a change of heart. But how long has it been? That boy is already stuffing people into his mansion again."
"It is the Empress Dowager who dotes on His Highness Prince Qi," Hu Wan said with a smile. "The Empress Dowager has always been affectionate towards her juniors."
"The Empress Dowager is very affectionate towards juniors?"
"The Empress Dowager has always doted on her juniors. She gave the Lianyi girl, who had served her for many years, to Prince Qin. She also sent two beauties to Prince Qi, and two nimble maidservants to care for the pregnant Princess Chu. She also sent a young servant to the Crown Prince. The Empress Dowager has always treated her juniors with impartiality, earning the respect of all the princes."
The Emperor drank his tea, his expression unreadable. After a long sigh, after all, she was not his birth mother, and there was always a gap. She was not very close to him, but she was very close to his sons.
Xiao Zhen brought Xiao Man back to the mansion, along with several maids. The imperial physicians busied themselves for most of the night before leaving the general's mansion. Xiao Zhen looked at Xiao Man, who was asleep, and stretched. "Take good care of the young lady, close the courtyard gate, and do not allow anyone to disturb her rest."
"Yes, General."
As soon as Xiao Zhen left, Nangong Yu climbed over the wall. Xi Yue saw him and quickly greeted him, "Your Highness."
Nangong Yu walked inside. Even though he knew in his heart that Xiao Man would likely be fine, his heart skipped a beat when he saw Xiao Zhen carrying a blood-soaked Xiao Man into the mansion. However, when he walked in and saw the person kneeling by the bed, he gritted his teeth.
"This servant wanted to tell you..."
Nangong Yu took a deep breath and walked forward. He looked at Xiao Man, saw that her breathing was light and she was indeed asleep, and then looked at Wen Mohan, who was kneeling by the bed. A hint of annoyance flashed in his eyes. He kicked the footstool from under Wen Mohan, and Wen Mohan fell to the ground without making a sound. He immediately looked up to check on Xiao Man on the bed. Seeing that she was not awake, he let out a sigh of relief.
Wen Mohan got up from the ground, lowered the bed curtain, lit another calming incense, and gestured for Nangong Yu to go outside to talk. Nangong Yu's brows were furrowed so deeply that they could have crushed flies. Wen Mohan's practiced demeanor was clearly a provocation! Suzan Novels Network.
However, considering that Xiao Man had not rested well in the palace these past few days and had just been attacked tonight, she was indeed very tired. He couldn't bear to wake her, so he followed Wen Mohan out, and the two went to the courtyard.
The maids saw the two of them go out one after another and couldn't help but exchange glances. "Should we intervene?"
"How can we intervene?" Ying Xue asked. "These two are masters we can't afford to offend. Let them quarrel. We just need to protect the young lady."
"The guest is here. I'll brew a pot of tea and send it up," Yin Zhu turned to brew tea. She didn't want these two to fight to the death in Shuiyue Xiaozhu.
Yin Zhu brewed hot tea and sent it up. It was a cool late September night, with the first dew settling, and the flowers and plants in the courtyard were covered in dew.
The two sat opposite each other. Wen Mohan picked up his tea and slowly blew away the foam on the surface. Nangong Yu watched him quietly, "One must know their place. I believe, Lord Wen, that you are an intelligent person."
"Yes, one must know their place. If something is impossible, one should stay away," Wen Mohan glanced at Nangong Yu, his posture elegant, his voice calm.
Nangong Yu narrowed his eyes, "It seems that your trip to Jiangzhou has made you bolder."
"I wouldn't say I have the guts of a dog, but my courage has indeed increased," Wen Mohan said gently. "I borrowed it from Man'er."
Nangong Yu gritted his teeth. He had always disdained arguing with people and had always believed in action over words. However, when he encountered a weak scholar like Wen Mohan, if he acted, even if he was in the right, it would become his fault. If he argued, few people could out-argue Wen Mohan.
"What exactly do you want?"
"Your Highness, you have misunderstood. It should be, what do you, Your Highness, want?" Wen Mohan said slowly. "With Your Highness's ambition, you would never be content to be merely a prince with military power."
Nangong Yu did not answer. Of course, his ambition had been set from the moment he went to the battlefield, and it had never changed over the years.
"Man'er's will is strong. She will never be a pampered flower under your wing," Wen Mohan took a sip of tea and continued. "She has her own ambitions, her own ideals. Is Your Highness willing to put aside your ambitions to fulfill them for her?"
"I am willing."
"No, you are not," Wen Mohan stated firmly. "You might be willing to clear her path, to sweep away obstacles in her way, but you will never allow her to fly away from your side. She is a phoenix soaring in the nine heavens, not a canary trapped in a cage. If you want her to be your caged bird, it would be no different from killing her."
Nangong Yu did not refute. He allowed Xiao Man to venture and cause trouble because he knew that in her bones, she was that proud Empress Yunqi. She bore the deep hatred of a blood feud and had been betrayed by those closest to her. If she were not given an outlet, Xiao Man would eventually collapse. However, if Xiao Man wanted to escape from his side, he would never allow it.