bayedsolid Chapter 157 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (61)
Chapter 157 The Ruthless and Disabled Crown Prince (61)
Zhuang Yuxun, who was about to step forward, stopped in her tracks: "Ah... be careful."
Lu Liruan couldn't quite describe her feelings at this moment; she felt angry, nervous, and also faintly relieved.
She had no time to think about why Ji Shumin was keeping it from her; what she needed to do now was to consider all the possibilities before things came to a head.
The box felt heavy in her hands. Lu Liruan nimbly slipped out, and Zhuang Yuxun took it from her, took her hand, and helped her out.
"What could such a small box possibly hold?" Zhuang Yuxun frowned, examining the box from all angles.
According to the information gathered, what's hidden should be...
“Regardless of what it is, she deliberately tried to get information out of me and even sent a message out that her sister should sneak around here during my father’s birthday banquet. It must be very important to the person who set this up.” Lu Liruan looked at the lock hanging on the box.
"Open it and take a look."
"It's better than..."
Before Zhuang Yuxun could finish speaking, Lu Liruan interrupted him with a cold snort: "I want to see for myself what exactly you've been hiding from me with all your might!"
Zhuang Yuxun didn't know whether she was referring to the Second Prince's concubine or the Crown Prince.
Although her pretty face was expressionless, Zhuang Yuxun could tell that the Crown Princess was extremely angry.
"Hmm." Zhuang Yuxun gave an ambiguous reply, fiddling with the lock on it, thinking to himself that the lock was very fine, clearly telling people that something important was inside.
"Give it to me." Lu Liruan reached out her hand.
Zhuang Yuxun handed it over: "Ah! You! Be careful with your hands!"
Taking a deep breath, Zhuang Yuxun watched as Lu Liruan picked up a sharp stone from the ground and smashed it hard against the lock!
He was extremely angry.
The lock on this small box, though delicate, wasn't too thick. Lu Liruan's method of violently dismantling it, while not aesthetically pleasing, was surprisingly practical.
In just a few moments, the lock fell off.
In the face of absolute power, fancy tricks are useless. If Lu Liruan knew what Zhuang Yuxun was thinking, she would tell her this.
The box was opened, and Zhuang Yuxun glanced at the contents. His expression immediately turned serious.
There was nothing valuable inside, just a few sewn notebooks.
When I opened the issue featuring Lu Liruan, it was filled with densely packed text...
It's an account book!
What looks worthless is actually the most valuable thing!
"These things should have been destroyed back then," Zhuang Yuxun said with certainty after a moment's recollection. Then, he turned his head and met Lu Liruan's expression, which had a hint of a smile on her face.
Lu Liruan curled the corners of her lips. Zhuang Yuxun had just briefly told her what might happen today.
But Lu Liruan's mind worked incredibly fast, especially fueled by anger, making her thoughts clear and logical. From just one casual remark by Zhuang Yuxun, she gleaned some very important information.
"Ah."
"Li Ruan." Zhuang Yuxun put the ledger back into the box and took a breath.
"We need to get rid of this thing quickly," Zhuang Yuxun said seriously.
This thing is a hot potato. It's not safe to keep it in the mansion. Forget about what's written inside or whether it's real or fake.
If someone with ulterior motives can seize a handle, the truth can become falsehood, and the falsehood can become truth; this is the treacherous and cruel nature of struggle.
"Can you take it out?" Lu Liruan asked her.
Zhuang Yuxun shook his head: "They're already watching us outside. Anyone going out will only alert them."
"It's hardly a case of alerting the enemy; they're determined to get it now." Lu Liruan looked down at the thing in her hand.
The ledger was densely packed with information, and to be honest, Lu Liruan couldn't understand it very well. She could only guess at it based on what Zhuang Yuxun had just told her.
After looking at two pages, Lu Liruan closed the ledger: "This thing is fake, isn't it?"
"Hmm." Zhuang Yuxun noticed her hesitation and wondered what she was thinking.
"You can make as many fakes as you want, right?" Lu Liruan stopped looking at it, threw the notebook back into the box, and slammed the lid shut.
"Do..." Zhuang Yuxun was still thinking about how to give this thing away inconspicuously.
Lu Liruan, standing in front of him, said in a calm tone, as if she were saying something casually: "Burn it."
Zhuang Yuxun was stunned.
“That way we don’t have to send it out, and we don’t have to worry about it being found.” Lu Liruan said matter-of-factly, her eyes calm and unwavering.
“But these fake ledgers…” Zhuang Yuxun thought to himself, these ledgers were obviously made with great effort, and they must contain information that could help him understand the other party, or perhaps… seize the other party’s weakness to retaliate.
“We can’t get out now, and people outside can’t get in.” Lu Liruan tilted her head, her tone feigning coldness but unable to hide her concern: “The Crown Prince is currently… unconscious.”
The reason I risked being discovered was because a messenger bird brought me a message that read: His Highness the Crown Prince went to see the Emperor this morning, and upon returning, he suddenly fell seriously ill and collapsed.
Even though the Crown Prince is currently unconscious, the die is cast, no matter which way it goes.
The stage has already been set up, so we can only keep singing by beating gongs and drums; we can't let the curtain fall easily.
Originally, Ji Shumin was in charge of the overall situation, and even if someone made a move, he could fight back. It was just a matter of who would come out on top in the end. But now he has fallen into a coma.
It's hard to say whether something might go wrong...
There are countless people watching the Emperor's side, and countless others have also found out about the Crown Prince's accident.
Originally, the matter should have originated in the palace, but now... if the other side discovers any information, they might launch an attack from the Marquis of He'an's residence.
Outside the Marquis of He'an's residence, both sides were on high alert, but neither dared to make any rash moves.
Once this news spread, it unexpectedly led to the discovery of something hidden within the mansion, one thing leading to another, making one's hair stand on end.
"What happens later is what happens later. If we can't even get past this hurdle, how can we talk about what will happen later?" Lu Liruan curled her fingers and picked at the edge of the hot box.
“You’re right.” Zhuang Yuxun hesitated for a moment before agreeing immediately. She had been overthinking things. Just as Lu Liruan said, the most important thing now was to get through this hurdle. Other things weren’t so urgent.
Zhuang Yuxun had also experienced the ever-changing battlefield. He was decisive and swift in his actions. The two looked at each other and saw the same firmness in each other's eyes.
"Let me do it. Think about it carefully again and see if there's anything I've overlooked." Zhuang Yuxun now completely regarded Lu Liruan as someone she could rely on. In her opinion, the Crown Prince had truly underestimated the Crown Princess.
The woman before me was not a delicate, fragile flower in a pot or a caged bird, but a person who could face the storms and walk alongside me on the road ahead.
Zhuang Yuxun burned the box and its contents in a secluded spot under the trees, dug a pit, and buried the ashes inside.
Lu Liruan inspected the entire cave again but found nothing else.
"I haven't said anything else to her." Lu Liruan had always been suspicious of Lu Yushi, so she would only chat with her about trivial matters, avoiding the topics of the Marquis of He'an's residence and Songjingyuan whenever possible.
"Then let's go back and wait." Zhuang Yuxun also breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Liruan stood still, seemingly making a decision, and then she earnestly asked Zhuang Yuxun, "Could you take advantage of the chaos to send me back to the palace?"
“I can’t go back by myself, you have to help me.” Lu Liruan looked into Zhuang Yuxun’s eyes, her expression showing no hesitation.
"What are you going back for? We don't even know what's going on in the palace right now..."
"I have to go back because I don't know what it will look like anymore."
Lu Liruan looked towards the palace: "I'm worried."
“Li Ruan, you believe in His Highness the Crown Prince.” Zhuang Yuxun had already heard his father and He Pingyan’s opinions on the Crown Prince, and he had considered everything thoroughly and was very meticulous.
"He doesn't even believe me, why should I believe him?" Lu Liruan scoffed coldly, her tone cool and tinged with sarcasm.
But Zhuang Yuxun could tell that she was just saying things out of anger.
Zhuang Yuxun could roughly guess what was going on inside the palace. The reason the Crown Prince sent Lu Liruan out of the palace before the incident must have been to keep her out of the mess.
If... if something really happens, she's outside the palace and has people protecting her, so maybe she can escape unscathed.
At this moment, Lu Liruan insisted on going back, which meant that she was determined to stand with Ji Shumin.
Even if the future is uncertain, I will never give up on you and choose to stay out of trouble.
Zhuang Yuxun didn't know what to say for a moment.
The Crown Princess's resolute attitude moved her deeply.
“I’m worried…” Lu Liruan sighed, her tone softening: “I have to go and protect him, and no one can hurt him in the slightest.”
Zhuang Yu thought that now that Lu Liruan was back in the palace, it was indeed better than having only a comatose Crown Prince left.
She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine, I'll help you."
“He Pingyan’s men should be coming down next. I’ll try to get them to withdraw some of the people watching outside and take you out.”
"But how do we explain this to the Marquis of He'an's residence?"
"I'll go tell Dad." Lu Liruan gave her a grateful smile, rushed back to her room as fast as she could, changed out of the clothes that had been messed up from crawling through the tunnel and climbing the slope, and hurried toward the front yard.
Lu Liruan had a servant invite Marquis He'an to a side hall. Upon seeing Marquis He'an dressed in fine clothes, she hurriedly entered.
"Ruan Ruan, what's wrong?"
Lu Liruan instructed her servant to tell Marquis He'an that she had urgent business and that he must come as soon as possible.
"Father." As soon as Lu Liruan opened her mouth, she realized that her voice was trembling slightly, a feeling of grievance that arose spontaneously when she saw someone close to her.
"What's wrong with Ruan Ruan?" Marquis He'an asked hurriedly when he saw that his daughter's eyes were red.
“Father, I have to go back to the palace later. Someone will cause trouble at your birthday banquet, so I need to go out then… If anyone asks, just say that I am worried about something happening at the Marquis’s residence and went to the palace to find His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Although Marquis He'an did not participate in court politics or take sides, he was not a fool. Ever since Lu Liruan became the Crown Princess, he had anticipated that... such a day would inevitably come.
"Ruanruan, how about you stay in the manor? Your father will protect you." After Lu Liruan gave a brief explanation, Marquis He'an spoke up.
If the crown prince's intention was to extricate his daughter from the situation...
Lu Liruan understood the unspoken meaning in He'an Hou's words, and her heart trembled. In her father's heart, nothing was more important than his daughter, and no matter what happened, he would protect her without giving up.
“Father, I have to go back.” Her throat tightened, and Lu Liruan said earnestly, “Nothing will happen. Now that I have married the Crown Prince, I am one with him. I will not… I will not leave him alone.”
Marquis He'an saw his daughter's determination and sighed heavily: "Father understands. Go with peace of mind. I know what's going on in the manor."
Having received Marquis He'an's words, Lu Liruan seemed much more at ease.
Marquis He'an was not a stupid person; he simply had no ambition or lofty aspirations and only wanted to protect his family.
After leaving the side hall, Marquis He'an resumed his carefree, long-lived demeanor, chatting idly with others with a smile.
Lu Liruan did not tell Madam Gao or her two younger sisters about the matter, otherwise they would be even more worried.
Zhuang Yuxun followed Lu Liruan, and when they sat down on the stool, Zhuang Yuxun held Lu Liruan's hand and found that her palm was ice-cold.
"Judging by the time, they should be here soon."
"Ah."
Sure enough, just before the banquet was about to begin, the gate of the Marquis of He'an's residence was suddenly pounded on.
The servant opened the door, but before he could even speak, he was pressed down by the people who rushed in.
"Dali Temple! Ordered to search the He'an Marquis's residence!"
A large group of guards stood ready outside the gate, and it was clear from their posture that something big was about to happen.
The people in the courtyard were stunned, and then began to panic.
The officers and soldiers didn't care about whether it was a birthday banquet or not; they just barged in and told everyone to stay where they were.
Marquis He'an stepped forward with a stern face: "May I ask what is going on? What right do you have to search my residence?"
He Diaoyu, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, walked out from the crowd. He was dressed in official robes and had a serious expression. "His Majesty has ordered me to investigate the case. I have the right to search and interrogate anyone involved in the case, including the Marquis of He'an's residence!" His voice was loud and clear.
"What case is this? I have never done anything underhanded. If the investigation has reached me, what evidence do you have?"
"The evidence will naturally emerge after the search is complete." He Diaoyu adopted an upright attitude that indicated he didn't want to say much more: "His Majesty ordered me to investigate the robbery of official silver in the capital. Please step aside, Marquis."
He waved his hand, signaling the officers and soldiers to separate the crowd.
The men were in one place, while the women were led to another.
Lu Liruan and Zhuang Yuxun followed the ladies and young women of various families with their different expressions to a courtyard.
Lu Liruan turned her head to look at Lu Yuhua and saw that her face showed a tense and complicated emotion, with a hint of joy, as if she was about to get some benefit.
idiot!
Lu Liruan cursed inwardly, now understanding the feeling of Ji Shumin sometimes cursing people with resentment.
I'm so angry! I can't control my temper at all!
Who wouldn't want to go crazy?
Zhuang Yuxun took a step forward, blocking Lu Liruan's view: "Don't go and beat her up now..." Although he thought it was impossible, Lu Liruan looked really angry.
"Heh, there's plenty of time." Lu Liruan is now thinking of getting a string of Buddhist prayer beads to wear.
Ji Shumin didn't believe in Buddhism either. Lu Liruan never understood why he always had that string of Buddhist beads on his wrist. Now that she thought about it, it was probably to calm her mind and accumulate merit.