Inlaid With Jade - Chapter 88

Chapter 88
Scheme

Jinghe Palace.

A gentle breeze blew across the lake, causing the lotus leaves in the lake to sway. A man in black clothes hurriedly crossed the lakeside path and walked towards the octagonal pavilion in the lake.

A gentle and elegant man with a noble temperament sat in the pavilion. He wore a jade crown and a black python robe. His complexion was pale and sick, but he did not look gloomy. Instead, his face looked gentle. It was a pity that such a beauty sat in a special iron and wood wheelchair. The man with the broken leg in the python robe was the second prince, Zhu Xi.

Zhu Xi held a painted porcelain bowl filled with fish food in his hand, his fox eyes slightly lowered. He quietly watched the fish in the lake scramble for food, and occasionally, he would laugh and curse: “Stupid, others snatched the fish food thrown in front of you.”

Only one road led to the pavilion in the lake, and more than a dozen guards wearing armor and carrying swords stood at the intersection. The leading guard saw the man in black clothes and raised his hand to salute: “Lord Xu.”

Xu Wen returned the salute but did not say much and walked quickly to the pavilion. He stopped behind Zhu Xi’s wheelchair and respectfully called: “Your Highness.”

Zhu Xi did not turn around, only said: “Xu Wen, sit down.”

Xu Wen had no intention of sitting down. He took two steps forward, bent down, and whispered in Zhu Xi’s ear: “Your Highness, Wei Lin sent a message saying that Lord Li of the Northern Office had contact with the daughter of Prime Minister Lin during Wang Changzhong’s case.”

In addition to Lin Wan, who was a concubine in the palace, Prime Minister Lin’s only daughter was Lin Yu. Zhu Xi threw a handful of fish food into the lake and asked, “Lin Yu? Isn’t that Li Heming’s wife? I heard that the couple loved each other very much, and they were the envy of others.”

Xu Wen said, “But when Wang Changzhong was involved in the case, Lord Li and his wife had not yet married. At the time, Wang Changzhong made a fuss, and Prime Minister Lin’s name was on the confession. Li Heming was in contact with his daughter and could be suspected of favoritism and perverting the law.”

Zhu Xi said indifferently, “At most, this move may make my father suspicious of Li Heming. Prime Minister Lin is my teacher, and Concubine Wan is pregnant with a dragon fetus. It is unreasonable to use this as a chess piece.”

Zhu Xi turned his head and looked at Xu Wen. His brows were furrowed, and it was obvious that he had more to say.

Zhu Xi asked, “What else did you find out?”

Xu Wen looked at the space behind him, raised his hand to block the wind, and whispered, “There is another old story. Wei Lin said that General Li’s defeat was probably because of the Sixth Prince.”

Zhu Xi paused to grab the fish food: “Where did you get the news?”

Xu Wen shook his head slightly: “He didn’t say it clearly. He just asked if you want to report it to the Emperor. If Wei Lin fails to overthrow Li Heming and take the position of the Northern Leader, the Sixth Prince will understand that he is your man, and Guo Fang will take action against him, then Wei Lin will be wasted.”

Zhu Xi looked at the lake’s surface, stirred by the fish, and said slowly: “Do you know what my father is afraid of?”

Xu Wen paused and whispered a word: “Rebellion.”

Zhu Xi said: “Yes, in the first few years after my father took the throne, rebels were everywhere. Li Heming is my father’s confidant. My father will not keep him around if he has ulterior motives.”

Xu Wen hesitated and said: “But the truth of this matter is still unknown. Moreover, Li Heming was under the Emperor for many years and never did anything against the Sixth Prince. How can we judge whether he knows that the Sixth Prince killed his biological father and whether he is disloyal to the royal family?”

Zhu Xi smiled: “My father is very suspicious and will imprison Li Heming for favoritism. Li Heming will have to be punished in prison whether he knows it or not. Go over the punishment once, and we will understand after a trial.”

Xu Wen understood: “Your Highness, when will you start? I will send a message to Wei Lin.”

Zhu Xi narrowed his eyes and looked at the sky, and a smile appeared on his lips: “The weather is good today; let him enter the palace this afternoon.”

Xu Wen nodded and was about to leave, but Zhu Xi stopped him again: “Don’t worry, it’s still early. How is the Her Highness these days?”

Zhu Xi was bullied when he was young. In the cold winter, he injured his knee and fell into the deep lake. He was found hanging by the lake for half an hour and could not stand up. Filled with grief and shame and because of a weak body, his biological mother died at a young age. The current Jinghe Palace was where his mother lived.

The ‘Her Highness’ in Zhu Xi’s mouth now did not refer to his mother but to the current Concubine Wan.

Xu Wen replied, “A few days ago, a maid tried to put musk powder into the marigolds sent to Concubine Wan’s palace. After being discovered by our people, she committed suicide by taking poison. Nothing was found, but it should be the instruction of the Sixth Prince’s mother.”

Zhu Xi frowned when he heard this: “So determined. Tell someone to watch the Cining Palace and keep Her Highness’s stomach save.”

Xu Wen agreed: “Yes.”

Zhu Xi glanced at the sundial in the lake and asked: “Besides delivering the message, do you have anything else to do later?”

Xu Wen thought he had something important to tell him, so he hurriedly said: “Your Highness, there is nothing else.”

Unexpectedly, Zhu Xi handed him the fish food in his hand after hearing this: “Then please help me feed the fish and then send a message to Wei Lin.”

Xu Wen never thought that Zhu Xi would keep him to feed the fish. He looked at the porcelain bowl before him and stretched his hand to take it confusedly. Looking up again, Zhu Xi had already pushed the wheelchair out of the pavilion. He said slowly, “Feed carefully. My mother raised this fish. Some are old, and some are injured. They have been passed down for several generations before they grew large. Don’t let them overeat.”

Xu Wen was a follower of Zhu Xi. He was framed and had no chance to enter the officialdom. With Zhu Xi’s grace, he settled in Yingtian. He was a rare talent in politics. He didn’t expect that he would have to condescend to feed the fish here. He looked at the porcelain bowl, then at Zhu Xi, shook his head helplessly, and bowed slightly to Zhu Xi’s back: “Yes, Your Highness.”