The Second Master of the Red Chamber

"Please rest assured, Mother and Consort Xue, I have already ordered the gates of the mansion to be sealed off. I will find this audacious poisoner as quickly as possible!"

Jia Yun, who had been silent all along, finally dared to speak.

He had previously worried that it was an internal power struggle within his own father's harem, and dared not express his opinion.

Now that it has been confirmed that someone poisoned the well, it's too low-level and childish; it's unlikely to be the work of Sister Feng and Baochai.

At this moment, Sister Feng's phoenix eyes were filled with murderous intent.

After sending Jia Yun away, he ordered Ping'er and Wang'er's wife to gather people and investigate one by one.

After most of the people had left, Sister Feng saw that Baochai was still standing there, her brows furrowed.

After hesitating for a moment, she walked over and took Baochai's hand, saying apologetically, "I'm sorry, Baochai. I was in a hurry just now and did something inappropriate. Please forgive me."

Baochai snapped out of her daze and shook her head at Fengjie: "Sister, there's no need for that. The situation was unclear just now, so it's normal for you to have some doubts."

"By the way, how's the young man? Is he alright?"

The more magnanimous and generous Baochai appeared, the more wary Fengjie became of her.

She herself didn't know why, since Baochai was clearly her cousin, and logically the two should be closer.

However, Sister Feng always harbored suspicion towards Baochai, but had no interest in Daiyu.

"He's fine. He can't eat anything but milk right now. I've already asked the wet nurse, and she didn't eat anything from the kitchen this morning either."

Baochai nodded and then said to Fengjie, "Sister, I think this matter is very likely that someone is deliberately targeting our Pingliao Prince's Mansion."

Now that my husband is leading troops in the field, I hope my sister will be extra careful and find the poisoner as soon as possible to uncover the truth.

Sister Feng nodded solemnly, reassuring Baochai.

She is now a princess and has successfully given birth to the prince of the royal family. Her future is bright and promising.

Anyone who dares to target the Prince of Pingliao's residence is going against her.

She wanted to see who had such audacity.

With the massive manpower of the entire palace, the suspect who committed the poisoning was quickly identified.

She was the wife who was responsible for delivering fruits and vegetables to the kitchen every day.

When she entered the mansion in the morning, she claimed to have a stomachache and briefly disappeared from the sight of the mansion's staff. Furthermore, some people claimed to have seen her near the kitchen's private well.

However, by the time Jia Yun personally led his men to arrest them, the couple had already vanished without a trace.

Jia Yun was furious: "You dare to provoke my Pingliao Prince's Mansion? No matter where you run to, it won't do you any good!"

So Jia Yun ordered someone to issue a warrant for a nationwide arrest to the Shuntian Prefecture, and at the same time ordered the officers and soldiers of the Five Cities Garrison to investigate and arrest the suspect.

……

After Baochai went back to check on Xiangyun and confirmed that she was alright, she went to the main study.

After much deliberation, he ordered someone to fetch Hu Yuanyao.

"Something happened in the manor; someone poisoned the well."

I suspect this matter is related to the prince's political enemies, and I feel it necessary to inform the princess.

Hu Yuanyao replied, "Reporting to Princess Xue, as soon as the news spread, I immediately sent someone to inform the princess."

Seeing Baochai's slight surprise, she quickly explained, "It wasn't this servant who acted on her own initiative. It was the prince's instruction before he left that if anything major happened in the manor, the princess must be informed."

In fact, this was Princess Zhaoyang's order.

It was said that if there was any disturbance at the Prince of Pingliao's residence, someone must be sent to inform her immediately.

Hu Yuanyao felt that at this point, if it were said that it was Jia Lian's explanation, Baochai would be more likely to accept it.

Baochai waved her hand: "Don't be nervous, you did a very good job."

As she spoke, Baochai hesitated again, then casually said, "I heard that a few days ago the Crown Prince released Prince Yun, who had been demoted to a commoner, from the Imperial Clan Court?"

Hu Yuanyao was the daughter of a general in the Imperial Guards and also came from the residence of the Princess.

Moreover, Jia Lian valued her highly and appointed her to manage the important affairs of the study, so she held a very special position in the Prince's mansion.

However, she held Baochai, who was deeply favored by Jia Lian and possessed an outstanding temperament, in high esteem.

Without mincing words, he replied directly, "That is indeed the case."

It is said that she is observing mourning for the retired emperor, and it seems that the princess has argued with the crown prince several times about this.

I've also heard that this is only temporary, and that he will be sent back after the Emperor Emeritus's funeral.

Baochai nodded, but did not continue on this topic, instead turning back to the past.

"Our prince is now the legitimate son of the Empress, and is also deeply trusted by the Emperor."

Logically speaking, no one should dare to make a move against the Prince's Mansion.

Moreover, according to our investigation, the perpetrator of the poisoning was contacted last autumn through the delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables to the Prince's residence.

"And at that time, if I remember correctly, it was during the period when the current Crown Prince and the former Prince Yun were competing for the position of heir apparent..."

Baochai spoke calmly, seemingly without any personal feelings.

But Hu Yuanyao wasn't stupid. Baochai had deliberately mentioned Prince Yun earlier, and now she was saying this again. Wasn't it obvious that she suspected Prince Yun was behind this?

Hu Yuanyao instinctively felt that it was unlikely.

Prince Yun has been deposed, and his henchmen and cronies have all scattered like monkeys after the tree falls.

Most importantly, he himself is imprisoned; does he still have the ability to do such a thing?

Moreover, what was his motive for poisoning the Prince of Pingliao's residence?
Did killing the prince's concubines change anything about his utter defeat?

However, reason told her that Baochai's suspicions were very likely correct.

Judging from the current situation, there are very few people who dare to take action against the Prince of Pingliao's residence.

And coincidentally, not long after Prince Yun was released by the Crown Prince, this incident occurred in the Prince's residence, making it hard not to suspect that this was Prince Yun's revenge!

Seeing Hu Yuanyao's expression, Baochai knew that she understood what she meant.

So, striking while the iron was hot, he said, "Of course, what I'm saying doesn't mean anything, since the murderer has already fled and we don't know if he can be caught."

I'm telling you all this because I'm worried about the princess's safety.

Everyone in the court knows that our prince and princess are the right-hand men chosen by His Majesty for the crown prince.

With the prince now away from the capital, the princess is the pillar of stability in the current court.

Since the person in the shadows dared to attack the Prince's residence, they might very well harbor intentions to harm the princess.

Hu Yuanyao no longer dared to take Baochai's words lightly, and hurriedly said, "Princess Xue, rest assured, I will... no, I will go back to the Princess's residence immediately and tell the Princess about your reminder."

"Yes, go ahead. Remember to bring several of the prince's personal guards with you, and be careful."

"Yes."

Watching Hu Yuanyao walk away with a solemn expression, Baochai's unease lessened slightly.

Because Jia Lian believed that she possessed talents that other women lacked, he not only told her about important matters such as the secret passage in the Grand View Garden.

When we're together, I sometimes talk to her about the political situation in the government and the public.

Among them was the mention of the hypocritical, cunning, ruthless, and heartless Third Prince.

Baochai didn't know what the Crown Prince's considerations were in bringing up such a person from the Imperial Clan Court.

However, based on what Baochai learned from Jia Lian, this Third Prince must hate her husband to the core.

Therefore, she sent Hu Yuanyao to find Princess Zhaoyang, hoping that Princess Zhaoyang could find a way to control this dangerous person.

More importantly, she was genuinely worried about Princess Zhaoyang's safety.

It's a well-worn topic that the current emperor is in poor health.

However, the crown prince's power base is not yet secure.

With her husband, one of her two most trusted advisors, away from the capital, any mistake by Princess Zhaoyang could potentially destabilize the situation.

As she pondered these thoughts and felt the turmoil within her, Baochai grew increasingly enamored and admiring of her husband.

Although her husband had a high starting point and was of royal blood.

However, such people were not uncommon in the Great Wei.

Only her husband has managed to get to where he is today, managing and controlling the situation so perfectly.

He often joked that if he were a man, his achievements would certainly not be inferior to his.

Baochai smiled faintly, thinking that even if she were a man, she would certainly not be as good as him.

Isn't that right? I've only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg of his world, and I'm already feeling incredibly excited.

Her husband, however, has been living like this for many years, and has always been very stable.

……

Princess Zhaoyang has not been in a good mood lately.

She noticed that her younger brother was becoming increasingly disobedient.

He'll do whatever he's told not to do!
They had clearly promised just moments before that they would simply provide Prince Yun with a cleaner place to live.

But a few days later, they released him, saying they were just making him mourn for his grandfather.

After the grand funeral, he was sent back. How could she not know that Prince Yun was once again trying to gain sympathy by playing the victim in front of him?

What she hated was why he was so foolish as to believe that someone who had murdered his brother and father could truly repent.
When she got so angry, she almost lost her temper and resorted to violence.

After finishing her morning of kneeling in mourning, she was preparing to return to the princess's residence to rest for a while when she suddenly received a message from Hu Yuanyao saying that someone had thrown a large amount of arsenic into the well commonly used by the Prince of Pingliao's residence!

Princess Zhaoyang was first shocked, then enraged.

She barely needed to guess to conclude that it must have been Prince Yun who did it.

Even if it wasn't him, it doesn't stop us from using this as an excuse to deal with him.

So he immediately mobilized a squad of imperial guards, who arrived menacingly in front of Chonghua Palace.

At this time, the Fourth Prince was also preparing to return to the Crown Prince's residence and asked someone to invite Prince Yun to go with him.

It's not that his relationship with Prince Yun has developed so well that he has to take him everywhere he goes.

Rather, he was dissatisfied with his own elder sister, wondering why she was so stubborn and unwilling to believe even a little bit that "a dying man's words are good."
To prevent Prince Yun from being locked up by his elder sister if he left, he prepared a cell for him to live in in the front courtyard of the Crown Prince's residence.

He wanted to refute his elder sister's authoritarianism and arbitrariness, and he wanted to prove that as long as one is human, there is a possibility of reforming oneself.

Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to completely ignore it.

He arranged for people to follow Prince Yun and monitor him around the clock.

It was precisely because of the feedback from the surveillance that he became even more convinced that Prince Yun truly regretted his actions and that he had come to beg him only to save his life.

"Please, Your Highness, go back and rest first. I am fine here; kneeling for another hour is no problem."

"It's not too late for me to take over after the Crown Prince has rested."

Dressed in white mourning clothes, Prince Yun did not look up, and while burning paper in the brazier, he politely declined the fourth prince's invitation.

Suddenly, the sound of armor rubbing against each other came from the palace road outside. Prince Yun paused in his act of burning paper money, but then resumed his normal actions.

He didn't even turn around to look at anything like the others did.

Princess Zhaoyang led dozens of imperial guards into the Lingling Courtyard, attracting the attention of the royal family members, eunuchs, and palace maids.

The fourth prince was startled, thinking that he had made some mistake again and that his elder sister was going to punish him.

She hurried over and said ingratiatingly, "Royal sister, didn't you go back? Why are you back again? And why did you bring them with you?"

Princess Zhaoyang glanced at him, ignored him, and directly ordered, "Take him away."

Upon receiving the order, the imperial guards stepped forward to forcibly remove Prince Yun, who was paying his respects at the coffin.

Everyone was puzzled by Princess Zhaoyang's posture, but they still made way for her.

"What are you doing? Why are you arresting me?"

Prince Yun was roughly lifted up by the Imperial Guards, but he did not struggle or resist; he only asked questions in a panic.

He looked nothing like the spirited prince he once was; he appeared utterly pitiful and helpless.

Seeing that Princess Zhaoyang was about to leave, the Fourth Prince hurriedly shouted, "What are you doing? Stop!"

He quickly blocked the imperial guards who were arresting people and questioned them, "How dare you! How dare you come here and act so presumptuously!"

The two officers in charge of making the arrest were immediately at a loss.

Although they were acting on Princess Zhaoyang's orders, the person in front of them was, after all, the Crown Prince.

They were in a dilemma, but fortunately, the Fourth Prince did not intend to make things difficult for them.

After blocking them, he immediately turned around and loudly asked Princess Zhaoyang, "May I ask, Your Majesty, what crime has he committed that warrants you making such a big fuss, coming all the way to the Emperor's grave to arrest him?"

Princess Zhaoyang turned around and looked at the young but persistent face in front of her, and the disappointment in her heart was indescribable.

This is a situation where everything one does is clearly based on one's own interests.

But the feeling of powerlessness of not receiving his full support.

She could even sense that the other party's actions were deliberately intended to antagonize her.

what is this?
Does he think he's still a child, learning to rebel like others?
"Someone poisoned the Pingliao Prince's residence, intending to kill the Pingliao Prince's family."

I suspect that he ordered someone to do it, so I'm going to take him down for questioning.

"What, even the Crown Prince is going to stop me from doing this?"

The fourth prince was taken aback.

His elder sister rarely addressed him as the Crown Prince.

This initial surprise was quickly overshadowed by the information Princess Zhaoyang shared.

"Has someone poisoned my brother's residence?"

"I just found out myself."

The fourth prince's face turned ugly.

Even if he was completely ignorant and incompetent, he knew the significance of Jia Lian to him and to the entire Great Wei.

Jia Lian is currently leading troops in battle for the country.

Secretly, someone wanted to murder his family!
If this gets out, it will definitely cause a huge uproar.

The Fourth Prince looked at Prince Yun with disbelief.

Prince Yun also looked completely bewildered. When he saw the Fourth Prince's expression, he shook his head vigorously.

"No, I didn't do it, it wasn't me..."

Fourth brother, fourth brother, you must believe me. These days, apart from keeping vigil before the Emperor's spirit, I have never left His Highness's sight for even a moment!

They, they can be my witnesses!
It really wasn't me, it wasn't me..."

Prince Yun spoke repeatedly, his eyes filled with fear.

They seemed to be afraid of being abandoned by the Fourth Prince and returning to the dark prison of the Imperial Clan Court, a place only beasts could live in.

The fourth prince frowned slightly, followed Prince Yun's gaze, and looked at the guards beside him, mainly those he had arranged to keep an eye on Prince Yun.

Faced with the questioning gaze of the Fourth Prince, the guards could only nod, even if they were unwilling.

So the fourth prince took a deep breath: "My elder sister said it was the third elder brother who did it, but do you have any evidence?"

"In the entire capital, who doesn't know that he hates the Prince of Pingliao the most, and hates that the Prince of Pingliao helped you seize his position as crown prince?"

He had just left the Imperial Clan Court when trouble broke out at the Prince of Pingliao's residence.

If he didn't do it, who else could it be?

In this world today, besides him, who else dares to lay a hand on the Prince of Pingliao?

Seeing his elder sister's indifferent gaze, the Fourth Prince hesitated for a long time before finally shaking his head and saying:

"What my elder sister said is just speculation; there is no evidence to prove that he did it."

"Now that it is the Emperor's grandfather's funeral, it is inappropriate for my elder sister to come here to take people without asking any questions."

"Is that so?" Princess Zhaoyang stepped forward and stood in front of the Fourth Prince, coldly saying, "Then I wonder what Your Highness thinks I should do to be considered appropriate?"

The fourth prince had always been afraid of his elder sister, and when faced with her coercion, he subconsciously took a step back.

Then he became somewhat annoyed: "The most urgent task is to catch the person who poisoned us and find out the truth."

If it is found that he truly did it, I... I will personally hand him over to my elder sister for punishment, and I will absolutely not protect him!

At this time, Prince Yun had already broken free from the restraints of the Imperial Guards.

He crawled and knelt before the fourth prince, crying out, "Fourth brother, fourth brother, you can't abandon me!"

It really wasn't me who did it.

Putting aside the fact that I lack the ability and opportunity to do such a thing, even if I had the opportunity, I would never dare to do it.

After spending several months in that dark and gloomy place, I figured everything out.

I don't hate anyone. The position of Crown Prince should have been yours by right.

I have done so many wrong things, yet you are still willing to give me a chance to make amends. I am truly grateful from the bottom of my heart.

The day I left that hellish place, I swore in my heart that as long as I survived, I would be grateful for your great kindness and virtue for the rest of my life.

Jia Lian... no, Wei Lian, he is our elder brother, and also your right-hand man.

Even for your sake, I would never dare to show him the slightest disrespect.

I hope Your Highness will understand…

"You get up first..."

The fourth prince helped Prince Yun up while giving Princess Zhaoyang a displeased look.

It seems to be saying, "Look, he's already like this, and you're still pushing him. Do you really want him to die before you're happy?"
Princess Zhaoyang ignored his thoughts and said coldly, "What if I insist on taking him away?"

The fourth prince was taken aback, then said, "I forbid it!"

"Humph."

Princess Zhaoyang snorted coldly, turned around and ordered, "Take them away."

"I'll see who dares!"

...(End of chapter)