After the rebirth, the queen took the Meiqiang tragedy script

The Eagle Guards' message came back very quickly.

The night Shen Guiyi left the palace, Tao Yuan, using the name of Chen Wanshan from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, entered the palace to request an audience.

"No need for formalities. How did you get here so quickly?" Ye Qinghuai helped Tao Yuan, who was about to kneel down to pay his respects, and asked hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, the carrier pigeon I sent to Qing Tang City has only been gone for a little over an hour when I received a letter from there. It seems to have been sent this morning. The letter contains exactly what Your Majesty asked about, and Your Majesty understood it at a glance." Tao Yuan handed Ye Qinghuai a letter that had clearly been rolled up and stuffed into a small tube.

The letter came from the Imperial Guards sent out this time. They arrived in Qingtang City the night before last. Since the prefect and military governor of Yizhou were both protégés of the Gu faction, Yizhou could be considered Gu Shihai's territory. Now, the Gu faction and the Imperial Guards were at odds. Ye Qinghuai was afraid that unnecessary trouble would arise in the matter of Yile. Therefore, the order given to the Imperial Guards this time was to act secretly.

After entering the city with the credentials of Zhongzhou merchants, the group quickly learned that Yile lived in Bafangyuan, next to the state capital.

It was an official residence, specifically designed for receiving and entertaining foreign guests.

Several Imperial Guards immediately split into pairs and went to Bafang Garden that night to investigate Yile's situation.

However, upon arriving at Bafangyuan, they found the residence completely surrounded by soldiers, with no unauthorized personnel allowed to approach, clearly indicating that something major had occurred.

The leader of the Imperial Guards keenly sensed something amiss and sent two groups of men disguised as government troops to infiltrate the Bafang Garden. Before long, they found out what had happened.

That night, while Yi Le was having dinner and conversing with the Prefect of Qing Tang City in the main hall, a group of more than ten people suddenly burst in through the main gate, each carrying standard military-issue swords and spears. The soldiers in the Eight Directions Garden were quickly subdued. The leader of the group engaged in a heated argument with Yi Le, then stabbed him in the chest with a sword, killing him instantly. The group then left the Eight Directions Garden.

Ye Qinghuai was furious and was about to berate the incompetence of the Yizhou Prefecture army for allowing a dozen uninvited guests to kill such an important foreign guest in public and then leave unscathed.

Until she saw the last paragraph of the intelligence report: the perpetrator was currently being held captive in a separate residence by the Yizhou prefectural government. At the time of the incident, servants in the Bafang Garden overheard an argument in the hall; the intruder angrily accused Yile of instructing his teacher, Niga, to break his legs in the camp, while Yile retorted that the intruder was colluding with the second prince, Lodi. Subordinates speculated that the perpetrator might be Gu Haiwang, the former commander of the Jingji Guard, and the investigation was ongoing.

The last paragraph contained so much information that Ye Qinghuai was momentarily stunned.

Since Gu Haiwang left the palace, his whereabouts have been unknown, and even the Eagle Guards have been unable to locate him.

She never expected to see the long-forgotten name "Gu Haiwang" in this intelligence report.

This, however, explains why the Yizhou Prefecture army was so incompetent. After all, that was their superior, Gu Shihai's, precious son; who would dare to stop him?

This was the first time Tao Yuan had ever seen such a complex change in expression on Ye Qinghuai's face. In the short span of an incense stick's time, the emperor's face successively showed expressions of shock, doubt, anger, and restraint. Finally, she curled the corners of her lips into a cold smile, and golden light flashed in her eyes, revealing a hint of joy.

“How interesting…” Ye Qinghuai murmured, her fingers slowly tracing the three characters “Gu Haiwang,” muttering to herself, “This son is truly a sin of Grand Secretary Gu.” An idea gradually took shape in Ye Qinghuai’s mind. After pondering for a long time, she said, “Tao Yuan, when you leave the palace later, immediately send a few capable men to Qing Tang City to keep an eye on things and secretly investigate this case. Find a way to hide the relevant witnesses. Also, have the Eagle Guard spread the news that Gu Haiwang killed Yi Le among the local people. Tomorrow morning at court, I will openly send another Jinyiwei to investigate this case.”

"Your Majesty, based on my understanding, the fact that the Eagle Guards named the suspect in the letter suggests that they have solid evidence to warrant the death penalty," Tao Yuan advised.

Ye Qinghuai shook his head and said, "Gu Haiwang has been deposed and reduced to a commoner. His life is precious in the eyes of the Gu faction, but it is useless to me. What I want is Yizhou."

"After losing the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Grand Secretary Gu always felt that the capital was not safe enough, so he sent Gu Haiwang away. He has so many disciples outside, but he placed his own son in Yizhou, which shows that Yizhou is the place Grand Secretary Gu trusts the most. Now that such a thing has happened, Yizhou will definitely try its best to protect Gu Haiwang. Therefore, I want this matter to be blown out of proportion, so big that they can't cover it up anymore," Ye Qinghuai added.

Tao Yuan paused for a moment, then said, “Your Majesty, Qing Tang City is within the Gu Party’s sphere of influence. We don’t have many spies, and our network isn’t very dense. Sending someone else might not be entirely reliable. If there are no plans in the capital recently, I would like to go to Qing Tang myself.”

Seeing that Tao Yuan understood his meaning, Ye Qinghuai nodded and said, "Go ahead. Yinshi is in the palace, and Xu Youxing is in the Embroidered Uniform Guard. There are no major events in the capital recently, so there should be no problem. Stay in Qingtang for a while, as I may have some things to entrust to you later."

Tao Yuan accepted the order and immediately withdrew.

Ye Qinghuai stood in the room for a while, then called Li Baoquan in and instructed him, "Li Baoquan, send someone to the Ministry of Literature tomorrow morning to invite the Chancellor to the palace."
-
The morning court session the following day was extremely quick, lasting less than 15 minutes before it was adjourned.

Previously, when Yile defected to Dajing, Ye Qinghuai did not mention it in court because it involved military and political secrets. Now that Yile has died in Yizhou, Ye Qinghuai has brought up the matter briefly in court and immediately expressed his attitude.

“Yile is an honored guest of our court. He is a man of strategic importance on the northern front and could turn the tide of the war. Now that he has died under mysterious circumstances within the territory of Dajing, I must investigate this case thoroughly. Tingquan, I order you to send a Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) to Qingtang City today with the imperial edict to thoroughly investigate this case and give the court an explanation within the month.”

After speaking, Ye Qinghuai looked at Gu Shihai.

The Vice Grand Secretary frowned slightly. Seeing the Emperor looking at him, he said, "Your Majesty, Yile is a foreign guest. This matter has far-reaching implications. I propose that the Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice send people to accompany him."

Ye Qinghuai did not refute, but said, "What Grand Secretary Gu said makes sense. However, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is known for its fast horsemanship, and its speed is faster than that of the officials of the Six Ministries. So let them go first. The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Justice will draft a list and submit it to the Cabinet today. Let them go in two days."

Gu Shihai did not argue much, but he had already sensed danger from the emperor's words, so he added, "Your Majesty, Yizhou is the southwestern gateway of our Great Jing, bordering Jinchuan. Now Jinchuan is stirring up trouble. I hope Your Majesty will consider the overall situation and think twice before acting."

Ye Qinghuai looked at Gu Shihai and remained silent for a moment.

This was the first time in a long time that she had detected a hint of fear in Gu Shihai's words. Although it was only a little, this usually arrogant and domineering second minister, who held considerable military power, showed a trace of apprehension.

"I have taken Grand Secretary Gu's words to heart." (End of Chapter)