Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 793 Questioning
The King of Qin finally couldn't resist and wanted to get up and find an excuse to leave. Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard the Empress Dowager say, "A case involving the prime minister and causing such a stir at the palace gates is not so easy to resolve. Everyone should be patient."

Upon hearing this, everyone could see that the Empress Dowager was waiting for news, or for some new evidence.

The King of Qin's gaze darkened; he knew that what the Empress Dowager was waiting for would surely be detrimental to him.

The palace servants brought out snacks and dried fruit. The Empress Dowager got up and went to the inner room to see the Emperor, instructing everyone to eat the pastries to stave off hunger.

The Emperor's condition had changed, and it was in accordance with regulations for the Empress Dowager to use this as an excuse to keep the officials in the Funing Palace. Wang Bingchen first picked up a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth, then simply ate while reading the unfinished memorials, just as he had done in his duty room.

The prime minister took the lead, and the other officials followed suit. After eating, they went about their business. The Prince of Huai also stood up and joined the imperial guards outside the palace.

The commander of the Palace Guard dared not leave, and having nothing to do, he could only sit idly to one side.

When the newly appointed Privy Councilor entered the Funing Hall, this was the scene he witnessed.

The Empress was sent back to the palace, but the things she had instructed her attendants to do were not stopped.

The Vice Chancellor immediately went to see the Prince of Qin, wanting to understand the current situation. The Empress had pre-arranged this with him; summoning him to the palace was to seize power from Wang Bingchen. He expected a tense scene, but was surprised by the calm. He should have anticipated this, since the officials kneeling at the palace gates had been taken away. He thought that being able to enter the palace meant there was still a chance for a change, but…

Wang Bingchen glanced at the Vice Chancellor, his composed expression revealing his current predicament.

“Since everyone is here,” Wang Bingchen said, “let’s take a look at these memorials and make a decision so we can submit them to the emperor.”

The Vice Minister of State stood there in a daze for a moment, wanting to say something, but afraid that if he spoke, someone would seize on it. Everyone was smart, so he went with the flow and sat down next to Wang Bingchen, naturally taking the memorial.

After reading one or two memorials, footsteps were heard in the inner hall, and the Empress Dowager returned to her seat.

The Vice Chancellor showed no surprise; he had guessed the outcome in that short time. He stood up and, together with the Privy Councilor, bowed to the Empress Dowager.

"It's so late at night, and you still have to come to the palace. You must be tired."

The Vice Chancellor and the Privy Councilor dared not agree and immediately said, "It is our duty, and we should do so."

The Empress Dowager didn't make things difficult for the two of them, waving her hand and saying, "Go about your business! There's still a lot to do tonight." Everything seemed calm and peaceful.

The Vice Chancellor and the Privy Councilor responded, and the two returned to their respective positions with trepidation.

The powerful ministers would not be at a loss when the situation changed; instead, they would wait for the right opportunity. However… the Empress Dowager smiled slightly. She was getting old and was prone to fatigue. After all the trouble she had gone through, she couldn’t let this trip be in vain. So, she would not allow anyone to turn the tide through her hands.

Another half hour passed, and finally a eunuch strode into the Funing Palace.

Apart from the Empress Dowager and Wang Bingchen, everyone else in the hall looked up.

The eunuch approached the Empress Dowager, about to whisper his message, but the Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "These are all key ministers of the Great Liang. Speak freely and do not hide anything from them."

The eunuch responded, took a few steps back, thought for a moment, and then said, "Xie Yizhi's cousin, Xie Yize, instigated the clan head to give false testimony to frame Xie Yuyan. The clan head pretended to agree, taking the opportunity to gain his nephew's trust in order to find out who was framing Xie Yuyan."

He didn't need to say these things when reporting to the Empress Dowager, but since the Empress Dowager had instructed the eunuch to tell everyone, he had to explain the cause and effect clearly.

Upon hearing this, the King of Qin felt a chill in his heart; he finally understood what the Queen Dowager was waiting for.

The eunuch paused for a moment and then continued, "After Xie Yuyan was arrested, Xie Yi thought that his mission was accomplished, so he took the clan leader to see his master."

What happened next was obvious to the King of Qin, but he still held a sliver of hope that the Empress Dowager had failed to capture the key figures, thus allowing him and the King of Qin's mansion to remain uninvolved.

But… the Empress Dowager asked, “Have you caught them?”

The eunuch nodded: "The Imperial City Guard followed the Xie clan chief and found a manor outside the city. They laid an ambush outside the manor and captured the mastermind."

The King of Qin finally couldn't help but clench his fist slightly.

The Empress Dowager remained calm: "Then what is the identity of the person who instigated this?"

The eunuch turned his head to look at the King of Qin, and this look drew the attention of everyone in the room. The King of Qin's face became increasingly ugly. If he had not been in a high position for a long time and had not developed some composure, he probably would have stood up by now.

The Empress Dowager said, "Tell me the truth."

The eunuch then said, "It is... the eldest daughter-in-law of the Duke of Wei's family, the maternal family of the Princess of Qin."

Now even Wang Bingchen turned his attention to the King of Qin.

Everyone was lost in thought, and the room fell silent in an instant. The King of Qin could no longer sit there. He slowly got up, a blank expression on his face, and looked at the eunuch in astonishment, as if he knew nothing about it.

The Empress Dowager ignored the King of Qin and muttered to herself, "The daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, I remember... she is the daughter of the Wu family."

The eunuch replied, "Indeed."

"Isn't the Jiang family not in the capital? When did she arrive?"

The eunuch did not respond, because he knew that the Empress Dowager was not asking him.

The King of Qin stepped forward and bowed to the Empress Dowager: "Your Majesty, after the Princess Consort gave birth, the Jiang family came to the capital to visit her, but they did not stay at the Prince's residence... I thought they had left the capital."

The Empress Dowager said, "Didn't Lady Jiang just give birth not long ago? How did the Jiang family find out about it so quickly?"

Even if Lady Jiang sent a message to the Jiang family as soon as she gave birth, the Jiang family could not have arrived so quickly, which shows that the King of Qin's claim of "visiting" was not true.

The King of Qin said, "I don't know why this is so... I thought the Jiang family was calculating the days and felt it was about time to set off."

The Empress Dowager nodded: "I remember this is Princess Qin's third pregnancy, isn't it? Why is the Jiang family so worried?"

The King of Qin was speechless.

The Empress Dowager continued, "Then why did the Jiang family want to harm Xie Yuyan?"

The Duke of Wei lost his son and moved his entire family away from the capital. He hasn't been active in court for many years. How could he allow his daughter-in-law to do such a thing? What benefit would this bring to the Duke of Wei's family?
The Empress Dowager stood up and slowly walked to the Prince of Qin's side: "Logically speaking, could it be that Xie Yuyan did something that made an enemy of the Jiang family? Or..."

The Empress Dowager looked at Wang Bingchen: "The Jiang family really wants to deal with someone else."

Wang Yan is engaged to Xie Yuyan. By framing Xie Yuyan, the Wang family can be dragged down. Considering the kowtows outside the palace today, everything becomes clear.

Just as Wang Bingchen was about to get up and speak, someone knelt down first.

The commander of the Palace Guard knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, I... believed the Empress's words and thought that Minister Wang and his son were taking advantage of the Emperor's illness to seize power... That's why I came to Funing Palace. I had no other intentions. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth."

(End of this chapter)