Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 234 Fame
Upon returning to the East Palace, Mei Ruhui was already waiting in the side hall's warm pavilion.

Li Zhao handed Wang Bo'an's prescription to him, "Give this to Zhang Huaicheng and have him check it..."

Mei Ruhui nodded and accepted it, "If Wang Bo'an cares about his two grandchildren, he will not dare to act rashly..."

Li Zhao's gaze swept lightly across his face before he slowly turned away, hands behind his back.

The candlelight flickered gently, casting his tall shadow onto the "Complete Map of the Capital" on the wall, creating a somewhat somber and heavy atmosphere.

"How is Chen Gui doing?"

“It’s all settled.” Mei Ruhui lowered his voice. “Chen Gui is quite sensible and efficient. He’s managed to plant our people in the C-level prison during the patrol rotation.”

Li Zhao nodded, "Be clean with your hands and feet."

Mei Ruhui said, "The coroner has also been taken care of."

Li Zhao lightly twirled the jade thumb ring on his left hand, his face so cold it could frost off.

Mei Ruhui stepped forward again and spread out the structural diagram of the Ministry of Justice's prison on the table.

"Your Highness, please look, the Bingzi Prison is located here..."

His fingertip touched the yellowed mulberry paper, the ink seeping into a faint vermilion red—

“Every day at the third watch of the night, oxcarts carrying swill would pass by outside the west wall. There was a hidden compartment under the cart, big enough for a seven-foot-tall man to hide in.”

Mei Ruhui then took out a paper packet from his sleeve, which smelled of sulfur powder.

"These are Persian fireworks sold by foreign merchants. They can shoot green sparks three zhang (approximately 10 meters) high. If the patrolling soldiers see them, they will definitely chase after them towards Yongxingfang..."

"The waiting boats are disguised as coffin transport vessels, positioned right here. Once the people board, they can sail downstream..."

He paused, then looked up at Li Zhao.

"But what about Miss Xue? Should we make it clear to her? Let her know the plan in advance so she can be prepared for any eventuality and avoid being caught off guard..."

Li Zhao's expression was cold: "You don't need to worry about this, I have already made arrangements."

Mei Ruhui understood somewhat.

The words "Take it easy" still ring in our ears.

Once it's said, the equally opinionated Miss Xue won't want the Crown Prince to take the risk, and it might cause further complications.

He pondered for a moment, then coughed lightly. "Your Highness has repeatedly rehearsed the plan. If we proceed according to it, we will surely be able to deceive all eyes and ears and rescue the person safely. However... why must Your Highness risk your life and gamble everything to save this person? Is it worth it..."

Li Zhao raised his hand and broke the cloud cake on the table in half.

"Compared to life, what is danger..."

Mei Ruhui remained silent.

The Love Silk Gu is a double curse; if one dies, the other will also perish.

But the theories of witchcraft are vague and unfounded. Is it really worth taking such a risk?
-
The carved window of Tianxiang Pavilion in the west of the city was half-opened, and Yaoguang, with an elegant demeanor, leaned against the vermilion railing, holding two fennel beans between her fingers, watching the commotion downstairs with great interest.

A fortune teller set up his stall under a locust tree in the West Market, deliberately choosing a spot near the stables, and grabbed a handful of aged mugwort, throwing it into the charcoal brazier under the table.

"Old man, let me see your fortune for the coming year."

A man carrying manure put down his bucket and approached the fortune-telling stall.

How much money do you want?

The fortune teller lowered his eyelids and said, "If the prediction is accurate, please feel free to tip me. If it's wrong, I won't accept a penny."

"Alright!" The man became interested, moved the manure load aside, and rubbed his rough hands on his clothes: "Quickly, calculate it for me..."

The fortune teller calmly placed the tortoise shell in the charcoal brazier, muttering incantations.

Suddenly, a burst of blue smoke rose from the charcoal brazier, and with a "boom," it spread out, carrying the smell of burning.

The horse tethered to the stake was startled, kicking and neighing incessantly, and kicked the manure bucket beside it hard—

The manure bucket overturned with a crash, splashing filth all over the man's trousers, leaving them stained with a foul stench. He jumped up and cursed loudly in shock.

Looking at the fortune teller, his expression also changed drastically.

"Oh no! The celestial grid is splitting, the earthly evil spirits are attacking the city walls, and evil spirits are causing chaos in the capital, which will bring great disaster..."

Before the man could react, the fortune teller had already hurriedly packed up his stall.

"Hurry up and leave, I'm not setting up this stall anymore. If I continue, I'll be revealing heavenly secrets and incurring divine retribution..."

In an instant, the crowd in the street was in turmoil, the frightened horses reared up and stomped their hooves, splattering manure all over the ground, and screams, curses and neighing of horses filled the air.

Yao Guang, watching from the second-floor window, couldn't help but chuckle.

He sat down, casually took a sip of tea, called over the waiter, a smile playing on his lips, and slid a piece of silver from his sleeve, hitting the waiter's tray, startling him so much that he almost dropped his teacup.

"Would you like more tea, sir?"

Yao Guang raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "The celestial order is shifting, the earthly spirits are clashing, and evil spirits are causing trouble in the capital. The world is about to change, so why bother drinking tea..."

The waiter was completely bewildered.

After he left, I went downstairs and learned about the commotion at the fortune-telling stall.

Old Wang, who sells steamed buns on the street, muttered to someone as he kneaded dough. "That fortune teller said the celestial grid is splitting and the earthly evil is clashing, which means there might be something unclean in the imperial city, and a great disaster is about to occur..."

Aunt Zhang from the tofu shop next door was also nervously spreading rumors.

"Oh dear, I've heard about it. Those two male corpses in the moat were victims of an evil spirit. Their deaths were gruesome, and even their souls were stolen... We common folk should stay far away!"

"Last night, my window kept making noises in the middle of the night. Could it be that thing causing all this trouble?! What should I do?!"

In less than half a day, the rumors spread like a plague.

From teahouses and taverns to grand mansions, everyone was talking about it, and the discussion was only getting more heated.

Some even went so far as to connect this incident with the uproar caused by Prince Wei, Li Yan, at the Ministry of Justice...

With the Empress Dowager's protection, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs did not make things difficult for Li Yan, but the rumors that the Prince of Wei and Xue Yueying's illegitimate son was being raised in the Jingyuan Marquis's residence suddenly spread like wildfire, becoming increasingly rampant.

When the news reached the palace, Empress Dowager Chengqing was furious.

To save face for the royal family, she denied the child's paternity and ordered a thorough investigation.

"How dare they implicate the imperial family in such a vile affair! Investigate and find out who said this..."

With the court's intervention, the gossip in the streets and alleys temporarily subsided, but in the capital, everyone knew that Gu Jie had not only married an impure woman, but also raised a child for the Prince of Wei. He had completely lost face, and even the Marquis of Jingyuan and Lady Chun could not hold their heads up in public.

Chaos erupted at the Marquis of Jingyuan's residence.

Inside the west wing, a celadon plum vase was shattered on the floor.

Xue Yueying was sitting in front of her dressing table removing her hairpins when she saw Gu Jie throwing a tantrum. She turned around and sneered.

"What kind of madness has Lord Gu gone mad? After hearing a few nonsensical words, he comes to me to throw a tantrum?"

"You still dare to mention it?" Gu Jie kicked over the embroidered stool, rushed over in three steps, and lifted her up from the dressing stool.

"The whole capital knows that my Gu family is raising an illegitimate child. You've completely disgraced the Jingyuan Marquis's mansion, yet you act like nothing happened?"

"What am I afraid of? A lot of lice won't itch, and a lot of debt won't worry me." Xue Yueying shook off his hand, looked at him with a half-smile, and had the air of a dead pig not afraid of boiling water.

"Don't try to intimidate me with your chastity arch. What kind of good person are you, Gu Wulang? You've practically worn down the threshold of the princess's residence, haven't you?"

"You bitch!" Gu Jie was furious. He grabbed the rouge box from the vanity case and threw it at her.

"Gu Wulang, you've gone mad!"

Xue Yueying couldn't dodge, and in anger, she grabbed the comb on the table, screamed, and pounced on Gu Jie.

The two began to fight, and the porcelain pieces on the display shelf fell to the ground with a clatter.

"What a disaster!" The old nanny in Madam Chun's room sighed upon hearing the commotion.

"They're making a scene again. How are we supposed to live like this...?"

Lady Chun silently shed tears, but when she could no longer hold back, she put on her clothes and rushed over.

Gu Jie's neck was covered in bloody scratches, and Xue Yueying's face was also swollen and red, her hair was disheveled, and her rouge and powder were scattered all over the ground.

"Aren't you ashamed enough? Stop it!"

Seeing his mother trembling with anger, Gu Jie shook off the ravaging Xue Yueying, staggered back to the threshold, hastily straightened his clothes, and suddenly saw the baby in the cradle kicking and crying loudly—

The longevity lock hanging around her neck was a gift from the Empress Dowager.

In the candlelight, it seemed to be mocking his foolishness.

"Mother, your child is unfilial!"

He knelt down with a thud, kowtowed three times to Madam Chun, wiped the blood from his forehead, and burst out of the mansion after smashing open the carved wooden door.

A man wandered aimlessly through the cold wind until the clapper sounded three times. Then, wrapped in a blue cloth cloak, he stumbled and knocked on the side gate of Princess Ping Le's residence.

The servants, sensing the situation, opened the door and led the person inside.

The dim night lights cast a long, disheveled shadow of him.

Princess Ping Le was half asleep, half awake, wearing a crimson gauze nightgown, leaning against a gilded carved soft couch, slowly stroking her ink-black hair, the curve of her eyes like a poisoned hook.

"Lord Gu's distraught appearance is a disgrace to the scions of noble families. Anyone who didn't know better would think he was some mad dog."

Her voice trailed off with a lazy sarcasm, an undisguised mockery.

"What happened? The scandal couldn't be covered up, and your good wife kicked you out?"

“Your Highness…” Gu Jie lay sprawled on the ground, his hands trembling as he sobbed, “This humble official has come to serve you.”

Ping Le looked down at him and sneered.

"That sounds nice. Tell me, what do you have to prove your loyalty?"

The shopkeeper packed up and said, "I'm outta here!"

The man jumped up and down: "You pay for my pants!"

Xue Sui: "...Watching a show!"

A reader commented: "Gu Jie came home, scratching his neck. The princess was reclining, what was she planning to do?"