Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 238 Overcoming Obstacles
On the palace path, where autumn was in full bloom, the palace servants from the Shanggong Bureau hurried by, carrying copper basins.

Wen Jia stood under the eaves outside Hanzhang Hall, gazing at the Vermilion Bird Gate shrouded in rain and mist in the distance, unconsciously clenching the silk handkerchief in her hand.

"Princess, His Highness Ping Le has been taken to the Imperial Clan Court."

Dongxu gently draped the cloak over her shoulders, his voice low.

"I heard that last night, His Highness the Crown Prince personally led a group to surround the Hu women's tavern in the West Market, and presented both the women and their goods to the Emperor..."

Before the words were finished, a sharp sound of a copper basin falling to the ground suddenly came from the end of the passageway.

Two young palace maids knelt on the ground, trembling. Several pieces of clothing in the basin spilled out and became covered in dust.

The head maid immediately flew into a rage and raised her hand to strike him.

"Idiot! You can't just drop this like that!"

Wenjia noticed the bruises on their cuffs and quickly walked over.

"what happened?"

The old woman curtsied, her eyes filled with disgust and impatience.

"Your Highness, these two girls originally came from Princess Ping Le's residence. They are used to being clumsy and can't even do simple tasks like serving tea or washing clothes properly."

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter; the palace is the coldest and most indifferent place.

Everyone loves to add flowers to brocade, but few offer charcoal in the snow. Ping Le has not yet lost power, but these people are already busy kicking him when he is down and praising the weak while belittling the strong.

Wen Jia frowned slightly, adjusted her cloak, turned around, and her skirt swept across the steps.

"Please trouble you, Granny, to tell the head of the Imperial Household Department that I would like to ask these two maids to go to the Princess's residence to do laundry."

The old woman opened her mouth in surprise, then quickly closed it again, curtsied, and agreed.

"Yes."

Dong Xu gave her a faint glance, then followed Wen Jia silently toward Hanzhang Palace.

Princess Tuya was kneeling on a prayer mat, her long, jewel-encrusted, turquoise-blue dress trailing like flowing clouds. On the altar before her, a gilded Buddha statue lowered its eyes in compassion, as if it possessed some kind of mysterious power.

Her face was calm, like a cold statue, oblivious to the commotion around her, her expression so calm it was almost indifferent.

"May your aunt be well..."

Wen Jia bowed slightly, her tone respectful yet barely concealing her anxiety.

Princess Tuya looked up calmly when she saw Wenjia enter.

"sit down."

The prayer beads slid between her slender fingers, making a soft rustling sound.

Wen Jia took half a step forward, her skirt brushing against the edge of the cushion, and sat down sideways.

"Have you heard about Princess Ping Le's matter, Aunt?"

"What do I care about the family affairs of Daliang?" Tuya's voice was cold, as if it carried the chill of a snow-capped mountain.

Wenjia bit her lower lip, hesitated for a moment, and then mustered up her courage.

“Aunt, Ping Le has been raising assassins, colluding with powerful officials, and poisoning the harem. Her crimes are too numerous to list. Although she is currently detained, given Father Emperor's consistent favoritism, he may not be able to investigate her thoroughly and punish her severely…”

As Wenjia spoke, she secretly observed Tuya's expression, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Once she escapes punishment, she will definitely make a comeback and stir up trouble again..."

Tuya's fingertips suddenly stopped.

The veil covering her face swayed slightly with her movements, yet it concealed her expression throughout, making it impossible to discern her true thoughts.

"You want me to persuade His Majesty to severely punish Ping Le?"

Wen Jia bowed slightly. “If Aunt can use her status as a saintess to warn Father and let him see her true colors, it would be doing a service to the people… If my mother knew this in the afterlife, she would also appreciate Aunt’s compassionate heart.”

Tuya gently put down the prayer beads in her hand, stood up, and straightened her long dress. Her movements were elegant, yet she exuded an aura that kept people at a distance.

"I am merely a sojourner; how dare I discuss matters of the court?"

Wen Jia felt a chill in her heart. She wanted to say something more to persuade Tuya, but she saw that Tuya had already turned away.

"see a visitor out."

After being told to leave, she knelt down on the prayer mat again, picked up her prayer beads, and began to silently recite scriptures.

Helpless, Wen Jia gently placed a sealed vermilion lacquer box, which Xue Sui had entrusted to Yao Guang, in front of Tu Ya, then slightly curtsied and took her leave.

As she walked out of the inner hall, she couldn't help but look back one last time...

Tuya remained kneeling there, motionless, as if the conversation had never happened.
-
Zichen Palace.

Emperor Chongzhao's desk was piled high with evidence.

The blueprints for the Divine Arm Crossbow were just the tip of the iceberg. There were also travel documents stamped with the seal of Ping Le Palace, correspondence with the Xizi Wolf Guard, Gu Jie's testimony with his fingerprint, and two Xizi Wolf Guard vanguards captured from the Ping Le palanquin.

Each piece of evidence struck the emperor's heart like a heavy hammer.

"Your Majesty, the Censorate, along with several officials, has impeached Princess Ping Le for treason and collusion with the enemy, requesting that her title be revoked, her honors stripped, and that she be imprisoned and punished." The voice of Censor-in-Chief Zhou Zhengping resonated deeply in the warm pavilion, exceptionally clear.

Emperor Chongzhao suddenly threw the report to the ground.

"Where is Gu Jie? Summon him to the palace!"

"Your Majesty, Gu Jie was assassinated in the West Market last night, suffering a heart injury. He remains unconscious and is unable to enter the palace to see you..."

Before Minister of Justice Xue Qingzhi could finish speaking, a commotion suddenly arose outside the hall.

Wang Chengxi quickly stepped forward and bowed in greeting.

"Your Majesty, Princess Tuya suddenly lost consciousness while chanting sutras with her eyes closed today. She was surrounded by white mist, and seven-colored Buddhist light appeared above her head... She said that she received a revelation from Mount Ulan and requested Your Highness to move to Hanzhang Palace..." Emperor Chongzhao suddenly stood up.

The light from the gilded dragon-shaped lamp made his face appear bluish.

"You may all step back for now. I need to consider this matter carefully."

Having said that, he flicked his sleeves, strode confidently toward the Hanzhang Hall.

"Prepare the carriage immediately!"
-
The candles in Hanzhang Hall burned all night, and the night watchman's drum in the capital city sounded unusually heavy.

When Princess Ping Le's treason was exposed, the capital was thrown into chaos.

The Censorate receives hundreds of secret letters of impeachment every day; a noble lady digs out old poems exchanged with Princess Ping Le and burns them; even beggars on the street are talking about how they "saw the princess's carriage leaving the city late at night"...

Gradually, more and more people dared to expose Princess Ping Le, and those officials who had previously associated with Ping Le fell into a vicious cycle of fear and insecurity...

The patrolling cavalry of the Five Cities Garrison are busy arresting people all day long...

Even so, the rumors continued to circulate wildly.

Princess Tuya's revelation from the sacred mountain, intertwined with the fortune teller's rumor downstairs at Tianxiang Pavilion that "the heavenly order is fractured, the earthly evil spirits are clashing, and there are evil spirits causing chaos in the capital," causing panic throughout the city.

The rumors became increasingly absurd as they spread.

The fortune-telling container at Ci'en Temple suddenly cracked and started leaking fortune slips...

The Taoist temple in the west of the city was smashed by fanatical believers...

Someone saw "ghost soldiers passing through" on the moat...

A brawl involving hundreds of people broke out in the rice market as people hoarded grain to avoid trouble...

The cinnabar in the pharmacy was sold out...

These incidents terrified the common people, who then began to pour black dog blood onto the walls of the imperial city overnight…

Even children on the street are singing new nursery rhymes.

The coiled dragon is trapped in the shallows.
The fox sits on the golden throne.

Cut off the snake's tail with one stroke.
Blood falls and people feel at peace…

This vortex, fueled by the murder of a concubine and divination, along with a deluge of rumors, swept the capital city into deeper suspicion and madness like an invisible giant hand.

The people in the city were like glutinous rice balls thrown into a hot pot, rolling and screaming, not knowing what kind of disaster would be caused next.

Everyone seemed to be waiting for that falling blade.

Or perhaps a storm foreshadowing divine retribution is coming...
-
Youhuang Residence.

The flickering candlelight on the bronze candlestick illuminated Li Zhao's sharply defined jawline, making it appear as if it had been carved with a knife, further highlighting his sharp and shrewd nature.

He flicked his cuffs with his fingers, his palms slightly clenched, as if trying to conceal his emotions.

"Your Highness, the medicine is ready." Laifu held up a white jade bowl. "It was prepared according to Miss Xue's prescription. This old servant watched over it for two hours, and the heat was just right."

The prescription left by Consort Xue that day was said to control the onset of the Love-Binding Gu, but His Highness locked it in a box after taking it back and never touched it. Today, however, he suddenly took it out and instructed the kitchen to open a new small stove to brew the medicine.

Li Zhao frowned, took a sip, swallowed twice, and then tilted his head back to drink it all.

Then he instructed Laifu to pour the remaining filtered residue from the medicine furnace into a jar and seal it.

"She prefers celadon cups; she doesn't like silverware."

"Yes!"

"She was afraid of bitterness, so she added some candied green plums."

Laifu readily agreed and ran off with the jar to get the candied plums.

Mei Ruhui stood at the entrance of the warm pavilion, looking at the incense in the burner, which had burned down to less than three inches. After hesitating for a long time, he frowned and asked:
"Does Your Highness intend to personally go to the Ministry of Justice prison?"

"Exactly."

"Your humble servant dares to suggest that this action is inappropriate."

Li Zhao lowered his head and fiddled with his sleeve, "I think it's appropriate."

Mei Ruhui was well-read and skilled in strategy. He was most adept at quoting classical texts to debate with scholars, but despite being in the Eastern Palace for many years, he never managed to persuade Li Zhao.

Because this Crown Prince is too opinionated and never compromises with anyone.

But this time, Mei Ruhui was determined to stop it, even if it meant going against his own wishes.

“Your Highness should not take such a risk.” Mei Ruhui took half a step forward, but when he saw the Crown Prince’s indifferent gaze, he hesitated to speak.

"Your Highness, as the Crown Prince, should cherish your precious life. This matter is fraught with danger; the slightest mistake could give others a pretext to use against you..."

“What you say is absolutely right, sir.” Li Zhao’s tone was light and casual, but it carried a hint of coldness. “How could I lightly step into such a dangerous place and let such a villain get away with it? However, I never intended to use friendship as bait to lure her into this trap. Some things are better seized than begged for.”

Mei Ruhui breathed a sigh of relief and solemnly cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. I will be extremely careful and ensure that Miss Xue is safely brought aboard the cargo ship..."

"No." Li Zhao casually pulled over the black cloak, took the black iron longsword from the wall, and slung it diagonally at his waist.

"With me absent, who among you can persuade her to come?"

Having said that, he threw the prison defense map spread out on the table into the stove, straightened the jade belt with a coiled dragon around his waist, drew his sword three inches from its sheath, and gave a cold look.

"Order all guards to proceed according to the original plan! Do not cause any alarm..."

Mei Ruhui suddenly felt a lump in his throat, and the words he was about to say changed his mind. He bowed respectfully and said:

"I accept your order!"