Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 286 A Delicate Hand Decides the Situation
Youhuang Residence.

Xue Sui leaned against the pillow by the window, the wound on his left arm wrapped in plain white cloth. It didn't hurt much anymore, but as it healed, it caused a deep, tingling numbness.

The subtle, lingering threads of smoke are unsettling.

Jinshu walked in carrying the medicine. Seeing that she was holding a Buddhist scripture and staring blankly at the blooming love flowers in the courtyard, Jinshu couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

"Young lady, it's time to administer the medicine."

Xue Sui nodded slightly, gently took the warm medicine bowl, stirred it a few times with a small spoon, blew away the rising steam, and then sipped it slowly.

The bitter taste of the medicine spread across her tongue, but she remained unfazed.

"How is it outside?" Xue Sui swallowed the last mouthful of medicine and handed the empty bowl back to Jinshu.

Jinshu accepted it without hesitation and replied in a low voice.

"The Zheng State Duke's mansion is in complete chaos. Old Master Guo is seriously ill and I heard he'll be gone in the next few days... The Ministry of Justice has interrogated the eldest son of the Guo family several times. At first, he protested his innocence, but later he just fell silent, refusing to admit anything. As for the matter of Second Master Xue and Physician Zhang..."

She paused, then lowered her voice even further, "It's all over the streets, and there are all sorts of rumors. Some say the Guo family is desperate and killed someone to silence them, while others say... it's His Highness the Crown Prince who's ruthless and eliminating dissidents. In short, everyone is in a state of panic right now."

Xue Sui remained calm, his fingertips unconsciously twirling his sleeve.

"As expected. It's just a pity for Master Xue. He could have been a peaceful local official in Jiangzhou, but he was dragged into this for no reason and died a wrongful death..."

"Miss." Jinshu hesitated for a moment, a hint of worry in her eyes.

"Do you think His Highness the Crown Prince might suspect us?"

Xue Sui's lips twitched slightly upwards.

“If he can’t even figure this out, he’s not Li Zhao.”

"But……"

Jinshu was still somewhat worried, "Our dealings with His Highness the Crown Prince like this... are like playing with fire. What if one day, the Crown Prince succeeds in his great cause and feels that you know too much, or... are in his way..."

Life is unpredictable, and Jinshu's worries are not without reason.

Li Zhao now appears to be a man of great loyalty and affection.

Whether he will remember our past relationship when he dons the imperial robes in the future remains to be seen.

How could an emperor's mind be swayed by personal feelings?
Xue Sui stood up and walked to the half-open window.

A crisp, refreshing breeze carrying the scent of earth swept over her, instantly clearing her muddled mind.

“There are no permanent enemies or permanent friends in this world, only real interests. Li Zhao needs me now, and I need him too. That’s enough.”

She paused, her gaze falling on the palace walls in the distance.

"Life is like a game of chess; once a move is made, there's no going back. We'll just have to see what happens next. Li Zhao, that man..."

how is it?

Jinshu listened attentively.

Xue Sui didn't continue, but instead sighed softly.

"Is there any movement from Prince Duan's side?"

Jinshu said, "His Highness Prince Duan has been in a terrible predicament these past few days. His concubine Zhang's family is in turmoil because of that Zhang physician incident… Madam Zhang cries to everyone every day, saying that Zhang physician was framed and forced to go to the Soft Jade Pavilion to discuss some business by Minister Wang Qinian of the Ministry of Works and Minister Ma Yuankui of the Ministry of Revenue. He then mysteriously drowned in the bathtub, dying such an undignified death that it has made her daughter unable to hold her head high in Prince Duan's household. The Zhang family even went to the Wang and Ma families to cause trouble, almost turning them into enemies… Several families are all dependent on Prince Duan, and His Highness is caught in the middle, making his situation extremely difficult…"

"Oh?"

Xue Sui's smile was extremely cold and indifferent.

“Li Huan is worldly-wise and knows how to take advantage of a situation to back down.”

Jinshu was taken aback, and was about to ask something else.

Ruyi's deliberately soft footsteps could be heard from outside the door.

"Miss, His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived..."

Xue Sui was slightly taken aback.

Since Li Zhao left, it has been more than half a month since he last set foot in Youhuang Residence, and not a single word has come from him.

Your sudden visit today must mean there's something new going on.

She lowered her head and touched the scar on her wrist.

"Help me change my clothes."

Ruyi stepped forward in response and added in a low voice, "Miss... Miss Guo the Third has also come..."

Xue Sui paused.

Ruyi glanced at her face, her tone tinged with unspoken unease, "I...I arrived right after His Highness the Crown Prince. His Highness had Miss Guo wait in the side hall, and I saw that her eyes were swollen from crying..."

A knowing glint flashed in Xue Sui's eyes.

Then things returned to calm.

"Understood. Go and meet them."
-
The windows of the side hall were tightly closed, and the stove emitted warmth, preventing even a wisp of cold air from getting in.

Xue Sui, wrapped in a plain brocade jacket, went out with Jinshu by his side.

Guo Yunrong sat on a low stool by the couch, clutching a crumpled handkerchief in her hand. Her nose was red from crying, and her light green silk dress accentuated her slender waist, making her appear very thin.

She was the only one in the hall; Li Zhao was nowhere to be seen.

Xue Sui calmly put his palms together in prayer.

"Third Miss Guo".

When Guo Yunrong looked up and saw her, her eyes instantly reddened.

"Sister Xue..." Her voice choked and broke, and she couldn't say anything more, only tears rolling down her cheeks...

Xue Sui approached and patted her reassuringly, but Guo Yunrong grabbed her arm and was about to kneel down again.

"Yunrong is truly desperate and has no other choice but to shamelessly come to beg her sister..."

Xue Sui frowned slightly and gestured for Jinshu to support her.

"The ground is cold. If you have something to say, sit down and talk it out."

Her voice was somewhat hoarse, carrying a sense of weakness after a serious illness, but it remained gentle.

"Jinshu, serve the county princess a cup of hot tea."

Seeing her friendly demeanor, Guo Yunrong felt somewhat at ease.

Jinshu quickly placed a cup of piping hot ginger and jujube tea on the low table next to Guo Yunrong and said softly.

"Princess, warm yourself up..."

Guo Yunrong held the warm teacup in both hands, her fingertips trembling slightly. She only dared to look at the tips of her shoes, refusing to meet Xue Sui's gaze.

"Sister Xue, Yunrong shouldn't have come to bother you..."

She was shy and struggled with the thought of what to say.

Xue Sui didn't urge him, but waited quietly.

After she calmed down a bit, I handed her a piece of almond shortbread.

"Eating something sweet will make it less bitter."

Guo Yunrong took a few deep breaths before lifting her tearful eyes, her voice thick with nasal congestion, and she sobbed as she spoke.

“Sister Xue… I begged His Highness the Crown Prince to bring me here to see you today. Please forgive my intrusion, but I feel even more guilty upon hearing that you are not well. But I truly have no other choice…”

She choked back tears, which rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably and dripped into the tea.

“Grandfather has been coughing up blood non-stop and hasn’t eaten or drunk anything for days. The doctor says he’s on his last legs and won’t make it… My eldest brother is in the Ministry of Justice’s prison, and we haven’t heard from him at all. We don’t know if he’s alive or dead… All the sisters I used to be close to now avoid me like the plague… Yunrong knows that you are a kind and benevolent person… I have no choice but to beg you…”

Xue Sui looked at her quietly, and only spoke slowly after her crying subsided.

"How can I help you..."

Guo Yunrong suddenly looked up, a glimmer of hope flashing in her eyes.

"Yunrong wishes to ask her sister to consider our past relationship and put in a good word for me with His Highness the Crown Prince, pleading with him to be lenient and spare the Guo family..."

Her voice trembled, filled with a humble plea, and in her desperation, she even cautiously tugged at Xue Sui's sleeve.

"As long as my parents and family can be protected, Yunrong is willing to do anything. Whatever you ask me to do, sister, I will do..."

Xue Sui watched her without showing any emotion.

After a moment, he sighed deeply and removed his sleeve.

“Third Miss Guo, if you only want me to go to His Highness the Crown Prince to plead for the Guo family, I cannot do it.”

The light in Guo Yunrong's eyes dimmed instantly.

Xue Sui continued, his tone calm yet sincere.

"His Highness the Crown Prince is investigating the case by imperial decree, backed by His Majesty's divine authority and watched by the entire court... How much weight can my empty words carry as an outsider? And why should His Highness listen to me? Miss Guo, you should know perfectly well what crimes your elder brother Guo Zhaohuai and your second uncle Guo Mingyuan have committed..."

Guo Yunrong's lips moved, wanting to explain but unable to do so.

“My mother said…it was all the work of the subordinates, my second uncle and eldest brother…it was just that they didn’t supervise properly…besides, which noble family in the capital doesn’t have some messy accounts…”

She spoke softer and softer.

Because Xue Sui's vision was getting darker and darker.

"I know my sister is in a difficult position..."

“It’s not about making things difficult.” Xue Sui’s gaze was sharp and piercing. “It’s about the soldiers who froze and starved to death in the Western Frontier, whose bodies are still warm and whose grievances have not been redressed. It’s about their parents, wives and children still weeping… How can such a blood debt, involving the serious crime of embezzlement of military supplies, be covered up with a muddled account or poor supervision?”

Every word is piercing, every sentence drips with blood.

Guo Yunrong's face turned deathly pale, and only tears of shame and helplessness streamed down her face silently. She twisted her handkerchief, her body trembling uncontrollably.

"But Yunrong, as the eldest daughter of the Guo family, has been protected by her family since childhood, growing up in luxury and never suffering a bit of hardship. She can't just stand by and watch the Guo family fall into ruin, with her father, brothers, and uncles imprisoned, and do nothing... Sister Xue, please teach Yunrong what to do now..."

A suffocating silence fell over the warm room.

The crackling of the charcoal fire only amplified the silence.

After a long while, Xue Sui's expression softened slightly, and he sighed softly.

"We've known each other for a while, and Miss Guo also has a past relationship with me. Since you've come here today specifically to help me out, I will do my best..."

Guo Yunrong's eyes lit up.

Like a drowning person grasping at a lifeline, looking at her with hopeful eyes.

"Sister Xue, please tell me. As long as it can save my family, Yunrong will do whatever you say..."

Xue Sui picked up the lukewarm tea in front of him, took a small sip to moisten his somewhat dry throat, and gently coaxed him to drink.

"This matter is not entirely hopeless. Now that the Guo family is mired in trouble and has become the target of public criticism, it's inevitable that everyone will try to take advantage of them... But as you said, the noble families in the capital are deeply entrenched and rife with corruption, and the murky accounts involving military supplies and funds are not unique to the Guo family. If the Guo family can produce some solid evidence at this time, even if they cannot prove their innocence, they can still drag others down with them..."

Guo Yunrong was stunned.

"Sister, Yunrong is dull-witted and doesn't quite understand."

Xue Sui leaned forward slightly, his fingertips lightly touching the back of her hand, each word clear and distinct.

"The law does not punish the masses. Exposing wrongdoing is meritorious."