Ink Burns

Chapter 241 Secret Meeting (Part 1)

The news of Cheng Xingyu's death was like a leaf blown by the wind onto the water's surface—light, insignificant, and meaningless.

Princess Jing'an learned of this matter from her spies who had laid an intricate web of surveillance in Xue Nan Prefecture, but she did not take it seriously.

Who are the Cheng family?

Jing'an was completely unaware—when the Liu family delivered Shan Yue, wouldn't they have proactively mentioned their "supply" subordinates to their superiors? Moreover, given the major blunder the Cheng family made while transporting medicinal herbs to the capital, the Liu family would certainly not invite trouble by mentioning the Cheng family again, thus offending a noble person.

If the "butterfly" sent up is useful, then it will naturally be credited to the Liu family; if this "little butterfly" causes trouble, then it will not be too late to expose the subordinate who "delivered" it.

Therefore, when Xue Xiao mentioned "Cheng, the divine physician of Songjiang Prefecture", Jing An naturally assumed that this Cheng doctor should be "one of his own" sent to Xue Xiao by Bai Yusi, the prefect of Songjiang Prefecture - a useful soldier in the enemy camp, better dead, and there was no need to dig any deeper.

Another thorny problem lies before Qingfeng: the emperor will thoroughly investigate those in the court, the palace, and the six departments who have been infected with the "tethering device".

"Yesterday, Wu Guangliang, the Director of the Imperial Household Department, personally led the effort and mobilized thirty-seven physicians to investigate officials from the lowest to the highest rank, as instructed by Marquis Wuding. They have now identified sixty-nine seventh-rank civil officials in the capital region and will be investigating the third-rank officials in ten days."

In the flower-lined outer hall, wisps of white smoke from burning incense swirled around the gilded beams adorned with thousands of bats. The strong scents of musk and artemisia mingled with the sweltering summer heat, creating an inexplicable restlessness.

Despite the presence of ice basins filled with well salt in each of the four corners of the room, Yuan Wenying felt unbearably hot. Unconsciously, she rolled up her wide sleeves and looked anxiously at the Grand Princess Jing'an, who sat at the head of the table: "The Emperor is truly ruthless this time! Several officials in Jiangnan have fallen because of Han Chengrang. He has ordered the Ministry of Personnel to demote Xiong Shi and Fan Yi, who were sent to Jiangnan, to the positions of prefect of Suzhou and Quzhou respectively. The officials of the Censorate who followed Xiong and Fan to Jiangnan will also be reassigned in their current positions. Some scholars from humble backgrounds who have never been appointed and some Jinshi who did not rank well will be appointed to positions in the Censorate. One Minister and two Vice Ministers of the Ministry of Personnel will both be appointed as 'Qingfeng' (a high-ranking official). Now, because the Emperor is thoroughly investigating the 'Qianji Yin' incident, people are in a state of panic and have no time to care about anything else. Naturally, they will do whatever the Emperor says!"

If the Ministry of Personnel was in such a state, then the Grand Secretariat, where officials started at the third rank, was naturally even more turbulent.

Yuan Wenying didn't say anything, but he was inwardly terrified: he had also taken "Qianji Yin"! He specially sought out a trusted doctor to check his pulse in advance. At first, the doctor thought that he was "gullible and easily swayed, and had never seen anything unusual in his previous consultations. He wondered where this barefoot doctor came from and how he could be a fraud!" But when he felt the three acupoints Yintang, Shenque, and Yongquan according to Xue Xiao's instructions, he was stunned and his face turned pale—he had indeed felt "a pulse that was hot and rapid, like pearls jumping and zither playing, sometimes weak and silent, sometimes strong and rapid like waves."

It can indeed identify who has fallen victim to the "trap"!
Who is "Qingfeng" will become a list in black and white presented to the emperor—this group of people will become pawns to be discarded.

Yuan Wenying felt a throbbing sensation on his forehead: "Your Highness, although Marquis Wuding has bought us some time, it is still a drop in the ocean. There are two urgent paths we can take: one is to persuade the emperor to abandon the idea of ​​a thorough investigation, and the other is to devise an antidote for everyone to take to avoid the risk of being diagnosed. If we remain indifferent, I'm afraid we will find it difficult to gain the support of the people!"

At the head of the table, Jing'an initially sat upright, but now she had one arm propped up on the side of the table. Her delicate makeup concealed her pale complexion, but her eyes betrayed her weariness. She looked at Cui Bainian to her lower left. Cui Bainian elegantly raised his teacup, lowered his eyes, and blew away the non-existent foam floating on the water's surface, slowly avoiding eye contact with Jing'an.

Her son, Cui Yulang, appeared respectful but remained silent. Below him, Zhou Fangniang's eyes were red and swollen, as if she were immersed in grief over her husband's severe poisoning.

A warm cup of tea had appeared beside Jing'an without him noticing.

He Qingshu's eyes were gentle as she presented the tea to Jing'an and said softly, "The water made with Eucommia ulmoides leaves, ginseng rootlets, and Rhodiola rosea is invigorating and nourishing. Given the current urgent situation, Your Highness should take care of your health and not overwork yourself."

A fire seemed to ignite between Yuan Wenying's brows as he blurted out, "Lord He has never taken the 'Tethering Instruction,' so he is naturally sitting on his own two feet. Now, all three hundred or so people in 'Qingfeng' are counting on Your Highness to break the deadlock. I advise Lord He to be more magnanimous and considerate of others!"

He Qingshu's handsome and refined face remained respectful. He glanced to the lower left and, after receiving the nod of approval, immediately replied: "Since Vice Minister Yuan knows that Your Highness handles matters with ease, what is wrong with my advice to Your Highness to take care of your health? — Or is it that Vice Minister Yuan is angry that I have not taken the 'Qianji Yin'?"

Yuan Wenying, a former tutor to the emperor, certainly possessed genuine talent and learning, regardless of his personal character. In contrast, this effeminate He Qingshu, if not for his romantic entanglement with Jing'an, would he even be worthy of holding the position of Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review?

Yuan Wenying forced a cold laugh: "Lord He, please don't take this personally. It's not that I'm angry, but I'm just a little annoyed by your detached and gloating remarks—"

"enough."

Jing'an's voice was hoarse, but he finally spoke to cut off the meaningless argument: "'Qingfeng' was something I set up all by myself, and I will do everything in my power to prevent it from being destroyed. As for the Emperor, I will find a way myself."

Yuan Wenying felt a chill in her heart: At this critical moment, Jing An would rather use his brains with the emperor than release the antidote for "Qianji Yin" to everyone!

"However, after this battle, we have realized that Xu Quyan's previous docility was just a pretense. He secretly gathered the Censorate and the Inner Palace to serve him. Now that his power has grown, he has revealed his wolfish ambition of enduring hardship and biding his time. This sickly fellow cannot be allowed to live."

Jing An's gaze was deep, like a candle with only a small ember remaining: "Prince Rong is over eight years old and has been raised with great care by the Noble Consort. Emperor Yongping has been on the throne for eight years, but his harem has dwindled and he has no children. It is likely that this is due to his weak constitution. If Prince Rong had not been still in the Noble Consort's womb at that time, in terms of bloodline, maternal family, and the Emperor's preference, Xu Quyan would not have been able to ascend the throne."

"Look at the Prince of Yong, the son of the late emperor. He is a free spirit, traveling around and has not been in the capital for a long time. He is born of the same mother as Emperor Yongping. He is of humble origin and has done nothing for the court or the Great Wei. He is a good-for-nothing."

"After looking around and thinking it over, I feel that it is time to set things right and give Prince Rong justice."

Cui Bainian held the teacup in his right hand, swirling it three times in his palm, creating ripples like blue waves. Cui Bainian, always a scholar-general, smiled and raised the teacup with one hand to congratulate him from afar: "Congratulations, Your Highness, on finally making a firm decision—if you had listened to me back then and directly made Chang Lin take the blame, we wouldn't have had to suffer this great injustice."