Love Lock

Chapter 168 Will there really be divine retribution?
Inside the imperial palace in the capital, the lights remained on all night.

A deafening explosion rocked the capital, and fires broke out everywhere. Such a bizarre and shocking event prompted Emperor Jing's personal guards to be mobilized immediately.

More than an hour later, the guards brought back the information they had gathered.

Twelve black-clad guards knelt in the imperial study. The leader of the guards clasped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, we have learned the situation."

Emperor Jing stood with his hands behind his back and said, "Speak."

"Your Majesty, the earth-shattering noise occurred at the Marquis of Champion's residence. When we arrived, the main hall of the rear courtyard had been razed to the ground, leaving only ruins."

The commander of the secret guards' voice trembled slightly: "Except for Princess Chang Le, who went to the palace to visit the Empress tonight and has not returned, all the other masters of the Marquis's mansion... all of them have perished, and their bodies... the bodies cannot be recovered."

"What?" Emperor Jing's pupils contracted sharply, and he abruptly stood up from his chair, his fingers unconsciously clenching his robes: "Are there any survivors?"

"Your Majesty, not many servants in the Marquis's residence were killed or injured. The survivors all said that they heard a loud bang at the time of the incident, and then the entire hall... collapsed."

The guard paused, then said, "What's even stranger is that all the other places in the city that caught fire were properties of the Marquis of Champion's mansion, and none of them were spared."

"Why is this happening?" Emperor Jing's expression shifted between light and dark. "Is there any news circulating in the streets?"

The guards kneeling below exchanged glances, and the commander whispered, "Some say it was deliberate revenge, while others say... that the Marquis of Champion's mansion has committed countless evil deeds and has been punished by heaven."

"Insolence!" Emperor Jing slammed his fist on the table, scattering the memorials all over the floor. "The Marquis of Champion is the Empress's brother. Who dares to be so disrespectful?"

The guards lay prostrate on the ground, not daring to raise their heads.

Emperor Jing took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his chest.

He waved for his guards to leave and paced back and forth alone in the imperial study. The candlelight cast his long shadow, flickering uneasily on the wall.

"Divine retribution? There really is divine retribution?"

Emperor Jing's heart skipped a beat. His secret guards were spread throughout the capital region, and he had some idea of ​​what the Marquis of Champion's family was doing in secret.

However, the empress's family and the ministers under him who replaced her were all key ministers who had supported him to the throne since he was the crown prince, and had made contributions to his ascension to the throne.

Therefore, in the years after he ascended the throne, there were some things he knew, but he turned a blind eye and let them pass.

Putting aside everything else, the fact that the Marquis of Champion, in collusion with Minister of War Cao Ge, embezzled military pay might just incite public outrage.

Sigh! I've been too lenient with them. If there's any divine retribution, he bears some responsibility for knowing about it.

It seems he needs to take some time to offer sacrifices to the heavens, to atone for the sins of his bastards and himself.

Emperor Jing paced back and forth, then suddenly stopped, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes.

"But what if it was deliberate revenge? To be able to create such a tragedy in the capital and simultaneously set fire to multiple properties... this is definitely not the work of an ordinary force," Emperor Jing murmured to himself.

Emperor Jing walked to the window and looked at the still-burning firelight in the distance, a chill running through his heart.

The Su family, the Marquis of Champion, is not only one of the four great aristocratic families, but also the Empress's maternal family. Who would have the audacity or the ability to commit such a heinous act against such royalty?

Moreover, how did those people manage to gather all the masters of the Marquis's mansion together before committing the crime?

Upon thinking of this, Emperor Jing felt that the entire palace was no longer safe.

"Guards!" Emperor Jing suddenly turned around. "Issue my decree: immediately strengthen the palace guards. All imperial guards must be on duty. No one is to leave their post without my order!"

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside the hall, and the chief eunuch Li Zhongxin jogged in.

"Your Majesty, Prefect Liu of the Capital and Minister Sun of the Court of Judicial Review request an audience, and Prime Minister Wei has also come along."

Emperor Jing frowned: "Summon them."

The three ministers hurriedly entered and knelt down to pay their respects.

With beads of sweat still on his forehead, Liu Mi, the Prefect of Jingzhao, said, "Your Majesty, the Marquis of Champion's residence..."

"I already know," Emperor Jing interrupted him. "What have you found out?"

Sun Wenlin, the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, stepped forward and said, “Your Majesty, according to the steward of the Marquis’s residence, all the masters of the Marquis’s residence are gathered in the main hall today to discuss… to discuss the marriage of Princess Chang Le.”

Emperor Jing's eyes narrowed: "Marriage? How come I didn't know that Chang Le was getting married?"

Sun Wenlin looked troubled: "It is said that... today's birthday banquet for the princess is because a plump nephew of Prime Minister Wei has taken a liking to Princess Chang Le, and the princess has agreed, so the Marquis's mansion is discussing this matter."

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Wei, who was standing to the side, immediately knelt down.

"Your Majesty, please understand! This old minister knew nothing of this matter, nor does he have any nephews in the capital! All of my sons and nephews are married, how could this be..."

"Your Excellency, Prime Minister." Sun Wenlin took out a record of the evidence collection from his sleeve and handed it to Prime Minister Wei.

"I have verified that a plump nephew did indeed visit your residence. Today, he was at the princess's birthday banquet and competed in poetry with the young masters. Many people saw him. This is the record of the inquiries made around here."

"This...this..." Prime Minister Wei's face turned deathly pale.

Emperor Jing watched this scene coldly, his mind filled with doubts.

Prime Minister Wei was a veteran of two reigns and wielded considerable power in the court. He had a long-standing and good relationship with the Marquis of Champion. If he had a motive...

"His Majesty!"

Prime Minister Wei kowtowed deeply, “This old minister does indeed have several plump nephews and nieces, but none of them are in the capital! Even if they were, how could this old minister allow them to harass the princess? This must be a frame-up by someone!”

Emperor Jing did not respond immediately. He stared at Prime Minister Wei for a long time before turning to Sun Wenlin: "Was anything suspicious found at the scene?"

Sun Wenlin shook his head. "The scene is now a complete ruin, too chaotic. We are still searching."

Emperor Jing nodded slightly.

Sun Wenlin was a member of the Sun family, a relative of Emperor Jing's maternal grandfather, which is why he was put in charge of the Dali Temple. Emperor Jing naturally believed what Sun Wenlin said.

"Minister Sun," Emperor Jing suddenly spoke, "immediately seal off the Marquis of Champion's residence and thoroughly investigate every corner. Minister Liu, strengthen the defenses of the capital and strictly check all those who have left the city. As for the Chancellor..."

Prime Minister Wei trembled and pressed his forehead to the ground.

"I'm giving you three days to find your nephew, alive or dead." Emperor Jing's voice was as cold as ice. "If you don't find him after three days, I'll treat you as an accomplice!"

They should be treated as accomplices!

Emperor Jing's words carried weight and authority.

Prime Minister Wei trembled all over and kowtowed repeatedly: "This old minister obeys the decree, this old minister will go and do it right away!"

After the three ministers left, Emperor Jing sighed and sat back down in his chair, exhausted.

Outside the window, the east was already showing the first light of dawn, but the dark clouds over the capital city had not yet dissipated.

"His Majesty……"

Li Zhongxin asked cautiously, "Should we send someone to inform Her Majesty the Empress and Princess Chang Le?"

"Wait a minute. I need to go to the Marquis of Champion's residence myself." Emperor Jing rubbed his temples, stood up, and was about to leave.

"But Your Majesty, it's too dangerous there!"

"I am the Son of Heaven, what am I afraid of..."

Emperor Jing stopped in his tracks before he could finish speaking. He couldn't help but think of the word "divine retribution," fearing that something unexpected might happen to him if he left the palace.

So, I couldn't help but change my mind.

“You’re right. I am the emperor, and I have to attend court to handle state affairs. I cannot leave the palace easily.”

After Emperor Jing went to court, he was indeed handling state affairs. However, he was discussing with his ministers the matter of a marriage alliance with the Turks.

The May sunlight shone through the clouds onto the white marble steps in front of the Taiji Hall.

After the court session, Emperor Jing rubbed his throbbing temples; the undergarment beneath his court robes was soaked with sweat.

The gentle yet resolute gaze of Princess Yujia of the Turks still seemed to linger before my eyes.

The conditions for the marriage alliance were a large amount of grain, cloth, and looms in exchange for Princess Yujia entering the palace as a concubine. The Ministry of Rites had already selected June 15th as the date for the marriage alliance.

"Your Majesty, shall we summon the palanquin?" Chief Eunuch Li Zhongxin asked, bowing.

Emperor Jing waved his hand: "I want to take a walk."

The peonies in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, with the Yao Huang and Wei Zi peonies blooming vibrantly, but Emperor Jing's gaze was fixed on the distant palace walls, and he had no interest in appreciating them.

The news of the massacre of the Marquis's family weighed heavily on his heart like a boulder. The information gathered by his secret guards last night was shocking: more than ten members of the Marquis's family had been wiped out without a trace.

He didn't know how to tell the Empress or Princess Chang Le, who had stayed in the palace the night before, this news.

"Your Majesty, a message has come from Weiyang Palace. The Empress is asking where you will have lunch?" A young eunuch caught up, panting.

Emperor Jing paused in his steps.

What's meant to happen will happen. He took a deep breath, and the rich floral fragrance in the air suddenly seemed pungent: "Let's proceed to Weiyang Palace!"

In front of Weiyang Palace, several brightly colored begonias are in full bloom.

Princess Chang Le's silvery laughter rang out from inside the palace as she held up an embroidery hoop for the Empress to see. "Aunt, what do you think of this twin lotus pattern?"

"Hehe, what's wrong?" the Empress teased Princess Chang Le. "You just agreed to the marriage yesterday, and today you're already thinking about embroidering twin lotus blossoms?"

"Your Majesty is here!"

As Li Zhongxin shouted, the hall was immediately thrown into chaos.

The Empress led Princess Chang Le out to greet them quickly, her long skirts rustling as they swept across the blue bricks on the ground.

"I see you, Your Majesty."

"Chang Le greets her uncle, the Emperor."

Emperor Jing reached out and offered a helping hand, his fingertips trembling almost imperceptibly.

The empress, who was good at reading people, noticed that her husband's expression was not right. She thought he was tired from court, so she gave a wink to a palace maid.

"What are you waiting for? Quickly bring over the chilled plum juice, and then instruct the imperial kitchen to serve the meal. His Majesty wishes to dine here today."

The palace maid bowed and turned to go out to serve the meal.

Princess Chang Le approached Emperor Jing with a gossipy expression, telling him about the excitement that had taken place in the city the previous night. Her eyes, which were painted with eyeliner, were large and bright.

“Uncle, did you see the fireworks in the city last night? Those golden sparks drifted down slowly like willow catkins, and they stayed there for a long time!” Princess Chang Le described vividly.

If Han Lei were here, she would immediately understand that what Princess Chang Le was describing was the parachute-type signal flare launched last night.

"Changle, come and sit down."

Emperor Jing suddenly interrupted her, his voice dry and hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed. Then, his gaze turned to the Empress.

"Empress, please stop your busy work. Come and sit down. I have something to say to you."

The Empress nodded and walked lightly to sit down next to Emperor Jing.

Emperor Jing closed his eyes.

This emperor, who held the power of life and death in the imperial court, swallowed hard several times before finally uttering a sound.

"Something happened in the city last night, as you all probably know. Uh... the Marquis of Champion's mansion suffered a great calamity, the entire family..." He couldn't continue, his hands clenched so tightly in his sleeves that his knuckles turned white.

"What?" Chang Le's smile froze on her face.

She turned to look at the Empress in a daze, only to see her usually dignified aunt suddenly stagger backward, knocking over the gilded incense burner on the table.

"aunt!"

Princess Chang Le rushed to help, but the Empress grabbed her wrist. The Empress's nails, painted with henna, dug deeply into her flesh.

"No, it's impossible... my brother was still yesterday... Waaah—" Before the Empress could finish speaking, she burst into tears.

"Woo-"

Princess Chang Le's cries also rang out.

Last night she said, "I wonder whose house is so lively," but little did she know, it was her own house that was so lively.

The palace was immediately filled with deafening cries. Emperor Jing looked at the two distraught aunt and niece before him and suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds on his dragon robe.

The entire Hou family was wiped out, and he didn't know how to comfort the aunt and niece.

When Princess Chang Le cried out that she wanted to return to the Marquis's residence immediately, he nodded in agreement almost hastily, not even noticing that his voice was already a little hoarse.

"Go! Take plenty of guards with you..."

Palace maids helped the Empress and Princess Chang Le out of Weiyang Palace. Only after they disappeared from sight did Emperor Jing slump down into a rosewood armchair.

The Weiyang Palace suddenly became eerily quiet, with only the water clock dripping softly.

Emperor Jing stared at the overturned incense burner on the ground, the ash spilling out, which looked exactly like the ruins of the Marquis's mansion described by the secret guards last night.

Just then, the imperial kitchen delivered the meal.

"Your Majesty, it's time for your meal." Li Zhongxin stepped forward cautiously.

After waiting for the eunuchs to test the food for poison and serve it, Emperor Jing, who hadn't rested all night, mechanically picked up his chopsticks and ate a few bites with little interest.

He wasn't in the mood for food; he just wanted to drink.

His gaze fell on the open brocade box. The Empress had just said that it contained fine wine waiting for him to drink together.

If the Marquis of Champion's mansion hadn't met with misfortune, he would probably be drinking with the Empress and her husband right now! But now…

"Put the wine away! We'll deal with it when the Empress returns... sigh!"

Emperor Jing waved his hand, signaling Li Zhongxin to put the wine away, then sighed heavily, stood up, and walked out of Weiyang Palace.

The news of the Marquis of Champion's mansion being wiped out and the Su family's property being burned to the ground was like a boulder thrown into a calm lake, stirring up huge waves in the capital.

The streets of Beijing were unusually lively today, with people flocking to the streets to see what was happening.

On the streets and in the alleys, during leisure time, everyone was talking about the shocking case from last night.

According to rumors circulating in the capital, all signs of this major case are subtly pointing to the powerful and influential Prime Minister Wei and his family.

Since returning to his residence from the palace last night, Prime Minister Wei has not slept a wink.

In the brightly lit study, he paced back and forth, his obese, hunched figure casting a huge shadow on the wall.

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly right now!"

He slammed his fist on the table and roared, his wrinkled face trembling with loose muscles.

"His Majesty has only given me three days. You must find that good-for-nothing!"

Everyone in the Prime Minister's residence was terrified and dared not even breathe.

Meanwhile, Han Lei's Zuixianniang and Laoyilao hot pot restaurants in Beijing not only did not suffer from the impact, but instead ushered in an unprecedented bustling scene.

People gather in these two shops, order a pot of wine or hot pot, and chat while eating, enjoying themselves immensely.

It was as if discussing the tragedy at the Marquis of Champion's mansion made them eat and drink even more heartily.

In the elegant seating area on the second floor of Zuixianniang Restaurant, several businessmen were exchanging toasts.

"Have you heard?" A middle-aged man with a goatee lowered his voice. "Last night's fire burned the Marquis of Champion's mansion to the ground!"

"It wasn't just fire!" a fat man chimed in, his greasy face beaming with excitement. "I live in the west of the city, and suddenly I heard several loud bangs; even my bed was shaking!"

At the table by the window, several young men dressed as scholars were also whispering among themselves.

"If you ask me, this is retribution," a tall, thin man sneered. "Everyone knows about the dirty deeds of the Marquis of Champion, and now look what's happened..."

"Shh!" his companion quickly stopped him. "Be careful, the walls may be eavesdropping!"

The lobby on the first floor was bustling with activity.

The waiter weaved through the crowd, his forehead never dry with fine beads of sweat.

It's not just hot pot restaurants and Zuixianniang (a type of liquor); every shop on the streets and alleys is like this today. Teahouses, restaurants, and taverns are all packed with customers.

In a small tavern, Liu, the garrison commander of the south gate, was drinking with several colleagues who were on leave.

His dark face was flushed with the effects of alcohol when he suddenly heard the conversation at the next table.

"I heard that this matter is inextricably linked to the Wei family; it was done by one of the Wei family's fat nephews."

A man with a pointed face and monkey-like features said mysteriously, "My cousin works in the Jingzhao Prefecture, and he said he found it at the scene..."

Suddenly, the wine glass in Liu's hand trembled, and the wine spilled onto the wooden table.

Upon hearing those people mention Prime Minister Wei's fat nephew, he immediately thought of the group that had left the city the previous night.

This association was so startling that he broke out in a cold sweat.

"Old Liu, what's wrong?" his colleague asked with concern.

Liu, the battalion commander, suddenly stood up, his face ashen.

"I...I suddenly remembered I have something important to do..."

He spoke incoherently, not even bothering to say goodbye, and stumbled out of the restaurant, heading straight for the Jingzhao Prefecture.

The streets were teeming with pedestrians, and the sounds of people talking and hawking their wares filled the air.

Liu, the battalion commander, couldn't hear a single word. He only felt a chill run down his spine, as if countless eyes were staring at him from all around.

He quickened his pace, thinking to himself: If this matter is truly related to the Wei family, then wouldn't I be...

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