Taichang Ming Dynasty

Chapter 170 Cold Calculation

"You want to kill Mi Mengshang?" Wang An frowned. "Don't be so murderous."

"Godfather. Even if we can suppress the fact that Mi Jingwen died at the hands of Cui Dongchang and not let the talented person know about it. But as you just said, the talented person is always the thorn that Zheng Gong has planted next to the master." Cao Huachun said with concern.

"The Cining Palace has already set up the strictest control, and she can't pry this nail out." Wang An said coldly.

"Godfather! Even if Zheng Gong doesn't pry the nails out, they might still pop back up on their own." Cao Huachun continued, "Talented Man is the director of the Western Factory Inspection Bureau. He's exposed to firsthand reports from various spies every day. There's no guarantee that one day he'll accidentally learn of Mi Jingwen's identity as a member of Prince Fu's party from some document. He'll be so frightened and suspicious that he'll start to think wildly, and then, just as you worry, he'll develop the intention to assassinate the prince out of fear."

"Our world is about to collapse!" Cao Huachun's teeth began to chatter.

Wang An did not speak, but listened quietly. For Wang An, who was born as a tutor, and his eldest son Cao Huachun, the master was everything.

When Wang An saw the document in the Western Factory, cold sweat broke out from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. He didn't even bother to scold Wei Zhongxian. He just kicked Wei Zhongxian and rushed to the Qianqing Palace. Only when he heard the continuous panting in the palace did he feel relieved. Afterwards, Wang An sent someone to the Silijian to notify Wei Chao to come to the night watch. At the same time, he secretly added more staff to the Qianqing Palace under the pretext of buying more charcoal, rewarding women with clothes, and arranging bathing places. He even transferred a team of palace maids specifically for "serving talented women" to the area where the menstruation was taking place. Only when Wei Chao rushed over did he return to the Silijian to inquire about the letter.

"And then there's Wei Zhongxian! He's always looking for trouble and favor. I think the reason he didn't tell the Imperial Household Department first was because he wanted to use Mi Cairen's knife to get rid of Cui Dongchang." Cao Huachun said firmly. "He's just jealous that Cui Dongchang could take fifty lashes in public and still maintain his position as the second-in-command, riding high on his head."

"Wei Zhongxian is always thinking about jumping into power! He doesn't care about his master's safety at all!" Seeing Wang An's silence, Cao Huachun assumed his godfather had been persuaded, so he added fuel to the fire. "You suppressed the matter this time, but next time he might find another way to leak the news that Cui Wensheng had killed Mi Jingwen to the talented people. There's no way to prevent it! Godfather, the best and most reliable way to prevent a nail from piercing your foot is always to dig it out and throw it away!"

"I can't do it." Wang An recalled some details, and after thinking quickly, he suddenly felt very tired. Wang An leaned back and slumped against the back of the wooden chair. "And you think things are too simple," Wang An said meaningfully.

"Why!?" Cao Huachun took two steps forward and knelt in front of Wang An, holding his calf.

"Because..." Wang An was about to explain, but when he saw the eagerness flashing in Cao Huachun's eyes, he immediately understood what Cao Huachun was asking. He quickly shook his head and said, "Don't have such thoughts! I didn't teach you before because you didn't have the ability. Now I want you to remember that when it comes to royal family affairs, a servant must never interfere. Of course I can send someone to kill Mi Mengshang, but I must not do it without the master's approval. If you act on your own in such matters, even if you comply with the master's wishes, you will be doomed."

"Son, son, I understand." Wang An's eyes seemed to see through him, shocking Cao Huachun.

But Cao Huachun's original intention remained unchanged, and he still wanted to remove the nail. "As long as you explain the pros and cons to the master, the master will surely understand the dangers and nod."

Wang An sighed and said, "I tried to give her some indirect warnings. At first, when the master asked, 'Shouldn't she know?' I thought he was going to deal with Mi Mengshang."

"." Cao Huachun nodded and remembered what Wang An had just said, "get worse."

"So, in order to determine the master's attitude, I said, 'Give Mi Jingwen a different way to die.' If I change it, it means I'm safe. If I don't, then the best outcome for Mi Mengshang is to retire to the cold palace." If the truth is revealed, Mi Mengshang might turn bad, and being his mistress again would be very risky. "But the master didn't give a direct answer. Instead, he asked me why I wanted to cover it up."

"I didn't want to speak openly at this point, so I brought up Wei Zhongxian. I said he had ulterior motives." Saying Wei Zhongxian had ulterior motives was the same as suggesting a cover-up. "The master denied it."

"Doesn't that mean"

"So I'm testing the waters further. I've been putting forward the arguments, 'Once the truth is revealed, Cui Wensheng and Mi Mengshang will inevitably clash,' and 'Cui Wensheng is useful.'" Wang An wasn't trying to protect Cui Wensheng at all; he didn't think Cui Wensheng would be affected by this incident. "As long as the master goes along with it and says Cui Wensheng is indeed useful, then we can start testing the waters on whether to 'kill' or 'cold him out.'"

"However, the master did not comment on Cui Wensheng. He only said that Cui Wensheng did kill someone. He also said that it was caused by him. Only then did I understand that the master was reluctant and hesitant." Wang An sighed again.

"Of course, this may also be because the skirts sent by the Needlework Bureau are so beautiful. The master likes beautiful women so much that he accepted them even though he knew they were sent by Zheng Gong. He is so calm and composed, fearless in the face of danger, and has the demeanor of a king." According to Wang An, these women should not be accepted. If you like beautiful women, just choose a few more concubines and you'll be done. I guarantee that I will do it for you.

"Ah?" Cao Huachun was confused. He didn't know why his godfather mentioned the Needlework Bureau at this time.

"In any case, the master simply doesn't want to deal with Mi Mengshang and wants to keep her." Wang An didn't want to mention the couplet that had embarrassed him so much he almost wanted to pick his toes. Zhu Changluo didn't understand, but he understood it all too well. "I started to persuade him openly, saying that a clean break would be safer. The master wavered, saying it was too cruel, but also that someone else might not be so indecisive."

"And then?" Wang An paused for a moment, and Cao Huachun couldn't wait to ask.

"Why are you so anxious?" Wang An softened his pat on Cao Huachun's head, then stroked it gently with affection. "The master asked, 'You don't want your master to be cold-blooded and heartless, do you?'" Wang An repeated Zhu Changluo's words verbatim. "He seemed to want us to make the decision, but he hinted at a lack of leniency."

Wang An continued, "At this time, Wei Chao interrupted and, following his master's instructions, gave his answer by using Lord Zou as an example."

"What's the answer?" asked Cao Huachun.

Wang An hesitated for a moment, but finally told his most valued godson what Wei Chao had told him about the conversation between the emperor and the great prince: "The master wants the great prince to exonerate Zou Yuanbiao."

"This is not about establishing a successor." The emperor had no legitimate heir, and since Princess Gongjing's wife, Guo, had already passed away, the eldest son was inevitable. But when Cao Huachun heard these words in person, he was still shocked.

"It's good that you know it yourself." Wang An waved his hand to stop him. "In short, the master made the choice and said he would go and deceive her personally. So I also chose the humane side." Wang An took the emperor's decision as a premise and continued, "That's good. Zheng was wrong, Mi Jingwen was wrong, and even Cui Wensheng could be considered wrong, but she did nothing wrong, right? Even if the emperor doesn't want her anymore, I will find a way to fight for her life." "Son, I still think there are hidden dangers."

"You think it's useless. Just do your job well." Wang An didn't want to discuss this issue anymore.

"Son, I have an idea." Cao Huachun had a flash of inspiration.

Wang An frowned. He didn't think there was any good way to solve this problem. But he still asked, "What is the solution?"

"Like Wei Zhongxian. Spread the news secretly. Like this."

Snapped!
Before Cao Huachun could finish his words, Wang An slapped him in the face.

"You bastard! You are forcing the master to make a decision according to your ideas. You are looking for death!" Wang An was shocked and scared, but then he seemed to understand something.

"That's not what I meant. I just wanted to eliminate the hidden dangers around my master." Cao Huachun hurriedly defended himself, not even daring to cover his face.

"Don't be so self-righteous!" Wang An cursed, then softened his tone. "No matter how good your intentions are, you can't force the master to make the decision according to your ideas. Only the master can change his decision."

"Son, I understand. Son, I understand." Cao Huachun kowtowed repeatedly, crying as he kowtowed.

Wang An squatted down, looking Cao Huachun in the eye, lifted his head, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. "You've been with me since you entered the palace at the age of twelve. You're talented and learn quickly, but things are getting even faster. In July, the late emperor passed away, and the master ascended the throne. We, the cats and dogs, followed the master to the throne in one step."

"You've risen from a mere servant serving tea to a position where everyone looks up to you. It's good that you want to protect your master, but that's not the way to do it. You can't interfere in other people's affairs, and forcing your master to do things your way is even worse!"

"That old dog Cui Wensheng is vicious and cruel. I've dealt with him for decades, and I can say that I want to kill him every day. When he commits a crime and is being tortured, I don't need to say anything. Xing Kuan will beat him to death out of fear of Cui Wensheng's revenge. There is no evidence, and I will not be held responsible. But Cui Wensheng knows the current situation and knows to bark like a dog and lick the buttocks of a person. The master values ​​this in him and wants to keep him and use him. So no matter how much I hate this old dog, I have to personally instruct Xing Kuan to be cautious with the punishment and spare his life."

"Wei Zhongxian may seem loyal and honest, but he's actually even more vicious than Cui Wensheng. But you're wrong to say he doesn't care about his master's safety. I tell you, he cares even more than you do. You've enlightened me. I now think Wei Zhongxian's idea might be the same as yours, which is to force his master to deal with Mi Mengshang and eliminate this hidden danger."

"How could that be?" Cao Huachun subconsciously defended his judgment.

Wang An sneered. "Humph. Cui Wensheng committed a monstrous crime, and despite being impeached by all the officials, he survived. He simply fell one notch lower, passing to Wei Chao. Isn't he still in charge of the East Depot? And when Wei Zhongxian questioned Cui Wensheng about the murder, his master replied, 'Don't worry, investigate thoroughly.' And what was the result? It's dog-eat-dog. Cui Wensheng killed the remnants of Prince Fu's faction!"

"How could Cui Wensheng fall out of favor because of something like this? Unless Prince Fu rebels, or the master loves Mi Mengshang as much as the late emperor loved Zheng, Cui Wensheng will be fine. Wei Zhongxian is so smart that he would not fail to think of this. In this case, instigating internal strife between Cui Wensheng and Mi Mengshang in order to compete with Cui Wensheng for favor is just a facade. When I said this to the master, I felt something was wrong. Now I understand. Wei Zhongxian knew that Mi Mengshang was the daughter of the remnants of Prince Fu's party, so he wanted to kill her before she could be favored!"

"If the master hadn't suddenly visited the Western Depot without warning and taken the men away, Mi Mengshang would have seen the investigation report that very day. Then Wei Zhongxian would have reported the contents of the report, along with Mi Mengshang's knowledge of it, to the Imperial Household Department." Wang An gripped the wooden armrest tightly. "This bastard is really interesting!"

"He is obviously trying to please Mi Cairen so much." Cao Huachun knew that the decoration of the side hall of the bureau was much more luxurious than the main hall of the factory director.

"The position of Director of the Western Factory Inspection Bureau and Director of the Internal Inspection Department is, after all, just a somewhat unusual one, one that could be held by a concubine. To Wei Zhongxian, it didn't matter who held it. His motives for currying favor with Mi Mengshang and wanting to kill her were the same. They were both serving their master like dogs." Wang An gestured for Cao Huachun to stand. "But a good dog needs a master, otherwise it's a lost dog. If his master gets into trouble, Wei Zhongxian's fate will be worse than anyone else's. He has no way out."

"Why?" Cao Huachun kowtowed again before standing up.

"Because he killed Ke Yinyue." Wang An sat up straight by holding the armrest of the chair.

"Ke Yinyue is dead?" Cao Huachun thought that Ke Yinyue just took some money and left the palace according to the rules.

"This matter is fatal, so godfather didn't let you handle it. I'm telling you now, don't go out and make a fuss. His Highness only knows that Wei Zhongxian inexplicably killed Ke Yinyue." Wang An said lightly.

"Godfather." Cao Huachun's eyelids twitched wildly. How could he not understand what this meant?

"The matter is now clear. Tomorrow I will report the whole matter to the Lord. Just do your job well and don't have any ulterior motives." Wang An had just stood up when another thought struck him. He sat back down, his already furrowed brows now tightening into a "川" shape. "There's only one question left."

"what is the problem?"

"Was Wei Zhongxian simply taking advantage of the situation, or did he have a premeditated plan?" Wang An gathered his thoughts and said, "If Wei Zhongxian first learned of Mi Jingwen's death through a courier from the Western Depot, and then 'followed the rules' by submitting the records to the Inspection Bureau for Mi Mengshang to see, thus triggering this series of events, then it's possible that he was acting in accordance with the situation, eager to protect his master. But if it's the latter, then the whole matter becomes much more complicated, and even the cause of the incident and Wei Zhongxian's motives would be overturned."

(End of this chapter)