pdf-ebookys Chapter 913 Yao Guang's Wrath
Chapter 913 Yao Guang's Wrath
Prince Jin threw down those words and stormed out of the Golden Palace.
The emperor hadn't even dismissed the court, yet Prince Jin was being so disrespectful, relying solely on his royal bloodline.
The emperor was too lazy to bother with someone so dim-witted.
In any case, he gave Prince Jin three days, and if he refused to hand over the token, Princess Zhenguo's army would enter Kunyang Prefecture.
When Prince Su saw that Prince Jin had lost the bet, he was filled with unease and dared not utter a single word.
During this period, he had been working in concert with Prince Jin. Later, Qiao Lian'er was cleared of suspicion, and the Qiao family army continued to win victories. He could only try to minimize his presence, fearing that he would also be punished.
Inside the Golden Palace, Qiao Lian'er silently observed the Prince of Yan.
The battle situation in Jinglang Prefecture was clear, practically a foregone conclusion, yet there was no sign of disappointment from the Prince of Yan.
There have been rumors for the past few days that she made a bad decision, resulting in the Qiao family army's crushing defeat. It was the perfect opportunity for the Prince of Yan to make a move, but he has been holding back.
Like other courtiers, the Prince of Yan also offered his congratulations to her.
Qiao Lian'er remained calm and returned the courtesy, not wanting the Prince of Yan to realize that she had already discovered his true colors.
Back at the Qiao residence, Chu Yaoce was waiting for her in the East Warm Pavilion.
He sipped his tea, his face thoughtful, yet seemingly concealing a hint of seriousness.
Qiao Lian'er sat down opposite him.
"The Imperial Academy has uncovered some things," the Crown Prince said. "The Prince of Yan presented the Commissioner of the Court of Judicial Review with a painting of a mountain dwelling, and the Commissioner then presented this painting to His Majesty."
"However, the school administration has carefully examined that mountain dwelling painting and found no problems with it."
The Prince of Yan was always low-key, and there was no indication that he had any connection with the Emperor's illness. Therefore, the Imperial Household Department never thought to investigate the Prince of Yan. It was only at his behest that they investigated the Prince of Yan.
"Does Your Majesty know that the Mountain Dwelling Painting originally belonged to the Prince of Yan?" Qiao Lian'er asked.
"It doesn't matter if he knows. The painting is clean, and the Prince of Yan is not afraid of the Emperor finding out."
After the Crown Prince left, Qiao Lian'er went to the Emperor's bedroom and found the mountain dwelling painting.
It seems the emperor really liked this painting, so he hung it above his bed.
On the windowsill, there was a bunch of withered flowers whose names I didn't know.
Qiao Lian'er checked her spatial abilities and found that something had been sprinkled on the picture that could react with the flower, causing dizziness, abdominal pain, and vomiting.
At the same time, an antidote was added to the bouquet, which must have been added later, which explains why the emperor was able to recover.
It is impossible for a man, including a eunuch, to present flowers to the emperor. The person who cooperated with the Prince of Yan was probably a concubine or a princess in the palace.
In other words, the Prince of Yan bribed the emperor's close associates.
Even though the flowers have withered, they haven't been removed. They still have a pleasant, faint fragrance that's hard to describe but very soothing. Perhaps it's because of this, or perhaps because the emperor valued the person who sent them, that they've been kept in display until now.
The more you dig into this matter, the more interesting it becomes.
Qiao Lian'er went to the East Palace and asked the Crown Prince to keep an eye out for anyone associated with this bouquet of flowers.
In reality, the emperor's danger has not been eliminated. Once the flowers are thrown away, the poison in the painting will start to take effect again.
Now that the emperor has recovered, and the Imperial Academy has been unable to find anything, the emperor has taken back the jurisdiction of the Imperial Academy. The rest can only be handled by the crown prince.
"Should we expose the Prince of Yan to Father?" Chu Yaoce asked.
Qiao Lian'er shook her head: "There's no need. If it really comes out, the Prince of Yan can just push the blame onto the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs and won't admit it."
The Crown Prince thought about it and agreed.
"I always thought Prince Yan was honest and kind, at most a little serious. I never imagined that he was so cunning and treacherous, and so hard to guard against."
Qiao Lian'er smiled. It would be extremely difficult to touch the Prince of Yan, but she had plenty of time to slowly wear him down.
A day passed, then two days, and the Prince Jin's residence made no response.
On the third day, Princess Yaoguang rushed back from Kunyang Prefecture and began to complain as soon as she entered the mansion.
“Father, why did you ask me to come back from so far away? You even sent me several letters urging me to come back. My bones are about to fall apart from riding the horse.”
Princess Yaoguang spoke while rubbing her shoulders and massaging her waist.
Looking up, I saw Prince Jin leaning against the soft couch, his face gloomy, as if most of his strength had been drained from him.
"Father, what's wrong?"
Prince Jin beckoned: "Yaoguang, come here, your father has something to tell you."
Princess Yaoguang went over and sat down to the side.
"Yaoguang, how are you doing in Kunyang Prefecture?" Prince Jin asked in a casual, conversational tone.
“It’s wonderful. It gets better every year. The tax revenue is so abundant that we can’t even spend it all. When I get married, I’ll have my children train troops and manage the area there, passing it down from generation to generation. Anyway, Father, you said that Kunyang Prefecture would be part of my dowry, and you can’t go back on your word.”
Prince Jin looked at his daughter, who was full of beautiful dreams, and couldn't help but feel sad.
"But--"
"But what? Father, have you really changed your mind?" Yao Guang asked anxiously upon hearing this.
"It's not that Father is going back on his word, it's, it's... Oh, Father, I'll tell you the truth."
Prince Jin recounted the details of his bet with Qiao Lian'er, and he slapped his thigh in frustration.
“Tell me, Father, where did I go wrong? The Qiao family army was already in retreat at the front. I didn’t know about Qiao Lian’er and the Emperor’s plans. Everyone thought the Qiao family was doomed. I just said a few more words. How can you put this bet on my head?”
"This is completely unfair to me. Qiao Lian'er wants to gamble, and the Emperor also wants to certify it. Now I can't back down or move forward. So many eyes are watching. What can I do if I lose the bet?"
After Prince Jin finished speaking, he noticed that Princess Yaoguang was looking at him with disappointment and anger in her eyes.
Her voice trembled as she questioned, "Father, how could you do this? What kind of person is Qiao Lian'er? Why are you going against her? The person she has the biggest influence on is Prince Yan, and he hasn't even said anything yet."
"Now look what's happened. You've gambled away Kunyang Prefecture, and now you've left me with nowhere to go. What's the difference between this and cutting flesh off my body?"
She was so angry that tears streamed down her face, and she bit her lip until it bled.
“Oh dear daughter, Qiao Lian’er is so arrogant and domineering. I just wanted to teach her a lesson, but who would have thought—” Prince Jin slapped his forehead.
"The Emperor only gave me three days, and it's already the third day. If you don't hand over the token and your men don't withdraw from Kunyang Prefecture, Qiao Lian'er's army can march in."
Princess Yaoguang trembled with excitement.
"No, I will never give up Kunyang Prefecture unless it costs me my life. If Qiao Lian'er has the ability, then let her go and take it."