Cao Lan’er, however, had a different suspicion. "Could it be that shameless woman Jiang Jinyue deceived you?"
A woman who claimed to love the Crown Prince yet became Emperor Changde’s concubine, survived death, and then entangled herself with the Crown Prince again. Cao Lan’er found her utterly contemptible and untrustworthy.
The Crown Prince dismissed the idea. "She is infatuated with me, devoted to following me. She wouldn’t dare deceive me. Besides, she lacks the courage."
The Crown Prince believed Jiang Jinyue saw him as her last lifeline. She would cling to him desperately, how could she dare lie?
"If that’s the case, then think carefully about who has been near you and could have tampered with the poison. The person who swapped it must be Yue Heng’s spy. They cannot remain."
"I understand. I will investigate upon my return."
The Crown Prince and Cao Lan’er discussed strategies for dealing with Yue Heng before he prepared to leave. As he departed, Cao Lan’er reminded him of one thing:
"Once that bastard is eliminated, only the Eldest Prince remains a threat. Your ascension to the throne is within reach. Don't show mercy."
The Crown Prince naturally longed for that day and would never be lenient.
Upon returning to the Eastern Palace, the Crown Prince began purging potential spies. He also summoned his advisors to discuss how to swiftly and decisively eliminate the Sixth Prince.
However, while the Crown Prince still needed to strategize, Yue Heng acted much faster. He wouldn’t kill the Crown Prince directly, but that didn’t mean he would give him another chance to strike.
Some things were better returned to their original owners, like that small packet of poison.
That very night, the Crown Prince was poisoned. Though the dose was non-lethal, it caused excruciating abdominal pain, intermittent vomiting of blood, and rendered him incapable of action.
With no antidote, the Crown Prince was left crippled.
Only then did the courtiers realize that the only prince left standing was the Sixth Prince, the once-sickly, unremarkable Sixth Prince.
Many began to sense that the political landscape was on the verge of another upheaval.
____
Meanwhile, the man whom the entire court saw as the unexpected "final victor" sat in the Wei mansion, drinking tea and eating pastries with Su Qiao.
"So, when do you plan to let Ruyue return to the palace?" Jiang Lin asked the Sixth Prince, who was happily munching on snacks.
Without Ruyue’s presence, Emperor Changde remained in his unstable state, hindering their plans.
Yue Heng replied, "I don’t plan to send Ruyue back. He will sober up on his own. If Ruyue returns to the palace, she will only meet death."
While Ruyue had influenced Emperor Changde, drugs had also played a role. Once the Emperor was given the antidote, his body would still suffer, but his mind would clear.
"Are you prepared? The moment he regains his senses, he will stop at nothing to kill you. You’ll only have one chance," Yue Heng warned, either Emperor Changde would die, or Jiang Lin and Wei Yunzhao would.
"We’re ready," Wei Yunzhao said, having the letter retrieved from the border. "My men will return in a couple of days with all the evidence we need, against both Emperor Changde and Cao Lan’er."
Yue Heng nodded. "In that case, I’ll have someone feed the antidote to that old dog today."
Jiang Lin then asked about Qinghe Junwang’s family. Junwang had regained consciousness but was severely injured and required rest. He remained at the Wei mansion.
Jiang Lin had informed Qinghe Junwang about the incident at his residence and what Jiang Jinyue had done to Jiang Rou’s corpse. Qinghe Junwang had nearly fainted from rage.
Whether out of malice or some other motive, Jiang Jinyue had poisoned only half of the Qinghe household’s members, including the Qinghe Junwang's children, leaving him with just one son.
The authorities had been notified. Yin Ji first arrested Jiang Zhen, then dispatched men to hunt for Jiang Jinyue.
However, fearing Yue Heng’s men would track her down, Jiang Jinyue had hidden herself well. Even Jiang Zhen didn’t know her whereabouts, she had always been the one to seek him out.
Jiang Lin had been lucky to stumble upon her that day. By hiding in his space, he had avoided detection and successfully tailed her to her hiding place.
He hadn’t informed Yin Ji of Jiang Jinyue’s location. Only Wei Yunzhao knew Jiang Lin had killed her, and now, they were the only ones aware of her death.
Killing Jiang Jinyue had been easy, the hard part was avoiding suspicion. Initially, as the favored eldest daughter of Anyang Bo with the Crown Prince’s backing, killing her had been impossible.
Later, after entering the palace and becoming Emperor Changde’s concubine, her death would have been equally difficult to explain. The Emperor had been waiting for an excuse to eliminate them, so acting then was also out of the question.
Afterward, Yue Heng had hidden Jiang Jinyue away. Since she hadn’t caused trouble, and Jiang Lin didn’t know her whereabouts, he had considered Yue Heng imprisoning her for life a fitting alternative, because it was no different from death.
Yet, against all odds, she had resurfaced and entangled herself with the Crown Prince again. Jiang Lin couldn’t help but marvel, the protagonists of fate would reunite despite all obstacles.
But they hadn’t anticipated Jiang Jinyue’s swift and ruthless actions. After taunting them in the morning, she had poisoned half the Qinghe family that afternoon.
She had to die, and Jiang Lin had killed her.
Ultimately, the biggest difference now was status. Jiang Jinyue had long become an insignificant, expendable figure.
Moreover, after everything they had endured, they now had the strength to turn the tables.
No one would trouble them over Jiang Jinyue’s death. That was the current state of affairs.
With Qinghe Junwang and his sole surviving son remaining, Qinghe Junwang was astute enough not to provoke them further. Thus, their feud with the Qinghe family was settled.
As for Anyang Bofu, Zhao Qiuru had gone mad. Jiang Jinyue was dead, and Jiang Zhen was imprisoned. If he had conspired with Jiang Jinyue in poisoning the Qinghe family, he wouldn't escape death. If not, as long as he remained docile and harmless in the future, Jiang Lin might spare his life, but he would never allow him to rise again.
His accounts were slowly being settled.
Jiang Lin snapped out of his thoughts. "I’m looking forward to the day we bring the evidence before the Emperor."
He had waited a long time for it.
Wei Yunzhao grasped Jiang Lin’s hand under the table and whispered, "And I’m still looking forward to the day we properly bow as husband and wife (traditional Chinese wedding ceremony)."
No comments:
Post a Comment