26.Who is the real mastermind?

  Chapter 25: So Far

  In the evening, the mastermind behind the drugging of the Ninth Prince's horse was found out. It was not Empress Xie and the Seventh Prince, but someone else.

  Liang Zhaoyi and Yu Meiren had just finished dinner and were drinking tea and chatting. Tongxi came in and reported the matter to them.

  Cairen Pan was surprised and said, "It's not the Queen and the Seventh Prince."

  Concubine Yu said, "The Queen and the Seventh Prince are not so stupid."

  Cairen Pan asked again, "The mastermind behind the scenes is the eunuch of the Shangfang Order. How could a eunuch like him have the courage to murder the prince? Who is the real mastermind behind the scenes?"

  Concubine Yu looked at Tongxi and asked, "Yes, who is the real mastermind behind the scenes?"

  Tongxi said respectfully, "My two queens, this is the news I got. The emperor just ordered the execution of the eunuch Zeng of the Shangfang Order and his helpers, and did not deal with other people."

  Cairen Pan and Concubine Yu were surprised, and then looked at Liang Zhaoyi in confusion, "Sister, what's going on? A eunuch of the Shangfang Order has no one to instruct him. Even if he has a hundred courage, he would not dare to murder the Ninth Prince. There must be someone behind this eunuch Zeng."

  Liang Zhaoyi was not surprised, and said calmly, "This matter ends here."

  Cairen Pan was shocked and said, "It ends here? Isn't the emperor going to find out the real mastermind behind the scenes?"

  "It is a serious crime to murder the prince. It is so strange that the emperor does not thoroughly investigate the real mastermind behind the scenes." Yu Meiren asked in confusion, "Sister, why doesn't the emperor thoroughly investigate the real mastermind behind the scenes?"

  "There is only one possibility." Liang Zhaoyi said meaningfully, "The identity of the real mastermind behind the scenes is not simple."

  When Yu Meiren and Pan Cairen heard Liang Zhaoyi say this, they were shocked and exclaimed at the same time: "The identity is not simple, could it be..."

  Before they finished speaking, they were interrupted by Liang Zhaoyi: "Who it is is not something we can guess."

  Hearing the warning in Liang Zhaoyi's tone, Yu Meiren and Pan Cairen felt nervous and nodded hurriedly, saying: "Sister is right."

  Liang Zhaoyi changed the subject and talked about growing vegetables, and Yu Meiren and Pan Cairen's attention was successfully diverted.

  In the study, Zhao Yao was copying "The Analects". The fifth princess sat beside him and helped him read, so that he could copy faster.

  After Tongxi reported to Liang Zhaoyi and others that the ninth prince's horse was drugged, he came to the study to tell Zhao Yao.

  "Father only executed a few eunuchs of Shangfangling, and no one else?"

  Tongxi said, "No."

  "No?" Zhao Yao was very surprised, and then he thought of something, and said with a look of enlightenment, "It seems that this matter has ended here." After that, he waved his hand to let Tongxi leave, and he continued to copy the "Analects of Confucius". The

  fifth princess didn't understand, she hurriedly asked Zhao Yao, "Yaoyao, what do you mean when you said that this matter has ended here?"

  Zhao Yao said while copying, "It means that father doesn't want to investigate this matter any further."

  "Why?" The fifth princess was confused, "Drugging the ninth brother's horse is not a trivial matter. This is murdering the prince. Why didn't father investigate it? Doesn't father love the ninth brother very much on weekdays?"

  "Because this matter is not simple." Zhao Yao continued, "The identity of the real mastermind behind this matter is not simple." It is just that it is not known whether it is the prince's people, or the people of the third brother and others.

  "Why is it not simple?" The fifth princess asked curiously, "Father is the emperor, can't he deal with anyone? Why doesn't he deal with this person?"

  Zhao Yao raised his head and looked at the fifth princess helplessly: "Fifth sister, father is not unable to deal with the real mastermind, but wants to let this person go."

  After hearing what Zhao Yao said, the fifth princess became more confused and puzzled: "Why does father let this person go, he wants to harm my ninth brother?"

  "Because this person is very important."

  "More important than my ninth brother?"

  "Didn't my ninth brother have an accident?" Zhao Yao said, "If my ninth brother had an accident, that would be another matter."

  The fifth princess said as if she understood: "From what you mean, this person is more important than my ninth brother."

  "Fifth sister, there is a saying that a single move can affect the entire body, do you know?"   

  "I know."

  "This person is just a link, do you understand?"

  The Fifth Princess nodded first, then shook her head: "I don't understand."

  "If you don't understand, then don't understand. Anyway, this matter has nothing to do with us, you don't have to care." He said it so clearly, but the Fifth Sister didn't understand it. She was really stupid.

  "Yaoyao, please explain it clearly."

  "Even if I say it, you still don't understand." Zhao Yao patted the "Analects of Confucius", "Fifth Sister, you continue to read it."

  "If you don't want to say it, then don't say it. I don't want to listen to it." The Fifth Princess said angrily, and then picked up the "Analects of Confucius" and continued to read it to Zhao Yao. When

  it was 10:00, Zhao Yao asked the Fifth Princess to go back and rest. Before leaving, the Fifth Princess still didn't give up and wanted to know why the person who framed the Ninth Prince could not be touched, but Zhao Yao didn't tell her. The

  Fifth Princess went back to ask Concubine Yu, and Concubine Yu didn't know why. Concubine Yu asked the Fifth Princess not to care about this matter anymore, otherwise she would get into trouble. When the Fifth Princess heard Concubine Yu say this, she was scared and didn't dare to ask again.

  The two from Zhaoyang Palace and Yongxin Palace were very dissatisfied with the fact that the emperor only dealt with a few eunuchs of Shangfangling.

  In Zhaoyang Palace, Empress Xie smashed the teacup in anger.

  "Why doesn't the emperor continue to investigate?" Empress Xie's face was very ugly, "Is the emperor trying to protect the prince?"

  "Didn't father always love Zhao Xun? Zhao Xun was almost killed this time, but father didn't track down the real murderer." The seventh prince said here, sneered, "It seems that in father's heart, Zhao Xun is not as good as the prince."

  "Zhao Xun is nothing." Empress Xie was indignant, "The emperor actually blatantly protected the prince's people and defended the prince."

  "Mother, this matter has nothing to do with us after all, we don't need to be so angry." The seventh prince comforted Empress Xie, "The one who should be really angry is Concubine Rong. She will definitely not let this matter go."

  Empress Xie thought of Concubine Rong's rudeness to her before, her eyes instantly became cold, gritted her teeth and said, "That bitch Concubine Rong!"

  "Mother, let Concubine Rong be proud for now, and let them fight the crown prince first." The Seventh Prince sneered, "With Concubine Rong's temper, she will never let this matter go easily. And the Prince of Dai, he will not give up, let's wait for them to fight."

  After hearing this, Empress Xie nodded slightly and said, "The Prince of Dai will be back soon, let them fight."

  "Mother, we can add fuel to the fire and make this matter..." Although the Seventh Prince did not finish his words, the meaning was very clear.

  Empress Xie understood and nodded in agreement: "Let's do as you say."

  "Mother, father has not made a decision on the matter of giving the Prince of Dai a pearl. Doesn't father want to give the Prince of Dai a pearl?" The matter of giving the Prince of Dai a pearl has been debated for several days, but father has not agreed yet. This is too strange. "Doesn't the emperor love the Prince of Dai the most? He also wants the Prince of Dai to replace the Crown Prince. Giving the Prince of Dai a pearl is to honor the Prince of Dai. It stands to reason that the emperor would agree immediately, but the emperor did not agree. What is the emperor thinking?"

  "Because of your grandfather." Empress Xie was very angry when she thought that her father supported the Crown Prince instead of her son. "The Crown Prince is behind the Xie family. The Emperor is concerned about the Xie family and will not immediately agree to give the Prince of Dai a pearl."

  "Obviously I am the orthodox, but my grandfather supports a Crown Prince born of a concubine. I really don't know what my grandfather is thinking." The Seventh Prince was also very angry and indignant, "How am I worse than the Crown Prince."

  This matter was a thorn in Empress Xie's heart, "If I wasn't young back then, how could that bitch Xie Wan be qualified to marry the Emperor, how could she be qualified to be the Queen, and how could her son be the Crown Prince." Back then, the late Emperor cooperated with the Xie family to allow the Emperor to marry the daughter of the Xie family. At that time, Empress Xie, the legitimate daughter of the Xie family, was too young to marry the Emperor. The Xie family married a concubine's daughter who was about the same age as the Emperor to him.

  "You are the legitimate son of the Zhao family and the Xie family, and you are the prince, not the son of Xie Wan, the concubine." Every time Queen Xie thought that her son, the legitimate daughter of the Xie family, was inferior to the son of Xie Wan, the concubine, Queen Xie felt humiliated.

  "Mother, it's useless for me to be the legitimate son. My grandfather and his family don't support me."

  "When the prince loses to the King of Dai, your grandfather and his family will turn around and support you." Queen Xie felt aggrieved, but there was nothing she could do. "We can only wait patiently for now."

  "I really hope that the King of Dai can come back soon." As long as the King of Dai returns to the capital, the fight between him and the prince will become more intense.

  　Guess who is the mastermind behind the drugging?

  (End of this chapter)