Concubine Duan's expression was speechless. How could her face be like this after a fall? She was lying to a child!
Seeing that he was unwilling to talk, Princess Duan didn't want to ask any more questions, so she directly asked about serious matters: "What happened to the disappearance of Ashen? Please tell me carefully!"
Second Master Qin had to explain what happened that day in detail. As for the details of his night with Huafang Fantou, she was vague and confused. After hearing what he said, Princess Duan frowned and asked: "You
Does it mean that you were not present when Ashen left?"
Second Master Qin nodded: "A Shen left with Wang Yu and Xiling Tan."
"Wang Yu..." Princess Duan lowered her head thoughtfully. Could this be all a trap designed by the Wang family?
But what is the purpose?
Nowadays, the Wang family frequently shows goodwill to Xiao Shen, and Xiao Shen is also willing to get close to the Wang family. The relationship between the two parties is very harmonious. Xiao Shen's sudden disappearance at this juncture does not seem to be of any benefit to the Wang family.
Seeing her silence, Mr. Qin asked tentatively: "How about I go find Wang Yu and Xilingtan again and ask them about the specific situation before Ashen left. Maybe I will get some useful clues.
"
This is all she can do now. Concubine Duan nodded, as if remembering something, and suddenly asked: "What is the origin of the Xilingtan in your mouth?"
"He is Wang Yu's distant cousin. He has been living in the Snowy Region. He just came to Wushuang City to visit relatives not long ago."
Concubine Duan immediately grasped the key point: "Is he from the Snow Country?"
Mr. Qin nodded and said yes, then asked, "Does he have any problems?"
Concubine Duan did not answer his question, but just ordered: "Look for an opportunity."
I will investigate this Xiling Tan. I want to know his true origin. Remember, you must investigate quietly and don't alert others."
Although he didn't understand the purpose of her move, Mr. Qin still nodded honestly and asked one more question: "Where is Ashen? His whereabouts are unknown now, and I am very worried about his safety."
"I know this matter well. Just do as I say and don't worry too much."
Second Master Qin could only say: "Okay."
After sending Second Master Qin away, Concubine Duan immediately went to the Jinhua Palace to ask for an audience with His Majesty, but was stopped by Eunuch Xia, saying that His Majesty did not see anyone while he was recuperating. In desperation, Concubine Duan had no choice but to turn around and leave, taking a detour.
He went to Biquan Palace to see the Empress Dowager.
Concubine Duan told her about Xiao Shen's disappearance and begged her to help find Xiao Shen.
Although the Empress Dowager was very dissatisfied with Xiao Shen's recent performance, he was her own grandson after all. No matter what, she could not care about his life or death. The Empress Dowager immediately sent people to close the city gate and conduct a thorough search for Xiao Shen's whereabouts.
.
Just when the entire Wushuang City was in an uproar because of the search, the Wang family was hosting a grand banquet for Wang Qiuyu's sixtieth birthday.
There was a lot of traffic and people coming and going in front of the gate of the Wang family. The guests invited to the birthday banquet were either rich or expensive. Each one was grander than the last, and the gifts they brought were packed into the Wang family compound one by one.
Wang Yu and his two cousins stood at the door to greet the guests, and they were too busy to keep up with the guests.
Wang Qiuyugui was the prime minister of the dynasty and had an extraordinary status. Now that he is turning sixty, he has invited almost half of the officials from the court.
Among them, except for the vassals of the Wang family, there are also many who came here for the sake of Prime Minister Wang. They are all civil servants, and there are almost no military attachés.
It's not that Wang Qiuyu looked down upon the military attachés, but because the civilian officials had always been at odds with the military attachés. Normally, the civilian officials disliked the military attachés for being rude and barbaric, while the military attachés disliked the civilian military attaches for being wordy. The two sides often fought openly and secretly over various things, and even in the court, they often fought over something.
The quarrels broke out over trivial matters. In the most serious case, the two sides even fought in front of the emperor. The civil servants were very talkative, but in terms of fists, they were no match for the military attachés. They were beaten in just two or three blows.
His skin was bruised and his face was swollen. Although the emperor made peace afterwards and asked the two parties to apologize to each other and shake hands to make peace, bad grudges had already taken root. As time went by, the conflicts between them became deeper and deeper. Now they have almost reached the point where they met.
To the point of fighting.
Therefore, in order to avoid a tragedy like a big fight at the birthday banquet with blood splattering on the spot, Prime Minister Wang, as the head of the civil service, did not invite any military attache today.
In order to ensure the safety of these dignitaries, the street in front of the Wang family has been completely blocked since early morning. Only guests holding invitations from the Wang family are allowed to enter, and all other casual people are detoured.
Song Huaicai, the imperial censor, also received the invitation. The Wang family thought he would not come, but they did not expect that he would not only come in person, but also bring a large box of congratulatory gifts.
Wang Yu was slightly startled when he saw Song Huaicai, then smiled and said hello: "Song Yushi, you can come here, it really makes this place shine! Come on, please sit inside, there will be a lot of things today."
Have a couple of drinks and be sure to leave with a lot of fun!”
Song Huaicai greeted him with a few polite words in a natural manner, and then under the guidance of his servants, he crossed the threshold and walked into the Wang family mansion.
The Wang family obviously put a lot of thought into it. The birthday banquet was very lively. There were countless fine wines and delicacies at the banquet. The maids and maids who came out to pour the wine and dishes were all first-class beauties. There were also top fans in Wushuang City during the banquet.
She went on stage to perform. The guests were drinking wine and looking at the beauty. They were really enjoying themselves.
Song Huaicai's official position was not low, but because the imperial censor was not very popular, and his temper was too upright, he rarely made friends with powerful officials, so his relationship with his colleagues was not good, and he only had a few years.
The newly promoted young officials got closer to him because they admired his personality. So when he walked into the banquet hall, he was immediately pulled by these young officials to a seat near the corner. This table was a good place to sit.
They were all young people who had been admitted to the imperial examination this year. They were young and vigorous, full of enthusiasm for the future. When they saw Song Yushi appearing, they immediately enthusiastically greeted him and started drinking and talking.
Song Huaicai only drank half of the glass, then put down the glass, and changed the subject without leaving any trace, diverting their attention to other things. Naturally, no one rushed to toast him.
Halfway through the birthday banquet, birthday star Wang Qiuyu finally made his grand appearance, holding up his wine glass and thanking everyone present.
He made some beautiful remarks, then handed the place to his son Wang Yu, and then walked to the chairman's table and sat down. This table was filled with big family members, and they were all familiar with each other.
There was even a tacit understanding when talking, some
Things that are not convenient to say directly are said in a roundabout way, and the other party can understand them clearly.
For example, at this time, an old man with a white beard asked casually: "How long will it take for the last dish to be served?"
Wang Qiuyu smiled calmly and said: "I can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. Of course, the main dish must be placed at the end. If you wait patiently, you won't be disappointed."
The white-bearded old marquis also smiled and said, "I can rest assured that you are doing the work."
Wang Qiuyu filled the wine glass for him with her own hands: "This wine is the high-quality Bamboo Leaf Green that was brought as tribute last year. I don't know if it will suit your taste. Try it quickly. If you like it, I will let someone hit the car later."
Let you take it back and drink it slowly."
"You have a heart."
When the banquet reached its climax and everyone was immersed in the enjoyment brought by the fine wine and beauties, Wang Qiuyu stood up alone. He waved away the dancers who were dancing and singing, and slowly walked onto the stage holding a wine glass. He cleared his throat.
, motioning for everyone to be quiet for a moment, and then said with a smile: "Today is my sixtieth birthday, Wang. I am very happy that you can come to wish me, an old man, a birthday! I have remembered this favor!"
He shook the wine glass in his hand, paused for a moment, and seeing everyone looking at him, he continued with satisfaction: "I'm in a good mood today. Taking this opportunity, I want to discuss something with you all. I hope you can
Give me some face and help!"
Immediately someone shouted with a smile: "Prime Minister Wang, if you have any matters, please speak up as soon as possible. If it is within our ability, we will definitely explain it!"
"Okay! Okay! Okay!" Wang Qiuyu spat out three good words in succession, "
Recently, His Majesty was in Dali to investigate the case of Qu Ange collaborating with the enemy and treason. I believe that everyone here has heard about the inside story of this case, so I don’t need to waste any more words. This case was initially tried by the Ministry of Punishment and re-tried by Dali Temple.
, which was finally decided by the late Emperor himself, and to reverse the verdict now is tantamount to a slap in the face of the late Emperor! The late Emperor was kind to me, and I will remember this kindness for the rest of my life. However, I will never do anything that damages the dignity of the late Emperor.
Allow it to happen! I decided to submit a petition to His Majesty to stop the overturning of the verdict, but His Majesty has always been consistent and it is difficult to change his mind, so I would like to ask you to do me a favor and sign this memorial and jointly submit a request.
Your Majesty, stop overturning the verdict!"
After saying that, Wang Yu promptly took out a thick memorial with pen and ink next to it. He was obviously well prepared.
Most of the guests present were veterans who had been in the officialdom for a long time. When they saw this posture, they secretly shouted, "Oh no, something is wrong!"
Whoever your Majesty wants to reverse the case is all your Majesty's business. If your Majesty does something wrong, hundreds of officials can advise you, but they cannot attack you in a group. Wang Qiuyu wants all officials to jointly submit a letter. This matter is easy to say, but if
If you are not careful, your Majesty, who is suspicious by nature, will think that the courtiers are colluding with each other. If you are not careful, they will be blocked by a big label of clique and selfishness. None of them can escape, and they will all be ruined!
Especially after hearing the news that the Wang family has been moving around to win over various forces these days, some keen officials have smelled the dangerous atmosphere hidden in it, and couldn't help but stand up and find excuses to leave.
"Sorry, sorry, I suddenly remembered that there are other important things at home.
Okay, I have to go back quickly, let’s talk later!”
"I also remembered that I had an appointment with my friend to discuss something two days ago. I can't delay it any longer. I'm leaving now."
"Before I went out today, I saw that my wife was not feeling well, and I didn't know how sick she was. I had to go back and see her to feel at ease."
These people stood up one by one and hurried to the door, intending to leave this place of right and wrong as soon as possible. However, as soon as they reached the door, they were stopped by a group of grabbing servants with swords. (Unfinished)