Wei Tuan Er hesitated for a moment but still shook her head. It was not risky to leak information to others and there was plenty of profit to be made. There was no harm in doing such a thing. However, this matter was not a small matter and she was naturally aware of the risks involved. However, if she were to reject it just like that, she would not be willing to part with such a huge fortune.
Jing Official's words echoed in her heart and Wei Tuan Er gradually wavered. That's right! What's so great about the Crown Prince? Who took that Crown Prince as the Crown Prince? If the Emperor had him in his heart, why would Wu Chengsi and Wu Sansi fight for it? When they were fighting for the position of Crown Prince, who would remember that there was already a Great Zhou Crown Prince?
Wei Tuan Er thought of Wu Zetian's eldest son, Li Hong. She heard that Li Hong was personally poisoned by Wu Zetian. At that time, she was still young and did not know if the rumor was true. However, Wu Zetian's second son, Li Xian, was indeed strangled to death by Qiu Shenji under Wu Zetian's orders. What punishment did Qiu Shenji receive? Not only did he not receive any punishment, he was placed in an important position. If he was not blinded by greed and betrayed His Majesty's country in order to seize military power, his Emperor's favour would not have declined.
The more Wei Tuan Er thought about it, the hotter her heart became. Jing Official quietly followed up and said, "With Sister's capabilities, how can you surpass Wan 'er? Every time you see her, Sister Tuan Er has to respectfully call her Sister Wan' er! If this matter is settled, everyone in the Wu clan will remember Sister's good deeds. By then, it is not impossible for Sister to replace Wan 'er and become the Minister of Internal Affairs of the Great Zhou Dynasty! "
Wei Tuan Er instantly stopped moving. These words completely calmed her wavering heart. She pondered for a moment and gritted her teeth. She looked fiercely at the Minister of Jing and ordered in a low voice, "Make sure your hands and feet are clean. Do not leave any evidence behind!"
Jing Official was overjoyed and quickly said, "Sister, don't worry, I will definitely settle this matter properly!"
After Jing Official finished, she beamed with joy and left.
The one who requested Yu Jingguan was naturally Lai Junchen, but Yu Jingguan had always thought it was Wu Sansi.
Lai Junchen knew that he was about to fall out of favor. The Emperor had delayed the punishment of the "rebels" but did not make any clear statement. It was because this mess had already reached a point where it could not be resolved peacefully. Someone had to take responsibility. The Emperor was waiting for him to make the necessary move.
What could Lai Junchen do? Admit that I made a confession under torture? Impossible! There was no turning back. He couldn't turn back now, nor could he stop. Otherwise, he would have to bear all the responsibility for this storm. Therefore, he could only take the risk.
His value was to help the Emperor bite people. He wanted to make the Emperor feel unsafe, to make the Emperor feel that someone had ill intentions towards her. Then, as a watchdog, he would still have his value.
Wu Zetian entered the palace at the age of fourteen. She had spent her entire life in the palace. The years in the palace had shaped her, but also limited her. Lai Junchen believed that with his means, he could let the Empress continue to recognize that Lai Junchen was an indispensable right-hand man.
Therefore, he decided to attack the Crown Prince.
To be cautious, Lai Junchen did not directly appear this time. He sent someone to find Eunuch Jing.
He had his own spies in the palace and knew that this Eunuch Jing had an ambiguous relationship with the Empress' favorite, Wei Tuan 'er. He was her closest confidante. However, even though this Eunuch Jing was as greedy as Wei Tuan 'er, he was not as shrewd as Wei Tuan' er. Thus, Lai Junchen chose him as the contact person.
Lai Junchen used almost everything he had. Even though he did not have any particular interest in money, he had been an official for many years and had handled many major cases. Whether it was intentional or not, he had still accumulated a large amount of wealth. Now, he took out almost all the wealth he could use and first bribed Eunuch Jing — in Wu Sansi's name.
Everyone knew that Wu Sansi was fighting for the throne. Furthermore, after Wu Chengsi had been defeated by him, his greatest enemy was the current Crown Prince. He had the most reason to do this. As expected, Eunuch Jing did not suspect the identity of the contact person. In reality, when he saw the carts of gold and silver ingots and the contract for the Fertile Fields and Beautiful Buildings, he probably did not think of anything else.
News from the palace quickly came back, and Lai Junchen was relieved.
The Emperor did not say anything, and he did not have any reaction. It was as if everything he had done was open and honest, so he did not need to take any remedial measures. He was waiting for the Eastern Palace to be exposed.
The situation would be completely reversed the moment the Eastern Palace was exposed. Everything would still be within his control.
…
Yang Fan stood opposite the Princess Residence and carefully considered the countermeasures he would take after seeing Princess Taiping.
Yesterday, Wu Youji had almost killed him on the street. Naturally, he had thought of the possible consequences before coming here today. The Princess Residence seemed dangerous, but it was actually very safe. After all, the person in charge here was the Princess and not the Emperor's son-in-law. It would be best if Wu Youji was here. He could explain things clearly to the three of them in front of the Emperor's son-in-law.
If Wu Youji was not here, then he would have to have a good talk with Princess Taiping. Yang Fan had originally wanted to wait until he saw Wan 'er and ask about the oath she had made before discussing the countermeasures. However, after Zhao Yu's analysis, he was worried that the court would soon punish her. He had to be the first to act.
If Wu Youji is not here, I will have to face that woman alone. How should I react then? Hmm! I will treat her politely and thank her for saving my life. If we don't shed all pretense of cordiality, then we can talk. No … this woman is not moved by force or persuasion. She is as sly as a fox. Nice words will not work at all. I have to use force. When I see her, I will be angry and stern. At least I will gain the upper hand with a show of strength. I can't let her suppress me. Yes! That's it!
Yang Fan had made up his mind. He walked down the long street with his head held high. He stepped up the stone steps and grabbed the bronze ring on the door. He smashed it three times. After a while, a lazy voice came from behind the door. "Who is it?"
Yang Fan raised his voice and shouted, "I am Yang Fan. I want to see Princess Taiping!"
There was silence from behind the door. Then there was a cry of surprise. It was followed by some whispering. It seemed like two people were arguing about something. Yang Fan listened. Fortunately, he had excellent hearing. He heard someone say, "I'll open it. I'll open it. You get out of the way!"
"What are you fighting for! Hey! He is really powerful. He dares to come here openly. Such courage … No wonder the princess likes him! "
"Go, go, go …"
Amidst the chatter, the front door opened. In front of the door stood two members of the Princess's household, dressed in black robes and little hats. They each held one door, and looked at him with a very respectful expression. They did not ask him to come in, nor did they ask him to send the message. They only glanced up and down, left and right, and looked at him curiously.
Yang Fan did not know whether to laugh or cry. He coughed and said, "I want to see Princess Taiping. Please tell her!"
The two people seemed to wake up from a dream. They quickly said, "Ah! Princess Taiping knew that you were coming. She had already ordered us to introduce you when you arrived. There was no need to tell her. Langjun, please! "
Yang Fan was stunned. "Princess Taiping knew that I was coming? This … "
Thinking that his thoughts and actions had long been calculated by others, Yang Fan could not help but feel a little depressed.
The two people from the Princess's Mansion opened the door and respectfully let Yang Fan in. They hurriedly closed the door. The older one rushed to say, "Princess Taiping is fishing at the Moon Pavilion. Langjun, please!"
"Fishing? Her man tried to kill me in the street. She doesn't know about such a big thing? Fishing … "
Yang Fan followed behind the family. He did not know why, but he suddenly felt like a fat fish. It was the kind that took the bait voluntarily. He was shaking his head and wagging his tail to swim to Princess Taiping's fish hook. However, it was impossible for him to retreat at this time.
The family members led Yang Fan around the front courtyard and rushed to the back from the side courtyard. After a while, they arrived at the back garden. The trees and rocks were lush and green, and the pavilions were set off in the middle. Occasionally, a corner of the lofty and lofty buildings could be seen. A refreshing and pleasant aura blew over.
There was a red building in front of them. The plaque above the building said "Cuiping Pavilion". Cuiping did not match this red building. However, from this building, they could see the pond in the forest in the distance. There were lotuses in the water. The green leaves were connected to the sky. Presumably, the two words "Cuiping" came from there.
Yang Fan remembered that the last time he was here, Wu Youji was drinking and having fun with his concubines in this building. When he reached the first floor, he purposely stopped and coughed a few times, but it was quiet upstairs and there was no sound. Yang Fan was helpless. He deliberately raised his voice and shouted, "Yang Fan has been to the Princess's Mansion before. I remember that it's not far away from the Moon Pavilion, right?"
The family member with the small hat turned back and replied, "Langjun has a good memory. It's not far away from the Moon Pavilion." After saying that, he smiled and added, "Langjun does not need to be so loud. This lowly one's ears are very good!"
Yang Fan pretended not to hear and continued to shout, "Yang Fan has taken the liberty to come here. Since the Princess is in the back courtyard or is wearing a suit, it is not suitable for her to see outsiders. Is Yang Fan waiting here? Can you go and inform her?"
He deliberately emphasized the two words "Yang Fan" in order to lure Wu Youji out. No matter how much Princess Taiping looked down on Wu Youji, he was Princess Taiping's husband in name. With him present, it would be easier to negotiate.
Who would have thought that after he finished shouting, there would still be no sound from upstairs. Instead, the family walked over with a smile on their faces. They nodded and bowed as they said, "Langjun, please. The Prince Consort is not in the mansion. Even if you shout yourself hoarse, he won't hear you!"
Yang Fan, "…"
The water in the lake was sparkling.
There were lotuses and flowers in the lake. There were even lotus heads that were gradually growing.
Outside the pavilion by the pool, under the eaves that stretched out like the wings of a bat, Princess Taiping was wearing a wide-sleeved gown. She was holding a fishing rod in her hand. Her delicate and snow-white feet were bare. She was lying lazily on a beauty couch. Beside her sat a tender little girl who was about ten years old. She was waving her small fists and gently massaging her legs. There was no one else other than them.
The family member in green stood far away and smiled at Yang Fan, "Langjun, please. The Princess has already instructed me. This lowly one will not follow you."
…
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