Li Rong listened to Pei Wenxuan's words and looked over with a smile. "Lord Pei, why are you in such a hurry?"
Shangguan Ya saw Li Rong's unhurried manner and still couldn't keep his cool. Even though he guessed that Li Rong might have been prepared, he still couldn't help but dissuade him. "Your Highness, you have to make preparations early. Now that the Xie family has captured Lin Feibai, I'm afraid he will confess to Your Highness. "
"You were the one who asked him to assassinate Xie Lanqing?"
Pei Wenxuan turned around in shock. Li Rong ignored Pei Wenxuan. He twirled the fan in his hand and instructed Shangguan Ya, "Go and prepare all the evidence they used to assassinate me. Is Lin Feibai's confession still there?"
"It's still there." Shangguan Ya frowned. "But now, the only evidence that can point to Xie Lanqing is Lin Feibai's confession. All the assassins in the Butterfly Gorge assassination were bribed by the Chen family. From the flow of money to the people involved, they were all from the Chen family. If Lin Feibai retracts his confession, I'm afraid …"
"What are you afraid of?" Li Rong smiled. "Prepare whatever evidence you have. You just have to suppress the Chen family. You don't have to care about anything else."
After Shangguan Ya heard this, she hesitated for a long time. Finally, she agreed and left.
As soon as Shangguan Ya left, Pei Wenxuan asked directly, "What do you plan to do?"
"En?" Li Rong turned to look at Pei Wenxuan and saw Pei Wenxuan frowning. "Why did you ask Lin Feibai to assassinate Xie Lanqing? Xie Lanqing is the Minister of Justice. How can he be so easy to assassinate? Now that Lin Feibai has been captured alive and he has confessed to you, I'm afraid that His Majesty won't be able to protect you even if he wants to! "
After Pei Wenxuan finished speaking, he felt that his words were too harsh. Li Rong should not be such a stupid person.
He thought about it and analyzed, "The Seven Stars Hall's lair is built in the place where the Xie family lives. They are inextricably linked to the Xie family. You want to kill Xie Lanqing because she was sent by him?"
Li Rong didn't speak. She looked for all the files in the room that she wanted to hand over to Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan followed behind her and continued, "Qixing Hall is famous for being tight-lipped. They won't confess even if they die. How did you get Lin Feibai to confess to Xie Lanqing and leave a statement?"
Without waiting for Li Rong to reply, Pei Wenxuan immediately said, "You threatened him with the location of their stronghold? But that shouldn't be the case. Lin Feibai should know the power of the prominent families in the area. Even if you send troops immediately, they can retreat in time with the help of the Xie family. Lin Feibai is not a fool. He can't be threatened like this, but he still confessed to Xie Lanqing … "
"He treats me like a fool." Li Rong turned around with a smile and handed a file to Pei Wenxuan. "He's plotting against me with Xie Lanqing."
"There are many possibilities for the assassination," Li Rong said as she continued to draw files from the wall and put them in Pei Wenxuan's hands. Pei Wenxuan held the file and followed Li Rong. He heard her say, "With the thoughts of an old fox like Xie Lanqing, it's impossible for him not to have a backup plan in case of failure. Lin Feibai confessed so easily because he was already prepared. According to Xie Lanqing's thoughts, if Lin Feibai confessed, there was a high chance that I would pursue his responsibility. But I couldn't find any other evidence other than Lin Feibai's confession, so I sued him in court. Lin Feibai retracted his confession at the last minute and said that he was tortured by me. Coupled with the incident with Chen Guang extorting a confession by torture, the two big hats of false accusation and extorting a confession by torture will definitely be placed on my head. "
"Since you know, then what do you mean by letting him go out to assassinate Xie Lanqing? Are you sending him to his death? "
"So, then I have two choices. If I believe his words, I will fall into their trap. If I don't accept Lin Feibai's words, I won't be able to trap Xie Lanqing, this old wolf. So if they want to set a trap for me, I will beat them at their own game. Not only will I jump down, but I will also jump deeper. If I let Lin Feibai assassinate Xie Lanqing, Xie Lanqing will definitely sue me in court tomorrow. Only if he exposes himself from the shadows will I have a chance to bite him to death. "
Pei Wenxuan heard Li Rong's calculations and felt slightly relieved. He held the file and asked respectfully, "Then where is His Highness's fangs?"
Li Rong turned around and waved at him. Pei Wenxuan held the file and lowered his head to listen. He heard Li Rong add a few words.
Pei Wenxuan looked up in shock. "Really?"
Li Rong lowered her voice. "It's absolutely true. This case was investigated by Su Yongqing back then. After all, this matter wasn't a good thing, so he only reported it to me. But this matter was confirmed by three parties."
"Then does Lin Feibai know?"
Pei Wenxuan frowned. Li Rong shook his head. "He didn't know until he died."
"What about Xie Lanqing?"
"At least not now."
Pei Wenxuan stopped talking. He thought for a long time and said slowly, "If it's really as His Highness said, then Xie Lanqing really went for wool this time and came home shorn."
"So don't worry." Li Rong raised his hand and patted Pei Wenxuan's shoulder. "Think about it. If the Minister of Justice is gone, who would be better?"
With that said, Li Rong leaned over to Pei Wenxuan and whispered, "I can't afford to compensate you for the peony. How about I compensate you with the position of Minister of Justice?"
"Then this peony is too valuable." Pei Wenxuan laughed. He walked to the table with the file and thought. "But with my qualifications, it won't be easy for His Highness to push me up, right?"
"You can choose someone from your family." Li Rong followed him to the table and leaned against the edge of the table. He tapped his shoulder with a small fan and said gently, "He took back a portion of the money from your Second Uncle. It's time for him to return the power, right?"
Pei Wenxuan paused. After a while, he slowly raised his head and looked at Li Rong's suggestive gaze. He smiled softly. "It seems that His Highness doesn't think much of what this official has now."
"Ai, I didn't say that." Li Rong raised his hand and pointed at Pei Wenxuan. He quickly said, "Don't pour dirty water on me."
"I'm not pouring dirty water on His Highness, I'm expressing my loyalty." Pei Wenxuan said. He put his hands on the table and leaned over to Li Rong. "Rest assured, Your Highness. I belong to His Highness. The Pei family also belongs to His Highness."
"Eldest Young Master Pei doesn't do business at a loss," Li Rong said. He sat on the table and folded his hands in front of him. He smiled and said, "Eldest Young Master Pei, what do you want this prince to return with?"
"Why don't you guess, Your Highness?"
"Glory, splendor, and wealth?" Li Rong raised his eyebrows and deliberately made a guess. Pei Wenxuan knew that he was up to no good. He continued, "What else?"
"High position and generous salary?"
"Isn't it the same as before? It seems that Your Highness has nothing else to give this official. "
Sitting at the table, Li Rong was slightly taller than Pei Wenxuan, who was standing. She looked at Pei Wenxuan with a smile and felt that the gaze of the person in front of her seemed to have materialized. His gaze met Li Rong's. Both of them had the same smile on their faces as usual, but there was a silent confrontation between them.
This kind of confrontation was like intertwining vines. One side was fighting and the other was spreading, wrapping around each other tightly and strangling each other.
Neither of them was willing to take a step back. However, it was this kind of intense feeling that gave Li Rong an indescribable feeling.
Her heartbeat quickened and her palms became sweaty. Pei Wenxuan, at this kind of time, made people filled with an indescribable desire.
It was a seduction, but there was also a hint of teasing in this seduction. It was as if he was waiting for Li Rong to lower her head.
If she accepted this seduction, she would lose.
In the relationship between a man and a woman, the most emotional moment wasn't when they covered each other in bed and made love. It was when they wanted to say something but didn't, when they were attracted to each other, when they couldn't move forward.
She couldn't lose, so she couldn't touch this person.
However, she clearly knew that this beautiful flower that had just bloomed had already peeked out of the wall and was fluttering in the wind. She wanted to climb the flower.
The only thing she could do was to be like this person and make this person fall under her pomegranate dress and take the initiative to find her.
Li Rong also lowered her body and moved forward. She approached Pei Wenxuan and softened her voice. Her usually cold voice had a hint of flirtatiousness: "Then what does Lord Pei want?"
When Pei Wenxuan heard this, he felt half of his bones go limp. He sucked in a breath of cold air and straightened up: "I won't talk to Your Highness anymore. I'm going to find my uncle. Have someone send the file back to the princess' residence. I'll read it tonight."
After saying this, Pei Wenxuan hurriedly walked out. Although he walked steadily, looking at his back, it seemed as if he was running away.
Li Rong sat at the table and leisurely picked up a cup of tea from the table. She smiled as she watched Pei Wenxuan's back disappear into the distance.
Shangguan Ya led a group of people in carrying the file from outside. When she came in, she saw Li Rong sitting at the table with a cup of tea. She looked very happy, like a big cat that had eaten and drank to its heart's content, lazily licking its paws.
Shangguan Ya was stunned and subconsciously said: "You guys are having fun?"
Li Rong paused, then she coldly raised her eyebrows and looked over: "What do you usually read?"
"Since Your Highness knows, it seems like you're a kindred spirit."
Shangguan Ya cupped his hands in respect: "Nice to meet you."
"You're not even married, yet you talk nonsense all day long." Li Rong grabbed a book beside her and threw it at her. Shangguan Ya laughed and dodged to the side. Li Rong scolded: "Let's see who's going to marry you."
"Your Highness doesn't have to worry about that." Shangguan Ya smiled and walked to Li Rong's side. She asked someone to put all the testimonies that had been reviewed on the table for Li Rong. She leaned on the edge of the table next to Li Rong and said: "I've told my father that I want to retire in the Shangguan Family and be an old grandaunt."
"An old grandaunt?" Li Rong laughed: "Your father is willing?"
"Of course, this is a joke." Shangguan Ya became serious: "My father naturally won't allow me to retire in the Shangguan Family. But if I really become the head of the Shangguan Family," Shangguan Ya looked up at Li Rong: "It won't be up to him."
"But he still needs me in the next two years." Shangguan Ya leaned on the table and said slowly: "I can delay it for a few more years."
"You're that afraid of marriage?"
Li Rong was curious. She remembered that in her previous life, Shangguan Ya was actually a very proper girl from an aristocratic family. She did everything according to the rules. She was cold, restrained, disciplined, and disciplined.
Even when the Shangguan Family was almost destroyed by Li Chuan, she couldn't find any fault with it. Even when Li Chuan hated aristocratic families, she still defended her position as the Empress.
She stared at Shangguan Ya. Shangguan Ya thought for a while and said: "If Your Highness had a choice, before you met the Prince Consort, would you choose to get married?"
Li Rong was momentarily stunned by Shangguan Ya's question. Shangguan Ya said slowly: "What's so good about getting married? If I don't get married, I'll be the Eldest Miss of the Shangguan Family. No one can bully me. I'm the apple of my father's eye. I want to study and do things. I can even get an official position with Your Highness, earn some money, and have some entertainment in the casino. "
"What about after you get married?"
Shangguan Ya looked calm: "If I marry into an ordinary family, I'll have a grandaunt and a husband. I'll always follow the rules. If I do something wrong, I'll lose face for the Shangguan Family. If my husband is a good man, they may treat each other with respect. But if my husband likes to flirt and even attacks me, what can I do?"
"Even if I have a thousand abilities," Shangguan Ya sighed and smiled bitterly, "once I get married, I'm no longer a person. Not to mention other things, if my husband doesn't let me go back to my parents' home, I won't be able to control the Shangguan Family. If he doesn't let me work for Your Highness, I won't be able to keep the things I've done. "
"You're not such an obedient person, are you?"
Li Rong raised her eyebrows. Shangguan Ya smiled slightly: "Of course. If I really meet such a husband, I'll find a wild man outside, have a child with him, poison him, and then use the child's name to become the mistress of the family. Wouldn't that be great?"
Li Rong's heart sank. She said carefully: "What if you marry into the Imperial Palace?"
"Marry into the Imperial Palace," Shangguan Ya looked calm, "Then I won't be marrying a man, but an Imperial Throne. I won't just be Shangguan Ya, but the honor and disgrace of the Shangguan Clan. "
Li Rong still wanted to ask more questions, but when the words were about to come out of her mouth, she suddenly felt that it was meaningless. What was the point of asking more about the things in her previous life?
It would only hurt her feelings.
Li Rong was silent. Shangguan Ya laughed: "Your Highness, why do you suddenly ask these questions?"
"I just want to know more about you." Li Rong got down from the table and put her hand on Shangguan Ya's shoulder: "We're good sisters, let's talk more."
With that, Li Rong led Shangguan Ya to sit down. She held her chin and flipped through the file: "Tell me the details."
When Li Rong and Shangguan Ya were discussing how to deal with Xie Lanqing in the imperial court tomorrow, Pei Wenxuan rode the carriage all the way to the Pei Mansion.
He first went to see the Wen family, then went to pay a visit to Pei Xuanqing. Pei Xuanqing's health was not good, so he had resigned early and stayed at home to enjoy the rest of his life. Usually, he was busy with the affairs of his children and grandchildren, so very few people came to see him.
When Pei Wenxuan saw Pei Xuanqing, Pei Xuanqing was brewing tea and playing chess by himself. Pei Wenxuan came forward and respectfully said: "Grandfather."
"I heard that you are a popular person now, so you must be very busy." Pei Xuanqing said calmly: "Why did you come to see this old man today? Do you need help?"
"Long time no see, I'm free today." Pei Wenxuan knelt in front of Pei Xuanqing and smiled: "So I came to see my family."
When Pei Xuanqing heard this, he raised his head and looked at Pei Wenxuan.
Pei Wenxuan and his father looked very similar. Pei Xuanqing's gaze lingered on Pei Wenxuan's face for a moment, then he laughed softly: "You are like your father, and your personality is also like him."
As he spoke, Pei Xuanqing raised his hand and pointed at the chess piece next to him: "I'm bored playing chess by myself, why don't you play with me?"
Pei Wenxuan respectfully responded and played chess with Pei Xuanqing for a while. During the game, they didn't talk about business at all. Instead, Pei Xuanqing asked a few questions about Pei Wenxuan and Li Rong's marriage.
This pleasant atmosphere made Pei Xuanqing relax. He smiled and said: "You're already 21, it's time to have a child. Don't always be busy with work and neglect the princess. Bring a child back soon, I'll be happy to have a great-grandson. "
"This isn't something that can be rushed." Pei Wenxuan smiled and said: "Now that His Highness is busy with work, it's not the time to have a child."
Pei Xuanqing could tell from Pei Wenxuan's tone that he didn't want to have a child, so he didn't continue the topic. The two played a game of chess peacefully. Pei Wenxuan looked at the sky and said calmly: "It's getting late, grandfather, I'll take my leave first."
Pei Xuanqing nodded. Pei Wenxuan stood up and bowed to Pei Xuanqing before leaving. Pei Xuanqing saw Pei Wenxuan walking out and frowned: "Are you really fine?"
"Grandfather." Pei Wenxuan sighed: "I'm only here because I'm a member of the Pei Family. In the end, we're family."
Pei Wenxuan bowed as he spoke. Pei Xuanqing looked at Pei Wenxuan quietly, and Pei Wenxuan left.
An attendant came forward and poured tea for Pei Xuanqing, saying respectfully: "Eldest Young Master brought your favorite tea over. Among so many young masters, he's the only one who knows about this. Eldest Young Master is filial to Master."
Pei Xuanqing was silent. He turned to look at the tea and after a long time, he softly said: "En."
Pei Wenxuan went to Pei Xuanqing's place. After thinking for a while, he turned back to the Inspectorate.
When Pei Wenxuan arrived at the Inspectorate, Li Rong was still busy. She confirmed the assassin's confession and the account of the Chen Family's transactions with Shangguan Ya, then began to confirm the investigation of the Shangguan Family that Shangguan Ya was in charge of.
Li Rong's idea was to clean up the Shangguan Family before Li Ming made a move. This was to prevent Li Chuan from being implicated by the Shangguan Family's affairs like in his previous life.
Li Chuan was the most reliable Crown Prince. With his status as the Crown Prince, there was almost no fault to be found. Dethroning the Crown Prince was a big deal. As long as Li Chuan did not make any mistakes, it would be difficult for Li Ming to touch him.
Cleaning up the Shangguan Family was to resolve Li Chuan's worries in advance.
When Pei Wenxuan arrived at the Inspectorate, he heard that Li Rong was still busy. He did not say anything and asked someone to bring him tea. Sitting in the front hall, he picked up a leisure book and began to read.
After reading for a while, he saw an imperial guard hurriedly walk in. Pei Wenxuan looked up and heard the imperial guard anxiously say, "Your Highness, it's not good, Your Highness."
When Li Rong heard this from inside, he and Shangguan Ya looked at each other, then straightened up and walked out. When the imperial guard saw Li Rong come out, he knelt on the ground and hurriedly said, "Your Highness, Xie Lanqing entered the palace to lodge a complaint. His Majesty is now urgently calling for Your Highness to enter the palace."
"Is he in such a hurry to die?"
Li Rong laughed out loud. The imperial guard did not dare to respond. Pei Wenxuan stood up and walked behind Li Rong, saying in a low voice, "I will follow Your Highness into the palace."
"Your Highness," Shangguan Ya frowned, "Xie Lanqing probably did not come with good intentions."
"Don't worry," Li Rong smiled, "I will send him on his way now."
With that, Li Rong turned around, flicked his wide sleeves, and put them behind his back. He led his people forward and said happily, "Let's go."
Li Rong led his people out of the Inspectorate and rushed directly to the palace. When they arrived at the imperial study, Li Rong saw Xie Lanqing holding his stomach and lying weakly on the chair.
Li Rong smiled and entered the room, saying respectfully, "This son greets Imperial Father."
Pei Wenxuan also kowtowed with Li Rong, "This humble subject greets Your Majesty."
There were many people standing in the room. Su Minzhi, Shangguan Xu, Su Yongqing, and the others were all there. Xie Lanqing's chair was placed to the side and Lin Feibai, who was covered in injuries, was kneeling at his feet.
Li Ming looked at Li Rong and seemed a little tired. After raising his hand to let Li Rong stand up, he said directly, "Ping L E, Lord Xie said that you ordered this killer to kill him. Do you plead guilty?"
When Li Rong heard this, he looked at Lin Feibai with a smile that was not a smile, "I ordered this young master to kill Lord Xie?"
As she spoke, Li Rong walked to Lin Feibai's side, squatted down on one knee, and put her hands on one knee. She smiled and said, "I would like to ask this young master, how did I know you and how did I order you around?"
"This commoner is a pugilistic world killer. Half a month ago, His Highness sent someone to find this commoner and wanted this commoner to kill someone. At that time, His Highness used a veil to cover his face. Although this commoner couldn't see His Highness, I remembered His Highness's voice. "
"Then your hearing is quite good." Li Rong nodded. "And then?"
"Why is His Highness asking so much?" Xie Lanqing interrupted Li Rong directly. "Could it be that His Highness is guilty and wants to confirm if there is anything in the witness's words that you can quibble about?"
"Minister Xie, pay attention to your words." Pei Wenxuan glanced over coldly and said indifferently, "The matter hasn't been clarified yet and you're saying that His Highness is quibbling. Why, does Lord Xie treat this place as the Ministry of Justice and has already decided on the case?"
"Lord Pei really has a glib tongue." Xie Lanqing sneered. "Everyone here understands what I mean. Lord Pei, you don't have to bite the words."
"And then?" Li Rong stared at Lin Feibai. Lin Feibai didn't speak. Li Ming said coldly, "Young Master Lin, speak."
"Then, according to the employer's request, this commoner came to Butterfly Gorge to assassinate the person in the painting. Then, I was ambushed, arrested, and sent to the Inspection Department. After arriving at the Inspection Department, this commoner met the Princess. When the Princess spoke, this commoner knew that this was the employer who asked me to assassinate the Princess. The Princess knew of my talent, so she asked me to kill Lord Xie directly. Otherwise, this commoner would be beheaded for the crime of assassinating the Princess! "
Although Lin Feibai's tone was cold, coupled with his calm and somewhat angry appearance, it made people trust him more.
Li Rong smiled and listened to Lin Feibai's words. He continued, "And then you assassinated Minister Xie?"
Lin Feibai ignored him and knelt on the ground with his back straight.
Li Rong saw that he had finished speaking and stood up. Li Ming saw that she had a card up her sleeve and only asked, "Is what he said true?"
"Imperial Father," Li Rong turned around with a smile and said directly, "His story is full of loopholes. It's like a few poor people discussing whether the Emperor should use a gold pole or a silver pole to carry things. Can this kind of thing about the Emperor using a pole to carry soil be true?"
When these words came out, Xie Lanqing's expression immediately became ugly. "Is it true or not, Your Highness? There's no need to talk about this nonsense."
"Okay, Minister Xie's brain isn't very good after experiencing an assassination. This Palace can understand. Then, this Palace will help you sort out the loopholes in his words. First, he said that I was his employer. Then, may I ask, do I have no subordinates or do I admire his good name and have to pay a visit to him? So, a dignified Princess doesn't send reliable people to hire an assassin and has to go personally? "
"Your Highness is right." Pei Wenxuan added, "This humble subject also doesn't want Your Highness to meet with an outsider in private."
Li Rong secretly glared at Pei Wenxuan. Pei Wenxuan pretended not to know and was expressionless.
"What if Your Highness is cautious and doesn't want others to know about this kind of scandal?"
Xie Lanqing replied coldly. Li Rong smiled lightly and circled around Lin Feibai. "Okay, I'll let Lord Xie do it this time. Just treat it as me being cautious and incompetent, so I can only find an assassin myself. Then, according to what this young master said, I hired an assassin to kill myself and this Palace made up and acted out the scene of me being assassinated. Then, since I know that I'm going to meet this young master again, should I wear a veil and not change my voice when I meet him? "
"This commoner has been practicing martial arts since childhood and is extremely sensitive to sounds." Lin Feibai said coldly. Pei Wenxuan whispered, "What sharp dog ears."
"Okay." Li Rong lowered her head and laughed. "Even if Hero Lin's martial arts are strong and I miscalculated. But since I planned for someone to murder me, why did I force you to kill Minister Xie instead of directly making you give false testimony that Minister Xie asked you to murder me? "
These words made Lin Feibai pause, but no expression could be seen on his face, so it was unknown what his exact mood was.
Li Rong saw that he was silent. Xie Lanqing said slowly, "You'll have to ask Your Highness about this. Perhaps Your Highness felt that mentioning your assassination after Madam Chen Wangshi's death wouldn't have the effect Your Highness wanted, so you directly asked him to assassinate me?"
"Then there's a very important question here."
Li Rong tapped her fan on her palm. She bent down and looked at Xie Lanqing, who was sitting on the chair. "Would I let my son kill his father?"
Hearing this, everyone was shocked. Xie Lanqing's expression changed drastically and Lin Feibai suddenly looked up.
Li Rong smiled and straightened her back. She tapped her fan on the palm of her hand. "Let's think about this story from a different perspective."
"Everyone, do you think it's more likely that a princess would let her son assassinate his biological father after having problems with her brain time and time again, or that the father and son would collude and falsely accuse the princess?"
"Young Master Lin." Li Rong looked at the shocked Lin Feibai and smiled. "What do you think?"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
