After Housekeeper Lin finished speaking, Jiang Ruan was expressionless, but behind her, Lian Qiao and Lu Zhu were somewhat surprised. In their eyes, Housekeeper Lin was just a slightly crazy old man. Who would have thought that his words today were so reasonable? They didn't know why, but it gave people a completely different feeling from the past.
Jiang Ruan wasn't surprised. The elegant and graceful Tan Hua was able to retreat at the most glorious time, and he also had the determination and endurance to endure silently. He was a person of great wisdom. But Jiang Ruan also saw that when Housekeeper Lin mentioned Eunuch Li's death, there were some fluctuations in his eyes that could not be concealed. Obviously, he and Eunuch Li might have some relationship, but everyone in the world had some secrets, so why should she investigate? But Housekeeper Lin's analysis coincided with hers, and it made her even more determined.
"You're right. To be able to plot against Eunuch Li, it must be someone extremely close to him, or even someone who has been lurking around him for many years. Now that they acted rashly, the Emperor's serious illness is one reason, but more importantly, this may be a signal, "Jiang Ruan said.
"Signal?" Housekeeper Lin frowned and asked, "Does Young Madam think that they are about to make a move?" At this time, Old Lin seemed to be discussing the next step with Jiang Ruan, and there was no trace of his usual unreliable appearance.
"It's not a move. Eunuch Li died too suddenly. I thought that his death was too abrupt, and there must be a special reason for him to be killed at this time. If they wanted to make a move, they didn't have to do it from a steward, so Eunuch Li's death must have been caused by himself. He made a mistake in some aspect, and in the end, he killed himself, "Jiang Ruan muttered.
Housekeeper Lin also pondered for a while, and seemed to feel that what Jiang Ruan said was very reasonable. He looked at her and said, "But Young Madam, what mistake could he have made? What mistake could he have made that caused him to lose his life in the end? "
Jiang Ruan smiled slightly, "What is the most urgent matter in the palace now?"
"It's … it's His Majesty who is seriously ill," Housekeeper Lin replied.
"Then, Eunuch Li's mistake was here. He was the steward, but in the end, he was inseparable from His Majesty, so the biggest reason why he lost his life was because of His Majesty. The greatest value of a chief steward was that he was the person closest to the Emperor and might know many of the Emperor's secrets. In this way, things were much simpler. Eunuch Li found out about one of His Majesty's decisions, and this decision was accidentally found out by someone else. Then, he was killed. "
When Steward Lin heard this, he could not help but exclaim in his heart. Just based on the death of Eunuch Li, Jiang Ruan was able to deduce so much. He could not help but become somewhat absent-minded. Perhaps Jinying Wang fu had such a Young Madam. This was something that the Crown Prince Hong Xi and the old Jinying Wang had not thought of at that time. Now that the situation was so chaotic, Jiang Ruan was still able to analyze it so calmly and calmly point out the suspicious points. In the midst of the flustered atmosphere that had gradually begun to pervade, Steward Lin's heart abruptly gave birth to a surge of courage.
Following Jiang Ruan's words, he pondered, "Young Madam's decision is indeed not bad, but what decision did the Emperor make that would lead to Eunuch Li's death? The culprit couldn't wait to take action and even made Eunuch Li's corpse full of flaws. In fact, he could have done it more precisely. Looking at it this way, it seems that he was somewhat impatient and did not care about anything else. "
"To be able to cause someone to be so ruthless, it must be a matter of great importance to the country. The fight for the throne is imminent, but before His Majesty fell, he had not yet appointed a Crown Prince. Now that the position of Crown Prince is empty, the hundreds of officials have their own guesses about His Majesty's injury. If His Majesty immediately had the intention to appoint a future Crown Prince, the other person would certainly be burning with anxiety. Eunuch Lin most likely revealed His Majesty's intentions, and the other person, who is not fated to be the Crown Prince, was driven to desperate action. " Jiang Ruan said, "And the Emperor would definitely not appoint Xuan Li as the Crown Prince, so the person behind this can only be Xuan Li."
Steward Lin wanted to say that the Thirteenth Prince Xuan Pei could also be the culprit, but when he saw Jiang Ruan's expression, he paused. There was not a trace of hesitation on Jiang Ruan's face. Just like her tone, she had absolute trust in Xuan Pei from the beginning. Steward Lin knew that Jiang Ruan and Xuan Pei had a good relationship, but he had always found it strange that Jiang Ruan, who did not seem to care about anyone, would have such trust in Xuan Pei. This was really somewhat strange. However, Jiang Ruan's foresight had always been good, especially in terms of foresight. Almost everything she said would be correct. Naturally, Steward Lin did not have any doubts and responded, "In this way, under the current circumstances, the Eighth Prince will take advantage of His Majesty's intention to reverse the situation …"
"Regicide, change fate." Jiang Ruan said coldly.
Killing the Emperor before he could show his intention, or making it impossible for him to show his intention, and then pretending to have an imperial edict, this was an opportunity. At present, it seemed that this was Xuan Li's only way out.
Steward Lin was obviously also shocked by these words that Jiang Ruan spat out, and for a moment, he did not speak. The fight for the throne had always been a reign of terror, and it would never be completed under peaceful and happy circumstances. However, just by listening to Jiang Ruan's words, he could already feel a ferocious aura assaulting him. Perhaps in the coming days, undercurrents would be turbulent in the capital, and every step would be filled with trepidation.
Jiang Ruan smiled and said, "However, at present, it is still not that bad. Steward Lin, you can leave first. I still have some things to do. I will come back later, and I will explain this matter to Xiao Shao. There will always be a way to deal with it."
Steward Lin did not speak and silently retreated. Now, Xiao Shao was not the only one supporting Jinying Wang fu. Now, Jinying Wang fu also had an additional Young Madam. Leave it to them, Steward Lin thought.
After Steward Lin left, the smile in front of Jiang Ruan disappeared. Her expression slowly became solemn, and it seemed that she was not as confident as before. Lian Qiao and Lu Zhu looked at her and were startled. Lian Qiao hesitantly asked, "Young Madam … is there something wrong?"
"Wrong," Jiang Ruan looked down, "Naturally, it is not right."
Seeing this, Tian Zhu also asked, "Since the Eighth Prince's plan has been seen through, as long as we do not let him succeed, why is Young Madam so worried? Although the Eighth Prince's temperament is patient, he really thinks himself clever and is not a truly intelligent person. The Young Master has not returned yet, so this matter will certainly not be so bad. " Before Jiang Ruan was Jinying Wang Fei, she had dared to confront Xuan Li. After such a long time, Tian Zhu and the others were used to Jiang Ruan's appearance of strategizing. When such a worried expression appeared on Jiang Ruan's face, Tian Zhu felt somewhat uneasy.
"The smartest person is naturally not Xuan Li," Jiang Ruan sneered, and her smile seemed somewhat cold, "The Emperor is the smartest person." She did not continue speaking. Tian Zhu and the others looked at each other, not knowing how to respond.
….
At night, when Xiao Shao returned, it was naturally late at night. Jiang Ruan was sitting on the edge of the bed, leaning against the blanket, flipping through a book. However, she was flipping so absent-mindedly that she did not even hear Xiao Shao's approaching footsteps. Xiao Shao paused and walked until he was in front of her. After thinking for a while, he stretched out his hand and patted her forehead, saying, "Why are you still reading?"
"I was waiting for you to come back." Jiang Ruan casually threw the book to one side. Xiao Shao had just returned from outside, and his body was still slightly damp from the cold dew of the night. Under the lamplight, his face was incomparably handsome, almost like a cold immortal who had walked out of those simple and unadorned scrolls. Regardless of the time, this person was always so bright and fresh. Even if he did not like to be gorgeous and always wore the coldest colors, it could not take away even the slightest bit of his brilliance. It was as if as long as he stood there, he could not help but attract the attention of others.
Jiang Ruan sighed softly. Xiao Shao sensitively sensed that something was wrong with her, so he did not immediately bathe. Instead, he sat beside Jiang Ruan and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"
"You …" Jiang Ruan hesitated for a moment before asking, "Do you want to be the Emperor?"
Xiao Shao was slightly startled, as if he had not expected her to suddenly ask this. For a moment, he was somewhat startled. Then, he frowned and asked, "Who did you see today?"
When Jiang Ruan saw his appearance, she laughed, "The person you are worried about is currently in the palace, injured and unable to get up. How could he meet me? You're probably worrying too much. " The last time the Emperor had come uninvited to Jinying Wang fu, Jiang Ruan had stood at the door and listened to the entire conversation. Only then did she know Xiao Shao's secret. Now that Xiao Shao was so nervous, it was naturally because he had recalled the previous incident. When Xiao Shao heard this, his brows did not loosen. He only stared at her thoughtfully and said, "I have never thought about that position."
"If … someone were to force you, what would you do?" Jiang Ruan asked.
"What does it have to do with me?" Xiao Shao asked. His tone was indifferent, but there was a kind of irresistible force to it. If someone was to force him, what did it have to do with him? In this world, if he liked it, he would do it. If he didn't like it, he would not do it. No one had ever been able to force him.
Jiang Ruan took a deep breath and suddenly said, "Now that the Emperor is unconscious, Xuan Li rashly made a move, it can only mean one thing. The Emperor has the intention to appoint a successor. Perhaps the matter of the successor had already been decided long ago, and Xuan Li suddenly heard about it, so he wanted to cut off all the clues." Jiang Ruan stared into Xiao Shao's eyes, "Xuan Li probably thinks that the other party is Pei 'er, but you and I both know that's not the case. The person he wants to give up this position has never been his own son."
A storm suddenly arose in the court, and the fight for the throne was imminent. How many ministers had personally taken sides, but only Jiang Ruan and Xiao Shao knew that that person, that person, that person, the Emperor, had never thought of handing over the country to Xuan Li and Xuan Pei. The person he wanted to sit on this position had always been Xiao Shao. He had secretly paid attention to Xiao Shao for so many years, and protected him for so many years. Perhaps it was because of guilt, or perhaps it was because the country originally belonged to Crown Prince Hong Xi, but the most important reason was that he had always regarded Xiao Shao as the future successor.
"My ambition does not lie here," Xiao Shao hugged her, perhaps with the intention of comforting her, "I will not do as he wishes."
"I know." Jiang Ruan lay on Xiao Shao's chest. The man's body exuded a sweet, grass-like scent, with a hint of the chill of the late night dew, but she felt incomparably at ease. She said, "It's just that you have to know, perhaps the Emperor had long anticipated this day. I think that he intended for you to become the Emperor, and would certainly have made preparations somewhere to allow you to sit on this position. And the most important thing, the most important thing to rely on, is — — an imperial edict."
Perhaps Xiao Shao did not understand the Emperor. The Embroidered Uniform Guards were spread throughout the world, and they had the most brilliant intelligence. However, Xiao Shao was an assassin, and the leader of the Embroidered Uniform Guards, but he was not a person who was good at guessing people's hearts. Towards the Emperor, he was also excessively distant. He did not deliberately get close to the Emperor because of their blood relationship, so how could it be said that he understood the Emperor?
However, Jiang Ruan was different. In her previous life, when Jiang Ruan had spent a few years in the palace, in order to help Xuan Li, she had used all kinds of methods to inquire about the Emperor. Naturally, she had paid a great price, but it had also allowed her to have a deeper understanding of the Emperor. Regardless of what outsiders thought of the Emperor, being in such a position, he was extremely clear about the methods used in the palace. In her previous life, he had also used such a method, which was to write an imperial edict a long time ago. Because of this, the matter of appointing a Crown Prince had caused everyone to panic, and Xuan Li had decisively made his move before the imperial edict had been issued. The Emperor's final bargaining chip, under Xuan Li's iron-blooded methods, had been destroyed before it could be put to use.
Now, the same thing had happened again. The Emperor had wanted to issue an imperial edict before. Jiang Ruan could almost be sure that Xuan Li's people had already heard of this news, and knew that the candidate on the imperial edict was not her. Therefore, they had acted so decisively. They wanted to strangle the Emperor, and then smoothly use their own methods to ascend to that position. However, in her previous life, there had been no Thirteenth Prince, so there had been no obstacles in front of Xuan Li. But now, Xuan Pei had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"He killed Eunuch Li, perhaps because he wanted to find someone to replace Eunuch Li's position and uncover the secret of the imperial edict." Jiang Ruan said softly, "I think it's not just the imperial edict. Based on the Emperor's intentions, he must have secretly instructed his trusted officials to stand up and confirm your identity when necessary." Xiao Shao's identity could not be known to too many people in a short time, otherwise, Xiao Shao would become the target of public criticism. It was one thing for the Emperor to force Xiao Shao, but he still had to do his best to protect his life.
"I will find the imperial edict," Xiao Shao said softly, "and then burn it. No one will know."
What he was burning was not just an imperial edict, but also his future life, his road to becoming an Emperor. Jiang Ruan suddenly felt a little sad. It should not have been like this. Xiao Shao had the fate of an Emperor. At the end of her previous life, he had clearly sat on the throne of the Great Jin dynasty, but in this life, she had unreasonably changed his fate. He was no longer an Emperor.
But so what? She did not want to let go. If Xiao Shao wanted to become Emperor, she would let him go. If he did not want to, then even if she had to risk her life, she would not let those people succeed. Protecting the things that she wanted, this was the meaning of her rebirth.
Xiao Shao saw that Jiang Ruan was acting strangely, and the corners of his lips slightly raised. He kissed her forehead and said, "Don't worry, leave it to me."
"Good." Jiang Ruan smiled, "I'll leave it to you."
The husband and wife talked for a while more before Xiao Shao got up and went to take a bath. What he did not see was that after he turned around, the smile on Jiang Ruan's face froze. Her gaze became somewhat deep and serene in an instant, and it seemed that she was not as happy as she had been a moment ago. She slowly said to herself, "Since you do not want to become Emperor, then I will naturally achieve it for you." She lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, "Leave it to me."
….
That night, there was another person in Jinying w.a.n.g's fu. He stood in a secluded corner of the wang fu's garden. In front of him was a huge iron basin. From time to time, some flames would sprout from the iron basin, mixed with some dark yellow or charred paper money. He was burning paper money for a certain person.
The cold wind rustled. Although it was early spring, the nights were always somewhat cold. However, this person only wore a thin long gown, just like the green gown worn by the most ordinary students in the academy. At this moment, he was sitting on the ground. Beside the iron basin, there was a pot of wine and two wine cups, but there was only one person.
This person was none other than housekeeper Lin. He was somewhat lost in thought as he looked at the dancing flames, as if he was reminiscing about something. Suddenly, he smiled and said, "Old Li, I say, you are too stupid. You have already muddled your way to this position, how could you still fall into other people's trap? Look, this is great. I haven't even asked you to drink with me, but you have already left first. I'm going to drink alone to drown my sorrows, how chilly. " His words seemed to be somewhat funny, and there was a slight smile on his face, as if he was not sad. However, in this smile, there was a bit of loneliness and sadness.
"At that time, the three of us, you, me, and the Crown Prince, were the scenery of the capital. Ai, although you are a eunuch, your looks are not bad. Although you can't compare to me and the Crown Prince, when the three of us go out, how many girls turn their heads. Ai, if not for the fact that you are a eunuch, that would really be a pity. " Housekeeper Lin muttered to himself. He seemed to think that his words were extremely amusing, and unconsciously began to smile. His gaze seemed to pass through the dancing flames in front of him, as if he could see things from a long time ago.
At that time, Crown Prince Hong Xi was still an elegant young master, and he was the handsome Tanhua. Although Xiao Li was a eunuch, he was clever and likable, and had a delicate appearance. Every time Crown Prince Hong Xi secretly slipped out of the palace, he would bring the two of them along. The three of them were very happy, probably like the Three Gentlemen that the storyteller spoke of. Crown Prince Hong Xi had always had an amiable and approachable personality. Ever since he met the Crown Princess Xiang Xiaoyuan, he did not care about the rules and ranks in front of them. In front of Crown Prince Hong Xi, the three of them were equal.
They were indeed equal, so when the news of Crown Prince Hong Xi's death came, Xiao Li and Housekeeper Lin were truly heartbroken. But Housekeeper Lin chose to resign and live in seclusion. He wanted to protect his good friend's only bloodline. Xiao Li, on the other hand, remained in the palace. This did not mean that Xiao Li was a heartless and unscrupulous person. Perhaps this was another method he used to pay tribute to his good friend — to stay here and assist the Emperor. Even if it was just to serve tea and water to the Emperor, as long as he could contribute to the country that his good friend had fought for with his life.
Thus, after so many years, Housekeeper Lin became a true housekeeper. It was as if he had completely forgotten about all those civil and military matters. Every day, he only worried about some trivial matters. He placed all his energy on Xiao Shao. And Xiao Li, with his cleverness in the palace, finally became the Emperor's Chief Steward, Eunuch Li.
In all these years, they had never contacted each other, but they knew that the other was doing well. Everyone had their own choices in life. Housekeeper Lin raised his head and filled the two wine cups in front of him to the brim. Only then did he touch the cups with his hands, and then he poured all the wine in one of the cups onto the ground.
"Among the three of us, you and the Crown Prince can be considered to have reunited, but I can't. I have to see that the Young Lord is doing well, that the Young Madam has given birth to the Little Heir, and that the Young Lord and Young Madam are doing well. No, even if that's the case, I still can't. I want to live well. I've said it before, whether it's the Crown Prince or you, none of them are as fortunate as I, Old Lin. Only I, Old Lin, can see that they live better and better each day. You guys just don't have the fortune to see this scene! " Housekeeper Lin chuckled. With such a laugh, he looked like he used to in the past. However, if one looked more seriously, one could see a flash of light in the corner of his eyes under the illumination of the fire.
He said, "Although the Young Madam didn't say it clearly today, I still understood. Crown Prince, you should be happy. This daughter-in-law is very intelligent. If you were still here, you would definitely like her. However, that younger brother of yours seems to want the position to be given to the Young Lord. The Young Lord will definitely not agree. Ai, Crown Prince, if only you were here. How could you watch your own son be bullied like this? " He drank another mouthful of wine. "Old Li, you're really something. What number one chief steward? You've followed him for so many years, but you can't even control his decisions. Can't you persuade His Majesty? Why did he let someone be the Emperor for no reason? Where did the cleverness of the past go? "
No one answered Housekeeper Lin's words. He sat alone in the night talking to himself like a madman. Then he sighed and said, "This old man was once an elegant and handsome man." He thought for a moment. He took out a small bottle from his bosom. Holding the small bottle in his hand, he suddenly smiled. "At what time, I also understand. I want to see the Young Lord live on well. I don't know if I will have this chance. The sky in the capital is going to change. Although our Jinying Wang fu is not the Eastern Palace, after following the Young Lord for so many years, this has long been Old Lin's home. Many people are eyeing this place covetously. Today, I will protect it. "He tipped the small bottle into his palm and a pill rolled out from inside.
That pill did not seem to have anything special about it. Housekeeper Lin smiled. He shouted at the fire in front of him in an imposing manner. He said, "Even after so many years, this old man is still so elegant and handsome." He threw the pill into his mouth and swallowed it. After a long time, he picked up the wine pot in front of him and drank a mouthful.
After swallowing the pill, Butler Lin did not change at all. Instead, he seemed to relax, as if he had made up his mind.
"It's time to show my true face." Housekeeper Lin silently threw a handful of paper money into the burning brazier. "This time, I will protect the Young Lord well. Crown Prince, leave it to me."
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
