Women dressed as men: powerful officials

Chapter 166 Yes, Death

"die?"

Xu Yuan's tone was so soft and his voice so hoarse that Bei Yao almost thought he had misheard.

So, Xuyuan repeated, "Yes, death."

The crime of deceiving the emperor is a capital crime.

Xu Yuan knew that from the moment she set foot in the capital, she was already guilty of a capital crime.

But she had no choice.

Man is mortal.

She was not afraid, and was not fearful. Her only concern was to restore the Xu family's innocence before dying.

"It's not that easy to kill a person."

"Didn't you tell me? People in the capital kill without spilling blood, and death is a common occurrence."

Xu Yuan didn’t continue speaking because Chen Shan came.

Holding the medicine that had just been boiled.

Xu Yuan stood up, took the medicine bowl, and said, "Sorry for the trouble."

The medicine was a little hot. After Xu Yuan drank it, he felt his already dizzy head hurt even more.

Seeing this, Bei Yao took the initiative to leave. After Xu Yuan fell asleep, he said, "Chen Shan, guard well and don't let Wu Shiming get close to you."

Chen Shan clasped his fists and said, "Yes."

Beiyao turned around and Chengxi immediately held an umbrella for him.

It was raining heavily and Bei Yao's figure was faintly visible at the end of the long street.

After returning to the palace, Beiyao had just changed his clothes when Chengxi came in to report: "Your Highness, the maidservant of the Empress Dowager is here. Please go to Ci'an Palace."

-

Prime Minister's Mansion, Study

Qi Chengen and Qi Shengxin stood by the window, watching the heavy rain outside, both of them looked unhappy.

On the table was a secret letter.

Qi Chengen turned around and placed it on the candle flame. After the envelope was burned clean, he asked, "Sheng Xin, what do you think about this?"

"It shouldn't be fake."

Qi Shengxin's eyes followed the letter until it turned into ashes, and then he spoke again: "Father, why don't you give this letter to the prince? Is that the end of my eldest sister's child?"

That's the royal heir.

"Leave it to the Crown Prince." Qi Chengen smiled. "Do you think that the Crown Prince had no hand in what happened today? Cai entered the palace at the order of the Queen, so who else could the Crown Princess enter the palace?"

After Qi Chengen finished speaking, he closed his eyes and continued to mutter: "Sheng Xin, the Queen Mother asked the Third Prince to investigate this matter. In less than half a day, the Third Prince had already found out everything. However, this letter was not given to the Crown Prince or the Queen Mother, but to the Qi family. You should understand that the Qi family is the only one who stayed out of today's matter, and the Third Prince is actively inviting the Qi family to join in."

Qi Shengxin was silent.

"Back then, I didn't want Mei'er to marry the Crown Princess. I've been an official for enough of my life. I don't want to become a tool for others to fight for power, especially my children..."

Qi Chengen sighed, "But now it seems that no matter whether it is the Third Prince's sword or the Crown Prince's sword, the Qi family cannot avoid the fight for succession. I am just afraid that my health is not good and I can't protect you all your life."

"Father, shouldn't the Qi family support the prince?"

Qi Shengxin didn't quite understand what Qi Chengen said.

Over the years, Qi Chengen has always asked him to read books, especially those written by sages.

He was rarely told about matters in the court.

But ever since Xu Yuan arrived in the capital, Qi Chengen would talk to him about court affairs from time to time.

Qi Shengxin always had a bad feeling in his heart.

"Only incompetent people would choose to live in a certain faction, such as the Song family and the Wei family. But the Qi family has never taken sides. For so many years, the Qi family has only supported the emperor."

Qi Chengen raised his head, looked at the roof, and said, "Most people think that the prince is a brilliant and talented person who can help the world. Even I was deceived by him once. But in fact, he is a complete villain."

Just like what many ministers thought.

When the previous emperor was in power, he killed the entire Xu family, causing unrest in the court. Later, he launched wars in the south and the north, making life even more miserable for the people.

Fortunately, the late emperor died on the way to the expedition.

Emperor Jiahe Beiyu succeeded to the throne. He had a gentle personality and was deeply in love with his queen. This was a good thing in the court and even among the people.

This can be seen from the harmony in his harem.

In addition, the queen gave birth to the eldest son, who was named the crown prince and designated as the heir to the throne when Bei Yu succeeded to the throne.

If nothing unexpected happens, he will be the next emperor.

This will be the emperor with the easiest succession to the throne in all dynasties.

But this is not the case.

The prince was jealous. He sought to build his reputation externally and to seize power and win over court officials internally.

Not only that, he extended his hands to all walks of life, and even used the most stupid and despicable method - fighting to support the war and making money.

He clearly had a good hand, but he played it badly.

It is completely different from the third prince.

Qi Chengen also thought that the prince was a virtuous man passed down by word of mouth among the people of the capital.

As soon as he rejected the prince, Queen Qi Shengmei lay on the prince's couch.

It was then that he realized the prince's hypocrisy.

Poor his daughter, she became a victim of politics.

From then on, Qi Chengen could be said to have been cleaning up the mess for the prince.

For the sake of his daughter, he could only endure it.

But this time, Qi Chengen didn't want to endure it anymore.

He gave in step by step, but what he got in return was not the prince's repentance, but he became more and more demanding.

"Then we have to..." Qi Shengxin didn't dare to say the rest.

Even if the prince did not ascend the throne, everything would change.

But the prince has been working hard for so many years, and in the eyes of the court officials, he is the next emperor.

"The Third Prince has not made his move yet, so let's wait a little longer."

Qi Chengen narrowed his eyes and his voice faded, "We can't settle the Crown Prince's grudge, but the Grand Marshal's Mansion, don't think it will get away so easily."

Qi Shengxin thought of Xu Yuan and couldn't help but said, "Father, Xu Yuan failed the assessment of Wenhua Palace today. Before the assessment, someone told me that something happened to my elder sister. I wonder if the Song family did this on purpose, hoping to kill two birds with one stone, cutting off Xu Yuan's path and Xie Xiaocheng's path back to Beijing."

Qi Chengen nodded, "You are right. After all, I was the one who recommended Xu Yuan to the Wenhua Palace. If he is really wrongly accused, then it means that the Song family wants to slap the Prime Minister's Mansion in the face. There is absolutely no possibility of a peaceful resolution to this matter."

"So what should I do?"

"We should go to Xuyuan's house and find out the reason. If it is really the Song family who is causing trouble, coupled with the previous arson incident in Sishui County, the Song family will suffer heavy losses even if they don't die."

"Yes." Qi Shengxin nodded, "I'll do it right away."

"It's getting late now. Go find Tang Yi first, and then find Xu Yuan."

Qi Shengxin was stunned. "Tang Yi, isn't he... a member of the Song family? He can help frame Xu Yuan, so how can he help us?"

"A fence-sitter is someone who leans to both sides. If he can help the Song family, he can help the Prime Minister's Mansion. If you promise him benefits, there is no need to worry that he will refuse."

After Qi Chengen finished speaking, he suddenly felt tired.

He waved his hand and said, "You go ahead. I have to write a memorial. Tomorrow morning court will be another fierce battle."