jdhmnovel Chapter 142 Be wise and protect yourself
Chapter 142 Be wise and protect yourself
It was people from the Jingji Duhufu who raided Longtaixing last night, but Cao Weishan was forced to go there by Pei Hao. Even if the Dali Temple was handling a case in Yuanjing City, it could bypass the Jingji Duhufu and raid Longtaixing directly. But if it did so, it would be equivalent to telling His Majesty that he, Cao Weishan, was also a member of the Qin family. Pei Hao did not trust him and was afraid that he would shelter the criminals, and Cao Weishan would not have an easy time.
Cao Weishan was forced to search and confiscate Longtaixing. As far as he was concerned, he still had control over the direction of things. For example, at this moment, he had the opportunity to persuade Qi Xiao to stop, cover up the matter, and put the blame of the murder on the owner of Longtaixing.
"The assassin who murdered Lord Luo Yuluo was Qian Chong, employed by the Changming Trading Company. Wang Tangyi was the middleman who brokered the situation and had a personal connection with the shopkeeper of Longtaixing. He sought the shopkeeper's help after the incident. The shopkeeper, aware of the seriousness of the matter and fearing he would be implicated, decided to kill him to silence him, but was apprehended by Lord Pei and His Highness the Ninth Prince."
Qi Xiao laughed: "That's quite thoughtful."
Seeing Qi Xiao's perfunctory smile, Cao Weishan had already thought of another argument to persuade Qi Xiao to stop. Long Taixing could not investigate further. Before he could speak, he heard Qi Xiao say, "However, Lord Cao should discuss the case with Lord Pei."
Pei Hao's stubborn temper was indeed difficult to deal with, but Cao Weishan saw clearly that Qi Xiao was the driving force behind Luo Yu's case. If it weren't for the Ninth Prince, Luo Yu's case would have been a mess. Not to mention Wang Tangyi and Qian Chong's swordfight in the busy city, which Pei Hao had caught red-handed. This was all Qi Xiao's plan, to leave Cao Weishan with nowhere to hide and no escape!
"Your Highness the Ninth Prince is a man of great intelligence and dexterity. He must know that this case cannot be investigated further. Otherwise, the court will be in turmoil and great disaster may result."
Qi Xiao looked at Cao Weishan with a smile. He probably wanted to scold him for being cunning.
"I understand what Lord Cao means, and I have no objection. If necessary, I can also persuade Lord Pei, but Lord Pei is loyal and unyielding, and I may not be able to persuade him."
Cao Weishan was stunned. Was this just a perfunctory response? Could Qi Xiao really agree to drop the investigation? He'd expected some persuasion. After all, this was the first time Qi Xiao had been given important responsibilities by the Emperor since returning to the capital, or even since he became an adult. After all the hard work he'd put into this case, could it be dropped so easily?
Qi Xiao smiled, put down his teacup, and said slowly, "I once asked Lord Pei why he wanted to investigate this case even though he knew it was complicated and difficult to solve, and even dangerous. Lord Pei said that those who have laws and regulations should not be deceived by trickery. I wonder if Lord Cao agrees with you?"
"..." Cao Weishan nodded slightly. He knew that those who are bound by laws should not be deceived by trickery. However, he was stuck in a quagmire, and his ability to fulfill his duties was very limited. Cao's family motto was non-partisan, and he had tried his best.
"Don't misunderstand me, Lord Cao. I don't mean anything else. I just want to remind you that while Lord Luo's case has been closed, the Ministry of Revenue's case is only halfway through. The military pay has not yet been recovered, and no one knows what will be involved. Lord Cao, you are being prudent and staying out of the party struggle, but I don't know how long this will last."
Cao Weishan sighed. He could only take care of the present.
"Master Cao, I have one more thing to say," Qi Xiao said, his voice suddenly lowered. "Yuanjing City is under the feet of the emperor, and the Jingji Protectorate is your majesty's gate. If we don't clean it up, your majesty will probably be displeased."
Cao Weishan was startled, looking deeply at Qi Xiao. Cao Weishan had been able to stay in the Capital Protectorate for many years, not because he was cunning, but because he was not partisan. That was why His Majesty trusted him to sit in the Protectorate and worry about the major and minor events in Yuanjing. Even if he was fooling around, it was for the sake of the reputation of the court and the royal family.
So Qi Xiao agreed to Cao Weishan's argument without hesitation and concluded Luo Yu's case as soon as possible. This was to satisfy His Majesty, not because Qin was untouchable.
In recent years, Cao Weishan has been timid, afraid of offending the Qin family and the Gongsun family, but he cannot be a fence-sitter, so he can only turn a blind eye and pretend to know nothing, as long as he can maintain superficial peace in the Yuan capital.
Qi Xiao hadn't said anything, and Cao Weishan knew it all, but he seemed to have said something that suddenly made Cao Weishan realize something. The Qin and Gongsun families had been vying for power for years, and His Majesty knew about it, even condoned it. Otherwise, the choice of Crown Prince would have been decided years ago, but it was repeatedly delayed. His Majesty had recently ordered a thorough investigation of the military pay case, which had exposed the Ministry of Revenue's tainted accounts. His Majesty's attitude seemed unclear, but it hadn't changed. A thorough investigation was necessary, and neither the Qin nor the Gongsun families could be innocent in such a case. So why was it necessary to investigate further?
I'm afraid Your Majesty is planning to appoint a crown prince.
"Boom..." There was a burst of thunder, a flash of lightning outside, and heavy rain poured down.
Heaven has changed.
His Majesty summoned Tang Ling to the palace for two consecutive days.
Today was just like yesterday. Tang Ling played a game of chess with His Majesty in Chengming Palace and lost half a point again.
After finishing a game of chess, Tang Ling was about to leave when there was a flash of lightning, thunder and heavy rain.
His Majesty glanced at the sky outside and said, "It's getting late. Zhang Suian, please serve the meal."
"Yes."
Tang Ling bowed respectfully and said, "I'll take my leave."
"It's raining so hard outside, stay for lunch."
"I obey your command." Tang Ling did not dare to refuse and could only agree.
"I've long heard that the son of Marquis Xun'an is proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. It just so happens that he has some free time now. Come and write a few words with me."
As His Majesty spoke, he walked towards the desk. Gao Mo, who was serving in the hall, cleverly tidied up the memorials on the desk, prepared paper and pen, and began to grind ink.
"Write a few words?" His Majesty put his hands behind his back and looked at Tang Ling.
Tang Ling walked to the desk and picked up his pen. The first thing he thought of was the monk Huaisu's "Thousand Character Essay in Cursive Script." He would write a few lines in his spare time these days, but he was still hesitant in front of His Majesty. So he wrote a line: "Throw me a wooden peach, and I will repay you with a jade. It's not a reward, but a token of our everlasting friendship."
"Hmm..." His Majesty nodded as he looked at Tang Ling's calligraphy. While it wasn't the Thousand Character Classic, it was an imitation of the cursive script of the monk Huaisu. His handwriting was vigorous, lean, and lively, truly capturing the essence of the art. It also subtly aligned with Chen and Zhou's peace talks, and Tang Ling's subtle thoughts were noticeable to His Majesty, who was actually pleased. "Excellent handwriting."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty."
"Your cursive writing is quite good. I happen to have a good calligraphy piece here, so I'll give it to you."
His Majesty gave the reward as he pleased and gave the original work of Monk Huaisu to Tang Ling.
Tang Ling was stunned for a moment before she knelt down to accept the reward: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reward."
"You've been in Dachen for a while now. Are you used to everything?"
"Your Majesty, everything is fine."
"You are living in the same guild hall now, right?"
"Yes."
"Well... you're going to live in Yuanjing for a long time, so I'm afraid it wouldn't be appropriate to live in the same guild hall. Gao Mo, prepare a house."
"According to the order."
"...I thank Your Majesty for the reward."