jdhmnovel Chapter 379 Still Wants to Quiet Things Down
Chapter 379 Still Wants to Quiet Things Down
For the remainder of the journey, the two remained silent.
The wheels rolled and churned over the stone pavement, making a dull thud.
Soon, the carriage came to a smooth stop in front of the Xiao family mansion.
The Xiao family was a prominent and distinguished family, with its imposing vermilion gate and magnificent high walls showcasing the family's extraordinary status.
Yu Wan lifted the carriage curtain, watched Xiao Huanyan get out of the carriage, and smiled, "Miss Xiao, farewell, I await your good news."
Xiao Huanyan nodded slightly.
After watching Xiao Huanyan enter the Xiao residence, Yu Wan lowered the carriage curtain, leaned against the carriage, and closed her eyes in deep thought.
Regardless of Emperor Wenjing's motives for wanting to settle things peacefully, this time, he will not succeed.
Xiao Mansion.
Upon returning to the Xiao residence, Xiao Huanyan went straight to her father Xiao Tengtian's study.
The study door was ajar. She raised her hand and gently knocked. "Father, your daughter is back."
Xiao Tengtian was handling official business in his study.
Upon hearing this, he spoke gently, "Come in."
Xiao Huanyan pushed open the door and saw her father sitting at his desk, focused on handling official business.
Seeing her come in, Xiao Tengtian put down his brush, looked up, and his eyes were full of affection.
Xiao Tengtian had high expectations for his daughter.
She was not only skilled in needlework, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and her calligraphy was outstanding among noble ladies in the capital, but she was also intelligent, quick-witted and a very opinionated child.
In his view, with his daughter being so outstanding, her future husband must be a member of the imperial family or a powerful minister in the court.
Xiao Tengtian beckoned to Xiao Huanyan, "Come, sit down."
Xiao Huanyan nodded obediently and sat down to the side.
Xiao Tengtian then asked, "Yan'er, did your entry into the palace today go smoothly?"
He picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and kept his gaze fixed on his daughter's face.
Xiao Huanyan then recounted in detail what had happened in the palace that day and Yu Wan's suggestion.
Hearing the first half, Xiao Tengtian's expression remained unchanged, but upon hearing the second half, his brows furrowed, and his fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the desk as he silently weighed the pros and cons of the matter.
There was silence in the study.
After a long silence, Xiao Tengtian slowly spoke, his voice steady: "Yan'er, what are you thinking?"
Xiao Huanyan was surprised that her father would ask for her opinion first. After a slight pause, she sat up straight and said firmly, "I think it's worth a try."
She said, “Father, since Yu Wan dared to plan this, he must be very confident. Moreover, if Prince Yong continues to roam free, he may do more things that harm the court and the people in the future. Our Xiao family has always upheld a clean and upright family tradition. If we can take this opportunity to clarify our position, we can not only clear ourselves of any connection with Prince Yong, but also do a good thing for the people.”
Xiao Tengtian stared intently at Xiao Huanyan, his gaze deep: "Do you think she can do it?"
“Of course, it’s not just Yu Wan.” Xiao Huanyan curled her lips. “Yu Wan has the Duke of Anguo’s mansion behind her, as well as her husband Yun Shang. Doesn’t Father think that ever since these two came to the capital, there have been constant troubles in the capital?”
The princes' secret struggles were nothing new, but in recent months, Prince Xuan and Prince Xiang, who were originally the most fierce rivals, have indeed run into trouble one after another, and even lost their lives.
Xiao Tengtian was naturally not so naive as to think that no one was plotting against him.
He sighed softly, his fingers tracing lines on the desk as if he were sorting through his thoughts.
“Alright, I will consider this matter carefully,” Xiao Tengtian said gently.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huanyan understood that the matter was already largely settled.
If the father did not have this thought, he would refuse outright instead of considering it carefully.
Xiao Huanyan smiled, bowed, and withdrew, saying, "Yes, then I will take my leave."
The next day, Yu Wan received a reply from Xiao Huanyan.
The Xiao family is willing to help her, but they have conditions.
The Xiao family will not openly help, but if Yu Wan wants to know any information or secretly needs the Xiao family to do anything, the Xiao family can help.
This response was within Yu Wan's expectations. Before things became clear, the Xiao family would definitely want to leave themselves a way out.
The officialdom of the Great Zhao was corrupt and chaotic, but the situation in the Great Zhao remained stable because of the great aristocratic families and enlightened people.
The six prominent clans of the Great Zhao Dynasty—the Li clan of Chenjun, the Li clan of Yingxi, the Cui clan of Huayang, the Xie clan of Taixi, the Zhou clan of Huiling, and the Wang clan of Langya—were all only slightly less powerful than the imperial power in their respective territories.
Emperor Wenjing wanted to settle things peacefully, but she insisted on making a big fuss.
The first thing Yu Wan did was to spread the news that Su Qingchan had almost been tortured to death.
In Shengjing City, there was a no-man's-land where people from all walks of life, including foreign merchants, gathered, and neither the government nor powerful families could get involved.
People who frequent this area usually have no traceable background or identity; as long as you can afford the price, there are plenty of people there to help you.
Yu Wan was not short of money, so overnight, the news that Su Qingchan had been nearly tortured to death by Prince Yong spread like wildfire.
Everyone in Shengjing City knew this, but no one knew when it started, but a new nursery rhyme began to be sung by the little beggars wandering the streets.
"Prince Yong is wicked and vicious. His cruelty in murdering innocent women is unforgivable. Good and evil will eventually be rewarded..."
Within a few days, this nursery rhyme could be heard almost throughout the entire capital.
The child's clear, innocent voice sang a song that was chilling to the bone.
Moreover, these nursery rhymes appeared almost simultaneously in Chenjun, Yingxi, Huayang, Taixi and other places.
Therefore, by the time Emperor Wenjing learned of this and sent people to suppress the news, it was too late.
The next day, memorials from all over the country were delivered to the emperor.
After Emperor Wenjing read through the memorials, his expression changed drastically. He slammed his vermilion brush down heavily on the memorials with a "smack," the ink spreading and wetting the neat handwriting.
"Guards!" Emperor Wenjing roared, his voice filled with barely suppressed rage.
The imperial eunuch Liu Haifu rushed in and knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, please calm down! Your Majesty, please calm down!"
"What's going on? How could such rumors spread so rampantly?" Emperor Wenjing suddenly stood up, suppressing his anger. "Didn't I say I wanted to suppress this matter?"
Liu Haifu replied cautiously, "Your Majesty, the rumors in the capital have indeed been suppressed and have not spread outside, but..."
He glanced furtively at Emperor Wenjing, then quickly lowered his head again. "These rumors didn't originate in the capital; they also appeared in Chenjun, Yingxi, and other places."
Emperor Wenjing gripped the armrests of the dragon throne tightly, his face dark and gloomy, as if a monstrous wave was surging within him.
Liu Haifu had never seen Emperor Wenjing look like this before.
In the past, even when Emperors Wen and Jing were angry, it was only superficial. Liu Haifu even felt that the emperors were just faking it.
At this moment, Liu Haifu was almost suffocating under the intimidating pressure of Emperor Wenjing.
"good very good!"
Emperor Wenjing suddenly spoke, his voice deep and ruthless, saying each word slowly and deliberately, "I want to see who has the audacity to openly defy my will!"
His eyes gleamed with a cold light, as if he wanted to crush all those who defied him.
A hint of a smile flickered deep in his eyes.
Those members of powerful families could no longer contain themselves.