The Imperial Guard’s Revenge
Chapter 110 Instigator
They were in Lu Heng’s carriage, a place he absolutely trusted, which was why he dared to speak frankly. This moment was simply unprecedented. Following logic, Lu Heng found himself to be the biggest suspect.
If the emperor were to suddenly pass away, Lu Heng could support a new emperor and indeed benefit from it. However, those benefits were far outweighed by the advantages of having the current emperor remain in power.
Over the years, Lu Heng could navigate the court smoothly due to his childhood friendship and understanding of the emperor. If something were to happen to the emperor, Lu Heng would need to rebuild his influence from scratch. Moreover, when the new emperor grows up, he will inevitably promote his own trusted officials. Since the founding of the country, the Imperial Guard commander has never effectively served under two emperors. Changing emperors would mean a change in the commander of the Imperial Guards.
In short, the emperor, Zhu Houzong, provided the greatest benefit to Lu Heng, he would have to be insane to assassinate the emperor. He saved the emperor’s life twice, which already showed his stance.
Lu Heng sighed: “This is the first time I’ve traced the clues back to myself. Truly, in this vast world, there is no end to the wonders.”
Wang Yanqing secretly rolled her eyes and retorted: “So you want to investigate yourself?”
Lu Heng looked at Wang Yanqing, a playful smile in his eyes, and asked: “What do you think, Madam?”
Wang Yanqing couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. If she could deconstruct the argument, how could Lu Heng not? Wang Yanqing replied: “Although there’s no evidence yet, I’m more inclined towards the second possibility.”
Whether it was successful or not, anyone who instigated the murder of the emperor would not escape death. Very few would be willing to do such a thing unless the benefits were significant. Moreover, Yang Jinying had no children, no enemies, and there was no sign of wealth around her, making it hard to see anyone enticing her with profit.
Furthermore, if someone were really manipulating Yang Jinying, offering a price that disregarded life itself, why not recruit more powerful eunuchs instead of relying on sixteen inexperienced palace maids?
Wang Yanqing thought it would be difficult for an outsider to buy her off. Only genuine hatred could drive sixteen timid women to bravely advance, knowing it was a dead end.
Lu Heng had already come to the absurd conclusion that he might be the instigator. He certainly understood that having no instigator at all was more plausible. However, Lu Heng couldn’t say that outright. He needed to investigate everyone above him to put the emperor’s mind at ease.
He replied noncommittally: “To be safe, let’s start by looking into the first possibility.”
This person was pretending to be confused while clearly understanding her. Wang Yanqing couldn’t help but say: “You’re trying to play it safe?”
“Of course, I am.” Lu Heng replied with a smile, his words carrying a deeper meaning. “Besides, if I didn’t say this, would you have comfortably rested in my arms for so long?”
Wang Yanqing suddenly realized what he said, her expression turning cold as she immediately tried to push him away. Lu Heng held onto her hand, saying: “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. But regardless, we need to investigate the first possibility first.”
“You offended the empress yesterday and now you want to provoke the favored concubines?” Wang Yanqing adjusted herself, retorting sharply, “How many lives do you think you have to spare?”
“That’s why I’m counting on my wife.” Lu Heng chuckled, “I’ll need you to speak well of me tomorrow and make sure the ladies don’t hold a grudge against me.”
It was hard to scold someone who was smiling. His cheerful demeanor made it difficult for Wang Yanqing to keep a cold expression. She shot him a fierce glare, turned, and sat down on the other side.
Happy moments were always fleeting. Although Lu Heng instructed them to take a longer route, they still arrived at the Wang residence. After escorting Wang Yanqing to the door, his subordinate asked: “Sir, will you be taking the carriage?”
“No need, bring the horse.” Lu Heng replied. He needed to return to the palace himself, and riding would be faster. He swiftly mounted his horse, grasping the reins with a thoughtful expression.
It seemed that next time, he could let the carriage move a bit faster while he took more time to analyze the case. That way, by the time they got home, Wang Yanqing would still be willing to let him inside if their conversation wasn’t finished.
·
At dawn, Wang Yanqing didn’t need to visit the palace maid quarters in the Imperial Palace, so she traveled alongside Lu Heng. Lu Heng already made arrangements the day before. They were still protected by Imperial Guards, with West Department eunuchs accompanying Wang Yanqing to the residences of Senior Concubine Wang, Imperial Concubine Du Kang, and Imperial Concubine Lu Jing in search for the culprit. As they agreed yesterday, they would visit Senior Concubine Wang’s palace first.
Senior Concubine Wang was originally known as the Concubine Zhao, and she was promoted to senior concubine after giving birth to the second prince. Upon learning that Lu Heng’s wife had come to her palace, Senior Concubine Wang was nearly frightened to death.
The events of the past few days spread widely. Since Wang Yanqing could identify lies and Lu Heng was backing her, a single word from her could determine the fate of the palace women. Because of Wang Yanqing’s testimony, even Empress Fang, who had just achieved merit in saving the emperor, was left embarrassed and without dignity. As a mere concubine, if Wang Yanqing accused Senior Concubine Wang of lying in front of the emperor, it could ruin her and even jeopardize the future of the second prince.
As a result, those in Senior Concubine Wang’s palace treated Wang Yanqing with both respect and caution. When Wang Yanqing arrived, Senior Concubine Wang personally came to greet her at the door. Wang Yanqing bowed to Senior Concubine Wang and asked: “Greetings, Senior Concubine. I have been ordered to investigate the incident involving Yang Jinying and need to ask some questions around the palace. I hope it won’t be an inconvenience?”
Senior Concubine Wang quickly shook her head. How could she dare mind? She understood very well that the person before her could read minds, so she didn’t even dare to relax her expression. With a slight smile, she said: “Thank you, Madam Lu.”
Senior Concubine Wang’s smile was gentle and restrained, making her appear like a shy concubine. Little did she know that in Wang Yanqing’s eyes, her hesitance and insincerity was completely obvious.
Wang Yanqing remained silent as she inquired about Senior Concubine Wang’s activities and timings on the 27th. Concubine Wang answered cautiously. Throughout this, Wang Yanqing quietly studied Senior Concubine Wang’s face, causing her to feel increasingly anxious.
What was she looking at? What had she seen?
Just as Concubine Wang was filled with suspicion, the questioning surprisingly came to an end. Wang Yanqing smiled politely and asked: “May I take a look around the palace?”
Concubine Wang naturally agreed with a smile.
The eunuchs from the West Department wouldn’t miss such an opportunity to contribute. As soon as Wang Yanqing’s eyes fell upon something, someone would open it up for her to see. Wang Yanqing searched very methodically, putting things back exactly as they were after examining them. After a thorough search, the palace showed no signs of disarray.
Senior Concubine Wang cautiously asked: “Madam Lu, did you find anything?”
Wang Yanqing smiled lightly and said: “I’m just looking around casually. There’s no need to be nervous.”
Senior Concubine Wang smiled in response, but after Wang Yanqing’s words, she felt even more anxious. Wang Yanqing requested an empty palace and mentioned that she might ask some of her attendants to step away. Senior Concubine Wang smiled and agreed, watching Wang Yanqing leave.
Once Wang Yanqing was gone, Senior Concubine Wang could no longer maintain her smile, revealing a deep fear.
Today was no different from yesterday. Wang Yanqing conducted her questioning and took notes while the eunuchs from the West Department accompanied her. The eunuchs brought people in for questioning according to a list. Wang Yanqing called in one person at a time, which shouldn’t have disrupted the normal operations of the palace, but the atmosphere in Changchun Palace was tense. From the sweeping maids to Senior Concubine Wang herself, no one had the heart to work.
At noon, the second prince just finished his milk and was dozing off while being burped. Senior Concubine Wang tried to lull him to sleep, but her mind was elsewhere, patting his hand lightly, then heavily. Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore and had the wet nurse take the prince away. She then called over a nearby maid and quietly asked: “Is it still not finished?”
“They just brought in four cleaning eunuchs together. It should be wrapping up soon.”
Senior Concubine Wang’s brows knitted tightly, unable to feel at ease: “What has she asked?”
The senior maid, equally at a loss, responded: “It’s still the same questions as before, nothing particularly special.”
After the first few palace maids came out, they quietly shared the contents of Wang Yanqing’s questioning with Senior Concubine Wang. Wang Yanqing’s inquiries seemed quite ordinary, with nothing unusual about them. However, that was precisely what made it more terrifying. If they couldn’t discern the subtlety of the question, it meant they couldn’t find the trap.
It was truly tortuous.
Concubine Wang furrowed her brows, feeling utterly at a loss when she suddenly heard someone outside say that Wang Yanqing finished her questioning. She was taken aback and quickly went out to greet her: “Madam Lu, you’ve been questioning for so long. You must be tired. I’ve prepared throat-soothing soup. Would you like to have a cup before you leave?”
Wang Yanqing had no intention of dining in the inner palace, and politely but firmly declined.
Concubine Wang tried to persuade her to stay but was ultimately left with no choice but to see Wang Yanqing off. Once Wang Yanqing had walked far away, Senior Concubine Wang turned around and quietly asked her confidant: “What did she say in the end?”
The eunuch recounted Wang Yanqing’s questions, but Senior Concubine Wang still couldn’t discern any clues. With her brow tightly knitted, Senior Concubine Wang felt anxious, and the senior maid couldn’t help but ask: “Your Highness, what do you think she will say when she goes back?”
This was also Senior Concubine Wang’s greatest worry. She had originally planned to use the opportunity of a meal to probe Wang Yanqing for information, but unfortunately, Wang Yanqing firmly refused to stay. Her plans fell through, and Senior Concubine Wang felt increasingly anxious and helpless.
Questioning in the inner palace was much slower than in the maid quarters. After resting for a while, having left Changchun Palace, Wang Yanqing had her meal before continuing to the other two palaces. Imperial Concubine Du Kang and Imperial Concubine Lu Jing had already received news and spent the entire morning on edge, constantly inquiring about developments in Changchun Palace to no avail.
This wasn’t surprising, as Senior Concubine Wang herself was quite perplexed.
Wang Yanqing visited the residences of Imperial Concubine Du Kang and Imperial Concubine Lu Jing in succession. Drawing from her experience that morning, she significantly increased her pace and managed to finish questioning the relevant individuals just before the afternoon.
Today, her questioning took place in the Six Western Palaces, just a corridor away from Yikun Palace, so there was no need for the West Department to send anyone to escort her. Lu Heng came personally to meet her and asked: “How did it go? Did you finish?”
“Pretty much.” Wang Yanqing replied, “The information is actually in the hands of just a few people, so there is no need to ask everyone again. The remaining maids who clean and water didn’t really add anything. Rather than waste time, it would be better to give me a place to organize the testimonies.”
Lu Heng glanced at the keywords she had noted on paper and said: “There’s no need to find another place. Let’s go to the Yikun Palace.”
“What?”
“The emperor wishes to see you.”
This time, meeting the emperor was much easier than the last and Wang Yanqing was quickly taken to the main hall of Yikun Palace without delay. Lu Heng bowed and said: “Your Majesty, I have brought my wife to report.”
As soon as Wang Yanqing heard this, her head started to spin. Her notes were still unorganized, how could she be reporting already? Seeing that Wang Yanqing held a stack of papers, Assistant Zhang offered a tray to receive them. Wang Yanqing hesitated, reluctantly placing the papers on the tray, saying: “These are my rough notes from the questioning. They are not transcribed yet and are a bit messy.”
Assistant Zhang paused for a moment, then smiled and said: “Madam Lu, there’s no need to worry. I’ll take care of transcribing.”
He carried the tray to the emperor, placing it at a comfortable height for his view. Another eunuch opened the pages for the emperor, who didn’t need to say anything to enjoy the attentive service.
Wang Yanqing thought to herself that it was no wonder the palace produced such peculiar individuals. Such skill in reading expressions and cues was truly not something just anyone could master. But when the emperor flipped through two pages, he was convinced this was the original, unmodified content, capturing the most genuine thoughts and keywords.
He previously heard that Wang Yanqing was skilled at reading faces, but he wouldn’t easily believe it without verification. The inquiry into Xu Xiyue was merely a pretext. In the past few days, the West Department had reported Wang Yanqing’s movements one by one, saying that her questioning was normal and that she was writing on paper. Now, having personally reviewed her records, the emperor finally confirmed that she indeed had some unique insight into recognizing emotions.
The emperor lost interest in reading on and the eunuch, catching on, promptly took the papers away. The emperor then asked: “What did you find?”
Lu Heng stood beside her, gazing ahead without moving. Assistant Zhang, with his sleeves gathered, stood at the side of the dragon bed, subtly glancing at Wang Yanqing.
Her next words would determine the fates of many.
Wang Yanqing paused for just a moment before lowering her eyelashes and saying: “No evidence has been found indicating that there were any instigators around Yang Jinying. Senior Concubine Wang, Imperial Concubine Du Kang, and Imperial Concubine Lu Jing were all completely unaware of the palace rebellion.”
It was so quiet that a pin drop could be heard in the palace. The emperor paused for a moment and asked: “Then why did they have the courage to rebel?”
Wang Yanqing’s voice was equally calm: “They were hungry, forced to rise early to gather dew, and had to take pills to regulate their menstruation, leading them to harbor resentment against the Daoist priests.”
Assistant Zhang was so shocked that he couldn’t even breathe. He quickly glanced at Lu Heng, unable to understand why he didn’t give his wife any warnings. Could such things really be said? Assistant Zhang felt as if his own head was on the line.
The emperor asked again: “Even if they were angry, they should have targeted the Daoist priests. Why did they dare attempt an assassination?”
“In the Northern Wei Dynasty, the powerful official Gao Cheng captured the southern man, Lan Jing, and made him his personal chef. Lan Jing, having been humiliated and beaten by the head chef, killed Gao Cheng at a banquet. What happened then certainly holds its reasoning. Though small, a minor character has nothing to lose, and that’s precisely why they are fearless.”
For a long moment, there was no sound in the hall, as if even the air had ceased to flow. Assistant Zhang held his breath in fear, and after what felt like an eternity, he finally heard the emperor’s voice: “You may all leave.”
Assistant Zhang felt as if he had been granted pardon, and Lu Heng quietly relaxed his grip. He had been prepared to plead on Wang Yanqing’s behalf, but fortunately, he hadn’t misjudged the emperor.
Everyone knew the reason behind the palace rebellion, but no one dared to speak of it in front of the emperor. Wang Yanqing, however, showed no hesitation and did not even attempt to soften her words. She went straight to the heart of the matter.
Lu Heng thought that he had indeed taken a risky step, and only now could he be certain that he had made the right choice.
Wang Yanqing was undeniably bold in what she said. On the other hand, it was precisely because those words came from Wang Yanqing that the emperor did not pursue the matter further. If it had been any official, even the most upright and incorruptible censor, they would have faced punishment at the midday gate.
Wang Yanqing remained calm and innocent, completely unaware that she had done anything dreadful. As she followed Lu Heng and took a couple of steps, the emperor suddenly spoke again: “Tomorrow, I will return to Qianqing Palace.”
Lu Heng, Zhang Zuo, and the others halted and bowed in response, saying: “Yes.