CH 86.2

Three days later, the four convicted assassins in Duke Jingting case were sentenced to death by beheading, while Shi Feixian was still detained in Dalisi prison.

The Crown Princess have been crying and begging to the Crown Prince that her eyes were all swollen. She kept reiterating it could not have been her sister’s doing. Shi family was loyal and devoted to the Crown Prince, it was impossible for them to hook up with Hui-wang’s former subordinates, and it was even more impossible to use lowly thugs to murder Duke Jingting, someone must have set them up.

The Crown Prince’s heart was softened by her crying, he went to the Great Moon Palace to plead for mercy on behalf of Shi family.

“Crown Prince,” Emperor Yunqing was disappointed. “You are our Daye’s crown prince, the future emperor. You are not Shi family’s son-in-law.”

The Crown Prince was slow, but he could still see that Emperor Yunqing’s reaction was not positive. He hurriedly apologised, “Fuhuang, erchen has no other intention apart that the case is suspicious, it needs to be examined carefully. Please Imperial Father reconsider.”

* fuhuang 父皇 = Imperial Father. * erchen 儿臣 = This Son

“How are you so sure that it was not an intentional oversight by Shi family?” Emperor Yunqing was expressionless. “Maybe the street thugs were hired on purpose, so in case of failure, they could say someone was framing them because it’s impossible that Shi family couldn’t afford real assassins?”

“But don’t you forget, even with these lowly thugs, if Duke Jingting didn’t happen to be turning around that time, the murder would have been successful.” Emperor Yunqing tossed out the vermillion brush in his hand and cursed angrily, “The Grand Princess has lost her life to save zhen, and now they want to harm Aunt’s only son. Did they ever take zhen seriously?”

Seeing how angry the Emperor was, the Crown Prince swept his robe and dropped down in a kneel, “Please Fuhuang calm the anger, erchen has no such intention.”

“Calm the anger?” Emperor Yunqing got even angrier that he was to see the top of Crown Prince’s head. “You want zhen not to be angry? That is your Grand Aunt’s only son. Instead of caring for them, you are pleading for Shi family. Aren’t you doing your Grand Aunt a dishonour?”

“Fuhuang,” The Crown Prince knocked his head on the floor, he was panicking, “Erchen has nothing against Duke Jingting. In erchen’s eyes, Duke Jingting is half family member, erchen is not that heartless. Please Fuhuang understands.”

“You are the heir to the throne, but you listen to a rear courtyard woman. How can zhen be assured to trust you with the country?” Emperor Yunqing waved his hand in dismay, “Go back and think carefully, should you or should you not have come to plead for Shi family today.”

The Crown Princess retreated in fear, he dared not bring up Shi family anymore.

On the contrary, Emperor Yunqing became even more disappointed. Had the Crown Prince persisted to argue for Shi family, he would have had more respect. Turning tail and running away by just a few rebukes, how could someone without courage rule a country?

But when he thought of the reckless and hot-headed second son, Emperor Yunqing became even more upset. The Crown Prince was wishy-washy, but the second son was literally brainless. If the country was to be handed to the second son, it would turn upside down soon or later.

In his past, he had suffered so much due to his father favouring the shu sons. After ascended, he had managed to curb off all the ambitions of his own shu sons, but tragically both of his di sons were worthless.

T/N – Shu = children not born from the legitimate wife. Di are children of the legitimate wife, in this case the Empress.

Emperor Yunqing felt his body shook and his sight darkened, he leaned on the imperial desk to conceal it.

He had been attacked by dizziness recently, but imperial doctors could not find the cause, they only said he had been overworking himself and needed to rest.

Rest?

As an emperor, when could he take a rest?

Thinking of the past, thinking of his Great Aunt, Emperor Yunqing sighed. Was this Heaven’s retribution?

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—

The news of the Crown Prince being reprimanded by the Emperor did not spread outside, but it still ruined the atmosphere of the Eastern Palace. The Crown Princess was in a bad mood, while the Crown Prince was in his study all day staying away from the Crown Princess and the concubines, how could the servants be at ease?

The Crown Princess did not expect that asking the Crown Prince to plead would result in him treating her coldly. A cold husband, and a maternal family in trouble, the double edges torment had her crying to sleep every night.

If only this had been merely a simple matter of jealousy, unfortunately Hui-wang’s old retainers were involved in it. Who had sent the assassins killing the Grand Princess was unknown to outsiders, but she knew. If their family could not manage to clear their name, in His Majesty’s eyes, they would be in collusion with Hui-wang.

What would happen if their family was regarded as being on the side of a prince who had failed in staging a coup?

“Was the Crown Prince in the study last night?” The Crown Princess wiped the corner of her eyes carefully, she had been looking much haggard.

“Replying to the Crown Princess…… The Crown Prince didn’t visit the concubines.”

The Crown Princess laughed bitterly. It would have been better if he had been with the concubines. What was he trying to show by shutting himself in the study, that he blamed her, or that it was his attitude towards Shi family?

“Have someone prepare good gifts to send to Duke Jingting’s residence.” The Crown Princess stood up, looking out of the window at the newly sprouted trees. Ban family were brash and reckless people, most likely they were not even aware that Hui-wang had planned to stage a coup. If Ban family could back down a little, even if His Majesty was not completely satisfied, he would not make it too difficult for Shi family in the open.

Shi family would have a little room to breathe.

—

Lavish gifts from the Eastern Palace under the name of the Crown Prince were soon delivered to Ban residence.

Ban family members stared at the room full of jewelleries, gems, medicinal herbs, paintings and others. They were wondering, was the Eastern Palace trying to move the storeroom to their house?

Eastern Palace servants had ran away right after putting down the delivery without giving them a chance to ask, they had even refused tips. The fear and distress they gave off, did they take Ban family as monsters?

“These can’t be from the Crown Prince,” Yin-shi flipped through the gifts, “The Crown Prince is meticulous, but not to this level.”

Some of the gifts were things that only a woman could think of, no way it was prepared by the Crown Prince.

“Should be from the Crown Princess?” Ban Hua reacted, “Is she showing us goodwill?”

“What use it is to show us goodwill?” Yin-shi put down the gift list, “Now this isn’t just between us and Shi family, this has extended into clans rivalry at the Court. Does the Crown Princess think we are fools, so she wants us to help them pleading by sending toys?”

“What to do with these?” Ban Hua said, “Send them back?”

“As they said these are from the Crown Prince for your father to calm his fear, then we should accept.” Yin-shi laughed lightly, “What does it have to do with Shi family?”

The gifts could be accepted, as for anything further?

Apologies, our family isn’t very brainy, we can’t understand that much.

“Go to the Palace tomorrow to thank the Crown Prince for his fear-calming gifts,” Yin-shi told Ban Heng, “Understand?”

Ban Heng was enlightened, “This Son understands.”

It doesn’t matter who actually sent it, they would take it as given by the Crown Prince.

Ban Hua hesitated for a long time, finally she looked up, “Mother, was this….. was this really Shi family’s doing?”

“Whether it’s Shi family or not isn’t important.” Yin-shi sighed, gently stroke Ban Hua’s head, “What matters is, His Majesty thinks it’s Shi family.”

After a moment of silence, Ban Hua said, “But I don’t want to let go of the culprit.” Her heart still flared up when thinking of how her father was almost done away with.

Court matters belonged to the Court, but Ban family matters were hers.

Yin-shi’s smile was cold, “Who said we are letting go?”

Taking them as idiots, but see, in reality who has actually ever been able to step on their heads?

—

Count Cheng’an residence.

A middle-aged man dressed in a very inconspicuous way came in, he walked up to Rong Xia, “Master Count, found it!”

“Speak.”

“The eldest of Xie family, Xie Chongjin!”

“He?” Rong Xia’s eyebrows moved, “Since when is Xie family so capable?”

The man hesitated, “Shuxia found that another of His Majesty’s secret teams has a hand in it.”

“After the attack on Duke Jingting, or after?”

“After the attack.”

Rong Xia let out an indecipherable humph, “It seems he is not that ruthless yet.”

“Master, should shuxia take the suspicion out to the surface?”

Rong Xia stood in silence in front of the window, after a long time he said, “No need.”

The clean and fair hands were on the window pane, he was listening to the birds chirping incessantly outside, “Arrange for guards for Fule Junzhu, don’t let anything happens to her. Also, Ban family is not to be involved in this.”

“They…. they likely can’t help anyway.”

“Yes!” A strange look appeared on the middle-aged man’s face, but he quickly lowered his head.

Those high level martial-artists Ban family kept were rare talents, what did he mean by unable to help?

What did Master Count mean?