"Since there isn’t any, that person must be too afraid! These pieces of evidence can’t rely solely on forgery. They require both testimonial and physical evidence. If it’s made up, naturally they can’t be presented. Even if they were forged, how much Silver would it take? That person wouldn’t be so foolish as to spend so much Silver just to produce fake evidence. The cost would be too great."
The Third Prince thought, indeed! If he were to recruit troops, the needed evidence would be extensive. Moreover, falsehoods cannot withstand scrutiny and verification.
"Even without all this, Father would still suspect . He would ask about the two million taels of Silver and where it went. If my maternal grandfather didn’t receive bribes or participate in the bandit case, where would the two million taels have co from? It’s impossible to present it, so would they beat a confession out of him, claiming he used it to recruit troops for ?"
The Third Prince had cald down by now and slowly analyzed the situation.
Then he thought, even though the search at the Wan Mansion turned up no such evidence, his maternal grandfather might still confess!
He’s seen the punishnts at the Dali Temple, wherein only those with steely integrity could endure. His maternal grandfather was quite old, and he feared they might not only torture him but also threaten his family, making him unsure.
If his maternal grandfather admitted it, even without finding troops, he would be unable to explain it away no matter what. Throughout history, Emperors have hated this the most. Would Father think he harbored thoughts of rebellion?
You Guangzong exchanged a look with the other two and hesitated, saying, "It depends on whether you can harden your heart."
The Third Prince stared absently at You Guangzong, woodenly asking, "How to do it?"
He actually knew what You Guangzong was implying, but couldn’t bring himself to say it. He needed soone else to say it for him. It was his maternal grandfather, who had taught him greatly and was loyal; he really couldn’t bear it!
"Your Highness! Those who achieve great things don’t mind the minor details. Lord Wan will understand you." You Guangzong knew the Third Prince would agree. The Third Prince had anticipated this earlier; he just found it hard to speak!
"Yes! Your Highness, Lord Wan is already old and won’t withstand the punishnt, so sooner rather than later." The other advisers also ca forward to support this idea; it was the best course of action.
"But even if my maternal grandfather sacrifices himself for , won’t people still say he committed suicide out of guilt? Although the case might be hastily concluded this way, Father would likely beco even more wary of ."
You Guangzong and the others naturally understood this principle but figured it was best to tackle the current issue first and take it one step at a ti later on.
Besides, wouldn’t the Emperor already be aware? Such a large sum of Silver used for recruiting troops wouldn’t go unnoticed, would it? That’s impossible; there would surely be issues with accommodating so many soldiers.
"Your Highness, you are, after all, the Emperor’s own son. After this matter is over, as long as you behave well, the Emperor is sure to forgive you."
Though they said so, they all knew that familial affection within the imperial family was often quite indifferent. However, since the Crown Prince had not been established, nobody could discern the Emperor’s intentions, and the Third Prince still had a chance of ascending to the throne.
The Third Prince pondered for a mont, "If we could leave a letter in blood,..."
The Third Prince was caught off guard and hadn’t prepared for this earlier. Now he cald down and started planning for what was to co.
You Guangzong and the others felt chills down their spines, realizing that despite Lord Wan being the Third Prince’s maternal grandfather, he was so thoroughly calculated by the Third Prince...
You Guangzong thought for a while; they couldn’t leave the mansion, and even a bird couldn’t fly outside. How were they supposed to send ssages?
"We can’t even leave; how do we send ssages out?"
The Third Prince heard this and wasn’t anxious at all, standing by the window.
"I have my own thods!"
He had a plan. The Left Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Peng Fang, was his man. Kuang Zhao Ying held Peng Fang in high regard, so entering the Heavenly Prison of the Dali Temple wouldn’t be difficult.
Wan Xue Nian was bound to a wooden fra, already beaten to the point of near-death. His official uniform had long been stripped, leaving only white undergarnts. By now, the white undergarnts were stained red with blood.
His body was covered in scars with lash marks all over, even his face was not spared. His ticulously grood hairstyle was now disheveled, covering his head and face. Wan Xue Nian’s head was hanging down, motionless.
"My Lord, he’s fainted!" Left Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Peng Fang, glanced at Wan Xue Nian and said to Kuang Zhao Ying.
Kuang Zhao Ying frowned, having tortured him for half the day without extracting anything. He hadn’t expected Wan Xue Nian to be so resolute.
"Go check!" He was sowhat worried Wan Xue Nian wouldn’t survive the punishnt, not daring to go too far with it.
Peng Fang approached Wan Xue Nian and reached out his hand, feeling a weak breath, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
He was afraid Wan Xue Nian wouldn’t withstand it, especially since he was the Third Prince’s maternal grandfather and couldn’t die just yet. He didn’t know what the Third Prince had planned, and there was no news so far.
"My Lord, he’s still alive! However, I don’t think he can take any more beating, considering his age."
Kuang Zhao Ying gave a deep look at Peng Fang, making Peng Fang’s heart skip a beat.
"Untie him and put him in a cell first. Bring in Song Shuqing for interrogation."
Gu Chengyu left the Wu Mansion after an hour. His second senior brother had inford him that his na was on the list and quite high up. That was all he was told; as for the ranking, it didn’t matter much to Gu Chengyu as long as he knew he was near the top.
He had already received this news from Hu Maoshen. Regardless, Gu Chengyu still appreciated Senior Brother Wu’s kindness. This matter hadn’t reached the final stage yet, so they couldn’t intervene rashly. This was just to let Gu Chengyu know to prepare early.
Upon returning to the mansion, he first inquired about Ming Yan advisers’ news, but Ming Yan said none had co through yet.
Gu Chengyu contemplated and felt it might be that the Eldest Prince had beco alert.
Guo Shi’s disappearance, concerning an important witness related to the case, the Eldest Prince would naturally hide him first or, to be sure, dispose of him altogether.
Gu Chengyu found this situation tricky, "Deploy more people to keep watch and send so to investigate the Prince Mansion. If any carriages leave the house, have soone follow them."
Given the Eldest Prince’s nature, he would likely hide this person at the Prince Mansion, as on-site supervision would be most reassuring to him.
"Sir! Mr. Zhu has sent a letter ssage for you." Gu Chengyu planned to wait another hour, and if the adviser still couldn’t be caught, he would personally investigate the Prince Mansion.
Gu Chengyu was startled; he had been so busy that he’d forgotten. Zhu Pang must have received the news. As for Zheng Lun, his father was only a scholar without an official position, so the information he could obtain was limited. Even if his grandfather knew, he wouldn’t share much with a grandchild, especially one from a concubine’s line.
Gu Chengyu opened Zhu Pang’s letter, and it contained about the sa information he had already known. These were superficial facts only. However, Zheng Lun was confined by his father, not allowed to interact too much. Gu Chengyu understood, as having a promising son ant keeping him away from soone who could soon land in serious trouble.
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