CHAPTER 448: CHAPTER 445: GOING MAD

Actually, this matter is easy to handle.

Prince Lu instructed the Prefect of Mingzhou to pretend to impeach Meng Su and search for evidence everywhere.

This matter would inevitably reach Meng Su’s ears. If it were someone else, Meng Su might be suspicious and wonder if it was his spy, but the Prefect of Mingzhou was different. The Prefect of Mingzhou had a well-known reputation, had no errors while in office, and was fairly close to Meng Su. Many times when Meng Su submitted memorials to the court, the Prefect of Mingzhou supported him from the side.

Additionally, the two of them came from the same exam rank, and they had mutual appreciation for each other. In Meng Su’s mind, Prefect Zhao was an indisputably good official.

Prince Lu thought about this and felt it was a pity. If these issues hadn’t arisen, he could have quietly dealt with Meng Su. He had already arranged for Ji Yuan to marry into the Meng Family. Slowly, Ji Yuan would replace Meng Su, and within two or three years, everything would be quietly resolved.

It’s a pity, because of Song Xian’s matter, the Wang Family’s downfall was exposed, and because Ji Yuan had such an uncle, Meng Su no longer wished to marry his daughter to Ji Yuan; this path was no longer feasible.

Furthermore, Meng Su’s daughter had met Xie Liangchen because of the herbal medicine map, and now they were working together against him.

Prince Lu let out a long sigh, seemingly regretful for Meng Su and his daughter. He had chosen a good path for them, yet they refused to take it. If so, they couldn’t blame him.

Prince Lu said, "Let the Prefect of Mingzhou act as if he intends to impeach Meng Su. Meng Su will definitely send someone to inquire about the news, but the memorial requires real evidence. The Prefect of Mingzhou must collect evidence, and then have someone send it to the Capital, making Meng Su and his people feel that there’s still time to catch my flaws before the memorial reaches the Emperor."

Meng Su and Song Xian would certainly set sail again soon, and he would have several prefects send people to catch Song Xian and Meng Su red-handed.

By then, it would be said that several prefects noticed something suspicious about Meng Su and Song Xian, sent people there, and thus found evidence proving Song Xian and Meng Su were smuggling and running rampant at sea.

Li Tao and that little island cannot be kept this time. He would take the opportunity to eliminate Li Tao and the people on the island, pinning all the blame on Song Xian, accusing him of treason.

Although it was a bit of a pity to lose the lives of Li Tao and the others, it was also a good thing as it used them to remove the major threat of Song Xian.

With Song Xian being accused of treason, the court would cleanse the North, and the Song Family Army would all be dealt with. The North would have a change of personnel for defense, and he would find a way to insert his own people.

By any calculation, it was worth it.

...

Song Xian and Meng Su were not in a hurry to take action; by delaying a few days, they could probe into Prince Lu’s details and also send secret letters to the Capital for the Emperor’s decision.

Song Xian and his party first settled in Yuezhou.

Because the new compass was effective, Xu Qian was very excited, pulling Chen Zigeng aside to talk endlessly, not falling asleep until very late.

Xie Liangchen came out of Xie Shao Yuan’s room, washed up, and lay down for a nap. When she woke up, Song Xian had returned to the courtyard.

"Did I wake you?" Song Xian sat by the bed, looking down at Xie Liangchen, then he noticed the sweat on Xie Liangchen’s forehead.

"You’re sweating so much." Song Xian gently wiped Xie Liangchen’s sweat with a towel.

Xie Liangchen said, "Perhaps it’s because I heard Ah Jing talk about their experiences over the years, and I had a nightmare just as I fell asleep."

Song Xian said softly, "What did you dream about?"

Xie Liangchen said, "I dreamt about the day my mother passed away."

Song Xian leaned in to help Xie Liangchen sit up against him, bringing over warm water for her to drink, while gently patting her shoulder, "Don’t worry, it’s all in the past."

Xie Liangchen nodded, "Ah Jing said Li Tao caught a lot of people; they should be on the island where Li Tao stays, right?"

Song Xian responded, "Prince Lu is always cautious. The places where he stationed soldiers and stored warships are likely not just one. There might be two or three such small islands, and the others might be hidden even deeper."

Making an accurate judgment would allow them to estimate what the situation would be like when the conflict arrives.

Xie Liangchen was silent for a moment. Ultimately, no one knew how many people would die in the battle. She only hoped to save as many innocent people as possible.

Ah Jing’s father was still missing. They didn’t know if he was killed and his body burned or if he was captured by Li Tao. Ah Jing didn’t dare to hope, but they all wished for a day when father and daughter could reunite.

Song Xian held Xie Liangchen and lay back down.

Xie Liangchen rested against his chest, listening to the strong heartbeat, "Fighting at sea is completely different from fighting on land; you have to be extra careful."

"I know," Song Xian reassured Xie Liangchen, "Don’t worry."

Xie Liangchen closed her eyes again. She didn’t know why, but even though everything seemed to be going smoothly, she inexplicably felt a sense of unease.

...

Capital City.

The Emperor’s hand trembled slightly as he held the document.

This was a letter sent back by the Palace Department people who were with Song Xian, and it was impossible to be fake. This meant Song Xian and Meng Su were right—there were warships hidden at sea.

The coastal garrison couldn’t have been completely unaware, leaving him to wonder how many more people had secretly defected from him.

The Emperor said, "Is it Prince Lu or Prince Qi?"

Du Zheng said in a low voice, "The spy monitoring Meng Su headed towards Qingzhou." Qingzhou was Prince Lu’s territory, so it should be Prince Lu’s people, unless Prince Qi had already anticipated this and deliberately circled around to frame Prince Lu.

"None of them are any good," the Emperor said, "Since I ascended the throne, I should have taken action to eliminate them. Did they ever consider me as their brother? From before Father’s death, they coveted my throne. Prince Guangyang even conspired with the fourth, and the late Emperor had intentions of making the fourth the heir. If I hadn’t eliminated Prince Guangyang or if the fourth hadn’t contracted an illness, this throne would have become someone else’s long ago."

The Emperor was enraged, and Du Zheng dared not advise him.

The Emperor said, "Move the troops secretly towards Qingzhou. Oh, and also Jingzhao Prefecture."

A long time ago, someone had secretly reported to him that Prince Lu had interactions with Yongxing Jiedu and officials of Jingzhao Prefecture. Perhaps they had already secretly pledged allegiance to Prince Lu.

Moreover, since the spy was headed towards Qingzhou, was Prince Lu in Qingzhou? No one could say for sure.

If they missed the first strike, Prince Lu would bring people to rebel, so they couldn’t act too rashly.

"Leave the matters at sea to Meng Su and Song Xian," the Emperor said, "Have them uncover as many members of Lu King’s Party as possible. I want to see where the warships and troops at sea are with my own eyes."

Du Zheng said, "I understand, Your Majesty."

The Emperor kicked over the ice basin on the floor. He had been feeling restless these days, and these ice blocks were of no use at all.

"Where is the Empress?" the Emperor asked.

The Palace Attendant immediately replied, "Her Majesty should be in Zhengyang Palace."

"Prepare the carriage," the Emperor said, striding out.

Empress Xu was somewhat surprised by the Emperor’s sudden arrival. She set down her needlework, tidied her clothes, and went out to greet him. The Emperor entered the inner hall without a word, standing there with his hands behind his back.

Seeing this, Empress Xu quickly instructed the Palace Attendant to leave.

Once the doors were closed, Empress Xu cautiously approached and said, "Your Majesty... you..."

Before she could finish speaking, the Emperor turned suddenly, and with a "slap," Empress Xu’s cheek burned. She felt the world spin and stumbled, falling to the ground.

"When we were in the Reserve Palace, how did that child get miscarried by you?"

Empress Xu heard the Emperor’s resentful voice.

"None of the concubines in the palace can successfully give birth to a prince, and it’s all because of your failure as the Mistress of the Palace."