King Xiang of the Red Chamber

Chapter 644 Mystery
This matter reveals something weird.

Zhu Jingyuan looked very unhappy at this time. Zhu Jingting's death was so sudden that he realized that he must have been involved in the conspiracy.

It’s the prince, it must be the prince... Zhu Jingyuan came to the conclusion directly.

To get out of the conspiracy, you have to understand the whole picture and then consider how to deal with it.

After a brief thought, Zhu Jingyuan regained his clarity of mind and immediately ordered: "Go find Zhang Wanan immediately and ask him to investigate the cause of this matter!"

Zhang Wan'an is the current deputy captain of Xicheng in the Northern Pacification Division. His rank is the same as Chen Yuntai and Li Wenzhao. He was able to get to this position with the help of Zhu Jingyuan.

"Yes!"

After giving the order, Zhu Jingyuan no longer had the appetite to eat, so he got up and went to the east side hall, which was his study.

The sixth brother, the thirteenth brother, the old man... Zhu Jingyuan thought more.

It is not uncommon in the royal family for fathers and sons and brothers to be suspicious of each other to this extent, but it is just sad to think about it.

Chen Zhi followed him and analyzed the problem with him for a long time, but still had no idea.

At this time, someone came from outside to report that the two Zongzheng had arrived.

The two people who served as Zongzheng were elders of the Xian generation, but their titles had been reduced to generals guarding the country, so they still had to bow when meeting Zhu Jingyuan.

In previous situations like this, Zhu Jingyuan would ask them to excuse themselves from the formalities, but this time he said nothing.

"Second uncle, what happened to Old Fourteen today?"

The two sect leaders looked at each other, and one of them replied, "Following the instructions of Master Six, we have detained King Qingyang, and we have investigated the situation. We are planning to..."

"My instructions?" Zhu Jingyuan was even more surprised.

Then he looked at Chen Zhi who was standing beside him. Apart from himself, only Chen Zhi could give orders in his name.

"Uncles, please don't talk nonsense. We have never given you any instructions!" Chen Zhi said coldly.

This also surprised the two Zongzheng, and they followed the other person and said, "It was the eunuch in your house who said that!"

Zhu Jingyuan then shouted outside: "Pass it on, all the eunuchs in the palace, wait in Chengyun Hall!"

After giving this instruction, Zhu Jingyuan asked more sternly: "How do you know he is an eunuch in the Rui Palace? Have you verified his identity?"

This question touched the key point. They did verify the identity, but they only checked the badge on their waists and did not even look at the name carefully.

Zhu Jingyuan, who had the most influence, sent someone to give orders, which made the two of them want to curry favor with him, and directly overwhelmed their rationality.

They didn't even think that if it was really an important task, Zhu Jingyuan would definitely ask his trusted officials to come instead of just finding someone to give orders.

So, when they heard this question, the two elders of the Zhu family, who were around 60 years old, began to break out in cold sweats.

"Look... I've seen the badge!"

Hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan became even angrier and shouted, "Is this how you usually do your work?"

The two clan leaders of the Xian generation were so frightened that they knelt on the ground, trembling like ants.

"Let Old Fourteen go first!" Zhu Jingyuan said coldly.

The first thing he had to do was to clear himself, so he thought of releasing the person first, but in fact it was too late now, and releasing the person now would only make the matter more obvious.

Zhu Jingting is dead, so this matter cannot be concealed at all. His feud with Old Fourteen will also not be concealed, so this matter may be used... Zhu Jingyuan changed his mind.

Think about it, just because Zhu Jingting said "getting involved in military power and nurturing the enemy for your own benefit", Zhu Jinghong got so angry that he ordered Zhu Jingchun to beat him to death. What a perverse and vicious person he was...

With this in mind, Zhu Jingyuan became more determined to take advantage of the situation, and he was willing to jump into it even if it was a trap set by the crown prince.

After all, after bringing down Zhu Jinghong, it would not be difficult for Zhu Jingyuan to deal with the weak prince!
"Forget it. I won't get involved in this matter. Since you have detained Old Fourteen, and now he has committed a murder, you can decide how to deal with him!"

Zhu Jingyuan did not intend to get involved, so he thought about making a direct break and then immediately went to the palace to explain to the emperor.

"Then... just release the person directly?" one of the Zongzheng asked tentatively.

In his simple understanding of interests, compared to the dead Zhu Jingting, Qingyang King Zhu Jingchun should not be offended.

"It's up to you. But if you release the prisoner privately, I'm afraid the government and the public will not agree. Think it over carefully!"

In fact, at this point, it doesn’t matter whether Zhu Jingchun is released or not, at least for Zhu Jingyuan.

On the contrary, the feud between Zhu Jingchun and Zhu Jingting was just a "catalyst" that ignited public opinion.

Zhu Jingyuan's purpose was to spread the rumor that "Zhu Jinghong was involved in military power and nurtured the enemy to protect himself" in and outside the capital, so that the emperor would completely alienate himself from Zhu Jinghong.

In this process, if he could find clues that the Eastern Palace was involved and throw the charge of stirring up trouble back on him, it would be perfect for Zhu Jingyuan.

"Your Highness, all the eunuchs in the palace, except for 37 people who are on missions outside, the remaining 198 people have all arrived!" A steward of the palace came to report.

Although he knew that identification would not yield any results, Zhu Jingyuan still said, "Go ahead, both of you, and bring out the person who passed the message to you!"

The two Zongzheng actually didn't want to leave. They wanted to say a few more words, but when Zhu Jingyuan looked at them coldly, they could only lower their heads and agree.

After the two men left, Zhu Jingyuan stood up and said, "I'm going to see the old man!"

This matter could not be delayed. After Zhu Jingyuan gave the order, everyone in the Prince Rui's Mansion took action. A few minutes later, he left the palace in a sedan chair.

When night fell, Prince Xiang's Mansion also learned the news of Zhu Jingting's death, and the seriousness of the situation immediately reached a new level.

"How to do?"

In the study of Yin'an Hall, Baochai sat in the guest seat and asked the question very seriously.

"This time, the incident was aimed at me. The person behind the scenes would definitely try to make it bigger, but I didn't expect that this person would be so cruel and actually take Zhu Jingting's life!"

Then, Zhu Jinghong changed the subject and said, "Now that the person who said bad things about me is dead, those bad things will spread. This is a really great move!"

Baochai nodded, picked up the teacup beside her, and said slowly: "Perhaps they will also say that it was you who ordered the Fourteenth Old Man to beat Zhu Jingting to death!"

"Yes!"

Seeing Zhu Jinghong's calm expression, Baochai put down the teacup and asked, "Are you not in a hurry?"

Zhu Jinghong smiled and then said, "If it was a few days ago, I would have been so anxious that I would have jumped up and down!"

As he spoke, he stood up from behind the desk, then walked to Baochai's side and sat on a chair beside her.

"But now, my heart is clear and I am not afraid of all this!"

Seeing him so confident again, Baochai solemnly reminded him, "Misfortunes won't be avoided just because you have an open mind!"

"I know!" Zhu Jinghong smiled slightly.

"How will you respond next?" Baochai asked again.

Zhu Jinghong picked up the teacup Baochai had used, took a sip and said, "Since I have a clear conscience, why should I respond? I will do what I should do. Tomorrow I will listen to music, the day after tomorrow I will listen to an opera, and the day after tomorrow I will watch a dance..."

Sighing, Baochai said, "I hope you won't be wrong this time!"

"What did Old Fourteen say?"

"Although the old man is indifferent to the prince of a concubine, as long as he does not participate in the fight for the throne or treason, he will not be punished too harshly no matter how serious the crime is. What's more, the fourteenth prince may have been framed!"

This was the advantage of the prince. Even if he killed someone of his own clan, he could be punished leniently. And this would not even affect the emperor's reputation, because he had the greatest say in the world and could make the final decision on how to characterize the matter.

"Your family is so boring, fighting with each other all the time!" After sighing, Baochai got up and walked away, leaving Zhu Jinghong alone in the room in deep thought.

Back in the Qianqing Palace, after waiting for half an hour, Zhu Jingyuan finally entered the palace.

At night, one can enter the palace and see the emperor directly. The number of people in the world who have this qualification can be counted on one hand.

As he was preparing to go to bed, Zhu Xianming had already taken off his outer robe and was sitting on the couch in a moon-white inner garment, reading a book in his hands.

"My son, please pay homage to your father!"

While paying homage, Zhu Jingyuan secretly raised his head and found that his father was reading the Book of Tang, with the second volume printed on the cover.

The second volume is the Chronicle of Emperor Taizong. It seems that the old man has listened to the so-called rumors... Thinking of this, Zhu Jingyuan was extremely excited.

So now, his mission for tonight has become increasingly clear, which is to completely separate himself from today's incident.

He would definitely not do anything to add fuel to the fire!

Still looking at the book, Zhu Xianming asked slowly, "Why are you here so late?"

"Today, the Fourteenth Brother and the General Zhu Jingting had a fight. The Fourteenth Brother has been detained by the Imperial Clan Court. My son just received news that Zhu Jingting is dead..."

Hearing this, Zhu Xianming put down the book and revealed his ashen face.

He knew about the fight at noon. During the fight, the clan office intervened forcefully and arrested people, which made him realize that the matter was not simple, so he asked someone to investigate secretly.

Even Zhu Xianming did not expect that Zhu Jingting would die suddenly!

He had already investigated the details of the fight between Lao Shisi and Zhu Jingting. The former only hit the latter a few times, and normally no one should have been killed.

Therefore, in Zhu Xianming's opinion, Zhu Jingting was most likely silenced!
So the current question is, who is the manipulator behind the scenes?
The answer was obvious. Among his three legitimate sons, the one who was kneeling in front of him was the most suspicious.

"You planned all these things?"

Hearing his father's emotionless and clear questioning, Zhu Jingyuan was frightened even though he had a strong mentality.

"Dad... this matter has nothing to do with my son. I only found out about it when I returned home this afternoon!"

Zhu Jingyuan had just finished speaking when he heard a "bang" sound. It turned out that the emperor smashed the book in anger.

"Really? Then why did the people from the clan residence say that they detained Old Fourteenth on your orders?"

Zhu Jingyuan was extremely grateful at this moment. Before coming here, he met the two Zongzheng and understood the situation so he would not be passive now.

Zhu Jingyuan suppressed his fear and explained, "Dad, if I really wanted to gossip, I would never reveal such an obvious flaw!"

There is no point in making direct excuses, so Zhu Jingyuan simply spoke frankly and analyzed the issue directly from the perspective of interests.

In fact, his words have a second meaning, which is that he was framed.

Who could frame him?

Zhu Jinghong has been implicated, but the crown prince is too clean, so...

Zhu Xianming could certainly think of what Zhu Jingyuan said, so he also suspected the prince to a greater extent than Zhu Jingyuan.

Seeing that his words had taken effect, Zhu Jingyuan continued, "Dad, there must be someone behind this, you must investigate this matter thoroughly!"

"My reputation is a minor matter, but my fourteenth brother's honor and disgrace, and the dignity of the royal family cannot be ignored!"

Although Zhu Jingyuan's words were righteous, in Zhu Xianming's eyes, they only slightly reduced his suspicion.

The emperor was still convinced that even if Zhu Jingyuan was not the mastermind, he must have played an ignominious role in it.

His expression eased a little, and Zhu Xianming said slowly: "Then tell me...what is the mystery behind this matter!"

This was actually a trap. Zhu Jingyuan was a careful thinker and would not fall for it. He just replied, "Dad, this matter is of great importance. I dare not speak rashly. Please investigate this matter thoroughly and clear my name!"

His reply was quite satisfactory, so Zhu Xianming did not ask any further questions.

He will definitely get to the bottom of this matter. Regardless of how it will be handled in the end, at least he wants to find out the truth.

In fact, such things have happened dozens of times in the past, but Zhu Xianming did not dig deeper. After all, the truth is sometimes too cruel.

However, in the past one or two years, the fight between his sons was in danger of getting out of control, and he could no longer turn a deaf ear to it.

In the past month, Zhu Xianming has been praising the Sixth Prince. Now that something happened, he suspects the Sixth Prince. As an emperor, he lives a very twisted life.

When Zhu Jingyuan was paying homage to the emperor, the Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace also received the news that Zhu Jingting had died.

Because he lived in the imperial city, the flow of information was slower, and there was nothing he could do about it, as he was the last to know the situation.

Even though Zhu Jingyuan is not very smart, he can now realize that things are not simple and there is a high possibility of another storm.

It was a pity that Xu Xin'an had left Beijing two days ago and returned to Nanjing to serve as the Censor-in-Chief, leaving him without even a single advisor.

Of course, even if Xu Xin'an was in Beijing, it would be very troublesome for him to enter the palace so late at night.

While Zhu Jingyuan was analyzing alone, Yuanchun walked in from outside the study and reminded him softly, "Just got the news that the Sixth Master has gone to the palace to see the Emperor!"

Zhu Jingyuan raised his head and expressed his own opinion: "In my opinion, he is probably the one behind this again. Now that he has gone to see the emperor first, I'm afraid he wants to frame me!"

Sometimes, things are so magical that even without any investigation, you can get a nearly correct answer based on analysis of interests.

"How should we respond?"

"We are upright and have nothing to fear. It won't be easy for him to frame us!" Zhu Jingyuan said calmly.

His words made some sense, but they failed to convince Yuanchun.

"Your Highness, would a shrewd man like the Sixth Brother really directly order the clan office to arrest someone?" Yuanchun expressed her doubts.

Zhu Jingyuan had also thought about this. He could only hope that Lao Liu was being stupid or losing his mind.

"Do you think it will..."

Seeing Yuanchun hesitate to speak, Zhu Jingyuan frowned and said, "Just say it if you have something to say!"

"Could it be that his subordinates secretly planned these things in order to help him overthrow Old Thirteen?"

Hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan's eyes suddenly lit up, and then he had an idea in his mind.

"Yes, that must be the case!" Zhu Jingyuan stood up.

Regardless of whether this is true or not, he can let his subordinates spread the word so, and then after the Thirteenth Brother falls, he will bring disgrace to the Sixth Brother.

Seeing the prince so surprised, Yuanchun's face became more worried. She actually had more things to consider.

Before that, Zhu Jinghong returned to Beijing from commanding the war in the northwest. On that day, many rumors spread in the capital, and the situation even got out of control for a while.

Not only was the Rui Palace unable to control its subordinates, the Eastern Palace also had this problem.

This time, the supporters of Rui Wangfu and Donggong may get out of control like last time.

Yuanchun couldn't explain the exact situation, but she was not as confident as the Crown Prince and was sure that something went wrong in Prince Rui's Mansion.

(End of this chapter)