Everything starts from Menghualu

Chapter 451 Guidance and Discovery

"Of course I can handle it, but I want to know what you are going to do next? After all, we have already agreed on what happened before." Xue Yuan said
"Don't worry, godfather. I will do what I promised. But I don't know if you really want to do it, godfather?" Cao Cheng said.
"Cheng'er, there are some things that I can't do just because I want to. I have been preparing for what you said many years ago, but the timing has never been right."

"It's because I haven't waited for the right opportunity that I thought of using Shen Jie." Xue Yuan said
"Foster father, that person has been ill for decades. No one can tell when he will have problems. If we just wait like this, I'm afraid it's not a solution." Cao Cheng said
"How could I not know this? But you also know what I did before. That person is like crazy now, and he doesn't care about anything at all. I am also a little helpless." Xue Yuan said
"Foster father, although we can't solve the problem right at the beginning, why not wait until the result comes out and then find a way to solve this problem." Cao Cheng said with a smile

"Hmm? But, if the final result is that person's wish comes true, I'm afraid we may not have a chance?" Xue Yuan said hesitantly after hearing this.

"Foster father, we can't do this alone, but we have someone in the palace, right? With him here, this shouldn't be difficult, right?" Cao Cheng said with a smile.

"Well, I can give it a try, but no one can predict how it will turn out. If something goes wrong, it will be a huge problem." Xue Yuan said solemnly.

"Foster father, if that's the case, then I have another idea. Shu'er is pregnant with a posthumous child. We can definitely do it?" Cao Cheng said softly.
"Hmm? Cheng'er, you didn't come up with this idea early in the morning, did you?" Xue Yuan reacted and said
"Haha, I really can't hide anything from you, godfather. That's right, this was actually my idea from the beginning, and Shu'er also knows about it." Cao Cheng said with a smile

"Huh? Shu'er already knew about this? I knew you wouldn't bring up this idea for no reason, but what's in your belly is still unknown." Xue Yuandao
"Foster father, it seems that you are still unwilling to give up, otherwise why would you say such a thing? Whether it is a boy or a girl, isn't it up to us to decide?" Cao Cheng said
"Haha, yes, that's right. As a father, I am indeed a little unwilling. However, holding the emperor hostage to control the princes is not bad. Let's do it this way." Xue Yuan said in a deep voice.
"Godfather, I'll take my leave now. Time is sensitive now and I can't stay in your house for too long, otherwise it will easily arouse suspicion." After Cao Cheng finished speaking, he bowed and turned to leave.

After he left, Xue Yuan's face was full of reluctance, and he finally sighed helplessly.

Everything changed too quickly. According to his original idea, he would first support Shen Jie to ascend the throne, and then find an opportunity to usurp the throne himself. However, things obviously did not develop as he wished.

He first made a wrong judgment and became estranged from his adopted son. Then, under a series of schemes, he had no choice but to kill Shen Jie and give up his previous choice.

It can be said that he suffered a great loss in this incident, so much so that he now has no other choice but to continue along this path.

After all, he had experienced ups and downs in the officialdom for many years, so he adjusted himself quickly. He started calling people and then gave orders. Soon, the Duke Dingguo's Mansion was in action.

At this time, Cao Cheng did not return home, but went directly to the Ministry of Justice. After all, this was an order issued by His Majesty himself, and he naturally could not neglect it.

"Your humble servant Zhang Zha, I'm here to pay my respects to the Marquis." When Zhang Zha saw Cao Cheng coming, he naturally hurried to pay his respects.

"Forget it, Master Zhang. Your mission this time is important, so you don't have to worry about me. I'm here to protect you. You can just ignore me at other times." Cao Cheng said with a smile.

After hearing this, Zhang Zha naturally thanked him again and then stopped talking. Cao Cheng also knew Zhang Zha's temper and naturally didn't care.

However, although he wanted to have some free time, Zhang Zha was not going to let him go.

"My Lord, you are here today, so I have some questions to ask you. Is it convenient for you?" Zhang Zha said directly.
"Hmm? Sir Zhang, are you doubting me?" Cao Cheng said seriously.

"My Lord, as everyone knows, you and the King of Linzi have always had a bad relationship, so I have reason to suspect that you are involved in this matter, right?" Zhang Zha said.
"That's right, Master Zhang, you are absolutely right. Then just ask." Cao Cheng said directly
"My Lord, I am sorry for the inconvenience. According to my investigation, you met an official from Xingwuwei named Zhou Yinzhi after the murder, is that correct?" Zhang Zha said.
"Oh? You even know this? You are indeed very capable. Your Majesty is not mistaken about you. Yes, I have indeed met Zhou Yinzhi." Cao Cheng said directly
"Excuse me, sir, what did you say at that time?" Zhang Zha stared at Cao Cheng and asked
It's actually not convenient to tell you what I said at that time, but if I don't tell you, I probably won't be able to get rid of suspicion. Well, then I'll tell you.

"Zhou Yinzhi is actually my spy. He used to be my adoptive father's man, but I later took him in. There was some discord between me and my adoptive father because of Shen Jie."

"So I naturally need a spy to tell me about the situation in the Duke's Mansion." Cao Cheng said
"No, my Lord, I'm afraid there's more to the story than that. You must have something else to say, my Lord. Since you've already said it, why not just tell it all?"

"This is the only way to clear yourself of suspicion, isn't it? Now that King Linzi is dead, you are the biggest suspect. If you don't explain clearly, I'm afraid you will cause criticism." Zhang Zha continued.
"You, fine, but you have to listen carefully. You cannot reveal a single word of what I am going to say to anyone except His Majesty, otherwise, I will make sure you die without a burial place!"

"Zhou Yinzhi actually went to the Yan family before. At that time, Yan Mu was still alive. He would send back some useful information from time to time." Cao Cheng said directly
After hearing this, Zhang Zha tried hard not to show any surprise.

"He came to see me that day because he discovered that Yan Lin and Master Xie had an unusually close relationship."

"He was a little worried. He was worried that Yan Lin would find out what he did. After all, if he didn't want others to know, he had better not do it himself. He was afraid, so he came to me."

"Master Xie has a special status and is deeply trusted by His Majesty. Even I dare not easily believe such a one-sided statement."

"So I asked him to go back first, intending to investigate in my own way, but then I ran into this incident, and it delayed me." Cao Cheng said
After listening to it, Zhang Zha did not speak for a while, because he also needed to think about how much of Cao Cheng's words were true and how much were false.

Relying on his years of intuition, he guessed that Cao Cheng must have concealed something, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions, because this matter had far exceeded everyone's expectations.

Cao Cheng had just said that only His Majesty could know about this matter. Why was that? With his brain, he naturally guessed it right away.

His Majesty knew about the Yan family's affairs, and it was very likely that His Majesty instructed him to do so. Thinking of this, how could he dare to continue asking? After all, although he was not afraid of death, he could not risk his life for such a thing.

"Please rest assured, my Lord. I will report everything we talked about today to His Majesty. No one else will know about it." Zhang Zha said
"Well, that's good. I believe you know your limits, Mr. Zhang." Cao Cheng nodded.
"My Lord, I have asked all my questions. I apologize for disturbing you today." Zhang Zha said
"It's okay, Master Zhang, you are right. Prince Linzi is dead, so I am naturally the biggest suspect. It is normal for you to have suspicions." Cao Cheng said
After hearing this, Zhang Zha bowed again. Seeing this, Cao Cheng waved his hand and left. After all, as a marquis, he couldn't really come in person to be Zhang Zhe's bodyguard.

He can't afford to lose face. He came here today just to express his attitude to the outside world, especially in front of His Majesty, that's all.

At this time, although Zhang Zha still had some doubts about Cao Cheng, he did not plan to investigate anymore. He planned to change the direction and check to see if there were any clues.

Time passed slowly, and soon it was the next day. After the court was dismissed, Xue Yuan went directly to the Cining Palace. When the empress dowager learned that he had arrived, she came out to meet him.

"Okay, sit down. What brings you here today?" The Queen Mother said impatiently.
"Your Majesty, I came here today to discuss something with you. Now that Prince Linzi is gone, no matter whether the murderer can be found in the end, our plan has failed."

"So yesterday, I thought of a new idea and came to report it to the Queen Mother." Xue Yuan said
"Hmm? What's the solution? Why don't you tell me about it?" After hearing this, the Queen Mother slowly calmed down and temporarily put aside her sadness.

"Queen Mother, now that Prince Linzi is gone, our previous plan is naturally not feasible, but now Shu'er is pregnant, so?" Xue Yuan said slowly.

"Hmm? You want to support the young emperor? Let's not talk about whether the court will agree. Even if they agree, what about His Majesty? Don't forget that His Majesty also has an unborn child."

"You won't tell me whether you can be sure whether the baby in their belly is a boy or a girl, right? Or do you plan to get rid of this person in the palace?" The Queen Mother asked directly
"Queen Dowager, I can really confirm whether this is a boy or a girl. The only problem now is, what should we do with this in the palace?" Xue Yuan said with a smile.

The Queen Mother had also won many palace battles for many years, so how could she not understand what he meant?
"Are you crazy? Do you know how much His Majesty values ​​that little bitch now? This will never succeed!" The Queen Mother said dissatisfiedly
"Queen Mother, this is a matter of human effort. Besides, even though we are keeping a close eye on it now, it doesn't mean we will keep a close eye on it in the future. Even if a child is born in the future, it is common for a child this young to not survive." Xue Yuandao
After hearing this, the Queen Mother opened her mouth several times and wanted to say something, but in the end, no words came out. After all, this was indeed a good idea for the Queen Mother at the moment.

Even though she is the empress dowager, without the support of the Xue family, she, the empress dowager, would not have the glory she has now, and this is something she cannot accept.

After all, she knew her son very well. This son of hers always wanted to take back all the power, including the power of his mother.

This was the source of their conflict, and also the reason why she was determined to have Jie'er ascend the throne. But now that her second son was dead, her plan could no longer go forward.

"Forget it, you can do it yourself. But how sure are you? After all, if the child dies, His Majesty will go crazy." The Queen Mother asked seriously.
"Queen, to be honest, I have already discussed this with Cheng'er, and he will help." Xue Yuan said
"Huh? What did you say? Cao Cheng? He actually agreed to help you? How is this possible? This?" The Queen Mother stopped talking halfway and stared at Xue Yuan in shock.

"When did you start to have contact? Was it before Jie'er or after?" the Queen Mother asked
After hearing this, Xue Yuan naturally understood what the Queen Mother meant. Normally, he should have just told a lie at this time, but he did not do so.

"Queen Mother, there are some things I have to do. His Majesty's reaction last time is enough to explain everything. Our original plan is impossible to succeed."

"Based on his Majesty's previous performance, he will definitely get rid of King Linzi before he dies. By then, everything we have done will be in vain."

"So I can only do this. The only thing I can do is to leave a descendant for Jie'er." Xue Yuandao
After hearing this, the Queen Mother was naturally very shocked. She pointed at Xue Yuan for a long time without saying a word. Xue Yuan naturally also said nothing and stood there waiting.

"Get out! Get out of here! Get out!" The Queen Mother suddenly shouted.

After hearing this, Xue Yuan said nothing, but bowed and turned to leave. After he left, the empress dowager collapsed on the couch and did not speak for a long time.

At this time, Xue Yuan felt much more relaxed. In fact, he had not intended to tell the truth at first, but later he changed his mind.

Because many of the things to be done next require the Queen Mother to take action, and if this takes a long time, many things simply cannot be concealed, so it would be better to catch herself off guard at that time.

It would be better to say it directly now. Even if there may be hidden dangers in the future, that will be a matter for the future. At least it won't come too suddenly.

At this time, Zhang Zha really found out some things, but he was not happy at all. Instead, he looked solemn.

Because the clues he found all pointed to the Yan family army, combined with the information he had heard from Cao Cheng before, it seemed as if the truth was emerging before his eyes.

But precisely because of this, he did not believe the evidence, because it was too coincidental and too easy at the same time. Many times he found clues without much effort.

(End of this chapter)