Daughter of aristocratic family

Chapter 364 Brothel
Yun Hao had a good sleep at home and regained his energy. The next day, he and his men continued to secretly collect evidence of Prince Rong's crimes and look for Prince Rong's allies.

Although they were careful enough, the cunning Prince Rong still noticed something was wrong and acted even more covertly.

Just as the two sides were in a stalemate, news came that Prince Bao was robbed on the way while transporting grain back to the capital.

This news was like a bombshell, instantly causing uproar in the government and the country.

After hearing this, Yun Hao felt even more depressed. He knew very well that this was no accident and it was most likely the work of Prince Rong.

Is Prince Rong planning to kill all the princes so he can ascend the throne and become emperor?

This is what Yun Hao guessed, and this is what the emperor thought.

Even though the emperor did not want to choose a crown prince so early, he had never thought of letting someone other than his son inherit the throne.

Prince Rong killed Prince Liangbi and then murdered Prince Bao. The emperor had a strong desire to kill him, but he was the king of a country after all, so he had to think carefully before doing anything and not act impulsively.

The emperor summoned Yun Hao to the palace, "Jingyao, how are you collecting evidence against Lin Jia?"

He hated Prince Rong and called him by his full name, which also showed his determination to take back Prince Rong's title.

Yun Hao replied respectfully: "Your Majesty, I am doing my best to collect the evidence. I already have some evidence, but it is not complete yet."

The emperor asked in a deep voice: "What do you think about the matter of Prince Bao?"

Yun Hao pondered for a moment, "Your Majesty, this matter is extremely strange. Prince Bao was transporting grain this time, and he was heavily guarded, but he was still robbed. There must be collusion between the inside and the outside, which led to the capture of Prince Bao and the seizure of grain and grass."

The emperor nodded, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "I think so too. Prince Rong is ambitious and should have long been dissatisfied with his current status. You must collect evidence of Prince Rong's crimes as soon as possible. Once the evidence is conclusive, arrest him immediately."

"Your Majesty, Prince Rong is cunning, and I am afraid of alerting him, so I dare not collect evidence in a high-profile manner. In order to prevent Prince Rong from doing something desperate, I think the guards of the imperial palace should be strengthened. We can also use the kidnapping of Prince Bao to find out who in the court is secretly colluding with Prince Rong." Yun Hao suggested.

The emperor agreed, "Jingyao, you have lived up to my trust in you. You are right. The guards of the palace must be strengthened. Who do you think should be assigned to guard the palace?"

"I think this person must not have too many connections with people in the court, and must not have a deep friendship with Prince Rong. The most important thing is that this person must have enough ability and means to suppress any possible unrest." Yun Hao did not say which specific person would be more qualified.

The emperor was very satisfied with Yun Hao's answer.

If Yun Hao really recommended someone, the emperor would suspect that Yun Hao had selfish motives.

Serving a king is like living with a tiger. If you are not careful, you will be doomed.

"I will make the decision on this matter, you go and do your thing."

"Yes, I'll take my leave." Yun Hao bowed and left the imperial study.

At the door, he glanced at the eunuch guarding the gate and strode away.

After a while, the eunuch summoned a young eunuch to guard the door, and he left quietly to look for his master, Gao Quan, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department.

"Master, Lord Yun wants to see you for something." said the eunuch.

Gao Quan half-closed his eyes and snorted, "I understand. You can go back to work."

The eunuch left, and Gao Quan walked out slowly after a while, heading towards the imperial study.

When passing by the Taiping Jar, Gao Quan's fingers slid across the edge of the jar, and two words appeared on the edge, "Hao Bai".

Gao Quan knew who Hao Bai was, but he didn't understand why Yun Hao asked someone to leave his name.

When he entered the imperial study and served hot tea to the emperor, the emperor casually asked him, "Jiang Qi of the Imperial Guards is old. Who do you think is more suitable to take his place?"

Jiang Qi's niece married the nephew of Princess Rong, which was closely related to the Rong Palace. The first person the emperor thought of replacing was him.

Gao Quan smiled humbly and flattered: "Your Majesty, I dare not speak nonsense."

The emperor drank a sip of tea and said, "I asked you to speak, so you speak. I will forgive you no guilt."

Gao Quan saw that the emperor insisted, which was exactly what he wanted, so he stopped pretending to refuse and said, "I dare to say whatever I want. If what I say is wrong, please don't blame me, Your Majesty."

"You're so long-winded." The emperor appeared impatient, but in his heart he enjoyed Gao Quan's submissiveness and timidity.

"The Yulin Zuowei is your majesty's personal guard. Although not as important as the Longting Guard, it should not be underestimated. I believe that the person who succeeds him must be loyal and not form cliques for personal gain." Gao Quan understood the emperor's thoughts too well.

The emperor nodded slightly, "Go on."

Gao Quan seemed to be a little bolder after being encouraged, and continued, "There are many people in the court who are qualified for this position, and I can't think of who is the most suitable one at the moment."

"You sly guy." The emperor put down his teacup. "I know you have someone in mind, but you deliberately didn't say it. You should be punished."

Gao Quan lowered his head and said carefully, "Your Majesty is very perceptive. I really admire you. The candidate in my mind is General Hao Bai, the son of General Hao. The Hao family has a shallow foundation in the court, and General Hao is well-known for his integrity. The son is like his father, so General Hao Bai is the most suitable candidate."

The emperor smiled and didn't respond.

Gao Quan didn't say much. He just lowered his head, kept his eyes closed, and stood aside with his hands clasped.

Yun Hao left the palace and went to the prison. As soon as he sat down, Wang Zheng came and said solemnly, "Sir, I have found something."

Without Yun Hao asking, he continued, "Yesterday at midnight, Jia Ji changed into servant's clothes, disguised himself, and sneaked out of the house through the west corner gate. Then he disguised himself as a night incense seller and walked through the streets and alleys."

A hint of surprise flashed across Yun Hao's eyes, "Oh, he's really willing to take risks."

If it weren't for the different standpoints, I would have praised him for not caring about trivial matters in order to achieve great things.

"Our people followed him to the back door of Yanxia Pavilion. After Jia Ji went in, he stayed inside for nearly an hour." Wang Zheng said.

"Have you found out who he went in to meet?" Yun Hao asked in a deep voice.

Wang Zheng nodded, "I checked. The girl he met was a girl named Jiao Xiao. She was originally a singing girl, but was redeemed by Jia Ji and kept in a brothel."

Redeem yourself and keep her in a brothel?

Instead of taking her back as a concubine.

This Jiao Xiao is probably not a real singing prostitute, but has another identity.

"Have you found out her identity?" Yun Hao asked.

"We haven't found out yet, but our people have already started investigating, and I believe we'll have news soon," said Wang Zheng.

Yun Hao nodded. Jia Ji must have had his purpose for sneaking into the brothel late at night.

This Jiao Xiao is most likely the key.

"Keep a close eye on her and see who she will pass the message to, or who she will meet with the guests." Yun Hao narrowed his eyes slightly, "She is very likely to become the key figure in digging out the hidden power of Prince Rong."

"I know about this. I have arranged for the Butterfly Group to enter the museum."

"Very good, thank you for your hard work." Yun Hao said with a faint smile.

"It's not hard. This is my job." Wang Zheng replied respectfully.