Chapter 69: Borrowing a Knife to Kill

  Min An hastily left the inn, never thinking that the place he was going to next would not be peaceful. He stayed in the Crown Prince's residence, and it was a woman, these two things gave Xiao Zhi an extreme shock.

  Xiao Zhiqing was the last one to leave the dormitory. She wandered aimlessly in the rain for a while before coming back to her senses.

  How could she be so muddled and mistaken, thinking that Min'an had only temporarily gained the prince's favor and was staying by his side as a plaything. In the imperial court, there were many precedents of officials keeping concubines or male companions, some even entered the officials' halls, she had heard too much about it and naturally accepted the habits around her, once thinking that if the prince had such inclinations, it was also understandable.

  But Min'an was not a male child, and had already gained the favor of the Crown Prince, her status rising rapidly. Perhaps before long, she would be able to enter the Crown Prince's residence as its mistress with dignity and honor.

  By then, Xiao Zhi would know everything and what could she do?

  Why not take the initiative and be strong first?

  Xiao Zhixin still remembered the encouragement from Wang Ye, who said that being a small child didn't matter, as long as she was willing to work hard, the position of mistress of the Crown Prince's mansion would be hers.

  Since the king has acknowledged her, it is even more necessary for her to be careful at this time.

  She thought, since she had already done something bad at the beginning, she couldn't back down now. Bao'er had told her before that Min An was prone to some illnesses on rainy days, and if she saw Min An acting strangely, it would be best to avoid him. This evening, seeing that it was going to rain, she suddenly felt that this might not be a bad opportunity.

  She wanted the troupe to sing "Double Sorrow", and as expected, it stimulated Min An's emotions. Perhaps in the dead of night, Min An would do something impulsive and unseemly, just like he usually did.

  Xiao Zhiqing waited at the gate of the mansion where King Chu Nan lived, planning to shout for the king to come out as soon as he heard any movement, so that he could thoroughly see the true face of Min An's madness.

  The king will certainly be displeased after seeing this. It would be better for the king to put pressure on the crown prince, rather than her going to the crown prince's place to curry favor.

  But she didn't expect that a follower of the Marquis's mansion came to report that the second young master, in order to find Min Xiaoxiang, had a falling out with the Crown Prince and got into a fight.

  What's going on with Min An? Why is there no news about him?

  Xiao Zhiqing rushed to the bedroom with a look of astonishment, her sharp eyes taking in the woman in the crown prince's arms, whose shoulders were thin and left arm was placed on the bed frame, carefully propped up by thick bedding.

  It must be Min-ah.

  Xiao Zhi walked out with a chill all over her body, and even the rain couldn't extinguish the raging flames of jealousy in her heart. She wasn't unwilling to tolerate Min An, but she was unwilling to lose to someone who was sometimes masculine and sometimes feminine and came from a lowly background.

  Heavy rain poured down, pounding against her like hailstones. She let the rainwater flow freely, covering her eyes and heart. There was a moment when she felt that her appearance had become too ugly, to the point where she felt a sense of self-loathing. In fact, she knew that her original self was not so jealous, because in front of the prince, she always maintained a dignified position. She took the prince's place in the imperial examination and won, becoming the most favored official in the mansion; she also judged several difficult cases, gaining the prince's appreciation. But now that Min An had arrived, taking her place and doing what she used to do, it wouldn't be long before the prince would cast her aside and send her to the palace to await orders.

  She was very unwilling.

  Walking in the rain, the lightning and thunder on the night sky couldn't illuminate her eyes. To deal with Min'an, she needed a reason to gain the full support of the king, then have the king suppress the crown prince, so as not to let her fall into the crown prince's eyes and be despised by him. She walked for a moment, mobilizing all her thoughts to think about this problem, suddenly thought of an excellent excuse.

  Eleven years ago, the previous emperor of China made a wrong judgment on Min Chang's impeachment case, which left a bad impression at that time. The Min family was ruined and scattered, but only Min An was still struggling to climb up the official career ladder, it can be seen that he still wanted to reverse the case. If he successfully reverses the case, he will inevitably overthrow the previous emperor's decision, which is extremely disrespectful to the late emperor who has already passed away.

  Xiao Zhi's determination grew stronger as he thought about it.

  At midnight, in the mansion where King of Southern Chu temporarily resided, a figure knelt upright.

  Xiao Zhiqing pursed her lips tightly, enduring the cold pain of the torrential rain, just to ensure that the second half of the night's conversation would go smoothly. Li Jingzhuo was already having a restless sleep, and upon hearing the servant's announcement, he knew Xiao Zhiqing had something to say, so he called her into the room.

  Xiao Zhiqing took the handkerchief from the attendant in the corridor, wiped her hair and face clean, and walked into the hall door wearing a wet dress. She bowed her head and knelt down in front of Li Jingzhuo's chair, saying: "Your humble servant has committed a crime and failed to live up to the king's expectations."

  Li Jingzhuo waved his hand to dismiss all the attendants and said with a serious face: "If the crime is serious, it will be punished according to national law; if the crime is minor, I will take responsibility for it when you leave."

  Xiao Zhiqing knocked his head on the ground, pale-faced and replied: "Your humble servant has committed a crime against his superior, putting poison in the king's teacup to frame Min An for the crime, punishable by death."

  Li Jingzhuo's voice turned cold: "It was actually you who poisoned him? It seems I was foolish to raise a white-eyed wolf!"

  Xiao Zhongqin's eyes welled up with tears, and he knocked his head again: "The purpose of the micro-minister is to induce Min An to investigate the source of the poison and send him to the countryside. There was no intention of poisoning the king. The micro-minister knew that the king's heart was heavy and he would not drink that cup of tea, so he dared to put a small amount of poison in it, ensuring that it would not harm the king's body. If the king does not believe it, you can take out the letter and seal the evidence for inspection!"

  Li Jingzhuo reached out and tapped the top of Xiao Zhiqin's head, saying coldly: "I can let bygones be bygones for your mistakes, but what about that guard? How could you frame him for poisoning someone?"

  Xiao Zhiqing, under Li Jingzhuo's pressure, did not dare to move and said clearly: "This is exactly the second thing that your humble servant needs to report."

  "Speak!"

  "Two thousand Qingshui guards occupied the mountain and blocked the imperial salt and iron camp, relying on their evil deeds to harm the people. They were considered a major threat by the king and his son. The guards had complex factions and were supported by Empress Qi, making it difficult for the king and his son to discipline them without a suitable excuse. Just like this time when Bi Si died, Peng Ma's party brought in the guards to surround the county government, and the king was forced to release them to maintain stability, avoiding a bloody battle within the county government."

  Xiao Zhiqing paused here, leaving the right moment for Li Jingzhuo to consider. Her words were piercing and indeed a headache for Li Jingzhuo. Therefore, Li Jingzhuo's face, which had been pointed at, relaxed a lot.

  Xiao Zhiqin immediately followed up by saying: "Your humble servant has a way to mobilize the local people to join the county government's capture team, to help the government suppress the military power of the defenders, and it will be a justified action. However, the method - needs to be quite drastic."

  Li Jingzhuo hesitated: "Absolutely fierce? Let's hear it first."

  Xiao Zhiqing knew the time had come, so he knocked his head and bowed deeply, showing a resolute attitude to Li Jingzhuo. He even dispensed with the self-deprecating "your humble servant". "This plan starts with the guards by the king's side. I once saved one of them from death, and he was grateful to me, so he followed my arrangements - I had him use a special steel knife from the military camp to kill himself, making it look like he was killed by someone else. I planned to throw his body onto the altar at dawn. The guards in the military camp wear straight-bladed knives with wide backs and narrow blades, and are used to fighting with their left hands. The cause of the guard's death matches these characteristics perfectly. In addition to the guard, I also arranged for two more bodies, both from the civilian district, whose owners had some status and would easily arouse public outrage. When the people's emotions reached a boiling point, someone would stir them up to demand that the guards take responsibility, and then I would lead a large contingent of soldiers in to 'protect' the civilians from the marauding army, and clear out the guards."

  Li Jingzhuo was silent for a long time, first shocked by Xiao Zhi's extreme measures. A woman could have such a decisive plan, already not inferior to any ruler in ancient and modern times. Moreover, he wanted to get Xiao Zhi's loyalty to the Wangfu and Shizi Fu, who truly had a loyal heart, not only thinking of countermeasures to deal with the difficulties in the palace, leaving a good reputation for loving the people and clearing the world's customs for the two houses, but also personally taking action, fearless of danger, dedicating his last bit of strength.

  A subordinate female officer has such insight and decisiveness, what reason does he have to decline as a superior? As for the three corpses thrown out by her, equivalent to three lives, he also included them in the reason of "great things are not limited by trivial matters".

  Li Jingzhuo finally nodded and said: "This method is feasible."

  Xiao Zhi suppressed his joyful emotions and knelt down, saying: "Your humble servant has a third matter to report."

  With a second achievement as backing, Li Jingzhuo had no choice but to listen to Xiao Zhiqing. "Speak."

  "Prince Wang needs to guard against Min An."

  Li Jingzhuo's face turned cold as soon as he heard Min An's name, and Xiao Zhiqin took the opportunity to carefully explain the reasons why Min An wanted to turn against the former emperor's sacred will. Li Jingzhuo was moved by this, but because of his eldest son's previous harsh words, it wasn't convenient for him to use his royal authority to make any threats or promises again. Xiao Zhiqin suggested that she would discreetly handle Min An without causing any trouble and wouldn't provoke the crown prince's displeasure. This suggestion was exactly what Li Jingzhuo had in mind, so he immediately said: "Try not to cause any loss of life, leave some face for the crown prince." He also didn't try to dissuade her further, thereby tacitly approving Xiao Zhiqin's approach.

  Xiao Zhi kept Min An's secret that she was a woman, and in things that were unfavorable to her, she knew how to avoid them. The king thought Min An was a boy toy and still wanted to spare his life, if he had known his true identity, wouldn't the plans behind him be even more hindered? So, not only did she not reveal Min An's secret, but also didn't elaborate on her plan to deal with Min An, just using two short sentences "Drive him away, send him to a distant place" to conclude.

  Xiao Zhi walked out of the main hall and saw a red sun rising in front of her, which made her spirit shake. Not long after, Min An hurriedly left the hotel with Fei Yi, and her heart was even more joyful.

  Then she set about arranging everything.

  Li Peinan did not sleep all night, washed up and had some early tea, waiting for Min An to come and listen to the difference. He changed his clothes and wiped his hands clean, but still didn't see Min An's shadow, so he sent Lei Qun to urge him. Just as Lei Qun walked down the stairs, he saw Wang Ye leading a group of followers walking over, and hastily stepped aside to pay respects.

  Li Jingzhuo knew what Li Qun was going to do, he came to the main building, also responded to Xiao Zhiqin's request, and tried his best to stabilize Li Peinan. He asked Li Qun to wait for orders downstairs, after all the guards in the mansion reported, he stepped up the stairs and entered the study.

  Li Peinan turned around and slowly bowed, saying: "Father King really came? Do I need to explain everything I do?"

  Li Jingzhuo waved his hand: "It's not about last night. Listen carefully, there's a tough battle to be fought today."

  Li Peinan lifted his robe and sat down, quietly listening to the king's words. When he heard about the plan to eliminate the border guards, his face didn't show any unusual expression. Last night, when he went to the side courtyard to capture Min An, he saw that the guard's self-defense technique was not ordinary, and immediately suspected that something was amiss, so he pulled Min An away. Min An later advised him that he couldn't be so indifferent to a human life, and Li Peinan really listened to his words.

  Min An strongly opposed his way of doing things that disregarded the law and showed no regard for the people, so he should make some appropriate changes.

  Li Peinan interrupted his father's words and said decisively: "Before the annihilation, we will carry out a routine amnesty once, and not kill the soldiers who surrender."

  Li Jingzhuo, although his eldest son had a sudden good intention, considering that indiscriminate killing was not the best strategy, also agreed to his opinion. When drafting the imperial edict and stamping it with the national seal, Li Jingzhuo did not leave the study room. Li Peinan suddenly felt something was wrong and left his father, walking towards the bamboo house.

  Outside the fence, the small flowers on the threshold are making a silent noise in the autumn sun, revealing the clear and sunny weather, while the bamboo house is quiet and deserted.

  Li Peinan looked around, didn't see the usual cornfield where children were playing, and his face changed. He asked a passing maid about Min An's whereabouts, but the little girl couldn't answer, standing outside the bamboo fence with her head down, nervously twisting her handkerchief.

  Li Peinan stood in the courtyard for a moment, and Zhang Fang, the captain of the guard, had already figured out what was going on. He walked back to report in detail about Fei's departure from the mansion with Xiao Xianggong.

  Li Peinan said coldly: "Demolish the house."

  Immediately, the attendants took over the hooks and pulled open the bamboo tiles, beams, and walls of the house, leaving only a base with a door pillar. After a piece of bamboo and grass ash fell to the ground, Li Peinan walked up to the platform and looked around.

  In the ruins, one can still see the shadow of Min Anping's life. The corn husk chair is placed beside the bed, and the bamboo tube is on the table. The box is always empty... He carefully examined it for a long time, and Zhang Fang handed over the letter left on the table, which was cut into pieces by him.

  Li Peinan didn't even look at Min An's explanation and only thought of one thing: how dare he not report it and secretly follow Fei Yu to escape?

  Your guts are really too big!

  Li Peinan looked coldly for half a day, but couldn't find any remaining traces of Min An. Instead, he found a large bamboo tube, which was probably used to wash corn, and inside it were the various trinkets he had given to Min An: a sandalwood seal, agate beads, and even the fan painting that had cost him so much effort. If he hadn't ordered Min An to hang the Han Chui jade pendant around his neck, he would probably have found its remains by now.

  Li Peinan stood for a long time, and in the end, he still remembered the important matter he had to attend to today, so he didn't send someone to chase after the carriage. Seeing the desolate ruins, he couldn't help but think that letting Min'an leave first was also a safe strategy.

  Although it's comforting to think that way, it's hard to accept emotionally. Just as he was about to break through the base station, he coldly gave another order: burn everything, including the base and the rewards, out of sight, out of mind.

  He then walked into the main building's side hall and wrote a few secret orders to be sent back to the Crown Prince's residence.

  It was noon at this time, and the Sheji altar in Qingquan County had just begun its worship.

  Following the convention, the county government would hold a ritual at the altar of Sheji at the end of each month and perform the "car-turning" ceremony to irrigate the fields at the beginning of each month, attaching great importance to agriculture. The ritual was presided over by the highest official in the yamen, but since Xiao Zhicai had broken his left arm, the task fell to the chief clerk.

  Xiao Zhi thought of this when he went hunting on Haitang Mountain, so he deliberately injured his arm to achieve a two-for-one deal. Firstly, it would move the Crown Prince to sympathy, and secondly, without having to ascend the altar, he could push the main book of revering agriculture and respecting gods in front of the common people.

  The Sheji gods preside over agriculture, the altar is set up in the suburbs, and the garrison camp is opposite, sharing a river. When the chief clerk led the farmers from each village in the county to kneel down sincerely, three corpses suddenly floated in the river, not only polluting the water source but also showing disrespect to the gods of the land and grain. The corpses were brutally killed, all with their throats cut by a knife, and then discarded in the wild suburbs.

  This approach undoubtedly poured oil on the emotional dissatisfaction of the people, thoroughly provoking their anger. The previous official, Wang Huaili, did not ask about the bullying of the rural guards against the common people, and the people could only hold back their anger. However, today, on such a solemn and important day, the guards still indiscriminately killed innocent people and abandoned their bodies to disrupt the agricultural festival, how can they not be enraged?

  The coroner carefully examined the corpses and found that they were a brocade guard, the landlord who rented out the basement, and a doctor who had testified at the yamen. He couldn't help but take a deep breath of cold air. These three corpses might be related to the sudden death of Mr. Bi.

  Because Peng Yin Xian had already withdrawn the Forbidden Army and taken away his attendants, but the garrison troops in the suburbs were still local, they were the last force that needed to be reviewed. They didn't wait for the summons from the government office, did they harbor hatred and kill the two direct witnesses in the case?

  The chief scribe was hesitant and uncertain, the crowd in the village was stirred up by Xiao Zhi's secretly instructed agents, and they began to clamor and stir up everyone's emotions. Their words were extremely mournful, lifting up the dignity of the land gods and pressing down on the chief scribe and the officials on the altar, making them break out in cold sweat. In the end, the crowd's anger grew more intense, and they returned to their villages beating gongs and drums, organizing militia to report to the government office, claiming that they wanted to eliminate the influence of the bandits.

  Since the people are not afraid of death, what is there for the chief to hesitate about. He ordered the entire government office to move out and also reported to the Xingguan. Xiao Zhiqin in the Xingguan again raised the banner of seeking justice for the guards, driving Li Jingzhuo's army to rush to the suburbs together.

  Li Peinan arrived with his guards. The battlefield has always been a man's responsibility, he didn't want to borrow the hands of a female official to gain an advantage, so he called for Xiao Zhiqing to step down and ordered that those who surrendered would not be killed.

  Xiao Zhiqing presented the corpse, single knife, and wound examination as evidence, not waiting for the deputy general of the defending army to explain, he turned his head to look at the civilian militia team brought by the chief clerk.

  The chief accountant gave an order, and the people rushed out in unison.

  Li Peinan waved his hand, and the guard cavalry immediately galloped towards the military camp, holding long knives to cut down the enemy first. He stayed outside the city wall to direct the battle and happened to protect Xiao Zhi's safety. There were hidden arrows shooting from the wall, he used his long sword to cut off the arrow, originally not involved in danger, but Xiao Zhi behind him was afraid that he would make a mistake, and rushed forward on horseback, blocking an iron arrow for him.

  Thank you H and Auntie's hand grenade (*^__^*)