Chapter 351: Chapter 352: Revenge for an Arrow
The next day, Li Ji went to the Ministry of Justice.
He was under orders to supervise the case of Liu Ze.
First, a large amount of illicit funds was discovered in a secret room in Liu Ze’s study, along with a secret letter he had personally written to Xiao Hong.
Faced with ironclad evidence, Liu Ze lost his last shred of hope.
Dejectedly, he confessed to the entire process of colluding with the enemy and betraying his country.
It turned out that as early as five years ago, the West Liang people had secretly made contact with Liu Ze.
At that time, Liu Ze had not yet earned the Emperor’s favor as he did now.
He had only managed to gain a precarious foothold in the court through the favor his sister enjoyed in the palace. Privately, many people mocked him, saying he had only become a court official through nepotism.
Liu Ze always held a simmering resentment in his heart. He wanted to show everyone who looked down on him that he could achieve a high position even without relying on his family connections.
So when the West Liang people secretly approached him, he didn’t refuse them outright, instead saying he needed to consider it.
To show their sincerity, the West Liang people not only gave him a great deal of gold, silver, and treasure, but also promised to place their spies remaining in Shangjing City under his command.
This meant that Liu Ze now possessed an unseen blade.
With a single word from him, that blade could secretly eliminate his enemies.
How could Liu Ze not be tempted?
With the help of the West Liang people, he successively eliminated several political rivals who had once ridiculed and looked down on him.
With no one secretly obstructing him, his official duties went much more smoothly than before.
After beautifully completing two assignments in a row, he finally won the Emperor’s esteem and ascended step by step to a high position.
Power is intoxicating.
Once Liu Ze had a taste of power, he could never bear to let it go.
It went so far that when the West Liang people demanded he betray Prince Zhao, he agreed.
Because he knew very well.
The West Liang people held the evidence of his treason. If they exposed what he had done, he would not only lose everything he had worked so hard to obtain, but he and his entire family would also forfeit their lives.
As Liu Ze spoke of this, he knelt on the ground, weeping bitterly.
"I never actually wanted to harm you! It was those West Liang people! They forced me! If I didn’t do as they said, they would have pushed me into an abyss of eternal damnation! I had no choice, I really had no choice!"
Li Ji looked down at him, and after a long moment, spoke coolly.
"How did you bribe Tong Huai?"
Tong Huai was the trusted aide who had shot him in the back with an arrow.
After Tong Huai’s death, Li Ji had ordered a thorough investigation of his background and social connections several times but had never found a single clue.
Liu Ze was crying so hard he couldn’t help but start coughing.
He ended up coughing up blood.
Like a dying old dog, he lay on the floor, gasping for breath.
After a while, he finally regained enough strength to speak.
"Tong Huai had a daughter. She was abducted by child traffickers when she was very young.
By a twist of fate, his daughter was sold to my estate.
I told Tong Huai that as long as he did as I said, I would take his daughter in as my goddaughter and ensure she would live a life of wealth and ease.
If he refused to obey, I would sell his daughter to the lowest-class brothel, to be used and abused by a thousand men.
Between loyalty and a father’s love, Tong Huai ultimately chose the latter.
To protect his daughter, he chose to betray you."
Liu Ze expected Prince Zhao to be furious after hearing this, or at the very least, disappointed.
But in reality, Prince Zhao remained as calm as ever.
He asked faintly, "What is Tong Huai’s daughter’s name?"
Liu Ze coughed twice more. "You’re not planning to kill her to get back at Tong Huai for betraying you, are you? She’s just a little girl, she doesn’t know anything, you don’t have to..."
Li Ji cut off his feigned concern. "Her name!"
Liu Ze raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "If you want to know, you have to agree to one condition."
Li Ji: "You are in no position to bargain with me."
Liu Ze said with a self-mocking smile, "I just want a quick and clean death."
Li Ji stared at him for a long time before finally saying, "Fine."
Only then did Liu Ze give his answer.
"Her name is Xuanlan."
That evening, Li Ji returned to the Prince Mansion, and with him was a young girl.
When Madam He heard about this, she couldn’t help but frown.
"Didn’t the Prince decide to send away all the women in the rear courtyard? How could he turn around and bring another girl back from outside in the blink of an eye?"
’And here I was, thinking Prince Zhao was different from all those other philandering men, a rare and devoted lover.’
’It seems I was too naive.’
’All crows under the sky are black. Prince Zhao is no exception.’
Hua Manman, however, didn’t let her thoughts stray in that direction. She knew Prince Zhao’s character; he wasn’t the type to bring women home casually.
She said, "There must be some hidden reason for this."
Madam He snorted. "Even now, you’re still defending him."
Hua Manman: "Instead of making wild guesses, why don’t we call the Prince over and ask him directly?"
She had Si Yun go and ask Prince Zhao to come over.
Madam He was surprised. "You really dare to confront Prince Zhao to his face? Aren’t you afraid of making him angry?"
Even though Prince Zhao usually appeared quite amiable, Madam He hadn’t forgotten the rumors that he was a deadly star who could kill without batting an eye—utterly savage.
Hua Manman smiled at her.
"The Prince isn’t that petty."
Madam He was skeptical. "But I’ve heard that Prince Zhao is unpredictable and vindictive, that he seeks revenge for the smallest grievance..."
Hua Manman: "As the saying goes, ’hearing is deceptive, seeing is believing.’ The rumors outside aren’t necessarily the truth. You have to see with your own eyes."
Madam He thought about it and felt that made sense.
Li Ji arrived soon after.
He sat down by the bed and asked, "I heard you had something to discuss with me?"
Just as Hua Manman was about to speak, Madam He spoke up first.
"Actually, I’m the one who wanted to see you. I heard you brought a girl back today. I was curious and wanted to know who she is. Will she be living in the Prince Mansion from now on?"
Hua Manman looked at Madam He in surprise.
Madam He shot her a look, telling her not to speak.
’In Manman’s position as the Princess Consort, if she were to directly question Prince Zhao about the girl, rumors would inevitably spread, giving her a bad reputation for being jealous and suspicious.’
’But it’s different for me.’
’I’m Prince Zhao’s mother-in-law, his elder. It’s not a big deal for me to ask a few more questions. At worst, people will just think I’m being a busybody.’
’Even if Prince Zhao gets annoyed, that’s my problem as his mother-in-law. It has nothing to do with Manman and won’t affect their marital relationship.’
Li Ji heard Madam He’s thoughts as clear as day.
He chuckled, his tone uncharacteristically gentle.
"The girl’s name is Lan Xuan. Her birth father was once one of my trusted aides. It was he and twenty-nine other trusted aides who risked their lives to escort me back to Shangjing."
Madam He thought this was the whole truth.
However, Prince Zhao then continued.
"Later, on the battlefield, he shot me with an arrow and nearly killed me."
"I’m considering whether I should kill his daughter to avenge that arrow."
