Chapter 143: Going to Qi Zhou Together?

Chapter 143: Going to Qi Zhou Together?

After returning to his residence, the Crown Prince was seething with rage and completely wrecked his study.

Hearing the commotion, the Crown Prince's consort guessed the morning court had gone awry but dared not console him.

Having botched the Spring Banquet, she feared she might be implicated.

The Crown Prince's eyes gleamed with bloodlust as he sneered, "It seems the Crown Prince has long been wary of me, putting on a friendly and magnanimous front while secretly plotting against me."

Advisors rushed in, terrified upon hearing of the morning court incident.

He Zhen, having failed to secure the position of Minister of Revenue, was more anxious than anyone: "Your Highness, the Qi Zhou matter must be flawless, or He An will trace it back to Jiangnan."

The Crown Prince was well aware of this.

Jiangnan was his last resort. If things went south, he might occupy Jiangnan and face off against the capital.

Therefore, the He family must not fall.

"He Zhen, you're just a concubine's son in the He family. I've raised you to this position, and now it's time to serve me. Tomorrow, use the consort's family visit as an excuse to return to Jiangnan. If things go wrong, we won't be too vulnerable."

"Yes."

The Crown Prince doubted his father would shield him again over the Pei family's rebellion, so he had to be fully prepared.

After the meeting, the Crown Prince rushed to the palace. His mother, already aware of the morning court incident, summoned him for a talk.

**

"What if the Crown Prince fails? What should we do?"

"Don't worry, we have the He family backing us. If we leave the capital, we can still find a way out."

The Crown Prince's consort shook her head with a bitter smile: "Such lies might fool the distant He family, but you know I'm not their daughter. If we go back, won't it be exposed?"

He Zhen held her shoulders: "Don't worry, just stay in the Jiangnan villa. Who would dare disturb you?"

"He Yue, the He family's eldest daughter and Crown Prince's consort, would be untouchable in Jiangnan."

The Crown Prince's consort still felt uneasy: "The Crown Prince no longer treats me as before. If I lose my identity as the He family's daughter, I fear we..."

"Don't worry. Once I lead the He family, I'll protect you," He Zhen tried to reassure her: "Once you bear the Crown Prince's child, your position as consort will be secure."

The Crown Prince's consort: "He hasn't stayed with me in ages. His concubines keep conceiving, while I remain childless. I fear he's already decided to discard me."

He Zhen's brow furrowed.

After a moment's thought, he glanced at the dark sky. It was past midnight, and all was quiet.

The Crown Prince was in the palace. After some thought, He Zhen seemed to decide: "I won't let you perish."

With that, he embraced the Crown Prince's consort: "Since I brought you to the capital and into the palace, I'll also take you out safely. Though we can't be together in this life, you know my feelings for you."

The Crown Prince's consort panicked briefly but knew there was no alternative.

Rather than languishing with the Crown Prince, always fearing being cast aside, an extra bargaining chip would ease her mind.

**

In mere months, Consort Qi had aged dramatically. Unaware of the Lu City incident, she lost two nephews, ending her maternal family's line.

She had hoped that after this incident, the Emperor, considering their father-son relationship, would give the Crown Prince a chance and grant him a fief to live out his days.

Little did she expect that Prince Chen would be so stubborn, his ambitions too great, unwilling to give up his desire to compete for the throne.

Now that the Pei family's rebellion has come to light, it has touched the Emperor's sensitive spot. Even if she wanted to extricate herself, she was already in a difficult position.

Prince Chen sat for half an hour, already out of patience: "Mother, the plans I have made have reached this point, there is no turning back. Please give me your guidance."

After all the scolding and beating, Consort Qi's heart was calm.

Those beautiful eyes that once moved the Emperor were no longer tender, but full of determination: "Your father values the distinction between nobility and commoners, legitimate and illegitimate heirs. His intention to establish the Crown Prince will not change. Are you really planning to burn all your bridges?"

"My child still says the same thing, having come this far, there is no turning back."

"Being in the capital, this matter is difficult to achieve. Find a way to go to Jiangnan." She had long discovered Prince Chen's plans in Jiangnan. Taking the capital is as difficult as scaling the heavens, compared to occupying Jiangnan and opposing the capital, it is much easier.

After a moment of thought, Consort Qi took out a secret letter: "This is a letter I wrote to the head of the He clan. After reading it, he will definitely help you."

**

Since the Ministry of Revenue thoroughly investigated the accounts, many court officials have been implicated, and transfers have become more frequent.

In addition to job changes, many implicated officials have been imprisoned and interrogated.

Under such drastic measures, many of Prince Chen's followers have been purged.

Just as everything was going smoothly, the Emperor suddenly issued an edict, ordering He An and Prince Chen to go to Qizhou together to thoroughly investigate the grain storage matter, with Ji Lingchuan leading troops to accompany and protect them.

At night, the study in the Prime Minister's residence was brightly lit.

Ji Lingchuan and He An each had a bowl of noodles, eating while reviewing the account books sent from Qizhou in recent years.

These were specially compiled by Qian Qitai. Ji Lingchuan said with his mouth full: "I must say, this Qian Qitai really has some skills. These things are somewhat useful."

"Hmm, upon comparison, there are indeed significant discrepancies from what we have found."

Ruan Qinghuan and Xia Lian came over and placed the soup they had made on the table: "When do you plan to depart?"

He An put down his chopsticks and took the soup from her hands: "In three days."

"So soon? The matter of the casting department has just made some progress. If it is delayed, I fear complications may arise."

This was something Ji Lingchuan and He An had naturally thought of. Ji Lingchuan sighed helplessly: "The Emperor's orders are difficult to defy."

He An: "Spring planting is approaching, and it concerns the livelihood of the people. Investigating the grain storage matter first is not wrong. As for the casting department's assistance, the documents have been sent to various military camps, asking them to inspect their own military equipment and report any defective items immediately."

"Balancing these two issues will take some time, just enough to go to Qizhou and thoroughly investigate the grain storage case."

He An was right: "I heard that Pei Chong fled to Qizhou. Would he warn the new prefect to destroy evidence?"

He An shook his head: "No, such a large batch of stored grain cannot be destroyed, but they might resort to some tricks."

Ruan Qinghuan wondered if he was thinking the same as her: "I'm worried they might sell the stored grain back to the people."

Ji Lingchuan frowned upon hearing this: "You two are really in sync. He An sent people disguised as grain merchants to Qizhou to buy grain this morning."

Ruan Qinghuan smiled: "If the Qizhou prefect dares to privately sell official grain, it would be like falling into our trap."

Ji Lingchuan: "Privately selling official grain is a serious crime, but if they don't want to be investigated, this is the only way."

Ruan Qinghuan nodded, hesitated, and then stated the purpose of her visit: "Husband, may I accompany you to Qizhou?"