Chapter 111

Chapter 111

Meng Shuping was in awe, "Whoa! No wonder they're so cunning—their skill at passing the buck is just too practiced!"

"Tsk tsk tsk, good thing Hong Da isn't here right now. If he were, he'd definitely throw hands with them."

Jiang Ciyi and the others kept straight faces. Since it wasn't their doing, they felt no pressure pinning it on someone else. Besides, it wasn't as if they were making baseless accusations.

Seeing how unflinching they were, Meng Shuping shifted his suspicion to others. "Could it really be Hong Da? Or perhaps Dong Lide, who left the capital long ago? Or maybe someone from the Earl's household?"

Jiang Ciyi and the others looked at him speechlessly. To them, this guy deserved it! Shouldn’t he take a look at how many people he’d offended? It was sheer luck nothing had happened to him so far!

After a moment’s thought, Meng Shuping felt that the people from the Earl’s household wouldn’t be so foolish. After all, harming him at home would be much more convenient. He mused again, "Maybe I was just collateral damage? After all, there were so many carriages in front of the palace—what if they targeted the wrong one?"

The Minister of Works and the others got chills. Every time they entered the palace, they had to park their carriages there. If someone really intended to tamper with their carriages, they might not be as lucky as Meng Shuping.

So, for their own safety and to prove their innocence, the Minister of Works immediately said, "Your Majesty! Vice Director Meng is an imperial official, yet someone dared to plot against him like this. I believe this matter must be looked into thoroughly!"

Meng Shuping jumped in eagerly, "Exactly! If they can harm me today, couldn’t they harm someone else tomorrow? How could the safety of our colleagues be guaranteed? And this happened right at the palace gates—how audacious! It shows they have no respect for Your Majesty!"

Emperor Qianyou’s expression darkened slightly. He had also thought about that—daring to tamper with Meng Shuping’s carriage right at the palace gates showed extreme arrogance on the part of the perpetrator.

The Minister of Justice felt a chill. "Your Majesty, if carrying out our duties impartially makes us targets of resentment, then wouldn’t all of us in the Ministry of Justice be looking over our shoulders?"

After all, the officials in the Ministry of Justice had handled countless cases. Even if they acted strictly by the book, there were always those who held grudges and sought revenge.

Meng Shuping thought aloud, "Now that you mention it, Hong Da’s suspicion seems even greater. After all, I offended him quite severely."

"Ah! I see!"

"Could it be that he holds a grudge against Your Majesty too? Maybe he caused trouble today specifically to upset you! But his son truly committed a crime—surely he can’t blame Your Majesty for not shielding his son?"

At that moment, the Minister of Revenue stepped forward with a grave expression. "Your Majesty, the fact that the perpetrator chose to act on this day is downright malicious! With so many regular folks on the streets, if a few were injured and the incident escalated, wouldn’t it become a joke for the envoys of other nations?"

Others joined in, "Exactly! Causing trouble during the New Year—how unbearable!"

"If not for Prince Zhao’s incredible luck, wouldn’t they have succeeded?"

"How hateful! Absolutely despicable! What if they target me? With my old bones, how could I possibly withstand it?"

Meng Shuping looked at the Minister of Revenue with admiration. "No wonder he’s a top court official! Just look at his perspective—truly exceptional!"

"Hiss… Could this be the work of people from another country? I remember once questioning a Beixiang spy—could it be the work of Beixiang? They get to take revenge on me and upset Your Majesty at the same time—why wouldn’t they?"

"Moreover, with envoys from various countries here today, if a scandal breaks out, the embarrassment would spread to so many nations!"

Emperor Qianyou’s expression also turned grave. Could this really be part of a larger conspiracy?

With a deadly serious tone, he said, "Beloved Minister Cao, I entrust this matter to you. I expect results as soon as possible!"

Cao Jie looked like he expected it. He knew this would fall on him. The thought of the perpetrator messing up his holiday made his blood boil. Gnashing his teeth, he replied, "Yes!"

After an hour or two, he returned looking worried. "Your Majesty, I’ve found some leads."

Emperor Qianyou looked at him. "Speak."

"Yes," Cao Jie said. "Your Majesty, I’ve found that Vice Director Meng’s carriage axle was indeed messed with. I also had the horse examined and found a needle stuck in it. It was because of this needle that Vice Director Meng’s horse suddenly freaked out."

Emperor Qianyou asked further, "Have you found out who did it?"

Cao Jie looked uneasy. "We have some leads on the perpetrator, but…"

Emperor Qianyou looked at him impatiently. "Out with it! Why beat around the bush?"

Cao Jie sneaked a glance at Jiang Ciyi and Jiang Cian. "I’ve questioned the guards at the palace gates and others who were there at the time. Some reported seeing someone from the palace there."

Emperor Qianyou was surprised. "Someone from the palace?"

Meng Shuping once again looked suspiciously at Jiang Ciyi and Jiang Cian. "I knew it! It must be them! I knew it had to be them! Their nerves of steel are impressive—lying without even blinking! Who else could command someone from the palace besides them? It couldn’t possibly be the prince or Your Majesty, right?"

"Hiss…"

"Could their real target have been the prince? Seeing the prince board my carriage, they targeted my horse—thinking about it, that makes sense too!"

Under the subtle scrutinizing gazes of everyone, Jiang Ciyi and Jiang Cian got pissed. Why were they looking at them? They really didn’t do it!

Jiang Ciyi freaked out. "It wasn’t me! If I had done it, I would’ve covered my tracks—I wouldn’t have been so sloppy about it!"

Jiang Cian nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes! And with so many opportunities, why would I choose today of all days to act?"

Meng Shuping was blown away. "Seriously? Their excuses for clearing themselves are just ridiculous! Are they openly owning up to scheming against others now?"

Jiang Ciyi stuck his chin out defiantly. Even if he were to harm someone, he wouldn’t be so foolish!

Emperor Qianyou never expected the perpetrator to be from the palace. His face darkened. "Investigate! Continue the investigation! No matter who it is, find them!"

So everyone entered the palace together. With Emperor Qianyou’s orders, Cao Jie quickly identified the culprit. He reported to Emperor Qianyou immediately, "Your Majesty, the person who messed with Vice Director Meng’s carriage appears to be from Sixth Princess’s palace."

Emperor Qianyou was surprised. "Le Ning?"

Meng Shuping was confused. "Which princess is Sixth Princess? I think I’ve only met one princess. Could it be Prince Ning’s sister?"

"Whoa, so it’s his own daughter causing trouble for him during the New Year! His daughter harming his son—just think about it. How do you think that makes him feel?"

Jiang Ciyi took a deep breath. This sister of his—will she ever quit it? His affairs were not her problem! Even if she wanted to intervene, she couldn’t even succeed! How did he end up with such a sister!

Emperor Qianyou’s expression turned frosty. Asking if he felt upset? He was fuming! He never expected Jiang Zhiru to be involved in this!

His face stern, he said, "Someone, bring her here!"

Before long, Jiang Zhiru arrived in the hall. Seeing so many people present, she couldn’t help but wonder, "Father, why did you call me here?"

To her surprise, as soon as she finished speaking, Emperor Qianyou looked her over and said, "Jiang Zhiru, why did you plot to harm Beloved Minister Meng?"

A flicker of guilt crossed Jiang Zhiru’s face, but she quickly masked it. Playing innocent, she said, "I plotted to harm him? Father, what are you talking about? I didn’t!"

But as soon as she denied it, Meng Shuping’s voice chimed in, "Deny it all you want—daring to lie right in front of the Emperor, she really doesn’t take him seriously, does she? Does she think the Emperor has no evidence?"

"Sigh, but even if she doesn’t admit it, there probably won’t be any consequences, right? After all, she’s the Emperor’s daughter—he can’t exactly charge her with deceiving the throne, can he? No wonder she’s so bold—she has nothing to fear! People like us, with no power or influence, would just have to accept our fate even if she killed us!"

Jiang Zhiru was livid. Who didn’t take her father seriously? How dare this guy slander her! But he was right about one thing—even if she did something to him, would her father actually punish her?

Emperor Qianyou was irritated by Meng Shuping’s sarcastic tone. He glared at Jiang Zhiru displeasedly. "Do you think I have no evidence? Le Ning, every palace attendant’s exit is recorded. Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Should I bring the person here to confront you face-to-face?"

Meng Shuping snorted disdainfully. "Exactly! Is she not the sharpest tool in the shed? If she wanted to harm someone, why send someone so openly? Was she afraid people wouldn’t find out? Everyone in this room is sharp—did she really think she could fool them? Does she take everyone for fools?"

Jiang Zhiru clenched her jaw in anger at Meng Shuping’s words. Who wasn’t bright? She just never expected her father to investigate such a trivial matter so thoroughly. Why was her father taking the side of this Meng Shuping so much?

But she was still a young girl after all, and under Emperor Qianyou’s questioning, she grew nervous. "Father, I really didn’t mean to harm him. I just wanted to give him a little scare."

Meng Shuping was shocked, "This almost killed someone, and she calls it a small lesson? What, just because she's a princess, she thinks she's above everyone else? Does she even realize someone almost died?"

Jiang Zhiru was taken aback—almost died? She had only ordered someone to damage Meng Shuping's axle—was it really that serious?

Emperor Qianyou grew angrier with every word, "A small lesson? Do you have any idea you nearly got the Seventh Prince killed?"

Jiang Zhiru was utterly confused. Hadn’t she targeted Meng Shuping’s carriage? How could the Seventh Prince have almost died?

Before she could voice her question, Jiang Ciyi said, sounding exasperated, "Zhiru, when Vice Director Meng’s carriage was sabotaged, the Seventh Prince was also in the carriage."

Jiang Zhiru’s face instantly turned pale. No wonder her father was so furious and had ordered an investigation. Panicked, she admitted her mistake, "Father, I know I was wrong. I truly didn’t expect Seventh Brother to be in the carriage."

After speaking, she anxiously scanned the room and, seeing that Jiang Cihe appeared unharmed, let out a sigh of relief. "Seventh Brother seems fine, doesn’t he?"

Meng Shuping was deeply displeased, "What does she mean by that? If something had happened, it would’ve been too late! Is she actually disappointed that nothing happened? Not to criticize her, but does she even respect the Emperor? The Emperor had just finished hosting a palace banquet, and she seized the chance to cause trouble—some filial daughter she is!"

"And if she’s going to stir up trouble, why today of all days? Did she have to do it on the first day of the new year? Is she trying to embarrass her father even more? If this gets out, Great Chu will be humiliated in front of several nations!"