Chapter 377: Chapter 295: Him Again?_3
Jiang Lin immediately walked beneath the iron ring, examined it with his eyes, and then inserted a stick into the iron ring—
A clanging sound was heard!
The iron cage retracted back underground, completely out of sight!
Without hesitation, a few people quickly leaped onto the wall, engaged in a fierce battle with the samurai guarding below, and after throwing down two thunder bombs, they broke through the encirclement!...
After mounting the horses hidden among the lotus fields, Jiang Lin looked back at the house, now billowing with thick smoke, turned his horse around, and galloped toward the county town direction!
"Old Liu, leave two people to continue watching, the rest follow me back to the capital!"
...
In the blink of an eye, Pei Zhan had been stationed in Prince Rong’s Mansion for more than half a month.
That day, Prince Rong and his son were suddenly summoned to the palace by the Crown Prince, after which the mourning in the manor proceeded in an orderly manner, and there were still many guests coming to pay their respects daily.
If there was anything different, it was that the number of times Xu Yin appeared in Prince Rong’s Mansion had decreased; he had returned to the government office and was recently busy with the Mid-Autumn Palace Banquet.
During this period, the Crown Prince, who temporarily replaced Prince Rong in handling the affairs of the Zongrenfu, summoned him twice.
After their conversation that night, Fu Zhen and Pei Zhan tacitly didn’t mention the Crown Prince again. Later, when Liang Zhi came over, he asked her once, and it seemed Pei Zhan had already informed them, but they didn’t say much to each other.
If a member of the royal family behaves improperly, it concerns the state, let alone the Crown Prince of a country?
The Emperor is already over sixty years old and often falls ill; perhaps at some point, Great Zhou will face a transition of imperial power, and the current Crown Prince might become the new Emperor overnight.
Currently, there are many suspicions about the Crown Prince, but there is no conclusive evidence, and if any word of suspicion leaks out, it might provoke the first fire lit by the new Emperor upon his accession.
The Emperor is a benevolent ruler, and the Empress is also wise. For more than two decades since their accession, the meritorious officials have thrived and continued to be entrusted with important responsibilities.
But everyone understands the principles of "the full moon wanes, the full cup spills." Take the five General Mansions, who would dare to be arrogant and domineering just because of their military exploits and the founding of the nation?
Pei Yu now spends his days in romantic leisure with Mrs. Pei, isn’t it also because Pei Zhan later achieved great military exploits in the northwest, and the Pei family’s prestige became too overwhelming, forcing Pei Yu, this founding Great General, to retreat and conceal his sharpness?
The human heart is unpredictable, and despite the Emperor and Empress’s wisdom, who can ensure that there aren’t people in the court resentful of these meritorious officials’ enjoyment of power and wealth, tripping them up behind the scenes? The current Great Zhou, unified in heart between ruler and minister, is not shaped by either side alone. A harmonious court has always been a mutual achievement of ruler and ministers.
Thus, what could have been pursued vigorously, seizing the blood case in Baiyu Lane and cutting through thorns to investigate, saw everyone restrain themselves as the Crown Prince’s involvement became increasingly evident.
During this time, being busy with Princess Rong’s mourning, there had been no new progress in the Prince’s Manor.
Most of the clues obtainable in the Prince’s Manor had been gathered, and aside from the current uncertainty about the Emperor’s purpose in assigning troops to the manor, Pei Zhan had almost entered a routine state.
Zhe Yu had been living with the Liang Family for nearly two weeks, with Lu Chongyang providing close medical care, and his health had fully recovered.
However, the people of Prince Rong and Xu Yin were secretly looking for him, and Liang Chen wouldn’t let him out.
To someone like Zhe Yu, a low-ranking general, Liang Chen and Pei Zhan, the two marshals who swept through Dayue, seemed almost like deities, and he would never argue with any order given by them.
He had been thinking about meeting Fu Zhen, and this day, hearing Liang Zhi muttering about missing Brother Xuan, since the kid had been clinging to the Pei family and refused to return, even when his mother went to pick him up several times, Liang Zhi wanted to tie him back.
Zhe Yu plucked up courage several times and asked, "May I accompany the General to the Pei Mansion to visit General Pei’s wife?"
Liang Zhi, having a bias against him because of his previous infatuation with Yongping, said, "What’s so good about seeing her?"
Zhe Yu replied, "General Pei’s wife is my benefactor. She took care of me, and now that I’m healed, I want to pay her my respects in person."
Just as he finished speaking, Xiao Si came in, cupped his hands before Liang Zhi, and said, "General Pei’s wife sent someone to invite you to the mansion for a conversation!"
Liang Zhi asked, "What is it about?"
"Didn’t say, but it’s urgent, and you are instructed to go at once!"
Liang Zhi turned on his heel and headed out.
Zhe Yu said, "General—"
Liang Zhi didn’t turn back, "Next time! Can’t you see I have an urgent matter now!"