lcionline Chapter 173: What kind of person is he?
Chapter 173: What kind of person is he?
Consort Zhang hated Xie Jinghan to the core, but the person she hated most in her heart was Wen Shuyao.
Her eyes were extremely fierce as she looked at the face reflected in the bronze mirror.
Such a face is indeed beautiful. In the harem where beauties abound, her appearance is unique. Even if there are new concubines in the harem, none can compare to her charm.
However... such a face held no appeal for Xie Jinghan.
She had seen Wen Shuyao a few times, and Wen Shuyao was indeed stunningly beautiful. However, Xie Jinghan was never one to judge solely on appearance. So why was Xie Jinghan so fond of Wen Shuyao?
Consort Zhang was completely baffled, and she slowly stroked her cheek.
She was over thirty years old, and although she was beautiful, the years had left their mark on her face.
"Am I getting old?" she murmured.
The old woman behind her shook her head: "Her Highness is still as young as ever."
"How could that be?" Consort Zhang gave a bitter smile. "If he were still young, why wouldn't he have glanced at me more often? And why would His Majesty be so captivated by that newly acquired Consort Ning?"
"In the end, I am getting old," Consort Zhang said in a low, hoarse voice. "If I don't seize the opportunity soon, I will die of old age in this harem."
The old nanny sensed something else in Consort Zhang's words, and asked with a pounding heart, "Your Highness, what do you intend to do?"
"I wish to see the Second Prince," Consort Zhang said in a low voice. "If I do not see the Second Prince soon, all my plans will likely fall through."
Understanding Consort Zhang's intention, the old nanny sighed deeply: "If Your Highness continues like this... after His Majesty's passing, you will surely be able to..."
"No!" Consort Zhang interrupted the nanny sharply. "What I want has never been these things!"
Her eyes flashed with ruthlessness: "What I want is power! If I only depend on His Majesty, I will only end up like today... being manipulated by others! I won't even be able to protect my own people!"
"Didn't you see the look in Lian'er's eyes before she died?" she said bitterly. "Lian'er never imagined that even as a Noble Consort, I couldn't protect the people around me!"
“One day, I will make Xie Jinghan kneel before me and beg for my forgiveness!” she said, word by word. “You find a way, I want to see the Second Prince today.”
This face is her only asset!
The old woman dared not say anything more, knowing that Consort Zhang had been traumatized today.
Because of the matter of the Northern Di princess, Consort Zhang also felt a sense of urgency. She had to do something to maintain the current situation.
The nanny understood perfectly and immediately agreed to Consort Zhang's order.
“When we were cleaning the palace earlier, we found a dog hole. I specifically told people not to block it up. Perhaps we can use this dog hole to send a message to the Second Prince today.”
The second prince has considerable influence in the court and should be able to offer assistance.
Consort Zhang nodded slowly: "The censors are the least afraid of death. Tell them to impeach Xie Jinghan as many times as possible."
"We cannot let Xie Jinghan's intrusion into the inner palace with the Imperial Guards today go unpunished!" she said bitterly. "And his affair with the Northern Di princess must be made public immediately!"
"Lian'er cannot have died in vain!" A sharp glint flashed in Consort Zhang's eyes. "I will make this rumor true!"
"I want to see if his feelings for Wen Shuyao will remain the same after he marries the Northern Di princess!" Consort Zhang laughed softly, seemingly insane.
Upon seeing this, the old woman shuddered and bowed deeply, saying, "This servant will go and do it right away."
……
After leaving the inner palace, Si Qing looked worried: "Your Highness, if word gets out about what happened today, those censors will probably not let it go."
"So what?" Xie Jinghan sneered. "Do you think I'm afraid of them?"
The censors are all talk and no action; they only earn a few bad reputations.
For Xie Jinghan, this was the least of his worries.
“From the day I took command of the army, the memorials of impeachment from the censors have piled up on my brother’s desk like snowflakes.” Xie Jinghan scoffed lightly. “But as long as my brother’s heart remains unchanged, even if the censors present real evidence, I will not be affected.”
Ultimately, it all depends on the emperor's attitude.
Si Qing glanced cautiously at Xie Jinghan: "But I heard... that because of the Northern Di princess, His Majesty has become suspicious of you."
Those were the Northern Barbarians after all. The blood feud between the Northern Barbarians and the Great Li was indelible. Xie Jinghan was able to hold such a prominent position in the court because he had made outstanding military achievements on the battlefield against the Northern Barbarians.
That's why Xie Jinghan has the title of War God Prince.
But once Xie Jinghan gets involved with the Northern Di, it's hard to guarantee that the emperor's attitude towards him will change.
Thinking this way, Si Qing's face was filled with worry.
Xie Jinghan narrowed his peach blossom eyes slightly and looked Si Qing up and down: "Even you think so?"
"I still can't help but worry," Si Qing said in a low voice. "As the saying goes, when someone's merits overshadow their master, there are even rumors on the border that people only know Prince Jing and not who the emperor is. It's hard to guarantee that His Majesty won't develop a rift because of this."
Si Qing's concerns were not unfounded, but unfortunately, there would never be such a spy between Xie Jinghan and the emperor.
However, Xie Jinghan did not explain, but looked thoughtfully at the deserted area ahead.
"It seems that quite a few people in the court believe this rumor." Xie Jinghan pondered for a moment. "In that case, once the Emperor's attitude changes, they will..."
Si Qing could no longer hear the rest of what was said.
He could only see a slight smile appear on Xie Jinghan's face after a moment of contemplation.
Si Qing stared blankly at the scene, wanting to say something, but ultimately swallowed it back down.
Xie Jinghan must have had a plan for doing this.
But as long as Xie Jinghan doesn't say it, he can't guess it even if he racks his brains.
So Si Qing could only follow Xie Jinghan closely: "Your Highness, do you have any plans?"
"Within three days, the rumors about me and the Northern Di princess will surely spread throughout the capital," Xie Jinghan said. "If it is a well-informed family, even if it is far away in Jiangnan, they will know about this matter."
"And the fact that I broke into the palace and killed Consort Zhang's confidant will surely spread," Xie Jinghan analyzed one by one. "These rumors..."
"Did your subordinates send someone to stop the rumors?" Si Qing boldly guessed.
"No." Xie Jinghan shook his head.
Upon hearing this, Si Qing asked in surprise, "Then what should we do?"
"What you need to do is let the rumors intensify." Xie Jinghan's voice was deep, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes. "It would be best if these rumors spread everywhere, so that everyone would know that Prince Jing is arrogant and doesn't even respect the emperor."
Upon hearing this, Si Qing was greatly alarmed.
"You want to..."
"Use their plan against them."
Xie Jinghan parted his thin lips slightly and calmly uttered four words.
……
Meanwhile, inside the post station.
As soon as the welcoming banquet ended, Yelü Dan returned to the post station.
In the eyes of all the spies, this Northern Di princess was honest and well-behaved. Apart from her bold words and actions at the welcoming banquet, she did nothing out of line. She spent the most time at the post station every day and didn't even go to the bustling market.
At first glance, this Northern Di princess appears to be an honest and law-abiding person.
Yelü Dan, who was considered honest and law-abiding by his spies, leaned back in his recliner as soon as he returned to the post station.
A dozen or so people were kneeling in front of her.
"You've been in Dali for over a decade, have you discovered anything?" Yelü Dan asked in a low voice.
The dozen or so people kneeling in front of her looked exactly like the Dali people.
However, they were the Northern Di's spies hidden in the capital of Dali for more than ten years, and they had been collecting a lot of information about Dali, just waiting for Yelü Dan to arrive.
“Prince Jing and the Emperor of Dali have a very good relationship.” One person said thoughtfully, “Many Dali officials say that the Emperor dotes on Prince Jing like a son, and there were even rumors that the Emperor would pass the throne to Prince Jing.”
"When the rumor first came out, many people believed it until the emperor himself said that he would choose one of his sons to be the crown prince, and then the rumor disappeared."
"However, this shows that in the eyes of the world, the emperor treats Prince Jing very well. Otherwise, these rumors would not have spread."
The dozen or so spies spoke one after another, but none of them managed to say a word that satisfied Yelü Dan.
She tapped the table impatiently: "Then I'd like to ask you, what are Xie Jinghan's weaknesses?"
Upon hearing this, the previously lively room instantly fell silent.
The spies looked at each other, but couldn't utter a single word.
What are Xie Jinghan's weaknesses?
It seems that no one has noticed this over the years.
The impatience on Yelü Dan's pretty face became increasingly apparent.
"Is this how you do things?" she said coldly. "You've been lying low in Dali for over ten years, and you don't even know his weaknesses? Does that mean he has no weaknesses at all?"
"That's impossible!" Yelü Dan denied it categorically before his spies could answer.
Upon hearing this, one of the spies pondered for a moment and boldly said, "Prince Jing is decisive in his actions. Even when handling cases, he never shows favoritism. If there is only one instance of favoritism... it is that he previously sent his mother-in-law to the Dali Temple prison."
Yelü Dan's eyes widened: "Is this considered favoritism?"
“That mother-in-law is not her biological mother-in-law,” the scout explained. “She is Princess Jing’s stepmother. I heard that she caused Princess Jing a lot of suffering when she was young. She even went to the Prefect of the Capital because of Princess Jing’s deceased mother’s dowry.”
"They all say that Prince Jing sent people to prison because he listened to Princess Jing's pillow talk and was avenging Princess Jing."
These words reached Yelü Dan's ears, and his eyes flickered slightly.
She nodded with interest: "A man who would risk everything for a woman?"
“That’s interesting.” She stroked her chin, pondering. “In that case, I would like to meet this Princess Jing.”
"What kind of beauty could make a cold and ruthless man like King Jing so infatuated that he would even bend the law for personal gain?"
You should know that when she boldly confessed her love to Xie Jinghan today, she only received a disdainful look from him.