Climbing to the Top: A Reborn Queen's Journey-Chapter 623: Methods (Part 2)

The ministers were all taken aback.

The rebellion had come quickly and was quelled even quicker, and the speed at which the mastermind confessed was even faster, giving birth to a sense of absurdity.

Jiang Shaohua remained calm, "Oh? Bring the confessed mastermind rebel here and let them speak before everyone."

General Ma responded solemnly.

In an instant, several tall and strong Imperial Guards pressed two rebels forward. One of the rebels was rather tall, with a head noticeably larger than that of an ordinary person. The other had a fierce face with a knife scar on his chin.

The large-headed rebel had an arm cut off and was wailing incessantly.

The scarred rebel was wounded in the right abdomen, his blood staining half of his clothes, and he was visibly struggling to breathe.

Upon seeing these two, Prince Huaiyang’s face suddenly changed.

Jiang Shaohua asked coldly, "Identify yourselves and your origins, and I shall grant you a swift death."

The large-headed rebel, eager for a quick death, endured the pain and shouted, "I am Wu Wei, a trusted aide to Prince Huaiyang..."

The other scar-faced one didn’t even have the strength to stand, collapsing on the ground weakly, "My surname is Si, I am the fifth among my brothers, also from the Huaiyang Prince Mansion."

Everyone was shocked, all eyes turning to Prince Huaiyang.

Prince Huaiyang’s face turned livid, extremely unsightly. Under the scrutiny of the crowd, he did not deny that these two rebels were his trusted aides... They had names, and a simple check of Huaiyang Prince Mansion’s military roster would confirm their identities, and indeed, they were brought to the Capital City by him.

The palace had strict regulations, no one was allowed to bring soldiers into the palace, and the maximum number of trusted aides allowed was five. He chose five confidants to bring in, leaving the rest outside at Huaiyang Prince Mansion. Wu Wei and Si Wu were among them.

He had five hundred trusted aides, of whom only a few dozen could truly protect his safety. Wu Wei and Si Wu were valuable confidants.

Who could have imagined that at this critical moment, these two trusted aides would appear in a place where they absolutely shouldn’t be, putting him in an indefensible situation!

This was a complete conspiracy!

It was a plot set by Grand Empress Dowager Zheng to remove him and elevate Prince Ping.

Treason and rebellion were heinous crimes. Grand Empress Dowager Zheng intended to bring him to his doom!

He could not sit and await his demise... But with such hard evidence against him, how could he defend himself? Or should he simply take a gamble, kill Prince Ping right now... No, that would only benefit Prince Wu’an!

In a single fleeting moment, countless thoughts flashed through Prince Huaiyang’s mind, and his gaze instinctively shifted toward Prince Ping.

Behind his master, Mr. Wei shivered involuntarily and, without thinking, hid behind the Commandery Princess.

Jiang Shaohua stepped forward, locking eyes with the troubled Prince Huaiyang, "Prince Huaiyang! Why are your personal soldiers here? Were they instructed by you?"

Prince Huaiyang immediately retorted, "I harbor no intention of rebellion. Someone must be framing and incriminating me!"

Then, he glared fiercely at Wu Wei and Si Wu, "I’ve treated you well; why betray me? Who sent you as death warriors to the mansion?"

Si Wu clutched his right abdomen, blood continuously seeping through his fingers, barely holding on to life, utterly unable to speak.

Wu Wei was slightly better, managing to squeeze out a few words, "We deeply owe the Prince’s kindness, willing to give our lives for him. The Prince sent us to the Emperor’s Mausoleum to kill Prince Ping, so we came."

Prince Huaiyang was so furious that he could hardly contain himself, spewing profanities in his rage.

Prince Wu’an came around from his shock, feeling that everything that transpired tonight was astonishing.

As the direct descendant of the Grand Ancestor’s sibling, Prince Huaiyang had closer blood ties and was younger and vigorous, with a better reputation, posing a major rival on his path to power.

Regardless of who set this insidious trap, it seemed that he was the greatest beneficiary.

The more Prince Wu’an thought about it, the more satisfied he became, feigning sincerity as he advised Prince Huaiyang, "With only two personal soldiers, how can your guilt be determined? Don’t rush, once we return to the palace, let the Ministry of Justice interrogate and these rebels will naturally reveal the truth."

Of course, Prince Huaiyang, suspected of treason, should be imprisoned and naturally lose his eligibility for the throne.

Prince Huaiyang saw the schadenfreude in Prince Wu’an’s eyes clearly, feeling both annoyed and angry. However, even in his fury, Prince Huaiyang retained a shred of reason, not tearing into a public spat with Prince Wu’an.

Prince Huaiyang turned to Jiang Shaohua, whose expression was inscrutable, "I must return to the palace immediately to plead with the Grand Empress Dowager to uphold justice for me."

This was the true strategist. Having guessed that Grand Empress Dowager Zheng had set up a dead end for him, if he wished to save his own life, he must go to Jingyang Palace to plead, abandon thoughts of vying for the throne, and retreat obediently to his vassal territory.

Jiang Shaohua replied placidly, "Right and wrong must indeed be clearly investigated. Wu Wei and Si Wu are crucial witnesses. General Ma, have people guard them closely, don’t let anyone silence them."

General Ma cupped his hands in response, waved, and the several strong Imperial Guards dragged the two rebels away as if dragging dead pigs.

The brazier in front of the Emperor’s Mausoleum still had unextinguished flames, casting light on faces filled with complicated emotions.

Is Prince Huaiyang innocent?

Who was targeting Prince Huaiyang?

Grand Empress Dowager? Prince Wu’an? Or perhaps the Nanyang County Princess right before them? Or maybe Prince Huaiyang intended to assassinate Prince Ping with evil intentions, now denying it obstinately?

One can’t see another’s heart; who knows what kind of face lies beneath everyone’s mask?

Jiang Shaohua broke the silence, "We set off tomorrow morning, now everyone go and rest."

The ministers left one by one, Minister Zhang looked back at Prince Huaiyang who stood still with a complex expression, wanting to speak but finding no words, eventually sighing deeply.

Fewer and fewer people remained behind Jiang Shaohua. Only Mr. Wei dared not move, his back almost bent by pressure yet supporting it sidelong, as if the slightest movement would lead his young master into danger.

Jiang Shaohua turned back to Mr. Wei, "Carry Prince Ping back to the room to rest."

Mr. Wei trembled slightly, lowering his voice to plead, "Commandery Princess, Prince Ping is still young, there’s no difference between boys and girls. Tonight, let him stay with you!"

Jiang Shaohua nodded slightly, "Very well."

Only then did Mr. Wei breathe a sigh of relief.

Prince Huaiyang was completely ignored, overshadowed by gloom. He stopped Jiang Shaohua before she could move on, "Shao Hua, I have something to say to you in private."

Prince Wu’an coughed heavily and came forward, "What a coincidence, I also have something to discuss with Shao Hua."

This was clearly an attempt to create trouble.

Prince Huaiyang glared angrily.

Prince Wu’an, with a thick-skinned shamelessness and no sense of embarrassment, stood tall, "Don’t glare at me, I truly have important matters to discuss with Shao Hua."

Then, with a brazen face, he approached Jiang Shaohua, "What I have to say pertains to the very state of Da Liang."

...