Palace Fighting: Naive Concubines' Ascent to Power-Chapter 561: Killing Three Birds with One Stone

Yes, with such a major incident, it’s no wonder they didn’t get wind of it, since His Majesty had sealed the news, keeping it secret all along.

But what they didn’t know was how Zhao Zhong had come to know of it?

Under his official robe, Zhao Zhong’s clothes were already soaked through. He steadied himself and recalled the previously prepared script, "Yesterday, as your servant happened to stop at a tavern for a drink, I encountered a youth with a peculiar expression, carrying a bundle and sneaking into a pawnshop to pledge it. Sensing something amiss, I discreetly paid attention and saw the youth carefully remove a few items from his bosom, and at a glance, I recognized them as items made by imperial command in the palace. I was greatly shocked and had the person arrested and taken away."

"The fall of imperial items into the hands of folks is not an ordinary matter. I realized the gravity and interrogated through the night. From the youth, I learned that his older sister was serving in the palace, specifically in Canglan Court where Beauty Lian, the carrier of the Imperial Heir, resided. These items were given by the palace sister to be brought home to her brother for the treatment of their father’s illness."

As he spoke, he gained fluency, "At first, I thought it was the theft by the youth’s sister. Upon close examination of the items, I saw one inscribed with the character ’Ying,’ which alerted me to the likelihood of foul play. Under duress, the youth could not withstand the questioning and confessed. He said that his sister was ordered by Consort De, a woman with high status and power within the harem, pressured to poison Beauty Lian. The toxic substance was obtained from Consort Xu De. The sister, knowing she would be silenced by Consort De after the deed, informed her brother. If no news came out, it meant they had succeeded. She instructed him to take the silver and lead their family far away to avoid calamity."

In the end, he firmly kowtowed with a thud, "Your Majesty, it was from this person that I learned of the news. Upon discovering such a grave matter, your servant dared not conceal it. I wrote the memorial overnight and immediately presented it at the dawn court. This is one of the pieces of evidence. Please discern it for Yourself."

With these words, he took out jewelry inlaid with three kinds of gemstones from his bosom and presented it.

If Lian Hua were here, she would surely recognize that the colors of these three gemstones matched the three Gem Marbles that Consort Xu De had given her, though they were not of the same high quality.

At a glance, Xu Hu knew this was a setup, and that the other party had come prepared.

These three gemstones were rare in the world; they were the gemstones he had confiscated after a victorious battle, but the jewelry was definitely not his daughter’s!

The main pieces of those gemstones had all been made into marbles for his daughter to play with. This inferior quality, the offcuts, were only fit to be used on the surface of his daughter’s shoes—how could they have become jewelry.

This was a blatant frame-up!

Fury surged within him as he bellowed, "Scoundrel, you dare to frame and entrap my daughter!"

His fists clenched tight, murder blazing in his eyes as he locked onto Zhao Zhong, looking ready to kill.

Zhao Zhong was not chosen without reason; he was far more capable than the former Imperial Censor Wu. Even though a sense of fear crept within him, to outsiders, he remained as composed as ever.

With a sneer, he replied, "Great General, do you intend to silence others just like your daughter did, right before His Majesty’s eyes?"

Overwhelmed by rage, Xu Hu slammed his fist into the floor of the great hall, creating a deep dent.

The people nearby were startled and swiftly moved away.

Zhao Zhong’s expression showed no change, but his heart skipped a beat from fright. Everyone knew of Xu Hu’s martial prowess, his command over troops, and his valor in battle, but to experience it in person was another matter entirely.

If that fist had landed on him...

He suddenly dared not continue that thought.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Someone suddenly asked, "Where is the youth now?"

Zhao Zhong was stunned, not knowing where the voice had come from. He then spoke in a mournful tone, "Dead."

"What? Dead?"

That meant there was no one left to testify!

Zhao Zhong nodded, his voice choked with emotion, "It was a failure on my part. Not to deceive the esteemed officials, but in fear of unforeseen complications through the night, I had the youth guide me to move his family, to avoid them falling victim to foul play. Who would have expected that I was a step too late? The youth’s bed-ridden father had already passed away, his mother had hanged herself, seemingly natural deaths. Yet the home was ransacked. Seeing this, the youth, in a fit of grief, charged headfirst into a wall and died, leaving the entire family dead in a single day."

His eyes glistened with tears, which he wiped away before continuing, "The Imperial Censorate cannot intervene in the affairs of the Ministry of Punishment. Pitying the family’s plight, I simply could not stand by and instructed my household servant to collect their remains. Just before attending court this morning, I had the old servant report the case to Shuntian Prefecture at the opening of their office, so by now Shuntian Prefecture should have accepted the case."

The Emperor coldly eyed the posturing before him, and said, "Crashed into a wall to death?"

Zhao Zhong bowed his head and said, "Yes..."

The Emperor’s face remained expressionless as he said, "Beloved Minister Zhao has a heart full of loyalty and patriotism."

For some reason, that statement sent a chill through Zhao Zhong’s heart, and he couldn’t fathom its meaning.

He composed himself, "Eating the monarch’s grain and sharing the monarch’s worries is my duty; I do not deserve His Majesty’s praise."

The Emperor didn’t bother with him further and ordered the attendants on both sides, "Take Xu Hu away for his impropriety in front of the hall, and send him back to the General’s Mansion to reflect on his mistakes immediately."

Zhao Zhong was startled, his entire fortune and life were staked, and this was the result he got?

Just as he was about to say something, out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone shake their head slightly and gesture with an index finger. The words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed back.

The Emperor then issued several decrees in quick succession, ordering the Imperial Guards to surround the General’s Mansion, allowing no one to enter or exit at will.

At the same time, he placed Consort Xu De under house arrest and dispatched the Punishment Bureau to thoroughly investigate the matter. If met with resistance, they were authorized to kill without hesitation.

After issuing the decrees, Commander Han led people to escort Xu Hu away on the spot.

Meanwhile, the Emperor, in the midst of the dumbfounded court officials, strode away.

The cluster of court officials, once they regained their senses, hurriedly followed behind the Emperor.

Before they could get close, Zhang Qing, accompanied by the Imperial Guards, blocked their way, saying with a faux-friendly smile, "Gentlemen, please return, His Majesty is not seeing anyone now!"

The group of court officials tried to insist, requesting an audience in a clamor.

Despite the pleas and arguments, Zhang Qing remained unmoved, repeating the same response.

Xue Ping stood watching those people as if he were a detached sage.

All of this was within his calculations; if things had gone too smoothly, he would have felt uneasy instead.

He knew the Emperor was suspicious and trusted no one, neither Zhao Zhong nor Xu Hu.

Despite the Emperor only placing Xu Hu and his daughter under house arrest, the quieter a big issue, the more one must scrutinize every word to understand the deeper implications.

If the Emperor trusted Xu Hu, a mere show could have been made by jailing him. There was no need to deploy the Imperial Guards to surround the General’s Mansion and restrict access.

This was meant to lower Xu Hu’s guard, while at the same time preventing the General’s Mansion from causing trouble and cutting off Xu Hu’s contact with the outside world.

In those days, only those who had committed heinous crimes warranting the extermination of their family and property could prompt the deployment of the Imperial Guards.

In the Harem, placing Consort Xu De under house arrest was also a measure to stabilize Xu Hu. The words ’kill without hesitation’ carried an overwhelming murderous intent that was palpable.

All these actions were proof that the Emperor was not as indifferent as he appeared on the surface.

For today’s affair, he had prepared for a long time, willing to risk exposing a spy that had been planted in the Harem for years and also exposed Zhao Zhong, an important figure from the Imperial Censorate, to the public eye.

This plan was indeed a strategy to ’kill three birds with one stone’!

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