By the time the news that Taoist Yuanyi had failed in his assassination attempt on Emperor Longqing and was beheaded on the spot by Jinyiwei commander Lin Sanshao reached Fengxian Hall, it was already evening. The sun had already set, and only some fiery clouds remained on the horizon. Looking through the glazed tiles of the palace, the red was a bit scary.
Before, Chu Jingwu didn’t quite understand what Wei An and Shen Chen meant, and why Shen Chen ran out to work with Young Master Lin for a while. But now he completely understood.
He glanced at Shen Chen, who was already sitting there fiddling with chess pieces, and silently sat opposite him and asked him, "When did you guess that Chu Jingxing's last move was Master Yuanyi's?"
Shen Chen looked up at him and saw that he looked listless. He knew that he was shocked by Chu Jingxing's network of connections and was now a little scared. He continued to look down at the chessboard in front of him without pausing and said slowly, "It started when the fifth prince was poisoned and Taoist Yuan Yi said it was caused by evil spirits."
Chu Jingwu still didn't understand.
"But how do you know what Chu Jingxing is up to?" Chu Jingwu was indeed a little afraid of Chu Jingxing's foresight and careful planning, and also a little afraid of Chu Jingxing's deep scheming. He said with a sullen look on his face: "Master Yuanyi was originally a confidant of the emperor, and he often burned green poems for the emperor. Even if he brought up the evil spirit theory, ordinary people would not find it strange. What if you didn't notice the special thing here?"
"Then we'll die." Shen Chen knew that he was excited, so he glanced at him, and when he calmed down, he said directly without hesitation: "He has tried his best. Everything in the palace remains unchanged. It is too difficult to directly frame us and Wei An. After all, we are indeed clean and have no spies in the palace. Even if they want to frame us, it is not that easy."
So they have to create an accomplice who is related to them.
And Taoist Yuanyi, who was favored by Emperor Longqing, was indeed an excellent candidate.
If Emperor Longqing really thought that Taoist Yuanyi was in cahoots with them, not to mention Shen Chen alone, all ten Shen Chens would be killed.
There was a knock on the door. They both stopped talking and looked outside, and saw Eunuch An's apprentice Dequan standing at the door, smiling and inviting them to Tai Chi Hall.
They said that Emperor Longqing was looking for them.
Eunuch An has always been different from Cao Wen and others in the past. He is a kind person. Even though he is the only one left by Emperor Longqing's side, he is still very good at dealing with people.
His apprentice obviously also inherited his true teachings. When Shen Chen smiled and talked about the Nanjing Brick Factory, he smiled even more and sighed: "How can we get such a good job? The master said that we need to gain experience for another two years."
"How do you train?" Shen Chen was obviously curious, and asked him with a smile: "Then if I go to Fujian with you and manage the Maritime Customs, I wonder if it can be considered as training?"
The smile on Dequan's face became more and more sincere. He half-bent his waist and led the way in front, smiling and saying, "That Taoist Yuanyi was really bold. He actually dared to commit murder. Fortunately, the emperor was very strong and Young Master Lin was also very agile, so he didn't succeed. He is now in prison, and the emperor asked Young Master Lin to interrogate him strictly."
These eunuchs are often the most informed, and as the disciple of Eunuch An, his information is not only well-informed but also accurate. Shen Chen also sighed: "It is not suitable for us to stay there, so we came out early. It is a pity that we cannot share the worries of the emperor."
Chu Jingwu realized that he was trying to get information from Dequan, and quickly followed suit: "That's right, that guy is really bad, he actually wanted to get rid of us."
"Alas." Dequan pressed down the whisk in his hand: "The emperor also said so, saying that you two have been wronged this time."
As they arrived at the Taiji Hall, Dequan stopped talking, respectfully led them to the place and then retreated.
When Chu Jingwu and Shen Chen arrived, Qian Shiyun happened to come out and the two sides bumped into each other.
Qian Shiyun glanced at the two of them, greeted each other, and Chu Jingwu and Shen Chen walked in.
Emperor Longqing was flipping through a book. When he saw them, he asked them to sit down and asked, "Have you heard about Yuan Yi's incident?"
Chu Jingwu nodded nervously: "I heard that this Taoist priest has gone crazy?"
Emperor Longqing smiled and said meaningfully: "He is not crazy, but he is biting people randomly."
He threw away the book in his hand and looked at the two brothers with a frown: "Speaking of this, I just happen to have something to ask you two. Do you usually have any contact with this Yuan Yi?"
Chu Jingwu's heart skipped a beat, but he didn't look at Shen Chen. He immediately shook his head suspiciously: "Although my father likes to pray to the gods, I don't like it. Why would I associate with such a person?"
Emperor Longqing was amused by him and could not help but say, "What do you mean by praying to gods? Praying to gods is just a side job for them. Their main job is to be a spy."
Shen Chen rubbed his chin leisurely, thought for a moment and then asked hurriedly: "Who is he?"
"Prince Jin's men." Emperor Longqing stood up, not looking at the two brothers. Although his voice was still calm, it seemed as if countless storms were brewing. He said coldly: "Last night, the Jinyiwei interrogated him in prison all night, and found out a lot of things. Speaking of which, he even identified you as his accomplices."
He said it lightly, but Chu Jingwu jumped up all of a sudden, and was so scared that he even stuttered: "He... He slandered me!"
This shocked look was really not a good look. Emperor Longqing thought that the son of Prince Linjiang was a sex-hungry ghost, and he was so easily angered that he could not help himself. He could not help but smile mischievously: "Why are you in a hurry? You believed me without me saying anything."
Chu Jingwu couldn't help it, and after cursing for a few times, he couldn't shut up: "This charlatan was waiting for us here! No wonder he wanted us to get out first, isn't he deliberately trying to frame us?!"
He had no time to react, so he quickly walked up to Emperor Longqing, his indignation so strong that the veins on his neck bulged: "Uncle, you have to take charge of us and find out who gave him the courage to frame us! This charlatan is simply lawless! If he were in front of me..."
Shen Chen pulled him.
But he was so angry that he couldn't calm down at all. He looked at Emperor Longqing with a red face and thick neck, wanting to express his anger towards Yuan Yi and his position that he had nothing to do with Yuan Yi.
Shen Chen was more confident than him, but he also agreed with him, saying that he really didn't know Yuan Yi, and they had no friendship at all. They rarely even met, let alone being accomplices.