Mu Jingxu, 27 years old, was the No. 1 scholar in the seventh year of Qingzheng, and the Shaoqing of Dali Temple. He was born with a good-looking face, usually dressed in white, and had a thin temperament. He often went out with the No. 3 scholar Ke Hongxue, and was a new young talent in the capital city of Yu.
On the way to the pond, Rong Tang silently thought about what Su Huaijing had just said for a long time.
There was something strange about Yuerong's drowning death. Not only could the two of them see that, but Mu Jingxu was also quick-witted enough not to think that it was just a coincidence.
He is an uncontrollable variable in this matter.
As the Shaoqing of Dali Temple, Mu Jingxu was already involved in the case, and his duty was to investigate unjust, false and wrong cases and enforce the law impartially.
It is actually very unreasonable that someone died right under his nose, and that person was the nanny of his apprentice, and he was completely indifferent.
Unless in Mu Jingxu's judgment, the final beneficiary of this matter would be Sheng Chengli.
Only in this way could Mu Shaoqing pretend that nothing had happened, follow Sheng Chengxing's arrangements, not ask about the accident, but shut up and enjoy the flower-picking party.
However, based on his interactions with Mu Jingxu in two lifetimes, Rong Tang knew that he was a man of principles and bottom line.
If Yue Rong's death was purely a coincidence, Mu Shaoqing might have analyzed the pros and cons and unwaveringly planned the most beneficial strategy for Sheng Chengli.
But what if this is not a coincidence
What if it wasn't a coincidence, but was planned by Sheng Chengli himself
What should Mu Jingxu do
Su Huaijing might have casually told Ke Hongxue a palace secret. With Master Ke's intelligence, if there was a clue to anything, he could trace it back to the original cause.
What if he found out that the little apprentice whom his senior brother treated with such love and taught him everything was actually not a good person
Su Huaijing just said something very right.
If you want to find out who is behind anything, just look at who the vested interests are.
On the surface, Yue Rong's death will eventually become an opportunity for Zhang Ge Lao to impeach Marshal Xia, and the Second Prince's party will benefit from it.
But the reason why Emperor Renshou appeased Sheng Chengxing in the first place was that Sheng Chengming had received too many rewards during this period, which made the camps behind several princes ready to move, so he gave Sheng Chengxing an impolite reward.
This move is indeed intended to appease the Third Prince's party, but if the Second Prince's party impeaches Sheng Chengxing again in an attempt to suppress him, what will Emperor Renshou think
Would he think that the second prince was getting too aggressive? Would he think that Zhang Ge Lao was eyeing the crown prince? Would he think that the imperial relatives had developed to the point where they could threaten the emperor
Neither Sheng Chengming nor Sheng Chengxing will benefit, even if they win temporarily on the surface, the disaster buried secretly is frightening.
Only Sheng Chengli, without losing a single soldier, not only managed to get rid of Yue Rong, who was already disloyal to him, but also was able to escape from the accident unscathed and gain the most benefits.
As a person involved in the matter, Rong Tang had never been able to see Sheng Chengli's true character in his two lifetimes. Only now, when he had completely withdrawn from the male protagonist's staff, did he suddenly realize how wrong he had been about the male protagonist before.
This understanding is not only his, but also Mu Jingxu's.
Ke Hongxue always said that Mu Jingxu cared about his little apprentice the most. Rong Tang had no doubt that as long as Sheng Chengli acted a little in front of Mu Jingxu, pretending to be innocent and pitiful and distanced himself from the matter, Ke Hongxue would give him advice.
But what if Ke Hongxue told his senior that there was something fishy about the matter and suggested that he look into it carefully
Mu Jingxu has a wrong perception of Sheng Chengli, and Ke Hongxue probably also has a wrong perception of himself.
But Su Huaijing didn't.
He completely stepped out of the dispute and observed from an outsider's perspective. After seeing through all the conspiracies and relationships between the characters, he saw things more clearly than anyone else.
At one point, Rong Tang even felt that Su Huaijing had a God's perspective.
But this...
Is there any benefit to Su Huaijing
From his perspective, the more chaotic the battle for the throne is, the better. Even though Su Huaijing seems to be helping Sheng Chengming now, he would be happy to see Sheng Chengming suffer a loss.
The Second Prince has been having too much luck these days and needs some setbacks.
If Mu Jingxu finds out the reason behind this incident, and Sheng Chengxing and Sheng Chengming luckily escape this conspiracy, what benefit will it bring to Su Huaijing
Perhaps the doubt in his eyes was too obvious, Su Huaijing curled the corners of his lips and said softly: "What do you want to ask, Tangtang?"
Rong Tang: "Why do you do this?"
Su Huaijing raised his eyebrows. In front of them was a pond with a crowd of people gathered and the waterwheel was running. Sheng Chengxing's face was gloomy, but he did not stop it out of consideration for Ke Hongxue's face.
Master Ke changed into a dark purple straight-hem robe today, and even replaced his jade fan with a purple jade one. The sun was about to climb overhead, and Mu Jingxu stood on the shore with a cold face. Ke Hongxue stood beside him with a smile and fanned him diligently. He even waved the fan with interest when he saw Rong Tang and the other man out of the corner of his eye.
Su Huaijing said: "Doesn't Tangtang want to be friends with them?"
Rong Tang was stunned for a moment, and Su Huaijing smiled and said, "Tangtang, if you want the moon in the sky, I will find a way to pick it for you. Just ask me."
Because Rong Tang wanted to be friends with Ke Mu, because Rong Tang didn't like Sheng Chengli, and because Mu Jingxu was Sheng Chengli's aide.
That's why Su Huaijing did all this.
It's a very simple cause and effect relationship. Just because of Rong Tang's likes and dislikes, he would rather take a detour.
The sun shone on his body, the wind rose and fell near noon, the crowd was noisy, and Rong Tang suddenly smelled the scent of gardenia.
He tilted his head, suppressed the rapidly beating heart in his chest, slightly opened his lips, and adjusted his breathing.
This is the villain, but it seems... she is also his confidant, friend, family member, wife...
Rong Tang once again realized how fortunate it was for both him and Su Huaijing to take Su Huaijing away from Fengyue Tower.
In the torrent of time cycle, a small stream of living water splits off and rushes towards a completely unknown destination.
-
Ke Hongxue saw Rong Tang and the others and asked with a smile, "My Lord, did you have a good time this morning?"
Rong Tang glanced at the pond. It was not too deep, but it would take some time to drain it completely. It might not be completely drained today. Most of the people gathered around were students who came to see something new. I'm afraid they would disperse one after another in a while. Even if Mu Jingxu really dug something out of the pond, probably not many people would know about it.
Sheng Chengli still didn't show up. He acted very well in the act of recuperating from illness. Even in this situation, he was able to keep his composure.
Rong Tang turned around and replied to Ke Hongxue's question: "Very good."
Ke Hongxue curled her lips and said, "Where did you go? We went to the zoo, where they kept a group of sika deer and there were two tigers. They were very pretty. I wanted to go for a look, but my senior didn't want to, so I had to accompany him to do some work first."
Rong Tang rolled his eyes at him and thought to himself, I see that you don't seem unhappy at all when you said "I have to", it even sounds like you are showing off.
But he asked, "Why did Lord Mu want to draw the pool?"
Mu Jingxu was cold to everyone, as if he couldn't smile at all. At the moment, he had something on his mind and the air pressure around him was even lower. But when Rong Tang asked him questions, he actually remembered to be as gentle as possible. I don't know for whom it was for.
He said: "I went to see Yuerong's body this morning. Her death was a bit strange."
Ke Hongxue led them to a nearby pavilion, and Mu Jingxu said, "She seems to have been poisoned."
Master Ke slightly frowned, a sarcastic smile flashed across his eyes, and he glanced at Su Huaijing, whose expression did not change. Instead, he sat aside and peeled the fruit prepared in the pavilion for Rong Tang.
Ke Hongxue felt bored, sighed softly, put down the fan, and simply peeled melon seeds for Mu Jingxu.
The two people's voices were one after another, so soft that they seemed like background noise. The person who spoke ignored them. Mu Jingxu frowned slightly and said, "The garden has a doctor, but he couldn't find out what kind of poison he had. He only said that the cause of death was indeed drowning. The toxin is not lethal, so it should have other uses."
Rong Tang asked, "What does Lord Mu think?"
Mu Jingxu was silent for a few moments, then said, "Langyuxuan, where the Fifth Prince lives, is not far from Lanxinzhai. If you want to get there faster, you can take the small path, which passes by this pond. Although there are few people on the way, you won't fall into the pond if you step on it."
Su Huaijing handed Rong Tang a slice of orange, and Ke Hongxue handed Mu Jingxu a handful of melon seeds.
Rong Tang turned his head and ate from Su Huaijing's hand, but Mu Jingxu frowned and shook his head. Ke Hongxue found a clean plate to put the melon seeds on and continued to peel them. Su Huaijing saw this, lowered his head and laughed softly.
Rong Tang swallowed the tangerine slice and said, "If you put it that way, I would think of some hallucinogenic drugs."
Upon hearing that, Ke Hongxue raised her eyes and gave him a sparkling look, then quickly turned her gaze to look at Su Huaijing, and then smiled again. Her whole body exuded an indifference to the world, and she was content to peel his melon seeds.
Mu Jingxu nodded: "The prince and I have the same idea."
He said: "If you have hallucinations and think there is a wild animal chasing you from behind, or that there is still a road ahead, you are very likely to step on empty air and fall into the pond. If you cannot regain consciousness in time in the pond, drowning is the inevitable result."
Rong Tang asked: "Master Mu, do you know any medicine that has this effect?"
"A lot." Mu Jingxu said, "I am not proficient in pharmacology, but I know that there are countless hallucinogenic drugs of this kind. In the hands of an excellent doctor, they can even create a dream out of thin air according to their wishes."
Rong Tang was about to frown, but Mu Jingxu changed the subject and said, "But there is a kind of herb that can cause hallucinations if consumed in large quantities."
Mu Jingxu seemed a little surprised. He raised his eyebrows for a moment, then quickly lowered them, still looking calm.
He nodded and said, "That's right."
"This grass grows in the northern border and is not common in Yujing. It is even forbidden to use it in the harem. If Yue Rong really ate the Huanli Grass, there must be some residue left." Mu Jingxu said.
Rong Tang asked: "But didn't you find it?"
Mu Jingxu shook his head: "There is no perfume in Yuerong's room, but the strange thing is that there is no perfume bag on her body."
Rong Tang thought for a moment and murmured, "The reason why Yue Rong went from Langyuxuan to Lanxinzhai was to pick fragrant herbs. So at least she likes to use fragrance, so she wouldn't be without a scent sachet on her body."
"That's right." Mu Jingxu said, "But this is just a guess. What really makes me suspicious is that I have seen Yue Rong before, and she wore a sachet around her waist."
"So Lord Mu thinks her sachet might have fallen into the pond, or..." Rong Tang raised his eyes, stared at Mu Jingxu, and said, "Was it thrown into the pond by someone?"
Mu Jingxu nodded: "We were in a hurry yesterday and Miss He was frightened. After the body was fished out, no one carefully examined it. I asked the guards yesterday, but no one remembered whether there was a sachet. In this case, we might as well drain the pond."
Ke Hongxue laughed softly at the side. He had already peeled a plate of melon seeds. He also peeled a tangerine and handed it to Mu Jingxu: "Brother, have a bite. It's almost noon. I'm so hungry."
Rong Tang couldn't stand it anymore and thought to himself, if you are hungry, then you are hungry. Do you think you can be full if I give you fruits
Mu Jingxu frowned slightly, seemed to hesitate for a moment, but still reached out to take the orange slice and put it into his mouth. After chewing it a few times, he spit the core into his hand.
Rong Tang looked at his nose with his eyes and his heart with his nose. He lowered his eyes silently and pretended not to see it.
There were still people coming in outside the pavilion, and some were leaving. Su Huaijing looked at the sky and asked gently, "Is Tangtang hungry? Shall we go eat and then go back for a nap?"
It would have been fine if he didn't say it. As soon as he said it, Rong Tang felt a little hungry. He turned his head and looked at Su Huaijing sadly.
Su Huaijing curved his eyes immediately, said goodbye to Ke Mu and was about to leave. Before he stepped out of the pavilion, he seemed to have just remembered something and reminded Rong Tang: "Tangtang, don't you have anything to say to Mu Shaoqing?"
Rong Tang blinked and was stunned for a moment. Then he came to his senses, turned around with a complicated look, and tried to go through the back door: "If the sachet is dug out from the pond, Lord Mu, can you let me take a look first?"
Mu Jingxu paused for a moment, but before he could respond, Ke Hongxue smiled and replied, "Of course, my lord, don't worry."
Rong Tang still looked at Mu Jingxu, who nodded.
Rong Tang: "Thank you."
Before leaving, he caught a glimpse of Ke Hongxue once again placing the small plate of melon seeds in front of Mu Jingxu like offering a treasure. Mu Shaoqing turned his head and glanced at him coldly, then lowered his eyes, lowered his head and began to eat handfuls of melon seeds very calmly. Master Ke was laughing so hard that he almost couldn't see his eyes.
-
Shuangfu returned to the courtyard in advance with the gardenia. Su Huaijing took Rongtang to a nearby courtyard where a banquet was taking place. They found a small table for two and had lunch. Then they walked back slowly while digesting the food.
Rong Tang asked him, "How do you know I have something to say to Mu Jingxu?"
Su Huaijing said, "Tangtang has already reminded me."
Rong Tang: “?”
Su Huaijing looked at him with deep eyes and smiled: "Tangtang, sometimes you are so smart that I want to lock you up."
Rong Tang's heart trembled, and before he could think about it carefully, he heard him say: "When you entered that yard, the first thing you asked was whether this matter had anything to do with my aunt."
"As for the death of the eldest prince, the historians recorded that he died young due to physical weakness, and the palace said that it was a frame-up by Consort Shu. I guess it was more likely done by the mothers of the other three princes." Su Huaijing said, "But in fact, we all overlooked one person."
"… Queen." Rong Tang responded in a low voice.
Su Huaijing nodded and said, "It seems that the eldest prince has had a bad health since he was a child, and early death is almost inevitable. Analyzing the pros and cons, the mastermind behind the scenes is naturally more likely to be Concubine Hui and others. However, at that time, Your Majesty had just ascended the throne, Marshal Xia had followed the emperor, Concubine Hui was arrogant in the harem, Concubine Shu was very favored, and both of them had children, so the position of the Empress was not stable."
"Since the only son is bound to die, let his death play the biggest role, eliminate a powerful enemy for me, and win back the emperor's guilty pity. The Empress does not have to be the emperor's favorite, but she is special enough and irreplaceable in the emperor's heart, so she can always hold the Phoenix Seal and sit firmly on her throne as Empress. As for offspring, even if she gets pregnant in the future, she can adopt any prince with a lower mother in the palace. She is the legitimate mother of all the princes, so she doesn't have to worry about this."
Su Huaijing spoke in a light tone, as if he was in a very relaxed mood.
Rong Tang lowered his head and said in a muffled voice: "Aunt is not that kind of person."
Su Huaijing chuckled and held Rong Tang's hand: "I know, it's just that someone needs her to be this kind of person."
"…" Rong Tang clearly expressed his dislike for Sheng Chengli in front of Su Huaijing for the first time, "He is really annoying."
"Yeah, I know." Su Huaijing responded again, his voice was very gentle, his eyes fell on Rong Tang's profile, with a drowning indulgence in his eyes: "So I won't let him succeed."
Because the legitimate prince was killed by his favorite concubine, Emperor Renshou has always treated Queen Wang with courtesy and respect. In the novel, Sheng Chengli is the male protagonist, and Queen Wang naturally becomes one of the minor villains.
The book mentioned that the hero was treated harshly in the cold palace when he was a child, and the eunuch said it was the Queen's order.
Her son was killed by Concubine Shu. It was natural for her to treat Concubine Shu's son harshly. It was mercy for her not to kill him.
The Queen doesn't like the Fifth Prince, so even if he leaves the cold palace, he won't have a good life in the palace.
He didn't have to find out the person who framed his mother immediately. He just needed to destroy the image of Queen Wang who was compensated for this.
If Emperor Renshou found out that the death of the eldest prince had nothing to do with Concubine Shu, he would immediately show his love for Sheng Chengli; but if he found out that his legitimate son was killed by his first wife herself, the emperor's wrath would probably involve Queen Wang's entire family.
All Sheng Chengli had to do was to tamper with Yue Rong's sachet and leave the mark of Fengqi Palace.
It was clearly a strategy that killed four birds with one stone: to suppress the arrogance of the third prince, to arouse the emperor's suspicion of the second prince, to win the emperor's favor for himself, and to frame Queen Wang.
Regardless of whether Sheng Chengxing chooses to investigate the case or not, it will be a win-win situation for Sheng Chengli.
The sachet fell into the pond, and even he himself might feel unwilling to do so.
Rong Tang frowned as he walked towards the courtyard with Su Huaijing. The stupid system hadn't spoken since they hugged in front of the Peacock Garden. Rong Tang felt a little angry at this moment. After entering the room, he couldn't help but shout it out: "Was I blind in my previous two lives?"
[…]
Rong Tang: "Can't you see this?"
system:[…]
Rong Tang was extremely angry: "He is really bad!"
The system was silent for a long time, and then said softly: [Host, I'm sorry.]
Rong Tang's anger inexplicably dissipated, and he stood there for a long time, muffled and said: "It has nothing to do with you."
[I asked you to do the task.] The system said.
Rong Tang: "This mission from your stupid mastermind has nothing to do with you."
[… oh.]
The system looked extremely depressed. Rong Tang regretted getting angry at it. He almost subconsciously entered the system space and saw a gray-black color again. He exited, raised his hand, hesitated for two seconds, and said, "Come here, let me touch you."
Rong Tang remembered that small ball of light. Although he couldn't feel it, when he occasionally entered the system space and saw it beside him, Rong Tang couldn't help but rub it, like petting a cat or a dog. Although the system didn't say it, it actually liked to stick to him.
After Rong Tang finished speaking, there was a moment of stagnation in the air. His hands moved irregularly and his voice became particularly soft, a bit like when Su Huaijing was coaxing him.
"Be good, it has nothing to do with you."
The system didn't say whether it had been to him, but when it heard this, it said: [That has nothing to do with you.] It was like a stubborn child, but very cute.
Rong Tang was slightly startled, then he smiled and moved his hands again: "Well, it has nothing to do with us."
Rong Tang said: "But I hate him more and more. I originally just wanted to see Su Huaijing ascend the throne, but now I want to see him lose with my own eyes. You won't blame me, right?"
The system was silent for a very, very long time, so long that Rong Tang felt that it would not answer him anymore. He took off his clothes and went to bed, and then he heard a very faint mechanical voice: [I don’t blame you. I don’t blame you no matter what you do.]
Unless you are stupid enough to let the villain take advantage of you and still praise him!
But the system didn't say it out loud. It just turned around in that three-dimensional space, then obediently crawled into Rong Tang's bed, rubbed against his hand, and fell asleep peacefully.
Rong Tang chuckled: "Okay."
(End of this chapter)