Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 435 - 271: A Sudden Flash of Insight

"Emperor, I am wronged! Your Majesty..."

"Emperor, you must not listen to the slanders of vile people! Your Majesty, I am wronged!"

As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the hall echoed with the voices of two people proclaiming their innocence. Shortly afterward, they were dragged out by the imperial guards.

"Father, I believe Lord Wan was framed by a villain. Please order a thorough investigation. Lord Wan would never commit such a deed."

The Third Prince, seeing his grandfather was dragged out, hurriedly knelt and kowtowed. His grandfather could not possibly do such a thing.

"Father! Third Brother is right, this matter requires a thorough investigation!" The Eldest Prince also quickly knelt. Song Shuqing was his concubine’s father; both emotionally and logically, he had to plead on his behalf.

"This subject pleads for Your Majesty to conduct a thorough investigation." At this moment, several officials stood up to plead for the two.

These people were all affiliated with the Eldest Prince and the Third Prince. The other officials looked at each other, not expecting the Emperor to imprison the two based on a few letters.

The Emperor’s expression darkened slightly, "Xia Aiqing, what do you think?"

Xia Qing was not surprised by the Emperor’s sudden address.

He stepped forward and stated, "Your Majesty, in this humble servant’s opinion, it is premature to make assertions before a thorough investigation. It would be better to wait until the residences have been searched before drawing conclusions."

At this moment, Yin Kun and Jiang Mingyuan were extremely anxious. Wan Xue Nian and Song Shuqing were locked in Dali Temple. Those people must have come prepared.

If any incriminating evidence is found in the two residences, even if the two deny it, it will be useless. By then, they will certainly be tortured to extract confessions. If the two really confess, that’s fine. The fear is that this is a completely baseless accusation, and the two will be forced to confess falsely, pointing to some random people.

Or perhaps they won’t be able to provide a list. Considering Gu Chengyu’s talents, he’ll certainly be among the top names, and thus he’ll be in great danger.

The little eunuch sneaked into Chenghua Palace, and upon seeing Nanny Lan, hurried forward to grab her.

"Nanny Lan, quickly take me to see Her Highness."

Nanny Lan naturally knew this little eunuch came to report a message. Without even announcing it, she took the little eunuch into the main hall of Chenghua Palace.

At this moment, in the main hall, there sat a beautiful woman in a green palace gown, extremely anxious.

"Your Highness! Xiao Shengzi is here."

"Quick, let him in." Consort Xian stood up from the chair and quickly walked two steps before stopping.

"This servant Xiao Shengzi greets Consort Xian! May Your Highness have ten thousand years of peace!" Xiao Shengzi knelt down as soon as he entered.

"How is it in Taihe Palace?" Consort Xian was already beside herself with worry, not caring for these formalities.

Xiao Shengzi recounted the important events in Taihe Palace, explaining clearly the situation of the two lords being taken to Dali Temple.

When Consort Xian heard her father was taken to Dali Temple, her eyes rolled back, almost fainting.

"Oh dear! Your Highness, quickly call the Imperial Physician!" Nanny Lan shouted in panic.

Xiao Shengzi jumped, trembling as he prepared to go outside to call someone.

Consort Xian held onto Nanny Lan, forcing herself to wake up, "Don’t call! Quickly help me up. I need to write a letter, you find a way to send it to Wan Mansion."

Consort Xian leaned against Nanny Lan, breathing heavily. The two returned to the study, where the writing tools were already prepared.

"Master! Another letter has arrived!" Ming Mo hurriedly entered the main room where Gu Chengyu was sketching on the table.

These were officials in the court. He needed to find a breakthrough among them.

Gu Chengyu put down the brush and took the letter.

After reading it, Gu Chengyu’s expression turned very solemn. Since Guo Shi had presented evidence, the next steps would likely involve imprisonment at Dali Temple and searching the two residences. Regardless of whether the two lords were actually framed, there would inevitably be incriminating evidence in the residence.

Once inside Dali Temple, even if they don’t die, they will lose a layer of skin. Very few can withstand the punishment of Dali Temple.

It would be better if there really was an issue. These candidates would only need to take the exam again. But what if it was a wrongful accusation?

Wan Xue Nian, being older, might not withstand the torture, and be forced to confess falsely. What was originally a baseless matter would certainly result in false accusations against some individuals, making his situation very perilous.

Moreover, Consort Xian had mentioned that Guo Shi was someone affiliated with Xia Qing. He was Liang Zhirui’s closed-door disciple and also a Northern candidate. Would they take the opportunity to address this potential threat as well?

Suddenly, he thought of the boxes, and an idea sparked in his mind.

"Ming Yan, quickly find out where the estates of Wan Mansion and Song Mansion are. Don’t ask too many questions and send more people."

Gu Chengyu thought of those boxes. If the boxes could be collected and hidden away, eliminating the so-called dirty silver, then the subsequent matters could be resolved with some effort.

But he also knew it would be too late. A wealthy family’s estate certainly had more than one.

Among the dowry of the women in their residence, there must be several estates. Not to mention the distant roads; if he searched one by one, he would definitely not keep pace with those government officers. Those people were definitely divided into several teams.

Having Ming Yan look was a backup plan. It would be good if they could get ahead. If not, there was a second plan.

He had a bold suspicion that this fraudulent case wouldn’t be so simple. Targeting the Third Prince’s external family might just be an incidental move, and those boxes made him think of the Eldest Prince.

Hu Maoshen and others had been closely watching the Eldest Prince but simply couldn’t find evidence. Those silvers definitely couldn’t be used, only left unused; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been stuck for over two years.

Could those boxes in the remote estates have been planted by the Eldest Prince to divert attention and perhaps even the aim of Hu Maoshen?

Gu Chengyu now reacted instinctively; upon hearing about large boxes, he thought of the Eldest Prince’s gold and silver.

Whether his conjecture was correct or not, Hu Maoshen’s involvement was always an avenue. If there really was such a matter, the two working together would be mutually beneficial.

However, Hu Maoshen, being able to become the Left Deputy Imperial Censor, wasn’t a fool. Why would he believe him and verify if that batch of silver was planted by the Eldest Prince?

Moreover, if the Eldest Prince indeed set up the situation, how exactly did he lure Hu Maoqing in?

Gu Chengyu rubbed his temples. There was too little information. Even these tidbits were obtained by intercepting a message. Not understanding the connections made it extremely difficult to come up with a plan.

Suddenly, an idea struck him.

Perhaps there was no need to lure Hu Maoshen over at all. Hu Maoshen had been investigating the Eldest Prince for over two years without finding any dirt on him; maybe now the Eldest Prince would use this chance to settle the bandit case from Fengding Prefecture from that year.

Isn’t this a great opportunity? Wan Xue Nian, to amass wealth, leaked exam questions. The bandit case that spread across various Prefectures could then be pinned on Wan Xue Nian, and evidence could be found in his residence.

And why was the wealth amassed? Naturally, for amassing troops! Wan Xue Nian was the Third Prince’s grandfather, so he must have been acting under the Third Prince’s orders.

Even if Hu Maoshen knew that this was the bandit issue instigated by the Eldest Prince, what could he do?

He had no evidence; mere words wouldn’t convince the Emperor. Accusing a Prince was a grave offense, especially when the Eldest Prince was quite favored.