Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 438 - 274 House Arrest
The Third Prince felt his father’s gaze, and sweat dripped from his forehead.
"Your Majesty, no dirty silver was found in the Wan Mansion, only over two hundred thousand taels of silver were seized from the estates of the Wan Mansion and Song Mansion."
The Emperor suddenly shouted, "Old Three!"
The Third Prince was terrified by the shout and quickly kneeled to the ground.
"Father! I truly did not know about this matter! May father see clearly, this must be a framed accusation!" By this point, if the Third Prince still didn’t know this was aimed at him, then he would be a fool.
"You didn’t know? That’s your maternal grandfather’s family, how could you not know? What does Wan Xue Nian want so much silver for? Where has the silver gone?"
In a moment of rage, the Emperor grabbed a lit incense burner from the high table beside the Dragon Throne and threw it at the Third Prince. The Third Prince did not dare to dodge, only shrunk his body, planning to withstand it.
The incense burner struck the crook of the Third Prince’s arm and then fell onto the blue stone floor of the hall, causing a series of sounds. The Third Prince endured the pain, ignoring the burnt hole in his clothes from the incense ashes, and hurriedly prostrated on the ground.
"Father, calm your anger, I am truly wronged! I knew nothing of this matter!" The Third Prince kowtowed three times, each sound resonant.
The ministers saw the Emperor in a great rage and hurriedly kneeled, calling out, "Please calm your anger, Your Majesty!"
The Eldest Prince also kneeled, glanced at the Third Prince kneeling on the ground, "Father, please calm down! This matter has not yet been clarified, perhaps Third Brother truly wasn’t aware."
"Indeed, Father, since the Wan Mansion has already been searched, why not interrogate Wan Xue Nian, which can also clear Third Brother’s name. I believe Third Brother is not involved, right now, the priority is to find that batch of gold and silver."
The Second Prince also quickly pleaded as he saw his father getting angry.
The Eldest Prince kneeled beside the Third Prince, seemingly pleading for him, but in truth, the corners of his mouth curled up under his robe.
The Third Prince thought for a moment, surely this was calculated by eldest brother or second brother.
The Emperor’s chest heaved violently; he knew he had reached an advanced age and forced himself to calm down. Two hundred thousand taels of silver, what does Wan Xue Nian plan to do? Could it be raising troops to assist the Third Prince in ascending? Is the Third Prince in on this or not?
Among the four sons, the second had the most docile personality, only fit to guard the kingdom; the third was somewhat clever but conceited, thinking no one could outsmart him; the eldest was most like him, with strategy and decisiveness, but a bit obsessive by nature; as for the fourth, better not to mention.
He had thought about establishing a Crown Prince and already had a candidate in mind, but felt it still needed more honing.
"Come, take the Third Prince back to his mansion; without my permission, he is not allowed to leave the mansion. Suspend all his duties, let the Second Prince take over."
"Father! I..." The Third Prince was shocked, this was to confine him, to keep him under watch!
The imperial guard hesitated slightly, the Third Prince was pleading his innocence, not knowing what the Emperor meant.
"Why hasn’t he been taken away yet?" The Emperor waved his hand, signaling to take him away quickly. The imperial guard received the order and hurriedly carried out the Third Prince out of Taihe Palace.
The Second Prince didn’t expect such a good position to fall to him; the Third Brother was leading the Ministry of Revenue’s affairs!
The Eldest Prince’s heart sank slightly, such a good position of the Ministry of Revenue actually fell into the hands of the second brother, letting him seize a bargain.
"Kuang Aiqing, I command you to thoroughly investigate this matter, to trace the whereabouts of the dirty silver."
"I abide by the order!"
"Dismiss court!" The Emperor rose, swept his sleeves, and left!
The ministers relaxed only after the Emperor departed.
"Mr. Guo, high rank and salary, it’s only a matter of time!" Jiang Mingyuan congratulated as they were old acquaintances.
No one knew whose person Guo Shi was. Was he affiliated with the Eldest or the Second Prince? Jiang Mingyuan had only newly become a Capital Official this year, not clear about these things inside.
Guo Shi felt somewhat proud but modest outwardly. "Lord Jiang jests, Lord Jiang’s thick accumulation and thin development, rising two levels, truly enviable!"
Exchanging pleasantries with Jiang Mingyuan, Guo Shi watched Yin Kun leave Taihe Palace and followed suit.
Guo Shi left the palace gates and planned to ride a carriage. He was in high spirits. Lord Jiang was right, the Eldest Prince thought he was loyal, having complete trust in him.
Guo Shi rode the carriage swaying back to the mansion. Unexpectedly, the carriage stopped halfway, puzzling him, as they hadn’t gone far. Could it be they’ve arrived? Yet, there was no sound outside?
He lifted the curtain to look outside. At that moment, a sword slashed in sideways, scaring Guo Shi back into the carriage as the blade sliced through a beam in the carriage.
"Who?" He was extremely frightened, the driver hadn’t spoken by now, likely doomed. In such a cramped space, he had no escape.
Kuang Zhao Ying returned to Dali Temple and ordered Left Vice Minister Ma Zhihong to bring over the examinees’ list for the imperial examination, listing those who passed.
He decided to start from the examination cheating case, since it involved bribery, the bribers surely among the examinees in this session, those ranked at the top were highly possible.
He figured he ought to meet these two gentlemen, especially Wan Xue Nian. Kuang Zhao Ying marked two subordinates and went to Dali Temple’s Heavenly Prison.
"Young Master! Guo Shi has been captured!"
Gu Chengyu was discussing strategies with Sun Xian and the others, relieved to learn Guo Shi had been captured. With Guo Shi, the matter had a turning point.
"Your Highness, it’s bad! Guo Shi was rescued!" Captain Jin rushed into the outer study, the Eldest Prince was just dismissing the tearful Consort Song.
"What happened? Who rescued him?" The Eldest Prince was furious upon hearing this. Who indeed rescued Guo Shi?
"Unknowingly, two masked individuals came, their skills remarkable. Our men were injured at first sight, then the three vanished."
The Eldest Prince stood by the window, looking at the lake in the courtyard. Who indeed rescued Guo Shi, and why? Could it be to protect Wan Xue Nian? Old Three was confined, heavily guarded outside, no messages could pass.
The Wan Family was unlikely, as they were all imprisoned; they couldn’t possibly raid and rescue Guo Shi. Could it be the Second Prince? The Second wants to play the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?
"Master! Guo Shi was rescued; we were prepared to act, but unexpectedly, a man in black wanted to assassinate Guo Shi. Nearly succeeded, only to have another pair appear, injuring our men and rescuing Guo Shi."
His men reported the two were highly skilled but did not kill, nor lingered, taking Guo Shi and leaving.
Xia Qing pondered briefly, "You may leave!"
He thought rescuing Guo Shi was advantageous; the Eldest Prince was far harder to deal with than the Third Prince. If Guo Shi implicated the Eldest Prince, even if the Emperor liked him, he’d have to deal with it.
As for previous encounters, Guo Shi hadn’t seen his true face, so he could rest easy!
