Drunk Bamboo

The meditation room of Daci Temple.

Hua Qinming and Han Jian were one sitting and the other kneeling.

"Your Majesty, I failed to do my job well! I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"

Han Jian knelt on the ground in fear, not daring to raise his head, and even his voice was trembling.

Even on the Golden Stairs Palace, he was not so scared.

In the Loushan silver robbery case, all the bandits were wiped out, three people were captured, and 230,000 taels of silver were found and safely transported to Yuzhen.

From the moment before the news came, Han Jian was still full of confidence and felt that he had made a great contribution this time.

The King of Wind fell off a cliff and disappeared, the Crown Prince was affected, and King Wen was the biggest beneficiary.

But I didn't expect that the ending would be like this.

Even without looking up, one could feel the coldness emanating from King Wen.

"Loushan's arrangements were not done overnight. I didn't expect that in less than a month, all the people stationed in Jiangbei County were wiped out. Even the five assassins I sent out all failed, four died and one was seriously injured. The loss was heavy."

Hua Qinming said coldly.

There was no rage or raised voice, but the tone was like winter frost.

Han Jian prostrated himself on the ground, his eyes rolled around, and he said angrily:

"The usually quiet Chen Xin turned out to be an old thief. He arranged for the escort agency to deliver the silver in advance, and sent a separate person to deliver the message to King Feng. Even the Minister Xiong Kuo who was escorting the money didn't know the truth. He was really secretive."

Han Jian's original intention was to reduce his own guilt and put the blame on the Minister of War Chen Xin.

Unexpectedly, it made Hua Qinming even more disgusted.

He glanced at him coldly, full of contempt.

Apart from his status and power in Zhongdu, Han Jian is not even half as good as Wang Qingming. He has no ability, but still wants to shift the blame to others. Do you think he is a fool?

Han Jian didn't hear a response, thinking that Hua Qinming had calmed down a little, and raised his head carefully:

"Where did he get the brain to come up with such a meticulous plan? Could it be that someone helped him?"

Hua Qinming withdrew his contemptuous look. Han Jian was still useful now.

He warned: “Whether there is help or not, it was Lord Han who underestimated Lord Chen, which led to the annihilation of the entire army.”

Han Jian did not deny: "It is my fault, my fault!"

"Cough cough..." Hua Qinming coughed lightly a few times, and Xia'er beside him brought him tea.

After a moment of relaxation, he slowly said, "Lord Han also saw it this morning. Father is very satisfied with the joint efforts of the Crown Prince and Prince Feng to solve the case. He is full of praise for Prince Feng. Lord Han, how do you think we can atone for the crime?"

He raised his eyes slightly and asked cautiously, "...I will never let the prince be implicated in any way. I will never, never involve the Imperial Concubine..."

Hua Qinming snorted coldly: "Master Han, are you threatening me?"

His intention was seen through, and Han Jian quickly lowered his head again.

"I dare not, I dare not! I am of the same mind as the prince and the imperial concubine. We will rise and fall together. I will definitely deal with it cleanly and leave no trace. I will not let those who were arrested enter Zhongdu alive. Guard Qiu is recuperating in the mansion and will not arouse suspicion."

Han Jian's implication was that he was incompetent, but Hua Qinming could not use him as a shield. If they were discovered, both sides would suffer.

Besides, there is a killer recuperating in Han’s mansion. Hua Qinming cannot abandon him no matter what.

Hua Qinming smiled faintly. His value had not been exhausted yet and it was not time for him to die yet.

His expression eased slightly and he gestured for Han Jian to stand up.

Han Jian finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wang Qingming has taken charge of all the affairs in Jiangbei County. He does things cleanly, and his subordinates are unaware of Zhongdu's plan. Now he is paying for his crime with his death. Even if a few people are captured and brought back to Zhongdu, nothing will be found out."

"Your Highness has a new plan?" Han Jian's shrewd eyes immediately flashed a hint of cunning.

"You must have a backup plan when doing things." Hua Qinming's pale face slightly raised, "It would be really boring if the Crown Prince and King Feng could be defeated so easily in Jiangbei County."

"But, but Wang Qingming has already said that there are noble people helping us..." There are still three people who have been arrested, and I don't know what they will confess.

Han Jian looked worried and very concerned.

He had always been the one in contact with Wang Qingming, so it was inevitable that he would be implicated.

"There are so many nobles in Zhongdu, who are you talking about?" Hua Qinming showed no fear.

"The Crown Prince and Prince Feng are both in Jiangbei County. Whether it's the silver robbery or the assassination of Prince Feng, they are all victims. The only one left in Zhongdu is you, Your Majesty. Although there is no evidence pointing directly to you, it is inevitable that some court officials will implicate Your Majesty and make His Majesty suspicious."

Han Jiangang had just finished worrying when Hua Qinming's mouth curled up and his eyes were cold.

"Father is suspicious. The more obvious something is, the more suspicious he will be. Wang Qingming's last letter to you should be arriving soon."

letter? !

There's still a letter?!

Han Jian's face suddenly turned pale.

"Then, won't the investigation lead to me?"

Hua Qinming smiled calmly: "After reading the contents of the letter, Lord Han will understand."

Han Jian saw the plot in his eyes, and his heart trembled. He was surprised and said: "Could it be that thing..."

Hua Qinming did not respond, but said softly: "The prince has been away for more than a year, it is time for him to return to Zhongdu."

Han Jian was stunned at first, then a cunning smile appeared on his face.

"Your Highness has a plan in mind, and I will do my best to carry it out."

After the conversation, Han Jian left the meditation room first.

After a cup of tea, Hua Qinming slowly stood up and walked out.

At the gate of Daci Temple, I met Xie Yuzhu who had just got off the carriage.

Xie Yuzhu stopped and looked up to see Hua Qinming, who looked like a banished immortal, standing on the steps. He had a frail body but a tall and slender figure, a handsome face, and a face so pale that it didn't look like that of an ordinary human.

"What a coincidence, I have met King Wen in the temple many times." Xie Yuzhu smiled politely.

"Ahem, I'm not in good health. I can neither benefit the people like the Crown Prince nor fight on the battlefield to eliminate bandits and solve crimes like my third brother. All I can do is pray for the people of Rao and for my father, the king, and my mother, the queen."

Hua Qinming coughed lightly a few times and his face turned even paler.

She was so weak that she needed the support of the maidservant beside her to just stand.

It seems like it could fall down with a gust of wind.

Such weakness made Xie Yuzhu, who had originally been threatening, suddenly lose her edge. Her tone softened and her voice became louder, but it was filled with concern and warning.

"King Wen should also pray for himself. If he is not feeling well, he should rest quietly in his mansion, worry less, think less, and do less."

Don’t do anything that would harm others.

Hua Qinming understood the hidden meaning of her words, let go of Xia'er's support, stood in front of her, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and his eyes were less cold.

"Thank you for your concern, Third Sister-in-law. But I think that life is short, and my life may be even shorter than that of ordinary people. I don't want to miss anything that should be done."

"If I don't do it now, I may not have another chance. What others can do, I can do too."

Xie Yuzhu was stunned. She didn't expect him to speak so bluntly and sincerely.

She stopped smiling, her expression suddenly became serious, and her dark eyes looked straight at him: "Power and wealth are like passing clouds. What's the use of getting them if you don't have a life?"

No one dared to look at him so frankly and fearlessly.

Whether it was admiration, shyness, timidity, or awe, in Xie Yuzhu's eyes, there was nothing but openness and clarity.

He looks so much like Hua Qinfeng, even his eyes are similar.

An inexplicable fire of jealousy ignited in my heart.

Looking away, Hua Qinming faced the sun, but there was no warmth in his eyes:

"Has Third Royal Sister ever experienced the feeling of having something that was originally yours become someone else's, watching helplessly but not being able to possess it, feeling unwilling and resentful?"

"Maybe it never belonged to you."

Hua Qinming smiled and said:

"How do you know that it won't belong to me in the end?"

The carriage from Prince Wen's mansion gradually disappeared outside the Daci Temple.

Bai Guo asked, "Princess, what did King Wen mean by what he said just now?"

Xie Yuzhu: "Isn't it obvious?"

Bai Guo tilted his head: "What?"

"His ambition."