The Moon is Full in the Traveling House

After Xie Tianlin and his group finished their meal, Xie Tianlin and Ye Yaowen went into the study to discuss matters. Xie Tianlin informed Ye Yaowen of the purpose and gains of this trip. Ye Yaowen was an honest official and was already quite indignant about the private salt incident. When he heard that the person behind the scenes dared to assassinate the Crown Prince in order to get rid of suspicion, he was naturally sweating. The two analyzed the account book and had already analyzed the identity of the person behind the scenes to be almost certain.

There were many people in the court who were capable of smuggling salt. Although he was investigating secretly this time, after several encounters, the other party must have known his identity. There were not many people who dared to assassinate the crown prince. After careful investigation, there were only a few people left, none more than his good brothers.

The current emperor has seven sons. The eldest son is Xie Tianye, also known as King Ye. His biological mother is Concubine Xian. Her family is not very powerful. The highest official she has ever held is just the Shaoqing of the Dali Temple. She is only listed as one of the four concubines because she gave birth to the eldest son. Concubine Xian and King Ye do not have a strong presence in daily life. Even if they are willing, they probably do not have the ability.

The second son, Xie Tianqi, is the Prince of Qi. His mother is Concubine Shu. Concubine Shu’s family has a deep heritage. Concubine Shu’s father is the current right prime minister and has great power in the court.

The third son, Xie Tianlin, is the only legitimate son of the emperor and the empress. He was named the crown prince after he was born, and was named the prince after the emperor ascended the throne. The empress's father was Yang Lin, the left prime minister of the dynasty, but Yang Lin is now old and has intended to retire. He has been working tirelessly for His Royal Highness the Prince. In order to consolidate Xie Tianlin's position, after the empress passed away, the emperor withstood the pressure from all sides of the court and was determined not to appoint another empress. The prince is the emperor's only legitimate son in this life!

The fourth son, Xie Tianrui, Prince Rui, and his mother, Concubine De’s family are also not to be underestimated. Concubine De’s father, Marquis Dingyuan, controls an army of 200,000, second only to the great general Xiao Yi.

The fifth son, Xie Tianjin, was the Prince of Jin. Although the family of his mother, the imperial concubine, was not as prominent as the families of the previous concubines, they were also from a famous family. The imperial concubine's father, Guan Tongyi, was the Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

The sixth prince Xie Tianling, fifteen years old, and the seventh prince Xie Tianyu, twelve years old, were both born to Concubine Li, but were not made princes because they were still young. Although their mother Concubine Li's family was not a famous family, Concubine Li was deeply loved by the emperor, so she had a high status in the palace.

Among these princes, the most likely ones to be involved in the private salt business are the Prince of Qi, the Prince of Rui, and the Prince of Jin. After all, the families behind them have enough financial resources and power to support such a business. Moreover, if the crown prince is successfully eliminated, they will be the best beneficiaries.

After thinking it over for a long time, the two agreed that among the three people, the Prince of Jin was the most suspicious. From the account book, it can be found that many of the people involved are more or less related to Tong Yi, the Minister of Revenue.

At this moment, the palace seems calm, but in fact, it is undercurrent and turbulent. In the imperial study, Emperor Xie Wushang sat in front of the emperor. In fact, the prince's southward investigation of private salt was a decision he and the prince had discussed in advance. During the reign of the previous emperor, he always attached importance to culture and despised the military, which directly led to the decline of the military power of the Dashun Kingdom. In subsequent wars, the Dashun Kingdom suffered frequent defeats, and the country's strength continued to decline. Since he ascended the throne, Xie Wushang has tried his best to turn the tide and change this situation. However, the reality did not match expectations. Due to excessive correction, a large number of termites began to breed within the court. Especially the private salt incident, which involves a wide range of areas. If it is not handled properly and in a timely manner, it may shake the foundation of the country. Thinking of this, Xie Wushang couldn't help but sigh deeply: "I just hope that the prince will not let me down!"

At this time, the atmosphere in Concubine Tong's palace was extremely solemn, as if it was the calm before the storm. Concubine Tong's face was full of anger and disappointment, and her originally delicate and beautiful face was distorted by anger. She grabbed a valuable vase and threw it to the ground, with fragments flying everywhere, as if symbolizing her broken mood.

"Those people are useless! They only know how to collect money but can't do anything. What's the point of keeping them!" Concubine Tong's voice was sharp and piercing, full of majesty and anger. Her emotions erupted like a volcano, making the surrounding maids tremble with fear and dare not speak.

Seeing this, the senior palace maid Bizhu who was standing nearby hurried forward to comfort her, "Your Majesty, please calm down and take care of yourself. Earlier, the Minister of State sent a message saying that there was only one guard left beside the Crown Prince in Fengcheng. However, none of the people sent out later have been contacted, so they must have been killed. The situation is complicated this time, and there may be experts helping in secret. Your Majesty, please don't get angry, lest you lose your composure. The most urgent thing is to think carefully about how to get rid of the involvement!"

After hearing what Bizhu said, Concubine Tong regained some of her sanity. She realized that she had been too impulsive just now. If she didn't calm down and think about how to deal with it in time, she might fall into a greater crisis. After all, she had been scheming for many years, and everything she did was for her son to ascend to the supreme throne. She and the Tong family had carefully planned for many years, and they must not fail at this moment.

Concubine Tong took a deep breath, trying to calm her inner waves, and said slowly: "You are absolutely right. I really need to think calmly." Her eyes gradually became firm, as if she had secretly made up her mind in her heart.

"Is my third brother's wife about to give birth?" Concubine Tong suddenly changed the subject and asked Bizhu directly.

"Your Majesty, when the Minister's wife came to the palace, she said that the Third Young Master's wife had been pregnant for more than six months. The doctor confirmed that it should be a boy after examining her. The Minister attaches great importance to the Third Young Master's wife's baby. After all, he is the eldest grandson of the Tong family." Bizhu answered respectfully.

"Send someone to take the Third Young Master's wife to Yunzhou's villa. I secretly arranged this, and only you know about it. If... the Tong family is no longer safe, His Royal Highness the Prince of Jin must not be implicated." Concubine Tong's eyes flashed with a hint of ruthlessness. Father, please don't blame your daughter for being ruthless. If a person doesn't care about himself, he will be punished by heaven and earth. Concubine Tong thought to herself.

"Your Majesty, please think twice. Is there really no way around this matter?" Bizhu felt a little reluctant.

"How can we turn things around? The people from the General's Mansion have already gone to pick up the Crown Prince. We couldn't do it before, and now with the General's Mansion joining us, it's even more of a pipe dream! Go quickly, or it will be too late. Tell father that I will treat my nephew well, and he will know what to do."

"Yes, I obey your command." Bizhu took the order and left.

A line of tears slid down Concubine Tong's eyes... "Father... Mother... I'm sorry, for Jin'er, I had no choice..."

At this moment, in the palace of Concubine Xian, there was a completely different scene. Concubine Xian was graceful and elegant, leaning on the beauty couch, with a pair of beautiful eyes that revealed wisdom and cunning: "I heard that Bizhu in the Imperial Concubine's Palace actually left the palace overnight and went to the Shangshu Mansion?"

Nanny Li beside her lowered her voice and responded, "Your Majesty, it is indeed so. You are truly a master of foresight!" The corners of Concubine Xian's mouth slightly raised, revealing a barely perceptible sarcasm: "Just wait and see, the good show is about to begin."

Nanny Li couldn't help but feel curious and asked softly, "May I ask, Your Majesty, can that person really get away safely?" Concubine Xian sneered and said firmly, "How is it possible! Does she naively think that Your Majesty and the Crown Prince are both soft persimmons that can be manipulated at will? After this tossing and turning, even if her life is not in danger, I'm afraid she will be skinned alive. We don't need to take action, just wait and see."

Nanny Li nodded repeatedly, secretly sighing in her heart: This seemingly peaceful, kind and virtuous concubine is actually very cunning and scheming. If we talk about scheming and methods, I'm afraid no one can match her.