Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne

Chapter 599: Chapter 304: Feeding Merits_2

Don’t be fooled by Prince Dai and his ministers always mocking Prince Chu over this matter, in truth, they are envious and extremely jealous. Of course, the Crown Prince is also very envious.

Some ministers, ever since the emperor gave Liangzhou to Prince Chu as his fief, guessed that the emperor favored Prince Chu. At that time, they began to align themselves with Prince Chu. Sure enough, as they expected, the emperor is paving the way for Prince Chu. The road the emperor is paving for Prince Chu this time is wide and smooth, requiring little effort from him.

Some military officials who were previously hesitant in court, upon seeing the emperor send Prince Chu to reclaim Shu, have decided without hesitation to support him.

Although the situation in court has already formed a basic tripartite division, Prince Chu’s power is still somewhat lacking compared to the Crown Prince and Prince Dai. However, once Prince Chu conquers Shu, his power will be able to contend with that of the Crown Prince and Prince Dai. At that time, the court will have a true tripartite division.

Because of this situation, the ministers and noble families in the court are no longer concerned about the deaths of the two legitimate sons of the Yuan Family. This is fortunate for Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion. If they were continually under scrutiny, they would be unable to avenge the innocent deaths of their two legitimate sons.

The hatred of losing one’s children is irreconcilable; how could Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion swallow this anger? Marquis Jingyang knows that the death of his two legitimate sons is related to the Virtuous King, but he cannot openly take revenge, as it would reveal the Yuan Family’s collusion with the Xiongnu.

The people of Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion also have no interest in the matter of Prince Chu being sent by the emperor to reclaim Shu. They are currently focused on how to avenge their two legitimate sons.

The ailing Marquis Jingyang has finally regained some energy in the past two days. Upon learning that the murderers of his two legitimate sons are linked to the Virtuous King, he harbors suspicions. His first instinct is that someone is framing the Virtuous King to create discord between him and the Virtuous King. However, the evidence does not directly point to the Virtuous King; it was only through layers of investigation that it was discovered that the real culprit is a subordinate of the Virtuous King. The crucial part is that the evidence is not contrived, each clue is supported by a convincing motive.

Marquis Jingyang instinctively feels that this matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface, and there must be a larger conspiracy behind it. One of his retainers directly pointed out that the true mastermind behind this incident is targeting both Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion and the Virtuous King, and this person must have a significant grudge against Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion.

As one of the four great noble families in the capital, it is impossible for Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion not to have enemies, but these enemies would not dare to kill the two legitimate sons of Marquis Jingyang. First, eliminate the other three major families; as for some of the other moderate families, they would not dare to do such a thing.

The retainer advised Marquis Jingyang to think carefully about who might hold such deep-seated hatred against their family and is not afraid of their retaliation.

At first, Marquis Jingyang couldn’t think of anyone, but after a while, he considered a possibility, though he found it unlikely.

When the retainer asked who he thought of, he hesitated and said he thought of the Pei Family.

If anyone truly hated the Yuan Family deeply, it would be the Pei Family. After all, back in the day, the Yuan Family caused the Pei Family to be exterminated. However, all the Pei Family members were killed, so it is impossible that anyone survived.

"Marquis, perhaps not all the Pei Family members were killed," the retainer speculated. "Perhaps at that time, there were survivors from the Pei Family. Throughout history, there are always one or two individuals who manage to escape extinction or an annihilation of their clan. And these individuals are usually not important or noticeable." In a large family, not everyone is outstanding or draws attention. There are always a few who are neither remarkable nor have any presence within the family. Such individuals may have been able to escape the tragic fate of clan annihilation.

Marquis Jingyang found some truth in the retainer’s words. His face changed greatly and he said, "You mean there were lucky survivors from the Pei Family years ago, and they have been living under an assumed name, waiting for the day to take revenge on our Yuan Family?"

The retainer nodded and said, "It’s very possible."

Marquis Jingyang’s Mansion inhaled sharply, then said sinisterly, "Indeed, only members of the Pei Family would have such courage."

The retainer consoled Marquis Jingyang, saying, "Marquis, what we need to do now is find the Pei Family members."

"How do we find them in such a vast sea of people?"

The retainer said, "I suspect the Pei Family members are with the Xiongnu."

"The Xiongnu?" Marquis Jingyang was initially stunned, but upon further thought, he understood the retainer’s implication. He found the retainer’s guess very plausible, "You are indeed correct."