Chapter 1239 - 915: Hidden Truths

Just as Yu Wenquan was silent, Lou Yingxiong suddenly stepped forward and angrily said, "Emperor, no matter what, Pei Xingyuan’s collusion with the people of Wanggang Village is true, and it is also true that the rebels of Wanggang Village rescued him. The truth of the Hot Spring Palace case lies here. This matter cannot be forgiven lightly!"

"..."

"Moreover, the Pei family should also be—"

Before he could finish, Yu Wenye interrupted, "General Lou, the matter might not be that simple."

Lou Yingxiong said coldly, "Prince Qin, is the matter not simple?"

"..."

"Pei Xingyuan knew the rebels of Wanggang Village and had a secret meeting with them at the Hot Spring Palace intending to harm the Emperor. After the incident, he was imprisoned; today, because Your Majesty wanted to interrogate him, these people took advantage of the chaos to rescue him. This is irrefutable evidence of his collusion with the rebels of Wanggang Village!"

Yu Wenye said, "Pei Xingyuan acknowledged knowing the people of Wanggang Village; I will not deny that for him. I can even tell you, I’ve met that Liang Youying. But does knowing them necessarily mean collusion?"

No one expected him to admit knowing Liang Youying at this moment, which shocked Lou Yingxiong.

This seemed like the biggest flaw Prince Qin had shown since the incident began. But precisely because it was such a big "flaw," Lou Yingxiong was momentarily unable to respond, merely staring at him, unable to think of how to speak. Yu Wenye continued, "Moreover, I witnessed everything today; those from Wanggang Village originally didn’t plan to rescue him."

Yu Wenquan immediately asked, "What do you mean?"

Yu Wenye turned to him and said in a deep voice, "Father, just now Minister Yan said that as soon as the carriage transporting Pei Xingyuan left the Ministry of Justice Prison, a man and a woman attempted to break in to rescue someone. This man and woman were naturally Jiang Xian and Liang Youying from Wanggang Village."

Yu Wenquan nodded lightly.

In fact, before Yu Wenye and Shang Ruyi returned, not only did he receive information from the Ministry of Justice, but he also had Su Qinglan identify the images sent from there, confirming that those two people were indeed the ones trying to break into the prison.

Yu Wenye immediately said, "They broke into the prison after Pei Xingyuan was taken away, naturally to rescue Jiang Yu. This is also Jiang Xian’s filial duty as a son."

Hearing the word "filial," Yu Wenquan nodded again.

Yu Wenye continued, "Since they went to rescue Jiang Yu after Pei Xingyuan was taken away, it shows that rescuing Pei Xingyuan was never part of their original plan."

Yu Wenquan’s eyes suddenly brightened.

When he first heard the news from the Ministry of Justice, he was furious, especially upon hearing that these two people escaped capture once again, leading him to smash the incense burner on his imperial desk in anger. Yet, amidst his rage, he also sensed something subtly amiss.

With Yu Wenye’s explanation, he also understood—it was a matter of timing.

They chose to break into the prison to save Jiang Yu first. If they had succeeded in the jailbreak, they would have certainly left Chang An City immediately, not having time to save Pei Xingyuan with the frail and elderly Jiang Yu.

However—

The doubts in his heart were still unresolved, but before he could speak, the Crown Prince had already said, "But, they still rescued Pei Xingyuan."

Yu Wenye immediately turned to him: "Correct, but this rescue is different from the rescue we just discussed."

Yu Wenqian smiled lightly, "A rescue is a rescue, what’s different about it?"

Yu Wenye said, "The ’rescue’ Imperial Brother speaks of involves taking Pei Xingyuan from the guards, going against the court; but the ’rescue’ I speak of is encountering those who tried to assassinate Pei Xingyuan and saving his life. This act was not against the court but out of necessity."

Yu Wenqian said, "What a necessity."

"..."

"To think, in Second Brother’s words, even the actions of rebels are all out of necessity. What then can the court do?"

Shang Ruyi immediately said, "At the very least, the court can still do one thing: find out who wanted to assassinate Lord Pei halfway and what their purpose was."

Yu Wenqian glanced at her, his eyes flickering, but said nothing. Yu Wenye continued, "Exactly, doesn’t Imperial Brother realize that the critical point of today’s event lies with those who attempted to assassinate Pei Xingyuan first?"

"..."

"If the people who plotted against Father at the Hot Spring Palace were indeed from Wanggang Village, then today’s jailbreak should only involve Jiang Xian and Liang Youying. Why did an extra group appear out of nowhere? Whose men are they? Why did they want to assassinate Pei Xingyuan halfway? If Pei Xingyuan were to be killed, what good would it do them?"

Saying this, he immediately turned to look at Yu Wenquan, "Father, this son believes there may be another hidden truth in the Hot Spring Palace case!"

Yu Wenquan’s eyes suddenly became serious.

Before today, all his suspicions were on Pei Xingyuan and the rebels of Wanggang Village. But the sudden emergence of this group today indeed introduced other possibilities in this case.

If the original plan of the people from Wanggang Village was only to rescue an old and powerless Jiang Yu, then who were the people who wanted to assassinate Pei Xingyuan halfway, and what was their purpose?

Most importantly, are they related to the Hot Spring Palace incident?

The confrontation between Wanggang Village and their adversaries was a straightforward battle for their respective lords. But an assassination attempt at the Hot Spring Palace bore completely different implications. If those actions weren’t by the people from Wanggang Village, but by others who remain hidden within Chang An City, as an unknown force, the matter becomes much more severe!

He thought for a moment and said, "Then who do you think were the ones who wanted to assassinate Pei Xingyuan today?"

Yu Wenye said, "Murderers are typically of two kinds: those with personal vendettas, though this possibility is slim, for today Father intended to interrogate Pei Xingyuan, and no ordinary person would dare act under such circumstances. Besides, based on my understanding of him, apart from having differing opinions with others in the court, Pei Xingyuan rarely conflicts with people."

Hearing this, Yu Wenquan glanced aside.

Yu Wenye continued, "So, it still targets this case. And from the occurrence of this case to today, besides the ’primary suspects’ we have previously considered—Jiang Xian and Liang Youying, only three accomplices have been captured: Jiang Yu, Doctor Su, and him."

"..."

"Now, Jiang Yu knows very little about that case, Doctor Su has long been interrogated thoroughly, only Vice Minister Pei was about to be interrogated when he was intercepted. If he truly died, this case would be—"

Saying this, he paused, "unexamined."

With this statement, the atmosphere in Xuanzheng Hall suddenly sank, and he even heard someone subconsciously hold their breath.

Then, he also fell silent.

After a moment of suffocating stillness, Yu Wenquan slowly raised his head, speaking seemingly unintentionally, "Qian’er, what has Duke Wushan been doing these days?"