Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 569 Cooperation
As Prince Huai finished speaking, he noticed that Wang Yan's expression remained indifferent. Clearly, it was difficult for him to gain Wang Yan's trust, but he was not in a hurry. Tonight's conversation had only just begun.

Wang Yan said, "The Ministry of Justice has the case file. The assassin who killed the Prince was a spy from a vassal state."

The Prince of Huai shook his head and said, "That's how the assassin confessed, but if you think about it carefully, you'll understand why the vassal people would assassinate me. Even if my father is the crown prince and I have a younger brother, killing me would not affect the succession to the throne of Liang."

He paused deliberately at this point: "Killing my father would have some use, but eliminating me might just solve a problem for the Prince of Qin's mansion."

"But I can only accept this result, lest those people try to take action against me in secret again."

The words of the Prince of Huai were consistent with Wang Yan's guess. In fact, Wang Yan had many questions when the news of the case first came out. However, the Ministry of Justice did not get any confessions, and the assassin soon committed suicide in prison. The case could not be investigated and could only be left unresolved.

Later, because of Xie Yuyan's identity, he remembered the case again, and took the opportunity of interrogating Xia Mengxian and others at the Ministry of Justice to review the case file again.

The case file was exceptionally clear and well-prepared, with no loopholes to be found.

The Prince of Huai seemed to have guessed what Wang Yan was thinking: "That case was presided over by Xia Mengxian."

Wang Yan said, "So back then, you suspected Xia Mengxian?"

The Prince of Huai smiled and said, "It's not that easy. After all, I am the legitimate son of the Prince's Mansion. There are many people who want me dead. I need to investigate them one by one."

There were some things he couldn't say, but Wang Yan would surely understand. He investigated Jiang Zhenru first, but found no clues in the Wang residence. The Jiang family had been exceptionally well-behaved in recent years, and he had long ago secretly placed spies to watch them. If the Jiang family was behind this, there would definitely be some clues.

"After a long investigation, we found nothing. The assassin seemed to have appeared out of thin air and had no connection with anyone."

“I didn’t find anything myself, but the Ministry of Justice quickly found evidence. First, they discovered that the assassin had a denture in his mouth, which could hold wax pellets. Then they discovered that the assassin could understand the Qi language. All these signs indicate that this person was a Qi person planted in Daliang to deliver messages for the Qi people.”

The Prince of Huai looked at Wang Yan and said, "If you were me, wouldn't you be suspicious? Even if my men are useless, they wouldn't be this incompetent."

"However... even if I have doubts, it's useless, because the Secret Service proved the identity of the assassins through the people they had planted in Northern Qi."

“Xia Mengxian had dealings with my father and secretly supported him in becoming the crown prince. Some of the money my father had came from Xia Mengxian. After I was assassinated, my father met with Xia Mengxian to inquire about the case.”

“I believe that at this time, even if my father has no intention of passing on the family business to me, he doesn’t need to secretly harm me. Losing a grown son before even inheriting the throne would not benefit him at all.”

Wang Yan said, "So logically speaking, with Xia Mengxian, the Minister of Justice, keeping an eye on things, no one in the Ministry of Justice should be able to tamper with things, except... Xia Mengxian himself."

Prince Huai nodded: "So I began to investigate the Xia family, and then I was surprised to find that the Xia family was much more complicated than I thought. Xia Mengxian's business was not just what was on the surface. He used his power to pave the way for those merchants, but those merchants were not like Xia Mengxian's vassals. The caravans they controlled were also different from ordinary caravans."

“He Chun has interrogated those people and should know what I mean. In short, whether they are merchants or caravans, they are all extraordinary. More importantly, according to my investigation, even my father does not know Xia Mengxian’s true background.”

"Since Xia Mengxian supports my father so much, why is he hiding these things? Isn't the merit of supporting the emperor enough for him? What exactly is he plotting?" Prince Huai actually disliked talking to people like Wang Yan.

A not-so-bright person would ask him many questions at this time, but Wang Yan could figure out many things on his own without needing him to explain.

Prince Huai sighed: "I really wish I were Jiang Zhenru's child. That way, I could tell my father everything I've found out, and with his help, we could figure things out."

"Unfortunately, I am not. If I rashly go and voice my doubts, not only will my father not believe me, but if those people find out, they will also try to harm me again. I have to survive until everything is clear."

Wang Yan said, "That's why you thought of arranging a marriage with the Xie family. You used the fact that Second Madam Xie saved you to ask the Empress Dowager for a marriage decree."

“I helped the Prince of Qin’s mansion win over Xie Shumi,” said the Prince of Huai. “In my father’s eyes, I am of some use, at least I can get the temporary protection of the mansion.”

"In my opinion, Madam Xie also needs an opportunity to return to the capital, so it would be mutually beneficial."

“Not just,” Wang Yan said. “I remember when Prime Minister Xie was in court, he impeached Xia Mengxian for accepting bribes and perverting the law, thus corrupting the morals of the scholars. Xia Mengxian was about to be promoted to the Ministry of Revenue, but it was Prime Minister Xie who strongly opposed it, and in the end, the Emperor withdrew his order. You think the Xie family should be at odds with Xia Mengxian, and if you really become the son-in-law of the Xie family, you can unite with the Xie family to deal with Xia Mengxian.”

"Unfortunately, man proposes, God disposes. The moment you saw Xie Erniangzi, you knew that everything had gone awry from your plan."

Prince Huai took a deep breath and said calmly, "This is all I can do. I thought I had arranged everything perfectly, but I never imagined that the Xie family also had secrets. The Xie Erniang who came to the capital was actually a fake."

After speaking, the Prince of Huai picked up the water on the table and drank it. He held the crude porcelain in his hand, yet he still possessed a royal demeanor, and the innate Confucian air in his bones was somewhat similar to that of the current imperial family.

Prince Huai shook his head and continued, "But I cannot use this to question Grand Councilor Xie. If I create another powerful enemy, I really won't live to see next year."

Wang Yan stared at Prince Huai: "But now the Prince has changed his mind."

“Yes,” said the Prince of Huai, “because Xia Mengxian was arrested, the Prince of Qin’s mansion is in trouble. Those people have a formidable enemy now and have no time to attack me.”

“I could probably reap the benefits without doing anything, but I don’t want to do that. I’m afraid I won’t be able to eliminate those people completely, and it will ultimately cause endless trouble.”

"If Hechun and Lady Xie are willing to believe me, why not use my identity to create a big show in the capital, and then see if those people are real or not?"

Wang Yan said calmly, "The platform was built by the Prince. Nobody knows whether they will fall off after stepping on it."

“No,” Prince Huai said solemnly. “If I can’t find those people, I’ll be dead anyway. Nobody would risk their life.”

"I've long understood the principle that one cannot trust blood ties within the royal family. Therefore, the only one who can help me is myself. If I am utterly useless, who will respect a prince like me?"