Four Harmonies and Good Fortune

Chapter 658 Smart
As the Empress Dowager listened to the words of the Prince of Huai, she recalled the assassination attempt on him. After the incident, the Princess Consort of Qin came to the palace and explained the situation to her in detail.

The Empress Dowager said, "It seems that you were the one who did some kind of errand that time?"

The Prince of Huai nodded and said, "Your Majesty has a good memory. At that time, I was ordered to go to Quanzhou to investigate a smuggling case. The officials of the Maritime Trade Office colluded with the sea to smuggle seafood and women. As a result, the court arrested many people and executed several officials of the Maritime Trade Office."

"When I was assassinated, I had just brought evidence back to the capital from Quanzhou."

The Empress Dowager pondered for a moment: "Now that you mention it, that case does have many similarities to what the Demonic Cult did."

“Exactly,” said the Prince of Huai, “but people like Liu Heng of Daming Prefecture use their power to order soldiers to openly smuggle goods. On the other hand, it is the people of the Demonic Cult who are doing this business along the coast.”

The Empress Dowager was an extremely intelligent woman, and upon hearing this, she understood what the Prince of Huai was saying.

"You mean, the Privy Council uses its power to openly bribe officials, turning a blind eye and condoning their smuggling activities."

"Secretly protecting the Demon Cult and allowing them to amass wealth for him? The case in Daming Prefecture and the case of the Demon Cult are both behind the same person."

The Prince of Huai said, “These cases seem different, but upon closer examination, they have many similarities. It is precisely because the officials of the Great Liang also make money through smuggling that they do not arrest the members of the Demonic Cult. The Demonic Cult has been gathered along the coast for many years, and it is illogical that no one discovered it before this.”

"Without anyone's protection, how could things have come to this?"

The Empress Dowager asked, "Is this why you sought out Wang Yan?"

“Lord Wang has been investigating these matters for a long time, and I haven’t been of any help,” said the Prince of Huai. “I only told Lord Wang about what happened when we investigated smuggling. If our guess is true, then this will bring endless trouble to the Great Liang.”

The Empress Dowager picked up her tea, took a sip, and then looked at Prince Huai: "You came to Cining Palace today not to keep me company, but to ask me to lend you a hand."

Prince Huai hurriedly stood up and bowed to the Empress Dowager: "If I hadn't found anything, I wouldn't have dared to come to Cining Palace. Now that we have some leads, we're thinking of finding a way to seek help."

Another point, of course, is to let the Empress Dowager understand him better, so that at least he is not a fool.

Such a big matter, yet the Prince of Qin's mansion remains silent. Whatever his father's plans are, he must take the right path.

The Empress Dowager did not speak. After a long while, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, looking exhausted.

The Prince of Huai hurriedly stood up and said, "Your Majesty should rest now. I will come to pay my respects another day."

"Go," the Empress Dowager waved her hand, "and do your job well."

From these words, the Prince of Huai could not discern the Empress Dowager's meaning, but he knew that she would not stand idly by.

After the Prince of Huai left, the master of ceremonies stepped forward and whispered, "Does Your Highness wish to inquire about this matter?"

In truth, she knew the outcome without even asking. If the Empress Dowager didn't want to get involved, she wouldn't have allowed Jingyuan to leave the capital with the visiting card. Prince Huai probably knew all this too, which is why he made this trip.

The master of ceremonies sighed: "You haven't been involved in state affairs for so long, yet there are still people trying to take advantage of the Cining Palace."

"Isn't that a good thing?" the Empress Dowager said calmly. "It shows that I am not dead yet. As long as a person is alive, they will either be used or be used by others. I am the Empress Dowager of the Great Liang Dynasty. I enjoy wealth and glory every day, so naturally I have to do what I should do. The Prince of Huai wants to show me his intelligence because I am very important to the Great Liang Dynasty and to the throne."

"If you are useless, even if you want to see these things, who would want you to see them? If you want to hear these messages, no one will bring them to you."

The master of ceremonies knew that the Empress Dowager's words made sense: "This servant is just afraid that you... will be implicated again. Those censors and officials are very vicious. They are already keeping an eye on Cining Palace. If they find out anything, they will definitely seize on it."

“Then let them talk,” the Empress Dowager said. “Everyone has to support a few people and a few dogs. Giving them a bowl of rice is also a good deed.”

The emcee continued, "Jingyuan is the same; she insisted on getting involved, which has caused you a lot of trouble."

The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "She has probably misjudged this time."

The emcee looked surprised: "You mean, there's something wrong with Madam Xie?"

The Empress Dowager shook her head, offering no explanation. Perhaps only she could truly understand Jingyuan, for it was with Jingyuan's assistance that she had gradually established herself in the palace. The glint in Jingyuan's eyes when she mentioned Lady Xie—was so similar to the light that had shone when she was by Jingyuan's side back then?

Back then, Jingyuan said to her, "What's the point of being a favored concubine? It's better to be an empress or empress dowager."

Jingyuan loves lively atmospheres, but ordinary things and ordinary people cannot arouse her interest.

Thank you, Madam.

The Empress Dowager thought that the Prince of Huai had just tried to prove that he was not a fool, simply to gain her support in the upcoming struggle for the throne.

This matter seems far off, since no matter how you look at it, it shouldn't be the Prince of Huai's turn. But who knows... If the Prince of Qin successfully inherits the throne, the Prince of Huai will have a chance to compete for it.

Even if the King of Qin cannot become the new emperor, the Prince of Huai is not entirely without a chance.

In any case, the Prince of Huai must make himself known to those in power.

Now she sees it.

However, Prince Huai missed one thing: if he had actually married Lady Xie, even if she were no longer alive, someone would have tried to help him plot for the throne.

Perhaps some of her power and connections will be handed over to him as a result.

"It's difficult," the Empress Dowager said instinctively.

But which of the things related to the throne is simple?

Some people just happen to enjoy doing difficult things.

The master of ceremonies was even more confused. The Empress Dowager clearly did not want to explain, but instead said, "I wonder if Lady Xie and Jingyuan will be able to return to the capital smoothly."

Just as the master of ceremonies was about to speak, the Empress Dowager continued, "Send a message to the Ministry of Revenue and the Censorate. If Wang Yan sends anything, have them investigate it carefully. If any department is implicated, impeach that department. If any person is implicated, impeach that person. Don't give anyone any face. Make those who benefit fearful and those who don't benefit angry."

"It would be best to send a special envoy to investigate, with more people involved, so that Wang Yan is not left to handle the situation alone."

The Empress Dowager thought of Jingyuan again. Before leaving the capital, the situation that Jingyuan had guessed had come to pass so quickly, so she would do as she had agreed with Jingyuan.

Although this was decided long ago, the arrival of Prince Huai today is not entirely useless.

The Prince of Huai was telling her...

"The King of Qin may be involved in these matters."

The emcee's hand trembled, and the teacup he was holding almost fell to the ground.

The Empress Dowager glanced at her: "What's the panic? We're dealing with Xie Yizhi now, not him yet! Perhaps it's just Prince Huai's wild guess, it might not be true."

“The Prince of Huai came to me only to prevent this situation from happening.”

The master of ceremonies was stunned for a long time before he suddenly realized, "This servant understands."

The Empress Dowager was clearly in a good mood, so she asked, "What do you understand?"

The master of ceremonies said, "Logically speaking, Prince Huai should have spoken those words to Prince Qin, so that Prince Qin could gain merit by doing so, which would not only consolidate the position of Prince Qin's mansion, but also win Prince Qin's praise and favor. However, Prince Huai bypassed Prince Qin and went straight to Cining Palace after leaving the Emperor's residence."

"There is only one possibility for why Prince Huai did this... He is suspicious of Prince Qin, and besides that, he is afraid that if things are exposed in the future, he will be implicated."

(End of this chapter)