Too high to reach

Chapter 311 is truly brilliant.
When news of Princess Yu'an's assassination reached the Prince's residence...

Li Jing and Mo Yi were having dinner in the dining room.

The person approached and whispered a few words. Li Jing put down her chopsticks, quite surprised.

After the Emperor issued an edict ordering Dongfang to divorce Yu'an, he sent people to keep an eye on Yu'an, hoping to find an opportunity to mess with her.

Whether she's injured or dead depends on her fate. Suffering a little first is fine; there will be consequences later anyway.

Unexpectedly, someone actually tried to assassinate her...

who can that be?

He turned and whispered the story to Mo Yi.

Mo Yi looked at him and blinked. Had the princess offended so many people?

"Is it the East?" she asked, leaning close to the prince's ear.

Li Jing shook his head: "No, he can't do it."

The natural and intimate interaction between the two made Consort Feng feel very uncomfortable, so she could only try to distract herself: What exactly happened?

At that moment, Prince Yong'an was entertaining guests at home. Upon hearing the news from his subordinate, he maintained his smile and drank three cups with his guests.

It's alright if I'm injured. Death isn't urgent.

Back then, it was the Empress's doing that she entered the palace. I haven't even settled accounts with that bitch yet, and she dared to bully her... Hmph, I'll collect some interest first.

The news of the princess's assassination attempt quickly reached the palace, enraging the emperor, who ordered a thorough investigation!

The Empress was quite frightened and regretted her earlier attitude towards her daughter. She immediately dispatched the best imperial physician and her personal maid.

The princess's injuries were unclear, and they dared not return to the princess's residence rashly, so they stayed in the small courtyard.

Upon hearing the news, the Crown Prince rushed over, accompanied by his pregnant wife. Under such circumstances, they would certainly have plenty of guards.

The streets outside the courtyard were all blocked off. Residents in the surrounding area heard cars and people coming and going in the middle of the night, and as soon as they peeked out, they were told to go back inside. Then, people searched each house one by one.

The prince stood outside the door, listening to the screams coming from inside the house... his face turned deathly pale with fright.

To be honest, Princess Yu'an was very unlucky... That knife wound pierced her tailbone, then slid down her spine... leaving a trail of cuts... basically, all those unspeakable places were injured. It was only because someone blocked the blow that the force was reduced...
But her skirt was covered in blood, and the ground was soaked. She couldn't get up after falling. When the people in the yard came out to help, they saw her and thought she had suffered a miscarriage and severe bleeding…

Someone ran out to get a doctor… There was a pharmacy nearby, but when the doctor arrived and saw the situation, and learned her identity, he dared not touch her and repeatedly refused…

The news reached the palace, and the imperial physician arrived again, but quite some time had passed.

The imperial physician arrived, but he too was perplexed. The strict separation of men and women was a serious matter!

Who dares to say: "Your Highness, please take off your undergarments and bend over so this doctor can take a look..."

Therefore, he could only listen to the princess's calls and then go to find the female doctor.

However, nowadays, female doctors can only help women regulate their menstrual cycles and assist with childbirth. They don't treat trauma very well...

Moreover, as anyone with a mole knows, that unspeakable area can be excruciatingly painful.

So, when the female doctor arrived, it wasn't convenient for her to examine the area, and it was also difficult to suture there. She was somewhat at a loss...

Princess Yu'an is still at the age when she cares most about her image; she refuses to let the female doctor examine her wounds, even if it means her death.

She only allowed her maid to apply the medicine. Fortunately, the medicine in the palace was quite good, and after a series of heart-wrenching screams, the bleeding finally stopped.

This ordeal lasted until the early hours of the morning.

The crown prince received news that the person had not been caught, and there was nothing suspicious about the surrounding houses.

The imperial physician gave the princess some medicine, and she drifted off to sleep. Before falling asleep, she said she needed to return to her princess residence to recuperate.

They had no choice but to dismantle another door panel. Fortunately, there were strong guards who could easily lift her up and place her on the door panel, then transport her back to the princess's residence.

The next day, as dawn broke, Princess Yu'an was awakened by the urge to urinate...

How to solve "..."?

After another round of thrashing, she screamed in pain, her forehead covered in sweat.

The problem is, the wound got contaminated, so it needs to be cleaned and treated again...

That was simply hell on earth, I won't go into details.

It was almost noon when the princess finally finished getting ready and lay back down on the bed...

"Where are you hurt?" the prince asked as he entered the room.

"..." Princess Yu'an was both in pain and angry. "What did you find out?"

Prince: "..."

What did they find out? They found a mountain of rumors! Nobody even knows where they started. "That elegantly dressed woman...it's Princess Yu'an? She doesn't usually drive this carriage! Who knew the princess was so close to us..."

"Hey? Where's that man on horseback? Why didn't he show up?"

"I guess he's a gigolo kept by the princess? He's certainly handsome..."

"Could it be that the prince consort has returned, and the princess wanted to go back to him, but the male concubine got jealous and killed her?"

"Hey, have you heard? The Eastern Prince Consort..."

"He's the former prince consort... He's been ordered to divorce me!"

"The former prince consort once said in front of others that if the princess could prove she was still a virgin, he would change his mind and live a good life with her... The princess was so infatuated with him, waiting for him for so many years, and she would faint and fall face-first into the mud at the sight of him. But in the end, she didn't dare to let anyone verify it..."

"Haha!" someone laughed heartily. "That can't be verified... That thing is only used once, and once it's gone, it's gone forever!"

Thinking about what he had learned, the Crown Prince sighed, "Don't think about it so much. Just focus on recovering. Father has summoned the city defenses and the Imperial Guards; they'll definitely find out the truth. Do you think... this has anything to do with the East?"

"It was him! Ah..." Princess Yu'an cried out in excitement, which aggravated her injury, causing her to break out in a cold sweat from the pain. "It was him who did it, making Father Emperor cut off that bastard's head."

The crown prince sighed inwardly, "You really are sometimes clever and sometimes foolish..."

……

After returning home from the villa, Li Jing and Mo Yi each went about their own business.

Li Jing gave Mo Yi a bodyguard and several people to handle matters outside.

Mo Yi sent them all out to investigate the surrounding situation of Consort Feng. At home, she met with Zhao Mama's people. Since she was preparing to renovate the garden, there were people coming and going in the courtyard all day long, so it didn't seem abrupt.

When asked about Princess Zhou indirectly, most people knew almost nothing.

Only one person stammered and said: There is no doubt about the death of Princess Zhou, because she was in poor health and was indeed ill during that period.

But after she left, there was still the princess. Why didn't any of her capable maids stay with her?
I once suspected Consort Feng, but she was just an ordinary worker. She had no connection to many things, so I knew nothing about her.

The people the prince gave him were all quite useful. Within two days, Mo Yi discovered that Consort Feng's cousin and her husband were quite capable.

In just a few short years, this couple rose to wealth and status through the connections of the Prince's Mansion...

My brother-in-law has a nominal job but runs a business outside.

Almost all the purchases for the Prince's residence were handled by him.

Even the writing implements in the front yard... the brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, tea, gifts, and so on... were all his doing...

The expenses in this area even exceeded those in the inner quarters. Mo Yi typed in the amounts of gifts she had found… it wasn't convenient to look at the detailed accounts yet…

I only had Xiao Zhao, the steward, check, and all the matters in the front yard were signed by the original second steward: Wan Daoping!
Although Wan Daoping does this kind of work, it's normal for him to be in charge and sign off on it. But his relationship with this cousin-in-law must be more than just ordinary, right?

Another thing is that although many merchants delivered goods, it was always this cousin's husband who came to settle the bill.

She understood the trick: her cousin-in-law didn't need to invest any capital, nor did he own any goods.

He would go and find whatever the Prince's mansion needed.

Or perhaps he acquires something new, and the Prince's mansion will accept it. There might be some thief here…

Even so… Mo Yi looked at the couple's assets and was still a little puzzled. How could they have accumulated so much wealth in just a few years? How could they have made such a large profit?

There are seven or eight houses in the three courtyards alone, and six or seven shops in good locations, all of which are occupied by people sitting and collecting money...

This is only what the government can find out. As for the shops they own, the businesses they have invested in, and the gold and silver they hold, no one knows how much they have.

Moreover, the people who investigated said that my cousin's husband is quite good at managing houses. He has bought and then sold quite a few properties.

It's definitely profitable.

Where did such a large amount of silver come from?

After looking around, I realized: part of it was held by Feng Liniang, part of Princess Zhou's dowry...

For example, this shop was part of Princess Zhou's dowry... and it was rented to my cousin's husband for twenty years. The rent was a fixed amount, and it wouldn't increase for any number of years.

That location, this size, and this little rent? You're kidding me!
I guess her brother-in-law became a sub-landlord and rented it out at a high price.

That's brilliant.

And... where did the rent money go? Could it have been used by Feng Liniang herself?

For example, she had her brother-in-law buy houses and shops outside. The money generated then belonged to Feng Liniang. When she needed it in the future, such as when a princess got married and needed a dowry, she could sell some houses and shops and easily pay off the debts.

From beginning to end, it was a scheme to get something for nothing, and it was a series of interconnected traps!
Really good...

Mo Yi shook his head and sighed, truly impressed.

I told you she wasn't a simple person...