Too high to reach

Chapter 380 has a smaller scope.
The court was shocked by this news the next day.

The people exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.

The relevant officials reported yesterday's preliminary investigation to the Emperor.

The thugs broke into the Prince's mansion, causing so many deaths and injuries... The Emperor's face darkened.

The men in black had all been checked, but they had no identification or distinguishable features. Coupled with their manner of death... they were assassins.

I don't know who has the audacity to keep such a person under my very nose...

Looking at the Qi Prince's residence... Li Jing's eldest son was seriously injured. A concubine died. Many guards were wounded... With a secret room to hide in and numerous guards protecting him, this outcome is not surprising.

But what’s the reason?

It's probably because of what Li Jing did, right? But why not assassinate Li Jing instead of harassing his family?

Oh right, there's still no news about Li Jing...

The Emperor issued instructions to the surrounding government offices and dispatched two teams to investigate the matter, but there has been no news to date.

Lately, he doesn't seem to have asked any more questions...

I feel physically and mentally exhausted, and my mind feels like it's not working properly.

Nowadays, I'm not afraid of good things or bad things; what I fear is this feeling of not being able to control things.

Someone is plotting something right under his nose, and he has no idea why or what will happen next... It's terrifying!

Anger, worry, and a sense of powerlessness soaked his back with sweat.

He threw down what he was holding and shouted, "Investigate! Keep investigating!"

After the court session, the emperor sent his trusted eunuch Liu and other officials to Prince Qi's residence with a large amount of medicine and gifts to express his condolences.

Prince Yong'an is regretting it at home...

Yesterday's actions were planned as early as when we went to the mountain villa to bring Feng Liniang down the mountain.

I was angry at the time and just wanted to teach Li Jing a lesson and vent my anger.

But considering the news from the past few days and this outcome... I was wrong. We've lost over a dozen people for nothing. Before, these people weren't a big deal, but now it's different!

Human resources are more important than wealth. Wealth can be acquired quickly... but good and loyal people cannot be cultivated in less than several years or even a decade!
I received a letter a few days ago. Some of his men still managed to escape... One of his favorite subordinates led three thousand men to training, but they weren't surrounded and are now hiding in the mountains.

He plans to transfer this group of people to the capital. It's time to change tactics!
After Li Jing's disappearance, the Emperor began to suppress the Crown Prince. Clearly, the Emperor didn't want anyone to stand out.

Now, they want to support Xiao Shiwu. Although they probably don't have any good intentions...

But that's not important. What's important is: if the Crown Prince gets into trouble again... then this matter will still be complicated!
Mo Yuan received the news from the Eastern Palace very early, almost at the same time as the Crown Prince.

It was Zhang Debao's man, impersonating a member of the Mo family to deliver the message. Mo Yuanxin had already been uneasy these past few days, and upon hearing this, she nearly fainted from anxiety. With red eyes, she ran to the Crown Princess, intending to go to the Qi Prince's residence to check on things.

The Crown Princess hadn't even finished her postpartum confinement period; she had just endured the agonizing pain of giving birth to this son, and now the Crown Prince was confined to his quarters...

It's like the son brought bad luck to the crown prince!
The Crown Princess was quite annoyed. Upon hearing Mo Yuan's request, she said, "I understand your feelings, but today is different from usual. If you want to go out, you should still ask His Highness."

The Crown Prince was in the front study, watching someone report in utter astonishment, exclaiming, "Such a thing actually happened?"

He quickly realized, "Li Jing must have ruined someone's plans this time. This is revenge! But who is this person? So arrogant..." He stroked his chin, which was covered by his short beard.

After a while, a glint of light flashed in his eyes.

“That narrows down the scope!” He turned to his advisors and instructed, “Go through all the princes, dukes, noble families, and officials of the second rank or above in the capital…”

As soon as he said it, his staff understood.

"Sir, the scope you've covered is broad, but those people who can do such things can't escape..."

After all, not many people dare to enter the Prince's mansion.

"Your Highness, Her Majesty asks, are you aware of the matter concerning the Prince Qi's residence?" asked a servant attending to the Crown Princess.

"Your Ladyship is quite well-informed!" The Crown Prince's mood improved considerably after he had just figured something out.

"It was someone from Consort Mo's family who said it. Consort Mo is thinking of visiting Prince Qi's residence, and she asked you if you would allow her to go."

The Crown Prince thought for a moment, then said with a light laugh, "If I hadn't been punished by Father, I would definitely have gone to see him after hearing the news. He's family... and Princess Qi and Consort Mo are sisters, so it's only natural for her to go. Tell her: 'Be clever...'"

Mo Rushan didn't even attend the morning court session. He asked someone for leave and took his family to the Prince of Qi's residence.

The affairs in the manor were not yet finished. The body of the man in black had just been removed, and the servants were washing away the bloodstains with water.

The vast majority of the guards were injured and needed to be sent to recuperate. However, there weren't enough guards at home, so more needed to be transferred from the Zhao family, Cangzhou, and the western suburban camp.

Once the general direction was set, Mo Yi was exhausted.

Granny Zhao told her to go and rest, while she and her men continued on.

When the Mo family arrived, it was Granny Zhao who received them. "Granny Zhao, how is Yi Yi?" asked Mo Ruhai.

"Your Highness is alright. Please rest assured, everyone. However, many guards in the manor have been injured and need to be sent to recuperate. We also need to bring in more manpower. The mess in the house will take some time to clean up."

Her Majesty was up all night, and she's pregnant; she's exhausted and just went in to rest. Why don't you all wait in the living room until she wakes up, and then she can speak to you personally?

The messenger said Mo Yi was alright, but Mo Ruhai, having not seen her, was still somewhat worried. "Are the others in the manor alright too?"

"It's nothing serious..." Granny Zhao didn't want to say more.

"That's good! That's good. Big brother, how about... we head back first? Yi Yi is resting, and things are busy at home too."

Mo Rushan nodded: "I'm afraid we can't help much with the affairs of the Prince's Mansion. We'll have to rely on Granny Zhao for everything. Please let us know if there's anything we can do."

Granny Zhao nodded in agreement and saw them out.

Mo Yi kept Feng Liniang's affair a secret.

Zhou Dong has been locked up. Mo Yi didn't interrogate him; she'd wait for Granny Zhao or the Prince to return and ask him herself.

The Mo family had just left when Mo Yuan arrived. The carriage reached the side gate, but the gate was not open. A servant was waiting outside: "Your Highness, please use the front gate."

When they arrived at Qianmen, Zhang Debao was looking around curiously.

Seeing that it was a carriage from the Crown Prince's residence carrying Mo Yuan, Zhang Debao dared not approach and quietly turned around and went inside.

Mo Fan didn't go with his family; he stayed at the manor to help with chores. Seeing him come in, she asked, "De Bao, where have you been wandering off to?"

"Consort Mo has arrived..." Zhang Debao whispered.

Upon closer inspection, Zhang Debao's ears were completely red! Mo Fan cursed the spineless wretch inwardly and asked impatiently, "Did you tell her?"

"Well……"

“…You really are something!” Mo Fan pointed at his nose, too angry to speak.

The gatekeeper led Mo Yuan in. "Second Brother! Young Master Zhang! How is Yi Yi?!" Mo Yuan's concern was genuine.

Mo Fan said, "Yi Yi is fine, she's just exhausted from staying up all night, she should go and rest for a while."

"Amitabha, I was so scared... Where are the others?" Mo Yuan was familiar with everyone from the Qi Prince's mansion.

Zhang Debao leaned closer to her and whispered, "The Prince's eldest son, Shaoge'er, is seriously injured..."

"Huh?! Are Xiangxiang and Qianqian alright?"

"They're both okay, but they were terrified."

"Is Shao-ge'er's injury serious?" Mo Yuan asked casually. She didn't like Feng Liniang, so she was indifferent to Shao-ge'er's injury.

Mo Fan glared at Zhang Debao first, then turned to Mo Yuan and said, "My father and second uncle came just now, and Zhao Mama didn't tell them about this! If you know, keep your mouth shut and don't go back and talk nonsense."

Mo Yuan was unhappy. "When did I say something nonsense?! Has the murderer been caught?" She didn't ask Mo Fan anymore, but turned to ask Zhang Debao directly.

"They all died from poisoning... It's terrifying. I've been keeping an eye on this area these past few days, and as soon as I heard the news, I brought my men here... More than a dozen men in black, all dead."

Mo Yuan said with great distress, "So many people in the family have died at once, what bad luck! We must quickly invite Taoist priests and Buddhist monks, and perform a ritual by both water and land!"

She had already gone off-topic, and Zhang Debao actually nodded in agreement: "Yes, I just sent someone to talk to Master Xuanxu of Baiyun Temple... Let's set a date as soon as possible."

"You're very thoughtful!" Mo Yuan affirmed.

Mo Fan looked at them with such seriousness and shook his head helplessly...

My brain is really not working properly, and my typing is just so-so.

Let me tell you a story.

This afternoon, I'm going to have drinks and chat with a female friend. She might mention her ex-husband, or I'll ask about it anyway :)
When I have time, I'll write a book about her ex-husband... after I get the authorization.

Her ex-husband divorced her because of a third party and married the other woman.

Later, he became depressed...

One scene: Every day on his way to work, he leaves on time, bag in hand, driving his car...

Then, he went to his ex-wife's house to sleep.

At home, there are two beds, one for my friend and one for his daughter, but he doesn't sleep in either. He sleeps on a makeshift bed on the balcony, basking in the sun, with his phone off, for a whole day.

A friend took a picture of him; he was lying flat on his back, a smile on his lips, his face serene.

Then, when it was time to leave work in the evening, he would carry his bag and drive home... He would come for a month at a time, and once his condition improved, he would stop coming.

Can you believe it?