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Chapter 378 Taiping Villa
"..."

After reading the second secret letter handed to him by Chen Pingping, Emperor Qing frowned and his face grew increasingly grim.

After a moment of silence, he slammed the secret letter in his hand onto the table and snorted angrily, "That second brother!"

"Fan Xian is currently on a diplomatic mission to Northern Qi in the name of the Qing Kingdom. For him to release this news at this time is not only causing trouble for Fan Xian, but also creating chaos for me!"

At this point, he calmed down slightly, glanced at Chen Pingping and frowned, saying, "Although the second brother is shrewd, he knows his limits. He wouldn't release information at this time to smear Fan Xian."

"I am certain that there must be other reasons behind this!"

Chen Pingping laughed: "Your Majesty is wise, the Second Prince's actions are indeed for other reasons."

"Fan Xian has successfully completed the mission assigned to him by His Majesty when he went to Northern Qi. If he returns with great achievements, his seniority and prestige will be even greater. His Majesty will value Fan Xian even more as a result. It will only be a matter of time before he takes over the Imperial Treasury."

"The Second Prince does not want to sit idly by and wait for his death, so he will take the initiative to strike while Fan Xian is away."

Emperor Qing asked noncommittally, "Anything else?"

Chen Pingping said softly, "According to reports from Northern Qi, Fan Xian often visits shops under the Imperial Treasury in the capital, and has taken away the Imperial Treasury's account books from many of these shops."

"I believe that Fan Xian must have discovered something in the account books..."

The ledger... could it be smuggling?

Thinking of this, Emperor Qing frowned deeply, a hint of anger flashing in his eyes.

Chen Pingping scrutinized the expression on his face, considered it carefully, and said softly, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Second Prince only knows that Fan Xian is Ye Qingmei's son, and does not know that he is also Your Majesty's flesh and blood."

"Otherwise, even if he had ten times the courage, he would never dare to release this news."

Emperor Qing's expression returned to calm. He glanced at Chen Pingping and said indifferently:
"When did you start speaking up for the second son?"

Chen Pingping smiled and shook his head, saying, "I am not speaking for His Highness the Second Prince, but merely stating the facts of the case!"

At this point, Chen Pingping paused, then asked softly, "So, Your Majesty, should this old minister continue the investigation?"

Emperor Qing pondered for a moment, then raised his hand and threw the secret letter into the brazier, saying calmly, "As the saying goes, the pure remain pure, and the impure remain impure."

"It's just a rumor, a good thing for fooling the people, but the court should not get involved, lest it lose face and composure."

Chen Pingping understood and immediately chuckled, "Yes, Your Majesty."

This statement put an end to the rumors about Fan Xian's background.

The imperial court would not pay attention to this rumor, nor would it come forward to confirm or deny it. Seeing the court's attitude, the people naturally understood that the news was not unfounded.

Of course, the public's opinions ultimately had no effect on Emperor Qing.

He adopted this attitude for two reasons: firstly, he was very satisfied with Fan Xian's performance, and secondly, he could take this opportunity to give the Second Prince a warning for going too far.

Having discussed the rumors surrounding Fan Xian's background, the real question now begins.

"Another Grandmaster..."

Emperor Qing sat in his chair, his knuckles unconsciously tapping the armrest: "What's the story?"

Chen Pingping said softly, "We're still investigating."

Emperor Qing asked expressionlessly, "How long will this investigation take?"

Chen Pingping thought for a moment, then smiled wryly and said, "It's hard to say."

Emperor Qing frowned and said, "Even you don't dare to set a time limit?"

Chen Pingping sighed, "It's not that I or the Censorate are incompetent, but this person's origins are so strange that it seems to have no roots or source, and we can't find any trace of him..."

"Without roots or origin..."

Emperor Qing snorted coldly and said, "Could it be that he sprang from a crack in a rock?"

Chen Pingping did not respond to this statement, but continued respectfully, "Although his origins are currently unknown, the Overwatch Council still has some information about his whereabouts."

"According to reports from Jiangnan's spies, after defeating Master Ye, this person left Qujiang directly and traveled upstream, seemingly heading straight for the capital!"

Kyoto?

Emperor Qing's pupils contracted slightly, as if he had realized something, and an uncontrollable rage surged within him.

Good, good, good. Now that you've defeated Ye Liuyun and Si Gu Jian, it's the Grandmaster's turn next, right?

Such a madman is truly audacious!

Emperor Qing gritted his teeth inwardly, but did not show it on his face. Instead, he waved his sleeve and said coldly, "Chen Pingping, I don't care whether he sprang from a rock or not. Within half a month, the Censorate must submit information about this person."

"if not……"

Emperor Qing's tone was stern, clearly indicating that he was already angry.

Chen Pingping's expression remained unchanged; he simply replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Majesty!"

Emperor Qing turned around and waved his sleeve with his back to Chen Pingping.

"Go down!"

Before he finished speaking, a eunuch walked in from outside, bowing and pushing Chen Pingping's wheelchair out of the imperial study.

Once they left the inner palace area, Chen Pingping turned his head and whispered:
"I can walk the way out of the palace myself, so I won't trouble Eunuch Hou..."

"Yes, Mr. Dean."

Eunuch Hou bowed respectfully, then released his hand and turned to leave.

Sitting in her wheelchair, Chen Pingping looked up at the dazzling sunlight on the horizon and couldn't help but smile, a smile that seemed to have no origin.

"Half a month...?" "I'm afraid Your Majesty won't be able to hold on until then!"

……

……

"What a brilliant Chen Pingping!"

In the deepest secret room of the Censorate, Su Haoming flipped through the confidential documents in his hands and couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, saying, "I thought that Lao Fan's background was revealed by him on his own initiative, but I didn't expect it to really be the Second Prince's doing!"

"This move, which involved fanning the flames and using someone else to do the dirty work, was truly a masterful and effortless execution, leaving no trace whatsoever."

"No wonder he, despite his crippled body, is still famous throughout the world, inspiring fear in countless people..."

Upon hearing Su Haoming's remarks, the three group members beside him all showed their agreement.

He Jingfeng put down the documents in his hand, looked at Yun Ye and smiled:

"According to the plan, the second rumor will be released next, right?"

"Not bad!"

The first rumor only mentioned that Fan Xian was Ye Qingmei's son, but this second rumor will reveal his true identity as Emperor Qing's illegitimate son!

Lin Lie asked curiously, "According to what Chen Pingping said before, after Fan Xian's identity as an illegitimate child is spread, he will not only not be harmed, but will also gain more trust from Emperor Qing... Why is that?"

Yun Ye smiled slightly and said leisurely, "To become the head of the Imperial Treasury or even the Censorate, such a high position and great power is something only I, your humble servant, can achieve!"

“But it is difficult to find a loyal minister. Even if an ordinary courtier becomes a loyal minister, the emperor will not feel at ease.”

"It must be in the hands of the royal family to be considered a foolproof plan."

"But when princes hold power, it is always a source of chaos, and they will inevitably have some inappropriate thoughts."

"Therefore, throughout the entire country, Fan Xian's identity as an illegitimate prince is the most suitable..."

At this point, Yun Ye paused, then smiled and said, "This is what Chen Pingping told me before. How about it, I think I've learned it pretty well?"

Su Haoming pursed his lips and said, "Barely passable, I'll give it a six out of ten!"

He Jingfeng said thoughtfully, "Indeed, after the news spread, Fan Xian's status in the court became awkward. For various reasons, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince will no longer try to win him over as before."

"Such an awkward identity is exactly what Emperor Qing wanted."

"but……"

He Jingfeng chuckled and said, "This shouldn't be Chen Pingping's real purpose, right?"

Yun Ye smiled slightly: "Of course not!"

After all, he will soon be challenging Emperor Qing according to the script. Even if Fan Xian has gained Emperor Qing's trust now, he will soon become useless.

Chen Pingping's real purpose was to highlight Fan Xian's status as a prince, thus providing a plausible pretext for the subsequent coup.

"Anyway, let's get the message out first!"

……

……

Time flies, and another week has passed in the blink of an eye.

Over the past week, news about Fan Xian's background has continued to spread.

Among them were rumors that Fan Xian was Ye Qingmei's son, and some even claimed with certainty that he was actually the illegitimate son of the Ye family's mistress and the emperor.

After the news broke that Fan Xian was Emperor Qing's illegitimate son, public opinion became even more bizarre.

The various factions in the court reacted differently to this news. Some hated Fan Xian to the bone because of past events, while others had received kindness from Ye Qingmei and were eager to repay her.

Among them, the person with the most complicated feelings was naturally the Second Prince.

Upon learning that Fan Xian was actually his brother, he was filled with immense shock and regret.

But now that things have come to this, the second prince can't turn back. He can only laugh at his own foolishness while bracing himself to continue guiding public opinion.

The identity of an illegitimate prince is undoubtedly a double-edged sword.

Although it could make Emperor Qing trust Fan Xian more, if the Second Prince handled it properly, he could also turn this identity into a time bomb that would destroy Fan Xian's career.

Unfortunately, he misjudged Chen Pingping's true intentions.

Chen Pingping didn't care about official career or imperial favor.

All he cared about was that title that could appease the hearts of the people!
Eight days after Yun Ye defeated Ye Liuyun, on the banks of the Liujing River in the outskirts of Beijing, stood a quiet and elegant villa.

The courtyard is filled with artificial hills and shadowy trees. At the base of the wall, there is a bamboo grove. Several bamboo stalks have grown several sections after the spring rain, and they even extend from the top of the wall, reaching towards the sky.

If Fan Xian were to come here, he would discover that this place is the Taiping Villa where Ye Qingmei once lived.

After Ye Qingmei's death, this villa came into the possession of the royal family and was always guarded by the Imperial Guards, making it difficult for outsiders to enter.

Perhaps it was because the rumors about Fan Xian's background had been too rampant recently, or perhaps it was because he had too many worries lately.

In short, on this day, Emperor Qing made a rare visit to Taiping Villa, seemingly intending to stay there for a few days to relax.

When the emperor travels incognito, the commander of the palace guards naturally has to make proper arrangements.

Thus, in just one morning, the entire Taiping Villa was surrounded by more than a thousand elite Imperial Guards. All key intersections were strictly guarded, and no one was allowed to approach the villa.

(End of this chapter)