Chapter 594: The Disaster of the Mei Family
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Su Lan quickly wrote Tang Chunlai’s words for Mingzhu to see. Mingzhu was surprised, “A very rare opportunity?” Did Tang Chunlai think her case was too rare? So it was uncommon? She seemed excited.
Tang Chunlai rubbed his hands and said, “Yes, it’s rare for His Highness not to be around. He’s staring at me on the side like he’s going to eat me. I can’t help but feel nervous, and I don’t dare to try anything without his permission.”
Su Lan smiled and wrote for Mingzhu to see.
Mingzhu also smiled, “It’s okay to be nervous in your heart as long as your hands don’t shake. If you have any ideas, just boldly give them a try. Just don’t make me blind, dumb, or dead.”
Tang Chunlai said, “No, what the Wangfei said was about a mediocre doctor, right?” As he spoke, he gestured for Su Lan to loosen Mingzhu’s hair bun, comb her hair, and then took out silver needles to acupuncture Mingzhu’s acupuncture points.
It was very painful and uncomfortable. Mingzhu closed her eyes and endured silently. Tang Chunlai was right; it was a good thing that Yuwen Chu wasn’t here. Without him, she wouldn’t be so delicate. She could endure quite a lot.
At the same time, as the news of the Mei family lodging a complaint spread, instead of tarnishing the reputation of Fu Cong and his son, it caused great panic among the noble families in the capital. Just think, the maids, beauties, or personal attendants who had served closely in their own backyard, or the close followers and trusted servants who had been following them since childhood, suddenly became untrustworthy because they might suddenly grab hold of you when you weren’t paying attention and blow themselves up with you, turning into several large pieces of flesh and blood. How terrifying!
People hadn’t enjoyed themselves enough yet, who wanted to die? So everyone was on edge, and soon there was a vigorous investigation, and the servants in the major mansions, if they couldn’t provide their identity or prove their innocence, couldn’t escape the fate of being purged and driven away. The remaining servants and maidservants didn’t have a good time either; they had to undergo a second round of scrutiny.
The results of the investigation were naturally unsatisfactory, after all, not everyone had the ability of the Dali Temple and the Guards Office to investigate criminals. So one morning, Qi Wang formally sought help from Yuwen Chu, hoping he could impart a complete set of methods and techniques for identifying internal spies, so that the Mansion could eliminate the hidden traitors within.
Yuwen Chu was well-prepared and almost as soon as he arrived at the Mansion, he presented useful methods and candidates. In just half a day, the Mansion had identified as many as twenty internal spies from all directions, one of whom even kidnapped the Mansion’s Changshi. It was fortunate that the people sent out by the Ying Wang Mansion responded timely and effectively, which led to the capture of the culprit and saved the Changshi from danger.
This incident quickly spread throughout the capital, and the major mansions couldn’t sit still. Like lost lambs finding direction, they surged towards the Ying Wang Mansion, all requesting help to identify and screen out spies.
Yuwen Chu kindly received them, tactfully stating that he wasn’t dedicated to this, and even if he had a few capable helpers, it wouldn’t be enough to send so many to each household. Everyone was afraid, especially those who had been involved in accidents at banquets, who were particularly terrified. Employing both soft and hard tactics, they pressured Yuwen Chu to help no matter what.
When Yuwen Chu felt the time was right, he threw out the Dali Temple and Fu Mingzheng together, openly locking up the suspicious individuals in the Dali Temple. Here, those without problems would eventually be released, while those with problems would be either turned or eliminated. The clever and special ones would be selected and transformed into another identity — nails and eyes completely belonging to the Ying Wang Mansion.
This movement was carried out vigorously. Even in the distant northern lands, the reputation of Zhongshan Wang suffered greatly. If such a madman became emperor, would anyone have a good life? Especially for those families who had lost loved ones, they bore an irreconcilable hatred towards him.
When Yuwen Bai finally realized what was happening, everyone in the world already knew about it. A new force emerged in the mainstream, joining forces with some noble families and court officials who had suffered losses, petitioning to impeach Zhongshan Wang, Yuwen Feng, with a long list of charges, which was terrifying and seemed like treason. There were even gatherings of scholars petitioning to investigate Zhongshan Wang, deprive him of his title, and revoke his military power.
Scholars have always been the most impulsive and passionate individuals. Just shouting slogans might not amount to much, but a bloody incident occurred in the northern region. A group of fearless, passionate scholars gathered outside Zhongshan Wang’s residence, demanding explanations from Zhongshan Wang, a written confession, the surrender of military power, and his voluntary resignation. This led to a massive conflict with the guards of Zhongshan Wang’s residence, resulting in over a hundred casualties and creating a shocking event that reverberated through the court and society.
Scholars have always been considered the talent reserve of the nation, valued highly by emperors throughout the dynasties. Now, Zhongshan Wang, Yuwen Feng, had taken up arms against these unarmed scholars, an act that could not be forgiven by the people. Consequently, Yuwen Feng’s reputation plummeted, and he lost the prestige he once enjoyed.
In this situation, Yuwen Bai had no choice but to issue an edict ordering Zhongshan Wang to surrender his military power and come to the capital to give an explanation to the people. The envoy sent to deliver the edict was killed by bandits en route to the northern region, with only a coachman surviving the ordeal. After much hardship, the coachman returned to the capital and revealed the truth to the public: the envoy was killed by Zhongshan Wang.
Zhongshan Wang initially remained silent, then brazenly claimed he was being framed, alleging that the emperor’s court was filled with treacherous ministers and urging the emperor to surround himself with virtuous officials and distance himself from sycophants. As for himself, he declared that he had been entrusted with great responsibility by Emperor Wen and would not abandon his duty to protect the dynasty and the border due to the machinations and pressure from those with ulterior motives.
At this point, Zhongshan Wang’s treasonous intentions were clear to all.
Since this affair began with the death of Mei Linzhi, it came to be known in history as the “Mei Clan Calamity.”
Under these circumstances, no one in the capital dared to openly associate with Zhongshan Wang. Even Longsheng Great Eldest Princess had to live cautiously behind closed doors. With a formidable enemy at hand, the feud between the Min and Fu families seemed insignificant in comparison. Both sides temporarily settled down and joined forces to deal with and investigate the remnants of Zhongshan Wang’s influence in the capital. Of course, there was no complete trust between them, and the internal conflicts and scheming were numerous and intricate, but they won’t be detailed here.
Yuwen Chu and Fu Mingzheng, among others, were extremely busy, with Fu Mingzheng particularly driven, seemingly determined to prove something through his relentless efforts.
Thus, by the time a new order was established, winter had quietly arrived.
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