Ninth Imperial Glorious Phoenix Chapter 598

Chapter 598: The Biased Heavens

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Jiang Shanshan was imprisoned in the dungeon, but the onslaught didn’t stop. The whole city was under strict control, day and night searches were conducted, and finally, the event transitioned from the “Great Purge of the Capital” to the occurrence of the “Mei Clan Calamity.” Wangye went from being an honorable prince to a traitor, his reputation greatly affected, and he was in a precarious position. He couldn’t help but vent his anger on Teacher Zhu, believing that it was Teacher Zhu’s incompetence that led to such a dilemma.

After investigating, Teacher Zhu found out that it was Fifth Master who was behind the scenes, aiming to make Wangye resent Teacher Zhu and kill him. If it weren’t for Fifth Master’s interference, things wouldn’t have turned out so badly.

“Those who disregard the overall situation for their own selfish interests must die, even if he is Wangye’s own son,” these were Teacher Zhu’s exact words.

Black Two also thought the same way. Wangye had many sons, and one less wouldn’t matter. But Fifth Master was really formidable, ruthless and clever. He was afraid, so he confessed.

There was no joy or anger on Yuwen Cong’s face as he calmly said, “Take him away.” Then, he glanced at his trusted subordinate, Mu Qing, who nodded lightly and escorted Black Two out.

Mu Qing returned and whispered softly, “Black Two has been killed according to Fifth Master’s orders.”

“Mm.” A hint of resentment flashed in Yuwen Cong’s eyes. “Zhu Wenhan is so bold, he actually dared to order my assassination!”

Regardless, Wangye’s disfavor towards Fifth Master was genuine. Mu Qing worriedly said, “I wonder how much slander they’ve poured into Wangye’s ears against Fifth Master.”

Yuwen Cong gritted his teeth. “Yuwen Chu played a good hand in sowing discord. Second and Fourth Brother clearly brought this upon themselves, yet he let Fifth Master take the blame for all their mistakes. And as for Third Brother, don’t think I don’t know how he achieved his recent military exploits. It was clearly orchestrated by his advisor, Du Heng, and even the auspicious white deer he presented to Royal Father was found by Du Heng.”

Mu Qing said, “This Du Heng, I always feel there’s something off about him.”

“You also think he’s suspicious?” Yuwen Cong’s eyes gleamed. “I not only think he’s suspicious, but I think he’s deeply problematic. I guess he’s Yuwen Chu’s man!”

Mu Qing frowned. “Regardless of whether he’s Yuwen Chu’s man or not, we should think of ways to deal with Teacher Zhu first. This place is no longer safe. Where should we move to? The residence of Longsheng Great Eldest Princess?”

“No, Longsheng Great Eldest Princess’s target is too big, besides, she has been listening to Zhu Wenhan lately. Let’s go to Linan Wang’s Mansion.” Yuwen Cong extinguished the lamp and strode into the darkness. He didn’t want Zhu Wenhan dead, after all, Zhu Wenhan would be useful alive. But Zhu Wenhan didn’t listen to him, always opposing him openly or secretly supporting his two younger brothers, then he had no choice but to send Zhu Wenhan to his death.

Even if this move would incur great losses and setbacks, he couldn’t care less. After all, he had to stay alive for all this to matter to him. If he died or completely lost Royal Father’s favor, what would it matter to him even if Royal Father conquered the world?

“Silence Jiang Shanshan and keep her mouth shut. If someone tries to take her away and there’s no other way, kill her. We must not let her fall into someone else’s hands.” Yuwen Cong furrowed his brow, looked at the pale sky, and whispered, “Mu Qing, find Zhu Wenhan and hand him over to Yuwen Chu.”

Mu Qing acknowledged and bowed, then left.

Just as dawn was breaking, the back gate of Linan Wang’s Mansion was knocked on. The old servant guarding the gate cautiously approached and saw a friendly face outside. “Old man, I’m an old friend of the Linan Wang, bringing my family to the capital to visit relatives. Unfortunately, my relatives got into trouble, and my wife fell seriously ill. We have nowhere else to go, so we had to come to see the Prince. Please, be understanding.”

The old servant carefully examined the person. He saw that he was wearing a light blue Confucian robe, looking gentle and refined, and behind him was a young woman with a hat, being carried by a stout maid. The young woman was lying limp on the maid’s back, appearing to be very ill.

In the past, the old servant would naturally ignore such people, but Yuwen You had recently made many strange friends, and he didn’t dare to chase people away on his own. So, he opened the gate and let them in, allowing them to warm themselves by the fire in his small house while he went to report.

Yuwen You had been on duty in the palace last night and wasn’t in the mansion. When she heard about this, the Wusun Princess was impatient. “Arrange them to the guest rooms. We’ll decide when Wangye returns.”

The old servant hurried back to deliver the message. Just as he did, he saw the young woman with the hat being carried by the maid, with her skirt hanging empty. Surprisingly, she had no legs! He stepped back in surprise, but then he heard the young man with the smiling face say lightly, “Is the old man startled? My wife encountered bandits on the way to the capital. Rather than submit, she jumped off a cliff and broke her legs.”

The old servant immediately showed respect. This was a chaste and virtuous woman! And this young man was also righteous and loyal. They must be taken care of properly. So, when delivering the message, he falsely conveyed the words of the Wusun Princess, instructing the people in the guest room to add a charcoal basin and a hot meal for them.

When the servants of the mansion left, the young man removed the hat from the woman’s head and smiled, “Miss Jiang, let’s have our meal somewhere else.”

Jiang Shanshan lifted her heavy eyelids. “Fifth Master, where are we?”

Yuwen Cong whispered in her ear, “Of course, it’s Linan Wang’s Mansion. Where else do you think we could go?”

Jiang Shanshan’s face changed drastically. “What?”

Yuwen Cong smiled and said, “I know you’re scared, but what can I do? You didn’t listen to me, colluding with Zhu Wenhan behind my back to try and blow up Fu Mingzhu. Not only did you fail, but you also ended up in this mess. Now, I have nowhere to go, and you don’t want to stay with me, so I’ll send you back to Yuwen You, how about that?” 

“Fifth Master, you really misunderstand me! I had no idea this would happen. The person who tried to blow up Fu Mingzhu wasn’t arranged by me—it was all Zhu Wenhan’s doing.” Jiang Shanshan, already broken in spirit from consecutive setbacks, couldn’t believe that even a human bomb couldn’t kill Fu Mingzhu. Instead, she got caught in the power struggle between Yuwen Cong and Zhu Wenhan, locked up in a dungeon for days, suffering both mentally and physically. She just wanted to latch onto a reliable and powerful backer—why was it so hard? Why was heaven so biased against her?

Yuwen Cong smiled faintly. “Anyway, just remember, it’s good for you to know that I’m disappointed in you. Let’s guess, how will the Wusun Princess treat you? I’ve heard that women’s jealousy can be terrifying.”

Jiang Shanshan forced a smile through her difficulty. “Fifth Master, don’t joke around.”

“Who’s joking with you?” Yuwen Cong straightened his clothes, walked to the door, and smiled politely at the young maid. “I request an audience with the Wangfei. Please inform her.”

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