Of course Pu Wuyong had no father—his father had died long ago. Otherwise, why would he have ended up in the palace as a eunuch?
But right now, the feeling in his heart was no different from having just lost a parent.
Absolutely outrageous.
Absurd!
Anywhere there were eunuchs, there were his people.
The Crown Prince of the Eastern Palace was dumb as a pig, frail and sickly, leaky as a sieve.
Even though Xiao Yunting was sharp and capable, he was still just one man—not a god. There had to be blind spots he couldn’t guard against.
Pu Wuyong had already arranged for eunuchs to intercept Xiao Yunting, and had even dispatched members of the Embroidered Guards to destroy the evidence.
Everything had been planned out thoroughly, down to the last detail.
And yet in the end, Xiao Yunting had outmaneuvered him—getting the evidence into Emperor Yongchang’s hands in advance.
How could he not be furious?!
Those two b*stards!
One cunning, the other ruthless—like a fox and a venomous snake teaming up. Anyone who crossed paths with them was bound to get bitten.
He took a deep breath and quickly regained his composure.
Coldly, he turned his head and stopped looking at Xu Huan.
He wasn’t worried about being dragged into this.
As long as Xu Huan still had his wits about him, he should understand: as long as he didn’t involve Pu Wuyong, only he would go down. But if he dared try to drag Pu Wuyong in—even if Xu Huan had some proof about receiving silver—it could all be pushed onto the Embroidered Guards stationed in Jizhou.
So if Xu Huan had any brains, he’d know exactly what to say—and what not to say.
And Xu Huan did know.
Trembling, he reached out several times to pick up the letters, but his hands were shaking so badly he couldn’t even grasp a single sheet of paper.
Emperor Yongchang sneered and casually called out: “Huang Liangsheng of the Hanlin Academy—you read it.”
Huang Liangsheng responded in a clear voice, walked forward, picked up the letters, and began to read them aloud.
They were all letters from the Oirat people to Xu Huan.
In addition to sending greetings and asking Xu Huan to increase the supply of iron tools, they also promised to reward him with more jewels and gold. Some even said they would have the royal court grant Xu Huan a noble title.
As Huang read, his face turned ashen.
Xu Huan’s fellow officials stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief.
They had been the ones who, following Xu Huan’s signals, had been loudly impeaching the Qi family.
But now—it turned out the real smuggler was Xu Huan himself?!
And what’s more, they had all taken part in the attack on the Qi family!
They’d been dragged down with him!
In an instant, those same colleagues jumped to their feet and began to hurl insults at Xu Huan in fury.
But Xu Huan had gone numb.
He had never imagined a political showdown could end like this.
Such brilliant strategy.
Handing the evidence to Emperor Yongchang ahead of time, allowing him to see for himself who the real culprit was—and then letting the entire court jump in and denounce the Qi family in full view.
The emperor would certainly remember who had shouted the loudest.
And just like that, the truth of the matter became crystal clear.
Sure enough, before long Emperor Yongchang turned and asked Eunuch Xia: “How is the interrogation going for those who tried to assassinate the Qi family’s young lady?”
Pu Wuyong closed his eyes.
He had clearly ordered those people silenced in the Imperial Prison.
But—they were still alive.
Then it could only mean one thing—the Imperial Prison was no longer entirely under his control.
And the only one capable of that—and bold enough to oppose him—was Lai Chenglong.
Lai Chenglong… truly the new wave crashing over the old. That little b*stard.
Pu Wuyong shot Xu Huan a look.
Not that Xu Huan needed it. With matters like this, once a single thread unraveled, the rest would follow.
There was no more hiding.
And Xu Huan would never be stupid enough to drag Pu Wuyong down with him. If he stayed quiet, at least Pu Wuyong might spare his family. If he dared speak out of turn, then not a single member of the Xu family would survive.
Eunuch Xia let Lai Chenglong into the hall. Lai presented the signed confessions from the captured assassins.
Emperor Yongchang glanced at the documents, then tossed them in front of Xu Huan.
“What else is there to say?” the emperor asked coldly. “This smuggling case was already under investigation before the New Year. You must have planned your scapegoat back then. That’s why you incited those involved military households, hinting that it was the Qi family who betrayed them—so they’d take the fall for you.”
Xu Huan trembled on the floor, repeatedly begging for mercy. “Your Majesty, spare me! Spare me!”
Emperor Yongchang let out a cold snort and swept his gaze across the entire court. “Just now, all of you were raging with righteous indignation—calling this treason, betrayal of the country, rebellion, unforgivable. You were right.”
He turned and named Dali Temple Minister Deng Rengu: “This case will be handled by the Dali Temple. The Ministry of Justice and the Censorate will cooperate. I want everything clearly investigated—how many parasites are still hiding in Jizhou? How many weapons have been smuggled out over the years? I want answers. If not—then you can all go down with the Xu family.”
Deng Rengu immediately knelt with the Minister of Justice and Chief Censor Zhang Ruishen to receive the order.
Emperor Yongchang let out another snort and instructed Lai Chenglong: “Release Old Marquis Qi and Qi Zhen. It’s the New Year—they spent the holiday in the Imperial Prison thanks to this farce.”
Lai Chenglong bowed and accepted the command.
—
Back in his quarters, Pu Wuyong furiously knocked over the incense burner of Second Master Guan.
He was livid.
What a fine imperial grandson! Truly impressive! Such tactics!
Princess Baorong had said it right: the Eastern Palace had yet to even rise to power, yet Xiao Yunting was already opposing him head-on, showing no tolerance whatsoever.
And once Xiao Yunting did rise…
How could he, the one who had nearly killed him on the way to Mao Mountain, possibly come out of this unscathed?
He sat down just as Little Xuzi quietly pushed open the door and stood nearby with his head lowered.
Pu Wuyong asked coldly, “What happened?”
Little Xuzi lowered his voice and replied, “Grandfather, Little Yingzi said His Highness the Imperial Grandson has been in the Eastern Palace the entire time, but… the Eldest Princess visited the Crown Prince, then paid respects to His Majesty.”
So that was it.
That’s how Xiao Yunting got the evidence to Emperor Yongchang.
It had been the Eldest Princess who helped him!
Of course—Lu Mingan had just returned, and the Eldest Princess’s attitude toward the emperor had softened. Her stance in the palace had also eased. She even entered the palace on New Year’s Eve and the first day of the new year.
So no one thought anything was amiss.
And naturally, no one thought to report it to him.
Which let Xiao Yunting use that gap to smoothly deliver the evidence to the emperor.
Two little b*stards!
His expression turned vicious and cold. “Let Lai Chenglong suffer a little.”
Little Xuzi looked up at him.
Pu Wuyong casually added, “It’s the New Year. Isn’t it normal for the ‘auspicious water tank’ to freeze over?”
Especially now that the air was so dry. And in the palace of the late Noble Consort Liu… her coffin was still there.
Little Xuzi immediately understood. He hesitated for a moment, then quickly lowered his head and replied: “Yes, Grandfather.”
