"Don't you know you're a wanted criminal now? How dare you come to the yamen so openly?" Shi Minglang stared at Liang Yuzhou in surprise.
The young master had just strolled casually across the threshold and into the main hall of the yamen. There were several portraits of him posted on the outer walls, which made many yamen runners whisper to each other, staring at his face. Fortunately, these yamen runners all took orders from Shi Minglang. With a menacing look from Shi Minglang, they all fell silent.
Once inside the study, Shi Minglang let out a sigh of relief. "Yue Chengkong was assassinated, and now the whole town is in an uproar. Even the dogs entering and leaving the city are searched. You're so daring!"
Shi Minglang was truly worried about Liang Yuzhou. Liang had already lost his title of young duke, while Yue Chengkong had thousands of troops at his command and was now in a state of hysteria and fury. Yue even forced Shi Minglang to join the search for the "assassin".
On Shi Minglang's desk lay a portrait of Liang Yuzhou. Liang picked it up, glanced at it, and sneered contemptuously. "A Hu assassin. I can't believe he came up with that."
The wanted notice stated that Yue Chengkong had earned military merits by killing Hu people on the border in the early years, severely demoralizing them. In revenge, the Hu people had hired a martial arts expert to assassinate him. The assassin had shot a cold arrow at Yue, but Yue, despite being injured, had managed to fight back and repel the assassin with his tenacious will and superb martial arts skills.
"Really knows how to glorify himself, doesn't he?" Shi Minglang rolled his eyes at the wanted notice. "A coward pretending to be a hero!"
Since Yue Chengkong didn't dare to openly issue a wanted notice for Liang Yuzhou, he had given him the identity of a Hu assassin to cover his tracks.
Suddenly, Shi Minglang had a brilliant idea. "What if we spread the real reason for his injury and downfall and let the whole town laugh at the Yue family?"
"Better not even think about it." Before he could finish, Liang Yuzhou interrupted him coldly. His tone and eyes were full of warnings.
Shi Minglang had no choice but to compromise. "I know you're protecting your wife and don't want her to be at the center of the storm!"
If people found out that Yue Chengkong had ended up in such a sorry state because he had tried to force Song Wanchu to be his second wife, people would surely talk about Song Wanchu. In this world, it was already difficult for a woman to survive, especially someone like Song Wanchu, who was both extremely beautiful and incredibly wealthy. She would be coveted, envied, and slandered.
Yue Chengkong had brought this upon himself, but Liang Yuzhou was particularly concerned about Song Wanchu's reputation.
"Gao Daqiang has confessed everything. I've already submitted my memorial to the emperor."
"What was the emperor's reaction?"
Liang Yuzhou, having accompanied the old duke in and out of the court, had some understanding of the emperor's likes and dislikes. The emperor hated most those who colluded with the enemy and falsely claimed military merits. And Yue Chengkong had perfectly committed both of these taboos. One could imagine how furious the emperor would be.
To uproot the Yue family completely, just disabling Yue Chengkong was not enough.
Shi Minglang's face darkened. He handed Liang Yuzhou a document issued by the court. "Read it for yourself."
As Liang Yuzhou read the document, a chill gradually gathered between his eyebrows. The document conveyed the emperor's intention that the crown prince, who was on a tour of the southern regions, should go to Yunzhou, and the local officials such as the magistrate of Yunzhou should cooperate in the investigation of Yue Chengkong.
The emperor didn't immediately arrest Yue Chengkong for trial. Instead, he carefully considered and sent the crown prince to confirm the investigation results. By sending the crown prince, on the surface, it was a re - investigation, but in fact, it was a hint to the crown prince not to completely crush the Yue family and to exonerate them appropriately.
The old lady of the Yue family was the wet - nurse of the princess, almost like a mother to her. Executing the entire Yue family would be like announcing to the world that the emperor no longer cared about the princess's face and dignity.
"Regarding the princess, the emperor is still soft - hearted after all. Even though Yue Chengkong has committed his greatest taboo!" Shi Minglang was a bit dejected. "The result of the re - investigation will probably be secretly executing Yue Chengkong while still keeping the descendants of the Yue family!"
"If you don't eliminate the enemy completely, it's the same as not eliminating them at all." Liang Yuzhou's deep eyes glinted coldly. "Yunzhou is a prosperous place, and the Yue family has been deeply rooted here. It's the princess's money - bag. A continuous stream of wealth flows into the princess's mansion, giving her the ability to turn the tables and make a comeback. The crown prince won't fail to understand this."
After the Yue family's failed attempt to marry Song Wanchu, they had extorted many merchants in Yunzhou in recent days. But these merchants could only bear the anger and pay to avoid trouble. The crimes of the Yue family in Yunzhou were countless, but what was the use of presenting one piece of evidence after another? As long as the emperor didn't take tough measures against the princess, the Yue family would remain safe.
"The crown prince is not stupid, but does he dare to openly defy the emperor?"
The crown prince had a deep - seated mind, and Liang Yuzhou didn't dare to say that he could fully understand his thoughts. But one thing Liang Yuzhou was sure of was that the crown prince would surely completely defeat the princess before ascending the throne. Otherwise, given the emperor's deep affection for the princess, the emperor would surely leave an edict asking him to treat the princess well. If the crown prince were to settle accounts with the princess after the emperor's death, he would be considered unfilial and would be unable to set an example for the world.
"Do you think I should whisper in the crown prince's ear and ask him to severely punish the Yue family?" Shi Minglang was indecisive.
Liang Yuzhou put down the document and left without answering his question. He had more important things to do now.
...
At the Chu family, Liang Yuzhou held a peace - invoking Buddhist ceremony for Mrs. Ning. Chu Shangxu warmly invited Liang Yuzhou to stay for dinner.
During the meal, Song Wanchu sat beside the old lady of the Chu family and ate absent - mindedly. Chu Yueying's eyes kept darting back and forth between Song Wanchu and Liang Yuzhou.
With many elders present, Liang Yuzhou remained calm and didn't show much concern for Wanchu. Another thing caught his attention. Shi Luohan was absent today.
Previously, as long as he appeared beside Wanchu, Shi Luohan would be like a hunting dog, staying by Wanchu's side and showing hostility towards him. Where had he gone this time? It was so rare and abnormal.
"Is Young Master Shi not here today?" Liang Yuzhou asked casually.
Song Wanchu was about to pick up a piece of tofu. Hearing this, she pressed too hard, and the tofu split into two pieces under her chopsticks. This sounded like a lover trying to find out the whereabouts of the spouse before having an affair, just to avoid being caught!
Chu Shangxu was still in the dark and didn't know that the Taoist priest Qingzhou in front of him was actually Liang Yuzhou. He said cheerfully, "He has to personally escort an important shipment. He's been gone for several days and should be back in a day or two."
Song Wanchu's hand froze. Brother had gone on a shipment escort mission? She didn't even know about it.
In the past, when Brother had to go on a long - distance trip, he would always say goodbye to her before leaving. But this time, he had left without saying a word.
A strange feeling flashed through Song Wanchu's heart. Was Brother deliberately avoiding her?