The frictions between Pei Shen and Ji Yunqing in the court began to occur more frequently. However, Wen Yu had been busy dealing with matters related to Wangyue Tower recently and had no spare energy to concern herself with the problems between these two men.
"You still have two days. If you can't come up with a good solution, you might as well find an opportunity to return to the Wen family and explain the situation clearly to Lord Wen. It would be better to discuss in advance how to better protect the Wen family," Ji Yundan came uninvited once again.
The look in his eyes as he gazed at Wen Yu was rarely tinged with a bit of worry.
Wen Yu averted her eyes and said stiffly, "There are still two days, aren't there?"
"You'd better make a decision as soon as possible," Ji Yundan looked at her intently, his eyes showing a hint of helplessness. "If Lord Wen knows the situation earlier, perhaps he can accept the reality more quickly. Lord Wen is not young anymore..."
Wen Yu understood what he meant.
It was better to know the truth earlier to avoid being overwhelmed by the shock later.
But she was still reluctant to give up.
"You... Forget it. Remember the time we agreed on," Ji Yundan sighed, stood up, and was about to leave.
However, before he could take a step, Wen Yu called out to him, "Your Highness, could you lend me a sum of silver?"
"How much?" Ji Yundan turned around, looking a bit puzzled. Then he casually took out several banknotes from his sleeve and handed them to Wen Yu. "Is this enough?"
She didn't reach out to take them but shook her head and refused, "A thousand taels of silver ingots. I don't want banknotes."
"What do you need so much silver for? Are you planning to run away directly? Fleeing after committing a crime will only add to your guilt. By then, even I won't be able to save your lives," Ji Yundan showed a bit of disapproval and continued, "Moreover, if you really want to escape, banknotes are much more convenient than silver ingots."
Seeing that he had misunderstood, Wen Yu looked even more serious.
"I'm not running away. I just want to make one last struggle," a glint of determination flashed in her eyes.
Hearing this, Ji Yundan became interested and sat back down. "Tell me."
"If this matter is destined to be exposed, can I try to find a scapegoat?" Wen Yu had been thinking about this question for the past two days.
Pushing someone out to take the blame was indeed a risky move, but if she had reached a dead end, she could only try to break down the wall in front of her.
Although she wasn't completely confident.
"Buying someone to take the blame with a thousand taels of silver? This is very likely to be investigated. Moreover, the crime of privately operating a gambling house would result in the execution of the entire family for an ordinary family. Who would dare to earn this money?" The interest faded from Ji Yundan's eyes. He immediately stood up again. "I can give you the silver. After all, the value you've created for me so far is worth this amount."
"However, I advise you not to think about this path. If the Wen family behaves themselves, I still have room to negotiate. But if you start making these petty moves, no one will believe that the Wen family is truly innocent. Do you understand?"
Seeing that Ji Yundan was about to leave, Wen Yu quickly reached out and grabbed him.
She used too much force. With a tearing sound, Ji Yundan turned around in disbelief and then stiffly looked at his large sleeve that had been torn off halfway. "Miss Wen, what does this mean?"
"Please listen to me first," Wen Yu retracted her hand awkwardly. "I'm not trying to buy someone to take the blame. I'm just thinking that if we can prove that the Wen family was truly unaware of the gambling house, can we exonerate the Wen family?"
Seeing that she refused to give up, a look of helplessness flashed in Ji Yundan's eyes. He could only sit back down and call Xun Ying out to sew up his large sleeve. "Wangyue Tower has been under the name of the Wen family for a long time, and the matter of the gambling house is extremely sensitive. Even if you say the Wen family was unaware, His Majesty won't believe it."
Xun Ying was sitting on one side, sewing Ji Yundan's outer robe. Hearing this, she subconsciously looked up at him. "Your Highness, is there really no way?"
"Tsk, even you are getting anxious?" Ji Yundan looked at Xun Ying in surprise and then couldn't help but nod repeatedly. "Miss Wen, could you please teach me how you managed to make my secret guard be completely loyal to you in such a short time?"
Hearing this, Wen Yu frowned slightly.
"Your Highness, I was thinking that perhaps even Pei Qing was unaware of this underground gambling house. Doesn't this mean that the person in charge must be a confidant of the Second Prince? If so, this gambling house definitely won't leave any account books or clues," she said softly, steering the topic back on track.
Ji Yundan nodded in agreement. "Naturally. Once any problem arises with the gambling house, he will spare no effort to take the blame. This is also the difficult part of this matter."
If there were any clues, the Wen family might have a chance to turn things around.
But if not a single trace was left, even if the Wen family wasn't the main culprit, they would still have to become real criminals.
"I've been thinking for the past two days that since there is no evidence to prove the Wen family's innocence, isn't it also true that there is no evidence to prove their guilt? Since this gambling house was operated by the Second Prince's confidant, why not shift the blame onto him?"
Wen Yu's eyes lit up slightly. After she finished speaking, she looked at Ji Yundan uncertainly.
The latter was silent for two seconds and finally shook his head. "The deed of Wangyue Tower is in the hands of the Wen family. This is the most crucial physical evidence, and the person in charge will also firmly claim that it was the Wen family who gave the order. In this case, there will be both human and physical evidence."
"I know you want to exonerate the Wen family, but this matter is not as simple as you think."
After Ji Yundan finished speaking, he looked at Xun Ying, who had almost finished sewing the large sleeve.
Although the stitches were not very delicate, it was at least wearable.
"You should think it over carefully," Ji Yundan put on the large sleeve and gave Wen Yu a sympathetic look.
She looked reluctant and blocked Ji Yundan's way. "What if I expose this situation myself? As the eldest daughter of the Wen family, I would never knowingly push my family into a pit of fire. My father is well - known for his thrift, and the Wen family has a very good reputation."
"If I, as the eldest daughter, expose this news myself, public opinion should lean towards the Wen family. As long as enough people believe that the Wen family is innocent, isn't there room for maneuver in this matter?"
"If, on this basis, we can also find a large amount of gold and silver that hasn't been transferred in time from the shopkeeper's house? I don't need to prove who this money is for. I just need to prove that the Wen family didn't profit from it. Wouldn't this prove the Wen family's innocence?"
After listening, Ji Yundan pondered for a long time.
As the crown prince, Ji Yundan could understand what she meant, but this made him even more silent.
His gaze fixed on Wen Yu. "You're playing with fire. If you make a single mistake, you may be accused of uneven distribution of spoils and self - destruction. If you want to point the finger at the Second Prince, you may even be accused of deliberately framing the royal family."
"Anyway, the charges are already heavy enough. My father and brother have been honest all their lives. If they are wrongly accused, even if they are not sentenced to be beheaded, they may lose the will to live. It's better to fight to the death. Maybe we can find a way out," Wen Yu said firmly.