GBP Chapter 171 The imperial edict arrives
Chapter 171 The imperial edict arrives
After Jiang Qingyue left, the village chief called those people back and brought up the matter again. He said that it was his personal choice and would not involve them, but he also wanted to inform them so as not to catch them off guard.
To everyone's surprise, it was Jiang Qingyue, not Qin Xuanyu, who ultimately proposed the collaboration.
It seems we really shouldn't underestimate this girl; no wonder the Crown Prince fell into her trap.
Since the village chief had spoken, they naturally agreed and also expressed their intention to help him.
Unlike the smooth progress here, the situation on Qin Xuanyu's side is not optimistic.
He received a message from Shadowblade that someone from the imperial court had arrived.
Qin Xuanyu did not intend to step forward immediately, but chose to stay in the shadows and quietly wait for things to develop.
"If the Prince of Qin does not come out to receive the imperial decree, this old servant will have no choice but to go back and report to His Majesty that the Prince murdered the Crown Prince and fled to escape punishment."
The chief eunuch in charge of delivering the imperial edict stood at the entrance of the Prince's mansion. Seeing that no one paid any attention to him, he was so angry that he could hardly contain himself.
His purpose was to let everyone at the door know that Qin Xuanyu had to obey the imperial edict.
Moreover, this commotion was also intended to damage Qin Xuanyu's reputation.
To his surprise, the other party didn't respond at all, making him feel like he had punched a cotton ball.
“My lord, as I have already said, the prince is out on business and is not in the palace or his fiefdom. There’s no use in waiting any longer!” Shadow Blade replied with the prepared words.
"Nonsense! Clearly..." The chief eunuch originally wanted to bring up Jiang Qingyue's matter, but bringing it up would not only be useless, but would also affect the crown prince's reputation, so he dared not make a decision on his own.
"What is it? Why don't you tell me, Father-in-law?"
"Hmph, your royal palace is truly impressive. This old servant will report to His Majesty the truth."
After saying that, the head eunuch turned around angrily and was about to leave.
"Wait!" Shadow Blade called out to the head eunuch. "Why are you in such a hurry, sir? Why don't you tell me what the imperial edict says? I'll immediately send a signal to the prince to bring him back, shall I?"
The head eunuch looked at Shadow Blade with suspicion, not believing that he could cooperate so readily.
"Hmph, you'd better send a signal right away that the Crown Prince has run into trouble in your Qin territory, and His Majesty is preparing to punish him!"
"The Crown Prince is in trouble? That's not right. Wasn't the Crown Prince deposed and confined to the Eastern Palace? How could he be in trouble in our Qin region?" Yingren looked surprised, but his words clearly indicated that the Crown Prince had defied the imperial decree himself, so what did it have to do with the Prince?
"I... how would this old servant know? This old servant was merely conveying the imperial edict."
"My lord, our prince will not take the blame for this. The deposed crown prince is confined to the Eastern Palace, yet they say the incident happened in our Qin territory. Isn't this clearly making our prince the scapegoat?"
The commotion attracted the attention of some local residents, who gathered around.
"Nonsense! How dare you question His Majesty's decree? You're asking for trouble!" The chief eunuch looked at the growing number of people around him, which pleased him. "Furthermore, His Highness Prince Qin is not in his fiefdom at this crucial moment. Isn't this a flight from justice?"
His Majesty's intention is to make this matter a big deal, to confirm that Qin Xuanyu murdered the Crown Prince, and then to deal with Qin Xuanyu in a proper manner.
"Has Your Excellency forgotten that when the border city of Xiti Kingdom was invaded, His Highness has already sent reinforcements to General Gu multiple times? Now that there is news from the border city again, His Highness will naturally go to help. This is all for the sake of our Eastern Chu Kingdom. Yet Your Excellency is using this baseless accusation to slander His Highness. What are your true intentions!"
Shadowblade elevated such a trivial matter to a matter of national importance, something a nobody like him should not be expected to do.
"Now, His Majesty not only fails to reward the Prince, but also chills the hearts of loyal ministers. First it was General Gu, and now it's the Prince. If His Majesty wants military power, he can just issue an imperial decree. Why resort to these disgusting methods?"
Shadowblade unleashed a barrage of attacks, leaving the Grand Eunuch speechless. Seeing the surrounding whispers and murmurs only fueled his anger.
This was clearly not what they had envisioned, and they never expected that Qin Xuanyu would choose to break off all pretense of civility—something that had never happened before.
It must be said that the chief eunuch felt panicked.
"Why make things difficult for this old servant, my lord? I was merely conveying the imperial decree. Moreover, His Majesty only summoned the prince to the palace to assist in the investigation and to conduct routine inquiries. He had no other intentions. Please do not misinterpret His Majesty's intentions." The head eunuch could only make excuses.
He knew, of course, that Qin Xuanyu was very popular with the people, which was what His Majesty was most worried about. That's why he asked Qin Xuanyu to deliver the imperial edict in person and confirm Qin Xuanyu's crimes.
Qin Xuanyu has always been rather evasive and has never truly confronted His Majesty. Out of respect for the Empress Dowager, he always gives His Majesty a lot of face.
However, he now discovers that things are not so simple at all. Qin Xuanyu is no longer maintaining this superficial harmony, which is what His Majesty fears most.
Moreover, if Qin Xuanyu were to truly raise his voice, who knows how many people would respond to him?
But what about the Crown Prince...?
"How could I dare? You should have made it clear earlier, sir, to avoid any misunderstanding. As for the Prince, I will send him a signal immediately to return. Why don't you go inside and rest and wait?"
Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Shadowblade stopped being aggressive and instead took a step back, leaving no room for further anger.
With the matter temporarily settled and the chief eunuch in place, Yingren paid his respects to Qin Xuanyu in the secret chamber.
"Your Majesty."
"I heard everything just now, and you did a very good job." Qin Xuanyu was becoming increasingly satisfied with how Shadow Blade handled the situation.
"Your Highness, what should we do next? His Majesty will not let this go."
Qin Xuanyu snorted coldly and revealed a meaningful smile, "Our Emperor, on the surface, is heartbroken for his son, but in reality, he only uses Qin Jinghao as a pawn. Now that he's in trouble, he can use this as an excuse to make a fuss."
"Your Highness, I have already sent men to investigate thoroughly and we will definitely find out who framed you."
“No need.” However, Qin Xuanyu shook his head and refused. “The other party’s purpose is not that simple. Qin Jinghao only died within my fiefdom. Although I have made preparations, the other party will definitely have a backup plan. Just wait and see, wait for that person to jump out on his own.”
Qin Xuanyu narrowed his dangerous eyes, already having made his plans. "Make the arrangements. In a couple of days, I will return to the palace to take a good look. After all, we must grant the Emperor some of his wishes, mustn't we?"
Qin Xuanyu stared at the map hanging on the wall, his eyes unreadable.