svetikya Chapter 69 The Death of the Little Prince
Chapter 69 The Death of the Little Prince
How to describe Gu Tingye?
They are cunning and calculating.
But precisely because of this, they are overconfident and often think they have everything under control, neglecting the feelings of others.
Leaving that aside, his later proposal to marry Yu Yanran, his persuasion of Zhao Zongquan to come to the capital, and even his marriage to Minglan were all driven by ulterior motives.
He wanted to bring Manniang into the family and find a wife who could accept Manniang and her child.
When Wei, the head of the brothel, said that Yu Yanran had a good temperament and would not look down on even courtesans who asked her for advice on embroidery, she would earnestly answer their questions.
He assumed that Yu Yanran would accept Manniang and her child, so he went to her door to propose marriage.
But throughout the entire process, he concealed the existence of Man Niang and the child.
Needless to say, persuading Zhao Zongquan to come to the capital was out of the question. If he were only concerned about Zhao Zongquan's safety, he could have gone to the capital alone and denounced the Prince of Yan.
Zhao Zongquan was a member of the imperial clan and was not allowed to leave Yuzhou without an imperial edict.
He advised Zhao Zongquan to go to the capital to denounce the Prince of Yan, but even if the denunciation was successful, what good would it do?
Leaving Yuzhou without permission is a serious crime; even if there are extenuating circumstances, the punishment would be less severe.
This is like the common people rebelling because they can't survive. Would the imperial court just let it go because there are extenuating circumstances?
If Zhao Zongquan's situation is not investigated, other members of the imperial clan will also have various reasons to leave the designated areas without permission.
It would be highly unusual for Gu Tingye not to have guessed some of the changes in Bianjing.
Marrying Minglan goes without saying; there might be some factors of liking her, but it was definitely not just simple liking.
At that time, Gu Tingye had already seen through Xiao Qinshi's true colors, but due to etiquette and filial piety, he had no way to deal with her.
However, he usually has to work and cannot stay at home all the time.
If a wife is not particularly shrewd or resourceful, she will find it difficult to deal with Madam Qin.
Minglan happens to possess all of these qualities.
However, this is nothing. Just like when people consider family background when choosing a wife or daughter, it's perfectly fine for Gu Tingye to choose a wife who meets his requirements.
But what he shouldn't have done was to use Rulan's matter to scheme against the Sheng family.
You must know that if anything goes wrong in this matter, or if even a whisper of it gets out, the entire Sheng family's reputation will be ruined.
Gu Tingye confidently believed that he had the whole situation under control, and that he had even taken Sheng Changbai into his scheme.
Even though the final outcome is always good, what if it is?
Being friends with this kind of person is too dangerous; you never know when you might be betrayed.
About an incense stick's time later, the city's yamen runners arrived after hearing the news and subdued the few surviving assassins.
Upon learning that Sheng Changbai, the son of a prefect, was present, he immediately sent someone to report to Sheng Hong.
When Sheng Hong learned that there were assassins on a painted boat on Baozhang Lake, his vision went black and he almost fainted.
Once the handover is completed after the New Year, he will be promoted.
If a major case breaks out at such a critical moment, promotion is definitely out of the question.
Therefore, he immediately dispatched his constables to control the situation, and he also came over in person.
On the way, they received a report from the yamen runners that the person who had been assassinated was Gu Tingye, and that Sheng Changbai and Wang You were both present.
Fortunately, all three were unharmed, and several others were captured alive.
Sheng Hong's heart, which had been in his throat, finally settled down after hearing this.
However, his expression was still very unpleasant; Gu Tingye was the son of the Marquis of Ningyuan.
If he were assassinated in his own territory, who knows if Marquis Ningyuan would impeach him upon learning the news?
Upon seeing the three men unharmed, Sheng Hong was completely relieved and assured Gu Tingye that he would conduct a thorough investigation.
With survivors, the investigation shouldn't be difficult.
The next morning, Sheng Hong received the confession.
The assassin was a gang of river pirates who were ordered by their leader to assassinate Gu Tingye.
As for why the leader wanted to kill Gu Tingye, that remains unknown.
Sheng Hong immediately dispatched men to wipe out the band of river pirates and capture their leader.
The final interrogation revealed that the Bai family had paid him a large sum of money to do so.
Even if the attempt to hire a killer fails, the perpetrator should still be exiled according to the charges.
Because of Gu Tingye's intercession, the second and third branches of the Bai family were only punished with sixty strokes of the cane.
After the news spread, the people of Yangzhou did not discuss Gu Tingye's inheritance of the family business much, but instead praised him for his benevolence and righteousness.
However, Wang You was unaware of all this, because the day after the assassination attempt, he returned to Shouzhou with Lady Feng.
When she left, the little girl cried her eyes out because she couldn't bear to part with Rulan and Minglan.
…………
Upon returning to Shouzhou, the Wang family held a grand banquet to celebrate Wang You's passing the prodigy examination.
Wang Min was to become a government official in the capital after the New Year, and Wang You's future was uncertain. Even those prominent families in Shouzhou and the surrounding counties sent congratulatory gifts, even if they were not invited.
The day after Wang You's celebratory banquet ended, news arrived that the young prince had died.
Upon hearing this news, Shouzhou was immediately gripped by a sense of unease and panic.
Not only in Shouzhou, but throughout the entire Song Dynasty, the impact of this news was felt in the same way.
The emperor was over forty years old when his only son died young; how tragic that must have been!
Although anyone with a modicum of intelligence knew that the court was likely to be embroiled in a controversy over the selection of an heir, no one dared to discuss it.
After all, the emperor had just lost his son, and at this time, his subjects were expected to express their grief.
If these careless remarks reach the ears of the officials, they might incur their wrath.
"Alas, Bianjing is currently a place of turmoil; going there would be more trouble than good."
Wang Min sighed and looked at Wang You, instructing him, "Our family will be going to the capital after the New Year, and you will also be taking up a post in the Hanlin Academy. Remember to be careful with your words and actions, and don't say a single word about the matter of establishing an heir."
"Father, rest assured, I understand."
Wang You nodded and said, "Actually, Father doesn't need to worry. The young prince has just died, so the Emperor probably won't be in the mood to establish an heir in the short term."
Although the court is in turmoil, my father's lowly position makes him unlikely to be affected.
Wang Min: "..."
Although Wang You's words made sense, he still felt very uncomfortable listening to them.
"Of course I know that, but often the tree may wish to be still, but the wind will not cease. Just because our family is not greedy for peace, does that mean we won't be implicated? You are oversimplifying the imperial court," Wang Min sneered.
"I humbly request your guidance, Father," Wang You said, feigning ignorance.
"Many officials in the court were interconnected, with complex relationships involving marriage, teachers, and students."
Wang Min said, "Take our family for example. Even if I don't get involved, your uncle and those officials who are connected with the Wang family are involved. If something really happens, the Wang family will still be affected."
Why do you think there were so many factional struggles throughout history?
Although there are some vested interests involved, it is also something that must be fought for.
Some people don't want to compete, but for various reasons, they can't distance themselves and have no choice but to join in.
Wang You was somewhat surprised, not expecting his father to say such a thing.
Indeed, the struggles in the imperial court are not about whether you fight or not.
Once you reach that position, even if you don't suppress others, someone will still target you.
There's no other way; there are only so many official positions. If you don't get rid of others, how can you get promoted yourself?