Chapter 511: Someone Wanted To Silence Him
Translator: Dragon Boat Translation Editor: Dragon Boat Translation
Consort De stood outside the Conjugal Phoenix Palace, her heart filled with gloomy apprehension. Knowing Su Ying’s personality, she definitely wouldn’t let Consort De have it easy.
Consort De braced herself and walked in.
“Your Imperial Highness.” Consort De walked into the inner hall and curtsied in the direction of the Phoenix Throne.
“Consort De, no need for formalities. Please take a seat.”
The Empress even allowed her to sit?
Consort De’s heart was almost in her mouth. She raised her head and glanced at Su Ying. She couldn’t see much change in Su Ying’s expression, and she couldn’t guess what Su Ying was thinking either.
Su Ying sipped the bird’s nest porridge without saying a word. Consort De had never been an impatient person before, but today, she was particularly anxious.
“Your Imperial Highness, I just found out about the ghost incident. There must be some misunderstanding about this matter. It is a good thing to run an academy…” Consort De didn’t wait for Su Ying to speak and blurted out first. She was worried that Su Ying would misunderstand if she explained too late.
Su Ying put down her soup cup and gestured for Consort De to calm down. “Consort De, don’t be anxious. The Ministry of Justice is investigating this matter, and the truth will be revealed soon.”
Consort De looked at her, not knowing what she meant.
“I asked Consort De to come today to ask if you are willing to leave the palace with the Third Prince to live outside.”
Consort De was stunned. Su Ying was still willing to let them leave the palace?
In line with the principle of keeping them under their noses so that it was easier to keep an eye on them, shouldn’t Su Ying and her faction keep them trapped in the palace?
“Consort De is not willing?”
Consort De came back to her senses. “No, not at all… Your Imperial Highness, you mean that His Majesty wants the Third Prince to leave the palace?”
Su Ying nodded. “That’s right. See if you are willing, Consort De. If you are not willing…”
“I’m willing!” Consort De hurriedly said, afraid that Su Ying might take back her words if she answered too late.
Su Ying smiled. She had wanted to do this a long time ago. In fact, she didn’t want too many people in the Imperial harem’s quarters. If they all left, she could save quite a bit of money a year. As for the courtyards in the palace that were vacated, she would see if there were other uses for them.
“Since Consort De is willing, then you can choose a day to move out.”
When Consort De came out of the Conjugal Phoenix Palace, she still felt that what happened was a little unreal. How could Xiao Jin let them leave so easily?
Fearing that Su Ying and her faction would go back on their word, Consort De immediately packed her belongings when she returned and had them moved out of the palace before it was dark.
“Your Imperial Highness, Consort De said that she will leave the palace early tomorrow morning. Her belongings and luggage have already been moved out in advance.” Bai Shuang was extremely shocked by Consort De’s speed.
Previously, Su Ying had released a batch of the late Emperor’s concubines, but at that time, Consort De did not leave. Thereafter, when the incident with the Third Prince and Princess Pingling erupted, Consort De felt uneasy every day. She was worried that Su Ying would secretly get rid of her.
After Su Ying met with an accident, Consort De had other thoughts and wanted to let her niece enter the palace. However, just as her younger brother brought up this matter in the morning court session, the Emperor slapped her younger brother’s mouth in front of all the civil and military officials until it bled.
He said that the Empress went missing while carrying out something for the kingdom. How could he possibly bring newcomers into the Imperial harem at this point? That would only make the Empress feel very disappointed.
After that, no one dared to bring up this matter in the Imperial Court anymore.
Now that Su Ying had returned, no one dared to step forward to raise this matter at all. Therefore, it was better to flee first!
The person caught in the Minister’s Residence was the caretaker’s son. After a round of interrogation, he admitted that he had used money to bribe those two people and told them to play tricks so that the women’s academy could not be set up.
The reason was that he couldn’t stand the Empress and felt that the Empress was too tyrannical. She didn’t even take Consort De seriously so he wanted to vent his anger on behalf of his master.
After this guy made this confession, Su Ying instructed people to stop Consort De who was about to leave the palace. They told her everything that fellow had confessed.
Consort De almost lost control of her hands. If that fellow was in front of her, she would definitely slap him to death!
She must really thank this fellow!
However, the hoodlums hired by the Minister’s Residence died in the prison by bashing their heads against the wall on the night they confessed. Thus, Xiao Jin told the Ministry of Justice to close the case.
In the Imperial study, the Minister of Revenue knelt on the ground, his elderly tears streaming down his face.
“Your Majesty, this old minister is incompetent. How could I let such a thing happen in my residence? I have betrayed Your Majesty’s trust. I am willing to bear all the expenses of the Empress’s renovation of the academy as a way to make amends to Her Imperial Highness and Your Majesty.”
Xiao Jin sat on the dragon throne with a stony face and did not say a word.
The Minister of Revenue didn’t even dare to raise his head. He wondered whether his self-punishment wasn’t able to appease the Emperor. “Forgive me, Your Majesty. No matter how you punish me, I’m willing to bear it.”
Xiao Jin’s dark eyes turned into a deeper shade. “Do you know how much impact this matter will have on the outside world? The news of the enrollment has already been released, but after this incident, no one will be willing to come and enroll.”
“If Your Majesty is willing to trust your old minister, I promise Your Majesty that in five days at most, I will be able to recruit all the students for Your Majesty.”
Xiao Jin still remained silent.
The Minister of Revenue gritted his teeth and continued, “I will also provide the uniforms for the children who attend lessons at the academy as well as the money for a year’s worth of school lunches. I will also provide the textbooks they need for their studies. I will provide them all.”
Once he heard this, Xiao Jin then reluctantly said, “My dear minister, you should know that this matter has made the Empress very unhappy.”
“Other than what you said just now, you should reflect on yourself during this half a month and assist the Empress to take care of these matters. If there is anything you did not do well, you must humbly listen to the Empress’s teachings.”
After forking out so much money, he was still punished and banned from attending court for half a month. The minister wanted to cry, but he could only swallow it.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your great kindness.”
The Minister of Revenue walked out of the Imperial study, feeling a chill in his heart as the wind blew against his face.
He even suspected whether this matter was a trap set by the Empress for him. The Minister of Revenue shook his head. Regardless of whether it was true or not, he could only admit defeat.
In the Imperial Garden of the palace, Su Ying was playing with the two little wolves.
“Your Imperial Highness, do you think that person from the Minister’s Residence was really responsible for that matter of the ghost haunting?” Bai Shuang did not think so. After all, this matter honestly did not benefit them.
Su Ying tossed a piece of raw meat to the wolf cub and wiped her hands with a handkerchief. “Didn’t the Ministry of Justice interrogate them? That person was indeed captured in the Minister’s Residence, and he was the caretaker’s biological son too.”
It was exactly because there seemed to be nothing wrong from all angles that made one think carefully. Only then would one realize the matter was odd because it seemed illogical.
“But for the son of a caretaker to casually fork out a few hundred taels of silver just to avenge his master… Isn’t this too generous?”
“That’s right. The Minister of Revenue’s Residence is really rich.” Therefore, it probably wouldn’t hurt them when Xiao Jin made the Minister’s Residence pay through their nose this time.
Bai Shuang still felt that there was something fishy about the matter. “Don’t worry. The Minister’s Residence will definitely investigate carefully. When the time comes, we can just gather the results they have obtained.”
Realization dawned on Bai Shuang. She had thought that Su Ying really believed the words of the person who had been captured.
If that those men hadn’t died in the prison cell, Su Ying would probably believe him. However, now, those two were dead. Although this wasn’t a small crime, it wasn’t enough to warrant beheading. So why would they kill themselves?
This could only mean that someone wanted to silence them..