The First Lackey Under The Empress

Dead… dead…

Under the moonlight, Zhao Du'an's mind buzzed, his thoughts momentarily sluggish, before he realized what had happened:

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"Wang Chusheng? Dead? What happened?"

Chen Hong's face turned pale. Under his gaze, her aura weakened for no reason, as if she had done something wrong, and she said:

"It was… about half an hour ago that we suddenly received the news. We only learned that he had suddenly died in prison. The jailer noticed he wasn't moving and went to check, only to discover it."

Zhao Du'an took a step forward and said in a deep voice, "I'm not asking about that! How did he die?"

His first thought was that the man had been silenced.

At this sensitive juncture, with a key witness suddenly dead, he couldn't help but suspect this.

Chen Hong obviously knew what he was concerned about, and quickly explained:

"We have been keeping a very close watch on him. In prison, he was held in a separate area. Everyone who could come into contact with him was carefully screened to prevent accidents."

But something still happened… Zhao Du'an stared at him, silent, waiting for what came next.

Chen Hong said, "The coroner has already conducted an emergency examination and said that he died suddenly from a sudden illness, which is why he died silently. But during the examination, they found a needle mark on his body.

We suspect that he may not have been killed in the prison cell, but rather during these past few days, when he was taken out for interrogation in court, he was ambushed along the way. He may have been poisoned with some kind of delayed-onset toxin…

But this is just speculation and has not yet been confirmed."

Court hearings, repeated interrogations, many people and many eyes… there were quite a few people who had the opportunity to act…

Zhao Du'an took a deep breath to calm himself.

He closed his eyes and then opened them, already calmed down: "What is the current situation?"

Chen Hong quickly said, "Right now, the adults of the Three Law Divisions have been alarmed. Lord Yuan and the others have already entered the palace overnight and privately instructed me to inform you."

Zhao Du'an was amused by this:

"What's the use of informing me? I'm not the chief judge of the case! I brought the person back from thousands of miles away, only for him to die!"

Chen Hong's lips moved slightly, and he explained:

"After all, you are the imperial envoy who arrested the person. Now that Wang Chusheng is dead, the conviction of the entire case will inevitably be fraught with twists and turns. Lord Yuan is worried that tomorrow, news about his suicide out of fear of punishment may spread…"

"Alright, let me think!" Zhao Du'an waved his hand, his fingers pressed against his forehead as he paced in front of his own courtyard gate, his brain working at full speed.

The bad feeling had finally come true.

Recalling their meeting that afternoon, Chen Hong was still saying that with Wang Chusheng as a witness, the overall situation was safe, but only a few hours later, the person was gone.

Zhao Du'an couldn't hide his anxiety, and even more so, his disbelief.

"Li Yanfu is crazy? To dare to use such methods in the capital?"

Zhao Du'an didn't understand, as this was very different from the Prime Minister's style of doing things as he understood it.

At least in the past few months of his confrontation with the Li faction, this old man who had been floating in the official sea for many years had shown more of "forbearance."

Even when taking action, it was all within the "rules of the game" in the officialdom. Such a direct and crude method of overturning the table was truly unimaginable.

Perhaps this was also the key factor why the Three Law Divisions, despite strengthening protection, still had loopholes:

No one thought that someone would really dare to risk the world's disapproval to silence him!

"Alright, I understand," Zhao Du'an took a deep breath and said.

He realized that the most anxious about this matter right now was not him, the former imperial envoy who had been relieved of his duties. Even if the crime couldn't be determined, it didn't seem to be his fault.

Therefore, he could completely stay out of it.

"Sir, please rest well. I will take my leave first." Chen Hong was only ordered to inform him. Seeing this, he bid farewell and left. After such a sudden change, he still had a pile of things to deal with.

…

The same night, the Prime Minister's residence.

When the news of Wang Chusheng's death came out, Li Yanfu immediately received the message.

At this moment, the study in the Prime Minister's residence was brightly lit, and several figures were reflected on the window paper.

"Pa!"

A celadon porcelain cup was thrown out fiercely, whizzing past the ear of a middle-aged man standing in the study, hitting the closed door, and shattering into two pieces.

The water stains splashed from the cup wet the man's expensive clothes.

This middle-aged man with a face like jade, a dignified appearance, and a scholarly air, silently took out a handkerchief and wiped his shoulders and neck.

He calmly looked at the old man behind the long desk in the study, his face showing anger, and said softly:

"Prime Minister Li, please calm your anger. Getting angry hurts your body. If your body is damaged by anger, I can't bear the responsibility. After returning home, the old lady at home will scold me."

Li Yanfu threw the cup and still stood under a splash-ink vertical scroll.

The ink-colored angry dragon on the painting, like a dharma, hung behind the old man wearing a red official robe, his messy beard and hair flaring because of extreme anger.

"Getting angry hurts your body? Has your Shen family ever cared about my old bones? I'm afraid you're hoping I die sooner!"

Li Yanfu stared at the other party with a grim gaze.

The anger of the Prime Minister of a country, even though he was a mortal, seemed to shroud the room with dark clouds, like on the sea.

The aura of the superior, like an angry sea, pressed down on the middle-aged man in the room and the "Little Grand Secretary" who was carefully standing in the corner to reduce his presence, making them afraid to breathe.

The two were like boats on an angry sea, at risk of capsizing at any time.

"Father…" Finally, Li Yinglong mustered up the courage to ease the atmosphere, "Brother Shen is just anxious for a moment, and concern leads to chaos."

Li Yanfu was amused by this.

He didn't look at his incompetent son next to him, but stared at the middle-aged man surnamed Shen:

"Concern leads to chaos, so you killed that Wang Chusheng behind my back? Just to save your wife's younger brother? Do you think I'll believe that?! Is this the Shen family's idea, or your personal action? Nonsense!"

The middle-aged man surnamed Shen was silent.

The Shen family of Jiancheng was a famous clan among the Jiangnan gentry of the Great Yu Dynasty, and also one of the top clans in Jiancheng Dao, and also the family of Gao Lian's wife through marriage.

The middle-aged man was the second brother of Gao Lian's wife, the younger brother of the Shen family's head, the second most powerful figure in the family besides the "Old Ancestor" and the "Family Head."

He was also the representative of the Jiangnan Group who rushed to the capital these past few days to lobby after the Taicang case.

After Li Yanfu learned of Wang Chusheng's death, he thought of this person.

But unexpectedly, before he could send someone to find him, the other party came to visit and readily admitted it.

"Prime Minister Li, His Majesty has given the Three Law Divisions only ten days to verify the conviction. Now that most of it has passed, although there have been some achievements in public opinion inside and outside the court, how can these alone save Gao Lian?

To overturn the case, that Wang Chusheng is the key. Now that the person is dead, there is room for maneuver…" The middle-aged man surnamed Shen patiently explained.

Li Yanfu's pale gray eyes stared straight at him, and he said faintly:

"I see that you don't want to save him, but to force this Prime Minister."

The middle-aged man with a face like jade and a refined demeanor looked terrified: "I wouldn't dare…"

"Hehe, I think you are all very daring now. Now, one by one, you no longer take this Prime Minister seriously," Li Yanfu seemed to be smiling, but there was no smile at all:

"This Prime Minister has repeatedly said that there is still enough time. Next, as long as we proceed step by step, this Prime Minister still has means to postpone the case. When the time comes, you can take action again, and His Majesty will naturally step back…"

The middle-aged man surnamed Shen bowed his head, seemingly humble, but interrupted:

"Prime Minister Li, you have been the leader of the party for so many years, have we ever disobeyed your orders? It's not that we are unwilling, but the current situation is different from the past.

Pei Kai's imprisonment is still in front of us, and that heart-wrenching new policy is about to be implemented at our doorstep. Now, my family and my wife's younger brother have also been imprisoned. Regarding the silver mine matter, my wife's younger brother has done his best, how much did he get? Didn't you also…"

"Shut up!" Li Yanfu roared in anger.

The middle-aged man surnamed Shen "followed the good advice" and did not delve into this topic, earnestly saying:

"Prime Minister Li, what we mean is that you have been in charge of the cabinet for many years. We shouldn't have any complaints, but the current situation is changing day by day, and you are also old. You may not see the situation in the court clearly.

If we blindly compromise, we know that it is 'retreating to advance' for the sake of the overall situation, but if we retreat and retreat, when will there be an end?

The matter of Wang Chusheng is that I acted too impulsively, but you can rest assured that since I dared to do it, this matter will not involve outsiders. If His Majesty wants to investigate, he can investigate my Shen family."

These words were sincere, but Li Yanfu only sneered repeatedly.

How could he not understand that it didn't matter who Wang Chusheng died in the hands of.

What mattered was that outsiders would think that he died in the hands of his Li family.

"…Since things have come to this, the huge Li Party still has to rely on you, Prime Minister, to preside over the overall situation. If you are unhappy, punish me alone. Killing Wang Chusheng was also my sole action and has nothing to do with the old lady at home," said the middle-aged man surnamed Shen.

The smile had disappeared from Li Yanfu's face.

He stared at him for a long time, and suddenly said, "Prince Jing has approached your Shen family, right."

The heart of the middle-aged man in Chinese clothes suddenly tightened, and he raised his head, wanting to explain.

Li Yanfu waved his hand tiredly and said:

"Get out. I will handle the follow-up of the Three Law Divisions."

"Thank you, Prime Minister Li!" The middle-aged man's face lit up with joy, and he cupped his hands and bid farewell.

After the person left, Li Yinglong, who had been standing in the corner, finally couldn't hold back and took two steps forward:

"Father, are you just going to let him go like this?"

Li Yanfu glanced at him coldly and said unhappily, "Otherwise?"

Li Yinglong's face was gloomy:

"Father, the Shen family is probably already harboring ulterior motives. Today, they dare to act like this, it must be Prince Jing supporting them behind the scenes. Hmph, this group of ungrateful white-eyed wolves, they keep saying that Gao Lian sent silver, why don't they mention how many benefits they got? It's simply…"

At this moment, he transformed into a mouthpiece, completely different from his previous attitude of calling him "Brother Shen."

Obviously, he was also a master of playing along.

"Alright, what's the use of saying these things?" Li Yanfu said wearily, propping himself on the dark brown table and slowly sitting down.

He sighed, "If I had known this would happen, it would have been better to let Gao Lian die in Taicang."

Li Yinglong didn't say anything, and carefully said, "Then next…"

Li Yanfu was expressionless and regained his composure:

"Since things have come to this, we can only make the most of it and try our best to protect Gao Lian. Order them to spread the word tomorrow that he committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

"Yes."

Li Yinglong hurried away.

When there was only one person left in the room, Li Yanfu raised his head and stared at the quiet burning flames on the table, the red flames dancing in his pale gray eyes.

After a long time, he let out a long sigh.