Thankfully, he had made a two - pronged plan. Whether the assassination succeeded or not, he had a way to stay out of trouble.
However, all his painstaking schemes and the high price he had paid were, of course, for Chu Junyi's death!
As long as Chu Junyi was alive, he was a threat!
Lin Wei's gaze tightened. Thinking of the fates of the Eldest Princess, the King of Nanxun, and the Wei family, a hint of caution flashed in his shrewd eyes. He slapped the table hard with the hand that had been stroking his beard.
His confidant was startled. But this shock made him remember something. "According to the escaped assassins, this son - in - law is extremely ruthless in his moves. His fighting styles are tricky. It doesn't seem like the martial arts of the orthodox path."
"Not from the orthodox path? Could he be from the underworld?" A current son - in - law of the royal family from the underworld?
"It's possible."
"Humph! This is getting more and more interesting! With a questionable background, he still dares to be an official and compete with the noble families! I've really got a great handle on him. Let's see how much trouble he can stir up."
Lin Wei laughed heartily, his laughter drowned in the night, scaring a tree full of crows and bats into flight.
The next day, the morning sun slowly rose.
Chu Junyi opened his eyes and looked at the woman in his arms. Remembering the sweet words she had said last night, a warm feeling welled up in his heart, and the long - pent - up gloom was swept away.
He happily kissed her on the face, then got up to dress and prepared to go to work.
There were still several assassins locked up in the Eastern Palace dungeon. He was going to interrogate them.
Jing Bai and Hong Xiu were hiding in the bushes along the usual path. Only when they saw the son - in - law's footsteps getting farther and farther away did they dare to go to Mingyue Courtyard to tell Li Xinyue what they had been worried about all night.
"I already knew about this. He told me last night."
Jing Bai and Hong Xiu were stunned. And then? Was the princess just going to accept it so calmly?
Jing Bai thought it was necessary to make the stakes clear, lest the princess be blinded by love and make a choice she would regret.
But Li Xinyue retorted, "What harm can he do to me? I'm not a prince. I have neither real power nor influence. If he really has evil intentions and is plotting something, he should have attached himself to Li Xinrong. After all, she is the younger sister of the crown prince and has the support of the Lin family. What do you think?"
Li Xinyue propped her chin with one hand and looked at Jing Bai and Hong Xiu calmly.
The two of them lowered their heads and thought. Were they really being too defensive?
Thinking carefully, since the son - in - law married the princess, he really hadn't done anything to harm her. Maybe they were just overthinking.
Jing Bai bowed and apologized, and Hong Xiu did the same.
Li Xinyue nodded, and the matter was settled.
As long as they didn't mention it, no one would know Chu Junyi's real identity.
After all, he had passed the imperial examination and married her. His background must have been thoroughly checked.
She trusted his intelligence.
Come to think of it, wasn't he going to be promoted today?
Last night at the Cuju field, she had asked him what the emperor had wanted to talk to him about. He had said that the emperor was going to establish an Inspection Bureau and wanted him to be the director. So, if nothing unexpected happened, after today, he would be promoted to the third - rank official and officially enter the ranks of high - ranking officials. With the protection of the crown prince, wouldn't he be invincible?
She just hoped that he would get better and better until no one dared to provoke him.
Next, it was time for her to do something too.
Concubine Yu could still compete for the emperor's favor by virtue of her slight resemblance to her mother. Why couldn't she, the emperor's real daughter?
Previously, she had never thought about it. She had been too kind.
Now, thinking about it, instead of letting others take advantage of her mother's good reputation, it would be better for her to do so.
She wanted to show some people who was the real deal and who was the imposter!
"Father, this is the chicken soup I had someone cook for you. Father has so many state affairs to attend to every day. You must be exhausted. I feel so bad for you, so I specially made this chicken soup for you."
Li Xinyue took the tray from Lian'er's hand, walked up to Emperor Mingde, scooped up some soup, and fed it to him.
Emperor Mingde gave her a suspicious look, then turned around and continued to read the memorials.
Li Xinyue was stunned for a moment, then moved to the other side and continued to try to feed him.
Emperor Mingde turned around again to avoid her.
Li Xinyue got a bit angry, and her movements became a bit rough.
Having nowhere to hide, Emperor Mingde put down the memorials in his hand, took the chicken soup, and while drinking, he asked, "Come on, what do you want to deceive from me this time?"
Hearing this, Eunuch Wang covered his mouth and laughed.
Both Li Xinyue and Emperor Mingde looked at him.
Eunuch Wang quickly knelt down and left.
Li Xinyue looked back and said seriously, "Can't I come to see you if I have nothing to ask for? I lost my mother when I was young. It was you who raised me single - handedly. You've been both a father and a mother to me, but I've often made you angry.
My husband scolded me. I thought about it, and he was right. So I came to see you and spend more time with you to show my filial piety."
Emperor Mingde didn't believe her, but he had to admit that the "sugar - coated bullet" his daughter had personally prepared was really delicious.
But when he thought of his son - in - law, he also thought of the matter regarding the Inspection Bureau in the morning court. Emperor Mingde frowned in distress.
"What's wrong?"
Li Xinyue walked behind him, dismissed a few young eunuchs, and personally massaged his back and shoulders.
Emperor Mingde was so shocked that he looked back at her. He suspected that his daughter had been impersonated. Only after receiving a non - committal roll of the eyes from Li Xinyue did he feel relieved. It was really her.
"The establishment of the Inspection Bureau has been opposed by all the civil and military officials. The only one who supported it, the Yin family, asked me to promote Lord Zhu to be the director of the Inspection Bureau.
Lord Zhu is the Minister of the Ministry of Justice. His official rank is higher than Chu Junyi's, and he has many years of experience in handling cases.
There's no reason for such a high - level department to be taken over by a fourth - rank official like the Prefect of the Capital."
Li Xinyue wanted to laugh after hearing this. Lord Zhu had found a backer so quickly, the Yin family, the second prince's faction.
"What happened next? How was this matter resolved?"
"It hasn't been decided yet. The crown prince's opinion is that the Inspection Bureau is responsible for monitoring all officials, and its duties are very important. Therefore, honest and upright people should be appointed.
The opposing officials have their own arguments. I knew that it would be difficult to implement the Inspection Bureau, so I'm really tired."
"This is not difficult at all!"
Emperor Mingde looked at her in surprise.
While massaging Emperor Mingde's shoulders, Li Xinyue came up with a plan. "Lower the official rank of the Inspection Bureau to the fourth - rank. Would Lord Zhu still want it then?
If he does, then transfer the position of the Minister of the Ministry of Justice to Chu Junyi.
Chu Junyi has solved several major cases in a row and has single - handedly brought down the Wei family. It's only right for him to be promoted. What do you think, Father?"
Emperor Mingde raised his eyebrows. She was right.
So, the gloom that had been weighing on him all day gradually lifted. Looking at Li Xinyue now, he thought she was just like a considerate little cotton - padded jacket.
"Yue'er has grown up and become sensible. She even knows how to show filial piety to her father."
"If Father likes it, Yue'er will come to massage your back and shoulders every day."
"I hope you can keep your promise!"
"Why not?"
Li Xinyue had, in a way, privately promised Emperor Mingde, so she really had to keep her word.
At this time, the voice of Eunuch Wang came from outside the imperial study, announcing the arrival of Concubine Yu.
Li Xinyue frowned. Instantly, she didn't want to have that father - daughter harmony with Emperor Mingde anymore.
Emperor Mingde also didn't want to see Concubine Yu recently. He immediately shouted to Eunuch Wang, "I still have memorials to read. Ask Concubine Yu to go back first. If the servants are not doing their jobs well, just replace them. There's no need to report it to me."
Li Xinyue sensed something and couldn't help but probe, hoping to hear some interesting gossip.
"What did Concubine Yu do to you, Father? You didn't like her so soon after she came into favor. Didn't you ask me to help raise her status before? Now, what's going on? Father, it's not good for you to treat her like this. It'll really hurt her feelings."