Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress

Chapter 143: Chapter 142: A Matter of Life and Death_1

Since it’s like this, let Bai Jinxiu lead the people to greatly praise the Emperor for not being influenced by personal feelings and for being just and impartial! Even when dealing with his legitimate son, King Xin, he showed no mercy, proving himself to be the most sage and enlightened ruler in the entire world!

Let the Bai family members lead the people in shouting that they believe the Emperor will fairly handle King Liang’s attempts to slander the Bai family!

The people’s high praises would reach the Emperor’s ears. An Emperor who craved a good reputation did not particularly favor the submissive Prince Liang. Wouldn’t he deal with King Liang for the sake of a good name?!

Bai Qingyan wanted the people to place a high hat of virtue on the Emperor’s head!

Forcing was not only about the powerful momentum seen when knocking on the Wude Gate last time, using hard tactics. The virtuous hat often made people more frightened yet unable to avoid it.

The Emperor, sitting in the supreme position, feared the people’s mouths and the historian’s pen more than anyone.

She nodded and solemnly bowed. “Then it will be arduous for Mother and the aunts!”

She watched as her mother and the aunts and sisters, accompanied by the people of Dadu, walked towards the direction of Wude Gate. Only then did she board the carriage with the Eldest Princess.

The grandmother and granddaughter sat in the carriage.

The Eldest Princess, who looked as if she had aged ten years overnight with her gray hair, closed her eyes. Her thin lips were tightly pressed together as she continuously fingered the agarwood carved prayer beads.

Bai Qingyan also sat properly on one side, calm and serene like water.

·

King Liang was restless in his manor today. Tongji had already been gone for several hours. Every time he sent someone to check, they said Tongji was still waiting outside the corner gate of the Duke’s manor and had not met any of the Duke’s maids yet.

Although Gao Sheng had now restrained Liu Huanzhang, Liu Huanzhang, worried about his wife and children, could no longer bear it and was about to expose Duke Bai Weiting’s treason.

As long as Chun Yan could successfully get those few letters into the Duke’s manor today, even if they weren’t in the Duke’s study, as long as the letters were in the Duke’s manor, with Liu Huanzhang’s testimony, and given his father the Emperor’s fear of the Bai family and his dissatisfaction with Bai Qingyan’s actions in recent days, the Bai family would be branded as traitors!

Missing this opportunity, he didn’t know when he could crush the Bai family into the mud again.

As for using Bai Qingyan, after the female members of the Bai family were captured, he would find a way to save Bai Qingyan and one or two of the female members of the Bai family. He didn’t believe Bai Qingyan wouldn’t be utterly loyal to him then.

King Liang’s emotions surged as he closed his eyes and coughed violently a few times, wrapping his cloak tightly around himself.

When he reopened his eyes, a cold and harsh look filled King Liang’s eyes.

As long as he could destroy the Bai family’s century-old reputation, it would also be revenge for Consort Tong and his second brother!

As for using Bai Qingyan to gain military merits and pave his way to the throne, his desire for such thoughts had waned considerably at this moment.

The assassination had hurt his heart and lungs. He didn’t even know if he would survive to sit on that position. Bai Qingyan was now undisguisedly scornful of him, even stating in front of the people that she would rather marry a ghost than him. King Liang couldn’t understand what he had done wrong to cause Bai Qingyan’s sudden change in attitude towards him.

“Your Highness! Your Highness, something has happened!” The old steward of King Liang’s mansion stood at the study door and shouted.

King Liang frowned deeply. “Come in and speak!”

The steward hurriedly entered and, after paying his respects, said, “Your Highness, Tongji met Miss Bai’s maid at the corner gate of the Duke’s manor but was caught red-handed by one of the Duke’s nannies. Coincidentally, a funeral procession came by, and the matter escalated in front of the Eldest Princess. As a result, the letter you wrote was opened in public. It turned out to be correspondence between the King of Zhen and the Prince of Nanyan. One of them was a so-called handwritten letter from the King of Zhen, which was actually in the handwriting of the Ancestral Emperor! Miss Bai said in public that you had once asked her for a military book annotated by the Duke. To show her disinterest in associating with you, she gave you a book annotated by the Ancestral Emperor!”

A military book annotated by the Ancestral Emperor?!

The book Bai Qingyan had given him was actually annotated by the Ancestral Emperor?!

King Liang’s fists tightened together, and his heart raced so fast that he nearly stumbled backward, unable to stand steadily.

“Your Highness!” The steward hurriedly stepped forward to support King Liang. “Your Highness, are you alright?!”

King Liang’s head ached intensely, and his heart pounded as if it would split open his recently healed wounds.

“Where is Tongji?!” King Liang asked instinctively.

“The Eldest Princess took the letters, Tongji, and that maid to the palace to see His Majesty!” The steward’s voice trembled.

They went to the palace?!

He needed to calm down and think of a plan!

Even if it was the Ancestral Emperor’s handwriting, he could claim that Bai Weiting used the handwriting for cautious correspondence with the Prince of Nanyan. The only problem was that the letter was found on Tongji, which made it tricky.

The steward was frantic. “Your Highness, what should we do? This must be someone trying to frame you! Tongji must have fallen into someone’s trap! If you can hold on… you should still go to the palace to explain to His Majesty!”

King Liang, with a grim face, suddenly looked up at the steward. In a flash of inspiration, he thought of an excellent excuse. He firmly grasped the steward’s hand.

The letter he gave Tongji must have been a love letter. He was merely admiring Miss Bai and wanted to marry her. As for how Tongji’s letter turned into correspondence between the Duke and the Prince of Nanyan, he claimed to know nothing. He would just play dumb, act shocked, and pretend to be unaware in front of the Emperor.

He would have Gao Sheng use the condition of saving Liu’s entire family to bring Liu Huanzhang to knock on the Court of Judicial Review’s gate, personally testifying to Duke Bai Weiting’s treason. He would say he risked his life to expose the truth to the world, and that’s why he swapped the letters in Tongji’s hand after learning of King Liang’s plan.

Though there were military records, with Liu Huanzhang risking his life to condemn the deceased Bai Weiting, the public would have second thoughts, and the Emperor would have an excuse to reopen the case.

King Xin was the Emperor’s legitimate son. Wouldn’t the Emperor and Empress want to protect King Xin? Liu Huanzhang’s appearance would provide a turning point in King Xin’s matter.

Even if the Emperor wanted to be a holy and wise ruler who wouldn’t admit to the mistake of bestowing the Duke title on Bai Weiting, thereby giving up on his legitimate son King Xin, Liu Huanzhang’s arrival could still sully the Bai family’s reputation for loyalty and righteousness.

King Liang closed his eyes and contemplated. As long as he cleared himself this time, he could plan slowly in the future. As long as he lived, he could eventually strip the Bai family of their loyal facade and trample them into the mud, making them despised by all.

Time was tight and left King Liang no room for more thoughts. He told the steward, “Call Tian Weijun over immediately! Quickly!”

“Yes!” The steward hurried out to summon Tian Weijun.

King Liang rose and walked to his desk, picked up a pen and hastily wrote a few words to Gao Sheng, dried the ink, and just as he folded the letter, Tian Weijun arrived in a hurry.

King Liang handed the letter to Tian Weijun. “Time is tight. I can’t explain it to you. Deliver this to Gao Sheng and have him execute the plan without error! Lives depend on it! Hurry!”