Chapter 331 The trouble moves eastward
The accompanying officials rushed over upon hearing the news and expressed their opinions on the plaque.

"Your Majesty, the prince is making a desperate counterattack!"

"Yes, Your Majesty, the prince is worthy of death."

"Your Majesty, this is a heinous crime against heaven, it is unforgivable..."

Everyone was denouncing the prince.

The emperor's rage grew, and his face became as dark as ink.

"Return to the palace immediately. I want to interrogate the prince overnight." The emperor said angrily.

"Your Majesty." Su Yi's clear voice rang out, like pearls falling to the ground.

"Your Majesty, please allow me to say a few words." Su Yi's face was stern and his eyes were calm.

The emperor said majestically: "Speak..."

"Your Majesty, I feel that this matter is a little suspicious."

"Speak." The emperor said in a deep voice.

Su Yi weighed the badge in his hand and said, "Your Majesty, assassinating your Majesty is a heinous crime. If it was really the Crown Prince who ordered it, how could the Crown Prince be so stupid as to let the assassin carry the badge with him? What if it fails? Wouldn't that be digging his own grave?"

Tsk... The emperor took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.

Zhao Qixuan said: "I've only heard of assassins with tattoos on their bodies, but I've never heard of assassins wearing waist badges. If you carry such a heavy waist badge on your body, there is a high possibility that it will be lost during a fight!"

"But the prince cannot escape suspicion either. Now that he is under house arrest, it is inevitable that he bears a grudge against the emperor." said a minister.

Su Yi said, "What if someone framed him? If they killed the prince by mistake, and let the person who really had evil intentions go unpunished, wouldn't that be exactly what that person wanted? Now the guard commander has led people to chase the assassin, why not wait a little longer?"

"That's right. If the mastermind behind this is not found out, and if he is someone close to and appreciated by the emperor, it would be dangerous." Zhao Qixuan echoed.

"I am not here to judge for anyone, but evidence is the most important thing. We must find the real murderer." Su Yi said.

After the emperor calmed down, his thoughts became clearer. After listening to what Su Yi and Zhao Qixuan said, he also felt that the matter was a little suspicious.

"Your Majesty, the assassins came with the determination to die. They would rather commit suicide than be captured alive. If the assassin dies and the badge can't serve as evidence, won't it become an unsolved case?" A minister questioned.

The emperor's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and he felt extremely conflicted.

The prince had the motive to assassinate him, and he had emotionally determined that it was the prince's doing. However, what Zhao Qixuan said was also correct. What if this person with evil intentions was someone he was close to and admired, then it would be like a poisonous snake lurking beside him, which might come out and bite him at any time. It was chilling to think about it.

Thinking of this, the emperor had an idea in mind.

"As Su Qing said, this matter is of great importance, and I cannot easily determine who is plotting rebellion."

Su Yi and Zhao Qixuan both secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This plan was indeed dangerous. If they were not careful, it would backfire.

Concubine Shu was very disappointed. Even though she had the evidence, she still couldn't convict the prince. As long as the prince died, the throne would belong to her son.

Disappointment is disappointment, but it does not mean there is no hope. Concubine Shu is looking forward to the commander of the guards bringing back good news.

Everyone dispersed, and the emperor asked Eunuch Wei to take Su Yi and Zhao Qixuan to a side hall to treat their injuries.

Fortunately, the injury was only on the shoulder and did not touch the aorta, so his life was not in danger. However, he was pierced through by a sharp arrow, so it was not a light injury.

The imperial physician treated Zhao Qixuan's wound, bandaged it, prescribed medicine, and reminded him of some precautions before going to report to the emperor.

Su Yi looked at the straps on Zhao Qixuan's shoulders with a gloomy look.

Zhao Qixuan smiled and comforted her, "It's okay, it's okay. I have thick skin and flesh. It's nothing serious. I'll be fine in a few days."

Su Yi glanced at the curtain and blamed himself: "My martial arts skills are not good enough. I failed to protect the emperor and you."

Zhao Qixuan understood: "Alas, we are businessmen now. We don't usually fight and kill each other. It's okay. Who would laugh every day? Besides, no one would expect to be assassinated! Don't blame yourself. The emperor didn't blame you, and I won't blame you either."

Su Yi said solemnly: "If I knew who did it, I would not forgive him."

Zhao Qixuan chuckled and said, "That's right, at least make a few holes in it." Su Yi sighed and frowned, "You've lost so much blood, lie down and rest, don't talk."

"Oh, then you stay here with me..." Zhao Qixuan said coquettishly.

The person behind the curtain retreated silently.

At dawn, the commander of the guards came back and reported some things to the emperor, who then announced that he would return to the palace.

Zhao Qixuan also went home to recuperate because he was injured.

It was not until the afternoon of the next day that Ye Jiayao heard from someone who came to the dessert shop that Uncle Shu's residence was surrounded by the Imperial Guards early that morning, and she had no idea what was going on.

It was also said that the emperor had originally planned to go to the temporary palace to recuperate for a while, but he returned to the palace in a hurry.

Ye Jiayao understood in her heart that it seemed that the actions of Zhao Qixuan and others had worked and the disaster was shifted eastward. Even if there was no real evidence of the Shu family's treason, the emperor would not easily believe Concubine Shu and Prince Yu again because he had this doubt in his mind.

I just don’t know what the situation was at that time. Ye Jiayao really wants to know, but she has to endure it and wait for the situation to develop further.

After waiting for another day, he heard that the Crown Prince was released and returned to his palace to reflect, while Concubine Shu was under house arrest and the Empress took control of the Phoenix Seal again. Although Prince Yu was not punished, his mother was punished, and his life was not easy.

Ye Jiayao was overjoyed and took some cakes to the Yongning Marquis' Mansion, only then did she know that Zhao Qixuan was injured.

The wife of the Marquis of Yongning knew that Ye Jiayao had a special relationship with her son, so she pulled her aside and talked to her for a few words, then asked someone to take her to see Zhao Qixuan.

Zhao Qixuan was leaning on the couch, eating an apple. It was crunchy and he seemed to have a good appetite.

"I thought you were injured and couldn't get up, but I didn't expect you to be in such good spirits!" Ye Jiayao walked over with a smile.

Zhao Qixuan signaled Xiao Shao to go out and keep watch. After making sure it was safe, he groaned, "Why? Do you want to see me half dead?"

The prince's crisis was resolved, Zhao Qixuan was not seriously injured, and everything was going well. Ye Jiayao was in a good mood, but for the sake of caution, Ye Jiayao lowered her voice and smiled, "How could that be? I'm just happy. Here, the pastries from the dessert shop are a reward for you."

Zhao Qixuan had difficulty using one hand, so he threw away the half-eaten apple, went to take the lunch box, opened it and looked at the dazzling array of pastries inside, and said with a smile: "This is good enough, but this little reward is not enough. Don't forget, you said you would celebrate my success by closing the business for a day. I worked hard and bled this time, and I'm stuck at home and can't see Su Su." His smiling face turned into a crying face as he spoke.

Ye Jiayao suppressed her laughter and said, "Then you should quickly recover from your injury. I will never break my promise."

Only then did Zhao Qixuan smile and start eating the cakes happily.

"Susu and I have made some money this time. We have been rewarded with great honors for saving the emperor. However, what I value most is that the emperor asked me to take care of border trade affairs. Susu was also awarded a fourth-rank official rank, which is just a figurehead position. She doesn't have to work and just gets paid for nothing."

"You are the ones who took the risk, but everyone shares the benefits. You have made an indelible contribution this time." Ye Jiayao said sincerely.

Zhao Qixuan's eyes rolled and he laughed, "The real hero behind this is Chunyu from your family. He came up with the idea, but Xiaojing couldn't find a suitable person to carry it out. It just so happened that Susu and I came back and caught up with him."

"Really?" Ye Jiayao remained calm, having known that Chunyu would make some arrangements.

"Of course, it happened that Concubine Shu suggested that the emperor go to Nanshan Palace. You don't know that when the assassination happened, Concubine Shu was so scared that she collapsed on the ground. The emperor didn't care about anything else. I rushed forward to block the arrow for the emperor. As a result, the emperor had a grudge against her. Then we deliberately left the waist badge of the Eastern Palace to make the emperor suspect the prince first, and then let the assassin hide in Shu Guojiu's house. The commander of the guards saw the assassin go in with his own eyes. The Shu family couldn't explain it even if they had mouths all over their bodies, even the soles of their feet."

Ye Jiayao thought to herself: This strategy of first making fun of oneself and then others is a brilliant one. It increases credibility and can also clear the prince of suspicion, classifying him as a victim.

Zhao Qixuan, with his mouth full of cakes, said vaguely, "Since the assassin has not been caught, this assassination has become an unsolved case. The emperor can only find a few scapegoats to vent his anger. He can't kill both of his sons."

"Although the emperor still has doubts about the crown prince, he must be more suspicious of Prince Yu now. The next step will be to gradually weaken Prince Yu's power. Hey... Yaoyao, you have a lot of ideas. Think of a way to take advantage of the situation and pursue the victory! Now is a good opportunity!"

Ye Jiayao glared at him and said, "Don't ask me about this kind of thing. I only know how to do business, and nothing else."

She didn't want others to know that she was the one who came up with the idea of ​​the assassination. However, she felt that it was not a good idea to kick someone when he was down. The emperor was suspicious of both princes and would definitely keep a balance and let them check each other. The emperor would not bet on the crown prince or Prince Yu. It would take time to train another prince.

The fourth prince is very mediocre and incompetent in all aspects. The sixth prince is said to be smart, but his mother is not of high status, just a concubine, so it is difficult to convince the public. Therefore, it is a good strategy for the emperor to maintain the status quo. The prince has suffered a blow this time, and his power has been weakened a lot. He also needs to recuperate and regroup.

Zhao Qixuan said awkwardly: "Forget it then, I will discuss it with Su Su later."

Ye Jiayao said with a smile: "You should just focus on recuperating first! Don't you want to see Su Su sooner?"

Zhao Qixuan couldn't eat anymore and sighed sadly, "I don't know how Su Su is doing. His father wanted to find him a wife as long as he stayed at home for three days. He really wants to break up the couple!"

Ye Jiayao was amused by him. What about mandarin ducks? Mandarin ducks are one male and one female, right? I am really curious. Between Zhao Qixuan and Su Yi, who will be the top? Who will be the bottom?

(End of this chapter)