Chapter 240 Unexpected Gain

Chapter 240 Unexpected Gain

As for the needs and wishes of the Prince of Nanyang, the emperor said that compared to the many contributions that the free-spirited Xie Wanniang could make to the court and the border army, what the Prince of Nanyang thought was not important at all.

Of course, he wouldn't directly use this reason to reject the Prince of Nanyang's request.

He went to complain to the Empress about the Prince of Nanyang's shamelessness, ruthlessness, and self-centeredness, and then had lunch with the Empress before returning to the Imperial Study in a good mood.

The Crown Prince, who had been kept behind to review memorials and had even had a quick lunch in the Imperial Study, looked up with a bitter expression. "I have already had a copy of the Prince of Nanyang's memorial sent to the Northern Border."

The emperor nodded, "Just proceed according to the plan; there's no need to explain the details to me."

As early as when Xie Wanniang pleaded with the Empress and expressed her hope that the Emperor's family would not take sides, the Emperor had already instructed the Crown Prince to devise a countermeasure.

The absurd request from the Prince of Nanyang—that the Emperor issue an edict to deal with Jiang Yuan and force Xie Wanniang to acknowledge her ancestors—was of course not granted by the Emperor.

However, he would not directly reject the offer, because if he completely thwarted the Prince of Nanyang's hopes, the Prince of Nanyang might try to reach out to the Empress, the Crown Princess, or even other concubines in the harem.

The emperor did not want the women in the harem to get involved and make the matter more complicated, so he planned to simply hand the matter over to the crown prince, so that he could completely put an end to the Prince of Nanyang's hopes.

The Crown Prince was carefully nurtured by the Emperor and Empress from a young age. He was an outstanding heir apparent who was skilled in both literature and martial arts, and also knew how to recognize and appoint capable people.

Even if he doesn't personally handle the task and instead delegates most of it to his staff, only taking charge of controlling things at key moments, it would still be a significant waste of his talents.

Fortunately, the crown prince was not arrogant; he would complete any task his father assigned him, no matter how small.

His advisors dared not be perfunctory in the tasks assigned by the emperor, as they, as the crown prince's confidants, were all counting on the crown prince to maintain his stable position.

Following the plan provided by the Crown Prince's advisors, the Crown Prince not only had a copy of the Prince of Nanyang's memorial sent to the northern border, but also quickly issued a reply to the Prince of Nanyang's memorial.

It was obviously impossible to agree to the King of Nanyang's outrageous demands, but he could use delaying tactics and tell the Nanyang court that they had already sent people to the northern border to investigate.

The Prince of Nanyang was unaware that Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang's marriage was entirely in accordance with the rules and etiquette, while the Crown Prince had already received the news from Chang Yao.

Chang Yao and the Crown Prince are relatives. Even if they deliberately keep their distance, others will still regard Chang Yao as a staunch supporter of the Crown Prince. Therefore, there is no need for the two of them to deliberately avoid suspicion.

Therefore, although both of them were very busy and did not communicate frequently, Changyao would always inform the Crown Prince of important information in a timely manner.

This includes the fact that "Xie Wanniang's uncle and adoptive father, Xie Daoheng, valued her very much. He not only came to Yi County in person because of Xie Wanniang's marriage, but also stayed in Yi County for a long time, avoiding irrelevant people."

The reason why Chang Yao also informed the Crown Prince about this matter is that Xie Daoheng is not only the current head of the Xie family, but also a famous Confucian scholar who has run an academy for more than ten years and has countless students.

The legacy of his deceased relatives, along with his own years of hard work, made him extremely famous among scholars and intellectuals.

Even if such people never hold official positions in the court, the court will always pay attention to their words, deeds, and whereabouts.

In other words, the "small matter" of Xie Wanniang and Jiang Yuan's marriage was only able to appear in Chang Yao's letter to the Crown Prince because of Xie Daoheng's influence.

The Crown Prince had a good memory, and since this incident had only happened recently, he wasn't worried at all that the Prince of Nanyang had any real dirt on Jiang Yuan.

He sent a copy of the Prince of Nanyang's memorial to the northern border, allowing Jiang Yuan to submit a memorial to defend himself. He also had his men investigate the matter, but it was just a formality.

What he didn't know was that, as he had predicted, the people he sent did not achieve any unexpected results regarding Jiang Yuan and Xie Wanniang's marriage, but they did have the misfortune of witnessing an ambush.

For them, this was another kind of unexpected gain.

Not long after the Prince of Nanyang's memorial was sent to the capital by his trusted subordinates, the Princess of Nanyang's trusted subordinates also stayed at an inn in Yi County under the guise of a merchant caravan.

They did not immediately kill anyone, but planned to gather information first and then look for a better opportunity.

After making inquiries and waiting, they unfortunately encountered the messenger sent by the Crown Prince.

At that time, Xie Wanniang had already realized that someone was investigating and monitoring her, and she even found out the background of that group of people.

After all, Yi County was her territory, making things much easier for her than for those outsiders. Besides, she hadn't been supporting so many guards for nothing. In crucial moments, these men would have to work their hardest for her.

With their enthusiastic and eager work, Xie Wanniang easily learned all the information she wanted to know.

When Xie Wanniang heard them say that the group of people came from Nanyang and that their purpose was to find an opportunity to kill her, what was there that Xie Wanniang didn't understand?

This is because the Princess of Nanyang heard that she was still alive, so she sent people to kill her again.

Now that her people have arrived, the Prince of Nanyang's people must be not far away.

But this time, Xie Wanniang will not let herself be slaughtered again.

She not only planned to ensure that these people would not return, but also intended to send the survivors to Chang Yao, ask his men to help with the interrogation, and then escort them to the capital to be secretly handed over to the emperor.

With these arrangements made, Xie Wanniang, as usual, led ten guards to the medicinal garden outside the city one morning.

It is now late spring, and Xie Wanniang's medicinal herb garden is in the busiest season of the year. Moreover, the busyness of this season will basically determine her approximate income for the coming year.

Xie Wanniang therefore frequently went outside the city. If it weren't for her guards discovering that someone was tailing them when she returned to the city last time, Xie Wanniang wouldn't have stayed in the city for three whole days.

This was a minor unusual action for her, but it was not enough to arouse the vigilance and suspicion of the Princess of Nanyang's subordinates.

After all, Xie Wanniang's business wasn't limited to the herb garden; she also had to manage household affairs, as well as run a restaurant, a clothing store, and a herb shop.

She would occasionally stay in the city for a few days to take care of other things, and no one would suspect that she had ulterior motives.

The Princess of Nanyang's subordinates did not notice anything amiss in Xie Wanniang's sudden departure from the city and her sudden return to the city.