"In that case, I will go with you to the Ministry of Rites to take another look."
That would be ideal, since it is Meng Wan who is in trouble now, and Prime Minister Meng should avoid suspicion to some extent. If the Fifth Prince were to investigate, then Lord Li might be more cautious and might say something.
The two immediately went out together and hurriedly headed towards the Ministry of Rites.
Li Yuanshou, the Vice Minister of Rites, was clearly not expecting Prince Yi to return. He hurriedly led a group of officials to pay their respects. However, Huangfu Yu simply waved his hand impatiently and said, "No need for formalities, please rise. I came today to inquire about the status of the sachets in the Ministry of Rites."
The Fifth Prince came with Prime Minister Meng. Anyone with eyes could see the clues. Li Yuanshou was not stupid, and he naturally understood as well. He immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, I have already told the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review what I needed to say. This matter has nothing to do with our Ministry of Rites."
His first words were an attempt to shirk responsibility, and Huangfu Yu's face darkened. "I'm not here to interrogate you, I just want to understand the situation. Just tell me what you know."
Li Yuanshou was taken aback. He secretly glanced at Huangfu Yu's face and saw that Huangfu Yu looked serious, a far cry from his usual indifferent attitude. Li Yuanshou naturally knew the seriousness of the matter and dared not say anything more. He hurriedly sent someone to summon the official in charge.
He simply recounted the matter of storing the sachets over the past two days, and even took Huangfu Yu and Prime Minister Meng to look at the place. Unable to find any problems, the two had no choice but to leave.
Upon reaching the outside of the Ministry of Rites, seeing the worried look on Prime Minister Meng's face, Huangfu Yu said, "Prime Minister Meng, there is no need to worry. I believe that Miss Meng is a lucky person and will be fine. Since nothing can be found out now, you should go back to your residence and wait for news. I will go to the palace to take a look now, and if possible, I will definitely plead for Miss Meng."
How could Prime Minister Meng not be moved to tears by such a statement? After all, he was currently under investigation and could not go to the palace to plead for mercy. If the Fifth Prince could help, that would be the best outcome.
He hurriedly thanked the prince, watched him leave, then turned around, sighed, and returned to the general's mansion.
--
Meanwhile, Huangfu Yu returned to the palace, and the first thing he did was to go to Zhengyang Palace to see the emperor. However, as soon as he stepped outside, he saw Meng Junheng kneeling there, with an eunuch beside him constantly nagging and persuading him.
"Lord Meng, His Majesty refuses to see you, this old servant has no other choice. Please don't kneel here anymore, ah--"
Unmoved, still unmoved, seeing this, Eunuch Fang could only sigh and turn around, but unexpectedly he met Huangfu Yu's approaching figure. He was clearly stunned, and then hurriedly bowed and said, "Fifth Prince, you're back."
Meng Junheng finally reacted, turning his head to look at Huangfu Yu, who was also looking over. Meng Junheng nodded slightly and then asked, "Is Father Emperor inside?"
Eunuch Fang nodded, glanced at Meng Junheng, and then took the lead to guide Imperial Physician Huangfu.
--
The Empress was also inside, talking with the Emperor. Upon seeing Huangfu Yu return, she was overjoyed: "You're finally back! I was just talking to your father about whether your trip went smoothly..."
Before he could finish speaking, Huangfu Yu knelt down, kowtowed properly, and then straightened up, his expression solemn: "Father, Miss Meng is innocent, please release her!"
One sentence caused the Empress's expression to change slightly.
"You child, you've just gotten back, what nonsense are you talking about? You don't need to worry about Miss Meng's affairs."
"But..."
"There are no buts. You've just returned, so you must be tired. Go back to your residence and rest. We'll report on the inspection to your father another day."
As he spoke, he gave Imperial Censor Huangfu a wink.
How could Huangfu Yu not understand?
This matter is of great importance; even Prime Minister Meng has been implicated, and Meng Junheng has been refused entry. The Empress Dowager must be afraid that if he speaks too much, he will anger the Emperor, but...
"Father Emperor--"
"The Dali Temple will investigate this matter. You don't need to think about it anymore. You may leave!"
The Emperor spoke in a low voice, his tone revealing a hint of impatience. Huangfu Yu, however, remained hesitant. Seeing this, the Empress quickly gave a soft snort.
Only then did Huangfu Yu stand up, glance at the Empress, then look at the Emperor, ponder for a long time, and finally nod: "Then... Your subject shall take his leave first."
The Emperor nodded, and the Empress watched him leave. Only after his figure disappeared from sight did she turn to the Emperor and say, "Yu'er is a kind-hearted and soft-hearted child. Your Majesty, please don't blame him."
The emperor glanced at her but didn't say anything. He simply raised his voice and said, "Guards, summon the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review to see me."
V15 True Friendship is Revealed in Times of Adversity (Part 1)
Meng Wan sat on the earthen bed in the prison, hugging her knees. It was dark all around, with a putrid smell and a few unknown insects crawling on her body, making her feel nauseous and bringing tears to her eyes.
But she couldn't shed tears. At this moment, she had to remain calm and strong, and then tell herself that things would get better, they definitely would get better, and once the truth came out, she could leave.
The cell door was pushed open at that moment, and the sudden light made her squint uncomfortably. When she looked up, she saw two burly guards walk in.
"Hey, come out here!"
Meng Wan was clearly stunned for a moment, not knowing what they were going to do, so she was momentarily taken aback and did not move.
One of them strode forward and, with almost no effort, lifted her up and threw her toward the door, cursing, "Didn't I tell you to come out? Are you deaf?"
Meng Wan couldn't stop in time and her head hit the iron railing. The pain made her see stars, but before she could calm down, she had already been pushed far away.
Only then did she calm down from the pain. She stood there, rubbing her forehead, and looked around. It was another dark room with various instruments of torture inside.
Meng Wan guessed that this was a place where torture was used, and couldn't help but shiver. At this moment, a lazy male voice suddenly rang out from above: "Will you confess your guilt readily, or wait until you've suffered physical pain before confessing?"
Only then did Meng Wan see clearly that a man dressed as an official was sitting in the main seat, stroking his beard while casually asking questions.
Seeing this, Meng Wan frowned and said, "It has nothing to do with me, why should I admit to any crime?"
Upon hearing this, the man couldn't help but feel displeased. His old face fell, and he snorted coldly, "If it's none of your business, then whose business is it? Was it Prime Minister Meng or his wife who did it?"
"What nonsense are you talking about? This has nothing to do with them." Upon hearing him mention Prime Minister Meng and the Prime Minister's residence, Meng Wan suddenly became annoyed, and her tone became sharp.
The official who had been yelling changed his expression, feeling somewhat embarrassed. "You brat, so stubborn. Looks like you've had too much of a good life and want to suffer a bit."
He gave a stern look and winked at the two people on the other side: "Give her a taste of her own medicine. I want to see if she's tough on the outside or tough on the inside."
Immediately, someone came up with a board. Meng Wan's heart sank the moment she saw it. She forced herself to remain calm and didn't look at them. The two men struck Meng Wan's ankles. Meng Wan was in excruciating pain and stumbled to her knees.