Fu Shun's face tightened, and he immediately went out to deal with the situation. Emperor Mingxian, however, was somewhat uneasy. After a while, he slowly sat down, his face filled with intense hatred, and his eyes flashed with a terrifying expression: "Empress Dowager, you have gone too far! Don't you know why I have tolerated you all these years? I didn't expect that you would not only not stop now, but would go even further! Very well! You deserve to die!"
Emperor Mingxian was not foolish; on the contrary, he was quite wise and had his own principles regarding national affairs. He gradually led the Great Zhou Dynasty in a positive direction and was a diligent and capable emperor. However, the hatred in his heart was no less than anyone else's. He discovered Empress Bai's death a step too late, but no one should doubt the emperor's power. Even though the Empress Dowager had served two emperors and possessed extremely powerful insiders, connections, and influence in the harem, she would never dare to claim to know all of Emperor Mingxian's trump cards. At the very least, no matter how much the previous emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty trusted and favored her, she had only seen the Great Zhou imperial guards, who had been passed down through generations, twice and had no idea where they were. No one could doubt the strength of these generations of power, and all of them fell into Emperor Mingxian's hands when he ascended the throne.
Emperor Mingxian's abilities were far beyond what ordinary people could imagine. Initially, he was not favored among the princes selected for the throne and had little influence or even fame. His only advantage was being raised under the Empress Dowager's care. However, the Empress Dowager had her own plans and didn't actively seek to consolidate Emperor Mingxian's power. The emperor favored the fourth prince, and had it not been for the fourth prince's unforgivable crime, Emperor Mingxian would never have been able to seize the throne. That crime was precisely what Emperor Mingxian orchestrated; he ultimately played the fool to deceive the powerful.
When Empress Bai died, Emperor Mingxian immediately became alert and secretly investigated many things. It is evident that he became increasingly indifferent to the Empress afterward, and he could no longer pretend. At the same time, how could he not suspect the Empress Dowager at all, even without evidence? Although the Empress was the murderer of Empress Bai, she was just a pawn. Given the Empress's personality, it would be too difficult for her to use witchcraft without anyone noticing. Moreover, at that time, the Empress was the legitimate daughter of the Lin family. She was usually very well-behaved, and everything she did was predetermined. She almost never left the inner quarters and had no opportunity to come into contact with outsiders.
Even if the Empress had the opportunity to contact her, given her actions in the palace over the years, the poison would have been administered discreetly. Even if it couldn't be detected as being the same as Empress Bai's, the Gu poisoning was incredibly sophisticated. Yet, since then, there hadn't been a single case of the Empress dying from Gu poisoning. Emperor Mingxian became even more convinced that the Empress Dowager was behind the Empress. This hatred remained in Emperor Mingxian's heart. However, the Empress Dowager was indeed an extremely shrewd person. She naturally wanted revenge for Empress Bai, but lacked the opportunity. Instead, she killed the Empress first, but that wasn't enough.
Now, the Empress Dowager has made another grave mistake: targeting Ouyang Yue. Princess Shuangxia and Xuanyuan Chaohua are both her people, and the princess's residence has been of immense help to her. Although Emperor Mingxian is somewhat wary of Princess Shuangxia and Xuanyuan Chaohua, he is still very grateful and respectful for Princess Shuangxia's past contributions and her secret assistance over the years. The Empress Dowager's actions not only allow her to eliminate Ouyang Yue, but may even completely destroy the relationship between Emperor Mingxian and the princess's residence. This is probably one of the reasons why the Empress Dowager is so eager to act; she has overstepped her bounds!
Emperor Mingxian sat in his chair with a gloomy expression. He was a patient man; otherwise, he wouldn't have allowed the Empress and Consort Sun to engage in a power struggle in the palace for more than ten years before finally seizing the opportunity to eliminate them from any chance to plead for help. He used others to kill them one by one. He was also waiting for the Empress Dowager to die, but he suddenly realized that he might be able to wait for her to die, but the Empress Dowager might not. If he couldn't resolve the matter of Ouyang Yue properly this time, it would be another crisis for him after many years on the throne.
However, as the emperor, Emperor Mingxian could not consider things like Baili Chen, who only cared about Ouyang Yue's life and death. He had too many things to consider and too many contradictions to think about.
As he said, he also hated the Empress Dowager and wanted her dead. However, with only two assassins, the Empress Dowager had many ways to escape and deny it. Those assassins lived in the shadows, and no one had ever seen them or could testify. Perhaps the Lin family could, but it's obvious that the Empress Dowager and the Lin family had a conflict. However, as long as the Empress Dowager was still useful, the Lin family would not give up this backer. There was almost no strong evidence from the outside world, so it was almost impossible to take revenge.
Inside the tent of the Minister of War's residence, Li Rushuang had already woken up. However, when she first woke up, her expression was still blank and dazed. She sat there with a bewildered look on her face, her eyes as empty as before, only her eyes were not as red and her expression was not as horrified. The imperial physician's diagnosis had previously stated that Li Rushuang's blood and qi were turbulent and her emotions were extremely abnormal and agitated, but there was no major physical problem. She should not have any mental illness. He prescribed some calming medicine and left, but the matter was not resolved.
Taking this opportunity, Cheng also examined the cinnabar mark on Li Rushuang's wrist. The bright red cinnabar mark was still very conspicuous, which meant that Li Rushuang had not been bullied and had her innocence ruined as Cheng and Li Gang had worried. This put them a little at ease, but their worries did not lessen. If Li Rushuang had not suffered any loss, why was she so dazed and calling out Ouyang Yue's name?
"Ru Shuang, Ru Shuang, what's wrong with you? Tell your parents quickly, don't scare them!" Cheng Shi was very anxious, her voice trembling with tears. Perhaps it was this somewhat suppressed voice that made Li Ru Shuang feel something and think of herself. She blinked and looked at Cheng Shi and Li Gang.
"Father... Mother, Yue'er, waah!" Li Rushuang came to her senses and burst into tears. Her voice was extremely painful and desolate, and she was so sad that it would make anyone who heard it feel heartbroken and would shed tears.
Cheng Shi and Li Gang also looked a little off, because they had a bad feeling. Li Rushuang had been calling out Ouyang Yue's name ever since she returned. When Cheng Shi sent people to stop those two people, they disappeared as soon as they went out. Their martial arts were extremely high. Li Rushuang herself had not lost her virginity, but she was disheveled and covered in blood. Ouyang Yue also seemed not to have returned to the tent in the Prince Chen's mansion.
The two were extremely shocked. Cheng stammered, "What...what happened to Princess Chen...?"
Li Rushuang cried uncontrollably, her lips trembling, "Yue'er... Yue'er died because of me... she died!"
"What are you saying! How is this possible?!" Cheng Shi and Li Gang were both shocked. Putting aside the fact that Ouyang Yue's death shocked them greatly, the fact that Li Rushuang had killed Ouyang Yue filled them with fear. That was Princess Mingyue, and also the Princess Consort of Chen. Even though the two were about to get married, they still could not afford to offend her. Moreover, if this happened, the marriage between Xuanyuan Chaohua and Li Rushuang would probably be canceled. This was truly earth-shattering news for the Ministry of War's mansion.
"Ru Shuang, don't cry yet. Quickly explain this to your father." Li Gang, having served as an official in the court for many years, was not as flustered as a woman when something like this happened. He quickly calmed down and said.
Li Rushuang cried uncontrollably, her chest heaving, her sobs never ceasing. Her heart was filled with unbearable sorrow. However, seeing the worried and fearful expressions on Li Gang and Cheng Shi's faces, she gradually forced herself to calm down and explain things to them. Li Rushuang's sobs hadn't stopped, but she had already told Cheng Shi and Li Gang what had happened in fits and starts. The two of them were stunned and remained silent for a long time, with only Li Rushuang's sobs filling the tent.
Li Rushuang was not a weak person, but she was afraid and terrified of what had happened before, and she also felt a deep sense of guilt towards Ouyang Yue. Apart from crying, she didn't know what else she could do to vent her feelings. The guilt that was filling her heart like she was going crazy was the only way she could vent her feelings.
Li Gang and Cheng Shi also showed signs of pain. Regardless of their past good relationship with Ouyang Yue, their impending marriage, and Li Rushuang's current situation, although she herself was a victim who was used and did not intend to hurt Ouyang Yue, the fact that Ouyang Yue got into trouble because of her was an outcome that no one could change.
"This...this Princess Consort Chen, is something really wrong...?" Cheng murmured, her face pale.
Li Gang's forehead veins bulged slightly as he pursed his lips and said, "That cliff is too high and too steep. I've never heard of anyone falling off and surviving. Not to mention this one, even falling off any other lower cliff would almost certainly result in certain death, let alone this one."
Cheng was speechless, and her eyes welled up with tears. Earlier, Ouyang Yue had sent someone to find Li Rushuang, but Li Rushuang had already left. She hadn't thought much of it at the time, but who knew that they had fallen into someone else's conspiracy and deception so early on, and in the end, it was Ouyang Yue who was harmed. This was something they couldn't accept.
“Go and apologize to Prince Chen.” Cheng suddenly wiped her eyes and said. No matter what, Li Rushuang was also involved in this matter, and they should at least do something. Li Gang said, “But I went to inquire and found out that Prince Chen is not seeing anyone. He is the most heartbroken person right now. Prince Chen and Princess Chen have had a very good relationship since they got married. Such devoted lovers are rare in the world. There are some things that we simply cannot understand.”
Cheng paused for a moment, then her face turned somewhat cold: "But this matter cannot be left like this."
Li Gang asked suspiciously, "What do you want to do?"
"My lord, I think you didn't believe the Empress Dowager would do such a thing, but it's easy for someone to slip up when they do something bad. Ru Shuang mentioned the horse race incident before; the Empress Dowager clearly targeted Princess Chen intentionally. Now she's even using Ru Shuang to cause Princess Chen to fall off a cliff. How vicious she is! But to harm Princess Chen, she deliberately drags Ru Shuang into it. What insidious scheme is she plotting? Haven't you thought about it, my lord? How can Ru Shuang's marriage to General Xuanyuan proceed after this? Even if General Xuanyuan doesn't mind, he loves Princess Chen so much; does he really have no lingering resentment? What good can come of Ru Shuang marrying into the family now? Even if he doesn't mistreat Ru Shuang, it doesn't mean he'll treat her sincerely. Even if General Xuanyuan truly fulfills his duties, Ru Shuang and Princess Chen have such a friendly relationship, and Ru Shuang is still struggling to recover. How can Ru Shuang forgive herself? And what will people say about Ru Shuang? The Empress Dowager's actions are far too unethical and treacherous."
Cheng's words were utterly disrespectful, but Li Gang and Cheng were, after all, husband and wife. This was a private matter, and the Empress Dowager was no match for her. Upon hearing Cheng's words, Li Gang's expression became extremely solemn.
Cheng's face darkened: "The most direct impact of the Empress Dowager's actions is that the marriage between the two families will fall through. At that time, those who already had many objections to Ru Shuang marrying General Xuanyuan will probably mock her or retaliate. Moreover, I suspect that the Empress Dowager is deliberately sabotaging the relationship between the two families to take advantage of the Ministry of War's residence."
The Minister of War, as the name suggests, is in charge of military officers' registers, weapons, military orders, and matters related to troop deployment. Although there are other officials in charge, such as the Military Equipment Bureau, all of these directly control the entire Zhou Dynasty. Unless under special circumstances, some military supplies also need to go through the Ministry of War, so Li Gang's authority is quite considerable.
For example, although there are officials in the court who are in charge of reviewing and transferring officials, the chances of getting approved by applying directly through the Ministry of War are much higher. Moreover, many military officers in the court also come from the Ministry of War. The position of Minister of War may not seem very high, as it is only one of the six ministries, but none of the six ministries are idle positions. Every minister holds great power.
To put it bluntly, anyone who bribes Li Gang, the Minister of War, to plant people in the Ministry of War and cultivate military officers for the Great Zhou Dynasty would be a formidable force. Li Gang seems like a rough man, and over the years he has not clung to any particular faction, remaining neutral and leaning towards Emperor Mingxian, so he has remained quite peaceful.
However, if this leads to the Ministry of War's residence offending the Prince of Chen's residence, the Princess's residence, and even the General's residence (Ouyang Yue's adoptive father) because of Ouyang Yue's fall off the cliff, Li Gang will be in danger. If someone extends an olive branch and can protect him, wouldn't Li Gang consider turning to them for his own benefit? He'd probably do it!
Thinking of this, Li Gang felt a chill run down his spine!
If the Empress Dowager can go this far, what will she do after she's used him? This person is absolutely untrustworthy. The Empress Dowager is clearly using him and then discarding him. Furthermore, the Empress Dowager has such methods to harm them and force them to commit crimes. It's too chilling and infuriating. Even if they didn't know now, they might not have chosen to collude with the Empress Dowager back then.
The Empress Dowager is a woman in the harem. What is she trying to do by reaching out so far? In ancient times, it was a place where men were superior to women. A woman's duty was to bear children and manage the household well. A woman who reaches out like this will not be praised for her competence. On the contrary, she will be extremely disgusted and annoying. What's more, the Empress Dowager actually schemed against a minister like him. Li Gang felt as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly.
"What Madam says is true. Based on Ru Shuang's description, this Empress Dowager is incredibly insidious and vicious, and we must be wary of her." Cheng Shi nodded as well. "If it really is the worst-case scenario we imagine, then the Empress Dowager's schemes are too ruthless. She doesn't take you, Master, seriously at all, and wants to coerce and manipulate you. The Empress was executed, the second branch of the Lin family was destroyed, and the Lin family's reputation was damaged. Although the Empress Dowager wasn't greatly affected, she was still talked about. Perhaps this is the Empress Dowager trying to consolidate her power. But she couldn't even protect the second branch of the Lin family. If we really side with her, we won't even have time to cry if something happens."
Li Gang's expression turned grave: "What does Madam mean?"
Cheng Shi naturally couldn't directly give Li Gang advice, so she took a roundabout approach. When Li Gang asked, she said in a somewhat cold voice, "The Empress Dowager's move is to make the Ministry of War's mansion the target, which is to confuse the Prince Chen's mansion and the Princess's mansion. In the end, I'm afraid the Ministry of War's mansion will also set a trap in secret. Not to mention that we are already in the wrong, if we fail and offend the Prince Chen's mansion and the Princess's mansion, will we still have a chance to live? How many rumors will we suffer? Even if we are lucky enough to survive, we will never be able to hold our heads high for the rest of our lives."
Li Rushuang wiped her face and said, "Yes, the Empress Dowager is such a vicious old woman. If what Mother said is true, won't we be controlled by her from now on? With her wolfish nature, it's like conspiring with a tiger. She might bite us and devour us in the next moment. Besides, Yue'er is my best friend. There will never be anyone as good as her in this life. I would never do anything to harm Yue'er. Even if it means losing my chance with General Xuanyuan, there's nothing I can do. But we can't betray her because of this. My parents are kind people. They will have a guilty conscience for the rest of their lives. I don't want that."
Cheng nodded and said, "The news of the death of Princess Chen has not yet spread, but it will probably spread soon, and this is the most critical time."
"Madam, please speak freely about whatever comes to mind."
Cheng's face showed resentment: "Master, why don't we do the opposite?"
"What do you mean?" Li Rushuang asked, puzzled.
"Now that Princess Chen is dead, don't you think the timing is too coincidental?" Li Gang and Li Rushuang were puzzled, but Cheng Shi said, "The Empress Dowager had the idea of dealing with Princess Chen back then, but she didn't succeed. Instead, Mei and Princess Jiang Xuan had a conflict, Princess Jiang Xuan died tragically, and then Princess Chen died. There are too many things that can be done here. We should spread the news now that Princess Chen may be the murderer who framed Princess Jiang Xuan, and that Princess Chen should be made to apologize to the Emperor. Since Princess Chen is dead, the Emperor doesn't need to worry anymore."
Upon hearing this, Li Rushuang's face flushed red: "Mother, how can you still bring up Yue'er?"
Upon hearing this, Li Gang suddenly understood: "What Madam means is..."
Madam Cheng nodded heavily: "Just as you think, sir. We are not fools. By doing the opposite, we can ruin the Empress Dowager's reputation."
Li Rushuang was taken aback, slowly pondering Cheng's words, when suddenly her eyes lit up and she said, "Alright, let's do as Mother suggests."
Li Gang suddenly spoke up: "Then, as the parties involved, I'm afraid a few of them will have to sacrifice themselves. Also, Ru Shuang, it was snowing heavily when you came back, and not many people saw you. Something will have to happen to you too."
"I'm willing to do anything to avenge Yue'er." Li Rushuang nodded heavily without hesitation, and the three of them, Li Gang, Cheng Shi, and Li Rushuang, continued their discussion together.
Baili Chen sat in the tent, his hand resting on a purple robe. He leaned against the soft couch, silent. Leng Sha had taken medicine to heal his injuries and had someone adjust his breathing. His injuries were mostly healed and he had come to the tent. He didn't disturb Baili Chen, but stayed by his side, quietly keeping him company. His heart couldn't help but tighten.
Chuncao had always treated Ouyang Yue with the same loyalty as a master and the same affection as a sister. Recently, a lot had happened in the Prince Chen's mansion, and his marriage with Chuncao had been delayed. Originally, they had agreed to get married after returning to the capital, but now they were in no mood for it.
Leng Sha wasn't truly convinced of Ouyang Yue's abilities initially. He was somewhat resentful that Baili Chen had entrusted most of the family's assets to her before their marriage. Later, after Ouyang Yue entered the household, Baili Chen essentially forced his concubines away, as he didn't like her. Of course, this was Leng Sha's own perception; it's just that when you dislike someone, many things about them become repulsive. However, upon closer interaction, he discovered that Ouyang Yue was protective and generous towards her own people, acted with discretion, and always considered Baili Chen's needs. His initial prejudices vanished, and he genuinely trusted this mistress. He dared to say that he would never accept any other mistress besides Ouyang Yue. Ouyang Yue's situation was truly heartbreaking.
Even so, Leng Sha still harbored a sliver of hope. Upon returning, he had dispatched a large number of people to search for Ouyang Yue's whereabouts. This time, he mobilized most of the First Killing Alliance. These assassins were highly skilled in martial arts and deadly, and their tracking and pursuit abilities were unmatched by ordinary people. He could only hope that good news would come from there. Otherwise, looking at Baili Chen's condition, he was truly afraid that something might go wrong, and then he wouldn't be able to use Baili Su as an excuse.
Baili Chen, smoothing his clothes, suddenly said, "Is there any news from over there?"
Leng Sha hurriedly replied, "Reporting to Master, the personnel sent out are probably still searching and will have to wait some time." Baili Chen then fell silent again.
Finding someone on that sheer cliff is incredibly difficult; it's not something you can just do on a whim. Baili Chen knew this perfectly well, but he still couldn't help asking. And after a whole night, there was still no news from there. The place was extremely dangerous and steep. Not only did they have to find Ouyang Yue, but they also had to be careful themselves. If they weren't careful, they might lose their lives instead of finding her. It was more difficult than they had imagined. And the next morning, the news that Ouyang Yue had been framed and killed, and had fallen off the cliff, spread throughout the hunting grounds.
At first, people thought it was a joke, but after inquiring, they learned that Ouyang Yue hadn't returned for a whole day and night. This made them all a little panicked, and many even felt uneasy. Who was Ouyang Yue? How could she have been killed so quietly without their knowledge? Wouldn't anyone else have died even more easily? This was a huge incident.
Of course, along with the news of Ouyang Yue's death, another piece of news quickly spread.
The news spread strangely quickly, as if it had just come out after the news of Ouyang Yue's murder. The news caused an uproar, because someone was saying with certainty that Ouyang Yue's death was related to the death of Princess Jiang Xuan. Many people were skeptical, wondering what connection could there be between the two.
The news was spread with great detail and conviction, as if everyone had been there and witnessed it firsthand.
The conflict between Princess Jiang Xuan and Ouyang Yue occurred after Princess Jiang Xuan lost her virginity and insisted on entering Prince Chen's residence. Everyone knows about this. Ouyang Yue even knelt down and begged in the Imperial Study for this. In the end, Princess Jiang Xuan did not get married. Instead, Emperor Mingxian betrothed her to Sun Quan. This is not the fault of Ouyang Yue, Prince Chen, or even Emperor Mingxian.
Even if Jiang Xuan were a princess of a country, it wouldn't make up for the fact that she was already a woman who had lost her virginity and was very likely to behave promiscuously in private. The royal family would never want such a daughter-in-law, and no one thought there was anything wrong with that.
During the previous horse race, many people witnessed Jiang Xuan initially targeting Ouyang Yue, attempting to whip her. Some even saw the whip ultimately strike Li Rushuang, who was saved by Ouyang Yue. The two then left. Later, the maid returned with Ouyang Yue and Li Rushuang, indicating a grudge between them. Whether Mei was arrogant and disrespectful or used as a scapegoat, the rumor spread that Mei was Ouyang Yue's scapegoat. Mei was insufficient to quell Jiang Xuan's death and the enraged Ouyang Yue.
But Ouyang Yue is different. She is Princess Mingyue, a princess of a different surname bestowed by Emperor Mingxian. Her grandmother is Princess Shuangxia, and she has a different kind of nobility in the Great Zhou. Moreover, she is the Princess Consort of Prince Chen. This status is noble enough. Since Ouyang Yue and Jiang Xuan are mortal enemies, and now that Ouyang Yue is dead, it is a good opportunity to use Ouyang Yue's death as a pretext to apologize to Da Gan. This matter of apology might be easy to negotiate. Wouldn't that kill two birds with one stone?
When these last remarks were made, everyone felt something was off. After taking a closer look, they realized something was amiss. How could this be such a coincidence?
"Hey, do you really think this is true?"
"What do you mean, real or fake?"
"It's Princess Chen who's the real culprit who harmed Princess Jiang Xuan!" Several close ladies and young women huddled together in a tent, discussing the news.
“Miss Liu, your riding skills are excellent. You were riding right behind the first batch of horses, so you should have had a pretty clear view. What is the truth? This story is being told as if it were the real thing.” Another young lady was also puzzled. She was far away at the time and really couldn’t be sure what she had seen.
"Miss Wang saw it too, right?" Miss Liu glanced at Miss Wang, and the two looked at each other without saying a word.
A bold woman couldn't help but say, "The way you look at each other, did you see something strange at the time? Was it really Princess Chen who did it, but you pinned the blame on Mei? Or is it that nothing of the sort happened, and it's all just a fabrication?"
A group of people stared intently at them. The two young ladies, and two others who had been quite close at the time, all changed their expressions, but hesitated to speak. One of the young ladies said, "What are you afraid of? We discussed it together. Who can run away after something happens? Besides, it wasn't you who saw it yourself. The second batch mentioned more than a dozen people. We'll find out who spread the word later."
Upon hearing this, Miss Liu nodded and said, "I was quite close at the time, and it looked like Princess Mei and Princess Jiang Xuan had a conflict. Princess Chen and Miss Li had already disappeared by then, so they didn't have time to deal with Princess Jiang Xuan."
One of the young ladies couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that Princess Chen actually bribed Mei to do the deed?"
“I don’t think so. Mei and Princess Chen aren’t close. Besides, Mei is a favored maidservant of the Empress Dowager, several years older than Princess Chen. She’s been with the Empress Dowager since childhood. Princess Chen has only been connected to the royal family for a year or two. What opportunity or means would she have to bribe Mei? Moreover, Mei is the Empress Dowager’s confidante; she’s not so easily bought off.” A woman shook her head and said, and indeed, it was true.
The people following the Empress Dowager, whether it was Granny Zhan or the several palace maids and eunuchs who benefited from her, were either trained from childhood or came from the Lin family when she was a dowry. Their loyalty was extraordinary and could not be bought with money. Besides, although Ouyang Yue's status was noble, she could not compare to the Empress Dowager, the grandmother of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Following the Empress Dowager, she could act with impunity in the palace. To be able to bribe Mei, she would have to have some extraordinary ability. That was simply impossible.
"Then... if Princess Chen couldn't bribe Mei, how could Princess Chen be involved in Princess Jiang Xuan's death? She didn't even have the time." A young lady, a bit slow to react, raised a question.
Everyone present was startled, their expressions changing several times. After a moment of silence, one person whispered, "The Emperor entrusted the matter of resolving the Da Gan Dynasty to the Empress Dowager, and Mei was one of her people. Now that Princess Chen has just died, it is highly likely that she will replace Mei in suppressing Da Gan's anger and resolving Da Zhou's troubles. Is it possible that Princess Chen's death was caused by this matter?"
As soon as the man spoke, everyone in the tent fell into an eerie silence. As soon as he finished speaking, he realized he had said something wrong and quickly bit his lip and shut his mouth. Although they were silent, their eyes were darting around. They looked at each other and saw horror in each other's eyes.
The news was indeed strange and the timing was quite coincidental. What's even more incomprehensible is that someone of Princess Chen's status, who is usually surrounded by many people, shouldn't be in any danger, even if she's not exactly safe. It's said that a group of highly skilled men in black couldn't kill her, and were willing to sacrifice their companions to drag her off a cliff to their deaths. This is very similar to the nature of secret guards secretly kept by many noble families. Moreover, these secret guards are obviously more meticulous in their actions, never holding back, and always carrying out their missions decisively. Such secret guards are not something an ordinary family can afford to keep; without some kind of background and power, it's simply impossible.
While it's possible that this was orchestrated by several princes vying for the throne, their actions were entirely unreasonable.
Leaving aside the fact that only four princes remain—the Third Prince Baili Zhi, the Fourth Prince Baili Chang, the Seventh Prince Baili Chen, and the Ninth Prince Baili Mao—the only two who truly have a chance to compete are Baili Chen and Baili Mao. Baili Mao's background is relatively low among the princes. The reason he has this opportunity to compete is because he took the opportunity to win over the Sun family and consolidate Baili Jian's power in the court. Otherwise, given his original momentum, he would have no chance of becoming emperor. Moreover, even Baili Jian might not have someone of such high rank, almost a secret guard or a death squad, so Baili Mao is even less likely to be one.
Furthermore, in the struggle for the throne, the one who should be killed is the powerful Seventh Prince, Baili Chen. Killing Princess Chen would not be of much use. If this person intends to cause a rift between the Prince Chen's residence and the Princess's residence, then that would be rather foolish. Putting aside the fact that the people in both residences are not fools, how many people in the capital do not know about the relationship between Prince Chen and Princess Chen? If they were to so easily provoke a rift between the two residences, wouldn't their relationship be meaningless? This behavior would only incite their anger and lead them to do unpredictable things. In the real struggle for the throne, taking this step would be a disastrous move, and there would be no hope of winning the throne, because it would be foolish. Even if they were to ascend the throne, they would be dragged down by others.
Furthermore, I heard that when Prince Chen arrived, he desperately saved Princess Chen. With such a good opportunity, why didn't they attack Prince Chen? Instead, they took Princess Chen down with them. Clearly, this person's target wasn't Prince Chen. It must be a power struggle among the princes.
Excluding the princes' power struggles, we should start with Ouyang Yue. Although some in the capital secretly call her a jealous woman because Baili Chen hasn't taken any concubines, Ouyang Yue is very discreet. She doesn't provoke others, nor does she cause them trouble. Most people are jealous of her, annoyed by her, and resentful, but they don't say it to her face, so Ouyang Yue pretends not to know. Therefore, she hasn't really offended anyone, and even if she did, they're all gone now. The possibility of a revenge killing isn't very high.
So, the last person is Jiang Xuan, who is currently involved in the matter.
Because they were in the hunting grounds, and because of the heavy snow, news traveled slowly. Moreover, Emperor Mingxian was intentionally preventing the news from spreading, wanting to provoke a reaction from the Daqian and put the Great Zhou in a vulnerable position. It's likely that very few people outside the hunting grounds knew about Jiang Xuan's death. Once the snow melted, they would have to return to the capital. After returning, this matter would be impossible to suppress; it would become a real problem. And because of Mei's past mistake, Emperor Mingxian entrusted the task to the Empress Dowager to find a solution.
The Empress Dowager even fell ill because of this. Whether she was genuinely ill or feigning illness to avoid trouble, most people thought it was the latter. No one knew what method the Empress Dowager had come up with. All they knew was that only one day after Emperor Mingxian entrusted this matter to the Empress Dowager, Ouyang Yue was suddenly murdered. This matter was too suspicious. The only one who truly cared about solving the problem was the Empress Dowager. Although others would also be affected by their interests, this matter was originally Mei's fault. Most people blamed the Empress Dowager, and the spearhead was directed at her. The Empress Dowager was the one who most wanted to resolve this matter.
Mei's lowly status prevented her from venting Da Gan's anger, but Ouyang Yue could.
We can fake it, completely block the news, and say that Ouyang Yue harmed Jiang Xuan, thus feeling guilty and remorseful, and finally jumped off a cliff to commit suicide. This would be an explanation for Da Gan. Even if Da Gan is relentless, he probably won't make any excessive demands. Wouldn't that solve the whole problem?
Even with this thought in mind, the Empress Dowager's actions, which invite speculation, were not exactly wise, as speaking out would only make people suspect that it was her.
But the reason so many people are thinking about this is because there are so many suspicious points about this matter. Anything can be said, which makes people feel that this is just a deliberate attempt to create mystery. It is very likely that the Empress Dowager killed someone to silence them and used this as a way to get out of her predicament.
Many people still remember that when Ouyang Yue returned, the Empress Dowager deliberately shifted the blame to Ouyang Yue before even asking her what had happened. Many people heard and saw that scene, and now, when they think back on it, they feel a chill down their spines, because they all thought of this possibility, and the more they thought about it, the more they felt that this was the case.
While the Empress Dowager's actions effectively resolved the major conflicts, they also created new difficulties for the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Not to mention that Princess Shuangxia was the most famous, most renowned, and most respected princess in the history of the Great Zhou Dynasty, having served three generations of emperors. The Xuanyuan family had been military officers for generations, protecting the country on the border and stopping countless attempts by foreign invaders to occupy the Great Zhou. They were heroes in the hearts of the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the faith and goal of military officers, and were praised as outstanding figures by many honest and refined scholars.
Princess Consort Nachen had just given birth to a son for the Seventh Prince and was the Empress Dowager's grandson's wife. Such self-sacrifice, disregarding family ties and the wishes of the people, was not a wise move.
What worries some even more is that it's no secret that Xuanyuan Chaohua is infatuated with his sister. If the Empress Dowager's actions eventually cause Xuanyuan Chaohua to hate her and develop rebellious intentions, what a disaster that would bring to the Great Zhou! This might not be better than directly offending Daqian.