Minghe immediately replied respectfully, "Yes, sir... that Chu Feng..." If it were according to your usual temperament, Chu Feng would surely be dead!
Yan Zhen paused, then turned slightly to look into the room for a long time before saying, "Cripple him and let him fend for himself."
Minghe trembled and immediately replied, "Yes!"
For a master like Chu Feng, crippling his skills would be tantamount to taking his life!
“The left wing has been making frequent moves lately, which may be premeditated. Does the master have any instructions?” Minghe said in a low voice. The left and right wings have always been irreconcilable, and they have been fighting openly and covertly for many years, but they have to maintain a facade of calm. Is it finally time to tear off the mask now?
Yan Zhen slightly raised her long eyelashes and said coolly, "Although the Emperor is young, his mind is gradually maturing. I expected the Left Faction to take action." A cold smile appeared on Yan Zhen's lips, and her beautiful face suddenly became more sinister. "The pit has been dug. I'm just afraid they won't jump in. Let them do what they want."
Minghe respectfully replied, "Your Excellency's predictions are truly insightful; I was overthinking things."
Yan Zhen flicked his sleeves, his expression becoming even more nonchalant, and said, "Let's go see what the Grand Canal Magistrate has prepared for me."
Minghe's lips tightened, and he said, "Does Your Excellency really intend to dine here?"
Yan Zhen smiled lazily, "It's kind of you, Magistrate Taicang, to prepare this meal for me with such care. For Xin'er's sake, I shall naturally accept this meal."
Minghe thought to herself, "My lord, what wouldn't you do for Miss An?"
An Youwei was waiting in the dining hall early on. The Prime Minister's sudden arrival at the An residence without any prior notice left him in a flurry of activity. He was probably like someone who had been bitten by a snake once and was afraid of ropes for ten years. He had almost been beheaded before, and now that the Prime Minister had suddenly changed his mind, he was really uneasy.
An Youwei was truly annoyed by Xin'er's disrespectful manner towards him. Especially today, the Right Prime Minister had come to the An residence without any prior notice, which startled him. The Right Prime Minister had been unwell these past few days, and all the officials had gone to great lengths to send things to his residence. It was said that the Right Prime Minister was too lazy to even glance at them. On the contrary, the osmanthus wine that An Youwei had sent made the Prime Minister particularly happy, and he even sent someone to express his gratitude.
An Youwei wiped away a cold sweat. In any case, the Right Chancellor was eccentric and unpredictable, so it was always better for him to be careful.
Just as they were waiting anxiously, Dewdrop stumbled in and said, "Master, the Right Prime Minister has arrived!"
An Youwei hurriedly mustered his spirits and rushed out to greet them, only to see the Right Chancellor walking slowly, parting the flowers and willows, fanning himself with a fan. Behind him was another official, none other than Song Zhao, the Physician, who had been at the Minister of Works' residence that day. Madam Song had been publicly humiliated by An Xin, showing no respect whatsoever to the Physician. An Youwei had come to apologize, but Song Zhao had instead apologized repeatedly. How could An Youwei not be surprised that Song Zhao had actually come to visit him today?
Song Zhao followed cautiously beside the Right Chancellor, speaking in a timid manner. The Right Chancellor paused, glanced at him casually, and said something slowly. Song Zhao's expression immediately changed.
An Youwei dared not wait idly and hurriedly went to greet them.
Upon seeing An Youwei from afar, Song Zhao felt as if she had seen a savior and rushed over, grabbing An Youwei and saying, "Brother Wei!"
An Youwei shivered.
"You have to help me! You can't just stand by and watch your nephew die!" Song Zhao's old face looked as miserable as if his wife had just died.
An Youwei pondered deeply about when he had acquired a nephew, then looked at Song Zhao earnestly and asked, "My lord, what is the reason for your sorrow?"
After a tearful recounting of the events, Song Zhao explained that An Youwei, this nephew who had seemingly fallen from the sky, was none other than Song Zhao's only son, Song Li. Like mother, like son; given how fierce and shrewish Madam Song was, one could imagine what her son must be like. It was said that this Song Li was arrogant and domineering, abducting women and committing all sorts of evil deeds. Recently, he had taken a fancy to a merchant's daughter and insisted on taking her home as a concubine. The woman refused to submit and, before even being brought to the mansion, bit off her tongue and committed suicide. In their grief and anger, the woman's parents blocked the Left Prime Minister's carriage. The Left Prime Minister, always compassionate towards the common people, naturally took full responsibility and immediately sent men to arrest Song Li and imprison him, to be tried at a later date.
If it were the Right Chancellor, everything would be fine. But it was the Left Chancellor who was opposed to the Right Chancellor. The Leftists naturally did not consider Song Zhao's feelings and immediately arrested Song Li and threw him into prison. Madam Song was so shocked that she fainted. Song Zhao had no choice but to rush to find the Right Chancellor. You should know that although Song Li had committed many evils, he was still his only son. If something really happened to him, wouldn't that cut off his lineage?
To everyone's surprise, the Right Chancellor lazily remarked, "A life for a life, didn't your mother teach you that?" This caused Song Zhao's expression to change drastically. Knowing that the Right Chancellor had recently placed great importance on An Youwei, he rushed over, hoping to get An Youwei's help.
An Youwei thought to himself, "The Right Prime Minister is absolutely right. That girl was so innocent and virtuous, and she died unjustly. How dare you come to me for help! It's not that I can't plead for her, but I don't dare!"
An Youwei wiped away a cold sweat and hurriedly bowed to greet the Right Chancellor, saying, "This humble official was unaware of Your Excellency's sudden arrival and has been very negligent. Please forgive me."
Yan Zhen waved his folding fan and said with a smile, "Lord An, there's no need for such formalities. We're family, no need for such formalities."
An Youwei's mind was filled with countless thoughts of "family members..."
Song Zhao shuddered. Family? When did the Right Chancellor become family with An Youwei?!
An Youwei hurriedly and cautiously smiled and said, "Lunch is ready, please, sir."
Yan Zhen raised the corners of his lips and slowly walked forward. Song Zhao hurriedly leaned closer and said, "Brother Wei, the magistrate treats you very well. You must think of your nephew!"
An Youwei twitched his lips at the word "nephew" and said, "Lord Song, you know the Right Chancellor's temper. Once he makes a decision, has he ever changed it because of anyone else? I can't say anything about it!"
Song Zhao said with a gloomy expression, "I only have this one son. If anything happens to him, how am I supposed to live?"
An Youwei sighed and said in a low voice, "Is there really no chance for this to turn around?"
Song Zhao said in a deep voice, "You also know about the opposition between the left and right wings. Now that Song Li has made a big mistake, the left wing can easily fan the flames to ruin the reputation of the right wing. You should know that although my unfilial son is capable of all kinds of evil, he would never dare to commit murder. Besides, that girl's death was also suspicious. I can't even see her body. Lord An, isn't your daughter a genius at solving cases? Do you think you could..."
An Youwei naturally didn't want An Xin to get involved in this factional conflict. What if they couldn't find evidence that the woman was indeed forced to her death? Wouldn't his daughter have to get caught up in this mess?
Besides, this Song Li is a wicked man who has done all sorts of evil deeds. He deserves his current fate. The Left Prime Minister has always acted with integrity and uprightness. How could he possibly frame him?
“If the Right Chancellor doesn’t speak up, what use is my maid? In any case, let’s test the waters first.” An Youwei deflected the matter by playing coy.
Song Zhao said anxiously, "Brother, the Right Prime Minister has made it clear that he is determined to protect Miss An. Perhaps if Miss An says something, the Prime Minister will soften his stance."
An Youwei sighed, "Only heaven knows whether it's a blessing or a curse!" His long sigh was naturally because An Xin had inexplicably gained the favor of the Right Chancellor. It wasn't that he was belittling his own daughter; although Xin'er was good, she was still engaged, and after being married into the Ling family for so many years, her reputation was ruined. He himself was of lowly status and only entered the court as an official by chance, but his status was far inferior to that of the magistrate!
But since Song Zhao had pleaded so earnestly, it would seem rather heartless of him not to refuse. After all, Xin'er had gone a bit too far with Madam Song. After thinking for a moment, he sighed and said, "This humble official can only give it a try. It would be best if Lord Song didn't have too high hopes."
Song Zhao immediately exclaimed with delight, "If Li'er is saved, I will definitely have him come to thank me in person!"
An Youwei waved his hand helplessly and walked quickly towards the dining hall.
An Xin looked at the servant who had changed so much with satisfaction and said, "Stay here and don't move. I'll go and have someone bring you some food."
The servant was starving, and upon hearing this, he immediately agreed.
An Xin washed her hands and walked outside. Dewdrop came running over and said hurriedly, "Miss, the master has instructed you to have your meal."
An Xin said calmly, "My lord? Which lord?"
Dewdrop whispered, "The Prime Minister said that Miss has been busy for a long time, and it's not good for her health if she doesn't eat something."
An Xin's teeth ached: "Yan Zhen? He doesn't treat himself like an outsider at all! Prepare some food and send it to the servant in the room, but make sure he doesn't move around too much."