Chapter 25: Calculations on All Sides

"Make sure everyone knows that the Sixth Young Master, Huo Feng, had an affair with his fiancée's younger sister before they were even married. He is a treacherous, fickle, and heartless man."

"When the fire broke out, he showed none of the responsibility expected of a man, abandoning the woman to her fate. He is a shameless scoundrel..."

"In short, the more miserable you make this Young Master Huo sound, the better. Let everyone know he is a heinous villain, unworthy of being called a human being!"

"Ensure that whenever anyone mentions him in the future, they will shake their heads in disgust and immediately associate him with the label of a 'villain'."

"The two of you may embellish the story as you see fit. You must ruin the reputation of the Sixth Young Master of the Prince Jing’s Mansion so thoroughly that he will have no face left to show anyone."

The two maids, both fiercely loyal, did not raise a single objection to Lin Pianran's instructions.

They nodded obediently and agreed, "We shall follow your orders, Miss! We will certainly get it done."

Lin Pianran then took out twenty taels of silver, giving ten to each of them. "This is a reward for your cleverness and wit!"

The two maids exchanged a glance, accepted the money with delight, and chimed, "Thank you, Miss!"

With that, they vanished in a flash, scattering to spread the news far and wide.

In a single night, a series of vicious incidents had occurred: throat-slitting murders, thefts, snake bites, and arson-related injuries.

It was as if a bowl of water had been poured into a pot of boiling oil, causing the situation to erupt into chaos.

Many were left like birds startled by a mere bowstring, filled with fear and trepidation. Everyone kept a close watch on the aftermath of these events.

When Consort De heard that her mother had been brutally murdered, her throat slit, she was devastated.

As the youngest daughter of the Lin family, she had been the most doted upon by the Old Madam, even more so than her two brothers. The old lady's tragic death had come as a complete shock.

Who could it be?

She wept bitterly for a long time, her eyes turning red and swollen. How could she possibly swallow such an insult? She secretly swore to find the murderer and tear them limb from limb.

After freshening up, she requested an audience with Emperor Qin Wu. Moved by her display of filial piety, the Emperor granted her permission to take the two princesses to pay their respects to the late Old Madam Lin.

Kneeling before the Emperor, Consort De wore a look of profound sorrow, sobbing, "Your Majesty, you are my heaven. Now that such a tragedy has befallen my family, I beg you to seek justice for me! Wuu wuu..."

"My mother was always kind to others and never offended anyone, yet she suffered such a horrific death. How can I, as her daughter, bear this? Wuu wuu..."

"You must order the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court to capture the murderer and bring justice to my mother. We cannot allow these wicked perpetrators to remain at large!"

"At the imperial hunting grounds, a series of shocking, vicious events have occurred. First, there were wild wolves attacking people during the day, followed by snakes being released to bite people at night, theft of property, the brutal murder of a high official's mother, and even arson."

"I believe these cases demonstrate that the camp's defenses are merely a facade, and that the night patrols of the Imperial Guards are equally useless. That is why these thieves have been so rampant, committing crimes one after another."

"I dare to guess that these were all committed by the same group. Their arrogance is not only due to the lax security of the camp, but also shows a complete disregard for the authorities. They are challenging the imperial power itself!"

"Your Majesty, you must bring the culprits to justice to uphold the dignity of the court!"

After her impassioned plea, Consort De remained bowed, her forehead pressed to the ground for a long time.

Watching the grief-stricken consort below, Emperor Qin Wu said with authority, "I shall order the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice to capture the culprits as soon as possible. You should go and pay your respects to Old Madam Lin first. The dead cannot be brought back to life; do not let your grief overwhelm you, and take care of your health..."

After receiving his comfort, Consort De finally departed, feeling satisfied. The look of distress on her face had faded somewhat, her eyes now filled with deep calculation.

She hoped that her words would lead to the success of her schemes. It would make the sacrifice of using her mother's tragic death as a pretext worthwhile. She would wait a few days to see the outcome.

Emperor Qin Wu summoned the head of his secret guards and commanded, "Keep a close watch on the situation. I want to see who is stirring up this trouble!"

After giving the order, his face turned as dark as water, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent. The events of the past two days were strange and beyond his control. Even earlier, some matters had begun to slip through his fingers.

As an ambitious emperor with grand designs, his policy was to "settle internal affairs while consolidating external power."

Externally, he possessed a sharp blade—Wei Xing—who helped him pacify the barbarians. For many years, he had wielded this blade effectively, and it had proven invincible. Therefore, while he had not supported or relied on the faction of Empress Wei as much as he had in previous years, he had never intentionally suppressed them either.

Yet, a month ago, while Wei Xing was on his way back to the capital under imperial decree, he had suddenly vanished without a trace, remaining unheard of ever since.

Though furious, the Emperor could find no useful information. Although Wei Xing's nephew, Bai Wuji, was also heroic and skilled in battle, he was still young. Only eighteen last year, he had begun to show his potential as a future god of war, but he still needed experience.

For now, he could not afford to lose Wei Xing. He did not want anything to happen to him; this blade still needed to help him expand his territory and realize his soaring ambitions.

Internally, he had discarded the Taoist doctrine of non-action, favoring Confucianism and adopting a centralized system to keep imperial power firmly in his own hands. No movement within the court could escape his watchful eye.

Recently, he had become deeply suspicious, viewing everyone as a potential suspect, with the exception of Empress Wei’s faction. Wei Xing was the pillar of that faction; they would never dig up their own foundation.

He even began to suspect his own sons. He dared not let his guard down for a moment. Perhaps the events of last night would allow him to find clues about the hand behind all this.

Thinking this, he turned to the old eunuch beside him and commanded, "Summon the Supreme Court Chief Chen Yanshu, the Minister of Justice Wan Moxuan, and the Imperial Guard Commander Jian Fangyu for an audience."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The old eunuch hurried off to deliver the orders.

Soon, the news of the Emperor's personal command for the Supreme Court and the Ministry of Justice to investigate the cases as quickly as possible spread like wildfire.

The Ministry of Justice soon obtained search warrants to scour every mansion and courtyard for the stolen goods. However, after half a day of frantic searching involving nearly a thousand bailiffs, they found absolutely nothing.

It was as if the stolen items had vanished into thin air. The authorities were at a loss, and the investigation came to a standstill, making no further progress.

After noon, the Lin family cleared out a large courtyard and temporarily set up a mourning hall for people to come and pay their respects.