Chapter 392 - 170: She Swore, She Really Did Nothing

Chapter 392: Chapter 170: She Swore, She Really Did Nothing

What could Han Jinyi say? It was her own luck that landed her in Liu Hua Palace. An Fangyi didn’t usually give her trouble, so she never imagined something like this would happen.

"Have you had any unpleasantness with An Fangyi?" Song Yunzhao asked, looking at Han Jinyi.

Han Jinyi shook her head. "No, not at all. It’s precisely because An Fangyi and I have no friction between us that I don’t understand why Wanqiu would suddenly frame Ying Chun."

Feng Yunjin mused, "Have you noticed anyone An Fangyi has been associating with frequently lately?"

Han Jinyi shook her head again. "An Fangyi rarely goes out and doesn’t receive many visitors. I hardly ever see her interact with anyone."

"That’s strange," Feng Yunjin sighed.

Lu Zhixue glanced at Song Yunzhao, then at Han Jinyi, and said, "Could it be aimed at Song Zhaoyi?"

Huh?

Han Jinyi was taken aback. "If it’s aimed at Song Zhaoyi, why would they go after one of my people?"

"Because you’re close to Song Zhaoyi."

Song Yunzhao nodded slightly. "Lu Pin has a point. That’s what I suspect as well. If it’s not aimed at you, then it must be aimed at me."

Han Jinyi’s brow furrowed. "Even if it is aimed at you, what does attacking Ying Chun have to do with anything? She’s just a palace maid. If she’s gone, I can just get another one..."

’Get another one?’

Han Jinyi paused. "Could it be that they want to get rid of Ying Chun and replace her with one of their own people?"

"That’s not impossible," Feng Yunjin said.

Lu Zhixue added, "Can they just replace her with whomever they want? Besides, wouldn’t Han Jinyi be at least a little suspicious of someone assigned to serve her so closely?"

"If they only make their move at a critical moment and act completely loyal otherwise, who would easily notice?"

Hearing Feng Yunjin’s words, Lu Zhixue shuddered. "If everyone does this, how can anyone live peacefully in this harem? It’s a good thing things weren’t this chaotic when we first entered the palace. Otherwise, it’s frightening just to think about it."

Feng Yunjin smiled. "It wasn’t necessarily less chaotic. There were just fewer people in the harem back then, so even if some had schemes, they didn’t dare act rashly."

The more people there are, the murkier the waters, making it easier to make a move.

Han Jinyi looked worriedly at Yun Zhao. "Are you sure it’s okay to leave this matter to Yan Gongzheng? What if he’s been bribed?"

Song Yunzhao could hear the worry for Ying Chun in Han Jinyi’s voice. She thought for a moment and said, "I just think it’s better for the Palace Justice Department to investigate this than to let Princess Consort Zhuang and Qin Wan Yi muddle everything. As for whether the Palace Justice Department will be impartial, we’ll have to wait for the results. In all my time in the palace, Yan Gongzheng hasn’t seemed like someone who can be easily bribed. But nothing is absolute, so we should just be prepared for anything."

Everyone nodded.

Feng Yunjin looked at Yun Zhao and said, "I’m afraid we should also have Ying Chun’s family investigated."

’If that brother of hers has been bought off, that would be the greatest danger to Ying Chun.’

"I’ve already sent someone. We just have to wait for news," Song Yunzhao said.

Han Jinyi was surprised, not expecting Yun Zhao to have already sent someone. She immediately said, "I’ve troubled you again, Zhaoyi. You’re pregnant, yet you still have to worry and exhaust yourself over my affairs. I truly feel terrible about it."

"Don’t say that. You may have been implicated because of me, so helping you is helping myself. Besides, after being friends for so long, saying such things just creates distance between us," Song Yunzhao replied.

Lu Zhixue’s feelings were extremely complicated; it was hard to describe what she was feeling right now.

On one hand, she felt Han Jinyi was somewhat innocent for being dragged into this because of Song Yunzhao. On the other hand, seeing Song Yunzhao putting so much effort into the matter, it didn’t seem like such a big deal anymore.

"We won’t be hearing from the Palace Justice Department anytime soon. Zhaoyi, you should go back and rest. We’ll send word if there’s any news," Feng Yunjin said quickly, noticing the fatigue on Yun Zhao’s face.

Song Yunzhao nodded. "Yun Jin, help me keep an eye on Qin Wan Yi. I have a feeling she’s been in contact with An Fangyi."

The three of them froze, all looking at Han Jinyi.

Han Jinyi thought for a moment before saying, "I really haven’t seen anyone from Qin Wan Yi’s side, or she herself, come looking for An Fangyi."

"Both Grand Tutor Qin and Duke Dingguo are men with deep roots. Perhaps they have other ways to communicate," Feng Yunjin said in a low voice. "Thinking about it, what the Zhaoyi said makes sense. Qin Wan Yi did arrive rather quickly today, and she stood by An Fangyi’s side the entire time. It didn’t seem like much at first glance, but on second thought, it is a bit strange."

When something like this happens, anyone who isn’t close with An Fangyi would want to keep their distance, but Qin Wan Yi didn’t.

Song Yunzhao stood up. "In any case, just be careful. Maybe I’m wrong, but I have a feeling this matter isn’t simple. It’s better for us to be cautious."

Feng Yunjin replied, "Don’t worry, Zhaoyi. I’ll watch carefully."

"Then I’ll be on my way." Song Yunzhao had other things to attend to and couldn’t delay any longer.

The three of them saw Song Yunzhao out. Feng Yunjin and Lu Zhixue didn’t leave immediately but went back inside with Han Jinyi to discuss what to do next.

This was the first time Lu Zhixue had encountered something like this, and for a moment, she wasn’t sure what she should do.

Song Yunzhao returned to Wangyou Palace and immediately summoned Shizhu. "Is it done?"

"I found Chief Steward Zhang. He told me to tell you not to worry, Your Highness," Shizhu replied.

Song Yunzhao breathed a small sigh of relief. ’If Zhang Maoquan knows, then the Emperor surely knows. With Zhang Maoquan handling the investigation into Ying Chun’s family, they will certainly get to the bottom of it.’

’Although the Emperor is still at a slight disadvantage against the courtiers, in the last five or six years, he has at least replaced everyone around him with capable and loyal individuals.’

’Once the Emperor finishes reorganizing the Capital Guard and forges it into a formidable army, his military power will grow. Then, in court, the courtiers will have no choice but to gradually concede.’

’The Emperor sending Prince Zhenbei to personally lead the troops on this expedition—she figured that was part of his plan.’

’The Prince Zhenbei’s clan was granted their title despite having a different surname, and they were loyal only to the court. During the late Emperor’s chaotic reign, it wasn’t as if no one coveted the military power Prince Zhenbei held; some even made moves against him. Yet, he managed to emerge from that whirlpool unscathed, which just showed how formidable he was.’

’Now, the Emperor’s heavy reliance on Prince Zhenbei is tantamount to sending a signal. Everything depends on the prince’s response.’

’This southern campaign is Prince Zhenbei’s first expedition since the new Emperor ascended the throne. The outcome of the campaign will be his answer to the Emperor.’

As Song Yunzhao thought about this, she felt a bit dazed. ’After all, in the book’s timeline, these events were supposed to happen much later. I don’t know if it’s because of the flapping of my butterfly wings, but many things are now happening ahead of schedule.’

’I swear, I really haven’t done anything,’ she thought. ’The plot is just developing on its own!’