Chapter 1448: Chapter 1426: Reaping the Benefits as the Fisherman (Extra Chapter Sponsored by Book Friend “Springfallz”)
Manbao slept soundly through the night, and the next day, she took Sanya to the pharmacy to sit in the hall.
Sanya was still memorizing the “Shen Nong’s Materia Medica” and learning to recognize medicinal herbs with Shopkeeper Zheng. She was making quick progress, mainly because she loved to ask questions.
At first, she didn’t dare ask others too many questions, so she caught Manbao and Shao to ask.
Most herbs she couldn’t remember, she asked the two of them, and later, after becoming familiar with Ms. Doctor Liu and Zheng Gu, she began to ask them too.
So she was learning at a rapid pace.
Even Shopkeeper Zheng couldn’t help but say to Manbao, “Your niece is really clever. Didn’t you say your family has many children? Why not bring a few nephews to teach by your side?”
Manbao said, “The older ones either couldn’t learn or went to study. The younger ones have just learned to walk, no rush.”
Shopkeeper Zheng lamented how talented their family was.
He heard from his son about her two nephews studying at Songhe Academy.
He said, “Your family seems to be quite smart.”
Manbao thought for a moment and said, “Like my mother. My mother is smarter than my father, but my father isn’t stupid either.”
The two chatted and laughed, occasionally teaching an apprentice, and time passed quickly. Manbao checked the time; it was almost time to head to the palace.
She tidied up the medicine box, assigned homework to the other three apprentices except for Sanya, and sat in the main hall waiting.
The sound of hooves echoed from outside. Manbao picked up the medicine box and went out, astonished to see the people and carriage waiting outside.
The Colonel of the imperial guards dismounted, cupped his hands at Manbao, and said, “Doctor Zhou Junior, you will be escorted in and out of the palace by us from now on. This carriage is bestowed upon you by His Majesty, please.”
Manbao looked at the luxurious carriage, couldn’t help but touch its colorful cloth, and asked, “Given to me?”
The Colonel of the imperial guards: “…It’s just for you to ride. Once we catch the person threatening you from behind, we will leave with the carriage.”
Manbao turned to Daji, waiting on the side, and said, “Daji, you can go home.”
Daji glanced at the Colonel of the imperial guards, nodded, and stepped aside.
He watched Manbao climb into the carriage, hang up the curtain, sit alone in the spacious carriage, eyes full of excitement, and couldn’t help but smile.
Seeing the imperial guards escort Manbao away, Daji breathed a sigh of relief, turned to drive the carriage home.
This was the Crown Prince’s sincerity and the Emperor’s deterrence.
Yesterday evening, the Crown Prince took this box to see the Emperor, who was really angry.
The Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress all bestowed gifts upon Zhou Man, showing their clear attitude. Yet the person behind dared to continue threatening Zhou Man!
The Emperor’s chest rose and fell with anger at the time.
Then he wondered, was this all Third’s idea, or was it people under Third in the capital doing things on their own?
But that wasn’t the main issue; the main issue was that the Crown Prince handed the matter to him to handle.
The Emperor, after his anger passed, was stunned by this.
Because given the Crown Prince’s temper, he wouldn’t generally hand such matters to the Emperor. He might have run to Yongzhou himself to beat Third or cause trouble for Third’s students, trying to cut off a few of his arms of influence, making the court a mess, and then find someone himself to protect Zhou Man.
Just like when Zhou Man’s carriage overturned before, he didn’t report it at all. The Emperor only found out because it happened publicly and was resolved by the capital prefecture.
Didn’t you notice that the Crown Prince’s guards were escorting Zhou Man in and out of the palace all this time?
The Emperor looked down at the dagger in the box, suspiciously at the Crown Prince, and asked, “Are you asking Me to handle this?”
The Crown Prince’s face turned cold, asking, “What, does Father intend to let it go unresolved?”
The Emperor was angry at his tone and retorted, “When did I say I would let it go unresolved?”
The father and son couldn’t help but argue, but the next day, the Emperor responded. He handed the box to Yin Li, asking him to investigate further, and personally sent his guards to escort Zhou Man.
The main point was deterrence, more so than protection.
Zhou Man herself traveled to and from Changqing Alley and Jishi Hall many times without incident, clearly showing that the person behind did not want or dare to claim her life.
Giving her a dagger was more to threaten her to leave the capital, prohibiting her from treating the Crown Prince again.
Of course, that’s what the Emperor thought, but Lord Tang thought otherwise.
He directly told Yin Li, “The person who overturned Zhou Man’s carriage and threw a dagger into it is not the same as the one who sent her the dagger.”
Yin Li raised his eyebrows and asked, “Why?”
“The former wants her dead, while the latter just threatens, or even falsely accuses the former,” Tang He said. “The one who overturned Zhou Man’s carriage is bold; they not only drugged an attendant in the palace and sawed off the wheel but also attacked the horse after Zhou Man safely overturned, causing it to panic. Obviously, they knew that a mere threat wouldn’t make Zhou Man immediately leave the capital, so they wanted to kill her.”
“But with boldness comes caution. When the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, and the Empress rewarded Zhou Man, they shrunk away.”
Tang He had found some clues, but as soon as the three giant figureheads bestowed their rewards, the other party cut ties and ran, leaving all clues broken off.
This was different from the one who could only take the opportunity of the Li family’s centenary celebration chaos to throw a bloody dagger into the carriage.
Yin Li asked, “Do you think it’s the work of the Third Prince?”
Tang He smiled, “Sir, investigations require evidence, not just intuition.”
Yin Li said, “The personnel sent by His Majesty to Yongzhou to reprimand Prince Gong should have arrived.”
He merely stated a fact, and Tang He couldn’t help but sigh, “Let’s hope it’s not the Third Prince.”
Yin Li had the same feeling and thought the court situation now was chaotic and unpredictable.
The two smart men exchanged glances, and Tang He stood up, saluted, and said, “I will find out as soon as possible.”
Yin Li nodded, allowing him to withdraw.
At this moment in Yongzhou, Prince Gong had just received the Emperor’s reprimand, punished with a deduction of three months’ salary and house arrest for a month.
The Third Prince was dumbfounded; his father had always favored him. How could he possibly reprimand him for not plowing on the second day of the second month?
Moreover, not plowing doesn’t violate any law, does it?
Prince Gong quickly had someone find the attendant who delivered the edict to inquire.
After a whole night of plying him with alcohol, he finally learned what happened in the capital. Prince Gong’s face turned pale with anger, unable to resist smashing his cup, and he roared, “It wasn’t me!”
The advisors all lowered their heads.
Prince Gong paced in a circle in the same spot, then angrily said, “Outrageous, the Crown Prince is framing and slandering!”
An advisor couldn’t help but whisper, “Your Highness did once say you wanted to drive Zhou Man away; could it be that someone in the capital did it privately?”
Prince Gong furrowed his brow, thought about it, then shook his head, “Impossible, if they did, they would have sought credit, and since no one claims it, it’s clearly not them.”
“Moreover, regarding the national banquet during that year’s festival, I already found it odd that the Crown Prince’s wine jug wasn’t tampered with by me,” recalling that incident made Prince Gong angry. Because of it, he was sent back to his fief the next day by his father. He pondered, “It seems there’s someone trying to sit back and watch the conflict, ready to benefit from both.”