allonlinenovel Chapter 120 Silencing
Chapter 120 Silencing
After each task assigned to the Earl of Yongyi by the Marquis of Chengen, he would always remember to clean up the mess.
He had tested Yongyi Bo before, and only after confirming that Yongyi Bo had not left any backup plans could he so readily abandon them.
The reason why the Earl of Yongyi was chosen as a scapegoat was not only because of his relationship with the Marquis of Chengen's mansion, but also because of his trust in him, which ensured that the Earl would not doubt his arrangements.
More importantly, the Yongyi Marquis's mansion has become disloyal and is secretly seeking other backers.
If he helped his political enemies to deal with him, he would suffer serious consequences, so he decided to get rid of the Earl of Yongyi.
He looked at a letter on his desk, a letter that had just been delivered by the Lady of Yongyi.
Who knew that even the most meticulous plans can have a flaw, leaving a handle in the hands of the Earl of Yongyi.
According to his original plan, it didn't matter whether there was any evidence against him in the Yongyi Earl's mansion.
The important thing is that the Lady of Yongyi was able to get the news so quickly. It must be because the imperial envoy sent by Emperor Jing'an did not arrest the entourage of the Marquis of Yongyi, but deliberately sent them to the capital to inform him!
This is absolutely unprecedented.
In any case, the people involved and their entourage are controlled to prevent leaks and to destroy evidence.
“Sister-in-law, you’ve misunderstood me. No matter how despicable I am, I would never frame my brother-in-law. Just as you said, we’re in the same boat. If my brother-in-law doesn’t get better, I won’t be able to escape either.”
Marquis Chengen sighed, "I was wise all my life, but I was foolish for a moment. I was betrayed by the brother I had trusted for many years, which caused my brother-in-law to be imprisoned."
After a pause, he said, "Don't worry, I will do everything I can to save my brother-in-law."
Lady Yongyi didn't believe a word of it. The Marquis of Chengen and his wife were ruthless. They were only saying these soft words to keep her calm and prevent her from acting impulsively and causing a complete disaster.
If she believed what Marquis Chengen said, she should obediently go back and wait for news.
Within a few days, she will surely be silenced, and may even be accused of committing suicide out of guilt!
“My lord, I will go back and wait for good news.” Lady Yongyi reminded her, “I have entrusted these pieces of evidence to someone I trust. If anything happens to me or my children, that person will give the evidence to Tan’er.”
Marquis Chengen's face darkened.
"As the saying goes, even a cornered dog will jump over the wall, and a cornered rabbit will bite." Lady Yongyi straightened her sleeves and smiled slightly. "My lord, don't you agree?"
The veins on the Marquis of Chengen's forehead throbbed, and he stared coldly at the departing figure of Lady Yongyi. Once she disappeared through the doorway, he abruptly swept the books off his desk and onto the floor.
"Bitch!"
At this moment, Madam Shen arrived upon hearing the news. As soon as she reached the door of the study, she heard the Marquis of Chengen's furious roar, which startled her.
She cautiously stepped into the study, noticed the books scattered on the floor, and asked, "My lord, are you still going to send a letter to my sister-in-law today?"
The original plan was that their people in Guanzhou received a message and sent an invitation to Lady Yongyi, inviting her to go out to the mountains to enjoy the flowers and have lunch before returning to their respective residences.
She had made two preparations for this lunch.
With its fragrant white flowers and refreshing taste, this is a delicious floral dish.
The petals and leaves of the white rhododendron are poisonous.
Since the two flowers happened to look similar, she decided to have the cook prepare a dish of white azaleas for Lady Yongyi.
If Lady Yongyi is unwilling to eat it, then after Lady Yongyi returns to the mansion, we will arrange for a servant she has bribed to put the pollen of the poisonous plant into the honey.
Lady Yongyi likes to drink sweet soup, so there's absolutely no reason for her to suspect anything.
If someone dies from eating the pollen of the poisonous plant *Gnaphalium affine* in the Yongyi Earl's mansion, then it is considered suicide out of fear of punishment.
If Lady Yongyi died from poisoning after eating white azaleas, it could be attributed to her accidental ingestion.
Madam Shen would also eat a little, just enough to not kill her, to clear herself of suspicion.
After all, there have been several cases of poisoning from accidentally ingesting white rhododendron flowers.
"No need," Marquis Chengen said coldly. "The Earl of Yongyi's residence has received the news."
Madam Shen was taken aback, and frowned, saying, "She actually found out about it?"
Marquis Chengen relayed to Madam Shen all of the threats made by the Earl of Yongyi.
Madam Shen's expression changed: "Does that mean we can't touch her?"
They did not act in advance in order to choose the right time and not let anyone realize that there was something wrong with the cause of Lady Yongyi's death.
Now that Lady Yongyi has learned of the news in advance, she is not only taking precautions but has even threatened them.
Marquis Chengen's face turned ashen as he said, "There's something fishy about this. Lin Zhenxing deliberately let the Earl of Yongyi's follower go, probably to let him tip off someone and lure the snake out of its hole."
He not only wanted to silence Lady Yongyi, but also arranged for someone to kill the Earl of Yongyi, forcing him to "commit suicide out of fear of punishment" in the dungeon.
Marquis Chengen said coldly, "Although I am wary of the evidence in your sister-in-law's hands, it is nothing compared to the matter of Guanzhou."
What good would it do for Lady Yongyi to give the evidence to Shen Qingtan?
Shen Qingtan is nominally the daughter of the Marquis's family. If her entire family is executed, she will also be unable to escape death!
A murderous glint flashed in the eyes of the Marquis of Chengen. As long as the Lady of Yongyi was dead and could not accuse Shen Qingtan of not being the daughter of the Marquis's family, he would not be afraid that Shen Qingtan would obtain the evidence and destroy the Marquis's family.
He couldn't help but feel somewhat relieved that he hadn't revealed Shen Qingtan's true identity.
Marquis Chengen said in a deep voice, "Fortunately, we did not personally intervene in the Guanzhou matter, and the evidence has been basically destroyed. As long as your elder brother dies, the crime will be pinned on him, leaving no way to prove anything, and I will have a way to protect myself."
Several years ago, when Prince Yu set his sights on the Guanzhou granary, he began to lay out a backup plan.
Madam Shen had long ago made the decision to abandon the Yongyi Earl's Mansion in order to preserve the entire Chengen Marquis's Mansion.
But when the topic was brought up again, she couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
After a long silence, she asked, "What does Your Excellency intend to do?"
"I have already arranged for people to buy grain to replenish the granaries." Marquis Chengen pondered, "I cannot let those officials down. I must show them my determination to protect them."
Madam Shen asked in confusion, "My lord, if you intend to replenish the granary, why do you want my elder brother to take the blame?"
Marquis Chengen said with a gloomy expression, "Even if we directly replenish the granaries, the disaster in Guanzhou is severe, and there are corpses everywhere. This is an indisputable fact. The Emperor will still punish us, and we will not be able to escape. Someone must die in our place. Even if someone suspects us, as long as they cannot obtain evidence, they cannot do anything to us."
The granaries must eventually be replenished, and the main officials involved will likely face confiscation of their property and execution. As for the other officials involved, even if the grain is recovered, they will only be punished for negligence in disaster relief and failing to report the facts, thus committing the crime of dereliction of duty. At most, they will be sent to the border garrison.
The only saving grace was that the money wasn't given to Prince Yu, otherwise he would have had to pay for it himself.
Marquis Chengen picked up his pen and wrote several secret letters, preparing to leave the mansion to make arrangements.
He originally wanted the Earl of Yongyi dead, and the appearance of the Earl of Yongyi's wife only strengthened his resolve.
As soon as Marquis Chengen stepped out of his study, he saw his trusted confidant rushing over and handing him a letter: "My lord, this is from Guanzhou."
He took the letter, tore open the seal, and quickly skimmed the paper.
The further down you look, the darker his face appears.
The people he sent to buy grain initially found a grain merchant. Because they wanted a lot of grain, they were paid seven qian per shi. Later, another group of people appeared out of nowhere and competed with them for grain, and the price of grain suddenly soared to two liang of silver per shi.
They originally sold it to merchants for eight coins per shi (a unit of dry measure), but now they want double the price, which will really drain the Hou family's coffers.
Marquis Chengen was furious, but powerless to do anything about it, so he could only swallow his anger and admit defeat.
We can't risk our lives for money.
He then returned to his study and wrote another secret letter, in which he explained that there was a batch of silver hidden in the stables of the Liu family's ancestral home, and that it should be dug up and used to buy grain for the time being.