Rebirth: The Journey of an Heiress-Chapter 726 - 723: Deep Relationship_1

Bai Jinxiu saw Fu Ruoxi off. Bai Qingyan slowly rested her elbow on the hidden pouch, lowering her eyes in deep thought. Why would Wang Qiulu go to King Liang’s mansion? Was it to avenge Liu Ruofu? Or... did he still want to support King Liang’s rise to power?

But if he wanted to do these two things, what did it have to do with Fu Ruoxi? Why did he lead Fu Ruoxi to the entrance of King Liang’s mansion and let Fu Ruoxi see him enter King Liang’s mansion with her own eyes?

Or was it Li Mingrui who made Wang Qiulu do this?

·

The Crown Princess Consort was giving birth, and the Crown Prince’s mansion was busy today.

Old Fang and Ren Shijie put on black cloaks and hoods, and together they quietly exited through the corner gate of the Crown Prince’s mansion. After ensuring no one was around, Ren Shijie helped Old Fang into a carriage that had been waiting outside the mansion.

After the two got into the carriage and sat down, the always cautious Old Fang lifted the curtain to look outside. After waiting for half a quarter-hour, he instructed the driver, "Go!"

Ren Shijie, sitting beside Old Fang, seemed a bit uneasy. "Old Fang, shouldn’t we inform the Crown Prince?"

Having been severely reprimanded by the Crown Prince earlier today, Old Fang’s face looked sullen and grim.

"Now that the Crown Princess Consort is in labor, the Crown Prince cannot be distracted. Moreover, we do not have Wang Jianghai’s son in our hands... if we just tell His Highness that Princess of Zhen sent someone to rescue the traitor Wang Jianghai’s son, Wang Qiulu, do you think he would believe us? His Highness now trusts the Princess of Zhen far more than us. He might even think that I am petty and cannot tolerate the Princess of Zhen!"

The lanterns outside the carriage flickered, casting shadows on Old Fang’s face. "I am more certain than ever, the Princess of Zhen risking her life to save the Crown Prince... was a setup! With this setup, whenever the Crown Prince doubts the Princess of Zhen, he would recall that she saved his life and dismiss his suspicions! Truly a brilliant scheme!" fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

Ren Shijie pursed his lips and remained silent.

This time, Li Mingrui sought out Ren Shijie with the intention of conspiring to frame the Princess of Zhen, and Ren Shijie understood it clearly.

For Ren Shijie, a spy from Yan, the more chaotic Jin became, the better!

Jin used to be feared by other nations because of the invincible King of Zhen, Bai Weiting. They dared not wage war easily.

Now, Jin is feared because of this God of Slaughter, the Princess of Zhen. Her methods and intelligence are even more ruthless than the King of Zhen’s. Naturally, other countries are also afraid.

If Old Fang could indeed make the Crown Prince of Jin abandon the Princess of Zhen, or even... take her life, it would only benefit Yan in reclaiming its old capital, Dadu City, or in destroying Jin.

After all, no one wants an enemy nation to have such a formidable general who also has the Crown Prince’s deep trust.

Ren Shijie, having been by the Crown Prince’s side for many years, knew that besides Old Fang, the Princess of Zhen was the only other person who could influence the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince ascends the throne with the Princess of Zhen assisting him, it would be challenging for Yan to even reclaim the old capital, let alone destroy Jin.

As a minister of Yan, Ren Shijie naturally had to consider Yan’s interests.

Ren Shijie vaguely knew that their master, Xiao Rongyan, seemed to have a close relationship with the Princess of Zhen.

But even so, for Yan’s sake, there were some things Ren Shijie had to do. Moreover, this time, it was not Ren Shijie who initiated it but the people of Jin who intended to harm themselves. He merely... went with the flow and informed Old Fang, who deeply hated the Princess of Zhen.

The carriage swayed and finally arrived at the first house at the entrance to Jiuchuan Alley. A lantern with the character "Du" hung at the door.

Ren Shijie helped Old Fang out of the carriage and instructed the coachman to pull the carriage away, returning in half an hour to pick them up. The coachman complied and left.

Ren Shijie glanced at Old Fang, then stepped forward to knock on the door. Soon, an elderly man with silver hair, wearing a blue-gray coarse coat and black cloth shoes, opened the door.

The old man’s sharp gaze swept over Ren Shijie and then towards Old Fang behind him.

"Good evening, sir. We are here to see Minister Li," Ren Shijie said, bowing to the old man.

The old man nodded, stepped aside to let them in, and gestured for them to enter. Ren Shijie could tell that although the old man was elderly, he was a trained martial artist, likely with remarkable skills.

Ren Shijie turned to let Old Fang go first. Old Fang, with a stern face, lifted the hem of his long robe and stepped into the courtyard. A white-robed counselor stood under the eaves, smiling and greeting Old Fang and Ren Shijie with a deep bow. "Our master has been expecting Old Fang and Mr. Ren for quite some time."

Old Fang examined the inconspicuous, even somewhat shabby, courtyard. He looked at the solitary maple tree. Several winter snowfalls had battered the maple leaves, leaving scattered red leaves hanging on the branches, illuminated by the dim, cold light under the eaves. It added a sense of desolation.

The white-robed counselor did not mind the disdain in Old Fang’s eyes and led him and Ren Shijie inside.

Li Mingrui sat at a black lacquer table inside, holding a bamboo slip in one hand while warming the other over a blazing fire pit in front of him. A kettle of boiling water sat on the fire pit.

Wang Qiulu stood behind Li Mingrui, looking much thinner.

Seeing Old Fang and Ren Shijie enter, Li Mingrui put down the bamboo slip and nodded. "Old Fang, Mr. Ren, please sit."

Old Fang fixed his gaze on Wang Qiulu, then raised his robe and sat down, asking Li Mingrui, "Minister Li, is this Wang Jianghai’s son, Wang Qiulu?"

"Indeed," Li Mingrui nodded, looking up at Wang Qiulu.

Wang Qiulu’s face looked grim. He stepped forward and bowed to Old Fang and Ren Shijie. "I am Wang Qiulu, the criminal."

"Take him away," Li Mingrui instructed his white-robed counselor.

The counselor nodded and led Wang Qiulu out.

Li Mingrui used a cloth to lift the kettle by the bronze handle and poured a cup of tea for Old Fang and Ren Shijie each. He smiled and said, "Wang Qiulu was rescued by the Princess of Zhen’s people. Although she did this very secretly and did not use anyone from the Princess of Zhen’s mansion, I’m sure Old Fang and Mr. Ren have thoroughly investigated and confirmed it."

Ren Shijie nodded. "The person who rescued Wang Qiulu was indeed from Shuoyang and indeed had inseparable ties to the Bai Clan of Shuoyang. Old Fang sent someone to Shuoyang to investigate. The man was originally a gambler, dirt-poor, and heavily in debt. After returning from Dadu City, he not only cleared his debts but also bought a house and took three concubines!"

"Additionally, his cousin, who was a prison guard at the Court of Judicial Review in Dadu City, recently came into unexpected wealth. He even bought a three-entry courtyard." Li Mingrui smiled, pushing the teacups toward Old Fang. "Am I right, Old Fang?"

"So, Minister Li not only delivered the message but also investigated this matter," Old Fang said, his expression unchanged.