Chapter 170 - Beacon in Troubled Times 20 (1/2)

Yu Hanjiang’s conjecture was only a theoretical speculation and the actual evidence was only a piece of cloth that Lin Shaobo had held onto tightly. The colour and material were the same as the guard’s uniform and it was the most critical physical evidence in this case.

Yu Hanjiang thought up to here and glanced at Long Sen. “How many sets of clothing do the guards in the prince’s mansion have?”

Long Sen replied, “Everyone has two sets of the same colour and style for changing and was.h.i.+ng.”

“You are the leader of the guards. Once you go back, call all the guards and carefully check their clothing. Check the one they are wearing and their other set of clothing. See if anyone is missing a piece or if there are traces of repair.”

Long Sen immediately nodded. “Understood, I’ll check it.”

No matter who was the mastermind behind the scene, the one most likely to kill Lin Shaobo was a royal guard. Otherwise, Lin Shaobo wouldn’t tear off the murderer’s sleeve during the struggle. Looking for the murderer based on the physical evidence was currently the safest way.

In order to find out if the Eight Prince was involved in a rebellion, Yu Hanjiang decided to go back to the Yu family’s home in Jiangzhou to question his grandfather. According to the setting, his grandfather was the prime minister and later resigned to return to his hometown. Yu Hanjiang also grew up in Jiangzhou with his grandfather.

When Yu Hanjiang was a child, he served as the crown prince’s companion for a period of time. In this world, his age was similar to that of the crown prince. In other words, he and the emperor were in their early 20s while his grandfather’s age was over 70, just like the late emperor. His grandfather might know some secrets.

At noon that day, Yu Hanjiang took Xiao Lou back to the Yu family’s home.

Yu Hanjiang’s father didn’t become an official. He wrote poems and painted all day, becoming an idle literary scholar living in Jiangzhou. Yu Hanjiang’s father had tried to stop him when he headed to Beijing to take the exam. Unfortunately, Yu Hanjiang was stubborn and came back after getting first place.

The Yu family lived on the outskirts of Jiangzhou. The entire courtyard was quiet and simple and it looked like a scholar’s home.

Entering the house, Yu Hanjiang inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity. After all, he grew up here according to the plot setting.

The guard at the door saw him and was surprised. He exclaimed excitedly, “The young master and young madam are back? I have to report it!”

Yu Hanjiang nodded and held Xiao Lou’s shoulder, gently leading him into the courtyard. The two people moved along the flagstone path to the lounge. Yu Hanjiang’s parents had received the news and rushed over. Yu Hanjiang and Xiao Lou greeted the elders together.

The two of them might not be Yu Hanjiang’s real parents and were characters in the plot but this could still be considered as being brought back to ‘see the parents.’ Xiao Lou felt awkward and had to accompany Yu Hanjiang with daring action. He called out, “Father, Mother.”

Father Yu asked, “Hanjiang, when did you come to Jiangzhou to take office? Why didn’t you come home?”

“Mother, you shouldn’t say this. My husband is busy in the capital and I should accompany him.”

He felt nauseous himself at this line but he still had to act hard.

Yu Hanjiang quickly changed the topic. “Where is Grandpa? Why isn’t he home?”

Father Yu replied, “Your grandfather goes fis.h.i.+ng in the mountains every day. He hasn’t come back yet.”

Mother Yu glanced at Xiao Lou and said, “Just stay here to eat. I’ll ask the kitchen to prepare some delicious food for you.”

Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang chatted with their parents for a while. It wasn’t until lunchtime that his grandfather came back with a fis.h.i.+ng rod and fis.h.i.+ng basket. There were some freshly caught fish in the basket. The old man’s eyes narrowed with joy when he saw his grandson and granddaughter returning and he immediately gave the fish to the chef to cook soup.

Xiao Lou stayed in the room to talk to Mother Yu while Yu Hanjiang found a chance to talk to his grandfather alone in the study. He briefly told his grandfather about what happened in the prince’s mansion.

Don’t look at Grandfather Yu’s old age. His mental state was very good. Once he heard that there was a death in the prince’s mansion, the old man frowned slightly and touched his long beard. “This isn’t easy. You have to investigate carefully and also protect yourself. If there is something you shouldn’t know, pretend not to know so you don’t cause trouble for yourself.”

Yu Hanjiang heard his grandfather’s meaning and whispered, “Grandfather, you’ve been the late emperor’s prime minister for over 10 years. Why did the late emperor pa.s.s the throne to his grandson instead of the prince?”

Grandpa Yu sighed. “Ah… this is a long story. It was also the late emperor’s last resort.”

Yu Hanjiang sat next to him and listened carefully. “A last resort? What is the reason?”

Grandpa Yu started the story. “The heirs of the late emperor were weak and many of the princes died soon after they were both. Only five princes survived, the first prince, the third prince, the fifth prince, the sixth prince and the eighth prince. The first prince was the eldest and born of the empress. The late emperor loved the eldest prince most and made him the crown prince when he was still an infant.”

A hint of sorrow filled the old man’s face as he thought about what happened in those years. “The crown prince was talented, kind-hearted, humble and studious. The ministers also thought he would be the best successor. However, when he was 20 years old, he went out to hunt, was injured by a poisonous arrow and was killed on the spot. After investigating, it was discovered that the third prince had sent someone to do it. His Majesty was so angry that he gave the third prince a cup of poison.”

Yu Hanjiang was stunned. “It turned out that the third prince was being the a.s.sa.s.sination of the crown prince? His Majesty killed him in a fit of rage.”

“Yes, this is a secret of the royal family and it isn’t easy for rumours to spread. After the early death of the eldest prince, the position of crown prince was temporarily empty. His Majesty wanted to investigate the other princes and make a decision but it didn’t take long for the empress to also die of illness. A later investigation found that it was done by Imperial Concubine Shu. Imperial Concubine Shu poisoned and killed the queen and then Imperial Concubine Ming poisoned her. It was found that the forces behind the fifth and sixth prince were involved since the concubines were their mothers.”