Chapter 133 I don't want to use my brain at all
Mei Cheng'an accompanied Li Roujia on the swing in the yard for a while, and then said goodbye and went home before lunch.
After having lunch at home, Mei Cheng'an was called to the study by Mei Zhili.
As soon as the father and son walked into the study, Mei Zhili started to scold them.
"Have you ever seen a person named Teng Zijing around Fan Xian?"
Mei Cheng'an was stunned for a moment. Was his father's death warrant coming? He subconsciously glanced at his father's brow to see if there was any black spot on his forehead.
According to the original plot, the prince ordered his father to find out Teng Zijing's address and arrest him, and then openly attacked Fan Xian in court. Because of this incident, his father had to retire and was robbed and killed by horse bandits.
However, in this life, Mei Cheng'an is not too worried about his father's choice. He has already laid enough groundwork, and his father's position has also undergone a fundamental change. Even if his father made the same choice as in the drama, Mei Cheng'an is confident that he can keep his father safe, so he is not panicked at all.
Mei Chengan nodded.
"Yes, what's wrong, Dad?"
Mei Zhili frowned.
"Do you know that Teng Zijing is from the Supervisory Council? He was the one who assassinated Fan Xian in Danzhou. Fan Xian reported that he had killed him, but this man is alive and well now and has returned to Kyoto with Fan Xian. Fan Xian is deceiving the emperor, don't you know that?"
Mei Chengan smiled.
"Did the prince tell you all this?"
Mei Zhili was stunned for a moment and said.
"Don't worry about who told me. Just tell me whether you know about this or not."
Mei Chengan admitted it decisively.
"I know! Fan Xian told me the whole story."
Mei Zhili said in astonishment.
"Did he tell you all about this?"
He paused, and his brows furrowed even more.
"If you knew that, why did you still want to be friends with him? What were you thinking? He is guilty of deceiving the emperor! That is a capital crime!"
Mei Chengan spread his hands.
"He did deceive the emperor, but what does this have to do with my friendship with him? The prince wants to make a fuss about this, right? Then let him do it. The worst result is that Fan Xian will be sentenced to death!
The crime of deceiving the emperor will not implicate others. Even if someone is implicated, it will only implicate Fan Xian's relatives. I have never heard of implicating friends. So, what are you worried about?"
"this…"
Mei Zhili was stunned. His son's words left him speechless. But when he thought about it carefully, although his son's words were a bit cold, they made sense. It seemed that he... was indeed worrying too much.
But such cold words don't sound like something my son would say. Seeing this kid's fearless expression, could there be... another hidden story behind this matter?
Mei Zhili glanced at Mei Chengan.
"Do you know any other news, little brat?"
Mei Chengan laughed.
"You discovered it. The other news... can't really be considered as news. It's just my guess."
Mei Zhili stared.
"Hurry up and tell me!"
Mei Chengan glanced at the tea table.
"It's a long story. How about we sit down and I'll tell you slowly?"
Mei Zhili stared at him deeply, then turned and walked towards the tea table, followed closely by Mei Chengan.
After the father and son sat down, Mei Cheng'an picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for his father first, brought it in front of him, and then leisurely poured a cup for himself.
Mei Zhili took a sip of tea and spoke.
"Go ahead."
Mei Chengan said, holding the teacup in both hands.
"Please let me think about where to start. Hmm... let's start with Teng Zijing."
Mei Cheng'an first told his father why Teng Zijing entered the Supervisory Commission.
After listening to this, Mei Zhili pondered for a moment.
"There's something fishy about this case!"
Mei Chengan smiled.
"Dad, you have been trying cases for so many years, and it really wasn't in vain. You saw the problem at first glance."
Mei Zhili rolled his eyes at him.
"Don't force yourself to praise. Anyone can sense that something is wrong with this case. It's obvious that someone is deliberately manipulating Teng Zijing. It doesn't seem like it was the Guo family. It's so sinister. It must be the work of the Supervisory Council. Please continue."
Mei Cheng'an did not judge his father's conclusion. He just smiled and said, "It's a stereotype."
"The following words are all top secrets of the Supervisory Council. Please listen to me and do not spread them to anyone else."
Mei Zhili nodded.
Mei Chengan continued.
Teng Zijing was deliberately arranged to work in the Supervisory Office, and was specially arranged to work in four places. The place where he was on duty was only a hundred miles away from Danzhou. When the forged secret order was issued, it happened that all the people in the Supervisory Office near Danzhou were transferred away, and even the stronghold a hundred miles away was emptied. It happened that only Teng Zijing was left, so he had to assassinate Fan Xian. You know what happened next. The prince did not lie to you."
After saying that, Mei Chengan drank his tea slowly.
Mei Zhili frowned and pondered for a long time, constantly organizing the thoughts in his mind. This was obviously a plan targeting Fan Xian that had been going on for several years.
It didn't look like they were trying to kill Fan Xian, but rather to protect him. Otherwise, they wouldn't have chosen Teng Zijing, who was passionate and hated the powerful, injustice, and behind-the-scenes manipulation to the extreme.
But who could have predicted this assassination several years in advance? They had started to prepare for this so early. It was simply too scary. Just thinking about it made Mei Zhili feel a chill down his spine.
Mei Zhili picked up the cup and took a sip of hot tea to warm himself up. He glanced at his son and asked.
"Is it Chen Pingping who planned this? He started planning this three years in advance. Only someone as shrewd and wise as Chen Pingping could have done this. So you don't have to worry at all, because Chen Pingping will protect Fan Xian."
Mei Cheng'an was stunned for a moment, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
"You're overthinking it. Let's not talk about anything else for now. Just say that Chen Pingping is not in Kyoto now. If the prince makes trouble, he will cut the Gordian knot. How can Chen Pingping help a nearby fire? By the time he protects Fan Xian, the grass on Fan Xian's grave will be ten feet high." Mei Zhili's old face turned red, feeling a little embarrassed. He made a solemn guess, but it was overturned by his son's words. He felt a slap in the face.
"Who else could it be?"
Mei Chengan asked with a smile.
"Do you think anyone can predict the future?"
Mei Zhili didn't even think about it.
"Absolutely impossible!"
Mei Chengan asked again.
"Since no one can predict the future, how could the person who planned it know that there would be an assassination in the future?"
Mei Zhili was stunned and frowned. He had thought about it but had not considered it deeply. Yes, how did he know this?
Mei Chengan smiled.
"unless…"
Mei Zhili stopped thinking about it as his attention was drawn to his son's words.
"Unless what?"
Mei Cheng'an didn't keep anyone in suspense anymore.
"Unless this assassination was originally planned by the person behind the plot, or was deliberately promoted by the person behind the plot."
Mei Zhili suddenly realized that it made sense. That’s right, that’s right. That’s exactly the case. If I put it this way, then everything can be explained.
Knowing how the person who planned the layout did it has only solved part of the mystery, and there is still mystery to be dispelled.
"So who is the person who planned it?"
Mei Chengan smiled.
"Don't worry. Fan Xian has received news that the person who forged the secret order has close contacts with the Crown Prince. He suspects that the Crown Prince attacked him."
Mei Zhili was not surprised. It was easy to imagine the struggle for financial power in the inner treasury.
"So? The one who planned this was the prince?"
Mei Cheng'an laughed in silence and shook his head.
"Why did the prince attack Fan Xian?"
Mei Zhili was speechless. Why don't you know what's going on? Is it interesting to ask questions when you already know the answer? If I wasn't waiting for you to answer my question, I would never have bothered with you!
"It's to prevent the inner treasury's financial power from falling into Fan Xian's hands."
Mei Cheng'an had no idea that his father had a grudge against him and continued asking.
"Then why did Fan Xian take over the inner treasury?"
Mei Zhili hardened his teeth and said, "If you can't explain everything clearly, be careful of the iron fist." He glared at his son and gritted his teeth.
"Because His Majesty granted marriage to Fan Xian and Lin Wan'er, and stated that whoever marries..."
As Mei Zhili was speaking, he finally reacted and his eyes widened.
"You mean the one who planned it was His Majesty..."
Mei Zhili subconsciously looked around, then looked at his son again, leaned forward and lowered his voice.
"Down?"
Mei Chengan said with a smile.
"I didn't say that, you said that."
Mei Zhili rolled his eyes and said, "You unlucky child who betrayed your father. I'll deal with you later." Mei Zhili went over the matter from beginning to end and felt that the fog had completely dissipated. He pondered for a moment and said.
"In this case, Fan Xian is not deceiving the emperor."
Mei Chengan took a sip of tea and smiled.
"That's not the case. It's true that he lied that Teng Zijing was killed by him. But whether it's deceiving the emperor or not is up to your majesty to decide. We can only say that there's a high probability that he will be fine."
Mei Zhili remained silent. After knowing that His Majesty was the man behind the scenes, he realized that the prince's wishful thinking was probably wrong.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wants me to help track down Teng Zijing and prevent him from being captured by Fan Xian."
Mei Cheng'an finished the remaining tea in the cup and put it down.
"You agreed?"
Mei Zhili shook his head.
"No reply yet. What I know is what His Royal Highness the Crown Prince told me. I don't know the whole story or the details. How can I agree to it directly?"
Mei Chengan decisively gave a thumbs up and offered some compliments.
"As they say, old ginger is the wisest. You are so wise!"
Mei Zhili slapped Mei Chengan's hand away.
"Go, go, stop flattering me. His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is still waiting for my reply. What suggestions do you have?"
Mei Chengan looked relaxed and smiled.
"You shouldn't ask me about this. We are all His Majesty's subjects. The Crown Prince asked you to arrest Teng Zijing in order to convict Fan Xian, and Fan Xian was specially chosen by His Majesty to take over the inner treasury. You should naturally ask His Majesty for his opinion before agreeing to the Crown Prince's request. You should just do whatever His Majesty says."
Mei Zhili's eyes lit up. After all, what he had said before was all speculation without any real evidence. Instead of guessing what His Majesty was thinking, it would be better to ask His Majesty directly. It was always right to act according to the rules.
Mei Zhili looked at his son with admiration and nodded.
"I will send a message to His Majesty. How do you think I should phrase it?"
Mei Chengan was speechless. Was he tired from racking his brain just now? Dad didn't want to use his brain at all now.
……
(End of this chapter)
