Chapter 344
Chapter 344
After waking up, Ha Wanwan felt an ache in her rear but thought it was just an internal heat imbalance from her stool being too dry. She had indeed been suffering from an inexplicable internal heat lately, making every trip to the privy an ordeal. Moreover, Xue Yin hadn't acted immediately upon arriving in Lang Prefecture. She had monitored everything, waiting until Su Jianting was near Ha Wanwan’s residence, only striking decisively once she was certain the Su Clan was plotting to harm Shen Lang. Thus, the entire process was flawless.
Neither Su Jianting, nor the Blackwater Terrace, nor Ha Wanwan herself knew about the lead pellet in her stomach. If Xue Yin had been merely a spy, or merely a grandmaster, she couldn't have executed it so perfectly. But when those two identities combined, the result was astounding. And the reason Shen Lang had devised such a venomous plan was because Ha Wanwan’s final words were so famous.
After being exiled by the King, she wrote him a letter every three days, always ending with the same line: she wished His Majesty would cut open her belly to see her heart. Not only that, but when she met with influential figures, she would often say she wanted to cut open her belly to show His Majesty her true heart. In any case, she used every trick in the book to return to the King's side, trying every method to convey her feelings to him.
‘Ha Wanwan, who would cut open her belly to show her sincerity,’ had practically become a proverb. It would have been harder for Shen Lang *not* to think of putting a lead pellet in her stomach. Even Yun Mengze and Ning Yan had mentioned her famous line, so it was only natural for Ha Wanwan to include it in her final note. The divine maiden Xue Yin lightly scraped the words with her vermilion-painted nail. It had to be a very, very faint scratch—so faint that if someone from the Blackwater Terrace noticed, they would think it was a coincidence.
But when had Shen Lang realized that Su Nan would use Ha Wanwan to harm him? On the way back from the State of Jiang, on the night they stayed at the official post house in Lang Prefecture, Ha Wanwan had tailed Mulan, trying to sneak into the post house to see Shen Lang. To avoid her, Shen Lang had slipped into Divine Maiden Xue Yin’s bed, only to be caught in the act by Mulan. Yet, that woman had waited outside for over an hour just to ask him a single question. That was highly unusual.
How could someone as perceptive as Shen Lang not smell a conspiracy in that? Besides, Ha Wanwan was practically Shen Lang’s greatest weakness. As his enemy, would Su Nan really leave that untouched? Since the weakness couldn't be mended, it was better to make it bigger, inject poison into it, and then hand it to the enemy to detonate completely. Once it exploded, the weakness would naturally disappear. A true case of killing two birds with one stone. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.
Of course, Zhang Chong’s contribution was an unexpected boon. Originally, Shen Lang would have had to do much of the work himself, but after Zhang Chong arrived, Shen Lang barely needed to open his mouth. The magnificent Lord Zhang Chong grasped everything in an instant and handled it appropriately, even more perfectly than Shen Lang could have done himself. Shen Lang had said it before: this contest with Su Nan would be decided in an instant. In this desperate counterattack, Shen Lang was the planner, while Xue Yin and Zhang Chong were the executors. With all three being top-tier experts, Su Nan’s defeat was not unjust.
***
Everyone was completely stunned by the sudden turn of events. Yan Miyi, the Chiliarch of the Blackwater Terrace, felt like his head was about to explode. Wang Jinglun, the Minister of the Grand Court of Revision, was utterly bewildered.
‘How can this be? Just a moment ago, Shen Lang was a dead man. How did the tables turn in an instant? Why has all the blame fallen on the Su Clan? What… what in the world is happening?’
Ning Yan was also dumbfounded and turned to Yun Mengze beside her.
“Brother, no… hey, stud. What just happened?”
The tigress was always like this. She only called him ‘brother’ when she was heartbroken or feeling weak. Once she was fine, she’d switch back to calling him ‘stud.’ But Yun Mengze, of course, didn’t care about the title. There was only one thought in his mind.
‘Damn! My brother is something else.’
He had learned that phrase from Shen Lang. The instantaneous reversal of the situation had left even Yun Mengze speechless. And Zhang Chong, too, was slightly amazed. Even though he knew the entire process, seeing it actually happen made him want to exclaim his admiration aloud. The plan wasn't difficult to execute. The hard part was predicting the enemy's moves in advance and staying one step ahead. In that respect, Shen Lang was truly remarkable.
Just then, Yan Miyi, the Chiliarch of the Blackwater Terrace, suddenly spoke up.
“No. This is all Shen Lang's scheme. Young Master Su Jianting would never force himself upon the noble lady. It’s absurd.”
As he spoke, everyone turned to look at him.
‘Idiot! This idiot is a dead man.’
The moment the words left his mouth, Yan Miyi realized he had spoken a fatal blunder. Normally, he should have said, “Heir Su Jianting would never kill the noble lady Ha Wanwan.” Instead, he had said, “Heir Su Jianting would never force himself upon the noble lady.”
‘It seems you know quite a bit. Could it be you’re in league with the Su Clan?’
In an instant, Lü Jun mentally sentenced Yan Miyi to death. The grand eunuch then stood up abruptly and said calmly.
“My lords, this case is exceedingly strange and complex. It’s difficult to say what the truth of the matter is, but I ask that none of you speak of this outside. If rumors were to spread, everyone present would find it hard to clear their names.”
Lü Jun phrased it beautifully. He had already figured out the truth, but the case was so terrifying that he wouldn't utter a single word of it.
“I must return to report to His Majesty. He will pass the final judgment.”
The ill-fated Grand Eunuch Lü Jun had to make another mad dash. This time, Princess Ning Yan didn't help him. The empire’s emissary, Yun Mengze, personally lifted him onto a swift horse.
“My thanks to Young Master Yun.”
Yun Mengze said.
“Eunuch Lü is a paragon of loyalty. The King of Yue is truly fortunate to have a subject like you.”
Look at Young Master Yun Mengze, what a smooth talker. Lü Jun clasped his hands in a salute before galloping north.
***
Two hours later.
Lü Jun met the King's royal procession about a dozen miles north of the capital. Once again, he entered the King’s mobile palace and prostrated himself on the floor.
“Your Majesty, this was found inside the noble lady Ha Wanwan’s stomach.”
The King frowned, donning silk gloves to take the sheepskin parchment, not hiding his distaste in the slightest.
Reading that one line, the King’s face twitched as he asked.
“Defiled her?”
The grand eunuch Lü Jun said.
“There were torn wounds in the noble lady Ha Wanwan’s anus. The female physician said she had previously mistaken them for burns from the arsenic and hadn't noticed. It was likely Su Jianting’s doing.”
The King’s eyes narrowed.
“Haha… Hahahaha!”
He didn't fly into a rage; instead, he burst out laughing, though the sound was piercing. It was as if someone had truly placed a green hat upon his head.
‘I never imagined Su Jianting would be so daringly insane. Was it that thrilling?! Did you find it amusing to defile a woman who had slept with me?’
The King closed his eyes.
‘Then the voodoo doll cursing the Crown Prince, found under Li Wenzheng’s bed, must also be the Su Clan’s doing. That would make sense. Who would benefit from a fierce power struggle between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince? Naturally, it would be the neutral Su Nan. At that time, Su Nan had just returned to the court and was continuously expanding the power of his neutral faction.
Yes, that makes sense. Shen Lang is merely a live-in son-in-law. What ambition would he have to provoke a power struggle between the Crown Prince and the Third Prince just to fill his belly? He probably didn't even know who the Crown Prince and the Third Prince were back then, so he had nothing to gain from their conflict.
Then what about him selling poems to Ha Wanwan? He said it was to show off, woo a woman, and steal Li Wenzheng’s love. That fits his frivolous character. Didn't this brat once write a book just to spite his ex-wife, Xu Qianqian? Now that the Xu Guangyun family is finished and Xu Qianqian has become like his concubine, he’s stopped writing the second volume of *The Golden V...*. He probably has no intention of ever finishing it.’
Then, the King suddenly asked.
“Is there any possibility that Shen Lang orchestrated all of this?”
The King spoke as if asking casually, but he was an extremely suspicious man, tormented by his inability to doubt everyone. Grand Eunuch Lü Jun replied.
“Shen Lang was severely beaten in the Grand Court of Revision. It was as good as having already suffered a great punishment.”
The implication was clear: Shen Lang was someone who greatly feared pain.
“Furthermore, when the lead pellet was retrieved, Yan Miyi, the Chiliarch of the Blackwater Terrace, said something very strange. He said it was all Shen Lang’s plot and that Young Master Su Jianting would never defile the noble lady Ha Wanwan.”
The King’s eyes twitched. Even to him, that didn't sound right.
‘Logically, shouldn't he have said that Su Jianting would never have killed Ha Wanwan? Yan Miyi, did you already know Ha Wanwan was going to die? Is there someone in the Blackwater Terrace colluding with the Su Clan?’
The whole truth became clear. It was all a conspiracy by the Su Clan. Ha Wanwan was murdered by Su Jianting so they could frame Shen Lang. For some reason, the King inwardly sighed in relief. Even his anger had subsided somewhat. When the King heard that Shen Lang had deceived his sovereign, defiled Ha Wanwan, and cursed the Crown Prince to incite factional strife, he had felt an unprecedented rage. He felt betrayed. But now, it turned out to be the work of the Su Clan.
His anger subsided, which he thought was perhaps natural. Because he liked Shen Lang. It was the feeling of being betrayed by someone close that made the King so furious. In contrast, he had long considered Su Nan an enemy, so he wouldn't have been as enraged by anything the Su Clan did.
The King had long seen Su Nan as an enemy. He was furious that Su Jianting had defiled Ha Wanwan and wanted to tear him to shreds, but… he wasn’t as angry as when he heard that Shen Lang had betrayed him. At that time, he truly wanted an immediate answer from Shen Lang. Perhaps the King had never cared much for Ha Wanwan.
“This case is closed. That Yan Miyi from the Blackwater Terrace—is his entire family dead?”
“He has one household remaining. His wife and son.”
“Go, capture them and kill them all. Interrogate Yan Miyi. Find out if he colluded with the Su Clan and how far the Su Clan’s influence has infiltrated the Blackwater Terrace. But don't dig too deep. Once you have a satisfactory answer, flay him and hang his skin on the Blackwater Terrace’s flagpole.”
“Yes!”
“Is it true that Su Jianting led Western Region warriors to attack the Count of Xuanwu's estate?”
“Yes.”
The King said angrily.
“What audacity! How dare he attack the manor of a count, a court official. And to attempt to murder his own aunt—he has truly gone mad.”
Damn it. You knew about that incident long ago. And when Su Nan had a censor impeach the matter, you just gave a casual reprimand and let it go. Are you bringing it up again now?
“Men, arrest Su Jianting. I want to know what he was trying to achieve by attempting to murder his own aunt.”
“Yes!”
A troop of cavalry galloped away like an arrow.