novelraw Chapter 817 - 795: Letter
Chapter 817 - 795: Letter
Xie Jue’s gaze swept over the Great Prince opposite him. He was the eldest son of the King of Sangnan, thirty-two years old. His brows and eyes didn’t resemble the King of Sangnan’s, nor did he appear to be a Sannan, as he was tall, robust, with deep-set features, more like a man from the northern regions. Xie Jue had seen Ying Yi’s report. The birth mother of the Sangnan King’s eldest son was a Ningzhou person, and his situation in Sangnan was much like Xie Jue’s upbringing in the Capital City, also growing up under heavy discrimination. His biological mother died early, and he recognized the King of Sangnan’s favored concubine as his mother. That concubine had no sons, thus she treated him as her own, and even the power from her maternal side supported the Great Prince.
He, the Third Prince, and Han Ziqi were the strongest contenders for the King of Sangnan’s succession. Although Han Ziqi was named the Princely Heir and favored by his father, his position wasn’t particularly stable. The Great Prince and the Third Prince also wielded formidable power in Sangnan. The Priest Court supported the Third Prince, believing him to be steady and pure, unlike the Great Prince who was warlike, or Han Ziqi who was promiscuous and suspicious. The Third Prince appeared more like a true ruler.
This time about the poisoning, Han Ziqi flatly accused the Great Prince of orchestrating it, but with the victim dead, Xie Jue thought the King of Sangnan found no evidence, so the matter remained shrouded in mystery. The funniest part was that the King of Sangnan actually sent the Third Prince to investigate, making it laughably absurd.
"The poisoning was fraught with danger; it seems someone did not wish for me to reach Mudan City and also wanted to disrupt peace talks between the two countries. Their heart is condemnable," Xie Jue said calmly. "But the assassins who committed the poisoning have already poisoned themselves to death, and time has passed, making it difficult to trace. While I hope Sangnan can capture the real murderer, I hope even more that our peace talks can move forward. There’s no need to get bogged down in finding the culprit; that’s putting the cart before the horse."
The Great Prince snorted coldly, "Prince Yan, everyone says I sent people to poison you; even my father has sent people to investigate. My mansion’s people, close aides, have been questioned several times; some even suffered severe torture. Why? Don’t you suspect me?"
"I only believe in evidence. Without proof, anyone can be the culprit," Xie Jue looked at the Great Prince. "Whether the Great Prince is the murderer, you know in your heart."
"I do not want Sangnan to surrender, nor do I want you to come to Mudan City, but I act openly. If I did it, I’d admit it, and if I didn’t, don’t even think about framing me!" The Great Prince glared fiercely at Han Ziqi, the obvious discord between the brothers.
Xie Jue thought silently, it wasn’t just discord; even in the presence of the King of Sangnan, they could quarrel, with no sense of propriety. No wonder the Sannan Royal Family was in such disarray.
Surfaces not harmonious, hearts even less so.
Han Ziqi did not engage, simply drinking, allowing others to scrutinize him. The King of Sangnan stepped in to mediate, "Eldest, stop this matter now. Prince Yan is not pursuing it, that’s his magnanimity."
"I’d rather have Prince Yan pursue it. If this matter isn’t thoroughly investigated, it will truly fall on my head."
Fang Chuning leaned lazily, drinking on his own while they argued. It was truly amusing. To hold a banquet for welcoming the envoy, and they could actually argue, it was quite entertaining.
"Enough!" The King of Sangnan’s tone was harsh, "Tonight is for entertaining the envoys, don’t make it into a joke."
The Great Prince unwillingly closed his mouth and did not entangle further in the matter. Instead, he brought up another topic, "Prince Yan, there are rumors in the market that you’re the Eldest Princess’s son. Do you have any evidence?"
Xie Jue looked over expressionlessly, while Fang Chuning casually set down his wine glass, "Our Prince Yan is the only prince of Beining, and has never admitted to being part of the Sannan Royal Family bloodline. It was your royal family that spread rumors about his lineage. I, as General, would also like to ask, do you have any evidence?"
The Great Prince was at a loss, "How did it become our royal family spreading the rumor? Didn’t it first spread in the Beining Capital?"
"Then you should ask the Princely Heir why he spread such rumors, causing strife between our prince and the Emperor as brothers." Fang Chuning asked nonchalantly, "This time, Prince Yan’s mission to Sangnan is to prove to our Emperor that he is upright, not fearing shadows, able to withstand trials. When the Princely Heir spread the rumors back in the Capital, there was irrefutable evidence, undeniable."
Han Ziqi and King of Sangnan exchanged a glance. Facing the Great Prince’s glare demanding an explanation, he said unhurriedly, "Long before the Eldest Princess was exiled to Sangnan and entered the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion, the people we dispatched to Beining had already found her. We also invited the Eldest Princess to return to Sangnan to succeed the throne, but Her Highness was pregnant with Prince Yan at the time and unwilling to return, so the matter was dropped. Father and the Marquis Mansion had an agreement that the identities of the Eldest Princess and Prince Yan would remain a secret. But with the changing circumstances later, the split between the Yuwen Dynasty and Prince Yan’s brother, Father and I wanted to support them in their fight for the throne, so his identity was mentioned."
"In the end, there’s no evidence, is there?" Fang Chuning raised an eyebrow with a smile, "The Marquis and the ladies have all passed, so you can naturally tell tales as you wish."
The King of Sangnan was displeased, "General Fang, this is a family matter between Prince Yan and us."
"Prince Yan is a Prince of Beining, and the affairs of the prince are national affairs. Of course, your small Sannan doesn’t have as many rules. I can somewhat understand!"
Everyone, "..."
This statement was simply an insult to all the Sannan people present. The Great Prince couldn’t help but slam the table and rise, "Fang Chuning, don’t be too arrogant!"
"I am being arrogant, so what? We aren’t the losers in war, nor are we begging you for peace talks!" With intoxication rising, Fang Chuning’s cheeks were flushed, and the already charming face was like brilliant blossoms, exceedingly captivating. To others, it looked as if he was drunkenly rambling, but Xie Jue knew how good his drinking was; he flushed from drinking but wouldn’t get drunk.
The Great Prince was so choked he couldn’t utter a word.
Xie Jue also supported Fang Chuning, "General Fang is right; I am the Prince of Beining. The affairs of a prince are national affairs, and I hope the King of Sangnan does not confuse the two."
The King of Sangnan also realized they were tough to handle. He sighed and said, "If that’s the case, I can only produce letters from the past with the Marquis. Both the Marquis and I feared future disputes like this, so back then there was correspondence verifying Prince Yan’s identity. Although the Marquis passed away many years ago, you should recognize his handwriting, right?"
Xie Jue’s whole body stiffened, letters!
Father’s letters!
This sentence pierced his heart like a knife. He feared emotional reminders and feared stirring up his sorrowful feelings. His family’s relics were sealed in a secret chamber, not daring to be viewed; it had been a long time, a very long time since he had seen his father’s handwriting.
This matter Fang Chuning dared not decide for him. The King of Sangnan sent a letter, placing it before Xie Jue, "This is the letter the Marquis wrote to me back then, inside is also a letter from the Eldest Princess and her private seal."
Xie Jue’s gaze fixed on the letter, which clearly had some age to it, his emotions stirring.
Father, why did you leave such a letter back then?
What did you write in the letter?