The Treacherous Concubine’s Guide To Whitewashing

Chapter 13, Pt 2 - Thunder Strikes

Sikong Yan nodded, then turned to look at Han Chang Wen. "Mister Han must be inconvenience to cooperate with this matter."

Han Chang Wen bowed and saluted. In response to this matter, he reminded the prince in passing, "Prince, those few artisans responsible for making the fire, thunder powder must be dealt with cleanly."

Du Wang nodded repeatedly. "Leave this trivial matter to a lower official."

Several people discussed their next move and respectively bustled away.

Sikong Yan returned to his chair and sat on it. His expression was dejected and cold.

Soon, a maid wearing a dark red dress entered serving tea.

Recently, she had been a very doted upon maid. Even though she had not officially been taken as a concubine, she was already treated as a concubine inside the prince’s mansion.

Seeing that the prince was in a bad mood today, she gingerly put down the tray, picked up a small, tea cup, and presented it before the master. Softly she said, "The prince has spoken for a long time. Drink tea to moisturize your throat."

Sikong Yan took it absently.

The maid looked at the outstandingly handsome lord and she became happy from the bottom of her heart.

Sikong Yan seldom favored maid servants and that day she didn’t know how she had acquired such dumb luck to be favored like this now. She might even be able to have her status promoted to that of a side concubine in the future...

An attendant from the front hall hurriedly entered. "Prince, there are rumors in the Capital."

Sikong Yan’s face sank. Previously, the Heaven’s thunder, which didn’t hit Sikong Lin, targeted himself instead. After returning to the Capital, he had immediately ordered the withdrawal of the manpower who was prepared to spread the original planned rumors. Where were these rumors coming from now?

"What rumors?"

The guard hesitated repeatedly before finally drawing enough courage and said, "There are rumors outside that the prince… covets the throne and that you did something to offend Heaven and reason, so the ancestors used thunder to strike you."

After he finished speaking, he quickly said, "Your subordinates have already arranged the manpower necessary to capture those scoundrels spreading rumors."

Blue veins suddenly appeared on Sikong Yan’s forehead. This had originally been their plan, but now some evil force was turning it back onto him, which was particularly unbearable.

Sure enough, someone had taken action. As for the person who was messing around, the only person who went to the altar during this period of time was that woman. She was the only one who could maneuver enough manpower to pull this kind of craftiness right under someone’s nose. Truly, he had underestimated her as she quietly bribed his people. The participants for altar’s plan this time had all been trusted aides. Who was the one who leaked the secret? He must carefully purge certain people by his side.

Sikong Yan thought bitterly and suddenly laughed, but there was a frosty hostility in his smile.

His temperamental face made the tender-hearted maid, who had been watching at him all this time, tremble. Never had she seen such hatred on the face of the prince.

Perhaps she had moved too much, because Sikong Yan finally noticed her, then his eyes swept away.

"Drag her out and kill her," he ordered with loathing.

The maid stood as if struck by thunder from a clear sky. Before she could even utter a grievance, two attendants from outside the hall rushed in, gagged her mouth, and dragged her out.

----

Hearing Lian Yan Qiu coming to report about the latest rumors in the Capital, Yuan Luo felt extremely comfortable.

The serious fire incident at the imperial tomb was publicly announced by the court to be a small accident around the altar caused by a careless attendant who burned the sacrifice. However, anyone with eyes could see that the sudden burst of light was definitely not an ordinary fire. In addition, there was that roar of thunder from the distant horizon.

Thousands of eyes had watched the scene attentively and soon the saying that ‘fire and thunder fell from Heaven’ began to circulate.

Yuan Luo arranged for manpower to go to their neighbors and lead them collectively with the rumor that the East China Sea king’s sin had lead to Heaven’s thunder erupting from the sky creating an immediate clamor.

The East China Sea king would not simply accept this fate, so the next day she made a list indicating that accidents such as a fire during the sacrifice to Heaven were ominous omens and that it was feared there might also be natural and man-made disasters in the coming year.

She even went so far as to attempt to drag the entire Tianyu dynasty and the imperial court into the water to be burdened by this pot.

Yuan Luo immediately arranged for someone to present a memorial to the Emperor expressing that a bad omen had descended to the earth, implicitly indicating that whomever triggered this natural disaster was self-evident.

These past few days, there have been impassioned arguments in the courts and the East China Sea king had stayed behind closed doors. He declined to meet any visitors and said he was excessively frightened.

Or else, what... Take advantage of his illness and have him killed? Or arrange for an assassin to pretend to be an imperial doctor and visit?

Thinking about it, she gave up on these risky ideas. After all, in addition to the East China Sea king there were also a numerous aristocratic families and other nobles represented by the Wei clan, which was an even greater power.

This assassination method was not desirable, but another method could be tried.

Yuan Luo picked up a memorial from the table, which she had previously drafted secretly. The memorial indicated that omens and anomalies must be prevented. To do so, the imperial household should fast, bathe, and pray to Heaven. However, the Emperor was not yet in power and was busy studying. Instead, a precious imperial clan member could be invited to live in the imperial palace. He would be employed as a substitute for the Emperor and would be responsible for this glorious and great work.

Yuan Luo's goal was to find a justifiable opportunity to confine the East China Sea king in a pen. This guy was just too dangerous. He could neither be allowed to return to his fief, nor could he be left to be active outside the palace.

Thinking carefully, Lian Yan Qiu lifted the curtain and entered the hall.

"Empress, today the imperial doctor sent by the imperial hospital spent another day on a cold wooden bench."

In order to show her concern for the East China Sea king, Yuan Luo had arranged for an imperial doctor to go visit him every day in the name of the Emperor. Sikong Yan had been highly annoyed to have to deal with him even a few days ago. Today, he didn’t even meet him.

Yuan Luo snorted and put aside the memorial.

"Tomorrow, I will hand over this memorial and then appoint Miao Zi Fang to go with his military forces to 'invite' people."

That night, Yuan Luo was in the middle of playing games with Sikong Lin, pointing at a newly made picture book for telling stories to older children, when she heard a faint noise outside the door.

She finished telling a story, then looked up and asked, "What’s going on?"

Lin Xiu Chun hurriedly entered the door, bowed and said, "A moment ago it was a person from the Inner City Department who came to report that Chongwen Pavilion north of the palace was taking on  water."

Yuan Luo went out of the main hall and looked up. Flames were soaring into the northern sky.

Chongwen Pavilion was the place where books were stored in the palace. It was also the largest library collection in the Capital. This building was different from ordinary places, because it housed all kinds of historical materials and ancient records. If it were to burn down in a fire it would create heavy losses.

Yuan Luo’s face became ugly. Lin Xiu Chun quickly said, "Empress, do not worry, the palace staff are in the middle of extinguishing the fire. Commander Miao has already dispatched manpower to carry twenty water dragons to help out and even the local commander has sent many people from the Division of Intelligence. Presumably, it shouldn’t take long to suppress the fire."

Yuan Luo nodded and returned to wait upon Sikong Lin.

At long last, Sikong Lin fell asleep and Yuan Luo went to the palace side hall warm room to rest. She had just removed her hairpins when she suddenly realized something was fishy.

The East China Sea king had declined to meet visitors, but on his visit the imperial doctor had not seen anyone at the door. Tonight’s serious fire in Chongwen Pavilion, the Department of Intelligence’s people were dispatched to support...

Yuan Luo suddenly woke up. The East China Sea king was leaving!