Chapter 1 Mei Wenshi

Mei Wenshi stood among the civil officials, feeling the gazes of the people around him, and his thoughts were inevitably chaotic.

Jiang Chen's scheme was truly designed to kill and demoralize.

He not only separated his forces but also used methods such as 'reporting' to make them suspicious of each other and no longer united. It was extremely vicious!

"It seems that the King of Jiangzuo guessed correctly. His Majesty is getting serious... I must be extra careful in the future, lest I expose myself."

Just as Mei Wenshi was secretly vigilant, Jiang Chen had already left the Golden Luan Hall.

Escorted by the dark guards, he came to a remote palace.

An important person was waiting inside.

That person was Zhang Kang's wife, Liu Huixin, a well-bred lady from a prominent family.

Pushing open the door, Jiang Chen had just stepped into the room when he smelled a refreshing fragrance.

This was the unique body fragrance of a mature woman, with an elusive charm, like a kitten's paw scratching at one's heart.

Jiang Chen paused slightly, then quickly recovered.

He narrowed his eyes and looked into the room, a faint heat hidden deep within his eyes.

In front of him, Liu Huixin, who had been sitting quietly in the room, was startled by the sound of the door opening and hurriedly got up to walk towards Jiang Chen.

At twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, she was in her prime, like a blooming peony, captivating the eye.

Liu Huixin, with her graceful steps, had extremely voluptuous curves. Her pair of slightly upturned phoenix eyes were bright and charming, but at this moment, they blinked incessantly due to apprehension. Her submissive appearance made one want to hold her in their arms and cherish her, but also to be more wanton and ravage her fiercely...

"This sinful woman, this sinful woman pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Perhaps because of nervousness.

The skin of Liu Huixin's neck, exposed outside her gauze skirt, was covered in fragrant sweat, giving her crystal-clear, snow-like skin a layer of moist luster.

Jiang Chen looked at her, the dark light in his eyes deepening.

The reason why he had kept Liu Huixin was because last night, when the Imperial Guards went to Zhang's mansion to arrest people, they discovered that the most important target of this trip, Zhang Kang's favorite concubine, Meng Huaishu, had disappeared without a trace.

After receiving the news, Jiang Chen's first reaction was that this woman had received the news in advance and gone to seek refuge with her master, Mei Wenshi!

So he specially summoned Liu Huixin to learn about the situation.

"Your Majesty?"

Having not received a response for a long time, Liu Huixin spoke uneasily, her delicate body beginning to tremble uncontrollably.

She had witnessed the惨状 (cǎnzhuàng - tragic situation) of the Zhang mansion last night and had an unparalleled awe for the emperor, not daring to be even slightly disrespectful.

Jiang Chen sat down in a chair and said indifferently: "I have something to ask you, answer truthfully, otherwise, the consequences will be unbearable for you!"

Liu Huixin breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

It was good that the emperor had something he wanted, which meant that she was still safe for the time being.

For her, a family member of a rebellious official, the most terrifying thing was to have no value and be abandoned at any time.

She said solemnly: "Your Majesty, rest assured, this sinful woman will definitely tell you everything she knows!"

Jiang Chen asked again, "How did that woman named Meng Huaishu disappear from your residence? Who did she usually associate with? Where did she often go?"

Liu Huixin recalled, "Answering Your Majesty, Meng Huaishu left the Zhang mansion a day ago. At that time, she said she was going to Fushan Temple in the suburbs to pray for the Zhang family. My husband, no, the sinful official Zhang Kang happily agreed and even gave her several hundred taels of incense money."

"As for Meng Huaishu's usual whereabouts and the people she came into contact with... this sinful woman really doesn't know, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me."

As she spoke, tears welled up in Liu Huixin's phoenix eyes, as if she was extremely frightened.

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow: "Don't know?"

"You are the mistress of the Zhang family, can't you even control Meng Huaishu, a small concubine?"

Liu Huixin smiled bitterly upon hearing this, seemingly ashamed to explain, and said with tears in her eyes, "This sinful woman dare not deceive Your Majesty, every word is true."

At this time, Jing Yue stepped forward and whispered in Jiang Chen's ear: "Your Majesty, last night this subordinate personally watched Zhang Kang being tortured and learned many secrets of the Zhang family."

"This Zhang Kang dotes on his concubine and despises his wife. He has been married to Liu Huixin for several years but has rarely touched her. He has always favored Meng Huaishu, and even the servants of the Zhang family respect Meng Huaishu as the mistress. Liu Huixin's situation in the Zhang family is extremely difficult, and what she just said should be the truth."

Jiang Chen was surprised after listening.

Were Zhang Kang's eyes covered in mud?

To leave such a charming wife uncared for and favor a concubine from the Jiaofang Division (ancient brothel)? He even risked the entire Zhang family for such a concubine?!

Did Meng Huaishu cast a spell on him?!

Jiang Chen looked at Liu Huixin, who had a sad expression on the ground, and his gaze softened a little: "Then I'll ask you another question."

"Do you know who Zhang Kang's protégés and friends are? Did he meet any strangers before the rebellion?"

Liu Huixin's delicate body stiffened, and she said bitterly, "Your Majesty, these... this sinful woman doesn't know either."

"Although this sinful woman has been married to Zhang Kang for many years, because of Meng Huaishu's existence, he treats me even worse than a stranger!"

"Moreover, the reason why he tried so hard to marry me was because he valued my powerful family, which could help him open up his career and redeem Meng Huaishu."

"After achieving his goal and becoming Censor-in-Chief, Zhang Kang drove me to the dilapidated厢房 (xiāngfáng - wing-room) in the backyard and even had the idea of divorcing me!"

At this point, Liu Huixin was already sobbing, feeling extremely wronged.

"For so many years, I have been confined to a small courtyard. Except for the New Year, I have never come out at other times. This sinful woman really doesn't know about the things you asked!"

Jiang Chen had a headache.

Could it be that the clues were broken again?

As for Fushan Temple... he was sure that this was definitely an excuse Meng Huaishu made to escape. This woman would definitely not go!

Jiang Chen was a little unwilling and pressed again, "You come from a noble family, you should know what a serious crime treason is! It's not an exaggeration to exterminate nine generations of your family!"

"You are Zhang Kang's legal wife, and your parents and siblings are his in-laws, who happen to be within the nine generations! If you don't want your family to be destroyed, you better tell me the truth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Huixin was struck by lightning, and the blood on her pretty face faded completely!

Her body collapsed on the ground, and she crawled to Jiang Chen's feet with all her strength, hugged his calf, and sobbed, "Your Majesty, this sinful woman did not stop Zhang Kang, this rebellious traitor, and committed a great crime. If you want this sinful woman's life, this sinful woman has no complaints! But... but this sinful woman's family is innocent!"

"For the sake of this sinful woman's father's hard work and dedication to his duties for so many years, Your Majesty, please spare the Liu family..."

Looking at Liu Huixin, who was crying with tears in her eyes and wished she could die immediately to avoid implicating her family, Jiang Chen couldn't help but sigh.

He had already said so much, but Liu Huixin had nothing to say except beg for mercy. She probably really didn't know.

Perhaps the mysteriously disappeared Meng Huaishu knew the inside story of the assassination and rebellion, but she had already hidden herself in advance, which also led to the extremely slow progress of Zhang Kang's interrogation, with almost no gains.

"Stop crying for now."

Jiang Chen lowered his eyes indifferently, his gaze lingering on Liu Huixin's delicate body...