At this moment, the Emperor truly had the urge to kill the Fifth Prince. Although he suspected the Second Prince also played a significant role, all the evidence pointed to the Fifth Prince being directly responsible for the First Prince's death.
The Emperor knew he shouldn't get angry or interrogate the Fifth Prince right now, so he decided to let him enjoy a few more days of freedom.
Upon returning from the hunting grounds, the Fifth Prince nursed his injuries while feeling restless. He knew that both the First and Third Princes were dead, and none of the people he had sent out had returned. He was unaware of the exact events that transpired. He tried to gather information but found he couldn't even enter the imperial palace.
He had sent his men to assassinate his three elder brothers, especially the First Prince, where he had heavily reinforced his forces, intending to eliminate them all at once. Even if the Emperor knew it was him, what of it? The remaining princes were not capable, and with his own failing health, he had to secure his own succession.
The reason he was able to bring so many men into the palace was undoubtedly due to the commander of the Imperial Guards. The commander's defection was primarily because a beauty in his household was the commander's long-lost sister. He had discovered this by chance and used her life to coerce the commander, though the commander also took a gamble.
So much time had passed, his men should have returned by now. Yet, there was no news. He dared not imagine what his fate would be if they fell into the Emperor's hands. He was immensely agitated and confined himself to his chambers.
While the Fifth Prince was away, Zhang Tiehua was not idle. She secretly went out. Although the mansion was strictly controlled, with the Fifth Prince himself gone, the steward turned a blind eye to some matters. After all, he could not afford to offend the consorts in the inner court.
In the blink of an eye, Zhang Tieshan accidentally fell into the water and drowned. His body only surfaced the next day, and only then was he discovered. No one knew why he was there or how he fell in. It was only known that he drowned. With no one to lodge a complaint, the magistrate ruled it an accidental fall.
The people from the gambling house received the news and found it unlucky. They had no choice but to sell all his possessions, which amounted to thirty thousand taels of silver. Regarding the twenty thousand taels of debt, they had once tried to gauge the Consort's attitude. The moment they arrived, they were blocked. Although their backing was formidable, they still did not dare to openly cause trouble at the Fifth Prince's mansion. In the end, they had to accept their misfortune.
Zhang Tiehua received the news and feigned tears. She hired someone to buy a good coffin for her brother and buried him on the outskirts of the capital.
She had originally thought she would be sad after her brother's death. Instead, after solving this problem, she slept more soundly and ate better, feeling that everything was perfect. Even if Gao Feixue said she and Zhang Tieshan were not true siblings, with the person gone, no one could investigate further.
Although Wu Caiwei was busy with her business, she had always sent people to monitor Zhang Tieshan. She believed that with Zhang Tieshan losing so much money, Zhang Tiehua would definitely take action. As she expected, Zhang Tieshan met with misfortune.
Her people clearly saw how Zhang Tieshan died. A young beggar handed him a note, and shortly after, he quietly went to the small lake, seemingly waiting for someone.
This lake was located on the outskirts of the capital, a desolate area where few people usually went. Soon, a man approached and said something to him, after which they moved to a secluded spot.
Taking advantage of the empty surroundings, the man directly pushed the unprepared Zhang Tieshan into the water. Zhang Tieshan couldn't swim. As soon as he hit the water, he began to struggle and called for help several times. No one came to his aid, and he eventually sank to the bottom in despair. The man then quietly slipped away. Sudan Novel Network.
Wu Caiwei's people had followed the man, knowing where he went and even inquiring about his identity before returning to report to her.
Wu Caiwei, being wealthy and generous, immediately gave the man two hundred taels of silver as a reward. The man was overjoyed and deeply grateful, bowing to her profoundly.
If she lived elsewhere, she would have definitely reported it to the authorities and brought down Zhang Tiehua. But this was the capital, a place teeming with high-ranking officials. Even if she reported it, the magistrate would likely make a show of investigating but ultimately let it slide. After all, the life of a commoner versus the Fifth Prince's mansion, they knew which was more important.
Let alone the Fifth Prince's Consort sending someone to push Zhang Tieshan into the lake, even if they killed someone in broad daylight, what could be done?
The main reason for her calmness was that she had learned from Zhang Dahai that the Fifth Prince was about to fall into trouble. Only when the Fifth Prince fell would Zhang Tiehua be completely unable to recover.
The Fifth Prince didn't have to suffer for days before the Emperor summoned him to the palace. He quickly tidied himself up, mentally prepared himself, and then calmly headed to the imperial palace.
The moment he entered the Emperor's sleeping quarters, the main door was closed. For some reason, the Fifth Prince began to feel nervous. He slowly approached the Emperor's bed and saw the chief eunuch by his side carefully administering medicine to the Emperor.
"Your humble son greets my Imperial Father." Before the Emperor could look at him, he knelt down first.
Unfortunately, after waiting for a long time, he didn't hear the Emperor tell him to rise. Recalling the events of the past few days, his heart pounded wildly. He prayed that the Emperor would find nothing.
As soon as the medicine was finished, the Emperor snatched the medicine bowl from the chief eunuch and smashed it onto the ground. The bowl shattered near the Fifth Prince's leg. He involuntarily trembled and said in fear, "Imperial Father, please calm your anger. Do not harm your own body."
"Do not be hypocritical. If you truly cared about my health, you wouldn't have done such things. They found a plaque from the Fifth Prince's mansion at the place where your First Prince and Third Prince died. The murderers were caught red-handed and confessed that you instigated them. Do you have anything else to say?" the Emperor said, looking at him gloomily, his thoughts unknown to anyone.
Upon hearing this, the Fifth Prince broke out in a cold sweat. His worst fear had come true. Although the Emperor had evidence, he was unwilling to admit it. After all, once he admitted it, he would be forever estranged from the throne.
He quickly moved a few steps forward, grabbed the Emperor's hand, and pleaded with a distressed look, "Imperial Father, your humble son is wrongly accused. Someone is trying to frame me. If all this was my doing, why have I suffered so many attacks?"
The Emperor closed his eyes and flung his hand away, saying in frustration, "Fifth Son, you are not the only intelligent person in this world. Your father is indeed ill, but his mind is not muddled. If I had not ascertained the truth of the matter, would I have summoned you to the palace? You have disappointed me greatly."
Hearing this, the Fifth Prince collapsed to the ground, weeping profusely, "Your humble son knows his mistake. I beg my Imperial Father for mercy."
In the end, the Emperor placed him under house arrest in the Fifth Prince's mansion, never to step out again. The Fifth Prince knew this was already a lenient punishment from the Emperor, and he left the palace with no will to live.
The moment he returned to his mansion, the Imperial Guards surrounded it tightly. Panic ensued within the mansion, with everyone unsure of what had happened and rushing to the main courtyard to inquire. Zhang Tiehua was no exception. The moment she learned the truth of the matter,
Everyone was stunned. Subsequently, there were wails of despair. All of them knew that their lives were ruined.