After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 725 Analysis of the Political Situation

After the imperial physician explained the situation, Eunuch Wang finally realized what was going on.

However, even he, a eunuch, felt that something was fishy about this.

I wonder what His Majesty will do. Sigh, this Lunar New Year is really anything but peaceful.

Why are they all so troublesome? Can't they just have a peaceful and uneventful New Year?

Eunuch Wang knew that this might be the emperor's last year, and at this moment he felt somewhat indignant on behalf of his master.

Your Majesty has worked hard all your life, but in the end, you were ruined by the actions of all sorts of petty people. It's truly a tragedy!

Thankfully, the Crown Prince is a decent person; otherwise, His Majesty would never be able to rest in peace after his passing.

This can be considered a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. The second prince regained his senses and was even successfully appointed as the crown prince, so at least there is hope for the future of the Great Zhou.

Wang Gonggong's head was still spinning. The imperial physician said it was because the steel needles were not very clean and had caused some infection.

At this moment, Eunuch Wang had a low-grade fever, and his mind was filled with indignation on behalf of his emperor.

"Please rest well, Eunuch Wang. The medicine has been prepared, and your young apprentice is decocting it. Make sure you take it every day after it's ready, otherwise the infection will worsen and you'll continue to have a high fever."

At Wang Gonggong's age, in his fifties, a persistent fever would deplete his vital energy, and it wouldn't just be a matter of a few doses of medicine; it would leave his body completely exhausted.

Eunuch Wang was well aware of the implications. After thanking the imperial physician, he covered himself with a blanket and let himself sweat it out.

Before he entered the palace, his family was poor and couldn't afford to see a doctor when they were sick. He remembered that his mother used this method to bring down their fever.

When he was a child, his family only had one quilt, but now he can have as many as he wants, so he recalled this method of sweating from his distant and vague memories.

The eunuch Wang, who had been hit by the most steel needles and was the most seriously injured, is now fine, and the other injured ministers are naturally also alright.

However, the Emperor still sent condolences to each household, since those officials had suffered unjustly because of the Tenth Prince's hidden weapon, and he had to show his condolences no matter what.

Since taking up his post in the Ministry of Works, Jiang Xiaoqi rarely visited the Crown Prince. Later, when the Crown Prince moved into the Eastern Palace, Jiang Xiaoqi simply sent a congratulatory gift to celebrate the investiture and the move.

The Crown Prince's staff is not yet fully staffed. His intention is to call Qiu Cheng back after the ships officially set sail in the spring.

Qiu Cheng is mature and prudent, making him very suitable as the head of the officials in the Crown Prince's Eastern Palace.

The Crown Prince never considered having Jiang Xiaoqi serve as an official in the Eastern Palace; he felt that would be a waste of his talents.

Moreover, he knew exactly what Jiang Xiaoqi was busy with at the Ministry of Works, so he couldn't possibly transfer him out.

Of course, even if he had this intention, his father would not agree.

After all, the glass workshop of the Ministry of Works was related to the income of the Great Zhou treasury, and the Crown Prince naturally knew which was more important.

Moreover, he wasn't without options; besides Qiu Cheng, he also had the younger generation of the Jiang family.

Jiang Lin, Jiang Yan, and Jiang Hao were all left to him by Jiang Xiaoqi. Previously, the three had been training in various departments, and now the Crown Prince could transfer people from various departments with just a word.

However, it shouldn't be too obvious; allowing three officials surnamed Jiang to enter the Crown Prince's residence at once would be too conspicuous.

Therefore, the Crown Prince first appointed Jiang Lin, who was relatively older, to the Eastern Palace to help him handle some external affairs of the Eastern Palace.

Jiang Xiaoqi found a reason to offer New Year's greetings and invited Qiu Cheng to go to the East Palace to deliver New Year's gifts.

Qiu Cheng no longer needed to be on duty at the dock, and he had always wanted to pay his respects to the Crown Prince.

In particular, he had never seen the crown prince even once after the crown prince was appointed as crown prince.

Jiang Xiaoqi's invitation was exactly what he wanted. He had prepared his New Year's gifts well in advance, dressed in his best clothes, and arrived at the place he had agreed to meet with Jiang Xiaoqi.

"Lord Qiu, Happy New Year!"

"Lord Jiang, Happy New Year!"

Qiu Cheng and Jiang Xiaoqi are now at the same official rank, and Qiu Cheng is filled with mixed emotions.

This Lord Jiang is indeed a talented person. He is not only appreciated by the Crown Prince, but is also highly valued by His Majesty.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the two boarded a carriage. Since they were going to the same destination, there was no need to waste transportation resources.

Qiu Cheng sent his driver back and hitched a ride in Jiang Xiaoqi's carriage.

For some reason, even though they were the same size carriages, he always felt that Lord Jiang's carriage was more comfortable and spacious.

"Lord Jiang, what's your opinion on the matter of the Tenth Prince?"

Jiang Xiaoqi was brewing tea with a teapot on the ceramic stove when he heard this question and paused.

He put down the teapot and remained silent for a while.

"This...is it hard to answer?"

Qiu Cheng wanted to ask Jiang Xiaoqi for his opinion before sharing his own. They were all on the same side, and since they were in a carriage, there was no fear of being overheard.

Oh, Li Mo outside isn't considered an eavesdropper outside the wall, since Qiu Cheng knows that Li Mo's loyalty to the Jiang family is no ordinary one, unlike that of a guard to his master.

"It's not difficult to answer, but does Lord Qiu want to hear the truth or a lie?"

"Oh dear, Lord Jiang, isn't that just nonsense? Do we need to use lies and empty words to appease each other?"

Jiang Xiaoqi raised the corner of his mouth, "Lord Qiu already has some guesses in his heart, so why do you want to hear what I have to say first?"

"Hey~ I was just guessing. My son and I discussed it for half the night last night but couldn't reach a conclusion. Seeing Lord Jiang today reminded me of this again."

This was certainly not something that came to mind suddenly; it was something Qiu Cheng had been keeping in mind all along.

"I see."

Jiang Xiaoqi didn't expose him; he just had a little ulterior motive, nothing serious.

"Actually, my opinion is pretty much the same as Lord Qiu's. Take the matter of the tenth prince murdering his father and killing the emperor, for example. Anyone with eyes can see that there is something fishy about it."

But why would the person behind it do something so obviously suspicious?

There's no other reason than that even if the tenth prince ultimately didn't take the blame, he completely lost any chance to compete.

The person behind this may see the Tenth Prince as the biggest threat to them, so even if it's risky, they want to cut off the Tenth Prince's path in this direct way.

As long as things are done discreetly, they may not be found out. Even if they are, a scapegoat that has been prepared beforehand can be thrown out.

Eliminate the opponent, the one you consider the greatest threat, without shedding a drop of blood, without losing a single soldier.

All you need to do is bribe the carpenter who built the chariot. After it's done, you can send him far away or kill him to prevent future trouble. In any case, no one will be able to find the carpenter who helped the Tenth Prince build the chariot.

Qiu Cheng nodded repeatedly, as he shared the same thought. However, his son disagreed with him yesterday, so he still had to talk to a young man like Lord Jiang.

"Yes, that's what I think too. But Lord Jiang didn't mention the most important question. Is it because he didn't want to talk about it, or is he worried about something?"

"The person behind it all? Heh, it's the Fifth Prince!"

Qiu Cheng: ? ? ?

You just said it like that? No need to keep us in suspense or anything?

No! Lord Jiang must have something more important hidden behind his words, otherwise he wouldn't have revealed the Fifth Prince so readily.

Qiu Cheng wanted to ask more questions, but the carriage had already arrived at the East Palace gate.

Oh well, we'll find out eventually.