Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 745

Chapter 745: Bi’er

Xu Wenyong’s network was very deep, targeting not only the Pei family but also the other powerful families.

The plan to drug the Prime Minister and his wife had been in the works for several years, the dosage so small as to be virtually undetectable.

Lin Shuyao paused, taking a sip of tea. “As for that maid, Bi’er, I’ve seen her several times. She was favored by Madam of Wang and even slapped me—she deserved to die. I’ve investigated Bi’er’s background. She was sold to the Wang family by slave traders at the age of five. Because she was good at ingratiating herself, she gained several godmothers and climbed her way up to Madam of Wang’s side. She was quite adept at handling things.”

“What about her family background?” An Zhi asked.

“I heard they are from near Jizhou. They were sold by their family when Jizhou was flooded as children. That’s all I can investigate,” Lin Shuyao said, blinking at An Zhi, as if to say that’s all she knew. “You want to deal with the Xu family, but Pei Que is still in mourning, so the Pei family has no real power. That’s why you’re so eager to curry favor with Zhang Huai’an and his wife. An Zhi, I’m pushing such a good ally like the Wang family onto you; you need to think about what to do next.”

If the Wang family knew the Xu family had been secretly harming them, they would definitely break ties with the Xu family. Even if they did not form an alliance with the Pei family, they would inadvertently do many things beneficial to the Pei family.

An Zhi shook her head. “Your information is indeed useful, but I will not ally with the Wang family.”

As the saying goes, “Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together.” Even if the Pei family and the Wang family had a common enemy, their ideologies were incompatible, and they would not have a good relationship.

After a pause, An Zhi thought for Lin Shuyao, “Madam of Wang wants to see you suffer; it’s out of revenge. Even if you want to live a peaceful life now, neither Madam of Wang nor Madam of Xu will let you go. If you leave the capital, killing you would be a piece of cake for them. But if you want to live a stable life in the capital, it’s best to have a powerful backer. Lin Shuyao, why do you not go find the person who saved you before?”

Lin Shuyao had cuckolded the deceased Prince Mu, disgracing the imperial family. Just when the imperial family wanted Lin Shuyao dead, she survived.

An Zhi had thoroughly investigated everyone in the capital and could not think of anyone who would benefit from saving Lin Shuyao.

“An Zhi, I’m here to negotiate, not to have you question my background,” Lin Shuyao said, her face hardening.

An Zhi smiled and glanced at the street outside the wooden window. There were still few pedestrians passing by.

“I think your best course of action is to go back to that person for help. Since he saved your life, he can naturally offer you a good solution,” An Zhi said slowly. “As for my idea, it’s to seek help from the imperial clan. They did not kill you before because what harm would it do them? As long as you’re thick-skinned enough, you can even stay in the ancestral hall. No matter how arrogant the Wang and Xu families are, they would not dare storm the imperial clan’s ancestral hall, right?”

Lin Shuyao was somewhat reluctant. Those members of the imperial clan wished she were dead; if she continued to pester them, who knew how they would take advantage of her misfortune?

“If you cannot swallow your pride, then I have no other advice,” An Zhi said, standing up.

Seeing An Zhi about to leave, Lin Shuyao could only grit her teeth and say, “You better be able to do what you say. Do not rush off; I do not have the money for the tea; you will have to pay.”

An Zhi glanced back at Lin Shuyao. Although her clothes were still those of the Princess Consort, they were faded from washing, likely Lin Shuyao’s most presentable garment at the moment.

“Chunlan, go pay the bill; I will wait for you downstairs,” An Zhi said.

Leaving the teahouse, An Zhi stopped beside her carriage.

While waiting for Chunlan to come out, An Zhi scanned the surrounding streets; nothing seemed amiss. Yet, she could not help feeling cautious.

Back at the Pei Mansion, An Zhi summoned Lin Feng and instructed him to investigate Bi’er’s matter. “This is a difficult case,” she said, “but Bi’er is a spy for the Xu family, so she must have been in contact with them. Even if we cannot find out her background, finding out who she’s in contact with will be helpful. Besides, the Xu family would not just use one spy; the Wang family definitely has other Xu family spies.”

By implicating one person, the Wang family would be aligned with the Xu family.

As for the drugging of the Prime Minister and his wife, An Zhi would assess the situation. If other things were discovered, she would cover up the drugging.

An Zhi’s goal was simply for the Wang family to begin attacking the Xu family.

After Lin Feng left, An Zhi felt tired and went to lie down.

Meanwhile, Pei Que, upon learning of Lin Feng’s investigation, was initially surprised but quickly understood. Xu Wenyong, with his immense ambition, was not just an obstacle for the Pei family.

And at this moment, Pei Que received news from the palace.

Fusheng stood behind his master. “Master, news has come from the palace that the Emperor is increasingly failing, and the Empress Dowager has summoned the two princes, both still under twenty, multiple times.”

“The Empress Dowager has truly learned her lesson,” Pei Que said, pen in hand, his gaze drifting into the distance.

“Perhaps she has tasted power more recently and desires more,” Fusheng added.

“Although the Empress Dowager does not hold much real power, the feeling of ruling from behind the curtain has clouded her judgment.” Pei Que was not surprised at all. “Let the Empress Dowager continue like this. The late Emperor’s edict is there; no matter how much she stirs up trouble, her final destination will be Xiling.”

For the Empress Dowager, there was only one possibility to break the late Emperor’s edict: she could overthrow the Li dynasty and become Empress herself.

But Pei Que did not think the Empress Dowager had the ability to be Empress, so he was not worried about her current power struggles; on the contrary, he strongly supported her fight against the Xu family.

Currently, the Yun family had no one capable of stepping forward to support them, so the Empress Dowager had to turn to other powerful families. This would weaken the Xu family’s influence, which was good for Pei Que.

Fusheng continued, “However, news has come from the palace that Dowager Consort Xue is ill. Since winter began, the Empress Dowager has been cutting back on Dowager Consort Xue’s charcoal. In the gloomy atmosphere of the palace, without charcoal in the dead of winter, Dowager Consort Xue quickly fell ill. Is the palace suggesting we secretly provide some?”

“Then secretly send some charcoal. As for the Empress Dowager… she’s currently riding high. We need to give her a reminder. Have someone impeach her so she will not be too complacent,” Pei Que said.

Fusheng nodded, “Understood.”

After Fusheng left, Shunzi arrived. He came to say goodbye, as his position in the city guard had been assigned, and he needed to report for duty.

Pei Que gave Shunzi a few instructions and then got up to return to his room.

Five days later, Lin Feng returned with news of Bi’er. Because the flood had caused such chaos, Bi’er’s records were nowhere to be found, making it impossible to ascertain her background.

However, Lin Feng’s excellent investigative skills led him to a lover of Bi’er’s in the Wang Mansion, and this lover was currently living a rather comfortable life.

Logically, he should be devastated by the death of his lover.