Chapter 81: This coffin, it seems, absolutely must be opened.

Yu Zhiyi was inwardly furious.

Upon raising his eyes, he saw that both the Emperor and Du Ziheng wore melancholy expressions.

she:"?"

So, she's the one who can't find the key point, right?

"Words are not enough. I cannot doubt my queen's ulterior motives just because you said something casually."

Prince Shun finally managed to regain a sliver of reason from his romantic entanglements.

Yu Zhiyi: "There is evidence, but... we have to open the coffin."

Emperor & Prince Shun & Du Ziheng: "..."

This coffin absolutely has to be opened, right?

"The year after Princess Shun died, Han Yonglie and his wife felt that the storm had passed, so they stole her body and built her a new tomb. In this tomb, not only were her beloved possessions given to her by the prince during her lifetime placed, but also evidence that could prove her status as a member of the Anguo royal family. As long as the prince opens the coffin, he will know that what I said is true."

Prince Shun flew into a rage: "You mean her tomb was robbed?!"

Yu Zhiyi: "...So you're not wrong."

While others raid tombs for wealth, Han Yonglie and his wife raided tombs for corpses.

She asked Eunuch Hu to bring her paper and pen, and drew a map starting from the palace: "The real tomb of Princess Shun is in this place."

To verify what Yu Zhiyi said, the first step is to open the coffin of Princess Shun.

Even though Prince Shun was extremely unwilling, he had no choice but to open the coffin, as it not only concerned the truth of what happened back then, but also whether his wife would be able to rest in peace after her death.

Efficiency is paramount when it comes to royal affairs.

The next day at noon, under the bright sunshine, the emperor personally ordered the tomb of Princess Shun to be dug up.

The luxurious tomb was revealed to contain an empty coffin.

The burial goods in the coffin are still there, but the corpse that should have been lying inside is gone!

Prince Shun was still holding on to his last breath, wanting to prove that what Yu Zhiyi said was false.

But now, even without seeing the new grave, he believed it to some extent.

The royal party quickly located the second tomb by following the map's directions.

This is a very simple tomb, which cannot be compared with the luxurious imperial mausoleum.

A simple tombstone was carved on a wooden board in front of the grave, and a flag read "The Grave of An Fuxin".

An Fuxin.

The name Fuxin was very familiar to both the Emperor and Prince Shun; it was the maiden name of the woman who haunted their dreams.

But the word "An" hanging in front of it made them feel unfamiliar.

Before long, the grave was dug up, revealing a fine nanmu coffin inside.

Upon opening the coffin, a female corpse dressed in a magnificent long dress and wearing a princess's phoenix crown appeared before everyone's eyes.

Years have passed, and the corpse has turned into bones. The long dress that once fit her perfectly now hangs precariously on her body, and the phoenix crown, no longer bound by her scalp, lies crookedly and twisted at the bottom of the coffin.

Beside the female corpse was a wooden box. When the box was opened, a jade pendant with a phoenix pattern was found inside.

Prince An immediately recognized it as a jade pendant belonging exclusively to members of the An Kingdom's royal family.

Production of this style of jade pendant ceased after the fall of the An Kingdom, and only twenty-eight of them remain, held by members of the surrendered royal family.

Later, these members of the royal family submitted to the Great Sheng Empire. The emperor at the time was benevolent and granted them fiefdoms, allowing them to live in a secluded corner of the country.

However, these jade pendants, which symbolized royal status, were all confiscated and are currently sealed in the Palace's Treasure Pavilion.

The emperor immediately ordered an investigation into the number of Anguo Phoenix Pattern Jade Pendants in the Qizhen Pavilion. It was soon confirmed that all twenty-eight jade pendants were in the Qizhen Pavilion, not one was missing.

So how did this jade pendant come about? That's self-evident.

Prince Shun suddenly looked as if he had aged more than ten years, and his whole body became listless.

Looking at his devastated state, betrayed by love, Yu Zhiyi thought for a moment and said, "Your Highness, instead of wasting time reminiscing about your false love, you should think about how to explain things to His Majesty."

"Although I can tell from their biographies that you were not successfully turned by them, nor did I doubt their identities, but... this kind of thing can't be said by me alone, so you have to prove it yourself."

“In matters involving treason, if things get complicated, it won’t just be you who suffers, but your entire family.”

Prince Shun: "!!"

"You're a devil!"

He immediately perked up.

Love is precious, but the lives of his entire clan are also of great value!

He was fooled, tricked, and used as a bargaining chip for revenge. If His Majesty does not believe his innocence, he deserves to be punished. Who told him to be so stupid?

He could die himself, but he couldn't bring his people to his death.

"Your Majesty, I absolutely had no intention of treason! I did not know beforehand that An Fuxin was the granddaughter of the Crown Prince of An Kingdom."

emperor:"……"

Actually, he didn't know either.

He pondered for a moment: "Words are not enough. You need to find a way to prove it."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Prince Shun then looked at Yu Zhiyi, who shrugged, looking helpless.

On the way back in the carriage, Du Ziheng's gaze kept sweeping over the woman's calm face, and he noticed more details.

He used to think she was beautiful, but never really looked at her closely. Now he realized that her beauty was different from the conventional kind of beauty.

Like You Bingyue, she belongs to the type with very delicate facial features and contours. With excellent facial features and contours, as long as her mouth and eyes are not crooked, she will definitely look good no matter how she is dressed.

Yu Zhiyi's features are not delicate in the traditional sense.

Her eyes weren't as large and bright as You Bingyue's, her nose wasn't high and straight, and her face shape wasn't the currently popular oval face...

Yet these imperfect features combine to create a stunningly beautiful face.

Yu Zhiyi felt uneasy and impatient under his gaze: "Don't look at what is improper. Young master, you have studied for so many years, don't you know what these four words mean?"

Du Ziheng lowered his head and smiled slightly: "Sorry, I was rude. I just suddenly realized that you are a person who is tough on the outside but soft on the inside."

She said that on purpose because she sensed Prince Shun's will to die, right?

She deliberately said a series of things to encourage Prince Shun to prove himself, and then added that she could see that Prince Shun was innocent, so His Majesty would not suspect that Prince Shun had any intention of rebelling.

Therefore, the purpose of these words was only to help Prince Shun get over his heartbreak.

Yu Zhiyi: "..." She refused to discuss such pointless questions.

"Hasn't the young master already been appointed to an official post? Why hasn't he gone to take up his post yet?"

These past two days, this man has been following her around whether he has something to do or not. Whenever she objects, he drags Yao into it, which is really annoying.

"I explained the situation to the Minister of Personnel. When the Minister learned that I was going to accompany you to the palace, he allowed me to report two days later."

"Oh." Yu Zhiyi showed no interest in receiving any thanks.

They even felt extremely annoyed and disgusted.

This frustration and disgust were not concealed.

Du Ziheng, however, seemed oblivious to this, and after getting out of the car, he actually wanted to go to Linfeng Pavilion.

Yu Zhiyi finally snapped: "Young Master Du, your Mingxi Garden is over there."

"We are husband and wife, I..."

"I don't want you to set foot in my place. If you want to say that Linfeng Pavilion is the Prime Minister's residence and also your place, then go ahead and try to force your way in."

Yu Zhiyi stepped into the gate of Linfeng Pavilion.

Suddenly, she turned around and smiled defiantly: "If you don't like me, you're welcome to kick me out."