Chapter 92: House Confiscation

About half an hour passed.

Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

The wisps of sandalwood incense drifted through the room, but the incense that was originally meant to calm the mind could not calm the Emperor of Southern Yan.

He looked coldly at the eldest prince who was saluting below.

"Yan Xuanjing, tell me, what are those people kneeling at the palace gate doing?"

Yan Xuanjing just felt a little dry in the mouth.

He glanced at Yan Fengxiao next to him out of the corner of his eye, feeling very unbalanced.

Why would the emperor question him first instead of Yan Fengxiao?

"Your Majesty, I only know that they seem to be the families of the soldiers from the Dingyuan Army back then. As for why they're gathered here, it might be because... Marquis Dingyuan is still alive..."

His words were a little halting, and after organizing his words for a long time, Yan Xuanjing finally squeezed out these two sentences.

The Emperor of Southern Yan had an obviously unhappy expression on his face.

"You are the one who brought people today to investigate the Dingyuan Marquis case in a high-profile manner?"

Yan Xuanjing was silent for a moment. "It's mainly because Marquis Dingyuan is related to Princess Su's disappearance, so I..."

Before he could finish his words, the Emperor of Southern Yan suddenly slapped the table.

“Bang!”

The sound caused the eldest prince's shoulders to tremble slightly, and his face turned three shades paler.

"I said before that the matter of Dingyuan Marquis Mansion ends here. Did you hear it?"

"I heard...I heard it."

"Then why do you continue to investigate?"

The Emperor of Southern Yan was obviously very angry about this matter.

The 50,000 soldiers were ambushed for no reason and were all wiped out, which dealt a huge blow to the morale of the entire border soldiers.

Knowing that Yan Qinghao was not dead, the Emperor of Southern Yan was of course very angry, so he ordered Yan Fengxiao to deal with him, even if it meant killing him.

However, the news of the other party faking his death has now become known to everyone because of the eldest prince's wanton publicity. So much so that now everyone in the capital knows that Marquis Dingyuan did not die on the battlefield, but died in the imperial city!

As the emperor of Southern Yan, he naturally hoped that the morale of the army would be stable and there would be as little trouble as possible. Therefore, before the identity of Marquis Dingyuan was exposed, he did not want to pay too much attention to it. The soldiers who died in the battle had already received pensions from the royal family. Besides, more than half a year had passed since the incident, so it would be best to make a big deal out of a small matter.

"Your Majesty, it's mainly because of Commander Yan. His hasty handling of Marquis Dingyuan has aroused the suspicion of the envoys from the Northern Frontier. That's why I'm investigating this matter. Please understand, Your Majesty, this is not my fault!"

"You've done something wrong and you've learned to shirk responsibility. Is this your understanding as a prince?"

The Southern Yan Emperor's rebukes came one after another.

The eldest prince's cheeks turned pale and blue.

Yan Fengxiao stood beside him with his eyes lowered, quietly listening to the emperor sitting on the dragon throne above scolding the eldest prince, without saying a word, not even a word to defend himself.

When the Southern Yan Emperor was tired of scolding him, he said seriously, "Now that things have come to this, since the people already know about Marquis Dingyuan's affair, Commander Yan, you will take my imperial edict and go to Marquis Dingyuan's mansion... and confiscate his property!"

He paused slightly and said, "All the property confiscated from Dingyuan Marquis will be used to compensate the families of the soldiers who lost their families. This will be used to comfort them and hopefully calm the anger of the people."

Yan Fengxiao immediately lowered his eyes and accepted the order decisively.

"My lord, I obey the order."

Qin Mingzhu did not enter the palace.

After all, she didn't have much to do with the matter, so she stood outside the palace gate with many other people, waiting for the outcome.

Only if the emperor summons her can she enter the palace to meet him.

However, she didn't encounter many such opportunities, even in her previous life.

The people around all knelt on the ground and kowtowed towards the direction of the imperial palace. These unwilling and resentful relatives of the soldiers finally had an outlet to vent their anger.

Qin Mingzhu's expression was very solemn, and she was a little worried, afraid that things would not succeed.

Right at this moment.

The palace door was opened.

Yan Fengxiao walked out with a group of people.

In his hand, he held an imperial edict that had just been written by the Emperor of Southern Yan, and he immediately read it out to the countless people in front of him and his subordinates beside him.

"Yan Qinghao, Marquis of Dingyuan, has received great favors from the nation, leading 50,000 soldiers to garrison the border. He should have served with loyalty and bravery, protecting the country and its people. However, he resorted to treacherous tactics, faking his own death to deceive the emperor, resulting in the annihilation of 50,000 soldiers, leaving their bodies scattered across the ground. This is a tragedy beyond comprehension... His title of Marquis of Dingyuan is now stripped, his property confiscated, and all his wealth used to support the families of his soldiers. His family is exiled to a harsh and cold land, never to return to the capital. This is decreed!"

In an instant, the people kneeling outside the palace gate shouted.

"Long live the emperor!"

Qin Mingzhu stood quietly there, watching Yan Fengxiao walk out of the palace gate, a smile gradually rising from the corners of her mouth.

She knew that once the matter got out of hand, the emperor would not ignore it...

Compared with the people's hearts, the dead Marquis Dingyuan is worthless. Even if he has to be ground into dust and his ashes are scattered, the emperor will definitely do it as long as it can calm the public anger.

Yan Fengxiao immediately took the imperial edict and led his men to the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion.

Qin Mingzhu immediately got on the carriage prepared by the Qin family and followed the huge crowd.

At times like this, she had to watch the excitement carefully.

Not long after, a group of people from the Governor's Office gathered in front of the gate of Dingyuan Marquis' Mansion again. The white flowers on the gate were still hanging, and the entire mansion looked very desolate.

Unfortunately, all the guards from the Governor's Mansion outside rushed in, and soon a loud noise came from inside.

Not long after, Yan Qingjiao, Yan Qingming and other masters were brought out. Following them were two children around eight or nine years old, who were none other than Yan Yunrui and Yan Yunyue, the siblings.

The two siblings had no idea what was happening outside and were all looking at it with pale faces.

The rest of the servants in the Marquis' Mansion were also brought out. They stood there in a daze, with their heads down and not daring to say a word.

Yan Fengxiao walked out of the crowd and stood in the spacious open space at the door.

When Yan Qingjiao saw Yan Fengxiao, she thought of the time when he put the knife to her neck. Her face turned extremely ugly and her voice trembled as she asked, "Commander Yan, there are so many people watching outside, what are you going to do?"

She didn't realize the seriousness of the matter yet.

But a lot of criticism has been coming from all directions.

"That Marquis Dingyuan is nothing but a beast. He eats the imperial court's food, but he's a cowardly idiot!"

"They killed so many people, but their family is still fine. They all deserve to die!"

"He's not even a marquis, he's a disaster. Even if he's dead, he should be ground into dust and sent to hell..."

Yan Qingjiao looked around, the curses made her head buzz.

Yan Fengxiao asked someone to show her the imperial edict drafted by the emperor.

"Marquis Dingyuan faked his own death to deceive the emperor, violating the trust of the people. The Dingyuan Marquisate covered up his whereabouts and crimes. Today, it's time to give everyone an explanation... Come, take action!"