Chapter 209 Public Resentment

The next day, the news that Marquis Anxin and his entire family were imprisoned shocked the capital.

Even the current Anxin Hou Anchun, who has disabled legs, was not spared.

According to eyewitnesses, the White Ghost, surnamed Su, grabbed An Chun's hair and dragged the former nobleman across Zhuque Street like a dead dog.

The winding bloodstains on the bluestone slabs were intertwined with the sighs of the onlookers.

These wealthy families, who were enjoying a feast yesterday, are now prisoners.

Confiscating property and exterminating a clan is just a matter of the emperor's will, and exiling a person thousands of miles away is also a manifestation of the emperor's great grace.

People were talking about it a lot, all speculating about what crime the Anxin Marquisate had committed.

After a few more days, the little sympathy the people had for the Anxin Marquisate disappeared.

When the storytellers in the teahouses of the capital banged the wake-up stick and told the truth about the Nangong family massacre more than 20 years ago, the teacups in the hands of the tea drinkers all shattered to the ground.

It turned out that the fire that night was caused by Marquis An Xin leading his men to slaughter the Nangong family, who had been practicing medicine for generations.

The anonymous manuscript that suddenly appeared on the storyteller's desk was too detailed.

How did Nangong Lingxiao, who was seriously injured by the hacking, wake up in the fire, how did he crawl to his wife and daughter with his charred body exposed to the bones, and how did he close his eyes with regret after making his final arrangements.

The horrific scene made the people who were listening to the story burst into tears and curse the heaven for being blind.

As more evidence surfaced, the evil deeds committed by Marquis An Xin over the years came to light one by one, and their cruelty was appalling.

An old woman cried in the street, saying that her daughter had been abducted by a vicious slave in the marquis's mansion and was forced into a ghost marriage.

There was also a scholar showing the words "Anxin" engraved on his back with an iron.

There were even beggars who beat their knees and cried loudly, describing how the Anxin Marquisate had forced his wife, children, and mother to death and how they had taken away the family's vast wealth.

The people who signed a joint petition in front of the Ministry of Justice broke three thresholds, and the blood letters piled up half a person's height.

When public outrage reached its peak, An Xinhou's wife, An Lin, could no longer bear the torture and screamed in court, "The Concubine Dowager Duan is the real murderer!"

This accusation was like a spark splashing into an oil pan, and even the stone lions in front of Prince Wu's palace were smashed in half by the angry people.

Although King Wu had made great military achievements for Dayan over the years, he also had to bear a lot of infamy because of this evil mother.

The people besieged King Wu's palace every day, asking him to hand over Concubine Duan to settle the resentment.

As soon as the incident happened in Anxin Marquis' Mansion, King Wu went into hiding. Since ancient times, it has been difficult to be both loyal and filial. His purpose was to avoid meeting Concubine Duan.

Even though Yan Shixu sent many guards, both visible and covert, to look for him, they were unable to find him.

It was not until he heard that Prince Wu's palace was under siege and his wife and children were still in the palace that Prince Wu had to show up.

As soon as he appeared at the city gate, he was taken into the palace by Yan Shixu's men.

At this moment, in the Cining Palace, the green smoke coming out of the gilded Suanni censer had stagnated.

When Wen Li'er and Nangong Ziyun entered the palace, they saw that all the clan members and dignitaries were there, making a grand scene.

Her eyes secretly swept across Yan Shixu's tense jawline, and she guessed in her heart that there would be bloodshed in the nine-story palace today.

King Wu finally showed up, and everyone gasped.

The prince who was once as powerful as a tiger is now emaciated and unshaven, looking like a refugee.

When King Wu saw that his wife and children were all safe, he relaxed a little and knelt before the Empress Dowager and the Emperor to apologize.

The Empress Dowager picked up the teacup on the table and threw it at him.

Of course, the place where the teacup was broken was still a long distance away from where King Wu was kneeling.

The Empress Dowager rebuked: "You are not the one who committed the crime, why are you hiding?"

King Wu pursed his lips and remained silent.

As soon as something happened in the Anxin Marquis's Mansion, he guessed that his mother would be implicated in the matter.

Given his mother's personality, she would definitely force him to use the military power in his hands as a threat to force the emperor to let go of the Anxin Marquisate and let her go.

"minister.……"

King Wu's Adam's apple rolled over with difficulty. He closed his eyes and said truthfully, "I am only afraid that Mother will force me to exchange my military token for someone's life."

It has to be said that King Wu knew Concubine Duan too well.

When the incident first happened in Anxin Marquis' Mansion, Concubine Duan didn't pay much attention to it.

Her son is a prince with a large army under his command. If the emperor wants to take action against her or her family, he will have to keep them in mind.

As a result, her rebellious son hid himself as soon as the accident happened. The emperor and the empress dowager did not want to see her, and the relatives of the aristocratic families were afraid of being implicated and avoided her like the plague.

Public opinion fermented rapidly and could not be suppressed.

When all the public opinion was directed at herself, Concubine Duan finally panicked.

It was not until the personal nanny Sun Tong handed her two carefully hidden golden medals of immunity from death that Concubine Duan felt relieved.

Just then, the maid came to report.

"Your Highness, the Empress Dowager has summoned you to the palace."

Concubine Duan sneered. He wanted to blame her now?

She said to Sun Tong, "Then I will go to the palace to meet her."

An Lin accused the An family of instigating all the evil deeds, but she had no evidence. Could she be slandered with empty words?

Originally, she wanted to protect them because the Anxin Marquis Mansion was her mother's family after all.

Now it seems that their deaths are not a pity!

Sun Tong helped her change clothes.

The group left the palace through the back door and the carriage headed straight for the imperial palace.

…